Fusion

Chapter 50

Dylan sat staring at his handful of cards, careful not to let the others see. The quietness of the small room, coupled with the dim glow produced by the small light above their heads was more than enough to create an intense, claustrophobic atmosphere, even for a simple card game.

"Alright kid, let's see what you've got." Said the burly bearded man sitting across from Dylan.

The young lieutenant chuckled, "Get ready to meet your maker, Kruzer."

The two proudly slapped their cards down on the table, looking over to the young Sangheili who sat with them. Slowly, the elite set down its hand of cards, practically causing an uproar.

"Seriously?" Dylan cried.

"Oh, for the love of God, Shessa!" exclaimed Kruzer. The elite chuckled exultantly.

"It's your first time playing, how the hell do you keep winning?" the large man continued, "This is the fourth game in a row!"

"Luck of the elite." Shessa laughed.

Dylan leaned back in his chair, staring out the small window overlooking the party in the large room below, "Man, they're still going strong. It's like someone laced that alcohol with pure adrenaline or something…"

"Well, what do you expect?" said Kruzer, shuffling the cards, "We won. The war is over. High Charity is dust, that strange phazon planet they spoke of is nothing more than a bunch of astral rubble…"

"I know, but…" Dylan paused, "There's still something that just doesn't sit right with me..."

Shessa and Kruzer both looked up at him.

"I remember them mentioning that they followed a Leviathan seed through its own portal to the planet Phaaze." He went on, "But not once did I ever hear any mention of them destroying it…"

"You needn't worry, Dylan," the Sangheili reassured, "Phaaze was completely destroyed, blown to bits. It no longer exists."

"Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about that Leviathan, kid…" Kruzer added, "I bet you any money the explosion blew that damned thing all the way to kingdom come."

"One can only hope…" Dylan replied quietly.

Kruzer pulled out a large bottle of whiskey that had been sitting on the floor by his feet, "Alright, who wants some?"

Shessa's reptilian eyes lit up, "Me!"

"Hit me up, big guy." Dylan chimed in, a bright grin stretching across his face.