Chapter 10 – Flawless
Six's mind was beaming at the mere prospect of resuming his duties, to protect once again as was his sole purpose. To uphold the ideals of justice, to help deliver those in need from the evil that tainted the world. He would be able to be the shield once more, a beacon of light in the darkness. At least in some manner, he would be able to keep at least one of his promises, to continue the fight, to help those in dire need as was his oath. This mission would decide the fate of all, this mission would give him a purpose. A purpose he thought that was long lost when he had witnessed the world of Reach crumble around him.
He could not help his mind from drifting back to those dire days, the days where he would run for endless hours and days, never stopping, never resting. Fighting almost every hour in a desperate attempt to delay if not halt the inevitable. The days where he was all, alone to face an overwhelming force during the last days of Reach. Until he had run into the colossal Spartan II which he had rescued and in turn repaid the favour, which had drove him to pay the ultimate sacrifice.
He did not even know the name of his saviour, his brother. He could not even honour his memory in the manner he had planned for his comrades belonging to Noble Team. He mentally winced at the topic; he still had yet to come to terms with it. For the family he had ever truly known was ripped from him. One by one they had been gunned down in a war which made absolutely no sense!
The weathered gauntlet began to creak with the sheer force Six put into clenching his fists; his rage began to flow through his veins. His compact muscles tensed as the events of Reach repeated through his mind. He could have stopped it, he could have saved more...but he was not enough...not strong enough. He had to correct that.
Shepard had dismissed him a while ago right after he had been briefed on the upcoming mission. Apparently they were heading to a planet called "Noveria" and they were expected to arrive in little more than three hours. He had taken a spot in the corner of the spacious cargo bay, in front of the Mako where he can have his eyes on all and have his back to no one. It wasn't that he expected to be stabbed right in the back but the fact that old habits die hard. He was a lone wolf through and through. He had spent days on the run, days being hunted down and he had to adapt, to survive.
The dimly lit bay was currently absent of bodies as everyone reported to the mess hall for their fill of grub but he remained where he was, reflecting on the current events. However all that did was encourage the burning fire within him, the white flame that seared his heart and body, urging to be released.
That he could not allow.
For Spartans emotions are to be almost nothing more than static in the back of their minds, they were only made with the purpose of getting the job done for the protection of humanity. However, still being human these emotions couldn't be simply extinguished like a candle, only suppressed. It would take everything to get an emotional reaction from a Spartan and in a way for Six...it did. Nothing was left for him and that only filled him with the most dangerous emotion a being can muster.
An emotion that slowly drains men of all logic, of all reason. It can send men over the edge; it can push men past the line. A line when crossed there is no going back. It kills the man who endures it, when unleashed each time it eats away at the man leaving him less than what he had been, it takes something from him. It transforms an individual into a force to be reckoned with...but it also leaves them as a shadow of their former selves. Too many times has it led men to their untimely ends. Too many times has it been the heart of countless conflicts.
Rage.
He held little else in his mind, only that single raw emotion, dictating his every action, his every decision. It clashed with his sense of happiness, over powering it immensely. He could do nothing to clear himself of it, only suppress it. His training would be put under strain under this new emotion, he had been trained to clear his mind of such things but this...this was new. This state he was in only proved a danger to himself, although it could be a great asset it could also be a great flaw. For men become reckless when under its influence. That was something he could not allow.
Pushing it back into the recesses of his mind, he focused his thoughts on training. He could not spare time relaxing for it would do nothing for him in the future. He had not only to maintain his peak physical condition but exceed it. For that's what it would take to save those in harm's way, in his eyes he was...weak, he had to be able to carry the burden of millions and his time on Reach proved he was not ready.
He moved to stand up from his seated position upon a crate and began to stretch each and every limb. He would take no risk in injuries of training, no more mistakes is what it will take to achieve his goal. With a few satisfying pops of his bones and muscles he lowered himself to the floor and initiated a press up position. With a calming breath he began.
His muscles heaved and pulsed with the weight it was forced to carry, not only did it have to carry him but his one tonne suit of armour. It strained his muscles each time he would lower himself but that only brought a sliver of satisfaction. Pain was weakness leaving the body. This only made the Spartan strive further, his pace quickened as his chest plate lowered dangerously low to the dull metal deck. He reached one hundred, then one thousand, five thousand, and only when he reach five thousand five hundred did he come to a halt. He halted just short of beating his previous record of five thousand six hundred which only proved to frustrate him.
He growled heavily to himself, more than disappointed by the prospect of "under achieving." This was before he felt rumbling arising from his stomach, he only just registered that he was hungry. With the thoughts of failure heavy on his mind he had remained oblivious to his hunger. He allowed himself to rest on his knees before standing upright, he made a brief decision to head to the mess hall and satiate his hunger.
He slowly walked around the mako and set his sights upon the elevator to only see the doors beginning to shut. With only fully coming to terms with how hungry he actually was he readied the muscles in his legs and darted to the doors. This elevator had the speed of a turtle when coming to transporting occupants and with the growing need for sustenance he could not afford to wait.
He reached the shutting doors to only slam his hand between the small gap left before the door would cut him off completely. This provoked a high pitch 'eep' from the interior of the elevator, clearly startled at the sudden sound. He ignored it and only heaved downwards, pulling the door low enough for him to step inside. The door gave a groan of reluctance but to no avail it could not stop the Spartan. After over stepping the door while holding it down he gave a sigh of relief. He made it but now came the hard part of enduring the slow descent.
Movement flickered in the corner of his visor and his eyes fell upon the young woman who was adorned in a makeshift purple suit. Her light purple visor did little to hide the white orbs looking as wide as plates. He had completely forgotten that someone was there which provoked his head to recoil back slightly.
"My apologies" Six started while lightly bowing his head in her direction, allowing her to visibly huff from the breath she was apparently holding.
"Its...Its Okay"
Although somewhat relaxed she began to shuffle on her feet again while ringing her hands as the silence took hold in the elevator. The slow ascendence only proved annoying to Six, thinking how flawed this design was.
"Erm...I never got the chance to...thank you for saving me earlier..."
Six turned his sights from the door to look the woman square in the face. She only looked back into his slightly damaged golden visor before retreating her sights to the suddenly interesting floor.
"Um...well thank you...for saving me"
"Not a problem, Miss?"
"T-Tali. Tali Zorah nar Rayya" she managed to announce with pride laced in her voice as she looked up to the Spartan to only have her eyes avert away from his sights once again. Tali thought very hard to herself before giving in to her curiosity, she inwardly sighed knowing full well one day it would get her into trouble.
"D-do you have a name?"
"Six"
"That's a number, not a name...don't you have one?"
This was the Spartan's turn to feel slightly uneasy, he hesitated before stating "No." Tali's eyebrows rose at the revelation, which only pushed her onward with her questioning before Six interrupted her.
"But I am proud of it" he stated with conviction.
The elevator came to a halt and as soon as the doors had lowered the Spartan was gone leaving her with more questions than answers. Six seemed bent on keeping to himself, when answering back to her he had paused as if debating to himself. She noticed his shoulders falter for the briefest of moments before it resumed its stoic stance. As a quarian she knew how to read an individual based on how they carried themselves, the way Six carried himself gave away nothing. He seemed stoic and somewhat cold however his brief relapse led her to conclude otherwise. She shook her thoughts away as she approached the table to see the whole squad gathered, seated around the table.
Chuckling and conversing away to their hearts content as they focused on learning about on and other, trading stories and plans which created a friendly atmosphere to which she welcomed. She took a seat between Garrus and Wrex as they rambled on which weapon was better.
"With a sniper and a properly thought out vantage point, you could make anywhere your personal kill zone. They wouldn't even get close enough to look at you."
"Bah! That's exactly the problem, there is no better feeling than looking your enemy in the eyes as you gun him down."
"That's...not scary at all" chimed Tali.
"Snipers are for weaklings" grunted Wrex.
"But But with a sniper you could last for days and be an unstoppable force-"
"Or you could kill them all with a shotgun in one day"
"Hey Six, what's your preference?" Garrus shouted across the hall to the rummaging Spartan, hoping to coerce him into a conversation. The Spartan regarded Garrus before slamming one of the cupboards and walking towards the group. All eyes were set upon the walking suit of armour expecting an answer, when he simply strode past them all and headed back to the Cargo bay. The group looked to one and other in confusion, frowning at the anti social behaviour of their newest crew member.
Ashley chose to break the silence "Looks like you're not the only one with a stick up their ass."
"I heard that" came a slightly synthesized voice from the elevator.
Ashley visibly tensed and gulped before everyone erupted in laughter at her expense. She collected herself and stared daggers into Garrus who was laughing the hardest.
"I already like the guy" mused Garrus after he had calmed down.
HEY HEY HEY GUYS!
New Chapter For All Of You Reading, Hoped You Enjoyed It.
A Little Longer Than My Usual Chapters But Can't Complain, Maybe I Might Even Extend It Further And Carry On At This Pace...Who Knows?
Anyway Guys I Have Slightly...Discouraging News.
I Am Very Close To Some Important Exams And Will Therefore Have To Take The Time To Prepare For It Accordingly, Time That Could Have Gone Otherwise Into This Story.
But That Absolutely Doesn't Mean I Will Stop Updating, It May Just Be The Case Of Updates Becoming Somewhat...Irregular But Nevertheless It Will Go On!
Also It Has Come To My Attention That Some People Would Like To Know Who Six Will Be Paired With. He Will Be Paired With Liara...Or Maybe Ashley...Wait No Maybe Tali...Read On And Find Out Ladies And Gentlemen...I'd Hate To Spoil It For You.
ANYWAY ENOUGH OF THAT, THANK YOU ALL ONCE AGAIN FOR READING MY STORY AND TAKING THE TIME TO REVIEW AND ALL SORTS. IT MAY GET OLD OF ME TO THANK YOU GUYS BUT I DIGRESS.
KEEP THE REVIEWS COMING! I CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH WITHOUT SOME FEEDBACK ON HOW YOU GUYS ARE SEEING IT SO FAR!
UNTIL THE NEXT CHAPTER!