Disclaimer: I don't own halo, all OCs are mine though
chapter 26: not so happy reunion
November 3, 2552
location: Zeta Doradus system, Onyx- near zone 67
Kyle and Kelly watched from their concealed position in the trees as a fireball came screaming over them. Both Spartans quickly donned their helmets and sprinted off in the direction of the rendezvous coordinates they had been transmitting.
"I've analyzed the profile of the fireball and it can only be a Covenant ship on an uncontrolled reentry" said Kalmiya.
"how did the Covenant find us?" said Kelly.
"they didn't, Blue team just 'borrowed' one of their ships" said Kyle.
Suddenly, there was a large explosion followed by a plume of fire and debris from where the Covenant cruiser crash landed. Kelly and Kyle made their way toward the crash site when they spotted a Covenant dropship circling for a landing. Kelly got on single beam COM and informed Kurt who was already on his way with team saber. Kelly ran ahead to meet up with Blue team and Kyle sprinted to catch up. When they arrived at the dropship's LZ, Kelly did a quick sweep of the perimeter before she opened a secure COM channel to Fred and whispered "oly oly oxen free". Fred's head snapped up at their direction as Kelly and kyle emerged from the bushes. Kyle was a little jealous, Fred, Linda and Will all had the new MJOLNIR mark VI armor.
"Kyle, I have two bogeys on an intercept course" said Kalmiya. "The silhouettes matches the sentinels".
"Run!" Kyle screamed over the COM. Two sentinels came over the treetops flying in close formation. Kyle led the team through the woods at high speeds trying to avoid them.
"Kyle, we need to try to lure them into a clearing" said Kelly, "then we can pull off the same maneuver as before."
"No we can't" Kyle replied. "When they're in a double formation like that they can use weapons and shields simultaneously".
"You've got to be kidding me!" said Kelly
"Kyle, what the hell is going on?" said Fred. "And how do you know that?"
"no time" said Kyle as they continued to evade the sentinels.
"I'm picking up an energy spike" said Kalmiya.
"Scatter!" Kyle screamed as an energy blast cut through the trees and detonated in between the Spartans. Linda and Will were propelled into the air and Fred was sent face first into the ground. Kelly and Kyle were running slightly ahead of the others and they missed the blast entirely. They quickly helped the others up and ran off into the jungle before the sentinel pair could get another shot. Suddenly, Kyle's single beam COM acme on with Kurt's voice
"Take position on the left flank" he ordered as he emerged from the brush and tossed Kyle a SPNKr. Kyle winked his acknowledgment light and he led the team into their concealed position.
"Am I imagining things or was that Kurt's voice?" said Fred.
"You weren't" Kyle replied.
Suddenly, the sentinel pair started descending through the trees to ground level to try and hunt down the Spartans. The fougasse that team saber had planted earlier detonated and sent fire and shrapnel up at the sentinels. Then Kelly opened fire with her assault rifle followed by the others, Kyle squeezed down on the trigger for his launcher and set a missile streaking at the pair. None of it had any effect on its shield. A red status light winked on from Kurt ordering them to hold fire followed by two amber ones, the fall back signal. Kyle winked his light and just as they prepared to move the red light came on three times: fall back. Kyle used hand signals to tell Blue team to follow him and Kelly. They quickly sprinted off while Kurt drew the sentinel pair away. Fred and the others kept silent the whole trip, whether they wanted to maintain COM silence to make sure the sentinels didn't find them or the events of earlier left them speechless Kyle didn't know. They approached the clearing near the fallback point and Kyle clicked his COM twice to alert the sentry standing guard at the entrance to the hollow. Kyle waved the team forward and they ran across the open field and ducked inside the hollow. Inside waiting for them was Tom, Lucy, Halsey, Mendez and Ash.
"Will, take up an overwatch position and keep an eye out for Kurt" said Kyle.
Will winked his acknowledgment light and left the hollow. Kelly started to bring the other up to speed on onyx and the SPARTAN IIIs. Kyle moved to the back of the hollow where their supplies were being kept, he removed his helmet and downed a nutrient supplement he took from the bag followed by a stim pack to keep him alert. Kyle slipped his helmet back on and continued to sit away from the others as they drew plans in the dirt, Kurt arrived shortly after.
"I'm detecting hormone fluctuations" said Kalmiya, "and you're pulse is up a bit. You're worried about something."
Kyle didn't reply.
"Glad you made it back in one piece" said Mendez as he gave Kurt a salute.
"Thanks, Chief" Kurt replied. "set up a single beam relay and hail the others on patrol".
"Yes, sir" Mendez replied as he grabbed a tiny antenna dish. Kyle continued to avoid the others as Kurt gave a lecture to Ash, he knew what was coming. Kurt addressed them all on TEAMCOM.
"We're taking out that sentinel pair before the next phase of this operation" he said. "Ash, take team saber and scout the ravine ahead. Find that tunnel you sacked in a few days ago. Dante will rig it with a couple of satchel charges. We'll lure the sentinels inside and then, since we can't penetrate their shields, we'll blow the place, and bury them inside".
"What about overwatch?" Fred asked.
"we'll take our best shot at range" Kurt replied, "hit it with two SPNKr missiles and hopefully weaken its shields enough for Linda to penetrate with a couple of shots".
"what range?" Linda asked.
"they never get closer that two kilometers" said Kurt.
"I have an 83 percent accuracy rating at that range" she replied.
"okay" Kurt said to Ash, "go, Tom and Lucy grab SPNKr launchers and back saber up then rendezvous with Linda".
The three Spartans stood and left the cave.
"Now that we're alone" Kurt started, "its time for some answers". He crossed the cave over to Kyle's position, picked him up and pushed him against the wall, Kyle didn't resist. "You're hiding something Kurt barked, "what!?".
"Leave him alone!" Kelly yelled as she ran over and wrenched Kurt's arm from Kyle. "He doesn't need this."
"how did he know about the sentinels?" Kurt asked.
"Kurt's right" said Fred who came over, "and you still haven't given us any reason to trust you either, Kelly."
"will you listen to yourselves?" said Halsey. "You're turning against one another."
"you're in no position to try and mediate!" Fred snapped. "you still disobeyed orders, took Kelly and came here. Would you care to explain your part, Kyle?"
"he wasn't involved" Kelly pleaded, "he had nothing to do with it"
"that's not what the security footage says" said Fred.
"fine!" Kyle yelled.
Everyone in the cave immediately became silent
"here's the truth" said Kyle. "Kalmiya, show them".
The AI complied and uploaded the disclosure file to Kurt, Fred and Linda's HUDs. They read it over and reread it to make sure. Kyle couldn't see their faces through their faceplates but he imagined a look of shock. "Was this the right decision?" Kyle thought. "What if this alienates the only friends I have left?"
"Kyle, I..." Fred started but he couldn't think of anything to say.
"you knew?" said Kurt as he pointed to Kelly.
"I only found out back on Reach" said Kelly.
"I can't believe this" said Kurt. "This is just too impossible"
"it is" Kyle finally said. "Kalmiya, upload that sequence to Kurt"
A series of numbers and letters flashed across Kurt's HUD, a sequence that made his jaw drop. "You are... telling the truth" said Kurt. "But how could this even be possible?"
Kyle then explained the artifact on Reach's true purpose and what happened in Virginia.
"My god" said Linda as she set a hand on Kyle's shoulder. "I can't image what this has been like for you."
"why did you come back?" Fred asked.
"that place wasn't my home anymore" Kyle said. "I could never go back to they way things were. This place... this universe is my home and you all are my... family".
"You two knew all this time?" Kurt said to Mendez and Halsey
They both nodded.
"you've known everything about our lives, even up to now?" said Linda.
Kyle nodded, "I knew you were going to be killed at Reach. I knew Kurt would be taken to train the SPARTAN IIIs, hell I even know a little about them too".
"What about what comes next?" Fred asked, "do you know our future?"
"I don't think we should go into that" said Halsey. "Things tend to go bad when Kyle has tried to change history".
"What do you mean?" Kurt asked
"Sam" said Kyle, "Shelia, Joshua, Issac, Vinh, Grace, Li, the list goes on. That's my failure, I couldn't save them no matter how hard I tried".
"This doesn't end well for us, does it?" Fred asked. "That's what has you so beat up?"
"Halsey lied to you all" said Kyle, which shocked the scientist. "There's no cache of technology or weapons. Halsey lured Blue team here so she could save them and the SPARTAN IIIs".
"You don't understand, Kyle" said Halsey. "This is the only to ensure the survival of our race, the Spartans are our future as a species".
"That's just it" said Kyle, "we win the war and I mean actually win it. But it comes at a high price. I have a chance to change it and I plan on taking it".
"Kyle, if what's happened in the past is any indication..." Halsey started before Kyle cut her off.
"I have to try, there's too much at stake to give up and go hide in a hole!" Kyle yelled at her. "There's a UNSC battlegroup coming to extract us".
"Look, Kyle, I understand what you're trying to tell us" Kurt started, "but I plan on going into zone 67 and getting some answers for myself. Team Katana is still in there and I'm not leaving them behind". He turned to Fred "I know you were given command of this mission by Lord Hood. But I'm in charge of all UNSC personnel on Onyx". He then powered up his IFF tag to show them his rank. "I am therefore assuming command of this mission."
"I know where they are" said Kyle. "If we can get in there, we can extract them and get out in time for the battlegroup to send a ship down for us".
"Sounds like a plan" said Kelly.
Suddenly, a green status light winked twice on their HUDs: friendly approaching. A moment later, Olivia appeared.
"sentinel pair" she whispered, "half a kilometer south, sir. Moving in this direction in a search pattern".
"Everyone get ready to move out" Kurt ordered. "Kelly, limber up, you're our rabbit".
"Happy to oblige, sir" Kelly replied.
--
Kyle crouched next to Linda and Kurt in their concealed position just outside the cave. Linda was prepping her rifle while Kyle loaded their jackhammers.
"Ready" Linda said as she finished her calibrations.
"eyes sharp" Kurt tole everyone.
Kyle double checked the fiberoptic cable that ran from the scope of the missile launcher to a shunt in his helmet. Kalmiya was syncing up with the targeting information and would tell Kyle when to fire on the overwatch sentinel. Suddenly Kelly, opened fire with her assault rifle and drew the attention of the approaching sentinel. Will reported contact with the overwatch and Kurt relayed the intel to Linda. Kelly meanwhile avoided a direct hit from the sentinel and in return she put up her middle finger at the machine. It was the first time Kyle had seen her do it, "well after all the times I've done it she was bound to try it out" Kyle thought. Kelly ran for the entrance of the cave. The sentinel fired and at her feat and she went into the air, tucked into a ball and came out in a running stride all the way into the cave. The sentinel followed her in and just as she was leaving the cave exploded and she was propelled outward and smacked straight into a tree. Kyle made to move over to her but Linda set a hand on his shoulder.
"She'll be fine" she said. "I need you here."
Kyle reluctantly nodded and hefted his launcher.
"stand by" said Kalmiya, "now!"
Kyle squeezed down in the trigger once... then twice, and two missiles screamed into the sentinel. A moment later several cracks sounded from Linda's rifle as she emptied the entire clip into the sentinel. The machine sputtered in the air for a moment before crashing. Kyle dropped the launcher and hopped over to Kelly.
"She's borderline shock" Kalmiya reported as Kyle arrived. Ash and Holly were already propping her upright.
"I'm sorry about this" ash said "if I had waited any longer it would have cleared the trap, and fired on her. I couldn't take the chance"
Kelly stood up and shook her head to clear her senses. Kyle grabbed one of her arms and helped her up.
"He's right" she said. "The kid did good."
Kyle looked over at Ash and gave him a nod of approval. The kid was good in his book... for now.
"What's next?" Fred asked.
"we go to zone 67" said Kyle, "and get team katana out."