It was over. Piles of Covenant bodies covered the floor of the hallway. Multi-colored blood painted the walls and brought a little color into that gray hallway. Kat sat on the crate Rookie was still in, whipping off the blood on her hands with a strip of cloth.
"Thanks for the save, sir." Kat said, now whipping off her face with the little clean cloth she had left.
"Your welcome," Came the deep voiced response. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you get in that situation?"
Kat finished cleaning herself off, except her clothes, and tossed the now blue rag on top of the gold elites head. Her cat eyes darted up to the man in front of her and a smile came to her lips. Master Chief always had that impenetrable presence, the straight back and stiff shoulders, but it always made Kat feel strangely fluttery inside, especially when he was in full armor. "Rookie got hit so I was pinned down protecting him. Before I knew it, I was surrounded and the Covenant just started swarming."
"And where's Rookie now?" Chief asked and Kat tapped lightly the crate she was sitting on and the door slammed opened on the side. Rookie flopped out of the crate, moaning and groaning as he writhed on the ground like a sick snake; bring a smirk to Shadow's face. "I see." The Chief murmured, his face plate tilting towards the Rookie before returning to Kat. "Where are you going? I thought you would've been sent to a secure area since you can't fight."
"I'm going to Dr. Tyler's office." Kat responded as she stood and picked up a plasma pistol. "She has my armor and if I can convince the higher ups to let me fight again, I'm going to need it."
"You need an escort then?"
"It's just around the corner." Kat said with a smile. "Besides you're supposed to protect this station, not me."
"I'll see you on the battle field then." Chief said as he began to walk down the hallway in a commanding, yet cautious gate.
"See you later!" Kat called after Chief, watching him till he disappeared behind a door. For some reason, the image of John, quietly smiling down at her and holding her hand popped into her head. Suddenly, Kat found her face had grown hot. What was wrong with her? Was she blushing? No, she couldn't be. Spartan's don't blush. Yet, was there a use in denying it? Shadow gritted her teeth and her expression became harsh. She was a soldier in a war and should only be thinking of such.
"How's your ankle?" Shadow asked Rookie in a bland tone without turning to face him for fear her face may still be red.
"Ugg…" Rookie groaned one last time. "It feels like shit."
"Good." Shadow said in a plain tone and turned towards him. "Then let's go." Kat lifted up Rookie and tossed him over her shoulder.
"Hey! Hey! What are you doing?" Rookie protested at being disgracefully carried around like a sack of potatoes.
"Oh, quit your yapping. We'll be there before you know it." Shadow reassured him as she stamped around the corner and headed straight for the door at the end of the hallway. She kicked the door twice and yelled, "Dr. Tyler! Hey! Dr. Tyler, you in there?"
No response. Shadow tapped in her security code and the door beeped rudely before letting her in. The room was dark, but the illumination of a computer screen lit the face of a woman in her 30's, her green eyes were locked on the screen in front of her and her brown hair had been tied back quickly so strands of it still hung in her face.
"Yes, I understand sir," Dr. Tyler was speaking to the screen, "but the modification we made to her suit and the precautions-"
"Ok, fine, I believe you Dr. Tyler." A man's voice replied slightly irritably, obviously Commander Hood's. "I'll allow Shadow to fight again. Has she made it to your office yet?"
"Yes, sir." Dr. Tyler answered, her eyes flicking up from the screen to Kat.
"Then get her to stand next to you so I can give her the mission."
"Yes, sir." Dr. Tyler nodded, gesturing for Kat to come over.
Shadow quickly strode into the room, placing Rookie in a padded chair that was off to the side and headed to the desk where Dr. Tyler sat. She then stood behind the doctor's shoulder to gaze at Commander Hood's face on the screen. "Sir?" Kat said in her military tone, giving a sharp salute that Hood returned.
"Shadow, I want you to pilot a small craft to Earth's surface where the Covenant have landed. There, you will search for a prophet named Regret and find out why he has landed there and assassinate if possible. This mission requires stealth and speed so you will be alone. This is of utmost importance for you to get this information, you must not fail." Commander Hood spoke with such sincerity that Kat felt a tingle at the back of her neck knowing that she was going to fight again.
"Yes sir!" Shadow replied saluting again as the image snapped off.
"This won't be easy Kat." Dr. Tyler said, using her real name to back up her worry. "You are still not immune to Control Liquid and there's no telling if the Covenant will use it again…" Dr. Tyler spoke as she anxiously watched Shadow stride behind a screened panel next to her suit and begin to undress. "You'll be in a Covenant ship and no doubt they'll try to capture you and force you to do their bidding again…" Kat slipped on the under layer of her suit and began to assemble the armor as Dr. Tyler spoke, giving the doctor's worried words half her attention. "They know you would be a great asset to their side and no doubt they'll-Kat, are you listening to me?"
"Yes Doctor." Shadow replied nonchalantly as she placed armor over her forearm.
Dr. Tyler sighed and walked over to the ex-Spartan. "You need to be careful though." She said softly, "You're…changing…" Kat stopped what she was doing and looked at Dr. Tyler with her golden eyes, which glowed in the dim light. "First your hair became black and then your eyes turned golden…"
"And now my behavior has altered." Shadow finished for her, a frown on her face. "Don't worry Dr. Tyler, I won't allow myself to transform into a cat…and I'll try to avoid napping on window ledges even if the sun is perrrrfectly warm." Shadow said with a smirk.
"Kat!" Dr. Tyler scolded, hitting Shadow in the arm. "This is a serious manner!" The doctor yelled, although Kat could still see that was trying not to smile.
"I know, I know…" Kat murmured as she rolled her eyes. "Now can you help me put on the rest of my armor?" She asked and Dr. Tyler nodded as she helped Shadow finish assembling her armor.
Kat gazed at herself in the mirror with her helmet in her hands, admiring the new modification that Dr. Tyler had made. Her armor was still black and form fitting but thick plating had been added to vital areas, making it appear more like Chief's armor. The plating had been dulled though, so that when Kat was trying to blending in with the shadows her armor wouldn't reflect any light or shine in any way. Her helmet had also changed, a silver visor had replaced the eye slits but it was able to turn black when Kat wished to be in the shadows. The cat ears on top of the helmet had not changed at all though but Kat wondered if more changes would be noticeable once she put on the helmet.
"Ow!" Kat yelped when she felt a sting on her arm and saw Dr. Tyler with a needle.
"Don't forget your shots," Dr. Tyler said, handing her a small box that Kat latched onto her belt, mumbling something about warnings. "You need to take them whenever you have a chance. They are to help you in case you encounter the Covenant's control liquid again."
"Thanks Doc, So where is my ride?" Shadow asked as she grabbed a battle riffle from a rack on the wall and inspected it.
"It's in docking bay 4." Dr. Tyler replied after she tapped a few keys at her desk. "Its armor has been modified to withstand reentering Earth's atmosphere so you don't have to worry about that."
Kat grabbed a sniper as the doctor spoke, getting extra ammo for both guns and storing it away. She then strode over to Rookie who was trying his best to hide his pain. "Rookie, I have one last order for you." Shadow said with a smile and was glad she had not put on her helmet yet. "I want you to protect Dr. Tyler with your life."
"Yes ma'am!" Rookie answered with a salute that Shadow returned.
"You're going to turn into a great soldier one day." Kat said as if it were an after thought. It was a little distressing for her to leave Rookie and Dr. Tyler unprotected but she had a mission to fulfill and she wasn't going to fail. It was her time to make up for her losses and change her luck. She was going to be a lonely fox hunting prey.
Shadow turned towards the door with her face set in determination. She didn't know what new fate awaited her but with her new purpose; she wouldn't let anything stop her. Kat lifted her helmet above her head and slid it on, hearing a click and moving it from side to side to test the lock. The battle riffle felt good in her hands and she raised it to make sure the aiming was correct in her HUD. She was ready. Her feet moved forward and the door slid open. This was going to be one heck of a mission.
Yay reviews! thank you Lonely Fox and () for reviewing and keep it up for the next chapter to be released!
