Chapter 4: Grif has a Visitor

He looked at his orange armoured feet. The concrete floor below echoed a feeling of reminiscence. As the sun glared off his side visor, he looked up from the concrete squares to see a railroad track at the very edge of the structure he occupied. The station, he pondered. The same station that I used when I was younger to run away and join the army. He stood up to see the tracks on both sides lead off into a far, far away distance. He walked forward to see the vibrant green prairie fields, with a single tree to the left and a small pond. And from one end to the other, the limitless stretch of the tracks created a very uneventful feeling. What is it that I'm hoping for by being out here, why have I waited so long here?

I came here after taking the first bus I could out of the city, he pondered with a deep breath. He walked back to his seat and sat his weight down upon it. Why am I back here?

A yellow foot came into his peripheral vision, and it inched closer to his own. He followed the yellow foot up to notice the yellow armour that was attached to it. Kaikaina..., he pondered as he met her distracted stare. She too looked out into the distance with her hands placed gently together on her lap. He looked out to the field and sat up straight. Are you taken aback by this view as well?

"Big bro," she said, finally breaking the silence as she had his full attention. "Why did you leave us, why did you leave mom and me?"

Grif stood up to see her follow his every action now. "I, I-"

"Why did you let me die?" she asked, no malice was present, no emotions, just the curiosity to get answers to her desperate questions. She stood up to meet his level, held his arms tightly and stared like a predatory hawk. Grif instantly turned his head back out towards the prairies. He looked at the horizon of the grass and gradually increased the strength to his arms. He broke free, nearly tripping back in the process. Grif quickly created some distance between them as he held his hands close, closed off and afraid. "I left because I just needed to get away from everything that was happening with our family at that time in my life!"

"You know," she whispered, she stepped closer as he stepped back in response. She inched closer again and he further away. She rushed up until he hand no more room to run. Mere centimetres away, he felt the intensity of her glare from behind her visor even though her eyes were covered. She clenched her hands into fists and shouted at the top of her lungs, "You are a coward!"

Grif let her voice die down slowly, and as it quietened and her breaths calmed, he gently nodded his head. "You are right, I'm a coward. But you are wrong about me leaving you to die, I never left you to die!"

"But I'm dead," she pushed her fist against his chest. He gripped the point of contact as it left an instant mark of stinging pain. Sister held her brother by his collar armour and pulled him back further into the station. "You didn't try hard enough to stop it from happening, you failed, you failed not only yourself, or me, but also mom. You are a failure!"

As Grif made heavy contact with the concrete blocks, he let out a gruff moan. A most unpleasant snap echoed from his shoulder much to his dismay. He turned to face her once more, but she was no more. He was alone, all alone on the station again. But the loud creaking of the metal alerted his senses as he stared to his left only to see the Pelican wreckage. His heart beat quickened, his breath deepened and he felt his legs shake with absolute terror, as if his worst possibility has come to life. The noises of the wind had stopped, and the echoes of the hull had died down. There was only a long, desperate, and a pained moan escape the various confines of the Pelican. The muffled moan, that the Pelican failed to hold back caused the orange soldier to stand in quiet.

"Why?"

His eyes widened at the whisper he heard. He shook his head and quickly covered his ear pieces.

"Where are you big bro?" Sister's weep escaped the Pelican, as her attempts to remain strong failed and the pain took over her body. "Am I dying? Where is my big brother? I don't want to die like this."

I know, I know Kaikaina..., he gripped his chest tightly for it began to lit a fire on his body. His whole body was coated in an unbearable heat as he felt his blood pressure rise, and his legs slowly gave out and he fell back into the chair. I know you didn't want to die.

Grif's eyes suddenly split open as he stared at the blank wall, that stared back at him. He looked at the emptiness of the wall, and evaluated the emptiness within him. Like a mirror, the wall reflected, and like a coward, he filtered out the undesired. He turned his head towards the door at loud sounds outside. Laughter, I wonder when it was I last did that?

Back towards the wall, he rested his head atop his forearm and wondered, how nice it would be to not be constantly haunted by those long gone. He suddenly heard someone clearing their throat. From the voice alone he knew who it was. As the red figure bent down by his bedside, he was asked, "How long do you plan on being a lazy potato, numb nuts?"

Grif remained quiet as he squeezed his body to the center of its gravity. His limbs drew close to one another like a magnet, into a fetal position. Sarge shook his head and said, "If you keep going like this, you will turn into jelly. You will certainly become someone not worthy of anyone's respect, and most certainly, you will never be a leader."

"I have already lost the respect of some," Grif stated. "What does a few more matter?"

Sarge stood up and walked around the room, carefully avoiding the littered pieces of garbage from the chips, sweets and junk food. "I don't recall having such a pessimistic soldier on my team. You had grown out of it."

"Then you never bothered looking well enough," Grif rebutted as he watched the ex-red leader dance about the room. Sarge walked closer and bent down to be close to Grif's ears. "Maybe you are right, but what would Simmons think if he saw this, especially after leaving you in charge?"

In a sudden motion, Grif turned around from the wall to see Sarge already on the other side of the room. The orange one gritted his teeth and stood up with heavy footsteps. "You know what, I never asked to be the leader!"

Grif pointed out at the red figure and felt his valves release. "It was Simmons' selfishness that put this burden on me, I never wanted to lead or anything. I just wanted to live my life in peace!"

He quickly picked up a nearby pen with a tight grip. "You, you are nothing but a useless ghost!"

He threw it with a strong motion as it flew with the sharp tip first. The hallucination quickly dissipated into a red foggy mist. Grif felt his heart beat hard against his chest as he breathed in deep, and out. He sat down by his bed side and held his forehead with a splitting headache. "Fuck me, fuck you, fuck everything..."

In the center of the canyon, a giant mantis robot followed diligently behind the blue soldier, Caboose. Freckles happily blinked his flashlight as a sign of joy for this was their fourth round today out on their walk. Sheila surveyed their surrounding area, and noted how beautiful the day seemed, however it did so like any other day. Caboose looked back up to the giant robot and agreed, "Although you look very metallic and beautiful today Sheila, way more pretty than the weather!"

"Oh my," Sheila became flustered as she gently turned her body away. "Thank you for your compliment Private Caboose."

"So, are you ready to meet new people now?"

"No," she instantly answered only to meet his child like moans. He stomped his foot and asked, "When will you be ready?"

She stared at the blue soldier in silence as the words became too sparse and difficult to formulate. Caboose looked down at Freckles and stared back up with a manly determination she rarely saw in him. "I'm next in line, and I don't want to miss my chance!"

"I would advise against discussing this any further Captain Caboose," Freckles noted as he sensed Sheila's discomfort. "You lack tact at the moment."

Sheila let out a rare laughter that very few are ever graced with in person. She bent down to Freckle's level and leaned closer. "Freckles, if you had a body of your own outside of being a gun, I may reconsider seeing new people again."

"Wh- what about me?" Caboose moaned as he hid Freckles behind him. Sheila stood back up with a thoughtful sigh. "Private Caboose, I see you as a very good friend, but nothing more. I hope that has made things clear once and for all."

"Oh," his head tilted down towards the ground. His once manly stance weakened into a young boy not knowing what to do next, terrified of the rejection he just received. His head lowered even further as he felt a frown on his face. Sheila bent down once again and gently tapped his shoulder with her arm cannon. "You are a sweet guy Caboose, you will find someone eventually that is just the right fit for you."

"Well I would rather it be you," he mumbled. She stood back up and continued to walk ahead of the two. "I have a play date with Daisy now. We promised to paint one another's nails, it's so exciting!"

"How would someone with no hands paint their nails?" Caboose pondered as Sheila disappeared towards Red base. Freckles echoed a noticeable static as his sound system started. "Perhaps she could always get her arm cannons painted instead."

"Oh, that's good thinking," Caboose rested the bottom of his fist against his palm. "I hope she gets the colour blue. Blue is the best colour of them all!"

Atop Blue base, Cholo and Marcus stood to stare out into the event-less canyon. Marcus crossed his arms in frustration as the heat began to get to him. "Hey, do you ever wonder why we stand up here like idiots all the time? I mean, surely we can be doing something better with our lives right now."

Cholo stood still, his intense gaze out towards Red base caused his partner to tilt his head in curiosity. "Hello, Cholo, you there?"

"Shh," Cholo reached out to place a finger of Marcus' helmet. As the displeasure became evident by the way of a violent grip, Marcus too looked in the direction of the Red base. "What's going on over there right now that you felt the need to earn this punishment?"

"I give in, I give in, please let go of the Mexican man!" Cholo begged as he rubbed his finger upon release. "Can't you hear it, the sounds of running water?"

Marcus leaned over the roof, stretched his body out in the direction of the Red base and placed one hand near his ear. "I don't hear anything."

"Of course you wouldn't my dear Marcus," Cholo smuggly replied. "This skill takes years of training and punishment."

"Punish- ooh," Marcus quickly turned away, threw his hands behind his back and walked towards the entrance entrance of Blue base. Cholo jumped down to the surprise of Marcus. "Where are you going?"

Cholo looked back as he ran in the direction of the Red base. "I will be back in a bit!"

His eyes were wide opened, nose sniffed about and a tail perked up he rushed towards Red base. Like a curious dog, he reached to one of the sides of the base. Marcus stared in awe. "Talk about motivation, I bet he could even beat Caboose in a race if this was the prize."

Cholo stealthily moved about with his back against the wall. He scooted over to his right, slowly as he noticed some steam escape an open window. Oh, this is it, the prize is just there within my reach. He slowly rose to the height of the window where he saw the golden birdie. It's Bonnie, in the shower, jackpot! Would have been better if it was Daisy, but Bonnie is kind of cute as well. His nose flared with excitement, the blood rushed downward just as he caught a peek of her butt. Just a little higher, he thought, and just as he seemingly reached his goal, she instantly turned to face him. His face went pale, she lessened the distance between them with her dead pan fish eyed glare. His first response, panic, his next response, salute her. "G-Good day Bonnie, nice day we are having right?"

He pointed back and forth from the Red base to himself. "I was just doing the rounds to make sure everything is in order, good news, it is."

"Oh really?" Daisy inquired from behind him as she held him in a tight grip by his shoulders. "So peeking on Bonnie was a part of this patrol of yours?"

"Maybe, glad to report everything is in order there as well."

"There as well?"

"Her body," he sheepishly smiled underneath the helmet. "Great news, she is a perfectly healthy female."

His smile was quickly wiped as soon as he saw Bonnie exit the base, wrapped in a towel. "Am I now?"

Cholo knew what was to come next as he swallowed a bit of his own saliva. He braced himself for the worst. Bonnie quickly raised one leg and smashed his head against the ground. He looked up at her from the side of his eyes, and he did his best to be quiet. "Oh, pink with frills, cute."

God dammit, why can't I keep quiet in situations like these?! He pondered as he visibly saw her face flare up like a volcano, exploding into the air. She raised her foot once more, and like the hammer of judgment in a court, she let it fall on his face a great many times. The last restraint was long gone, she lifted him up and punched him in the stomach with a whisper, "You do realize that you are a dead man, right?"

"I have seen too much, clearly."

"I'm glad that you understand your position so well," Bonnie growled as she continued to punch and bitch-slap him. Marcus watched the scene from afar with a huge grin cracked on his face. Man, I wish I had some popcorn with me right now, this is much better than just the two of us standing up here like retarded mooks all day long.

Bonnie held him up high to the surprise of Daisy. Even she sometimes forgot just how strong Bonnie had gotten in basic training, and how well she had maintained her fitness. Bonnie balled one hand into a fist, lowered it to her side and quickly let it cut through the air as it slashed upwards into a falcon punch!

With a loud, high-pitched scream, the Mexican man flew high up into the air, as free as a wingless bird. A punch that was strong enough to send him all the way across the canyon sent shivers down Marcus' spine. "I sure wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that."

Cholo landed face first atop Blue base's roof. A small fountain of crimson spluttered out from Cholo's head. Marcus could only imagine there to be a pit of blood with a teeny tiny brain somewhere in there, a yet an unknown discovery. Marcus bent down beside him as he poked his friend's still body. "You still alive?"

A shaky thumb up rose into the air as he gargled up some blood. "I have seen the beautiful gates of pleasure that can never be unseen now Marcus, it was amazing. But now, I need you to do me a favour, get a medic...ugh...please...glargh!"

"Well you can talk, so that's a good sign for you at least."

"Please, the medic, I may have experienced brain damage."

"If only that were the case, it would be a blessing in disguise," Marcus chuckled as he quickly retreated into the base for the emergency medical care bag.

On Earth, a lone island stood in the middle of a violent ocean. The waves crashed hard against the rocks, and retreated just as wildly. At one edge of the island, there stood a concrete dock. A loud echo of a boat was nearly dulled out by the sharp gust of the wind. At the edge of the dock, stood a man in the standard issue ODST uniform, however lightly armoured for he was no soldier, but a prison guard. He looked down beneath his feet as he gently tapped the concrete edge and found tiny pieces crumble away. Hmph, this place just keeps on falling apart and the warden doesn't bother to do anything about it, not that there is money for it to begin with. The boat parked against the side of the dock, and the guard inside exited to lead the prisoners out. Many of the prisoners peered up at the sky to take notice of the high metallic walls, that surround the prison. One of the prisoners hissed under his own breath as he spat into the ocean. "What a fucking place to end up in. Fuck that lawyer and judge!"

"Get used to it," the guard replied as he stared back at the group. "This will be your new home. That goes for all of you, get used to seeing these walls!"

The overpowering entrance to the prison left them all at the mercy of what little kindness may reside behind these walls. One by one, they walked past the entrance to the stares of the other prisoners in the yard lots, and the guards on duty in the towers and walkways above.

"Welcome sweetheart, nice ass!" shouted one of the prisoners as the group kept their head low, and followed the guard in front like a flock of sheep. The guards all looked at the new batch with contempt. One shook his head as he continued his rounds. "Great, more leeches to take up space on this island."

An elderly man followed the crowd with his head lowered. He gazed from one sides to the other occasionally, as the group neared the entrance to the prison building. In the search area, they all stripped bare as the guards analyzed the prisoners for any clues of suspicious items. The older man left the examination room to gather his new prison clothes, an orange uniform with several black stripes. Next was the health examination room, where following that was the shedding of his hair, the act of stripping one's freedom he once experienced as a successful UNSC commander. He left the barber to meet the curious, yet contempt filled gazes of the others. The ex-UNSC commander looked to the TV monitors around and saw his picture with crystal clear clarity. He stopped to read the headlines that made him famous in recent memory. "Corrupt UNSC Commander has been put away for life, could face an execution order should his crimes be found guilty of such a measure. That's nice of them to say."

I did what was necessary, he thought. Yet you people never seemed to realize that. I made sure that we won against the extremist Sangheilis. I was the one to push harder than anyone else to make sure that you all remained free and complacent in your convenient lifestyles. The prisoners saw the older man, being guided by two ODST officers to his cell. One of them commented as they mulled over their bowl of corn. "He is in hell now."

"Should we create a welcoming party for him?" asked another. The group of prisoners surrounding that one all laughed in agreement. "Let's give him a warm welcome from his fellow prison mates then."

In one of the many cell blocks, the three men entered upon instructions from the block guards. The ODST prison guards were situated on both front and back of the old man. The guard in the back looked ahead as he pushed for the prisoner to pick up the pace. "Your stuff has already been placed in your cell Derekson."

"Just a warning," the one in front spoke up. "Even if you were in the UNSC at one point, don't expect special treatment."

"Yeah, I would love to get some alone time with you actually should you ever step out of line," said the one in the back. "You probably don't remember William, but you sent my father-in-law into battle and to his death even though he was due to be pulled out from service over there. And you, you fucker reaped the reward for the deaths of the many."

The front guard gave a slight look of pity to his co-worker. "But its finally about time you are put where you belong. A lot of people here would love to get their fair share of alone time with you."

"It's a disgrace that the court didn't assign you the death sentence to begin with," said the guard in the back as he became more and more emotional by the passing second. The three arrived to his cell, where he was quickly pushed inside. With his handcuffs now removed, William walked around whilst relieving his wrists of the tension they were under. One of the guards rested the handcuffs against their belt as the other kept a keen eye out. "Start liking this Derekson, this will be your new home now for the rest of your life."

William rested his palm against the cold concrete wall as he slowly brushed the various cracks along. For a prison they love to shove all those they deem too dangerous, they certainly have let this place go into disrepair. Yet the walls from the outside seemed fine, only care about what's on the outside, eh? He pondered as he walked towards the two beds, one on top of the other. That's cute, at least I will have company sooner or later. He reached for the box resting on the bottom bunk and swung the lid open. His ears perked at the sudden rise in noises outside. The prisoners grew restless and their mouths ran wild. One stood toe to toe with a guard. "So, you think you are a big man behind that armour huh? Take that off and let's see how much of bitch your really are."

"Back down prisoner S-405B!" the guard pushed back as the prisoner only then got even closer in response. William gazed at the brutality to follow as a hard swing made contact with the prisoner's jaw. The baton to commit the act rested by the guard's side as he kicked the prisoner over onto his back. "Not such a tough guy now are you? Know your place, all of you should know your place in here!"

"Such a brutish response," William pondered as he sat down onto his bed. "I'm sure it extends to the other guards here as well."

He held out a book and a folder from his set of belongings and held them close. With a gentle slide, he stored the container underneath the bed bunk and rested on the bed. He gently opened the hardcover of the book to read the various scribbles inside from his time in the UNSC. I still find it hard to believe how an incompetent group of simulation troopers, those from Blood Gulch no less could have toppled my rise to the top. I was going places, I had the ambition and drive to achieve greater things. He looked towards the cell bars and sneered. But now I'm trapped like a caged bird, no longer free to fly to greater heights.

The repugnant smell of the toilet did little to make his rest bearable. The previous inmate didn't take care of it, did he now? William held up the folder to his side and noticed some papers from his court case that stuck out from the edges like a distasteful memory. As his eyes scanned every letter of every word on these scornful pages, he gripped the edges of the paper hard till it became slightly crumpled. His lips tugged up and his eyes gleaned with a new found determination as he continued to read the papers. I maybe locked in here, but not in spirit. That's right an individual with both patience and resources is capable of achieving great things. I will still be able to move forward. I will go higher and I will rebuild, get back the things I lost. No idiots will stand in my way again.

A/N: With that, the whole of the original cast has been re-introduced and their current state of being has been put out here. Also, surprise with the UNSC Commander!

Bonus points for anyone that can remember him. In the way of a small hint, don't try to remember by name as that was never mentioned before.

I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Any constructive feedback is appreciated!

Catch you in the next chapter!

~ Monty