(A/N): Hello everyone! Letters back again and today I decided to hell with the week wait plan, we're jumping right back into it! After reviewing all the votes in addition to the messages you guys have been sending me concerning relationships, I've decided on all of the pairings! Thanks for the votes and such and remember, things can change so just because a pairing is set doesn't mean it's permanent :)
Also, I've posted another poll so get cracking on that. It's not gonna affect the story but it's more of curiosity.
Last but not least, a reader send me a message and asked me to correct something about his character so a content update was done, take care to read it one more time!
Alright without further ado! Let's get right back into it!
EDIT: Made a few spelling corrections.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Halo but if I did, Halo Wars 2 would be out and it would be freaking epic.
New Bonds
Twelve Days Later- The Iberostar, Beachfront
"Sure am glad we took this vacation!" said Corey as he sipped his drink.
"Right there with ya," said Kyle.
"Are you two coming to play? Or do I have to spike a good one in your face to make you," said Crystal.
Corey took a large sip before putting the drink on the table beside him with a loud clank.
"That a challenge short stuff?" asked Corey.
Crystal responded with a hand beckoning him to "bring it". Corey snickered as he rose to his feet and took a spot on the sand.
"Serve me up," he said.
"Wait for us!" said Abby.
Selina joined Crystal's side whilst Abby joined Corey's. Claire rolled her eyes as she climbed into the high chair beside the volleyball field. Kyle turned to his left to see Van with his eyes closed and laying back under the parasol.
"Not gonna get in on this?" he asked.
"With Abby's spikes and Crystal's temper? I think I'll be fine right here," said Van.
Kyle chuckled as he held a drink out towards him. Van eyed it for a split second before taking it.
"Not trying to get me under the influence are you?" he asked.
"Can you stop being a soldier for one minute and just live it up? You've barely said a word in edgewise since we've gotten here," said Kyle.
"No thanks to the nasty looks Rick's been giving Corey and me," said Van.
Kyle nodded in comprehension; ever since the vote for the team leader, Rick started to be very resentful towards Corey. Though Corey always tried to be friendly and fun, Rick wouldn't have any of it. It was very well noted that Rick and Selina started to spend a lot more time together though no one expected any less considering the way he looked at her and vice versa. Kyle already knew why Rick was so resentful towards Corey; Rick definitely wanted the position of team leader more than anyone else. Though Corey wanted it, he left it up to the team to decide if he was fit for the job. Kyle however had no idea why Rick kept Van in such a low regard.
"Everyone enjoying themselves?"
Kyle turned around to see Sarah standing over Van. She was dressed in a dark orange bikini which really highlighted her curves, something not many people noticed due to the amount of time she spends in her armor.
"They're about to play volleyball, shall I get the popcorn?" asked Kyle.
"Nice and buttery," replied Sarah.
He nodded as he rose to his feet before walking towards the vendor. Sarah sat beside Van before looking at the rest of the team who was already engaged in the game.
"Where's Rick?" she asked.
"I'm not sure, he was here about fifteen minutes ago with Selina but he just disappeared," said Van.
"He's not taking the vote thing very well I take it?" she asked.
"I'd assume so," he replied.
"Corey and him used to be such good friends but now it's like the positions have affected them," she said.
"Not Corey, he's still the same humble idiot we all know and love," said Van.
Sarah looked at him in disbelief.
"Did you just tell a joke?" she asked.
"I have those moments," he replied.
She ruffled his hair.
"You're finally loosening up soldier," she said.
"Whatever," he said.
"Not looking at Claire?" she asked.
"Why?" he replied.
"Because they all took off their upper layer of clothing and are now in swimwear," she said.
Van looked up before his eyes widened. Without a shred of a doubt, Abigail was stunning. Curves and contours that went on for days accompanied her decently toned body. She wore a little more than modest black bikini unlike the skimpy kind that he was used to seeing whenever he came here with his sister. He turned to Crystal who mimicked the look except hers was crimson. Selina however was still wearing shorts though her top was green. Claire also removed her top but did not remove her shorts and sported a white bikini top.
"I'm glad Corey and Abby are finally getting to know each other and for once Abby is taking him seriously," said Sarah.
"Can you blame her? 75% of what Corey says is a joke in some shape or form," said Van shrugging.
Sarah laughed softly.
"At least things seem to be ok; I thought the whole voting thing would've really made things worse," she said.
"Can you think of a better way to decide it?" he asked.
She shook her head after several seconds of thought.
"Popcorn with lots of butter here," said Kyle.
He placed the large bowl between the three of them. Claire blew the whistle and Crystal threw the ball into the air before hitting it to the other side. Corey smiled evilly as Abby bounced it towards him at the net. With an almost overly stylish move, he flipped into the air before spiking it down hard, causing the ball to almost instantly meet the sand, scoring the point.
"I'm so glad volleyballs have gotten tougher...if it was one of those older ones it'd be shreds by now," said Sarah.
The two men sitting with her agreed whole-heartedly as Corey began to mimic the Rick Astley dance, much to the amusement of everyone around him.
"Glad he's here to lighten the mood sometimes," said Kyle.
The game continued on for twenty minutes until finally, Abby spiked the final point which scored them the win.
"AAAAAND that's game!" said Corey.
Crystal rolled her eyes as she playfully punched him in the shoulder.
"Did you have to show off so much?" asked Abby.
"If I'm gonna win a game of volleyball I gotta do it with SWAG!" said Corey.
Sarah turned to see Rick walking towards them.
"Where've you been?" she asked.
"My room; had things to take care of," he replied.
The entire team sat together before Kyle volunteered to get food. Abby refused and instead fetched hot dogs to grill right on the beach. As usual, her cooking was excellent and the team sat down once again to bonding time. Claire surprisingly started to talk more about her past experiences though for the most part, none of her stories were funny but were instead informative, giving insight to just how different the SPARTAN-III program was in comparison to IV. It wasn't long before the sun went down.
"Can't believe it's been twelve days already...and we have to get back on the job tomorrow," said Crystal.
"This break was well earned; Thel has been keeping me posted on everything from the mainframe and thus far, it looks like they really have begun an augmentation plan for their troops and it doesn't extend to just Elites, it goes all the way through to Brutes and even Jackals," said Sarah.
"Let's take this to the room; we don't want any bystanders hearing this stuff," said Corey.
The Iberostar- Corey's Room
They moved into Corey's hotel room before sitting down in a circle and calling the Arbiter, causing a small blue hologram of him to appear.
"Thel, can you fill in everyone on what you've discovered?" asked Sarah.
He nodded.
"The augmentation process is called Assimilation but it's not the kind of process that endangers the lives of it's participants," began The Arbiter.
He linked the hologram to a video.
"The participants begin by ingesting some form of biologically engineered compound by the name of Fiara which is meant to put their bodies into a temporary accelerated state of healing, instantaneous regeneration as you would call it," said The Arbiter.
He then pressed a button to move to another video.
"This then prepares them for the process which seems to involve applying some form of compound into their skeletons through the use of hypodermic needles," he continued.
He clicked once more.
"This compound is then permanently integrated into the subject's marrow and every single blood cell it produces carries the compound throughout the body until it reaches the brain," said The Arbiter.
"That's some Wolverine shit right there," said Corey.
The Arbiter cleared his throat as Corey immediately turned quiet.
"The compound poses a serious threat to the body due to it's initial entry which the immune system immediately moves to battle, the previous compound is made to prevent the subject's body from succumbing to the compound as without the regeneration, the compound would quite literally tear the subject from the inside out," said The Arbiter.
With a final click, he showed an Elite side by side with an augmented one.
"The compound within the marrow causes growth in all aspects which causes the augmented subjects to be larger than their usual counterparts," he began.
"It also drastically enhances their strength due to the instant regeneration compound being present as the compound tears the muscles apart and repairs them until they reach the point where the compound no longer poses a threat to them," said The Arbiter.
"It's like exercising for years in a matter of days," said Rick.
"Precisely," said The Arbiter.
"So you mean to tell me these guys are making their already elite soldiers even more elite?" asked Abby.
"Indeed and we are not sure if there are any more benefits to the subjects apart from their drastically increased physical capabilities," said The Arbiter.
Sarah swallowed hard.
"Thank you Thel," she said.
He nodded as the call cut off.
"This isn't good...imagine an army of those things," said Corey.
"We're going to need more SPARTANs to fight this kind of threat," said Selina.
"Or we destroy their base of operations that houses the majority of this program," said Kyle.
Sarah shook her head.
"We have no idea where these guys are...our only course of action is to focus on helping the Sanghelli get rid of the Flood in their system," said Corey.
"I agree," said Claire.
Van looked down.
"The Flood is the greater threat...because imagine if they managed to get a hold of the augmented Covenant," said Van.
Eyes widened at his words.
"We can't afford to let the Flood have access to them so the sooner we get rid of them the better," said Van.
"Looks like we're paying a visit to planet Flood," said Corey.
"Go straight for the Gravemind?" asked Kyle.
"I doubt the Flood have taken control of some kind of super alien so it shouldn't be too difficult," said Corey.
"Then it's settled, tomorrow we head for the Urs system," said Sarah.
She rose to her feet.
"I'll make sure the ship is ready to leave in the morning," she said.
As soon as she said that, Van discreetly elbowed Kyle in the ribs. Kyle sighed almost silently before getting up.
"I'll come with you; I'd rather sleep on the ship than here to save the walk in the morning," he said.
Sarah shrugged as he followed her out of the room, causing Van to smile to himself.
"Don't waste the opportunity,"
Later That Night- Selina and Rick's Room
Selina entered the room after taking a shower to find Rick on his laptop.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Trying to understand exactly what these aliens are doing to make their soldiers damn near impossible to fight in numbers," he replied.
She approached him before placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You've been doing it everyday since we got here...can you stop working for one night and get some sleep?" she asked.
He ignored her words and continued typing.
"Why did you come back to the room and not stay with everyone at the beachfront?" she asked.
"Does it look like I want to be around those two?" he asked.
She knew exactly which two he was talking about.
"We voted for Corey and I think he'll be a great leader," she said.
"I understand and respect that you all voted on this but I don't think it should be him," said Rick.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Granted he made some good calls back at Restoration but his easy going attitude isn't the kind of thing I'd like to see order us to do things that can cost us our lives," he replied.
"You know he cares about all of us and he wouldn't make a decision that would get us all killed right?" she said.
"What do you think is going to happen when we get to Urs? Do you really think the Flood is as easy to take down as he makes it sound?" he asked.
She looked down at the floor and sighed.
"Point taken...but I don't understand why you're always taking every opportunity to say the word no to him," she said.
Rick scoffed as he refocused on the screen.
"Only thing worse than him is that kid Van; all he's after is attention," he said.
"What makes you say that?" she asked.
"Being a martyr to save Abby when he could've probably avoided the whole injury episode if she stayed and helped him? The episode with you two at the shooting range and his over-exaggerated reaction to his dad's exploits? Kid wants nothing more than attention," he continued.
"He openly admitted that I would beat him any day...granted I'm still not over the fact that any of you could think he's better than I am but he's not an asshole," she said.
She also swallowed.
"His reaction over his father is sort of warranted though...he almost killed his entire family," said Selina.
Rick scoffed and rubbed his nose.
"Kid always tries to impress people and he doesn't listen to anyone but Sarah who I'm thoroughly convinced is his bitch behind the scenes and he did that hero shit just to impress Abby when she's refused every single person who's approached her thinking that he scored points and what does he think reacting in that sort of way will do? Get sympathy?" he continued.
Rick clenched his fist.
"And Corey thinks he can lead the team in his absence? That's a sick joke," he said.
"What about Kyle?" she asked.
"Kyle's in my opinion the only one fit to lead this team besides me; he's the oldest out of all of us and also the most experienced so if there's anyone who knows what it's like to take on missions it'd be him," said Rick.
"But he's not better than you..." said Selina in a condescending tone.
Rick looked at her.
"Considering the fact that I'm the best brain wise and that I'm more than able to handle myself as well as take care of the team, I damn well should be," said Rick.
Selina looked away.
"That damn kid needs to grow up and work as a teammate and not be some loner emo crybaby who does shit for attention," he continued.
"Enough," she said.
Selina reached over his shoulder and held the "Ctrl" button and pressed a combination of buttons, causing all of his work to save and the computer to immediately shut off. Rick sighed loudly.
"Take a break," she said again.
He turned around to look at her. She took his hand before leading him to the bed.
"Just relax..." she whispered.
It wasn't long before Rick found himself repeating his previous actions and taking Selina into his bed.
Van's Room
"Got a minute?"
Van nodded as Corey came in.
"I wanted to talk to you earlier but didn't get a chance to," said Corey.
"What's on your mind?" he asked.
Corey looked down for a moment before taking a breath.
"Do you really think I'm fit to lead this team?" he asked.
"Why do you say that? Especially since I was the one who said it initially," said Van.
"Because now that I think about it...I'm gonna be hold all seven of your lives in my hands with my plans...and well, I don't want to do something I know I'll regret," said Corey.
Van sat up from his bed.
"That's the very same mindset I had going into the ODST and being promoted to the Stealth Team Leader; it's natural for you to feel worried but all of us trust you and we have faith that you'll lead us through it all," he said.
Corey then sighed softly before smiling.
"I appreciate that," he said.
"Anytime," replied Van.
Corey then looked at him straight.
"There was one more thing I wanted to know," he said.
Van looked at him, noticing how serious his face became before raising a hand.
"This is about Abigail isn't it?" he asked.
Corey nodded.
"As good looking and nice as she is I had no doubt that you were into her so no Corey, I do not have an interest in her," he replied.
"Then why did you risk your life like that to get her out of there?" he asked.
"I'd have done the same for any of you and you should know that considering you've read my ODST record," he replied.
"Don't lie to me...all I'm asking is if you feel something for her," he said.
Van was silent for a few seconds.
"I'm not going to lie, there was a point where I sought her attention but considering the fact that she's the most popular female SPARTAN-IV in addition to her being the only thing on your mind, I dropped everything I felt because I don't want any sort of conflict between us; we're teammates to the end and the last thing I want is for us to have a disagreement because of emotions," he replied.
Corey looked at him in disbelief.
"I've noticed the fond looks you've given her and quite frankly, so has everyone else," said Van.
He took an audible breath.
"That and I consider you a friend and friends don't betray one another," said Van.
Corey suddenly relaxed at his words and relished in the rare moment that Van actually revealed how he felt.
"So I'm guessing it's been Claire?" asked Corey.
Van looked away, folding his arms and appearing as if he had no interest in what Corey was getting at. Corey snickered to himself; he loved getting under people's skin.
"I know you've spent practically the whole time between her and Kyle," said Corey.
Van looked at him with genuine surprise.
"It's pretty hard not to notice whenever you disappear and she's nowhere to be found considering her and Abby are tight," said Corey.
Van sighed in defeat; Corey knew everything. He then put a brotherly hand on his shoulder.
"Come on man put a smile on! She's great and quite a looker too," said Corey.
"Looks aren't the important part," said Van.
"Yeah but it's a damn good bonus," chuckled Corey.
Van smiled at his comment.
"You've gotten her to tell us a lot more about herself and that's a good thing on both fronts," said Corey.
"Sarah asked me to," he replied.
Corey smacked him in the forehead.
"Don't gimme that shit Romeo, you've got a thing for ghost girl over there," he said pointing back to the room across from his.
Van sighed before laughing softly.
"I guess I do..." he said.
Corey chuckled loudly.
"Well I'll be honest too; I'd like nothing more than Abby and me to hook up but you know the score with women nowadays," he began.
Van took a breath.
"Pain in the ass to get through to,"
Both men chuckled upon saying the line in unison.
"You're not bad Van," said Corey.
"Guess not all your jokes are terrible," said Van.
Corey raised his hands.
"Haters gonna hate but still...you're not the same kid I met a few weeks ago," said Corey.
"Can't say the same but I'm sure no one else wants you any other way," said Van.
Corey held out a fist and much to his surprise, Van humored him and bumped it.
"I'm gonna attempt with Abby and you're gonna do the same with ghost girl," said Corey.
Van looked at him in disbelief and before he could retort, Corey put him in a headlock and dragged him outside.
Several Minutes Later- Claire's Room
She turned to the door once she heard several knocks.
"Come in," she said.
To her surprise, Van entered the room.
"Hey," he began.
Claire nodded at him as she put the book she was reading down.
"Something on your mind?" she asked.
"You could say that," he said.
He sat on the lounge chair across from the bed she lay on.
"You know I don't mind talking about anything," she said.
"Except the guys that stared at you all the time you went outside," he said.
She rolled her eyes as Van snickered subtly.
"Hate perverts...so useless," she said.
The night went by slowly as Van inquired about her experience at the hotel. Claire also wasn't around the others that much but for the last three days, she decided to join them and much to everyone's surprise, had fun. The first nine days were spent reading in her room and leaving only to eat and have an occasional drink. However, Van ensured to spend time with her, acting upon his interest in learning about her past in addition to herself. He had no idea how Sarah who had known her since she first joined the SPARTAN-IV Program and even before that wasn't able to get through to her but he was in a a little less than a month of time together. Though there were times they were in the same sharpshooting training sessions at Halberd Base, not much interaction took place between them and considering she was a ghost even then, he rarely saw her otherwise.
"You came in here to ask me how I've been enjoying my vacation?" she asked.
"Is that so difficult to believe?" he asked.
Claire moved to the edge of the bed and faced him.
"Yes because you're hiding something," she said.
She looked at his face, scanning it for signs of weakness just as she was trained to for all those years. Much to her surprise, she noticed a faint blush.
"Corey put you up to this didn't he?" she asked.
"...I would've done it regardless, he just had a rather...brotherly way of giving me an incentive," he said.
Much to his surprise, she laughed softly.
"I know; I heard the shuffling outside," she said.
Van sighed.
"I know you have...issues with emotions," he said.
She remained silent, looking at him in disbelief.
"I understand and respect that but...I've been thinking a lot lately," he began.
He took an audible breath and swallowed audibly.
"I know you probably think my attention is on Abigail...but in actuality it's always been on you," he said.
She eyed him, noting how uncharacteristically nervous he was.
"I suppose what I'm trying to say is that...I'd like to get to know you...more than I do now," he said.
Van took a deep breath, suddenly feeling light-headed and warm in complete contrast to the cold room.
"It's a little soon to say those three words...but I definitely feel something real for you," he choked.
With a final deep breath to get much needed oxygen to his overloaded brain and racing heart, he made direct eye contact with her.
"I...really like you Claire," he said.
Claire looked at him in disbelief. There was a short pause in which Van attempted desperately to regain control of his racing heart with his eyes shut tightly.
"Van?" she replied.
He looked up only to receive a kiss on his cheek and to see a blush on her face. Van was astonished at how heart-meltingly beautiful she looked whenever she was in a vulnerable state. Her crimson hair hid some of her face from his view but her grey eyes were all he needed to tell what she was feeling and when one is trying to get to know Claire, one had to be able to read her eyes due to her lack of words. She wasn't smiling but the look in her eyes told him that she was in no way refusing his words.
"You...you're annoying," she said.
He felt his heart crack but when she looked into his eyes, he suddenly froze into place.
"You've been trying hard to get me to be open to everyone else on the team...I admire that and you did it not because you thought of how much more effective we would be...but because you actually cared enough to want me to let down my walls," she said.
"You've told me the stories...but I don't think that's reason enough to hid who you are because who you are is beautiful," he said solemnly.
Her face turned red as she flicked him hard in the forehead but to his surprise, she smiled at him.
"You have a chance here...you've earned it but don't screw it up; don't make me regret...feeling this way about you," she warned.
Her voice betrayed her mindset and he knew it was still in her nature to be threatening; it was her defense mechanism. He gathered his courage and proceeded to place on kiss on her cheek, much to her surprise. He then turned to leave but much to his astonishment, she grabbed his hand before pressing her lips to his. After a minutes of racing hearts and an unknown million volts of electricity surging through both their bodies, he moved away. He held her in a deep embrace.
"I won't...I promise," was his solemn reply.
Abigail's Room
Several knocks broke Abigail from her packing.
"It's open," she said.
Corey walked in.
"Saddling up already?" he asked.
"You know how much I hate early mornings so I figure if I do this now, I'll be a hell of a lot less grumpy," she said.
"Guess that's the one thing about the SPARTAN life you hate so much huh?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes.
"Not my fault sleep is so good," she replied shrugging.
Corey chuckled as he shut the door and took a seat on her bed.
"Got a minute?" he asked.
"Sure," she replied.
He took a breath.
"I wanted to ask you something...but I dunno how to do it without making it sound weird," he said.
"Weird is usually funny in your case so go ahead and fire away," she said with a chuckle.
Corey shrugged.
"How bout after we get through with this mission we hit a club when we get back?" he asked.
"Of course you'd be a club person," she said rolling her eyes.
"Hey! It's pretty damn fun to be able to dance in front of everyone when you're half drunk," he said.
"Lemme guess...Gangnam Style?" she asked.
"As old as that song is I'd still dance my ass off to it!" he said.
He immediately started dancing, causing her to laugh.
"You're such an idiot...and yes, I'd like that," she said.
Corey looked at her in utter disbelief.
"Whoa...that was easy," he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean asking you out..." he began.
He took a breath.
"You've shot down every single guy that's asked you out and somehow I'm the one exception? What sort of evil scheme do you have in your head there?" he asked narrowing his eyes.
Abby started to laugh hysterically.
"I actually told Van yes because he asked me if I'd like to meet his sister on his next visit so that doesn't count," she said.
Corey gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. Abby approached him slowly.
"But he also told me how much you talk to him and Kyle about me...Kyle also told me how worried you were when Van and I were gone at Restoration," she said.
Corey looked away, feeling completely embarrassed and vulnerable.
"That's...one of the sweetest things I've ever heard..." she said.
Corey then switched the topic.
"What did you tell him when he asked you that?" he asked.
"I said yes but then he made me promise him something," she said.
"What's that?" he asked.
"That I would never think of him as anything more than a brother," she said.
"Why?" said Corey with his eyes narrowed and his arms now folded.
Abigail shook her head.
"Isn't it obvious?..." she said.
Before Corey could retort, the golden-haired soldier pressed her lips to his cheek.
"Because he knew that you're the only one I'd give that chance to," she said.
The moment those words left her lips, Corey pulled her in and kissed her deeply. After several heated minutes, he pulled away.
"I've been wanting to do that since the first day I looked at you..." he said.
"One warning..." she said.
He looked at her with confusion in his eyes.
"Don't screw this up...it took a lot of thinking to consider this...make me regret it and you're not going to like it," she said with a stern look.
Corey nodded.
"You got it," he said.
Well that was pretty difficult. Hopefully I hit the nail on the head with everything here. Oh announcement time!
I did a little thinking and I decided to accept replacements for all characters now. I'll do a roster update soon to give you guys the current roster and who still needs a replacement and don't worry, they'll all make appearances soon. In addition, I'd like you guys to start thinking of Sanghelli because...YEP you guessed it, we're creating a team of them as well!
I took a bit of inspiration from Halo 2 and I decided to devote a few chapters to the Sanghelli Strike Team that you guys will be creating. I won't be contributing to this so this entire team is made up by you guys!
Follow the same format as before but adjust it to suit the fact that they are Sanghelli rather than UNSC.
Hope you guys enjoyed it and I'll see you next time.