Hey guys! thanks for all the reviews! Also, I'm thinking of adding a short story adventure in between chapter 15 and 16, let me know if you guys would like that or not. it would be anything ranging from an AU to a side story that may not necessarily be cannon. Now then, Enjoy!
Chapter 14
Catherine had been in a cell before. As a teen, she'd been apprehended a couple of times, but she'd been bailed fairly quickly every time. But that wasn't an option this time. There was no safety net to fall back on now, and she had no choice but to sit in the steel box that performed as her current cage. She couldn't get the image of John's face out of her head, watching as she was led away in cuffs. There was no anger, nor was there an apparent concern. Just a blank, emotionless mask. To watch him slide it so easily into place actually sent a pang of betrayal through her chest.
"I've already told you everything I know. I didn't hide anything from anyone, I just didn't take it to the higher ups." she explained to her interrogators.
"And why is that 005? It should have been your first objective to notify-"
"My first objective? My first objective is my mission. I can't complete that if I'm on someone's hit list!" she argued. The screen before her that showed her just a little bit of what was outside her cell allowed her to see the angry faces of the council, an intimidation tactic for sure, but one that would not deter her.
"Your priority is the security of the UNSC." Catherine grit her teeth and held back a hiss. She was quickly becoming tired of this mess, and when she found the person aptly responsible for it, all hell would break loose.
"Except it wasn't. Not then. My usefulness to booth the UNSC and ONI has been my detached status from the both of them. It's become very clear to me, however, that that is no longer the case." There was a momentary silence after her declaration, and Catherine wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.
"Your permanent court ruling will take what was discussed today into account. If we decide that you are indirectly responsible for what has taken place in the past few weeks-"
"Bullshit!" she interrupted. "You're trying to pin this on me? This isn't even my department anymore!" she shrieked.
"Your final ruling will be discussed tomorrow. I suggest you consider what it is you want to plead 005." the screen went blank, and Catherine groaned in despair, pulling at her hair. There was a mechanical beep, and suddenly the door to her cell opened, momentarily letting a little more light filter in as a tall figure entered. Catherine let out a sigh of defeat. She really didn't want to deal with any of this today.
"Nice of you to stop by for a visit." she said dryly. He made no reply, sanding silently before her in agitation.
"I'm going to ask you this once. Was I wrong to trust you?" Catherine rolled her eyes at the question.
"I'm not an insurrectionist Chief. I'm not a spy, a double agent, or whatever you want to call it." she said sternly.
"Why are you here?" he asked. Catherine's eyes narrowed slightly, and her head tilted in confusion.
"Here? In this cell? Because some prick-"
"No. Why are you Catherine 005 and not just Catherine. What proof of loyalty do you have to offer?" Oh. That was a different matter entirely, one that she wasn't entirely sure she wasn't sure she wanted to divulge in.
"That, I...There's a lot of answers to that question." she explained, biting her lip as her foot fidgeted idly.
"Well it's a good think you don't have anywhere else to be." If he wasn't already an overtly blunt person, Catherine may have taken offense at the words. Instead she simply nodded, relaxing her tense shoulders.
"I'm here because...If I'm not Catherine 005, then I'm just Catherine nobody. Nobody knows, nobody wants, and nobody cares. Halsey promised me something different. Not just a chance at being somebody, but a chance to redeem myself from what I was." she refused to let her voice crack like some sort of upset child. He was silent for a moment, and Catherine didn't bother waiting for him to speak. Part of her didn't want to hear what he had to say. She wasn't surprised when he silently turned to the door. He paused, however, and she heard him take an almost silent breath in and out.
"Is there anyone you told about Perdema that could help you out of this." he asked. Well, technically there was, but she highly doubted it would be of the utmost importance to the person in question.
"I mentioned it to Serin Osman." the Spartan's head snapped in her direction. "I told her what happened. She advised I keep myself out of it, and told me she'd do her best to handle things." John sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I'll see what I can do." he said simply, before exiting her cell. She was tempted to tell him he didn't have to do that, but thought better of it. He was right in saying she represented his team, and if this could be cleared up without her permanent arrest, it would look better on the entirety of Blue Team. That thought sent a second, more chilling once up her spine. This could not only take her down, but her team with her. For the first time, Catherine's actions had consequences, and they weren't pretty.
John couldn't help but feel as if he'd been played. He had been subjected to many things in life that had made him feel as if he were being pressed under someone else's boot, but here and now, walking out of Catherine's cell, he felt as if he was at the mercy of someone's personal objective. His fists hung tightened at his sides, and those who he passed stayed on the opposite side of Infinity' corridors. He felt a surge of annoyance at the thought that not only could Catherine be lying, but the entire council could have it out for her purely from their past affiliations. He wasn't sure exactly who had information, or who had given the order for her arrest, but he had a distinct feeling someone had planned this against her.
He shook his head as he entered his quarters, and took a moment to savor the fact that he didn't have to dip his head to fit through the doorway.
The Spartan placed his hands on the Steelers desktop across from his cot, staring at his reflection in it's glossy, laminated top. His eyes were dark, their usual bright blue having shifted to a more dismal, grayish shade. He was accustomed to fatigue, but this unpleasant mental strain, these confusing emotions, his indecisiveness about which side he believed, brought forth a different sense of tiredness. He lowered himself slowly into his seat and sighed.
"Philicity, send Captain Lasky a message. Tell him I need to send out a transmission. I have a favor to ask a certain Admiral." There was a moment before the Chief received a response.
"Captain Lasky has requested your presence on the bridge." John watched in surprise as the little holographic green form appeared on the holotank sitting on his desk. "You're going to fix this, right?" John wanted to tell her he would, wanted to assure the AI that he wouldn't let anything happen to Catherine, but he didn't dare make another promise he couldn't keep. And that was what irked him the most. He'd always been so sure he'd accomplish whatever he set his mind to, and that alone usually secured his wins. However, here and now, he didn't know if he could.
"Monitor any communication leaving the ship. The last thing we need is anyone else catching wind of this. Set all messages concerning Catherine to redacted." he said. "I'll be with the captain in a moment." Philicity nodded, and disappeared. There was a knock on his door and he pressed the command that allowed it to slide open. "Make it quick Kelly, the Captain is waiting." he said as the brown haired Spartan slipped into the room.
"What did she have to say when you spoke with her?" John had had a feeling this was coming.
"Not a lot that was useful. I'm going to contact Osman. Hopefully Cat is right in assuming she can help." he paused for a moment to consider his next words. "What do we do if they find her guilty. I don't believe she really did anything wrong, but that's not going to keep her out of trouble."
"But you aren't willing to watch her be unfairly judged either?" Kelly concluded. He nodded. "There's not much we can do. But there's not nothing either. Contact Osman, tell the council you think something's not right, don't sit here and let everything go down the drain. That's not the John I know." she said.
"You say that like I've already given up." he accused.
"No. I'm just making sure you don't."
"You know, I heard she came from under a bridge or something. I bet they threw her out like garbage." No, she wasn't worthless. There was somebody out there that wanted her. There had to be. She moved, and the wood beneath her creaked loudly. The hushed speaking stopped, and for a moment, it sounded as if everyone had left the room.
The covers were pulled off her so suddenly that she didn't even have time to think to try and escape. "Oh look, little Kitty Cat is eavesdropping." Catherine was shoved from the bed, landing on the floor between the rows of cots.
"I wasn't! I was sleeping, you three interrupted!" she cried, scrambling to her feet as she tried to make her way towards the door. There was a hand on her arm suddenly, and she was hauled back towards the group of older girls.
"come on now Cat, we all know you're a liar. You lie all the time. You steal, you cheat, it's no wonder no one wants you."
"You're wrong Madalin!" Catherine pulled against the other girl's hold, but she was smaller than them, and the action was futile.
"I've never been more right about anything. You really are just like a Cat, nothing but trouble. You should start crawling on the floor like the dirty, little creature you are" the blonde sneered, pushing her to the ground. Her skull collided painfully with wood, and the laughter around her echoed in her ears.
"I'm not a liar, I'm not a liar…" Catherine flew from her cot in a daze. "I'm not a liar!" Her chest heaved and she gasped for air, her head whipping around the small space so fast that it made her back ache. She was alone in a cell on Infinity. She was light years away from Sector 3 now, and yet, she felt as if she was still there now.
"I'm not a liar." She whispered once more, but the darkness around her gave no reply.
"I hope whatever this is about is important." Osman said as she stepped down the ramp of the pelican after the green light was given for the passengers to exit.
"You know I wouldn't have called if it wasn't." John watched her keen eyes take him in with curiosity, and he felt as if he were under a wolf's gaze. "I was told you could help clear something up for the council, what do you remember of 005?" He asked as the pair approached the sealed door that kept the airlock from being exposed to the rest of the ship. It cycled itself in relation to the airlock, before opening.
"The ONI spook that the UNSC adopted? I know a little. Her project was shut down when the ethics of it were questioned, but Dr. Halsey continued the project in secret. When she was arrested, Catherine was no longer allowed to work directly for ONI, and had to be reassigned." Osman explained.
"And what do you remember about her time working with Perdema?" Serin paused, and gave the Master Chief a knowing look.
"I heard Catherine's mission report personally." She alluded.
"So you knew then. That Perdema wasn't who he said he was?" The Spartan asked? Serin sighed in exasperation.
"There's more to the story than that. I didn't believe her. He was an old creep, and considering his undeniable interest in her I had assumed she was scared of nothing. I told her not to speak about it again. I should have listened to her, I admit that now." John nodded, his thoughts racing wildly.
Catherine was telling the truth. She was just following orders that had been given rather unceremoniously.
"Ma'am, I asked you to come to Infinity to relay this information to the council personally. If this isn't cleared up Catherine is going to face charges for secrecy." He explained. He had already irked them enough by asking that they extend the court date for Osman's arrival. If she didn't deliver her side of the story, it was likely that they would take out their agitation on Catherine's sentence.
"I take it that's the favor you wanted? It's unlike you yo be so involved in politics." Osman noticed.
"Catherine is a part of my team. She's family, we take care of each other. You know how that goes." He said softly. Serin was silent at the unspoken call out. Yes. She supposed she did know.
She didn't know how to explain the feeling, but Catherine felt the slip space rupture before the ship's sensors even picked up on it. She didn't know how, but the change in the stars around Infinity almost seemed to hum in her veins. She briefly wondered if it was there to take her away. Maybe the court had made their decision, had she'd been found guilty. There were no windows in her cell, and she didn't think there was anyone listening through the ship's COMs if she were to ask. But….then again.
"Philicity….are you there?" There was a moment of silence in the dark before a soft green glow overtook the room.
"I'm here. As usual." The familiar clipped tone had Catherine relaxing somewhat, and she found that the green glow, while not accompanied by a holographic figure, was a soothing touch.
"A ship just exited slipspace….what's going on out there?"
"Not that I'm supposed to tell you, but it's not one of ours, the bridge is making contact with them as we speak and….oh no." Catherine's face fell.
"Oh no? What does that mean?" The redhead asked frantically.
"It's an insurrectionist ship. A battle class cruiser to be exact." She relayed. Catherine's eyes narrowed.
"They're here for Perdema." It all made sense now. He was their informant for years. They weren't going to let all that information go to waste just because he'd been made. "Philly, I need you to get me out of here. I can help."