Shoutout to OnePunchPlayer for reviewing pretty much every chapter up to this point. I look forward to the emails I get from them.
Until next chapter.
Post Chapter notice: It was about midnight when I updated and I missed the name of the chapter. Fixed it now, lmao. ...
Noting that New Alexandria had suffered from damage, Faye made quick haste towards the source of the distant battle. As soon as she vaulted over walls, her leg flared in pain but she didn't acknowledge it. Meanwhile, Dove silently worried in the pocket dimension, worried about her, worried about Faye, and worried about Sebastian. She swears she can feel her Guardian through it, but she can't get anything to him. Unless… He's blocking out his feelings from the separation. She sent plea after plea, but the mental wall was too strong, even for her. Dove would never force her way into his mind, not even if he was in a coma. There are some things that are not meant to be trifled with. If she messed with his mind, it could have adverse effects.
The distance between them physically was too vast, she can barely feel his soul, burning as bright as it can be, but it was like looking through some fog with a headlight; it only reflected your own light back to you. All the while, Dove has to make sure that Faye doesn't get herself killed. "So, what is your plan, Faye?"
"Simple. Go in, kill Covenant, and then save as many people as I can," her tone simple, clipped, but those words were a cover for her worry. As a matter of fact, she was just as worried as Dove, if not more, and she doesn't know why it is making her feel much more antsy than normal. Faye took careful steps as she entered a rundown café. Once she deemed it clear, Faye asked a question that would make her sound clingy, borderline desperate, "Dove? Is it possible for you to contact him? To send a message through your link?"
"I've been trying, to no avail. He won't let just anyone in his head. I happen to be the one exception in some cases. I am his Ghost, but there is a line that we don't cross, and it's directly interacting with our Guardian's mind. That is a line that must stay clear." Dove audibly sighed and her voice broke, "I miss him as much as you do if not, more. We've never had to separate before, and I feel as if I've failed…" Dove trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.
Faye remained still, stunned, in fact. All her private thoughts on what Dove was, something that she didn't think could be human, is acting more human than the human herself. It smacked Faye in the face with realization, he is good for me. I've finally felt something, and now… I need him here. "Dove? Could you come out here… please?" Faye whispered, her voice faltering piece by piece.
Dove paused in her dimension but obliged; she appeared and Faye took note of how dim her azure optic looked compared to a week ago. It was full of life, but now it looked like someone kicked her to the curb. Her shell was dirty, covered in soot, and had some other scratches in it. Doing one last scan of the immediate area, Faye had to break a rule. A rule to never take off her helmet in combat, 'Because without it, you are just as easy of a target as the Marines.' her CO's words from basic rang in the back of her mind. Right now, she's not worried.
Her hands went to her helmet and took it off, the hissing from the helmet audible in the immediate vicinity. The Spartan set her helmet down next to her and she probably looked like a stressed-out mess. Her raven-colored hair managed to stay in the tight bun, but her brown eyes showed her weariness. Faye held her hand out and much to her surprise, the Ghost didn't appear in her hand, Dove appeared right next to her face. When she turned, Faye's voice was merely a murmur, "You haven't failed. You did what he asked you to do, and now we have to be strong for him, and for each other."
Dove felt comforted and she just didn't have the words to express her thanks. So, she pressed her fins against Faye's cheek and went to Faye's neck and settled there, just seeking comfort that Faye was attempting to provide. Faye didn't move, she didn't speak, she didn't breathe for a moment; she just sat there on the ground of the rundown coffee shop with Sebastian's Ghost in between her armor's neck plates. Her hand went to her cheek, astounded that she did that, and she only does that when… she trusts me at almost the same level as him. Once her self-reflecting moment was over, the Spartan found her voice, "He'll make it through it, I don't doubt it. He made it out before, didn't he?"
A small whimper came from Dove, "He has, but he's always had me to help console him. It would be a test to his strength and will. I just miss him."
In order to avoid the dark pit that was negative emotions, "What does his 'Light' feel like?" Faye couldn't help the curiosity she had. If this force, this Light, was something tangible, something that can be felt, what does it feel like?
Dove allowed the change of subject to happen since she knows that Faye was only trying to help and she was not the only one suffering from his loss, "Depends on the element. His Sol Attunement feels like a small Sun or just a large campfire, except it covers every angle, no spots left cold. His Arc Attunement is a constant rush of adrenaline, always hopped up, always fidgeting, eager for the next fight. As for Void Attunements, he doesn't possess it, as of yet. He knows what it can do but it comes at great risk, not just to himself, but to others around him. He's said it before, I believe; that one can lose their minds if it overpowers them. The Void is a delicate balance, a very thin line, for Hunters that is. Warlocks and Titans have it easy compared to the latter. They have a natural attunement whilst Hunters have to forge their attunement. We call them 'Nightstalkers', and not many even exist, so much so, that they've almost become extinct." Dove wistfully explained. Dove misses him, even though it has been a couple of hours at most, but with each passing minute, Dove feels like her connection to him was weakening as the metaphorical fog was only getting thicker. Her connection is as strong as before, but as one would scramble a signal, it causes interference, making one believe that it was never there at all.
"We'll get him back, we just have to trust that he can make it," Faye said off to the side, her voice much softer than before. She made a motion to stand while grabbing her helmet. Dove floated away from Faye's neck and just waited close by. The female Spartan turned her visor to look at herself and only wants this war to end. Upon closer inspection of her helmet, she noticed the small bags under her eyes, well that would be because of the stress of the past twenty-four hours. The helmet was turned and placed over her head, the hissing of the seals being reapplied before Dove disappeared again and hummed inside of Faye's armor.
"He better make it. I am going to scold him so much that even Light burn will seem minor," Dove grumbled to herself, but her voice projected through Faye's armor speakers. As much as she didn't want to, Faye let out a small chuckle, and she wanted to see this scolding. It would be quite a sight. The Spartan's HUD started up again as everything recalibrated to her eyes. Once she got the green light from all of her suit systems, she set off, leaving the coffee shop and headed to another building across the Boardwalk. Dove reached out through the local channels under Faye's alias to not cause any other disturbances.
"Faye, there are some Marines teams fighting off Covenant forces and they are requesting assistance. What entrance do you want to take?" Dove warbled.
Taking out her Magnum and flicking off the safety, "The front door, of course."
Running through multiple buildings, Faye had finally run into some Covenant, Skirmishers, specifically. They either didn't hear her, or they were too busy shooting at other things. Faye had taken akin to stealth, but that doesn't mean she wasn't going to kick in the front door at one point or another. Dove managed to patch into comms and this was the first thing she heard, "This is Kilo Dispatch. All available team advance to Traxus Tower. Evacuation will commence ASAP."
Another voice came through the feed as Faye remained silent, "Copy dispatch, what's the status of the tower pad?" It must be the LZ that they are going for.
"Tower pad is green. Let's move these civilians before that changes." The other voice on the feed acknowledged before Faye continue heading through the plethora of buildings before making it to some stairs. Her pistol was drawn as she locked eyes on a Covenant Skirmisher. When there was one, there were multiple. It was no doubt just a warm-up of what was to come. Five shots barked from the muzzle of her Magnum before the Skirmishers were killed, their violet blood leaking from the wounds inflicted on their heads.
Wordlessly, Faye entered another building just as Dove heard, "Romeo Company, be advised. We have reports of Covenant suicide squads."
"You got to be kidding me," one Trooper said, showing his distaste towards them. Dove grimaced at the thought of those Grunts just charging people and killing themselves like that.
Faye took careful steps through the building, her breaths even, but her guard was on high. Every little movement, every creak of the metal had her hesitating, checking behind herself over and over. The suicide Grunts have taken out a lot of people, and some of them flashback into her mind, on the Super Carrier, just to name some. Faye had stopped in her tracks as she heard footsteps that were not her own. That and the sound of the Unggoy language gave it away. She was backing away from the doorway she was just at, and that was the moment that the faint blue hue from plasma grenades rounded the corner. The Grunts were shouting madness as they attempted to rush the Spartan, hellbent on dying and taking her with them. Dove squeaked a little before apologizing quickly as Faye dispatched rounds from her Magnum into the first line of Grunts.
Said first Grunt dropped dead, releasing its now primed plasma grenades. The other Grunts didn't get the memo and as a result, exploded, sending their grenades flying and killing the rest of them. Faye knew that when there was one squad, there were multiple squads. Faye had slowly turned the corner after the explosions died down, Magnum reloaded and raised. More Grunts were significantly on the right than the left. With Faye's luck, she went to the right. The Grunts immediately went suicide as they saw her, screaming 'Die, Demon.' Faye vaulted over a railing to the left side of the room. Oddly enough, explosions were heard. "Did the Grunts just…?"
"Apparently so, keep moving please," the Ghost urged her onwards. Faye fired five more shots and killed the last Grunt. She grabbed its Plasma Pistol and holstered it to her thigh.
"How much further until Traxus Tower?" Faye breathed out before peering outside. The sounds of a high-intensity shot rang through the air, allowing a sonic boom to be heard. There was a small ringing that only increased as a second shot rang out.
A message came up on Faye's visor, 'Close by and marked.' Faye looked up to see one of the taller buildings being flashed on her visor. Once the slight ringing in her ears died down, she stepped around the corner, Magnum raised. As she got further down the stairs, the troopers took notice and exclaimed, "A Spartan? Where the hell did she come from?"
"Space," she replied before scavenging an Assault Rifle off the ground and found ammo for it. She turned to see the Troopers' mouths ajar, surprised that the Spartan spoke, one. Two, said Spartan made a joke. "I think I broke them, Dove," she muttered to herself.
"Yeah, because normally Spartans don't speak, nor make jokes. Se- My Guardian has rubbed off on you more than I originally thought," Dove hesitated on his name again. It was at that moment when she cried out in pain.
Faye stopped in her tracks and held out her hand, where Dove appeared, instinctually, on command. Her shell just laid in her hand, no visible damage anywhere. Faye put the rifle on her back and cradled Dove in her hands, "What's wrong, Dove?" This gained the attention of the Troopers present. They were murmuring at what was in the Spartan's hand as none of them have ever seen it before.
"Th-they are hurting him… torturing him. Hi-His mental barrier fell and the pain slipped through. I-I need him back, Madame Spartan… I-" Dove's eye flickered before she cut herself off. The former noticed that she said 'Madame Spartan', then again, the Marines just think they don't have names, and that's far from the truth.
"Are you alright, little one?" Faye whispered to the Ghost. Dove looked into the visor of Faye before shaking. Faye was certain that if Dove could cry, she would be. The Spartan didn't need words for this and just held her close.
The moment was broken as a gun went off and it impacted Faye's shields. With a look down to Dove, she disappeared and remained there while Faye reached for her rifle and unloaded shots into the Brutes that ambushed them. During the firefight, Faye knocked one of their helmets off and it came barreling towards her. Her rifle soon clicked empty and the Brute did not die. Faye wretched a knife from her chest sheath and took a page out of Sebastian's book. Throwing knives. The Spartan gripped the knife by the blade and hurled it towards the Brute. It sailed towards the target and the Brute didn't see it coming, blinded by its rage.
The knife sunk into its face before it seemed to shake it off and continue its mission. It almost reached Faye but dropped soon after. Faye wasn't satisfied, so she grabbed her Magnum and unloaded the clip into its face. She then reached down and grabbed the knife and with very little resistance, it slipped out from the Brute's face. Meanwhile, two other Brutes roared as Faye reloaded her weapons, cleaned the knife, and cracked her knuckles. They are messing with a Spartan who has had enough for one day. Not only did her teammate die, but her other teammate has also been captured, and said teammate entrusted her with his lifeline.
In a blink, Faye had gotten around a Brute before grabbing its jaw and using her other hand, stabbing it in the throat three times, she jumped off of the first Brute as the second one was barreling its way towards her. However, it never made it as it was gunned down by the Troopers. Faye looked over and nodded appreciatively, which made grins appear on their faces. One of them turned away and put a hand on their helmet, "Evac team 7 to Kilo 26, we have eyes on Traxus tower."
The response was projected into Faye's helmet, "Copy evac team 7. Move to assist the evac!"
Faye was worried for Dove and tried to reach out to her, but received no immediate response, only the buzzing inside her helmet. Under her breath, "Dove, you need to talk to me."
"It hurts, Faye. It hurts that I can't help him, and he's suffering. I knew I should have gone with him, I'd be able to help him escape!" she cried.
"Have faith in him, Dove. He'll make it out," even though the words were said, she didn't truly believe them one hundred percent, but Faye had to be strong for both of them. The Covenant were ruthless and they would do anything to get what they want, and now that they have what they want, what now?
"I do, but it's the Covenant I'm worried about. He wouldn't shout in pain like that. I've been keeping an eye on his vitals as best as I can. They dropped and then they are restored soon after. It's like someone else is healing him, like how I can, but that's impossible. Only the Guardian's Ghost could properly heal them. No other being besides myself can do that," Dove vented, feeling frazzled.
Faye stewed over this new information as she gestured for the Troopers to lead the way. Once they were inside the building, the PA system was going off periodically. "Someone shut that damn thing off!" yelled one of the Troopers.
Once they made it to the elevator, Faye pressed the button to send the elevator up. Dove noticed that it was going down and not up, saying there were already people on it. That was confirmed as the response was heard, "Uh, we're evacuating a group of civilians on the floor below you. As soon as they reach the cargo port, I'll send the elevator back up."
Faye rolled her eyes and checked over her weapons again as the sounds of Covenant vessels entered the area. "We got dropships, Troopers, stand your ground. Civilians, find any sort of cover!" Faye ordered everyone in the immediate area. The Troopers got their weapons ready as more Brutes dropped into the Courtyard.
Faye didn't remember the aftermath, all she knew was that the Brutes lied dead, and the civilians were safe. Meanwhile, Dove watched Faye perform at effective efficiency, on par with the ninetieth percentile of other Guardians, and that was without the Light flowing through her veins. Her accuracy was on point, each shot hit their target, each shot hit the places that she knew would do the most damage, and it seemed like her mind just tuned everything out. At one point, her shields broke and she begged Faye to take cover, but it fell on deaf ears. While it may have been the last enemy in the courtyard, it still could have wounded her. The good thing is the biofoam is still holding. It seemed to be hardening, and when she gets a chance, she will make the Spartan get treatment. If left untreated, the wounds could heal wrong, causing further problems down the line.
Once she got into the elevator, Faye shook her head, not remembering anything over the past few minutes, however, her muscles felt strained. "Dove, what happened?"
"Oh, now you respond to me!" Dove snapped. Is this part of the emotional downfall that he mentioned?
"Dove. What happened? The last thing I remember is the dropships coming in," Faye mused.
One of the troopers who was on their radio answered, "You turned into the Spartans that most people hear them as. Cold, unwavering, and just downright ruthless. You killed most of the Brutes, even though your shields were down for at least half of it. I'm surprised that you didn't suffer any Spiker wounds from it."
Faye stopped and turned towards the wall, watching the lights pass by while in the elevator. Did she really blackout that much where she didn't even feel it? A voice came over the radio, "If you're trying to get into the tower, you're too late Lieutenant. Corvette over the starport pounded the hell out of the place. Cargo port is impassable on foot, rooftop evacs are lost. We can use the executive landing pad except there's no easy way to get there. A group of ODST specialists are working on a plan. They might appreciate some back-up."
The elevator stopped and the door opened, revealing wounded civilians. Faye stepped out while the Trooper wished her luck. She doesn't need it but has a vague appreciation for the sentiment. "On the other side of the hall there, Lieutenant. By the triage."
As she rounded the corner, ODSTs were aiming at Banshees and firing rockets, blowing them out of the sky. This moment pulled her back to Sword Base, where Sebastian was shooting them out of the sky with his favorite launcher. Faye smiled at the little memory, but it caused her heart to ache. She missed him, more than she was willing to admit. "Radio's buzzing about you, Spartan. You feel like jumping?" Watching the ODSTs move off to the right, her head turned towards an ammo crate that had DMRs in it. The small smile turned wicked once she reached for the DMR, keeping the Magnum on her thigh.
Once she was satisfied, she joined the ODSTs in a side room where jetpacks were mounted on the wall. Under the helmet, an eyebrow was raised before she walked over and put the jetpack on her back, fastening it to her armor. "Welcome to the Bullfrogs. Other side, on my mark. 3, 2, 1, jump!"
On cue, the ODSTs leaped to platforms just a tad longer than a normal human leap. Sebastian probably wouldn't need a jetpack, no. He would take this time to show off his double jumping abilities. Faye shook her head before taking a running start and leaping to the platform, activating her jetpack at the apex of her jump. She glided over with ease before she landed with a slight bend of her knees. "We're going to capture the landing pad on the executive wing so the evac birds can land. Try to keep up, Spartan."
Dove appeared as they jumped to the next platform, "This reminds me of Warlocks who have their glide," her voice getting softer and weaker. The Ghost was now aimlessly floating over the railing.
"Dove, come back here, now," Faye ordered the Ghost, masking her concern with direct orders. She ignored the ODSTs wondering what the hell Dove is. All the while, Dove ignored Faye and started feeling lightheaded, if that was even possible for a Ghost.
"This is so pretty, I wish he could see it…" Dove turned to Faye, and the latter saw the optic flickering, much more than earlier. Faye was ready at a moment's notice to go after her.
Dove felt light as a cloud, like in her own dreamland. Her mind is slowly going downhill because of their separation. While these symptoms shouldn't have as much as an effect on her, they are. Simply for the reason of being in a different universe. If a Ghost and Guardian are separated, the Traveler gives them a feeling of warmth, not the same amount as what the respective party could give. This was that cold feeling. Seeing that the Traveler isn't here, this feeling, was much worse than normal. Through Dove's vision, she only saw the Tower balcony and she was looking at Rosa. The next words came out slurred, "Oh hey… Rosa! I thought you were dead!"
Faye didn't know how to respond, but held her hand out, silently begging for Dove to come back. Dove then froze in her place as the fog in her mind completely covered Sebastian's spark, but it wasn't the fog, it was the spark itself. It went out. She futilely searched and searched for it, but when she got to the other side, it was too much. The pain that he was holding back for her came at Dove at full force. Sebastian would only give up if he broke or he… "Seb!" Dove screamed before her shell was falling out of the air. Her world went black. All that was left was herself. Her Guardian had died, at least that's what was believed. Unbeknownst to her, Sebastian was very much alive, but his body slipped into a coma-like state. The resulting barrier he had shattered and it was holding it back from her. The pain that was being held back struck at Dove's core, aiming at the spots where their souls intertwined. It felt like something cut it out of her completely.
Faye had thrown herself over the side, reaching for her. The ODST expressed what was the Spartan doing, but continued along, checking below them, just in case she came back up. As soon as Dove came into Faye's care, Faye made a silent promise to herself. That promise was to make sure Dove does not fall into enemy hands and to make sure she lives to see him again. The darker colored shell was a little difficult to see in the light, but Faye had her eyes set on it. She activated her jetpack to send herself closer to Dove, hand outstretched.
The ground was closing in fast, ten seconds at best. It would not be a pretty fall nor a good story. The Spartan-III reached and nipped her fingertips on the shell, sending it into a small reverse rotation, which allowed her to grab the shell. Faye couldn't celebrate just yet, she flipped herself upright and activated her jetpack, the ground floor was close and she pulled herself back as the ground was around fifty feet away, but her velocity was much too great.
Even though the jetpack was straining against the forces applied to it, the Spartan was sent tumbling on the ground, causing the biofoam in Faye's armor to snap, not that she would feel it right away, but she certainly would when she wakes again. At the same time, Faye's grip on Dove's shell never faltered. Not until they stopped skidding on the ground and smashed into a sidewall. The jetpack took the brunt of it and as a result, was more than likely broken. Faye fought to stay conscious, and miraculously, she did.
Once her vision cleared and the Spartan got her bearings back, she stood up, put some weight on her leg and grunted. "Damn it, that's not good." Faye held her hand out, still clutching Dove's shell. "Dove?" No response. "Dove, come back… please?" Still nothing. "Dove…" the ghost still didn't respond, but she would be determined to get her to come back. The only thing that Faye really needs was Sebastian, and not just for her sake, but for his Ghost.
Faye didn't know how far she fell, but it must have been pretty far, considering the number of distress calls coming in, all looking for her. She couldn't answer as she doesn't know if the Covenant were lurking about, hunting for her, or if they tapped the comms. She needed a new jetpack because there was no way she was getting back up there easily without one.
Turning her head, finally looking around, she noticed she was at the base of Traxus Tower. Her jetpack sparked, jarring her attention to get it off. With a few tweaks and straps and buttons, the jetpack was thrown away. Now that it was out of the way, she began to stand up. A struggle it was to get up off the ground, but she did, feeling numerous amounts of pain shoot up through her arm. Apparently, when she landed, she may have tumbled on her arm and her armor couldn't lock up because if it did, it would have broken her arm from the sudden stop of momentum. Her leg was in pain and felt like it was grating on itself.
Having stood up and finally started moving around, Faye put Dove in one of her baggy padded pouches. Since she couldn't go back into the module, she would have to carry the Ghost for now. Faye limped along and found a cache hidden in the back of some rundown store. The store's sign, signifying its name, was blasted clean off, so it will remain nameless. Her pistol remained, as did the DMR, thankfully.
This cache had three perfectly good jetpacks, and Faye helped herself, triple checking the pack was secure before limping out of the store and looking for points she could sit and rest in between bursts. Multiple buildings had some sort of balconies and other protruding architecture. "Dove, you will see him again, and when you do, never let him go," Faye said as she took off. Under the rumbling and noise of the jetpack, Faye didn't hear nor feel the vibration that the shell gave, urging her to pay attention.
When Dove's world went black, she went into deep hibernation. She's not dead, but she's not alive. A Shrodinger's Ghost is something that can be used to describe Dove's current state. While in this state, she was searching for Sebastian and went through every avenue she could think of, looking for her Guardian. She knew that there was no way the Covenant would kill him, not until they had the information they needed. Torture was one hundred percent on the table for the Covenant. Then, Dove was running rampant in her mind where she felt a wisp of warmth. The same warmth that her Guardian gives off. The fog surrounds her, but the warmth feels like it was pulling Dove in a certain direction. So, she followed the warm feeling through the fog and saw a spec of light come through and that made her rush forward to see his spark, glowing brightly.
This put Dove at ease and she laid her shell on the ground of her mind. She took what she could get. 'I'm sorry Do...I cou...keep…at…bay!' The connection was clear at first, but it was mostly a garbled mess.
'Guard- Sebastian?' Dove reached through their link, trying to find the source of it, but to no avail. It did, however, confirm one thing. Sebastian was still alive. That meant he could get out of there, wherever there is.
On the outside, Faye was scaling skyscrapers. The jetpack made for a great boost to momentum, but not great for brakes in some cases. Faye has almost made it back to where she originally fell off. Faye kept checking the pouch where Dove resided, just to make sure that she was still there. That promise will be kept, no matter what.
Having almost reached the platforms, Faye let out a small sigh of relief. That was quickly changed as Covenant soldiers noticed Faye coming back up. So, she had to maneuver around the central column of the platform to stay out of sight. What made her feel better, was the sound of the UNSC weaponry being discharged. Faye took the opportunity to use her good leg and push off the column to grab on to the railing above her. Thankfully, she is strong enough to pull herself just enough to get a leg on the platform before throwing herself over the bar and lean against the platform's pillar. "You look like hell, Lieutenant," one of the ODSTs said.
"How long was I gone?" Faye asked, cutting off all the nonsense.
The ODST huffed, "About ten minutes. I'm going to ask why you jumped over the side for that AI. Couldn't you just get a new one? Also, your armor looks like it has seen better days."
Faye almost snapped at him but kept her composure. Looking down at the front of her armor, most of her chest piece had a bunch of scratches and gashes. This will be a good story to tell. "This one is irreplaceable, especially since I'm holding onto her for someone. Now, point me to the enemy and I will begin taking care of them," she said standing on both legs, ignoring the pain in her right leg. She grabbed her DMR and looked over to the platforms on the opposite side of the area. Multiple Brutes were standing there on alert.
Faye picked a target and started firing. She would catch up, so she sent them forward around the right side of the platforms, where there was a little hallway, so they have some cover. After reloading, Faye would always check the pouch where Dove is, praying that she wakes up soon. Once, she killed the third Brute, Faye used her jetpack to move forward, to draw the Covenant's fire so the ODSTs can make a move.
"Noble Six to Bullfrogs, you are clear to engage," she said as she pulled the bolt back on the DMR, priming a new round into the chamber. More gunfire was heard from the ODSTs as they cut down the remaining Brutes and Grunts. Faye made a motion to get up and immediately almost went back down from the pain. It must be worse than I thought. Dove, wake up.
Gritting her teeth, Faye jetpacked over to the ODSTs and landed with a slight wobble, which one of them noticed, and gave the Spartan a look. Faye shook it off and moved on. Spartans don't show weakness, and this pain is the weakness. "Are you green, ma'am?"
"I am," she looked quickly at his shoulder pad, "Gunny. Take point, I'll catch up."
Gunny hesitated before telling the rest of the Bullfrogs to move up with caution as they advance to Traxus Tower. Faye was limping much more so now, but she couldn't rest. Not until the fight is over, and looking up into the sky, seeing multiple Covenant Corvettes in the sky, all looking eerily down at the surface of Reach. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she limped along with the rest of the ODSTs.
Limping through other hallways, Faye came outside to see the extraction pad. "Spartan! Over here," an ODST called her. She met up with the soldiers and got the situation. A bunch of Covenant soldiers were perched up in the extraction zone and in order to get these people out of here, it had to be cleared.
Faye nodded at the soldier's words and noticed a few weapons scattered on the wall, one of them being a Rocket Launcher. "Say, no one is going to use that, right?" she pointed towards the aforementioned launcher with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"No, ma'am, no one has even made a motion towards it. It's bad enough we are fighting the Covies, but we don't have the space for this weapon," he reported, already knowing that the Spartan is going to take it.
"Well in that case," Faye scooped up the launcher and checked that it has four rockets, perfect. She was still limping, but not as noticeable as before. As soon as she was able, she was going to have to possibly rebreak it to allow it to sit correctly because, with all this movement, it could be doing more harm than good. The ODSTs and Troopers that were present followed the Spartan as they rushed the tower killing the Grunts that lined the wall. Faye put the rockets on her back and used her DMR to shoot the Grunts on the turrets and then the Jackals that arrived soon after. The troops behind her were careful enough and loud enough to announce that they were throwing grenades. She only had to make sure that if the throw went wrong, she could move out of the way quick enough. With the support of the troops behind her, they made their way inside the lounge area of the executive lobby. Some of the other troopers stayed behind with the civilians to make sure the Covenant don't try anything with them.
The lobby was full of Brutes and a single Brute Chieftain, one who is wielding that giant hammer, in the back, closest to the doors leading to the landing pad. The troops spread out along the top floors and waited for Faye's order. She held up her hand, all fingers extended, telling them to get ready, before it turned into a fist, signaling them to open fire. Weapons discharged, bullets ricocheted, targets were killed.
Brutes holding Spikers fired in returned while the Chieftain snarled and slammed his hammer into the ground, shaking the room just a little. His eyes were set on Faye, seeing the armor and started running towards her. Faye had just taken out another Brute, saving an ODST, before she turned to see the Chieftain leap into the air. She got up from her cover quickly to back up, and thankfully she did. When the Brute landed, it would have crushed her, the floor had dented in. She backed up even further to avoid the wide hammer swing.
Unfortunately, her leg detested the movement and her stance slipped just a little bit. The Chieftain took the opportunity to attack and the kick it sent her way sent her backward, the jetpack grinding along the floor. The resulting blow sent her launcher off her back and off to the left.
When she got hit, the wind got knocked out of her, much like how Sebastian had the air knocked out of him back at the AA gun. Faye first checked to see if Dove was fine, and once she did, she pounded on her chest to kickstart her lungs to get much-needed oxygen in her system. The Brute growled, pleased with himself as it forewent the hammer and cracked his knuckles, ready to pounce. Once he was finished, he marched over to the Spartan's prone form and interlocked his hands and brought them over his head. Faye watched and readied herself, if she fails, well, the best thing that could happen was a collapsed lung, the worst thing that could happen was death.
He roared once more and brought his hands down. Faye moved out of the way, twisting her body to the left, making the Brute's hands collide with the floor and not her. Once he raised his hands off the ground, Faye returned the pounce.
She brought her knife out and stabbed him in the neck, then hooking her legs on his chest armor and with all her strength, she launched him over the side, through the protective glass. The screams of the Brute echoed as he fell down a numerous amount of stories. Once the screaming mostly faded from her hearing, she slowly sat up, the ODSTs who remained came to her side. "Are you alright, Spartan?"
"Don't worry about me, call the birds in, get these people out of here," she said as she used the wall to stand. Once she was leaned against the wall with her left hand supporting her. She took one step on her right leg and it felt like someone just shattered it. She stumbled and the ODST medic saw and immediately was drawing a conclusion.
"You've broken your leg, and whatever you just did made it worse," the medic said before inspecting her leg. "How long has it been like this?"
"How long has it been since the Super Carrier has been taken down?" Faye asked, gritting her teeth through the pain. It will not consume her.
"Five hours," the medic replied simply.
"Since I woke up after it being taken down," Faye said, taking a deep breath. She had to admit, she was a little jealous of Dove's ability to heal Sebastian as she can. Something like that would prove beneficial to every Spartan on the field if it could be replicated.
"You've been walking on an injured leg for five hours?!" the medic exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.
"I had biofoam, but after fetching something and falling a long way, it knocked it loose upon landing not so nicely. Had to make an entrance," she explained factually.
The medic groaned, "Thankfully, I have extra biofoam to spare, it'll hold, but for the love of Reach, please seek attention when you get the chance. I say this knowing you probably won't heed it, but I'm required to tell you this."
Once the biofoam entered her armor and hardened around her leg, giving her support, she breathed a very loud sigh of relief. She sent a thankful glance to the medic before brushing by them and picking up her launcher and reholstering it on her back again. The jetpack, thankfully, still works well. "Yankee Niner to dispatch. Landing pad is clear, send in the evac birds."
"Copy Yankee Niner. Birds away," Good. At least these people will hopefully be able to make it off-planet.
The ODSTs all thanked her for her help, and she replied in kind. Once the Pelican landed and two Falcons landed next to it, she hopped on the gun and waited for takeoff. Once she sat down in the seat, she felt much more relief and actually realized how sore she was getting. She couldn't show it either, she has a stereotype to uphold, as much as she doesn't want to.
The pilot of Faye's Falcon spoke, "City's been under siege for the last five days. Though we had it in hand, then those Corvettes showed up, then our fleet scattered." Faye hummed in thought, and she knows she could have helped, but she can't be everywhere at once.
One of the soldiers on board had responded, "No, we all got orders to evacuate. Guess some of us just don't like leaving a job half-finished." If it was meant as a jab to Faye, she didn't acknowledge it. Even though all this time, she hasn't thought about Noble team as much. Then again, someone else was occupying her thoughts.
"Evac transport Delta 15 to evac dispatch. Loaded up, ready to go," one of the civilian transports must be making some headway.
"Delta 15, this is evac dispatch. Copy that. Proceed at your digression," and the green light was given.
The pilot had to do some maneuvers to stay out of the line of major fire. Faye, while the conversation was taking place, was firing on Banshee squads trying to take them down. "Midtown airspace is way too hot. Gonna take an alternate route."
Unfortunately, nothing ever goes as planned, "Delta 15 to dispatch. Banshee squadron on my tail. Taking fire." Well, this puts a wrench into the plans. Faye stopped firing at the Banshees, considering she just killed the last one tailing them.
"Copy Delta 15. Can you-" Dispatch was attempting to reach the transport but was cut off. Already not good. Faye peered out of the Falcon to see a Covenant Seraph fire on the transport's engines.
"Mayday! Port engines hit! We're going in! I'm going to try to set her down," Faye gritted her teeth. She couldn't do much for them, considering she is injured, but she has her own goals to meet. Her hand reached up to Dove, who was still offline. The shell itself has vibrated on and off, hoping that the Spartan would notice. Just as Faye was about to pull her hand away, the shell vibrated and Faye's vision snapped down to unbuckle her from the pouch.
A Marine on the ground needed these people to get out of there. That Corvette needed to go down, "Fox Actual to UNSC frigate Starward Dawn. Request immediate airstrike on Covenant Corvette over starport."
Sadly the frigate could not deliver the request, "Stalwart Dawn: Solid copy Fox Actual. Longswords are unavailable at this time, over." In the midst of the conversation, Faye gripped Dove's shell and caressed one of the fins. Under her breath, Faye was whispering to the shell to wake up, to come back to her, to come back to him when they find him. Either she missed it or it was a small glare, but Faye swears she saw a flicker of blue come from the Ghost. Once she felt more at ease, she put Dove back into the pouch for safekeeping.
"This is civilian transport 6 Echo 2. I need to go now Sergeant Major. The Covenant are coming. If I don't leave now, they will bust down the door and kill us all."
"Echo 2, hold on. Stalwart Dawn, I have multiple person craft loaded with civilians. I have got to get them out of this city. I need air support, now," it sounded like the man was gritting his teeth.
The Stalwart Dawn remained calmed as the dispatcher spoke, "As soon as greens up, you'll be the first two-"
"That's not good enough, Dawn. They need to get out of there. Where are the longswords?"
Urgently, Transport 6 Echo 2 cut in on the conversation again, "I've got six hundred souls on board Sergeant Major. I can't wait any longer."
"Negative Echo 2. I can't cover you. Do not take off," said Fox Actual, basically pleading with the pilot of the transport to stay put.
Faye intervened, "Six Echo Two, stand down, you are not clear for take-off. If you take off, you are putting those six hundred lives at risk, do you understand me?" Her voice was cold and unwavering. As the Falcon gets closer to the ground, flying around Covenant defenses, they notice the transport taking off.
A plasma bolt from the Corvette lands on the airport, followed by another one that hits the transport. The pilot of the Falcon exclaimed, "Oh my god!" Faye only gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. Of course they didn't listen but in times of war, saying and doing are two different things.
The transport only shouted its distress as the Sergeant Majorasked if they keep it airborne. The transport plummeted into the riverbed below and the Marines made no move to send search and rescue birds. The Falcon continues to fly around the beachhead, noticing two Wraiths, and a few Ghosts, the Covenant kind, lingering about. Faye used her turret to blow up one of the Wraiths and damaged a Ghost. Having done that, the Falcon circled around to a small beach, approximately three hundred meters away from the beachhead.
After using the Falcon's turret to mow down the small Covenant squad that was attacked the squad. One specific Marine gained Faye's attention, "Spartan! Sergeant Major Duvall. How's the day so far? Just keeps getting worse, huh? Covies are all over the missile batteries and I got five thousand civilians waiting. I need you to arm those missile batteries that you probably saw on your way in. Once they are armed, fire those missiles from the central terminal in the central building. Understood? Corvette's been a pain in my ass for too long, give it hell Spartan."
Faye hopped out of the Falcon and braced more of her weight on her left leg, just in case. She saw more ammo for DMRs and immediately filled any available pouches with ammo and checked her rockets, noting that she was full. Then, she passed right by the Sergent Major and raised her rifle as she took quick steps forward. The Covenant fired first, the shots ricocheting off her shields and she returned in kind. Seven bullets left the barrel of the DMR and that the six Skirmishers that were perched on the bridge coming in. One of them got greedy and took two bullets to take down. It might have been wearing armor over the face.
As they pushed onto the beach, Sergent Major Duvall was giving a small rallying speech as Faye moved along the inner sections of the beach, making headway to a set of stairs that lead to the first missile battery. Some Grunts and a Brute, who wasn't paying attention, were guarding the battery, so Faye held her weapon close, but brought out a knife. She silently stepped over to the battery and flick a few switches, pressed a few buttons and the battery roared to life. That was Faye had silently killed the Covenant squadron, making sure the Brute got the worst of her wrath.
Duvall chimed in Faye's ear, "Excellent work, Spartan. Now, there is another missile battery one hundred meters northeast of your position. I have a transport begging to take off and I can't guarantee their safety without those batteries active."
"Understood. Six, out," Faye said coldly and shut off her comms until she was done. She crossed the long bridge and brought her rockets out and looked for her first target. A couple of Brutes were standing guard at the second battery, far enough away where the rocket won't damage the battery and close enough together where the rocket will do the most damage. Aiming down sights, and locking on, she fired one rocket and the second quickly followed. The Brutes didn't see it coming and were blown up. Unseen by Faye, another Chieftain was around and hopped into the air. Faye saw him coming, but she knew that even with her Spartan reflexes that she wouldn't be able to dodge it. So, she brought her now empty Rocket Launcher to block the swing.
The resulting crunch was from the hammer hitting the rocket, denting it beyond use and Faye took that moment of surprise from the Brute to throw him off balance and her Magnum was aimed at the Brute's eyes. Three shots took its eyes out and a knife lunge from Faye took out its throat and it dropped dead. Once she stood, she almost crumbled again. The pain overlapping her entire body, shaking the biofoam loose, but she must push on. No weaknesses. Faye checked for Dove and found she was still safe, and unharmed. Stumbling over to the battery, she activated it, similarly to the first one.
Now, she had to make it to the main console, on the other side of the complex. A Wraith shot boomed next to her, shaking her off balance. She quickly scrambled behind a wall and she noticed a weapon. A prototype. They called it a Spartan Laser. Faye heard of these prototypes but never saw any of them, so why was one here of all places? The next shot boomed to her right and she decided to shoot first and ask questions later. The Spartan reached out for the weapon, straining her muscles in pain as she mounted the weapon on her shoulder and peered over the cover she was behind. The Wraith was in plain sight and she lined up her shot and squeezed the trigger. The faint hiss of the weapon charging could be heard before a bright red laser was produced and barreled right into the Wraith. It exploded in violet flames. A beautiful display, something even Jorge would be proud of.
The sudden reminder of her fallen teammate sent a small pang to her heart, beating calmly in battle, sped up just a tad. The Spartan let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Now, she had one task to do, stand. Once she can do that, everything can fall into place. She turned her comms back on, now that she didn't need to be fully immersed without distraction. "Spartan, we've cleared most of the way to the missile controls, but some of the Covenant are sticking to their guns," Duvall said, giving Faye a much-needed break. Hopefully, the Marines are smart and would wait for her to help them.
"Status on the transport, Sergent Major," Faye said, keeping her voice even, though her body feels strained everywhere. Thankfully, the biofoam hasn't broken yet, because if that does, then she could be out of the game temporarily and it would mean the end of Reach. Every Spartan counts.
"Ma'am, they have Covenant starting to claw at the doors, we need those missile batteries up and running. Head on in, the Marines have it pinned down to one more room," Duvall responded.
Faye picked up her DMR and readied the laser for a Covenant Ghost, the laser once again hissed as it charged and the Ghost was no more, just spare parts. Faye hobbled over to the Marines on the opposite end, which took longer than she wanted, but she got there; once she did she asked for a grenade since she didn't have any. Then, she limped, trying to cover the extent of her injuries, as pointed to an open room, "They in there?" She put her new laser on her back, next to her DMR as she looked at all the Marines.
"Yes, ma'am," one of them replied.
She pulled the pin on the grenade and held it, "On my go," and she threw the grenade up into the room.
Silence reigned for a few delicate moments. The only sounds that could be heard were the echo of gunfire in the distance, the breathing of every Marine, and the loading of weapons. The grenade went off and Faye jumped up to grab onto the edge of the window and pulled herself up, even with one of her arms straining to maintain the strength. Once she pulled herself into the room, the grenade had severely injured the remaining Brutes and the Marines had finished them off. With a simple nod, she turned towards the missile battery controls and activated them both.
"All evac transports, you are clear for takeoff. I repeat, you are clear for takeoff. Go, now!"
The next sounds were the sounds of Banshees being shot down and the transport being told it could go. A missile barrage launched up to the Covenant Corvette that was hounding the Marines.
"Civilian transport away!" one of them flew across Faye's vision and it made quick haste to leave the immediate area. Faye had sagged in relief as she turned around and walked by, no longer holding back the extent of her injuries and made her way down to the beach where she sat down and leaned against a rock. Faye took out Dove's shell and held her close, the vibrations were much more constant and the optic was blinking blue softly. "You saved a lot of lives today, Spartan!"
During this time, Dove was screaming to wake up, she had so much to tell Faye, she had so much to tell Noble Team. she had so much to say but not enough time nor words to say so. Even the shell vibrating was only a fraction of Dove's renewed excitement. Her Guardian was still alive, albeit comatose, but alive nonetheless. The Ghost just vibrated in the Spartan's hand. She tried everything to make her presence known and being trapped in her mindscape where all of her important items are, was not a grand tri, especially when nothing was out of place. Dove just idly flew in her mind, praying to the Traveler that she could find one of her friends. Fear not, little one. Who was that? Dove thought as she spun around, looking for the source of the faint voice she just heard. Her search became fruitful as she laid her eye on something she thought wasn't possible, and that's saying something, considering where she was.
Faye's comms soon crackled to life, and she realized she closed her eyes. Opening them she listened, "Copy, repeat, this is Noble Two. Noble Five, Noble Six and G7, do you copy?"
Faye answered immediately, "This is Six. Go ahead, Noble Two."
A crackled huff came through, "We picked up your transponder about an hour ago, but could not risk open comms. Covenant has this city sealed tight. We're getting nothing from Jorge, nor Sebastian." Just the mention of their names made Faye's heart clench.
Faye had to hold back the onset of things percolating in her mind, "Jorge didn't make it," a small moment of silence before Faye spoke again, her voice much more vulnerable than she wanted, "Sebastian isn't here either, but his other half is alive and in my care. We'll need to sit down and talk."
Kat, from the other side of the comms, could feel Faye's vulnerability as if she was standing next to her, the brainiac was confused at what she meant at 'other half' until her eyes widened slightly. In order to keep the surprise out of her voice, Kat switched topics, "Understood, what's the situation at Starport?"
"The last transports are away," her voice monotone now, just waiting for any shred of good news. She could really use some right about now, and while the transports getting away should be a good thing, it isn't the same for some reason. A reason that Faye doesn't want to admit.
A sigh from the other line, "Alright, we're bringing you to us." Seeing that was the end of the conversation, but there will be another one, Faye took a flare from her armor, used her armor as a hard surface to light it and threw it ahead of her, close to the water, but edging on the small patch of grass. As Faye looked up, she could see the Corvette come crashing down above the city. Good, these Covie bastards deserve everything coming to them. Faye took a long look at her armor and noticed the multitude of scratches and dents, but in the end, she survived.
And she will keep surviving until the world deems she is no longer needed.