PART FOUR
-The Ark-


"Her name was Lindsay Palmer. She was my fiancee when I was nineteen."

Jason shifted nervously from one foot to the next, anxiously watching Veronica stare at the picture he'd kept on him for years. It had been sealed in an incredibly durable polymer, but still showed signs of wear and tear from his nearly daily handling of it. That had dropped off in the past month, which made him feel slightly awkward. Almost as if he was betraying her memory, since Veronica had been his first since Lindsay.

"She's pretty," Veronica said finally. It was the first thing she'd said since she'd pulled him aside, before the official briefing could begin, and demanded to see the photo. Jason again shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, she was," he murmured quietly.

Veronica looked up. "What happened to her? To your relationship?"

Jason wasn't quite sure how to proceed. It was obvious that she was unhappy about this development. Jason felt the urgent need of time pressing down on his shoulders. He still didn't know what the mission was, and had sent Enzo on ahead of him, to a briefing room, when Veronica demanded a few minutes alone.

"She died," he replied finally.

Veronica's intense gaze softened. She looked back down at the photo, then passed it back to him. He slipped it into his pocket.

"I'm so sorry, honey," she whispered. "I didn't know, I just thought..."

She trailed off, letting silence spill into the room, creating a titanic void between them. Somehow, Jason thought that a quickie wasn't going to fix this. Which threw him off balance. As weird as it sounded, he had almost always been able to distract her with sex whenever some stupid argument cropped up. He felt as if something fundamental about their relationship had just changed. Something not easily fixed.

"I know, and, look, Veronica, I know you're jealous and...I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier. It's just...Lindsay was a really painful memory. She was killed in a glassing that I barely survived. It's what made me join up for the Marines...and you've been my first ever since her." Jason stopped speaking, trying to gauge how his lover was feeling. Her eyes were vivid and intense, her face firm, but it twisted, as if a great emotional tremor tore through her.

"I...dammit, I really feel like a bitch now," she said finally. Jason stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug.

"You aren't, you just-" They both jumped slightly as a nearby comm unit crackled to life.

"Sergeant DuPree, the Covenant armada is not going to wait for your love life," Bennings said, sounding irritable. Jason sighed. He squeezed Veronica closed to him and then broke away from her. He hit the reply button.

"On my way," he snapped. Jason turned back to face Veronica. "Look honey, I love you. A lot. And I'll be back before you know it," he said, then pressed his lips firmly to hers, tasting the sweet, murky taste of her saliva as she responded with an almost vicious passion.

She let him go, finally. "Come back to me safe," she whispered. Jason nodded, kissed her again quickly and left the room.

He made his way through the brightly-lit corridors of the Say My Name, eager to get on with his mission. Things were...complicated, now. Why did it always have to get that way? Half the complaints he heard from the other Marines and ODSTs in idle conversation was some shitty relationship that had started out great and had gone south.

Was his going south now? Or was he just being paranoid? It was different, that's all he knew. He just needed time away, time to think it over. Because he knew that he did love Veronica. Maybe not in the same way he'd loved Lindsay...he wasn't sure he'd be able to love anyone that way again. And while it may be different love, it was still just that.

Love.

Jason stepped into the briefing room, finding Enzo attempting, and failing, to sit in one of the chairs. Bennings looked uncomfortable. He seemed eager to begin as Jason took a seat, and immediate launched into a speech.

"Now that you're finally here, we can began. As you know, the Master Chief entered Voi about the same time as the Flood did. Voi was glassed. What you probably don't know is that we finally found out what the Covenant were trying to dig up: a portal. This portal has led to what is being referred to as the Ark. We've followed Truth through the portal to the Ark. Now, this is where you two come in. DuPree, I've come to understand that you trained with Captain Price. Is this correct?"

Jason nodded.

"Two months in the field."

"I thought so. Your training will serve you well here. And my inquiries to the Elites have confirmed that you, Enzo, have had similar stealth training." The big Elite nodded. "Which will make you two perfect for this job. You see, the Covenant is cracking. Crumbling. But they're still strong. Intelligence has managed to get information on three minor Prophets helping maintain operations on a smaller scale on the Ark. I want you two to track down and kill these Prophets."

Silence filled the room. Jason sat up.

"So, you want the two of us to go through the portal, to the Ark and, alone, hunt and kill three Prophets, all of whom are probably going to be heavily guarded on a constant basis?" he asked. Bennings nodded.

Jason sighed. "Are you trying to kill me?" he asked finally.

"No, not really. More of...well, we're testing you."

Jason sat up at that statement. "Testing me? For what?" He was already an ODST, a Sergeant...what more could they want from him? Sure, there was always room to go up in the military, if you lived long enough, but he honestly wasn't sure if he wanted to go any higher.

"Not in the way that you're thinking, but let's just say that there are some of us who are more far-sighted than others, and we're planning for what's going to happen after the war. Assuming we win it." Bennings kept smiling that damned smile. Jason suddenly wondered if Veronica knew anything about this. If the schism in their relationship wasn't more than it seemed.

"What then?" he asked finally.

"I'm sorry, DuPree. I've already said more than I should have. But, I'll tell you what, survive this journey, and I might be able to tell you more. And I think you'll find it to your liking," Bennings replied. "Now," he said, standing and heading for the door. The pair rose lithely to their feet and followed out into the corridor. "You're going to be shipped immediately to the Darkwind. They are heading into the portal soon to provide backup to the Elites and the UNSC personnel already there." He led them through the corridors, towards, Jason assumed, the hangars. They passed several Marines and technicians along the way, hurrying about.

"You'll be given access to a Kestrel gunship, it's fast and light with a bit of bite to it. And, as an added bonus, it's been fitted with an experimental cloaking device. We stole it off the Covenant last year and have been trying it out on our own technology. The Elites have helped as much as they could since they joined, so it should be up to snuff now. Also, the Darkwind is fully fitted for stealth operations and you'll be able to take whatever you want. You have free reign." Jason took this all in as they came into the hangar.

He spotted a Pelican, set away from the others in an airlock bay, powered up and ready to fly. Bennings was leading them there.

"Once you hit the Ark, you'll be almost completely on your own. You will have one lifeline. A team of ODST specialists will be waiting aboard the Darkwind, ready to drop in on your position, anywhere on the Ark, should you absolutely need it. But remember, this is an absolute last resort. Your main approach and tactic must be stealth."

They came to stand by the waiting Pelican.

"Any last questions?"

"Yeah, what do I get if I survive this time?" Jason replied.

Bennings only smiled. "In good time, DuPree."

He turned and walked away, the airlock closing behind him. Jason sighed and climbed onboard the Pelican. Enzo followed. The back ramped closed up behind them, enclosing them in the seating area. The pilot was hidden behind a closed door, leaving them alone with their own thoughts.

"You earn things for surviving difficult missions?" Enzo asked as they sat down across from each other.

"I never did before, at least, not before New Jerusalem. I got promoted then, and promoted twice since I've got to Earth. It's really strange," Jason replied, thinking about it. After New Jerusalem, it had been different, hadn't it?

As the Pelican began to make for the Darkwind, Jason sat and wondered about just where his life was headed.