What's up, buds. New chapter out, whoop-de-do!
I decided to split this chapter up into two parts, mainly because there would just be too much going on in one chapter. It'd simply be too hard to keep track of it all, since big parts of it is vital for what is to come in chapter 8 and 9. The plot is escalating, and there are some interesting things that are soon going to happen. More than that I won't say~.
Anyhow. This is a relatively short chapter (since it's split into two parts) compared to the others that reach up to 5.5k or 6k+. This part in particular reaches about 4.7k, however the second part is going to be more of a regular chapter. So you see, if I were to combine both parts, it'd just end up being way too much.
But don't worry though, part two is actually going to be posted tomorrow, since it's already written and edited.
I hope you enjoy, having waited a couple weeks for an update!
Oh, and shout-outs to those that have reviewed, favved and followed, THANK YOU! It's just so amazing that you're taking your time and reading my story, and then liking it, it makes wonders for authors like me.
Guest - If it's action with the Chief you want, you're about to get it, this chapter contains exactly that!
Haruna Shikaio - Thank you! I smiled ear to ear when reading your review, because I feel exactly the same thing when I read other stories, and it's one of the most important things that determines whether or not a story is good! You're amazing, buddy!
Note: Alright guys, I know that you might not be too fond of leaving reviews and such, but trust me, I would love to hear from those that are reading this story if they like the direction it's going, because at the moment, at this crucial time in the story, it's a win-or-lose, and it would just be of great help if you could come with your opinion! It could be a simple, 'keep going!' to a 'maybe you need to add some more Spartan perspective to it', or something. If it speaks your opinion, no matter how many or few words you use, it works!
And that's all, onward to the chapter!
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Halo.
Chapter Seven - Striking Boredom (Where it Hurts) Part ONE
The training session she had with the Spartans had been a surprisingly fun session, despite that they more or less drove her to the ground, the bruises mottled all over her body a testament of that. Not to mention that she had actually ended up sparring with one of the Spartans as well, which was something she definitely hadn't expected when joining them on their training session.
It had been Frederic that asked if she wanted a go at it, and the facial expression she made once she registered his words was almost too priceless. In fact, it had caused Frederic to chuckle.
But honestly, she did have the rights reserved to act like a kid on Christmas at the request, because who the hell ever gets approached by a Spartan, who then asks if you want to spar?
No one, that's who.
At least, that was her opinion, up until yesterday.
Spartans are the epitome of the word 'soldier', they are practically near perfect fighting machines – ruthless and tactical, but not foregoing rescuing civilians that were unfortunate to be in the middle of a battlefield.
And getting offered to spar with one… There was just next to no chance of that ever happening, simply because they have the capability to break whoever they spar against.
Except that they don't, because she was fully alive.
But then, in a display of complete, utter irony – as if it wanted to make a statement, she accidentally nudged one of her most sore spots on her left side with her elbow, and the pain receptors all suddenly flipped their invisible middle fingers to her while she was too busy wincing and mentally cursing her stupidity. More or less, her left side was now telling her to fuck off, and to not make such presumptuous assumptions in the future, lest there would only be a reprise of what had just transpired.
'Fucking hell…'
Well, at least she was mostly alive.
There are of course consequences of sparring with Spartans, but fortunately none that involved broken bones.
This time.
A rueful smile swept over her facial expression as she recalled yesterday's events. It was probably one of those few times that she truly felt happy. It had been a long time since she just let herself be her, without any duties or rules dragging her down. Instead, she just… let go, and made whatever choices she wanted to make, as the restraints from living a soldier life were temporarily lifted.
That does tend to happen when you get benched.
But even so, it wasn't often that one was handed the chance to feel such freedom, and to be that frivolous. It's an extreme rarity, to befall such opportunity.
And for once, her bad luck hadn't surfaced this time around, as it seemingly has let her be.
-Flashback-
After the Chief's declaration, and jarring observation, which left her sitting there like the potatosack she was doing a perfect job at impersonating, 013 had taken a few minutes for herself to recompose, and to actually accept the fact that Master Chief had more or less invited her to hang out with them during their training. Although it had been rather indirect - Master Chief was never one to outwardly request nor ask for someone's presence.
There was also another matter, a matter that consists of the fact that he, the Chief, had actually noticed her absence at the gym. There were few that ever took notice of such things, if even ever. Jeff hadn't noticed, nor Lasky. But then again, both were rather busy people at the moment. In contrast to her, none of them were part of the bench warming club that she had involuntarily become part of.
'My duty doesn't lie in keeping the goddamn bench warm for others.' She grumbled to herself, the tips of her lips tilting downwards in disdain.
She was definitely unimpressed of the actions Command had taken. Her ass they did it for safety reasons.
She could spot bullshit miles away, and their excuse for her getting benched reeked of complete bullshit.
013 quickly dismissed the rather depressing thoughts, as they did nothing to better her mood. Instead, she shifted back to what she had previously been thinking about.
Which had been Jeff and his ugly ass, and how busy he'd been as of late. It probably was all thanks to that Commander of his – who seemed to keep a very watchful eye on him in particular.
'Poor dude…'
According to her best friend, she was on the highway heading straight into becoming a fully-fledged stalker with the way she was keeping tabs on him. Numerous times had he seen his Commander conveniently reside in the same vicinities that he was present in, and it creeped him out like hell.
"I'm not kidding, every room I enter, she's in there somewhere, watching me with that creepy stare of hers. The only place I'm really free of her, is when I'm taking a piss! I'm serious here Tutes, she's becoming borderline stalker, that's my final conclusion. There's just no other way to explain her apparent need of having to have me in her sights 24/7."
Ironically enough, she had never actually seen his Commander, and it most likely had to do with Jeff not wanting to be seen with her while his Commander was nearby – or else she would certainly come up with some crazy reason to ban him from talking to her.
At least, that was Jeff's theory, but truthfully, 013 believed he just was too much of a lazy ass to find her on the gigantic ship. The Infinity did after all have a lot of floors onboard, and Jeff's known for being efficient in the laziest of ways.
She wasn't sure whether or not it was a benefit or a disadvantage.
She brought herself away from her reminiscing, as well as dismissing the little twinge of happiness and something else that shall not be named that she felt from knowing that the Chief had noticed her absence. 013 instead opted to slowly rise from the chair and stretch, several joints in her body popping from the action. A relieved sigh escaped her.
With a backwards glance into Frederic's room to check if she had forgotten anything, she then proceeded to step into the hallway before shutting the door, it making a dull thud upon impact. An electronic buzz sounded, indicating that the lock to the door had activated.
She made the trek from the Spartans' dorms to the gym in a leisurely pace, because if she were to admit it, she was actually feeling quite nervous. Her stomach did those strange weird flips again, and her body felt very fidgety. Her nerves were tingling and she subconsciously flexed her fingers from the abundant adrenaline that was flowing through her veins.
She had the right to be nervous, since she had never trained with Spartans before, despite being partly Spartan herself. She had been a sole candidate for Project: HYBRID and thus, because she also was an experiment, she was exempt from training with others.
It was rather unfortunate, because it had hemmed her growth, and placed a couple pegs in her wheel that had yet to disappear. Sometimes she would find herself being overcome with performance anxiety, even though she was rather confident in herself. It was part of being a soldier – you simply have to be confident in your skills, lest others would doubt you, which led to you becoming untrustworthy.
Simply because it is the amount of strength in a soldier that determines whether or not another soldier gets to live another day. It is a soldier's strength that opens up the possibility of being able to save someone. She knew this firsthand.
And so did the Spartans.
She figured that it was partly the reason as to why she was feeling nervous. She didn't want to appear weak in their eyes, or else they would never rely on her in helping them out on future missions.
'That is IF I ever get back on the mission roster… Also, the likeliness of me getting paired with them is less than zero. C'mon 013, be logical.' She berated herself within her mind.
Finally, in what felt longer than it should've been, 013 stood by the gym's double doors, her eyes spotting the Spartans through the small rectangular windows that were implanted in the upper parts of the doors.
'Here goes…' She silently mused before lifting her hands and pushing the doors open. They easily gave way and swung open, the sudden swooshing grabbing the attention of the two Spartans that were sitting on the benches located near the sparring ring, which contained the other two remaining Spartans. 013 immediately spotted Frederic, as he was the only one without his armor on.
Upon spotting her, the Spartan lifted his hand in a short wave as he sent a smirk her way. She waved back in reply and sent him her usual lopsided smile.
After the quiet hellos', her eyes then slowly shifted over to the other Spartan on the bench, Spartan-058.
'Linda, that's her name if I recall correctly.'
The Spartan shifted her helmet towards her, her visor staring blankly at her. She then offered a quick and short nod in acknowledgement, and 013's smile grew just a little.
"Nice seeing you here 013, you're just in time to see Kelly and Chief get serious in their fight. And let me tell you, when they get serious, it turns pretty intense." Frederic said, gesturing his head towards the ring upon her arrival at their bench.
Just as she sat down, her duffelbag landing with an 'oomph' on the floor, the Spartan next to the male spoke up, much to her surprise.
"It always is with those two, Fred." Came Linda's rather aloof comment. Frederic however, just chuckled and shrugged.
"I guess you can say that."
013 however, didn't pay much attention to what Frederic had said in reply to Linda's comment, for her gaze had shifted over to the two Spartans duking it out in the ring.
'Intense is kind of an understatement…' She mused when she studied the two.
It was definitely more than an intense sparring match going on, for the speed and agility of their fight was just… She was awestruck. Her eyes barely caught sight of the swings they made towards each other. She was sure her facial expression looked rather comical at that moment, her eyebrows sky high and her mouth slightly agape. But she didn't care.
She had no comment on just how amazing their footwork was, her eyes intently watching how they placed their feet. Every move the two Spartans made, were seemingly executed with perfectly fluid movements - it was as if their bodies already knew what to do before the move was done.
'They can read each other's' fighting styles to the point of being able to predict what move will come next…' 013 thought to herself, her eyes following them with huge interest.
'Although, Kelly seems to be the swifter of the two… But the Chief has durability and strength to back him up… He can take her punches without faltering much, which gives him the upper hand because he's given the opportunity to deliver an attack of his own, without Kelly being able to divert or counterattack it. Unless she's fast and agile enough to break free of his hold before the attack comes…'
Her mind was rapidly analyzing the fight, bringing forth the pros and cons and then in turn analyzing those from different perspectives which were based upon the two Spartans' strengths and weaknesses.
What she didn't know however, was that she was muttering her thought process under her breath, and with the enhanced hearing of a Spartan, Frederic easily picked up on the word sequences she was currently whispering.
"You're analyzing their fight?" He asked, a hint of surprise hiding behind his words. It brought 013 from her musings, as she blinked, before turning her rather perplexed gaze to the male Spartan next to her.
"I did that out loud?" She whispered, her voice sounding shocked and surprised. Frederic arched an eyebrow, before smirking once again.
"Yeah you did, and from what I heard, you were pretty spot on. Kelly is actually the fastest of all Spartans, and the Chief is known for his power and durability. You're pretty good at that analyzing thing; however, I wonder how you would fare with first-hand experience. Tell you what, you up for a spar after those two are done?" Frederic then asked, his head jerking towards the two fighting Spartans as his eyes remained trained on her.
013 however, barely noticed his movements as her, still perplexed gaze, blinked twice before she finally registered what the Spartan had been asking.
He wanted to spar with her?
What?
'What?'
"Uh… You're really asking me if you want me to spar…, with you?" Frederic's smile turned almost apologetic upon her answer.
"Yeah, but you don't have to if you don't feel up for it. I'm not going to force you, 013."
013's mind was still in a state of shock from the fact that a Spartan had asked if he could spar with her, but nonetheless, she wasn't one to say no to such an offer, despite that her mind wasn't fully operational at that moment.
"I-ah, I've never sparred against a Spartan before, so I guess I'm just feeling slightly… Nervous?" An uncertain smile slipped onto her lips, and she shifted her eyes towards the sparring ring, her grey orbs once again studying them as they threw their punches. The Spartan next to her arched his eyebrow even higher, his face assuming a questioning facial expression.
"Even though you're part Spartan, you never sparred with another Spartan?"
013 kept watching the two Spartans as she provided him with a reply to his question.
"Not really. I was never allowed to fight against someone of Spartan caliber… They always came with the excuse that it'd either be too dangerous, or that there simply were no Spartans present."
Just as she had voiced her answer, her mind drew a blank, and her eyes suddenly widened.
She had just slipped up.
She mentioned a 'they'. Frederic, nor any of the other Spartans, knew who she was referring to when she said 'they'.
Because they don't know about Project: HYBRID.
They don't know that she has been part of an experiment funded by ONI.
'Shit.'
The newly surfaced feelings of panic and nervousness filled her body and mind to the brim, and she had to fight to not let the emotions show on her face. If she were to do anything else, or show that something was amiss, she would personally lead herself to the nearest airlock and throw herself out, for what she had just done tops the list of most idiotic things one can do in life.
'How could I be so fucking stupid? If he noticed anything… - Where's the nearest airlock, just in case…'
But to her relief, Frederic did nothing that indicated he might be suspicious of her words, and she silently let out a breath of relief. Perhaps it just slipped him by? He wasn't showing any signs of anything being out of the ordinary.
However, to the contrary of what 013 was thinking, Frederic actually had picked up the anomaly in what she had said. There was an unknown 'they', and he silently mused over what or who she possibly was referring to with the 'they'.
Wanting to divert the attention elsewhere, 013 once again spoke up. Her eyes were now directed towards Frederic, as her hands were occupied with idly twisting the straps of her duffelbag.
"Anyway, I'm up for a sparring session, but that is if you can promise not to break too many bones in the process?" She said, her cheeky attitude back on track when her mind decided to once again fully focus on her surroundings.
She didn't want to take the risk of slipping up again.
At her spunky comment, Frederic's smirk returned, and he let out a small, humored chuckle.
"Of course, I promise to go easy on you." 013 arched an eyebrow as she leaned a little further back.
"Oh, please do." She replied, her infamous sarcasm seeping through. This time, Frederic actually laughed, and 013 smiled widely.
"I like your spunk, 013. You sure have a way with your words."
Just as she was about to reply, two heavy thuds interrupted their banter, and both soldiers swiveled their heads towards the direction of the sound, which came from the two Spartans that had been in the ring.
"I'm guessing you won the round, Chief?" Came Frederic's casual question, a tint of mischievousness within his words.
"Yes, he did." Kelly muttered. The female Spartan was slightly irked by once again losing towards the Chief, however, she didn't hold it against him. She never did.
"You two should take a seat, 013 and Fred are sparring." Linda suddenly interjected, having been silent throughout the aforementioned soldiers' conversation.
Kelly and the Chief turned their helmets towards 013, and she immediately blushed at having the full attention of the two Spartans.
Especially the Chief's attention. He somehow always managed to make her feel slightly more uneasy than the other three... It might be because of her-
'No, nope. Not going there. Nope.'
"Well… Yeah. Frederic asked, and I figured why not. It's been some time since I last sparred with anyone." She answered their unspoken questions, her shoulders shrugging as her smile turned slightly uneasy.
"Alright. This will be a little fun." Kelly then remarked. The blue Spartan walked over and seated herself next to Linda, her elbows coming down and resting against the knee plates of her armor. The Chief however, remained standing, his orange visor still directed towards 013.
She assumed he was observing her, trying to imagine how the fight might turn out, but nonetheless, his heavy stare was causing her to feel more awkward by the second, and she shifted slightly in her seat, only to then rise seconds later as her legs tingled from sitting still under the scrutinizing gaze of the Chief.
"Wish me luck then." She jokingly said, her eyes looking over her shoulder towards the two female Spartans seated on the bench. She knew she had only spoken to try lift the tense atmosphere that was beginning to get the best of her, but no sooner after she had said it did she come to wish that they actually would wish her luck in her spar with Frederic.
Her feet slowly approached the ring, her eyes set on the black ropes surrounding it as her gaze pointedly resisted the urge to glance at the Spartan that was standing nearby. She couldn't give into it.
However, it didn't go according to plan, for just as she was going to pass by the Chief, his towering form causing her body to somehow tense up, she was halted. A green armored hand was encasing her arm, it grabbing a firm hold of her upper bicep, hindering her from continuing forward.
Immediately, her head snapped up towards his orange visor, her wide grey orbs questioning, and full of surprise at his unpredicted gesture.
The military green Spartan standing right beside her, remained silent for a few heartbeats (it was more than a few in her case), before he pulled her even closer, if by just a few millimeters, and his upper body shifted as he lowered himself to her eye-level.
013 could only stand stock still, as she followed the movement of his helmet with her still widened eyes. The rest of her was in complete lock-down, for she couldn't even move a single digit on any of her hands or toes.
It was because Master Chief was touching her, willingly.
Although, it would never compare to when he had carried her bridal style to the waiting Pelican on that mission that seemed to have taken place ages ago. It was a memory that would forever remain as one of her top favourites, despite that he only did so because she was injured and barely conscious.
"Spartan-104 has the tendency to step first before attacking, use it to your advantage." 'Came then the Chief's deep gravel voice, albeit muffled, as he lowly spoke into her ear. She hitched on her breath at having him so close to her.
However, the trance that she seemed to have been coaxed into at hearing the (heavenly sexy) voice of Master Chief, was broken when he shifted back to standing straight. A few more seconds passed by, her heart beating rapidly in her chest as her face felt like it was slightly on fire, before he decided to let go of her arm and walk over to stand by Kelly's sitting form.
He had just left her standing there, barely able to breathe, and blushing tenfold.
Fortunately though, she had her back towards the other Spartans, so they couldn't see how terribly red her face was, or how her grey orbs where slightly glazed over from the interaction with the Chief.
But just as the Spartans couldn't see her face, she couldn't see the slight curve of the Master Chief's lips as he almost smirked at the reaction he had induced from 013, his face hidden behind the encasement of his helmet.
There was one small detail that 013 found herself stuck on that had taken place during their interaction, and it was that she was absolutely sure that Master Chief had held onto her arm for a little longer than what had been necessary…
And she couldn't help herself from silently questioning why.
Her moment with the Chief was swept to the back of her mind as soon as she climbed through the ropes and into the ring, her focus shifting to fully concentrate on the sparring match that was about to take place. Frederic had taken his rightful spot in the right corner that was opposite hers, and with a nod of consent from the both of them, they stepped closer towards the center of the ring and slowly began circling each other.
013 was already analyzing what type of fighter he might be. She immediately noticed that he was right footed, and that he seemed to prefer to lean more of his weight on his right side than his left side - which meant there was a bigger chance of him leaving his left flank slightly more vulnerable.
'That depends on how he holds his guard…'
She then took a step forward, sending a quick jab towards him to see how he would react.
He immediately reverted to a defensive stance, his hands lifting to guard, and block if necessary.
Had she thrown a punch after her jab, he would've easily blocked it, because his responsiveness was lightning fast.
'It's going to be hard to land a punch on this guy, no matter if he has a weaker left side than his right.' 013 mused within her mind.
They both circled each other again, however, this time it was Frederic who threw a punch in her direction. She was quick to bring up her own guard, but just as she did so, she caught movement in her peripherals, and barely less than a second later was she sent flying, his kick careening her to the side.
She landed on her back with a thud after having impacted with the lower section of the ring's ropes.
She wasn't given much time at all before she had to quickly roll away from Frederic's rapidly nearing foot - that would've connected with her midsection had she not reacted in time.
She rose to standing position, but had to revert her stance to the defensive to block once again as Frederic was quick to recover his momentum, spinning and throwing a right hook in her direction. She dodged his attack by ducking, but then found herself having to quickly jump away directly after ducking as a roundhouse kick from the Spartan came whirling towards her.
'He's going hardcore on my ass!' She felt slightly irked, because if this was his way of 'going easy', she had a lot to learn before she was even close to their level. And he was so damn quick in in his attacks, she could barely keep up.
But just as she was mulling over his attacks, her mind discovered something else, and her eyes sparked with newfound information that would benefit her in her fight against him, excluding the little tip the Chief had given her.
'He seems to prefer attacking in succession, an attack following through the next. Perhaps he uses the leftover momentum to benefit himself in the fight…'
She was stuck on the defensive for quite some time, blocking and dodging his attacks before she finally managed to gain an upper hand as Frederic's balance was thrown off with a shove in the back from her shoulder. Of course, it had very much to do with the fact that she watched for him to step, before initiating her little surprise attack, coming up behind him just as he went in for the punch, having barreled to the his right where his reach would be minimum since his right arm already was extended.
From there, she threw him a right hook - that connected with his jaw. She had waited for the opportune moment where he would spin to counterattack her and regain his offense, but she was quick to deny that chance.
She used the distraction that she gained from her punch, quickly grabbing a hold of his arm and twisting it behind him, before shoving him towards the corner he was facing.
Which conveniently was rather close to where they were standing.
However, her grip was soon overpowered as he twisted his body and freed himself, and she quickly backed away, not wanting to be in the boundary of his attack range.
013 already knew inwardly that the hold she had had on him wouldn't hold, for what she needed was to lock his body down on the floor if she wanted any chance to win. As long as he was standing, there was little chance she could win the fight.
Not that she was exactly hoping to win the fight anyway.
That'd be kind of absurd, after all, she was up against a Spartan.
But there's nothing wrong with a little hope.
The stunt she had pulled caused Frederic to smirk.
"You definitely seem to know what you're doing, but those locks aren't going to work on me, since I have strength on my side to help me out." 013 nodded in appreciation of his feedback, and sent him a wide grin in silent thanks.
"I'm just testing my options, getting a feel of what exactly I'm up against." The comment made the Spartan's smile turn slightly proud. She was certainly analyzing the fight just as she had done with the Chief's and Kelly's brawl, Frederic mused to himself.
Once again she was forced to be on the defensive, and no matter how much she tried this time, she couldn't flip the tables to gain an offense.
That is, until he misplaced his foot, his left foot taking majority of his weight. And since she already knew that he was right footed, having noticed it at the beginning of the fight, she also knew that his left flank was a little weaker. She supposedly had the element of surprise on her side right now, because Frederic probably had yet to know that she had figured out that little flaw of his.
So with a duck and a sweep of her foot later, a loud thud of the Spartan falling echoed within the vicinity of the room. 013 was quick to pull him into a body lock, climbing on top of him to perform a lock that even she herself was a little unsure of doing, because she had only done it once before.
The question was, would she manage to succeed with it, especially when she was fighting a Spartan?
She was just about to get her answer.
Mwahaha, cliffhanger!
