One hour later

Location: Sura city

Sura city, the capital of Eucia with a population of 2.5 million people. This city was much different than other cities on the colonized worlds. Rather than being completely full of skyscrapers towering well over a thousand feet tall, it mainly comprised of small skyscrapers only a few hundred feet tall and had a large residential area surrounding them. Despite this, it was still a popular place, just like the planet as well.

Within the downtown area of Eucia was a large group of rectangular buildings with a large park in the middle and surrounded by parking lots on the outside. This was the Henderson hospital, the largest on Eucia. On the top of each of the rectangular buildings was a large platform with the letters LZ written on them. This was for pelicans and emergency transports to land on when people needed to be evacuated to the hospital quickly rather than having to go through the city streets.

Within one of the rectangular buildings, Matthew was sitting on a chair in the waiting room, holding his head up on his hand which was held up by his elbow resting on his leg. He was tapping his other hand non-stop on his other leg worriedly. The pelican had arrived at the hospital about forty minutes ago and Edward had been taken away into the operation room. Matthew had been waiting ever since, not hearing anything from the doctors or nurses that were occasionally entering and exiting the operating room.

A few clicks coming from nearby drew Matthew's attention. Behind a circular desk with a small opening in it was a woman with long blonde hair, brown eyes and pink painted fingernails. She was tapping loudly on the keyboard of the holographic computer screen in front of her. Matthew sighed annoyingly. That clicking was annoying him but he not going to let it get to him. He had other things to worry about anyway.

Then, the doors at the end of the corridor opened and another woman was walking towards the waiting room. Matthew looked up and recognized her instantly.

"Emily!" he exclaimed.

She saw him and rushed over to him, embracing him as he got up.

"Oh, good, you're okay," she said in a relieved tone. "I heard what happened at the base, I thought you had been hurt as well,"

"No, just a bit of pain from when I got knocked off my feet," he replied, stroking his hand through her brown hair.

The two released each other and Matthew looked back over at the door as if hoping it would open and a doctor or nurse would emerge from the room and tell him on how Edward was doing.

"Do you know how he is?" Emily asked him.

"No," Matthew replied. "I haven't heard anything since we arrived," he sank back into his chair. "I'm worried about him, Emily. He's a member of my squad and I can't see him die before he's even in the UNSC,"

Emily knelt down in front of him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Matthew, he'll be fine," she said softly to him trying to comfort him. "I've seen wounded people a lot before and even taken a few here and I've felt worried about them like you are with Edward now, but in the end they end up pulling through and being alright,"

Matthew looked up at her and smiled a little. "I wish I had your faith, Emily,"

She nodded. "C'mon, I'll take you outside for some fresh air,"

Matthew nodded in agreement and got up and walked alongside Emily out of the waiting room and down the corridor, the doors at the end opening automatically for them, into an elevator. They stepped into it and the doors closed. The elevator jolted slightly as it descended down to the ground floor. When it stopped, with another jolt, the doors opened and Matthew and Emily walked out of the elevator, moving to allow two doctors to enter, and across the hospital entrance room, which was a large square shape with another circular reception desk in the middle of the room, that had another woman with blonde hair behind it, and several chairs on the right and left sides of the room, some being sat on by patients, towards the entrance doors, which opened as they approached them. The two walked outside and let the cool breeze engulf them. Matthew sighed, relieved as he felt suddenly calmer again being outside.

"Do you feel better now?" Emily asked him.

"Yeah," he replied. "Thank you,"

The two walked over to the wall the entrance door were on and leaned against them. Ahead of them, about sixty feet away, was another of the hospital rectangular buildings. A few doctors, patients and family relatives were walking about to and from the buildings. Matthew wondered whether they were going to see if anyone they knew was alright. They were probably as panicked as him but were managing to conceal it behind a smile. If only the same thing could happen to him.

Then, something in Emily's pocket beeped loudly. She reached into it and took out a small square shaped object that had a small blinking red light emitting from the side of the object and a beeping sound was emitting from the object as well. Emily pressed down on the object and a small holographic image of a pelican appeared in front of her just above the square shaped object.

"Oh shoot," she said. "I'll be back in a minute, Matthew. I forgot to lock my pelican."

"Okay," he replied and she ran off in the direction of a nearby parking lot. She turned the corner of a nearby building and disappeared from sight.

Matthew sighed and rested his head against the wall. This was bad. He had not heard anything from Edward and he was left worrying on whether he would be alright or not. All he could do was hope and pray he would pull through and be okay.

"Well, well, well. Look who's here, boys,"

Oh no! Not now!

Matthew looked to his right and saw a group of men in ODST uniforms walking towards him. At their head, as usual, was Dylan.

"What do you want, Dylan?" Matthew asked, standing up straight.

"We heard what happened to one of your little recruits," he replied in a mocking worried voice. "Heard he got a little hurt! Awwww!"

Matthew felt a jolt of anger rise through him but he kept his cool. He did not want to let Dylan see he was getting angry, and he was not going to let him get to him.

"Why don't you go away and leave me alone?" Matthew said to him.

Dylan and his gang just sniggered.

"What's the matter, am I getting to you?"

Matthew ignored him, but Dylan just kept on annoying him.

"You know what I think about your recruit, Matty? I think he's a failure,"

At these words, Matthew, who had gone to walk back inside the building stopped. Dylan smiled, knowing he had hit Matthew at his core and he was going to do it again.

"Did you hear me, Matty? He's a failure and you know it. In fact, he's a pussy just like all of your recruits!"

"Shut up!" Matthew snarled, his hands clenching into fists but Dylan only smiled and stepped towards him.

"What's the matter? Oh wait; I know what the matter is. You care for those scum and low lives! I know and you know their nothing in the UNSC. They're a disgrace, just like you!"

"I'm warning you, Dylan! Shut up! You're pissing me off!" Matthew repeated, his hands beginning to shake.

Dylan laughed a little and stopped just a few inches behind Matthew. "Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it! That's right, nothing! And you know what else; you're just like them, Matthew! You're nothing but a disgrace. You and those recruits should be kicked out! That's what I'd do to you! In fact, when I heard what happened, I hoped he would die! You get that! If not…" his voice began to rise. "I'll tell you again! I hoped he would die!"

"SHUT UP!"

Before Dylan could blink, Matthew shot round and swung a punch at Dylan, hitting him in the face! Dylan fell to the ground with Matthew standing over him, his fists clenched and breathing heavily as if he was a madman. A few nearby doctors and people scattered around the building looked to see who had yelled.

Suddenly, Dylan got up and charged towards Matthew and grabbed him round the waist, sending him crashing to the floor. He then grabbed Matthew's hair and punched him in the face, hitting him in the cheek. Matthew yelled out and pushed Dylan off and got up from the ground.

"ARGH! GET HIM!"

Matthew looked over his shoulder to see the other three ODST's running towards him. One of them swung a punch at Matthew, which he ducked and punched the ODST in the stomach, winding him. However, the second ODST charged into him and threw him to the ground. Dylan, who had gotten up from the ground, grabbed Matthew and pulled him up to punch him, but Matthew brought his foot down onto Dylan's making him yell out. Matthew took the opportunity to step backwards away from Dylan.

"MATTHEW!" a woman shouted from behind him.

Matthew looked over his shoulder to see Emily standing about fifteen feet away. She was staring at him with disbelief. It was then he realised what he had done. He had broken his promise to her!

Suddenly, Dylan grabbed Matthew and threw him back into a circle formed by him and the other three ODST's. They all stepped towards him, their fists clenched, ready to strike at him. Matthew was in trouble. He was surrounded!

Then, with his back turned, the ODST behind Matthew took his chance and punched him in the side. Matthew yelled out and collapsed onto his knees.

"Leave him alone!"

Emily ran over and grabbed Dylan on the arm to try and stop him but he pushed her off him.

"Stay out of this, Emily!" he said to her. "This punk's getting what was coming to him,"

"STOP!"

The next thing they knew, a group of marines grabbed Dylan, the other three ODST's and Matthew and pushed them up against the wall. Another one pulled Emily away and she watched as an officer approached them.

"What the Hell's going on?" he shouted angrily. "This is the UNSC and you guys are trying to rip each other's heads off as if you're damn school kids!"

"He started it, sir," Matthew replied, pointing at Dylan.

"I don't care who started it!" the officer shouted, silencing him. "Now, you lot…" he pointed at Dylan and the ODST's. "…Beat it! You…" he pointed at Matthew. "…Get back inside!"

The marines stepped back from them and Dylan, who glared at Matthew, and the ODST's walked off past him. Matthew walked off back into the building; Emily, who had been released by the marine, walked after him.

When the two reached the waiting room outside the operating room again, Matthew stopped in front of his seat, breathing heavily. Emily stopped a few feet behind him. The receptionist did not even look up from where she was sitting.

"I wasn't my fault, Emily!" he said.

"I can't believe you!" she replied in a breaking voice. "Matthew, you promised me you wouldn't get into a fight with Dylan!"

"He was annoying me, Emily!" Matthew rounded on her and stepped towards her. "He told me I was a disgrace. It's not because of that, but he said he hoped Edward would die!"

"You should have just walked off, Matthew. Oh, you're gonna get in big trouble now!"

"Oh well that's just great! I get close to finishing one punishment and now I've landed dead in the middle of another one!" he turned and walked back towards his seat. "This is just great!"

When he finished the last word, he kicked his seat with all his anger. The chair flew across the floor, landing with a bang against the opposite wall of the corridor. The receptionist glared at him, but Matthew ignored her and he rested his back against the wall where his chair had been and slid down to the floor and buried his face in his knees. Emily stared sadly at him for a moment before she walked over to him and sat down beside him and embraced him. Matthew was surprise at first but after a second or two, he accepted the embrace and embraced her.

Emily was right, and even though he did not want to believe it, once news of this fight to the UNSC High Command, there would be no doubt he would be in even bigger trouble.