Chapter Thirty-Seven: Messing With My Head
2212 Hours, February 27, 2552. Phase One, City of Cote D'Azur. "The Emptiness," Planet Sigma Octanus IV. Day Twelve of the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV
The rain started out as light sprinkle in the early afternoon; as the day progressed, however, it grew heavier and heavier. By 2200 hours, the clouds were unleashing a full-fledged downpour on the devastated city of Cote D'Azur.
UNSC Marine battledress uniforms were equipped with a number of nifty little systems, and the waterproof component was certainly helpful. Still, after hours of being pounded by cold rain, even the waterproof seals started to fail. I could feel my soggy clothes and wet boots clinging to my body, and it was making me miserable. Damn perimeter watch.
"When are we gettin' out of this hellhole, El-Tee?" Corporal Dandh asked as he walked up to me. He was holding his submachine gun in his left hand, and I could see the weapon dripping with rainwater. If our guns start jamming up, then we're going to be even more screwed than we already are, I thought to myself.
"As soon as we save the planet, Corporal," I answered casually. I lifted my faceplate and offered him a small smirk.
The junior noncom snorted. "Of course, ma'am. I forgot," he said, his tone making it clear that he was smiling behind his visor.
"We'll get through this, Dandh, just like we did on Heath," I told him, serious now. "Keep your weapon locked and loaded and a good head on your shoulders. That'll do the trick."
The corporal's faceplate turned in my direction and lingered for a moment. Finally, the Marine nodded slowly and faced away. "All right. I trust you, Lieutenant."
"I know, and I'm thankful for that." My attention drifted back to the gun in the corporal's left hand, and I gestured toward his wound. "How's the arm?"
Corporal Dandh glanced down at his right forearm, which was wrapped up in a bandage. "I'll live, El-Tee," he replied quietly. "As long as I leave it be, it doesn't hurt so much."
A silence followed. I widened my stance and folded my arms across my chest.
"You know, when I first met you, I wasn't so convinced you'd turn out to be the Marine you are now," I said. "Actually, you damn well pissed me off, Dandh."
He looked back at me, and I smirked at him again.
Finally raising his own faceplate, the corporal gave me a sheepish grin. "I guess I kind of brought that on myself, huh?" He sobered, then continued in a low voice, "I don't know if I should be telling you this, ma'am, but here goes. Before you showed up, we had this awful lieutenant. No one could stand him. He was a bit of an ass, and he couldn't figure out a tactical situation if his life depended on it---which, more often than not, it did. He never took the time to get to know his Marines, and we were always afraid we'd end up dead the next time he screwed up.
"They were in the process of transferring him to a desk job when he was killed in the Reatan Desert, back on Heath," Dandh said. Staring down at his wet boots, he added, "The bastard managed to take part of first platoon with him. That's why we ended up understrength when you arrived, ma'am."
Corporal Dandh shook his head. "I was pretty bitter about the whole thing, and that's when you showed up. I thought you'd be just like him, Lieutenant, and it freaked me out."
"I get you, Corporal," I said, thinking of my former captain from when I was on Walter's Peak. Dandh's lieutenant sounded identical to him.
The corporal suddenly looked up at me. "Before more shit hits the fan, El-Tee, I want you to know that you're his complete opposite. I realized that in your first days with us on Heath, when you actually went around the foxholes and spoke to everyone. It meant a lot to the platoon…and it meant a lot to me. Knowing your officers care about your welfare is comforting, gives you hope."
Without consciously thinking about it, I found myself smiling. Dandh noticed my expression and blushed.
"Sorry, ma'am. I wasn't trying to be all sentimental or anything," he said in a rush.
"It's fine, Dandh. I understand," I replied. "I appreciate what you said, and I hope you realize how much you've changed yourself since then."
The noncom shrugged. "Guess you're just a good fit, El-Tee." Corporal Dandh brought his visor back down then, and I nodded to let him return to his post. Meanwhile, the rain continued pouring down hard.
For some reason, though, this fact didn't bother me as much as it had earlier.
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Two boring hours of guarding the perimeter passed before Lieutenant Graham radioed me.
"Cooper, this is Graham. Time to get the company on the move again."
"Where do you want First, El-Tee?" I asked, hefting my battle rifle and standing. I'd been sitting under a narrow strip of roof, trying any way I could to stay dry. Unfortunately, the roof was so narrow that rain still fell on my combat boots when I had pulled my knees close to my chest.
"We're going to take the river, kid."
"Want to be more specific? The Lumiar's huge."
"A few klicks north of that restaurant, for your platoon. Third will be directly behind you as a reserve force, and second will be on your right flank. The river itself will be on the company's left, so that should box the Covies in."
I nodded. "Sounds like a good plan, Lieutenant."
The other officer laughed. "See? You're learning this XO thing pretty quick."
I grinned briefly, then turned serious again. "Uh, Graham?"
"What's on your mind, kid?"
"Is Kingston doing ok? I haven't been able to see him since yesterday."
"Third's medic is keeping watch on him, Cooper. The captain's condition has been steady so far, but he still needs a hospital. Doc says he might wake up soon, though."
"I hope he makes it," I said quietly.
"You and me both, kid. All right, get ready. We move out in five minutes."
"Understood."
I quickly switched channels and addressed my platoon this time. "Word's come down from the acting company commander, first platoon," I said. "The broad Lumiar River's going to be ours. Am I right, Marines?"
"Oorah!" a chorus of voices answered over the COM channel.
"That's what I thought. Meet me at the rendezvous point in five. Cooper out."
As I waited for my Marines to arrive at my position, I checked my weapons. I'd left my broken shotgun at La Rosa Bianca, and one of my knives was probably still stuck in that Elite's neck. That left me with my battle rifle, my silenced pistol, and one combat knife. It wasn't a great inventory, but it was better than what some of the other Marines had.
Looking down at my web belt, I opened up a couple of cartridge pouches; I found them empty. I shoved my hands in my cargo pockets and discovered that I only had two clips of ammo left for my battle rifle. Crap, I thought. That'll only last me the first few minutes.
I radioed Lieutenant Graham, and she agreed to bring me a few clips from our limited inventory. We were currently storing our surplus food, ammo, water, and medical supplies in the basement where Captain Kingston was being treated. Slinging my battle rifle over one shoulder, I checked my watch. I still had two minutes.
Over the years I'd learned to always make the most of my time, and so I ducked back underneath the roof. Out of the rain for the moment, I pressed a button and undid the seal on my helmet. I took it off and flipped it so I could see inside. Tucked deep into my helmet's padding, I found what I was looking for: the two photos I always carried with me.
I glanced briefly at the first, a picture of Willis and I goofing off on shore leave. Even though it had been less than a month since I'd seen my husband, I already missed him a lot. I hope he knows we're still alive over here, I thought, replacing the photo.
The second was of little Gabe, and my throat tightened when I looked at my son.
It was hard to describe how awful it felt to be separated from him. Not a day went by that I didn't think of Gabriel, and each time I did I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. I loved him more than a dictionary of words could ever express and missed him just as terribly. I was his mother; first and foremost, I knew I had a duty to him and him alone. That meant I should be there for him: to love him, teach him, nurture him, and raise him. Instead, because of the damn Covenant, I was far away on another planet. I knew that in reality, I was doing the right thing. By fighting the Covenant to stop them from exterminating the human race, I was protecting my son. But some days, even that was hard to accept.
Sorry, Gabe. I'll try to get home, but the situation's not looking too good right now, son.
There was still no contact with Europa Base, and so we feared Bravo Company alone was left alive on Sigma Octanus IV. It was almost a silent understanding between the officers: if that was true, we were up shit's creek. Bravo was simply buying itself a few more days of life, and nothing more.
I kissed the picture of my son before putting it back inside my helmet. If there's one thing that keeps me going and gives me hope no matter what, I thought as I fixed my helmet on my head once more, it's you, Gabe.
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The firefight along bank of the Lumiar River didn't take long to become a small battle.
Covenant infantry and Ghosts seemed to be crawling out of every rotting tree stump and hole in the dirt. Now that we were up against the alien vehicles, I was glad I'd had my platoon save their last few rockets.
"Heavy weapons, take care of those Ghosts!" I yelled over the COM as I emptied my clip into a Brute. The huge beast, bleeding from multiple holes in its chest, fell just feet from where I stood. If I'd been just a fraction too slow when I'd seen him charging me, I'd probably be dead.
Boiling lances of plasma tore through the trees in the early morning forest. I ducked behind a downed redwood and watched as trees and brush lit on fire.
When I looked at the smoldering forest and heard the sounds of battle all around me, I had to shut my eyes tight. I noticed that my pulse and breathing were rapidly increasing. Suddenly, I felt like I was suffocating inside my helmet.
I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't fucking breathe! I thought in a panic.
"Lieutenant Cooper? Are you all right?" Doc Reynolds's voice came through the COM.
The longer I kept my eyes closed, the more I remembered the forest battle on Heath. Everything on fire, explosions everywhere, the smell of burning flesh…
"Lieutenant!" The medic's voice was more urgent this time, but I couldn't respond.
Captain Garcia's head was a large black hole, scored badly from plasma. Lieutenant Dowd's corpse was missing its legs, courtesy of a Wraith tank blast. A whole group of Marines from another platoon were running through the forest, fully engulfed in flames. The Covenant stood on the far side, no longer firing their weapons but watching the humans roast to death...
Doc Reynolds was suddenly crouched in front of me. He removed my helmet with practiced ease, and rain began pelting my face. "Lieutenant Cooper? Are you hit?" he asked.
Black smoke enveloped the forest as I tried desperately to keep the Covenant at bay. We were finally succeeding, but then the unexpected attack occurred. The bastards unleashed their hidden reserve force, coming at us from behind. I let out a piercing scream as my back suddenly burned with a searing, white-hot pain…
A violent shake finally brought me back to the present.
"Ma'am, are you with me?" Petty Officer Reynolds asked, searching my face with worry.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm here, Doc," I said, getting my breathing under control.
"I heard you start to hyperventilate. I thought you'd been wounded, El-Tee."
"No, no, don't worry. I'm ok."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Don't waste your time here, Doc. There might be someone who needs you."
The medic gave me a look; I knew he didn't buy my story. But, finally, he nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he replied.
As soon as he had left, I put my helmet back on and took a deep breath. Pull it together, Cooper, I thought as I reloaded my battle rifle. I couldn't let the past get in the way of the fight I was trying to win now.
Holding my gun to bear, I saw that first platoon's rocket team had taken out the Ghosts; the Covenant vehicles lay in various positions and states of damage. I was glad we didn't have to deal with those things anymore.
But now, we had bigger fish to fry.
As I moved up from the redwood to another cover, I loosed a hail of battle rifle fire on Grunts and Jackals hiding between the trees. Meanwhile, the rest of first platoon followed my lead as I continued my forward advance.
"First platoon, focus your fire on the Brutes and Elites before the others. Once they're gone, take care of the stragglers," I said over the platoon channel.
As first platoon acknowledged my order, I crouched beside the bodies of the aliens I'd just killed. After searching them for any useful gear, I found myself happily in possession of two plasma grenades. Who said things never go right?
The inquiry was a rhetorical one, but it got answered anyway: looking up in the distance, I saw two massive aliens glowing with green light.
"First platoon, take cover!" I yelled, going prone instantly.
The two Hunters chose to let their fuel rod cannon rounds loose just seconds later. I held onto my helmet as the rounds hit trees on either side of me, shaking the ground. When I lifted my head some moments later, I saw that a wall of flames now surrounded me.
Despite the rain, which kept coming down in sheets, the fires weren't sputtering or dying out yet. So, I had two choices: burn to death, or take my chances running through the flames.
Screw this, I thought. With all the rainwater on my uniform, not to mention its own flame-retardant fabric, I figured I should be able to come out unscathed.
I found the spot with the least amount of red-orange flames and jumped out.
"Let's take those Hunters down, Marines!" I cried over the COM channel, adrenaline pulsing through my body. I'd managed to escape unwanted cremation, and boy, did it feel good to be alive.
Two more huge green plasma rounds reverberated through the forest, but first platoon and I advanced until we were within weapons range. The fun duck-and-shoot dance with the Hunters lasted only long enough for the snipers to hit the hulking creatures in the back.
Surveying the area and finding it clear, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Good work, first platoon. Area secure," I relayed over the platoon-wide COM channel. The Marines' green lights winked twice on my HUD, silent cheers that our part of the fight was finally over.
Grinning inside my helmet, I quickly radioed the acting company commander.
"Lieutenant Graham, first platoon has secured the west side of the Lumiar," I said.
"Ma'am, this is Second Lieutenant Frederick," a male voice on the other end replied. "I'm commanding second platoon now, ma'am. Lieutenant Graham is dead."