21 – ON OUR OWN

After making their way back across the sandbar, the Greens entered the vehicles they had left on the mainland and headed back to base. As the Warthog entered the canyon, Skope thought he saw something very strange off in the northwestern corner of the canyon; a Yellow napping next to a Blue soldier. But his Warthog, being driven by the Nome, took him out of view in just the next second, and he decided to write the sight off as a slight malfunction in his HUD, or something. He forgot about it, and a few minutes later the Greens arrived back at their base.

Kenny took a deep breath of fresh air (or as fresh as it could be filtered through his helmet) as he hopped out of the Mongoose. "Ah, it's good to be home." He said, sounding satisfied.

"I could definitely use some R&R," Jess said, stretching.

"Remember, we have also returned to send Green Command information on what we have learned," lectured Nome. "We must notify them of what is going on. Recent events have placed us in a curious position, and Command should know what to do. If nothing else, they should be informed of Avalanche Team's disappearance."

They all walked up the ramp into the base. Jess got to the elevator door first and pushed the call button eagerly.

"Why couldn't we call them while we were at Avalanche Base?" Skope asked Nome, curious.

The elevator came. Everyone stepped in, and as the doors closed behind them, Nome answered: "We left the long-range radio back here."

Skope nodded. "Uh-huh. Right, I remember now."

The elevator was a two-by-two meter box, and with all four fully armored Greens inside of it the setting became cramped. Skope tapped his foot impatiently and shifted while he waited for the elevator to reach base level.

"We need elevator music," Kenny mumbled, looking around in boredom.

The doors opened a few seconds later. The Greens piled out, bumping into each other accidentally as they did so in their hurry.

Jess led the Greens to the radio room, snapping the lights on as she did. She tapped a few buttons, set several of the dials and gave one side a good hard smack with the palm of her hand before the sound of a dial tone was emitted from the speaker.

"Good to go!" she called out, before stepping away from the radio.

"Hello, this is Green Command," said a stylish voice from the speaker.

Nome was about to talk to it before Skope stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder and told him it was a voice recording.

"This is a voice recording," the voice confirmed. "Please wait while we connect you with someone of service, and thank you for calling the Green Army Command!"

Fancy music started playing, and Nome crossed his arms in annoyance. "How long did you have to wait last time?" he asked Skope.

"About seven minutes," he replied.

"Good lord!" Nome sounded amazed. "That is simply intolerable!"

"Don't I know it."

This time, they only had to wait five minutes. The recording had just started the theme song from the first Halo game, and Skope was really getting into it, actually air guitaring along with the main beat. He was actually a little disappointed when Command picked up and abruptly ended the song just as it was getting going.

"Green Command?" Skope asked slowly.

"Yo dude, 'sup?" came the reply. The person on the other ended sounded extremely relaxed, to the point that Skope was a little worried.

"This is Lieutenant Christopher Skope, acting-commander for Sector 18-Alpha. I have important information for the Green Army commanders."

"Okay, let's just hook you up…" The sounds of buttons being pressed came through the speaker.

"Please, try to make it fast-" He was put on hold again. Skope pounded the wall behind the radio, carving a good-sized chunk out of it. The Halo theme music started playing again. Just like the time before, it was getting going, and then-

"Hey, dude!" shouted another guy from Command.

"Yeah?" Skope asked hopefully.

"Is your name Christopher Skope?"

"Um, yeah."

"No way!" In the background, the officer could be heard shouting: "Hey, guys, come over here! It really is him!"

"You're joking!" Came the response from someone else.

"Hell no, man. Check it out!"

Skope shouted into the COM: "Hey guys, focus! I've got important information!"

"Sure you do," snickered the second officer. "By the way, how's your ass?"

"Um, excuse me?" Skope looked at the speaker in incomprehension.

"I said, how's your ass?"

"Is this some kind of joke?" Skope growled. "Cause seriously, I don't swing that way, okay?"

"No more of a joke then you, Sniperbutt!" Uncontrolled laughter emerged from the speaker.

Skope groaned and rested his head against the radio as realization set in. "Oh, God. My nickname must be all over Command now." He took a step back from the radio and brutally kicked the wall next to it. "Fuck!"

The people on the other end of the line continued laughing."So what's your information, then? Lemmy guess…you got sniped again…but this time in the balls!" His comment got everyone at Command laughing again, this time even harder. The sound of what was obviously someone falling out of their chair came through the speaker.

Skope slammed the DISCONNECT button. "Well, that was a huge waste of time."

"I did not think that Command would be so uncooperative," Nome stated slowly.

"I did!" Kenny called out. Everyone ignored him.

Skope crossed his arms in annoyance and frustration. "I can't believe they still haven't exhausted the story of me getting shot in the ass by that Yellow sniper."

"Well, it's only been, what, a full thirty hours since that happened, right?" Jess asked.

Skope nodded.

"Then I'm not really surprised. Stuff like this usually needs a week to get old."

"Great."

"It would seem, then, that we are on our own," Nome postulated, bringing the group back on topic.

"Yeah, I'd have to agree with you on that one," said Skope. "All Command cares about is the fact that I've been sniped in the ass. Even if I'd had a chance to tell them the information, I don't think they'd really have known what to do. Fuckers."

"I do have a suggestion," Nome offered.

All eyes turned to the medic.

"Anything is more then we have right now, so let's hear it," suggested Kenny, leaning against the wall.

"Well, we are all rather tired from our journey, and I suspect that might have something to do with our lack of ideas. Furthermore, it is beginning to become dark outside as we speak, and we will not have a very easy time finding Avalanche Team without light. Additionally, it would be much more dangerous. I have no doubt that Commander Patton wouldn't hesitate to ambush us if we crossed paths again, not to mention the possibility the people who attacked my base may still be lurking. Therefore, I suggest that we take a short reprise from our mission and recuperate. 'Call it a day' I believe is the proper term."

"Sounds good to me," yawned Jess. She stretched with a loud groan.

"And me," said Kenny, as he moved into the dining space and pulled out the fixings for a cheese sandwich from the kitchen cupboard. "I'm gonna have myself a dinner, and then see about improving my flamethrower. Greater fuel efficiency, so I can roast more dudes before having to refill. Maybe put an oxidizer on the end. Make it burn hotter."

"Very well then, we shall rest," Nome confirmed. "Let us convene back here next morning at 0800 hours." He turned to find that everyone had already left the room. "Ah, I should have known," he mumbled to himself, before heading off as well.