Aniko laughed with her other squamates in their locker room as drinks and food were shared. Each one had known each other since the second year at the Academy. The first year was a simple test, both in personality and skill. Who could do what, what the future Spartan's are like, their temperament, their likes, dislikes, and more. Once done, they are then assigned into an 8-man squad. Each member being hand picked by former Oni operatives to create a squad with the best synergy for combat.
They trained together, they lived together and did everything together creating a bond similar to that of the Spartan IIs. Alone, they are lethal, together they are unstoppable. That was the idea, granted it didn't always work out, but it was better than kidnapping children and forcing them to become soldiers at a young age.
"Our first taste of combat," Alan, said as he took a drink of beer.
"And all of us made it out," Rina said as she took a bite out of some bacon before picking up her drink holding it up. "To the fallen,"
"To the fallen," the others echoed raising their own drinks before taking a swig.
Outside, Six smiled as she listened into their conversation. For most of her life, she had been a lone wolf. Joining squads such as Noble Team were the odd occasions when she joined a team because someone needed replacing. But that was just her, how she operated and she knew the benefits of being in a team. With Aniko being in a squad, it gave her more than just a professional relief.
It gave her relief as a mother to see that her daughter would be looked after. As smile crawled across her face as an idea came to mind. She hit the door controls and entered. The laughing and cheering stopped as Aniko's squad stood at attention. She walked up to their little picnic before looking at the Spartans before her.
"I have heard what you all did, and I'm impressed with each one of you," her eyes then set on Aniko with a smirk. "Especially you," she wrapped her arm around her daughter's neck pulling the surprised Spartan down and rubbing her head with her knuckles.
"Mom stop please," an embarrassed Aniko said her face flushed with embarrassment and her squad mates looking on with amusement.
Six stopped allowing her daughter to pull herself up before embracing her in a hug. "Good work, keep it up," Six said and Aniko held her mother as well for a moment before the two pulled away. "Well, my job as a parent is done for today, enjoy your meal," she said before leaving.
As the door closed, Six listened in as Aniko's squad mates began to tease her about being a mother's girl. Shaking her head Six left her once pleased expression falling as new duties came to mind.
OOOOO Spartan hights, Kenosha.
Kelly sat down looking at the carpet in front of her. She had been back for the past few days after the doctors were forced to kick her out. But that hadn't stopped her from brooding about what happened. Both she and Athena had cried all day when she came back. The fact that she would never see her father again was a hard blow for the both of them. To the side of her was the report from the Federations intelligence division.
She had read it, multiple times. It detailed what the division had found about the attack on the hospital. The name of the group, where they were located, the members, their goals, everything was in that report. Parisa had given it to her, telling her to do what she would like with the information. But the one thing she did ask in return was to alert the police department on what she was going to do.
If she did do something, no one would stop her. If she did nothing, it would become the area of the police. It was all up to her. As the sun began to set, she stood and moved over to a false wall. A simple press on it opened it revealing the contents inside. Inside was a small armoury filled with both civilian and military weapons. In the middle was her old armour as well as a set of armour that wasn't quite like power armour, but a prototype made for basic soldiers in mind.
Unlike the regular marine and army armour, this set had a shield generator inside giving the trooper greater protection. But the cost and materials needed prevented full scale production, and Misriah armoury gave her one of the prototypes as a wedding gift and an incentive to continue working for them. She sighed and was about to close the wall before she opened it up again looking at the armour again. Her hand beginning to twitch she moved up and grabbed the prototype armour. There was only one way she could settle this.
OOOOO Kenosha Capital Police Department.
Chief Cho-li looked over the reports for the latest arrests and intelligence about the gangs with a sigh. Being the Capital of one of the Warlord's wasn't dull, but it was annoying as some things just never seemed to stop. Rubbing his cropped black hair, he leaned back and rubbed his eyes feeling a headache coming on. As he finished, he then noticed an alert on his terminal.
He opened up the file failing to supress an annoyed sigh escaping his lips. The then called for several of his captains to come to his office. As the fifth one entered, the door locked and the group took their seats.
"We are to stay out of the Ironcrust district," he said. "Orders from the president,"
The Capitan's blinked in confusion. "Why?" one of them asked.
"The area is going to be 'cleaned out'," Cho said and a wave of understanding entered the expressions of the Capitan's.
"I'll get my force ready for the aftermath of a gang fight," one said with agreements soon following.
OOOOO Unoccupied sector F-4, Ironcrust dockyard.
A car dove up to the parking lot of sector F-4. Kelly sat behind the wheel for one moment before climbing out and walking over to the boot of the vehicle. With a final sigh, she opened up the boot and took out her armour and weapons. Her shotgun, a pistol, a smg and several magazines. Enough to take down a small army. It didn't taker her long to fit the armour on and strap her weapons in place.
The final piece was a modified ODST helmet with a skull faceplate instead of the polarized glass. She slid it on her head and let it run though systems check before moving out.
The dark of the night allowed her to move stealthily across two more dock sectors before reaching one that was occupied. Using a ladder to climb up to a crane, she got a good look at her target, Dockyard sector F-2. The area was similar to the other dockyard sectors around. One large warehouse along with seven smaller ones and around a dozen utility buildings. Unlike the other sectors around it, this one was the only occupied one with 20 people dressed in worker clothing. But they were anything but workers. Their stance was too alert and betrayed their military training, pistols strapped to their thighs and hidden light armour. But it was the little details that were important. Their armour was hidden, but not well meaning that they weren't experienced in infiltration.
It was also clear that their guarding skills were good either, as several openings made itself clear to Kelly. After an hour, she climbed down the crane and began to move towards the big warehouse, a silenced pistol in hand.
OOOOO Warehouse F-2.
The sense of jubilation wasn't diminished among the gang as Jace looked over the map and plan. The attack on the hospital was just one of many plans they had to discredit the Spartans. They weren't human, they weren't the saviours of humanity. They were freaks of nature, child slaves who did more damage than the Covenant ever did. It was them who caused humanity to fracture, they are the ones fighting against each other for power.
This wasn't meant to happen; this was meant to be the golden age of humanity. Not the age of the Spartan Warlords. It was up to him and the purifiers to rid the galaxy of these freaks of nature. He tapped the Academy next. But he knew the problem with that. With the bomb going off at the hospital, everywhere was on lockdown, especially the military and Spartan areas. That was going to be a problem.
Wait too long, and the message won't get out. Move too quickly, and they'll get caught out. There was a period between that they needed to take advantage of. When security became lax, that's when they strike. The radio crackled to life and a panicked voice came though.
"Something…." he tried to say but the voice cut off.
All eyes in the room turned to the radio before at each other and they all went for the closest weapon. After cocking their weapons, the command team kept their eyes open as they looked around. The slightest noise made them react.
Kelly moved along the piping into the room where the command team was, looking over the 8-man squad. Twitchy, nervous, scared. Not normal soldiers, or at least they are rookies. Little experience, little skill, little nerves. She jumped down from the piping and landed in front of them scaring the murders in front of her. Their guns began to shake in their hands as they saw the faceplate.
She reached up and took off her helmet letting her red mane flow out. Her eyes narrowed as she looked from one scared face to the other. One approached.
"What are you doing here freak?" he asked.
Kelly said nothing as she reached over to grab her shotgun. One of the murders fired his pistol, but the round bounced off the shield making them all back up. Soon her shotgun was in her hand and she looked at each of the people in front of her.
"You are the ones responsible for bombing Sparta Hospital. You are the ones who killed mu husband, and my baby," the eyes of the murders widened as the reality of what they did hit them.
But one just held his gaze at the Spartan. "So what?" he asked shocking his members. "You are just an inhuman freak! You are a…" he was silenced as his head exploded.
Kelly's shotgun smoked as she pulled the pump back and loaded another shell into the chamber. The people around her then tried to fire or run, but after a moment, only she was standing with six shells on the floor, her shotgun empty. Dropping her shotgun, she took her pistol out and shot each one in the head. Making sure that they are dead. With that done, she placed her pistol back onto her mag-lock before grabbing her shotgun and helmet.
She didn't look back as she walked out of the warehouse. Every room, every corridor wasn't without blood. Her mind was blank as she made her way back outside. As she stepped outside, several Martian police cars arrived. One of them yelled at her making her stop and look towards them. They had their guns up, but one of them approached. He was armed and armoured, but had his weapon pointing down.
They just looked at each other for a moment before the cop nodded and turned to his men. "Move in, remember this was done by another gang. There was no one else here,"
The cops looked to one another with confusion before understanding emerged on their faces and they moved to secure the area. Kelly nodded and made her way back to her car.
OOOOO 3 days later.
Kelly looked down at the drain as she finished her shower. The dirt and grime she felt was finally gone. The emotions were still there, but they were beginning to calm down. it would take a while, but acceptance would soon allow her to move on with her life. Grabbing a towel, she dried herself down before fitting a pair of lose fitting trousers and tank-top on.
Grabbing a bowl of cold rice, she moved over to her terminal and activated it. The chevron emblem of Misriah armoury appeared on it. With a sigh, she began to type and began her new life.