The Skopje Broadcasting Corporation had a large and relatively well-hidden building deep into the suburbs. Leaving much of our equipment in my home, we set off, back to the Hog and the Ghost, picking them up as we made our way to the SBC building. Drake remained in contact, asking about our status throughout the journey and specifically about me as we rode through the empty streets towards the TV station, hiding in the winding roads of the suburbs.
"It's creepy." I said, as Ellen rounded a corner, "to see it like this is something nightmarish."
Ellen nodded, "I've seen it on a couple deployments, can't imagine what my own home would look like if it were damaged like this."
Drake had concocted some kind of plan that involved the use of our little convoy. It seemed as though something big was brewing on the far side of the valley, which now acted as the frontline between the UNSC and the Covenant. Naturally, Drake had been coy about the details, but he had seemed to pick up his spirits when we told him just what it was that we had acquired. Gauss hogs were a dime a dozen, apparently, and ten times as valuable as a regular hog, if Akron's reaction at the far end of the receiver had been any indication.
With the night sky still a solid black mass, we arrived at the gate, greeted by a very tired looking husk, pretending to be James Davenport. The Hog rolled neatly into the garage, which closed behind us without fanfare. Inside, there was a regular hog and a flatbed pickup, too. It was a sizable arsenal that greeted us as we headed to the control room, where the media teams would construct their reels and broadcasts from.
When we entered the room, Drake and Akron dropped what they were doing, with the now ex-security chief jogging over with a wide smile on his face. "It's good to see familiar faces!" he said, grasping Ellen by the shoulder and shaking her hand vigorously. His entire demeanour had changed since we had escaped the roof of the CDS building and it was as though he had slipped eagerly into the role of a retired old soldier with a family to return to. He even smiled as our eyes met, it was a difficult smile for him, of course, but I understood his need to reunite with his family.
God only knows what that must feel like when it's your own children you need to get home for…
Albert stood well away from us, large bags sagging under his eyes. He didn't look particularly glad to see us, but judging from the state they were all in, fatigue seemed to have been playing havoc with their cohesion. Drake stood in front of me, staring down at me as he took me in.
"I'm glad you made it, Lass." he said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I yelped in pain and recoiled and he, with his ethereal presence, withdrew, confusion spread across his face.
"Long story" I said, shrugging.
"I'm sure, Naomi said you managed to record most of it."
"Yeah, it's all on a chip in her helmet" I replied.
"It is?" he asked, glancing at the SPARTAN as she stood sharply beside me.
"I think so, right Gnomes?"
Naomi didn't give any response to her nickname, but she did nod. "I consider it mission critical intelligence, Sir, we should review it immediately."
Drake waved a hand dismissively, "let the girl settle in for a moment, will you?"
I recoiled in surprise. It wasn't like Drake to be so sentimental, and he had never shown much consideration for my well-being beyond my survival.
"It's alright, Sir" I said, as Corporal Davenport entered the room behind us. "You probably should know as soon as possible."
Drake wore a dark expression, one fraught with concern. Naomi reached into her helmet and ejected a clip, handing it to the burly Captain as he regarded me, never breaking his steely gaze from mine.
"Right, Pvt Stagg, Chief Akron, I want you two on watch out front, Jack, if you can manage it, I want you on overwatch on the roof." Drake barked, echoing his former self.
Jack snapped to attention as best as he could manage and Akron led the Sergeant and Private to their respective positions. Drake regarded the little chip for a moment and then gave me a sad look before turning on his heels and entering the recording studio. With only a little fumbling, he plugged the device into the tv and began to review the tapes. Some kind of software was running alongside it, filtering out downtime and filling the screen with only the highlights of my torture.
I wasn't particularly interested in seeing myself brutalised from the third person, so instead, I found myself watching the expressions of those present, save for Naomi, who remained beneath her helmet, her body statue-like as the clips played out. Albert watched in horror, grimacing and blinking as the screams peaked. He didn't care for it at all and excused himself pretty quickly.
Drake grimaced too, his face chalk-white. He glanced at me as the brand was completed and stared at me with a grave and hopeless look, as if trying to search for the damage in the depths of my eyes. Drake's usual mannerisms were forced and calculated, I had always known that, but what I saw now was a veteran stripped bare. This was a man weighed down by a mission as emotionally strenuous as it was physically and mentally challenging. As the hours ticked by, I was left with the distinct impression that Drake was as done with this mission as I was.
It was James whose reaction I wasn't expecting. The man looked almost relieved as he watched me writhe about in agony for forty minutes. His face seemed to contort and tense just like the others, but in down time, he seemed almost relaxed, as if a weight was lifted.
His face darkened when I smiled at the Prophet, the enjoyment on my face was clear even to me and Drake swallowed nervously, glancing at me with observant eyes.
I shrugged and the tape ended, with a very tired and battered version of myself following Jack and the Grunts out into the corridor.
"Jesus." Drake said after several quiet moments passed.
"There's more, obviously but those were the important bits." I said, fiddling awkwardly with my fingers.
"Show me your shoulder." Drake said, his eyes tired.
I stood and turned, dropping the cadet BDUs to my hips. From behind me, one of the men gasped.
"It doesn't hurt so much now," I said, putting myself away. I turned to face the pair and noticed the fury on James' face.
"That's not the point" James said, his fists clenched.
"No but what's done is done." I said, shrugging, "there's nothing we can do about it now."
"Maddie," James said, stepping forward, "you were tortured, that isn't something you just shrug off."
"James, there are bigger things at stake than me" I replied, crossing my arms defensively.
"Like what?" He half-growled.
"The mission" I said, nodding at Drake. "There is an entire planet that's relying on what I learned to have a hope of staving off a massive covenant invasion."
James shook his head, "Christ alive, Maddie, you're Sixteen! You're not him. You're not a soldier. You shouldn't be putting yourself on the line like that."
I laughed, "I didn't have a choice."
"There's always a choice"
"Not when it comes to doing the right thing" I said, refusing to back down. Who was James to judge, to pretend like it was that easy? "You don't get to sit out a genocide, not when it comes knocking on your damn door."
"Maddie, you're a child, you've been dragged into something you aren't prepared for by people who mean to manipulate you."
He was seething, and suddenly, his rage made sense. This wasn't about me; it was about ONI.
"I don't know what your problem is with ONI, but I'm my own person; not a damned soul could make me do something I didn't want to do. If I can survive that," I said, pointing at the screen, "then I can handle anything, as far as I'm concerned"
"You don't know shit." James said, "Drake had three opportunities to get you out this and he took none of them. All for a test. ONI play dangerous games, Maddie."
He sounded almost desperate.
"Do yourself a favour and get the hell out while you can."
I searched Drake for an answer. His face hardened as if his mask had just been recovered, his expression dulling into a cool and icy glare. He sighed, fitting it in place firmly as he turned to me, ignoring James completely.
"I did have a few opportunities to get you out. The first when you arrived across the bridge, but I wanted to see you in action. The second when we first met Private Stoots and PFC Stagg. Had you left then, however; you would have been caught in the bombardment at the spaceport. The last opportunity we had was during the siege, but by that point you were critical to the defence and my mission took priority."
"See?" James frothed, "they don't even try to hide it. This man butchered half a fleet and allowed a child to be brutalised to complete his mission. There's no length these people won't go to complete their mission, Maddie, that's what you're signing on for."
"I don't remember asking for your input, Corporal." Drake said, calmly.
James squared up to him, straightening his back to come to the Captain's eye level. The pair of them refused to back down, as I watched them carefully. Drake may have lied, but the call was his to make, he either thought he could protect me, or that my safety was worth the risk of advancing his mission.
It's like Jack said, all ONI operatives are murderers.
Drake wouldn't have made those calls without good reason and at the end of the day, I was still alive.
"It's his call to make." I said, glaring at the Corporal. "You once said the same thing, do you remember? After the bridge? You said that Jack was wrong to step out of line, to defy that other Captain."
"That was different." he said, sharply.
"Was it? Both Captain's put my life in danger, neither of them cared about my safety when their objectives were at stake. I shouldn't need to tell a soldier why that is, should I? This isn't about me, or even Captain Drake. This is about your problem with ONI. You aren't my dad, or my family so don't fake concern for me and put the rest of us at risk."
It was perhaps a little harsh but I meant every word of it. James was a kind man, and he had been with me from the beginning but he wasn't with me during my darkest moments, he hadn't awakened in me that killer instinct or that desire for more. I didn't mean to upset him, or cause him grief, but as far as I was concerned, he was preaching to the converted when it came to ONI.
ONI was something I was born to join.
He remained quiet, his eyes darting between myself and Drake for a moment before relenting. With a last look at me, he shook his head: "You'll regret this." he said, before shrinking away towards the door, leaving Drake and I alone.
"I'm sorry, Lass." Drake said, turning to me. The mask was still on but in the depth of his eyes there was a little crack. Through that crack, the truth of his feelings flooded forth like a river of bright blue light.
It hurt him to put me in harm's way?
Speculating on it was a waste of time, and Drake needed to know that this wasn't his fault.
"There's nothing to be sorry for." I said, quietly. "You did your job, and I survived it. Neither of us asked for this war, our choices were taken from us by the Covenant, not each other."
Both of us knew that wasn't really true but it comforted us all the same, I could see that in his eyes.
"Either way, it won't happen again. I'm getting you out, no matter what."
I nodded, trusting his judgement.
"Thank you, Sir," I said smiling.
A heavy silence fell over the room as Percival entered the room, a look of concern plastered over his face.
"Everything alright in here?" he asked, cocking a brow.
Drake simply nodded. "Get everyone back here in an hour for a debrief, I think we might finally have orders from HIGHCOM."
}{=}{
I had spent the hour lazing with Ellen on the roof, watching the Covenant send out patrols over the downed Cruiser in the distance. It was a soothing sight, watching the large alien craft burn brightly in the vista. It was a giant bird, flipped at the covenant.
If you can make God bleed, is he really God at all?
The Covenant were more than fallible and a part of me had the confidence, in that moment, to win the war all on my own. Ellen felt much the same way, I realised. Especially after I filled her in on James' outburst and the general reception to the data recording. As we walked inside, taking care to avoid the morning sun glinting off of our rifles, Ellen shook her head.
"It's rough, something clearly going on with him and we won't just say his piece."
"Maybe his training is kicking in?"
Ellen laughed, "no, I think if it were that he wouldn't be throwing his weight around like that. Squaring up to the Captain means he's lost control. Watch him, or he'll get you killed."
"You think he's scared of ONI?"
Ellen didn't laugh at that. "It's possible" she said, shrugging.
I shot her a look.
"Oh, come on, it's ONI, they're terrifying."
"You too, huh?" I replied, grinning.
"You bet your ass I'm scared of them." she returned the grin in full, "I keep my head down and do my job. Always. It's kept me alive so far."
"You must think I'm mental." I sighed, as we walked along a long grey corridor towards the studio.
"Not mental." she said, honestly, "you're well suited to it, if you ask me. You're as scary as Drake is, and you haven't even been trained."
"I'll keep you in mind when I'm picking my mission's" I grinned.
Ellen smiled, a twinkle in her eye. "I really hope you're joking."
"I guess you'll find out." I teased.
"Mads, I'm serious!" she said, running after me as I powered through a door and into a large open studio.
"Me too"
She shook her head as we joined the others sat around the table. In the far corner, James and Albert stood talking quietly, well away from the rest of Alpha-One as Drake began the briefing, with Naomi stood next to him, a picture of power and poise.
"Right." Drake began. "Listen up because we finally have a way out of this mess. With a little help from Naomi, I managed to get in contact with the 314. Colonel Felicia Sanderson was planning another assault on the Covenant Cruiser, but… with the nature of the information in our possession, evacuating us from behind enemy lines is now her top priority."
The room seemed to lighten, save for the corner in which Albert and James stood.
"Col. Sanderson will therefore use the attack as a feint. Redrawing her front line to about a mile beyond Orest Valley Castle and out into the southern end of the suburbs." he said, pushing a data pad with a map out into the centre of the table. "Her plan is a hit and run-style air-drop using Pelicans. Repositioning the frontline like this will pin the covenant in place, allowing her to defend the castle more easily and besiege the Cruiser once we have left the AO."
He looked at me and smiled slightly.
"Our task is to cause some trouble," he pointed to an area of the suburbs, a local park, very small, but open enough to give our Hog's plenty to shoot at, "this is Nanda Park, a small staging area for the Covenant's AA defences. Knocking it out will mean a toe-hold for our men, and space for the Marines to assemble and push on to their objectives."
"Are we to aid in the offensive, or pull back, Sir?" Ellen asked, "What's the intel like there?"
"Intel is sketchy, Private Stoots and I took a look the other day and it seemed lightly defended, all UNSC sat feeds are currently out or in use elsewhere, so unfortunately, we're on our own. As for our role, we will take a Pelican back to Orest Valley Castle."
"Not the fleet?" Akron asked, a brow cocked.
"Colonel Sanderson says it's out of range" Drake shrugged.
"What do you mean out of range? If it's in orbit, it's in range for a Pelican." Albert said, folding his arms.
"Then it's not in orbit, is it, Private?" Drake levelled his eyes at the Private, shooting a warning across the table to him.
"That's not a good sign, is it?" I asked.
Ellen shook her head, "if they've been driven off then things are really bad"
"How bad?"
"Almost as bad as things can realistically get." She said, grimly.
Drake nodded, "for once, I'm being kept in the dark. In any event we should plan a fallback position just in case, and make sure we can pull back to it as the 314 advances. Maddie, do you know anywhere we can pull back to?"
I know just the place. The park wasn't far from my ash tree, and given its location and proximity to the Castle, it would likely be a place the marines would need to take if they wanted to reposition the front lines.
"Here." I said, confidently. "Elevated position, a likely point to hook up with the Marines, and decent cover."
Drake nodded, "upload it to your HUDs". Drake tapped away at a computer on his wrist.
"And the park? You said we were hitting it hard?" Ellen said, scratching behind her ear.
"Yeah, two hogs, classic 'Delgado Run', I'm sure most of you remember the sims. For Maddie and Percy's benefit though, I'll run through the general idea." Drake replied, a flicker of a smile playing at his lips. "The Covenant are very complacent in small and isolated pockets, when you set the cat amongst the pigeons, they melt away like warm cheese. The Delgado Run is built on the old principle of 'divide and conquer' two precise bases of fire" he pointed to the map, "One, Jack, will be an overwatch position here. The second, Maddie, will be you on the back of the Gauss, here, with Ellen and myself."
James and Albert tensed, sharing another look.
"The key is the second warthog." he flashed a moving light onto the map, diving in, out, and around the park, "it provides a moving target to terrorise and confuse the enemy, driving hard and fast at the core of their defences."
"And Naomi?" Ellen asked, "what's her job?"
"Naomi will destroy the AA battery itself."
The hulking SPARTAN nodded as Captain Drake looked around, taking each of us in as he did so, his eyes lingering on James and Albert, who stared right back at him for an agonisingly long time.
"Gear up, I want everyone armed for suppressive fire where possible, dismissed." he said, darkly.
Everyone snapped sharp salutes and filed out of the room. Drake shook his head and held a finger up to myself and Ellen as we passed him.
"One moment." he said, "We have a problem."
"Al and James?" Ellen asked, chewing on her lip.
Drake nodded.
"Maddie filled me in, Al is a pretty emotional guy but I don't think he'd endanger us, if that's what you're wondering."
"James is compromised, and whatever his problem with ONI is, it's about to start endangering all of us. Keep Madeleine safe. She is your mission, now as well. Understand?"
Ellen looked at me and smiled, "I won't let her out of my sight, Sir."
"Good." Drake replied, looking at me. "Because…" he trailed off, as if he was trying to work out whether the mask should slip off completely or fix it.
I waited for him to speak but he looked like something was lodged in his throat. I decided to smile and leave him to it but I knew something was up. There was a tension in the air, a distinct, and depressive layer of animosity hung over the group. In the heat of the waning summer, everyone's fuse was short and no-one seemed happy with being in this rag-tag unit anymore.
As we loaded up the Warthogs, a terse exchange between Ellen and Albert broke out, with James standing silently beside him. I kept to myself, trying to avoid starting something that would finish us.
I'm getting close now, too close to let it all fall apart.