Matthew emerged from the HQ building, filled with frustration and anger. This was not fair! I mean, okay sure he should have ignored his arguing friends but it was not fair for the UNSC here to blame him for a complete accident. But at least he could still be thankful that he was not going to be thrown in jail, but this punishment might have been just as bad.

The Recruitment and Training Centre was where new recruits signed up and were to be trained. If he was going there, then that is what his punishment was: to train new recruits.

Oh this can't get any worse Matthew thought as he walked towards the pelican that was parked.

"Well, well, well," a voice said behind him.

Matthew knew that voice very well and groaned. Looks like he had spoken too soon and turning, he saw a group of men in heavily armoured uniforms standing by the side of the building, one of them propped up by his elbow. Oh great! It was a group of four ODST's, and what was worse was that it was a group being led by Dylan, a twenty one year old heavily built soldier who had been an American football player in his school. The muscles from the hobby of his past stood out clearly in his sleeves. He had brown hair, blue eyes and he, according to several women who Matthew had heard talking about him in the past, he was a good looking man. They had never really liked each other. In fact, Dylan used to pick on Matthew, as did his group of mates, all of who were American football players in their school when they were younger.

"What do you want Dylan?" Matthew grumbled.

"Well, we've just heard about what happened in the testing area a few minutes ago," Dylan replied, moving away from the building and stepping towards Matthew. He was about six foot four, the same height as Matthew, but his more heavy build did make him quite intimidating but Matthew kept his cool. "Heard that you almost fried a couple of workers using the laser," he laughed a little. "Just like in High School, you couldn't even kick a football straight."

"Well, at least I wasn't an idiot like you, Dylan," Matthew replied.

Dylan glared at him and began quickening his pace towards Matthew, stopping a few feet from him.

"So where you going then, Matty boy?" he asked him.

"None of your business,"

"What'ssmatter. Scared?" Dylan taunted, making him and his friends laugh.

"Get lost,"

Dylan smirked a little and looked past Matthew at the pelican. "Maybe I should go ask the pilot where ya' goin'. It'd be fun to find out,"

"Corporal Dylan!" a voice barked, making them jump.

Officer Hensley had emerged from the building and had been heading towards the hospital building, but had been stopped by the scene in front of him.

"Yes, sir?" Dylan inquired, sounding a little less brave and tough now.

"Get back to your barracks, Matthew here has to go somewhere and you're holding him up!" Hensley barked. "Go on, scram! That's an order!"

By the look on Dylan's face, Dylan looked like he wanted to say something to Hensley, but because he was an ODST and Hensley was an officer, he could into really bug trouble.

"Yes, sir," he replied, giving Matthew a glare before walking back towards the barracks. His friends followed him.

"You better be off, Matthew," Hensley said to him in a voice that sounded as if he wanted him to leave.

Matthew nodded and walked back in the direction of the pelican. When he reached it, he climbed into the resting area and sat down on one of the seats. He sighed and rested his head against the wall of the pelican. This was not fair! This was a bad predicament he had been landed in. What was worse, Dylan and his group of ODST's were onto him. If they found out what he was doing, he would never be able to liv with the torture of them picking on him about it.

"Hey Matthew,"

Matthew looked up at the seats to the right of the pelican's cog pit. His face lit up. It was a young woman of about twenty with blue eyes, shoulder length brown hair had a very pretty face.

"Emily!" Matthew exclaimed.

She got up and walked over and sat down next to him and embraced him.

"How are you?" she asked as she released him.

"Fine," he replied. "What about you?"

"I'm fine. So where are you headed?"

"Kora Recruitment and Training Centre," Matthew replied lowly.

"What's wrong?"

Matthew sighed. Emily was a good friend to him. They had known each other since they were young and they had shared everything with each other. They had lost contact with each other when about three years ago when they both took up separate jobs in the UNSC, but reunited about a year ago and they had been getting closer. In fact, Matthew was in love with her. She did not know that and he did not have the courage to admit it to her.

"Well," he began after a few seconds. "I suppose you heard about what happened in the testing area earlier on,"

"Oh," Emily replied, realising what he meant. "And I take it this is your punishment,"

Matthew nodded. "Yeah, and I'm not looking forward to it,"

Emily smirked a bit and Matthew smiled at her. He loved it when she laughed. It sounded really cute and beautiful.

Just like her he thought heavenly as he looked out through the rear entrance to see the island of Ventura slowly shrink as the pelican got further away from it and the two began to talk again.