Chapter 24- Perfect Landing
An aching pain was all Veil could feel. She moved her head slightly, trying to see what happened. They had landed, and even though she was in pain, Jack was right. They were alive.
Veil tried to stand up, but Harry's grip was still tight around her. She looked down at his helmet, though he seemed stuck in place. She reached her hands back and attempted to pry his arms off her, with no luck.
She let out a huff of frustration, then tried moving Harry's head. After a few seconds of attempted pushing, she let go and sighed. It was no use. He was stuck like a statue.
She was about to simply go limp on him again when his arms and head suddenly fell downward, his whole body seeming to move from it's locked position. Veil shot upward, then looked down at the still Spartan.
He wasn't saying anything, so Veil leaned closer and asked, "Are you alright?"
After a few seconds of silence, Harry lifted his arm up and gave her a weak thumbs up. Veil nodded, relieved, then heard a massive explosion go off near them. She spun around to see the ship crashing into the clearing. They were a safe distance away, but they were still scarily close.
As she watched the ship collapse and erupt into flames, she slowly fell to her knees. Jack was on that ship, and the way it was exploding, there was no way he'd survive.
Tears started running down her cheeks again as she watched the ship explode. She dug her hands into the dirt, wishing it was her still on that ship.
Without him, what was the point of citizenship? As she watched the vessel explode, she saw what looked like debris falling onto the ground as well. She thought she heard some sort of yelling, then looked up at the falling debris.
She was looking at the dark chunks falling, then watched as flames shot out of one as it neared the ground. She watched as it's descent slowed down, and a small spark of hope appeared in her. What kind of debris would be able to slow down its descent like that?
Veil jumped on her feet as she watched the chunk disappear over the edge of the hill. She quickly limped over the hill and looked over it. Fiery debris was scattered across the grass, catching small fires around. It was here somewhere.
She limped forward, hearing the loud sounds of vehicles approaching. She turned her head up to see multiple Hornet's flying towards the crash. She grunted and turned back to the debris on the ground, ignoring the Hornets.
After a few minutes of searching, she wasn't able to find what she thought was Jack. Her limped pace was slowing down as she began doubting herself. She stopped next to a chunk of debris, breathing heavily. How would he have survived the fall anyways? Maybe she was just seeing things.
The tears started running again as she lowered herself into a sitting position. She looked up to see a Hornet was hovering over the field of debris, slowly approaching her position. Veil didn't know whether to run from it or not, then she heard a loud yell.
She jumped up, then heard a loud groan follow the yell to her right. She limped around the large chunk of debris, only to see something big get thrown into view. Veil made her way around a broken off piece of the ship's hull.
Veil almost yelled as she saw Jack, lying in the grass. He had ripped his helmet off and was gritting his teeth, breathing heavily. She ran next to him and dropped to her knees to look at him, tears running down her face.
Jack turned to her, then chuckled with a cough and said, "Oh hey babe. Fancy seeing you here."
Veil lunged forward, wrapping her arms under him and pulling him into a tight hug. She held herself back from tearing up more than she already had. She held him close, their foreheads touching as she kept her eyes shut tight. She heard him let out a loud groan of pain, then carefully held him back. She wiped the tears from her eye and said, "I'm sorry. It's just… I thought you died! How did you…"
Jack turned to the big jetpack he had thrown off and said, "Spotted that thing earlier. Was my only chance, so I took it. Um… mind laying me back down? I'm kinda in a lot of pain."
Veil quickly nodded and carefully laid him down, hearing him let out a sigh. She held his face and said, "Never again. You are never leaving me again."
Jack nodded and said, "You got it boss. The way my legs are, I might not have a choice."
Veil tilted her head, then looked at his legs. They looked fine, then Jack groaned and said, "Kinda not feeling anything there at the moment. Might… end up pushing me around in a wheelchair for the rest of my life."
Veil turned back to him and said, "Gladly."
The two stared at each other, then they heard a loud sound approaching. They both looked up to see a Hornet hovering near them, looking at them. It stayed there for a minute, then they heard the sound of a warthog approaching.
The warthog flew over the hill and screamed to a halt near them. Inside were Marines, who all jumped out and ran to them, weapons holstered. One slid to Jack's other side, quickly taking out a device and scanning his body. The other two jogged next to them and watched.
The scanning Marine chuckled and said, "I can't believe you're even alive, man. The Hornets spotted a body falling, we expected to find a corpse."
Jack chuckled, letting out another groan of pain. The Marine raised the device and inspected the screen on it, then he looked at Jack and said, "I'm surprised you aren't yelling in pain. Though, you are an ODST. You tough fuckers are used to falling from orbit. We need immediate med-evac if we want a chance to save your legs."
Jack let out a loud groan, then sighed and said, "It's a silent agony. Trust me… oh fuck. Nothing has hurt more than this."
Veil let out a small huff of concern, gaining the Marine's attention. The Marine then looked up at Veil. He stood up and asked, "This is new. You with him?"
Veil nodded, then said, "I was on that ship. I fell with a Spartan."
The Marine's mouth gaped open, then he pointed back over the hill and asked, "Back that way, right?"
Veil nodded, then the Marine turned to his two friends and said, "Recover that Spartan! Pelican's incoming, I can take it from here!"
The two nodded, then sprinted back to the warthog, jumping in and speeding it back over the hill.
The Marine turned back to the two and said, "You guys are very lucky. The storm passed faster than expected, letting us get eyes on that ship. We were minutes from launching missiles into that Frigate before ONI contacted us."
Jack let out a coughing chuckle, then looked at the Marine and said, "How long until that pelican gets here? Feelings coming back to my legs, and it doesn't feel good."
The Marine chuckled and said, "As a field medic, I'd have to say that's a good thing, in the long run at least."
He then pulled out a small bag and said, "All I can do now is try and ease the pain. I have morphine I'll give you, which should help, but I can't give you much. The pelican will only be a minute, so just sit tight."
Veil hovered her hand over Jack's leg and asked, "So will he walk again?"
The Marine shrugged his shoulders as he injected a small amount of morphine into Jack, then said, "If he get's to the proper facilities soon. Even then, there will be recovery time."
As the Marine carefully put the needle away, he turned to the two and asked, "So, how did you two start working together? We don't see much joint-op work, especially in the inner colonies."
Jack and Veil both looked at the Marine, then Veil said, "It's a long story."
Jack lightly chuckled and said, "It's not that long. It's been what, a week?"
Veil thought back to when they first met, then chuckled as well. With all that happened, it felt longer, but he was right. How far they've come from mere days ago. When she first met Jack, he kept his words short and curt. Though he warmed up more and more as she kept speaking to him.
Her thoughts were cut short as a pelican's approach filled her ears. She looked up to see it dip down not too far from them and land on the ground. The back opened up, and Marines ran out with a stretcher towards them.
The Marine that sat with them turned to Veil and said, "Help me get him on the stretcher for them."
Veil nodded, then they both carefully grabbed both sides of Jack. He let out a soft grunt as they lifted him off the ground as slowly as possible, then moved him forward on top of the stretcher. The Marines then spun on their feet and headed right back into the pelican, with Veil right behind them.
She boarded the pelican behind the Marines, then turned to see the medic wiping his knees off and waving down a hornet. The entire crash sight was getting surrounded by military vehicles, and Veil turned to look at the flame engulfed Frigate itself. At this point the flames were slowly subsiding without any more fuel to keep them alive, leaving a charred and broken vessel.
The door shut before she could look any more, then she felt the pelican quickly lift off the ground and fly off. Veil turned to see the Marine's stripping the armor off of Jack's body. As they did, one turned to Veil and said, "Mind holding onto his armor, seeing as you so kindly joined us."
Veil nodded, then watched him drag a duffel bag off a seat, slide it to her, then he started sliding the armor over as they continued stripping Jack. She carefully placed the dirty armor into the bag, then lifted it up and looked at it. It would definitely require cleaning, and repairing. The right shoulder pad was still cut in half.
She looked up to see Jack only in his underwear. One of the Marines was inspecting him, then looked at Veil and asked, "Is his gunshot wound from today?"
Veil looked to see he was gesturing to a filled wound on Jack's leg, then she nodded and said, "I believe that's the most serious wound, other than his legs."
The Marine checked the wound, then turned to Veil to say something, but hesitated for a second. Veil tilted her head, then went to ask when he pointed at her side and said, "You're bleeding."
Veil looked at him, then turned to her side. Her skinsuit wasn't able to support her wound anymore, and now her blood was starting to run down from the gun wound.
She was about to say something to calm him, but he was quick to move from Jack and towards her. He lifted up a wrap of gauze and said, "Let me wrap this real quick. We're heading straight for the medbay, I just want to stop any unnecessary bleeding."
Veil slowly nodded her head, then she gave him room to wrap the gauze around her side. As he wrapped, he said, "I would try to do more, but I'm no expert on Sangheili bodies. Don't want to try and medicate it with something only for your body to react badly."
Once he was finished, he turned back to Jack, leaving Veil to quietly say, "Thank you."
She was honestly caught off guard by the lack of hatred being shown by these humans. And these were the ones that had to fight her kind not too long ago. This built confidence in her. Living on Earth would be a challenge, but she was more than happy to accept it. Plus, unlike before, she knew she would have Jack by her side to help her through it.
The pelican lightly shook, interrupting her thoughts. The door behind her opened, and the Marines quickly lifted Jack up and ran out of the pelican. Veil lifted the duffel bag and followed behind the men. As they ran through the hangar, she turned to see one of the pelicans still had smoke pouring out of it while crew members attempted to fix it.
The pelican was here, which meant Six was captured. Veil let out a sigh of relief knowing the pelican made it, but by the way it landed, slightly crooked, it barely made it.
She turned back to see the Marines and Jack had already made it to the other end of the hangar. Veil picked up her pace and followed them through a door. They ran down a hall, then ran through another doorway. Veil followed them in to see a doctor point them through another doorway in the medbay. Veil was about to run through when another doctor grabbed her arm.
She looked at the doctor, who simply shook their head and said, "We have to let them do their job. Right now, it looks like you need attention yourself."
Veil turned her head to the bandaging around her side, then the doctor motioned her to a small bed and said, "Sit here for me while I remove the bandage and take care of the wound."
Veil hesitantly followed her directions, slowly taking a seat on the bed. She watched as the doctor removed the bandaging from her wound and looked at the bullet wound. The doctor carefully felt around the wound, then sighed and said, "It went clean through, which is a good thing. Means we can ignore trying to remove a foreign object and get right into treatment."
The doctor put gloves on and grabbed a small bottle, then began aollying something to both sides of the wound. After that, they used a small spray on the sides, which stung Veil. The doctor looked up at Veil as she sprayed and said, "If it stings, that means it's working. We have plenty of medical equipment and know-how for treating Sangheili, so don't fret."
As the doctor worked, Veil turned her attention to the doorway she watched Jack got taken through. The small squad of marines that carried him were talking outside the door.
After a few minutes of staring at the door, she felt a soft pat on her leg armor. She looked down to see the doctor had finished. The doctor lightly chuckled and said, "Don't look so worried. Unlike some guys those doctors treated, at least that guy still has his legs attached. And they made it out alive."
Veil sighed, then said, "I know he'll live. I just don't want him to lose his legs. He doesn't deserve it."
The doctor nodded her head, then said, "Ah, I see. You two close?"
Veil bobbed her head and said, "You can say that."
The doctor chuckled at the reply and said, "Oh, I know what that means. I wonder how that happened."
Veil turned her gaze to the wound to find a pad covering it. The doctor gestured to it and said, "Sangheili skin is too tough for us to stitch the wound, so instead we put this pad on, which increases cell regrowth. Like stick-on biofoam."
Veil nodded her head, then turned back to the doorway. The marines were gone now, leaving her to stare at a blank door.
The doctor sighed and said, "It's probably gonna be a while. You look like you could get something to eat. Get your mind off the situation."
Veil turned back to the doctor and said, "I'm not sure about just going and getting something to eat. Especially alone."
The doctor slightly nodded her head, then metallic footsteps approached the two from the entrance. They both turned to see Harry now standing next to them, his armor still filthy from the fall.
Harry turned to Veil and said, "You won't be alone. Come on, you haven't eaten all day."
Veil stared at the Spartan, then looked back at the door hiding Jack before she nodded her head and stood up off the bed. The Spartan nodded to the doctor, then led Veil out of the medbay.
It wasn't long until they reached the mess hall, which was mostly empty. Harry put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Just sit, I'll get you something."
Veil nodded, then walked forward to the closest table. As she looked around, she realized how similar it looked to the mess hall on the Insurrectionists. The only difference was that all the tables were upright.
As she sat down, she turned to see Harry walking away from where the food was, carrying a platter. She turned to look at the few people in the room, but they weren't paying either her or the Spartan any attention.
She turned to the sound of Harry placing the platter on the table, then he sat across from her. Veil looked at the Spartan, then asked, "Shouldn't you be taking that armor off? The mission is done."
Harry shook his head and said, "I have no time for now. Once you and Jack are dealt with, I'm moving on."
That doesn't sound good. Veil tilted her head curiously and asked, "Dealt with?"
Harry sighed and said, "I mean, ONI made a promise. We have Six, now you get your little citizenship thing. Free passage. The good ending. They just have to ask you a few things to properly take care of it, and the ONI agent is on their way to this ship to ask you those things."
Veil nodded with a sigh and asked, "I should be happy then, shouldn't I?"
Harry pushed the platter towards her and said, "You're just worried about Jack. He's alive, no matter what happens in that medbay. That's what you should focus on. I mean, if he didn't know about that jetpack, he would've died for sure."
Veil stared at the food, not exactly feeling hungry, and asked, "How'd you know?"
Harry laid back on his seat and said, "Marines chatter. The ones who pulled me from my personal crater talked about what was seen. I can see why ONI wanted him so badly. If he was a Spartan, I can guarantee he could've caught Six on our first try."
Veil picked up one of the pieces of food and asked, "So, this ONI will stay out of his business from now on? We can leave without their eyes on our backs?"
Harry lightly chuckled, which caught Veil offguard. It was a strange noise to hear coming from a demon. He then nodded and said, "Yes, I'm sure of it. You seem to learn quickly, already being distrustful of ONI."
Veil nodded and said, "If Jack has reason to have distrust over them, I don't trust them either. He knows them better than I do."
She slowly began eating, some of the Spartan's words slightly calming her nerves. The food didn't taste as good as it did last time, but she assumed it was simply because of her nerves. He watched as the Spartan changed his posture and simply looked off into the mess hall.
She looked up at the Spartan and asked, "How long until I can talk to him?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders without looking at her and said, "Could be a day, who knows. I'm not a doctor, just a soldier. So, after you eat, you should head off to bed."
Veil nodded, then said, "And, thank you, for being my cushion."
Harry nodded and said, "Was a pleasure. It was actually the first time I fell out of a ship too. Glad I did it right."
Veil watched as the Spartan continued to stare off into the room. She appreciated him at least being here, but his presence wasn't exactly the most comfortable. They may have fought together, but he was still an intimidating figure to look at. It must have been years of watching demons slaughter her fellow soldiers that made her naturally detest being around them.
Half of the food still sat on the platter, but Veil didn't want to eat anything else. Harry must've noticed, then grabbed the platter and said, "You should rest. I'll let you know when Jack's in a condition to talk."
Veil nodded as she stood up from the table and made her way out of the mess hall. As she left, she turned to see the Spartan still staring off, probably deep in thought. It was strange, seeing such a powerful soldier being so soft.
She walked through the mostly empty halls, making her way to where she remembered the private quarters. It wasn't long until she reached the familiar doorway. As she opened it, she was greeted by the large room, something Jack found quite strange.
The bed was still unmade, the blankets laid out just as they were when she and Jack woke up. As she walked in, she realized she was still carrying that duffel bag. Her mind was so focused on other things, she had forgotten she had it. She placed it carefully next to the bed and turned her attention to her own armor. She grunted as she started to remove the armor from her body. A difficult process, especially with the back plate. It took her some time, but she was finally able to angle her hand and push the back plate off, listening to it fall onto the ground. The rest would be relatively simple.
She carefully placed the armor against the wall, then turned to the duffel bag. She opened it and peered at the dirty armor. Even if Jack wasn't going to use it again, a warrior's armor was something to hold on to and keep clean. It was an important part of his life, and she would be sure it looked presentable once he was no longer being cared for by the doctors.
As she looked at his armor, she turned to look at her armor as well. She hadn't noticed at first, but they were quite dirty as well. She was going to have a bit of work ahead of her, but that was fine to her. The work would give her something to focus on, and it would help tire her so she could get some sleep.
Veil stood up with the duffel bag and carried it to the bathroom, then moved her armor into it as well. She walked in and peered into the shower, wondering how to clean them properly. The shower head seemed to have a hose connecting it to the wall as it hung up overhead. She grabbed the shower head and moved it, her theory proven right as it came off quite easily. She carefully turned the water on and began cleaning the armor.
She had learned to clean armor when she was young. She remembered her mother showing her how with what she assumed was her father's first armor. AT first, Veil complained about why she was learning to clean when she could be training like the boys, but her mother was quick with an explanation. Her mother had explained how a warrior's armor was a part of them, and like themselves, they should keep the armor well maintained. Like the warrior themselves, no matter how peaceful the times may be, the armor and warrior must both be prepared for war at any time.
During her time in the Covenant, Veil would always make sure her armor was cleaned spotless after a battle, when she had the time. Though her fellow soldiers would usually keep their armor clean, none other shined like hers. Though, that only ever mattered to her. Her officer's never cared, if anything they would laugh at the effort, seeing it as her making up for not doing the housework females were supposed to do.
She slowly started humming as she cleaned the armor, shifting from the bathroom back to her old home on Sanghelios. A feeling of comfort surrounded her as she wandered back to her home. She could almost feel the presence of her mother behind her, watching her carefully as Veil scrubbed the armor.
When the job was done, her mother carefully observed her work. After years of watching her husband clean his armor after a long battle, watching carefully as he scrubbed it, she knew what a finished job looked like. And for once, she didn't hand the armor back to Veil to be cleaned again. Today, she gave Veil a grunt of approval.
Veil was ripped from her mind as she felt her head getting pelted by water. She threw her head back to see she had leaned all the way into the shower while she was cleaning. She looked down to see all of the armor was as clean as she could get it. She knew for a fact Jack wouldn't care if his armor wasn't perfect, he'd probably be grateful if all she did was run some water over it, let alone scrubbing all the dirt and grime off it.
She was more used to cleaning her own armor, which was as spotless as it always is afterwards. She carefully put all the armor away and turned her head towards the bed. The plan had worked, she was a bit tired now. Hopefully by the time she woke up, Jack would be awake. Even then, she had no idea how long they'd be on this ship. He fell from a ship, there was going to be a period of recovery he'd have to go through until they can leave.
A sigh escaped Veil as she turned the lights off to the room. These questions would get answered soon enough, she knew it. There was no point keeping herself up thinking about it.
Veil laid herself into the bed, though something was off. She let out a groan as she realized what was off. She already longed for Jack's grasp in bed. It wouldn't be too much longer until she can feel it again, but for something she's only felt once, she wanted it badly. With him, she fell asleep quickly, his warmth comforting her more than any blanket could. Now, especially with her anxiety over Jack's condition, she would be having her usual trouble falling asleep.
Despite sleeping in a comfortable and large bed, Veil awoke quite stiff. She let out a quiet grumble as she raised her head, wondering what woke her up, when she saw the door open. On the other side of the door was Harry, though he seemed focused on a datapad at the moment.
She was wondering for a second why he was here, then jumped out of the bed with realization. Harry turned with surprise at her sudden quick movement, and before he could say anything, Veil raced up to him and asked, "Is Jack ok? Is he awake?"
Harry waved his hands to calm her down and said, "He's fine, Veil. He's ok. He just woke up in one of the recovery rooms. Follow me."
She nodded, and without even bothering to put her armor on, she followed the Spartan out of her room. Her pace was faster than Harry's, Veil constantly having to slow down to keep following him. As usual, there were few men walking the halls, but the ones that were turned their heads to look at her as she passed. She didn't know why, and she didn't care. There were more important matters at hand.
Soon, they reached the medbay, then Harry led into it and towards a wall lined with doors. He stopped next to one door, then motioned for her to go in. Veil nodded her head in thanks, then simply stepped towards the door and watched it open. On the other side was a small private room, with a small bed, chair, table, and life support system. Luckily, the system wasn't currently in use, and she could see Jack lying on the bed.
As the door shut behind her, Jack turned his head to her with a smile and said, "Hey honey, did you bring me flowers?"
Veil let out a sigh of relief from his comment, then stepped next to him and asked, "How much do you hurt?"
Jack gestured to his legs and said, "Only my legs hurt, especially when they get moved. I only just woke up, doc hasn't given me a diagnosis yet."
Right after his sentence, the door opened and a doctor walked in, clipboard in his hands. He chuckled as he saw the two and said, "I see I was beat here."
Jack nodded to the doctor and asked, "Alright doc, give me the news."
The doctor shifted his glasses as he peered at the clipboard and said, "Good news, fortunately. I know you ODST's don't speak medical, so I'll make it simple. Your legs got fucked, but we were able to save them. For the next week, I suggest you simply lay there. If you must go somewhere, you will require a wheelchair. After that, you should reacquire mobility in your legs, though it will be painful. So, I highly suggest, emphasis on the highly, that you use the wheelchair for the next two weeks as well. But, knowing you ODST's, you probably won't use my advice, huh?"
Jack chuckled and said, "You know my kind too well, doc."
The doctor grumbled and said, "Unfortunately. Anyway, I will prescribe you with painkillers and such, the usual. But, after a week, I will sign you off for leave. When that time comes, if you do not use my advice, I suggest you take your time, don't over-exert yourself. After the next three weeks, there will still be pain for a bit, but that's normal. It should all be good in a little over a month. That's when you can run a marathon if you so wish."
Jack gave him a small salute and said, "Thanks for the work, doc."
The doctor nodded and said, "Thank you for your work. I will check on you everyday this week, so you'll be seeing plenty of me. For now, that's it. I'll leave you two be."
He ended his statement with a nod of his head, then he walked backwards out of the room, leaving Veil and Jack alone. Jack turned back to Veil with a chuckle and said, "I wondered how long he'd stick around. Well, you heard him. I get to keep my legs!"
Veil nodded her head and said, "Thankfully. But we will have to wait a week until we can leave this place."
Jack sighed and said, "It'll be worth it. Soon enough, I'll be able to take you home. I can't wait to show you Earth."
He then reached out to grab one of her hands she was resting on the bed and said, "And anyway, it won't be too bad with you here."
A confidence stirred in Veil, and as she held onto his hand, she leaned forward to his face and quietly said, "If anything, I can make the time enjoyable, if you so wish."
She watched his face turn slightly red, but a grin formed on his face and he said, "Of course, but nothing too aggressive, my legs aren't in a good enough condition."
Veil felt his hand gently press against the side of her face, a very comforting feeling. She shut her mandibles and moved her head with the slight movements of his hand. His lips pressed against her mandibles in what she was told was a kiss, how human's show their love for each other. She could sense no hunger or lust in Jack, only his soft and warm affection towards her.
She easily fell in love with the feeling, and was glad she learned of it. She remembered questioning the doctor, Kal, back on Sanghelios about humans. He was able to give her a lot of insight on human norms, which is how she knew how to kiss Jack back on the Frigate. Then, she did it out as a huge wave of relief washed over her, seeing him still alive.
After some time, the two parted, Veil keeping her mandibles shut as she took a few quiet breaths. After a second of silence, Veil said, "I enjoy doing that a lot."
Jack smiled and said, "Hey, just ask if you want to, I'll gladly oblige. If anything, just do it whenever you want to. I'll be sure to catch on quickly."
She let out a small chuckle, then shut her mandibles again as she slightly drew her head back. Jack stared at her, then chuckled and said, "You know, you look adorable with your mandibles shut like that. Don't see too many Sangheili doin' it."
Veil lowered her head as she peered up at him and said, "You do not see it because you've only seen Sangheili warriors, who care little for their manners. Keeping them open would be like if humans walked around with their mouths wide open."
As she held her position, she thought she saw Jack shiver a little. She slightly tilted her head in confusion, then he laughed and said, "It's just the way you're looking at me right now. It's uh… getting to me. In a good way."
Veil peered at him, then chuckled and said, "You speak like a child who's parent is watching over them. I'm not embarrassed to hear you say my actions put you in a mating mood."
She watched his face redden more, but he started laughing and said, "That's such a weird way of saying it!"
She nodded and said, "Yes, for you humans. But, I guess you'd rather leave those things until we are away from the closely monitored military ships."
She then gestured to a small camera in the corner of the room she'd noticed, then Jack nodded and said, "Yeah, don't want to give the security monitors content for tonight. Plus, it's not like it will be that long. It's only a week until no more ONI bullshit, no more missions, just us."
Veil let out a soft sigh as she sat down on the chair next to him. Like he said, only a week until her new life will begin. With what she's gone through, she was confident it would all be fine. Plus, she'd get to meet Jack's father. She wondered what he'd be like. She knew Jack described him as talkative, but to what extent? Excitement grew in her, and she was more than ready to settle down on an alien world with an alien partner, all things she never would've dreamed of as a child.
-ONI Interrogative Agent-
She readjusted the folders in her hands as she walked down a hall, two Marine's on both sides. She was nervous, very nervous. She's dealt with aliens, Insurrectionists, and even maniacs who live just to terrorize other people. But today, she was going to be dealing with a Spartan. And not any normal Spartan.
They all stopped outside of two doors that were close to each other. A man stepped out of one of the doors, then extended his hand and said, "Nice to see you, ma'am. The prisoner is waiting inside. We haven't spoken to him yet, so you get first crack."
She shook the man's hand and asked, "It's a pleasure, but why me? I've never dealt with a Spartan."
The man grinned and said, "If anything, you've probably dealt with tougher Sangheili to crack. Plus, you were the closest, and we wanted to get this underway and soon as possible. Get as much out of him as possible, whether it has to do with how he survived, what he has to do with the Insurrectionists, where they are, anything. I have faith in you."
She gave him a nod, then he walked through one of the two doors. The second door opened, revealing a small interrogation room. Sitting across a metal table was a large man, the Spartan. He had a bad burn on half his face, and was immediately staring her down.
She walked in and took a seat in front of him, sitting the folders down on the table. She was nervous, but she wasn't going to let him intimidate her. She gestured to herself and said, "I'm Agent Nile Brownly, and you are Spartan-B312, or Noble Six, correct?"
The Spartan didn't move his head or make any noise. He simply stared at her, keeping a cold and emotionless look on his face.
The Agent sighed and said, "Let me make it clear. You went rogue, ran off from ONI, and was seen working with Insurrectionists. There are very serious consequences coming your way. If you can be cooperative, and tell me everything, or at least as much as possible, maybe we can work something out to help you in the end."
She was staring at the Spartan, who stayed silent. She let out a soft groan, then was about to turn to her folders when she heard a grunt come from the Spartan. She shot her gaze up to him, surprised to hear anything from him.
After a few seconds, the Spartan shifted his position and said, "Tell me who that ODST was."
Nile was confused, then tilted her head and asked, "What ODST? What are you…"
The Spartan leaned forward, making Nile naturally lean back, then he said, "Tell me his name, that's all I want. His name, then I'll tell you everything."
Nile stared at him blankly, then asked, "That information is classified, sir. Unfortunately I cannot disclose such…"
The Spartan leaned farther forward, the sound of his handcuffs clanking against themselves, then said, "It's just a name. A name for all the information you could want. Right her, right now."
Nile stared at him, then turned back to the one way mirror behind her. Atfer a few seconds of weighing her options, she turned back and asked, "And you'll give us everything?"
The Spartan nodded and said, "You have my word, ma'am."
After a few seconds of silence, Nile turned to her folders and started flipping through them. The Spartan laid back in his seat as he watched her search, a small smile forming on his lips.
Hey, hey it's me. Hope you enjoyed the words above these words. Took me a bit to get done, but it happened. The next chapters are honestly the ones I've been most excited to write.
There really isn't much for me to say here this time, so I'm gonna leave it at that. I hope you have a good day or night!