AN: I do not own Halo or Infinite Stratos, the rights belong to their respective owners.
Chifuyu, Tabane and Ichika remained silent, the obvious tension already taking its hold. The three of them looked at the two SPARTANS, waiting for one of them to continue. But this didn't occur, the two just remained in shock, frozen in place. It wasn't until a full minute had past that Jaeger made the first move.
"What the hell are you doing here Jorge?"
Jorge didn't reply, instead he walked slowly to Jaeger, until they were feet apart.
"Impossible. This is impossible." he replied unbelievably.
"What's impossible? If you're talking about what I'm doing here then-" Jaeger started.
"Not that. No, not that." Jorge responded.
"Well what?"
"You're alive."
"Of course I'm alive, why wouldn't I be?"
"The reports, they said you were MIA. After Arcadia..."
"Then that means..."
"The Spirit of Fire. We found it. Cutter told us what happened."
"..."
"Is everyone alright?" Jaeger asked quietly.
Jorge smiled softly. "Yes, everyone's alright. Thanks to you."
"I just did my duty Jorge. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Always the philosophical one Jaeger." Jorge chuckled lightly "I missed that." he added softly.
Jorge held out his hand, which Jaeger took with his own, gripping it tightly.
"A Testvérem." Jorge said with a small smile.
"A Testvérem." Jaeger repeated with a smile of his own.
The two remained with their hands interlocked until Chifuyu cleared her throat lightly. The two SPARTANS released their hold, and faced Chifuyu. With their attention now on her, Chifuyu continued.
"Do you two know each other?" she asked.
"That's right ma'am. I'm a SPARTAN, just like Jaeger." Jorge explained.
"Jaeger?" Chifuyu inquired, suspiciously eyeing Jaeger.
"Yeah, I don't know any other Jaeger's." Jorge said confusedly.
Chifuyu focused fully on Jaeger, who was now beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable. He knew what she was going to say.
"I thought you said your name was Sev."
"Well it is but-"
Jorge laughed heartily as Chifuyu said this, slapping Jaeger hard on the back.
"Oh my Jaeger, you never change." he said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaeger grumbled, rubbing his back.
"I'm waiting for an explanation." Chifuyu said impatiently.
"Sev is just a callsign ma'am. Jaeger is his real name." Jorge answered.
"If that's the case" she paused, turning her gaze to Jaeger. "Why didn't you tell us your real name?" she asked.
Jaeger hesitated to answer. He glanced to Jorge, who took the hint, and answered for him.
"A SPARTAN is always slow to trust. To disclose their name means they have the utmost trust in you. No offence intended of course."
Chifuyu glanced at Jaeger, then back at Jorge. "Does he not trust us then?"
"I'm sorry ma'am, it's nothing personal. SPARTANS don't trust easily." Jorge replied.
She sighed. "Fine. At least we know now."
Tabane clapped her hands together, garnering the attention of everyone in the room.
"Oh Jorgie! Why didn't you tell me you had a friend?" she said childishly.
Jorge deadpanned, while Jaeger felt the uncontrollable urge to laugh. Jorge glared at him, as if to say "don't you dare". The urge dissipated almost immediately as Jaeger met Jorge's glare.
"Believe me Doctor, I would of if I knew he was alive." he replied, turning his attention back to Tabane.
"You'll have to tell me all about it Jorgie! I can't wait!" Tabane exclaimed.
"Miss Shinonono, you were saying about getting me back?" Jaeger asked, getting slightly irritated by the exuberant woman before him.
"Oopsie, Sorry about that Mr SPARTAN! As I said earlier, I'm here to get you home, with Jorgie's help of course." she said, pointing to Jorge, who only sighed at the use of his irritable nickname.
"And how are you going to do that?" Jaeger inquired.
"Well...er...I don't exactly know yet." she replied nervously.
"..."
"I see. So why are you here then?"
Tabane pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well that's not very nice. I just wanted to see you. You piqued my interest Mr SPARTAN."
Jaeger was getting annoyed now, this woman was supposed to help him get back home and she had no idea how. Then it struck him.
"Hang on." he said while turning to Jorge. "Is that why you're still here Jorge?"
Jorge nodded. "That's right. I got here about a year ago, and Miss Shinonono still hasn't found a way to get me back during my time on this world."
"A year? Jorge, we need to get back or we could lose the war. For all we know, the covenant could of found Reach by now, maybe even Earth." Jaeger said seriously.
Jorge suddenly held his head down, his expression becoming sombre. "Jaeger, there's something you need to know."
Jaeger remained silent, already feeling the dread building up in him. He didn't like what Jorge was suggesting.
"The covenant...they-" Jorge paused lifting his gaze from the ground and locking his sorrowful eyes with Jaeger's. "They found Reach."
Jaeger could feel his blood turn cold at the revelation.
"...Did we beat them back?" Jaeger asked quietly.
Jorge shook his head. "I don't know Jaeger, but when I last saw it...we were losing. Badly."
Jaeger could feel his stoic composure crumbling as Jorge revealed more. Reach was his home. The SPARTANS home. To hear that the covenant had attacked, and more than likely glassed, made him feel great sorrow. And unrivalled fury.
"And the others? What happened to the rest of the SPARTANS?" Jaeger asked.
Jorge's expression became pained. "They're gone Jaeger. Most of them...they were on Reach when it was attacked. I'm the only remaining SPARTAN that was on Reach. As for the ones off-world...I don't know"
With Jorge's painful confirmation, it felt as if Jaeger's soul was ripped away from him. Jorge could sense his distress, reaching out to him to try to reassure him. Before he made contact, Jaeger spoke so quietly, everyone had to strain their hearing just to hear him.
"I need to be alone. I'm sorry Miss Shinonono, Miss Orimura, but can we continue this conversation later?"
Without waiting for a response, Jaeger walked out of the office, as if the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders. The others just watched as Jaeger closed the door behind him.
"Is he going to be alright?" Ichika asked.
"He will. He just needs time." Jorge answered.
Jaeger wondered aimlessly around the academy. Reach was gone, he assumed anyway, since all the SPARTANS besides Jorge were all dead. It was clear, Reach had fallen. And he couldn't do anything about it. If I had just been there, then maybe it wouldn't have fallen, then my brothers and sisters wouldn't be dead he thought solemnly.
We both know that wouldn't have been possible.
But if-
Jaeger. Don't even think about it for a second, it's not your fault.
…
But-
No. That's enough Jaeger, stop all this morbid thinking. You wouldn't of been able to make a difference, you would have been killed. And I'm not about to let that happen!
…
…
Thank you Athena.
Don't thank me Jaeger, I'm just looking out for you, it's my job after all.
Even with Athena's attempt at comforting him, Jaeger still felt hollow. He kept up his mindless wandering, until reaching the his room, that he had been subconsciously heading to. Without hesitating, he opened the door, closing it a little bit too hard behind him. He collapsed onto the mattress, removing his helmet and throwing it aside.
For what seemed like an eternity, he laid there, his mind blank. All he could feel was... emptiness. And for the first time in his life, he felt his eyes moisten. Realising what was about to happen, Jaeger calmed himself. He was a SPARTAN dammit, shedding tears wouldn't bring back the dead.
He reached for his dogtags, wistfully gazing at them in his clutched hand. Rest easy my brothers, my sisters he thought calmly.
A soft set of knocks on his door instantly snapped him from his thoughts. His SPARTAN instincts kicked in, reaching for his Magnum. But all he found was nothing. How could I forget, I left my weapons on the pelican he groaned inwardly. Against his better judgement, he heaved himself off the mattress, clutching his side when a small measure of pain burst through his side. He forgot that he was injured. Ignoring the pain, he continued toward the door and pulled it open. He was surprised when he saw who was standing on the other side.
"Miss Dunois?" Jaeger asked questionably.
Charlotte blushed slightly at his formality "Hello Sev-san." she said sheepishly.
"Is something wrong?" he inquired.
"N-no, I just wanted to talk." she answered.
"I see." he replied nonchalantly, turning back into his room, leaving the door open.
Charlotte was confused at first, but it quickly cleared once Jaeger turned back to the door where she was still standing.
"Are you coming in or not?" he asked blankly.
She hesitated slightly, but stepped past the threshold nonetheless. Her gaze wondered around the room, noticing how crisp and orderly it was. Well he is a soldier after all, her gaze met the mattress on the floor. Why is his mattress on the floor? she asked herself. Charlotte was snapped out of her inner thoughts by Jaeger's voice.
"Please, take a seat." he said while gesturing to the chair at the small desk.
Charlotte silently complied, pulling out the seat gently and sitting herself down. Jaeger took the opportunity to do the same, sitting down on the floor in front of Charlotte. Charlotte looked quizzically at him, wondering why he was sitting on the floor instead of the bed. The thought was quickly pushed out of her mind when Jaeger spoke once more.
"What do you want to talk about ma'am?"
Charlotte suddenly found herself unable to speak as he voiced the obvious. She didn't know why, but the mere presence of the SPARTAN made her feel rather reserved, hesitant. Forcing herself to overcome the hesitance, she answered honestly, but softly as well.
"Ichika told me what happened, in Orimura-sensei's office."
Jaeger fought back a groan, maintaining his 'SPARTAN mode'. He kept a neutral expression, but deep down, he was slightly irritated that the girl before him knew about his dilemma. His weakness.
It was unwise for SPARTANS to show weakness, it usually ended up being fatal.
But that's only when you're fighting on the battlefield Jaeger.
Not necessarily Athena. ODSTs back home always try to find a weakness. No thanks to John of course. The fool started it all back on the Atlas.
Well I don't know if you've noticed already, but there aren't any ODSTs around here.
That's true. But still...
She's a civilian Jaeger, she's only trying to be comforting.
SPARTANS don't need comfort. We deal with problems on our own.
Stop being so stupid Jaeger! If you actually talked to someone about it, maybe you'd feel better, like you did earlier when I talked to you about it.
You're different.
How?
…
You're...
I'm what, Jaeger?
...my friend.
…
Then make some more friends Jaeger, you're not exactly going anywhere anytime soon. Please.
…
You're right. I may not like it, but you're right. Fine, I'll play along. For now.
With his mind made up, Jaeger replied, despite how much he didn't want to.
"How much do you know?" he asked, trying to hide the emotion in his voice.
"Not much. Only that you were...upset over something called 'Reach'" she replied.
Despite trying to hide his emotion, Jaeger clenched his jaw tightly as she uttered what he hoped she wouldn't say.
Tell her Jaeger. Please.
He knew she wouldn't let up, and the girl before him only seemed curious. He sighed as he elaborated.
"Reach was a colony. I was born there, along with the rest of the SPARTANS. I just found out that it was...glassed. To top it off, all the SPARTANS stationed there were killed." he said, lowering his head.
Charlotte tried to fight back tears, but to no avail. The tears just kept on coming, even through her tightly closed eyes. She couldn't even imagine the psychological pain that the SPARTAN was feeling right now.
Jaeger snapped up at the sound of badly stifled sobbing. He saw the cascade of tears sliding down her face. He was confused, what was there to be sad about? She didn't know anyone from Reach, as far as he knew. So why is she crying? he asked himself. Then it hit, in full force. This girl was crying for him. For his loss, his pain. A strange feeling of arose within, giving him the unexplainable urge to stop her tears. Without thinking, he placed his hand on her own hands, clenching the material of her skirt.
Charlotte felt a warm feeling on her hand, it spread along her arm, and into the rest of her body. It was strangely...soothing. And familiar. She cracked open her eyes, which widened as she realised what the origin of the warm presence was. The armour-clad soldier had his hand placed above her own, and on his face was...a smile. A small smile, but a smile nonetheless. She wasn't expecting it at all. Her surprise was shattered when he spoke.
"Do not weep for me ma'am. I am trained to overcome pain. But...thank you." he said with a deep, soothing voice.
She wiped furiously at the tears with the sleeve of her free arm. Despite the sadness she felt for the soldier, she managed to form a warm smile.
"I'm sorry. I came here to comfort you and here you are comforting me instead."
"It's alright ma'am. I'm used to losing things that are important to me." he responded.
"But that's horrible! You're only human!" she exclaimed desperately.
Jaeger stiffened. The only other individual who called him 'human' was Athena, and yet this girl had called him 'human'. Not a 'killing machine', 'robot' or 'freak', but human. He could find no reason as to why this made him feel this way, he was used to people mocking him and singling him out, especially the ODSTs who went out of their way to try and insult him (often leading to a few soiled uniforms on their end).
"Are you alright Sev-san?" Charlotte asked, seeing how the SPARTAN froze at her words.
"Yes ma'am. It's just..." he sighed "No one has ever said that to me before. I was...surprised."
Charlotte could feel her temper flare. "What do you mean no one has ever said that before? Anyone can see that you're a normal person! A person that can feel emotions, just like everyone else!"
"SPARTANS are seen as many things. Civilians see us as heroes, Marines see us as war machines. And ODSTs see us as freaks. Not everyone views us as 'normal' humans, so we deal with it." he replied neutrally.
Charlotte frowned slightly. "Well, I think you're human. So does Ichika. Surely that counts for something, right?"
Jaeger couldn't fight the tug at the edges of his mouth, a small smile formed. He kept his eyes locked with the girl's dark purple eyes. From what he could see, she was doing the same, another warm smile forming on her own face. They kept their gazes, until Jaeger realised he still had his hand over hers. He retracted it swiftly, the fast movement causing his strange injury flaring up in pain once more. He subconsciously clutched the injury.
Charlotte found that she somehow missed the warm feeling of Sev's hand over her own. That was, until she saw him wince and clutch his side.
"Are you hurt Sev-san?" she asked worriedly.
"It's nothing don't worry about it." he replied, ignoring the growing pain.
"How could I not worry? C'mon, we're going to the medical wing." she declared.
"But-" Jaeger started.
"No buts. Now follow me." she said sternly as she rose from her seat.
Jaeger found himself unable to ignore her demand, so he lifted himself back onto his feet, still clutching his injury. The girl strode to the door, leaving it open as she stood expectantly for him to follow. He didn't hesitate, for reasons unknown, to comply. He joined the girl, closing the door behind him.
"Good. Let's go." she said shortly.
And with that, the two set off to the medical wing.
Chifuyu's office-
"Poor Mr SPARTAN. I'll hope he'll be alright. But why did he look so sad?" Tabane inquired sympathetically.
Jorge sighed deeply. "Reach was our home. We were trained there, we grew up there. And our brothers and sisters are all dead."
"You don't seem to be affected by it that much." Chifuyu stated.
"That's because I've had time to grieve. I'm used to it. You can't change the past, but you can live to find a better future." Jorge responded.
"That's the spirit Jorgie!" Tabane exclaimed cheerfully.
"Please doctor, it's Jorge. Not Jorgie." Jorge said irritatedly.
"Aww don't get grumpy Jorgie!" she replied childishly.
"Tabane could we please return to the matter at hand?" Chifuyu interjected rhetorically.
"Meanie..." Tabane mumbled.
Ignoring Tabane's childish response, she pressed on.
"Since you haven't got a way to get our guest back, we're stuck with him for the time being. The question is, what do we do with him?"
"Hmm... Why don't you keep him here?"
"And what would he do?" Chifuyu asked, feeling slightly irritated.
"I don't know, what you do with him is up to you. I need time to come up with a solution, I'm sure you'll think of something in the mean time Chi-chan".
"That's not very helpful Tabane... and it's Chifuyu, not Chi-chan".
Tabane just giggled at Chifuyu's response. "Sorry Chi-chan, but I can't think of anything. I'll see you later!"
Before Chifuyu could stop her, Tabane sped out of the room, leaving Jorge and Chifuyu alone.
That woman... Chifuyu thought angrily.
"Don't worry about it too much Ma'am, Jaeger won't give you any trouble. Whatever happens, happens." Jorge said.
Chifuyu just sighed at his words.
"That's not what I'm worried about. I just have this feeling that something bad is about to happen."
And she was right.
AN: Hello everyone! Now I'm sure all of you are wondering what took me so long to update, and in answer to your lingering question, I had a lot on my mind with university applications.
Anyway, enough with my excuses, you'll all be pleased to know that I'm back now, and updates will come out as fast as I can write new chapters. Speaking of which, hope you enjoyed this one, and that you'll stick around for the next. Make sure to review as well!