RECOMPOSE
by Ladywolvesbayne
Since a good fellow suggested it, I'm looking for a beta reader. I work fast -I can have one episode ready per week, maybe two in a very good week- so I need someone who can work as fast as I do or check back with me at least once a week. If someone wants to volunteer, we can talk about it; the task at hand is exclusive for users with beta profiles; also, I'd prefer someone who already did beta work for this fandom before. I work nine to five so don't worry, I can accommodate my schedules to yours :) I hope someone can lend me a hand here. Thanks in advance. And thanks so much for your support these past weeks!
REMEMBER; in my profile you can find a nice music mix for this story!
7. BROKEN ARROW
JULY 25TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC CONTROLLED SPACE
4:41 PM standard time
Cortana came out the cryo-pod, stumbling. She couldn't breathe. She grasped her throat, desperate for air. Something acid filled her mouth and she bent over to throw up; a translucent fluid with awful scent scattered and filtered through the floor's grating. The woman gasped again and her lungs finally swelled with fresh air; but she fell on her hands and knees and crawled to the nearest metal bench, nauseous and trembling. It was so damn cold back there, the Pelican's cargo compartment wasn't heated because of the energy-saver protocol.
She made it to the bench and rest her head against the cold metal.
"Cortana!"
She closed her eyes, so the world may actually stop spinning around.
No improvement. She threw up again.
"Cortana, are you all right?"
"I'll tell you in a moment." she whimpered, her throat felt on fire.
"It's freezing in here."
"Thanks for the newsflash, Chief."
"Let me help you. You need to warm up, now."
She barely heard him. There was a rustle and two powerful hands lifted her up by the armpits. A moment later there was this hard but warm wall of skin, Cortana let him carry her until the arms closed around her wobbly body. Although shocked, she reacted slowly and her palms hit solid muscle. It smelled... husky. It was a powerful scent, a hint of sweat mixed together with sterile chemicals, but not in an awful combination.
It had 'John' written all over. Her trembling limbs relaxed instantly.
It was the Chief; trustworthy, brave and a little over-protective Master Chief.
She felt much better when he wrapped both of them with a piece of itchy cloth -maybe a regular blanket- and drew her closer, her legs bent amongst his. John sat down in the cold floor, his back resting against the bench.
It took a few minutes for her to stabilize and breathe at normal rate again, but it was better now. She sighed, relying on his ever-soothing presence. Her left breast fit perfectly in that space against this hard yet warm wall and it felt nice, the sound of his heart brought her memories of past times. Her hand crawled absentmindedly across his stomach, outlining the strength of bare muscle.
She almost jumped off his hold when she realized what she was actually touching.
"Chief, are you naked?" she asked, her teeth clattering.
"Not entirely." he said, compliant.
"Uh... then, why am I naked?"
"You were already naked when I picked you up from Dr. Halsey's care."
"Don't we have thermal blankets for this?"
He nodded, once. "They must be here, somewhere."
"Why weren't you cryo-sleeping in your armor?"
"The breach is beyond self-repair, it needs a tech. What is it with you and nudity all of a sudden? When you were a hologram you didn't wear clothes, so it's not like I've never seen you naked before."
"I wasn't naked then! I was a digital entity, this is different." she said, mortified.
Not that nudity was the problem, she had to be honest. It was just John.
He was like... like the safest guy in the entire Universe. She felt his overwhelming warmth coiling up her whole body and finally could stop the shudder of her flesh, it was actually nice. Familiar. Cortana allowed herself to lay her head on John's shoulder, her forehead touching the serene pulse of his neck. Her eyes fell for a moment over his dog tags and the black chip still hanging from the same chain, close to his heart.
That was actually insane. She should get away from him, what if...?
"Different how? It's still you and me." he insisted.
"Chief, seriously, I'm not talking to you about the bees and the flowers all over again while we both are naked."
He shrugged. "Suit yourself."
John didn't let her go, though.
She should get up and just sit somewhere else.
But it was so comfortable! It was easing her stomach quite fast, only to replace the urging to throw up with the flutter of strange, imperceptible little wings inside her belly. Her heart ran fast, along with her thoughts.
Only John's voice woke her up from that numbness:
"Not bad for your first cryo-sleep." he mumbled, running his rough hands up and down her spine to warm her up. "You made it out with only stomach sickness."
"What could be worse?" she mumbled, her throat still sore.
"Blisters, cardiac arrest. Asphyxia. Maybe even a coma."
Oh, yes. She forgot. She was a bit distracted at the moment.
Cortana closed her eyes again and tried to go with the mood, since the touch of his hands was most relaxing. It felt so intimate and pleasant that she let out a tiny moan.
"Does it feel good?" he asked, distracted.
"What?" she felt her cheeks burn. "What do you mean?"
"Being solid, human; how does it feel?"
"For the former AI who never before needed to eat, sleep, menstruate or pee, it's a nuisance." she explained, a bit more relaxed. "For the former AI who always wanted to know how you feel or smell... it's good. It's the best experience ever."
She heard him chuckle: "I am the most interesting thing you always wanted to experience?"
Cortana brushed the tip of her nose against his collarbone, smiling.
That scent not only said 'John', it also howled 'male' and it was...
"Don't underestimate yourself, Chief. You are most definitely fascinating."
"Lucky me."
He tilted down his head to look at her, amused.
Cortana looked deeply into his clear blue eyes and saw the SPARTAN inside that incisive gaze, but she also saw the honest, almost innocent friend trying to understand her words. She spotted the ghostly trail of light freckles across his cheeks and nose, a memento of his younger self. Wow, she felt so tiny compared with his massive size, although she could consider herself a tall person now. Cortana blushed a little when she remembered that picture, back in Dr. Halsey's office on planet Reach. She picked this man out of his striking CSV and 'luck', but she also recognized that he was a handsome specimen back then. He still was.
Time just made things better, people used to say. It was such an understatement.
Her cheerfulness staggered when she realized her hand was slowly reaching out of the folded blanket into his face.
"How does it feel for you, John?" she asked, her voice almost trembling.
He frowned, faintly, but didn't reject the touch.
Was he about to say something serious, or just dodge the question?
"Sergeant Johnson said to me once that I should never let you go." he whispered. "It took me some time to understand what he meant. It took me to lose you, actually, to understand. How does it feel for me, you ask? It feels real. You are real. I made Johnson a promise, and you know about me and promises."
She felt something ache in her eyes, her sight blurred a little.
How could she say to that man that he meant the whole Universe to her?
And she wasn't even sure why.
"Thanks, Chief. I feel much better now." she smiled.
"Then we should get dressed, double time. I'll take control of the Pelican." he said, back in character again.
She sighed. "Yeah, I see a lot of debriefing in our near future."
JULY 29TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY
5:20 PM standard time
They disappeared for days. The Shadow of Intent was ready to leave Installation 00 when they popped up in their sensors.
She remembered John talking to the Arbiter about it. The Sangheili leader was out of himself, apparently the Rampant Spike killed half of his Elites before she vanished again, still alive. Also, the bitch managed somehow to plant a nasty virus in the carrier's navigation system, which prevented them from parting. Cortana could also remember both the Arbiter and John discussing about finding Dr. Halsey, their injuries and what they learnt about Rampant Spike, about herself.
The mistrustful look in the alien's eyes said more than a thousand words, besides the fact that Halsey meant nothing to him.
Quite the same thing was going on at the Infinity's bridge, since John was coolly explaining the whole thing to Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer. Debriefing could be foolishly repetitive. Even the suspicious looks where present.
Cortana couldn't help but feel like it was happening all over again. Nobody trusted her, but John. She wondered if she would ever feel safe and comfortable among people again, if someday she would stop looking over her shoulder. It was true it hasn't been that long -barely two months of memories- but it sure was distressing. If it wasn't for the cryo-sleep, she probably wouldn't have slept at all.
Captain Lasky patiently listened, although his features paled within minutes.
Commander Palmer and the Arbiter, in the other hand, just stood there in silence, but the SPARTAN woman's eyes were full of worry more than rage. There was so much at risk. This was a new, unknown threat that already proved to be unpredictable and yet efficient. It was bigger than whatever mission objective they had, almost too big for that fleet to manage. The Infinity's command was still suffering the aftermath from Halsey's escape and the loss of the Janus Key; whatever happened from then on would balance its weight not only over Lasky's head, but also over Palmer's.
They would probably be forced to jump over each other's neck.
It went too far. Tom's tendency of giving people the benefit of doubt just left them defenseless before Admiral Osman and the entire ONI, if not the UNSC as well. Sarah's impetuosity turned something simple into something far more complicated, but she was right the whole time and Tom knew that. Court martial would seem like a child's play compared with whatever else might come.
They were fucked. Cortana repeated those words in her mind over and over.
'They are all fucked because of me.' she thought, disturbed. 'Because they tried to protect me, it's my fault. This is such a mess.'
Now all the cards were on the table, and they were in dire need of a plan.
The thing is... Lasky wouldn't back down. He knew what his duty was.
"We'll need backup." the Captain stated, when the Chief finished his story. "It's time to send the alert to FLEETCOM, and brace ourselves."
JULY 29TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY
8:20 PM standard time
Charley welcomed him with her most anxious lick in the face.
"Well, hello to you too." John greeted her, patting her big head.
The dog barked and sat down when he commanded it with a gesture of his hand. Discreetly, the Chief produced some cookies from his pants' pocket and handed them to Charley; she whined in joy and proceeded to take possession of her much deserved gift. John sat on a long bench at the quarters. He just watched the dog eat, patiently.
His hand lazily caressed Charley's back, the newly grown fur was softer than ever.
Visiting the K-9 quarters was related with his peace of mind. That animal was the only creature he ever knew that always received him without questions or grudges, she never expected anything besides a cookie, a walk down the corridors or an affectionate touch. Perhaps she would settle for the sound of his voice alone, Charley didn't care if he couldn't fix the world: she liked him anyway.
Failing was hard for John, his instinct always compelled him to find the solution. If he ever failed, it was because of circumstances beyond his control.
He was made -and raised- to solve problems. To win.
Now he was standing before one of the biggest failures of his career: he couldn't do the simplest thing, the thing that always came natural for a SPARTAN. He couldn't eliminate a threat. Knowing that the Spike was out there and that she was preparing the doom of all the United Nations Space Command, it was for sure something to worry about. There had to be a way to hunt that murderer down and destroy her.
He would kill her. He just needed not to hesitate next time.
Charley finished her cookies and looked at him, her ears fell in worry.
"It's okay, girl. I'm fine." he said, with a small smile.
The dog barked in a skirl full of sorrow. She crouched clumsily between his legs and laid her head over his thigh, still whining, until John ran his hand up and down her back. It worked both ways, he felt more at ease after a while. They spent a few minutes like this, silently soothing each other, until Corporal Jenko entered the quarters.
"Sir, I didn't know you'd be here!" the girl said; she stood firm and saluted. "Good evening, sir."
Corporal Amira Jenko was quite young, probably a recent graduate. Small framed but tall, short blond hair standard issue, sparkling black eyes. She was a very calm and capable person, that's why she was in charge of the K-9.
"Good evening, Corporal. At ease." John responded.
"Is something wrong, Chief?"
"I've been away for a while, I just wanted to check on her."
"Oh; yes, sir." the Corporal nodded, enthusiastically. "She noticed your absence. She's been sad and not much cooperative lately. We just let her rest, she deserves the leave after all."
He looked back at the dog. The animal raised her brows to look at him.
"Is that so? Cadet, I didn't train you for this." John scolded.
Charley whined loud again but then yowled something, like she was complaining. Jenko laughed softly and clasped her hands behind her back, amused. Later, she grabbed the dog's chain from Charley's gear-locker and attached it to the animal's tactical collar. It was time to close the quarters; all dogs were already exercised and fed, ready for a good night's rest. John stood there and made sure that his canine companion was safely tucked in before he left for the mess hall, along with the chatty Corporal.
He should keep himself occupied for the rest of the night, it would be easier that way. He wouldn't sleep, anyway.
But first, John felt like sharing a quiet meal with a friend.
JULY 29TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY
9:39 PM standard time
Cortana didn't feel like having dinner. In fact, she didn't feel like getting out of her quarters at all. She just had a quick bath and wrapped her naked self in blankets; laying curled up in bed like that was somehow soothing her fears.
She was afraid. She'd been afraid before, yes, but it could be said that she really understood fear after she met John; she could actually feel it. And she wasn't just afraid regarding John, she was afraid because of seventeen thousand people aboard the UNSC Infinity. She was afraid because through John's microphone she heard what that insane split of herself said, back in the Ark.
She would kill them all to destroy the Chief.
And knowing herself, Cortana knew that the Rampant would succeed or perish trying to. She was smart enough and she was angry enough.
"There must to be something I can do." Cortana whispered, against the blanket covering her lips. "She won't hurt anyone. I won't let her."
She shrugged inside her cocoon of blankets and hid her face in the pillow.
Few minutes passed in silence, maybe she fell asleep hearing the quiet noises of the ventilation systems or maybe she was that tired; but she shot her eyes open when loud knocks erupted from her quarter's entrance. Cortana stormed off the bed instantly and got up, picking up clothes from the nearest chair. She put on a large short-sleeved UNSC shirt and hurried to the hatch-door, but at the latest second...
That obnoxious knocking, again.
She approached the entrance, hesitant.
"Identify yourself." Cortana demanded, clearing her throat.
"It's me. You didn't make it to the mess hall." John's voice said, calmly. "What's wrong?"
Cortana closed her eyes, something awful slid down her stomach. A part of her wanted to tell him, but it was easier to avoid the question. Instinctively, she pulled down the shirt over her bare legs.
"I'm not hungry." she said, imitating his tone.
"Fine. Mind if I come in?"
"... I'm naked, just took a shower."
He paused for a short moment. She wasn't fooling him, that for sure. "We already established that I don't mind that. I'll take in the next shift, you know where to find me if you need me."
Cortana leaned her back against the door sealed shut, thinking it over.
She really didn't want him to leave, but...
"Good to know." her voice trembled. "Thanks, Chief. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
She wouldn't let that rampant reject hurt John, she swore to herself.
JULY 29TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY
11:45 PM standard time
Sarah wasn't expecting to see him there when she walked into the gym.
Honestly, she never thought she'd see Thomas Lasky furiously punching a sand-bag with his hands wrapped in bandages, but there he was, alone. His breath was heavy, he'd been doing that for a long while; and he was also sweating a lot, that short-sleeved white shirt was as damp as if it just rained over him. Sarah left her training bag on the floor and just leaned in the nearest column, enjoying the show.
He had a nice technique, probably would be a respectable contender.
Well, yes; curiosity just kicked in.
Captain Lasky finally caught her staring. He ended it right there, took a step back and brushed off the sweat from his face with his forearm. No salutes this time, both of them were off duty by that late hour.
"I didn't know you boxed." said Sarah, arching an eyebrow.
"There's a lot about me you don't know, Commander."
"So it seems." she mumbled, and she couldn't say which one of Tom's little secrets she liked the most. "Feel like sharing some of those punches with me?"
Tom snorted, it was a frank yet weary laugh. "With a SPARTAN? I know I'm not that handsome, but I like my face the way it is, thank you."
"I didn't know you were such a chicken, either."
She grabbed a pair of practice cushions instead of the boxing gloves, and jumped inside the ring with the elegance of a gazelle. More like a deadly lioness disguised as a gazelle, Tom thought. Her training gear was merely a black sleeveless shirt, body-tight, and black sweat shorts.
"You promise you won't hurt me?" he teased.
"Bite me, Captain. Now get your ass to the ring or hit the showers."
She held resolutely the cushions in front of her chest and wiggled her eyebrows up and down, smiling. The smile was quite inviting, that for sure. He made up his mind and complied in the end, claiming up between the ropes. They circled each other for a while, slowly walking, scheming. Sarah was about to say something wry when Tom reacted lightning-fast and threw the first punch at her; the power of the impact was almost surprising.
The Commander grinned in amusement, the Captain didn't.
His concentration unexpectedly captivated her.
He was capable of fast and powerful short-ranged blows, also had a magnificent uppercut, she noticed. She laughed softly as the punches landed one after another in the cushions, then Tom mixed his moves with some fast 'dancing': he balanced his weight switching his gravity center to make the blows even more powerful. Things got a little sweaty again after ten minutes.
And as time flew by, things got a bit more violent too.
He tried to attack from below. She jumped to protect herself.
Sarah moved the cushion just in time and caught his fist before he could hit her close to the liver, they 'danced' around each other quickly. It wasn't amusing anymore, her senses detected the threat and her whole body prepared for a fight. She seriously had no intentions of hurting him, but she knew damn well that it could happen if her control snapped. He better keep his hands off her. After few minutes of gracefully avoiding his fists, the Commander noticed what was off: Tom's labored breath and the fury of his movements gave much away. She got rid of the cushions and just stopped his fists with her bare hands, one after another and after another, not flinching even once. The blows were powered by rage, frustration, anxiety.
In the final moment, she clasped her larger fingers over the Captain's fists, in an iron grip. He tried to sneak off but she turned Tom around and seized him tightly, his back against her chest, until he stopped resisting and just stood still, breathing heavily, sweat dripping off his chin. Fighting against a SPARTAN's strength was pointless.
"Enough for today, Tom. You look dehydrated."
"Fine." he nodded, his voice was almost a whisper. "Didn't you come all the way here to train?"
"Just to blow off some steam, it's over now. Let's sit for a moment."
She spread her arms to let him go and they split, stepping away from each other.
Their eyes met, two different shades of brown on fire. Sarah pursed her lips.
The Commander leaped out the ring and fished a recipient of cold water from her training bag, as Tom peeled off the bandages from his shaky hands. He emptied almost half the bottle in no time when she handed it to him.
Finally, Tom fell on his back, the canvas mat felt comfortable. He closed his eyes.
She approached, drank some water and sat down beside his head. Sarah leaned back a little, resting her weight on her elbows for a moment, and looked at her Captain with a mixture of pride and worry in her sweaty features. Not knowing what was wrong with him was killing her, somehow.
But they could spend a few minutes like that, oblivious and relaxed.
Or was it too much to ask?
"She's coming." Tom whispered, exhausted. "She wants me to figure this out for myself, but she assured me that she would be watching. I'll probably get the briefing tomorrow, but one way or another Admiral Osman is coming to the Infinity. The ship will overflow with ONI agents in no time."
Sarah wished she could curse off the worst of her sailor tongue, but... it felt wrong to do it in front of Tom. He never cursed. He barely ever raised his voice to anyone.
She gave him the bottle again.
"All she wants is Halsey." the Commander stated. "If we give her Halsey, she will back down."
She wanted to shove a gun's barrel in Halsey's face too, but she kept it to herself.
"Quoting the Arbiter... 'were it so easy'." he said, shaking his head. "The results of this campaign will define the future of all of those involved. I don't want you or your men to get court-martialed because of me. No, I can't ask you for that, Sarah."
"You are not asking for anything." she said, and stretched her arms over her head, nonchalantly. "If the time comes and it is required, I'm conducting my own operation. You are invited to join if you really mean what you say."
"What?" he opened his eyes and blinked a few times, confused.
"We're all fucked anyway, the way I see it." she shrugged, hugging her knees with both arms. "Who knows? If we stick around the Master Chief long enough, we may get some of his luck passed on."
"He won't agree with this."
"We'll figure that out later. The important thing is... are you with me, Tom?"
Tom turned his head to look at her, serious. Did she really had to ask? Sarah was already doing too much to back him up, the Captain wasn't sure about how to repay her loyalty. They could have bad times, that's true, but she was an impeccable soldier and he respected her highly because of that. Well, he respected her for much more than just being a soldier, but it wasn't relevant at the time.
He nodded, just once.
Sarah smiled gently, her features softened a little. She patted his shoulder.
What else could they do, but rely on each other?
"I need some serious sleep." Tom sighed, and got up stretching his back.
TO BE CONTINUED
I'm with the Chief on this, what is all the fuss about being naked, anyway? xD The Arbiter needs to introduce him into this "mates" thing a bit more, I guess, there's only so much Cortana can explain without blushing to death xD I'm a total sucker for Palmer and Lasky although things didn't end well in Spartan Ops, but we'll see where this goes. Soon the Infinity will be a little crowded.
Ravemonster; you are awesome :) thanks for leaving your thoughts!
Mk15; hahaha man, I'm so anxious to show you everything I already wrote... but I don't want to spend the entire story in a few days :P thanks for being here!
Also, QUESTION: Since I don't know much about military itself, I can't figure out what's the difference between commissioned ranks and non-commissioned ranks. I read about it and I feel there's one single shit that makes the difference but I don't understand exactly what it is. Would somebody care to explain it to me or point me in the right direction? :)
Don't forget about the beta thing if you'd like to try me out!
See you next Sunday! And don't forget to follow or leave your comments!