RECOMPOSE
by Ladywolvesbayne
Today will be mostly about character development, with surprises. Enjoy! :)
11. HEADS UP
AUGUST 11TH 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY IN SLIP-SPACE
3:53 AM standard time
She woke up to a very bright room.
Cortana blinked a few times, still sleepy and confused, and frowned. The mattress was comfortable but the pillow quite hard. Something smelled like vanilla -yes, it was definitively vanilla- and there was way too much sunlight. It was odd. Her quarters were pretty much in the center of the ship, so direct sunlight would never make it there.
Real sunlight, that felt warm and cozy. Wonderful.
She moved the covers and tried to get on her feet, but something heavy kept her pinned to the mattress. Quickly, her fingers scanned the object and her heart throbbed, there was a muscular arm hugging her waist; large fingers gently sprayed over her belly. The heat of that palm suddenly felt white hot.
Then, she saw the other arm. Her head had been resting on his bicep all along.
She instinctively knew it was a man.
There was a man. In her bed.
Cortana sucked in a breath and felt a shiver run down her spine, she looked behind her, only to find the contour of a strong shoulder. She tried hard to remember something -anything- that could explain the situation, and the vivid memory of a secret kiss shared away from indiscrete eyes emerged. She blushed violently, her heart pumping faster and faster about to jump off her chest.
"Chief?" she had to ask, because of reasons.
The response was a deep, sleepy growl that made her skin crawl.
"Still early, don't get up." he said, his voice muffled by the pillow.
His arms closed possessively around her and forced the woman to lay down again, holding her tight. She realized they both were naked, since she felt the soft touch of his skin against hers. It was incredibly hot in there, by any chance was something on fire? Maybe her whole body was.
How come she couldn't remember spending the night with John?
Besides, from a naive kiss to spending the night? Well, talk about escalation.
Cortana snapped out of it and quickly struggled to turn around. John cooperated by loosening his grip on her until she found a new comfortable position, then held her closely again. She found his eyes, clear blue without a trace of doubt, shame or any kind of worry. He wasn't smiling, yet she could feel his satisfaction. She didn't know what to do with her hands or what to say either, she just couldn't stop looking at him in deep astonishment. Did it really happened?
Dammit, she couldn't remember!
"Hey." she squeaked, still shocked.
"Hey there." he answered, amused.
Cortana felt her cheeks burn again. She carefully placed a hand on his chest, just to try out if he was real or some kind of hallucination. The dry heat pierced through her palm straight to her already altered emotions.
"Nope, it's real." she mumbled for herself.
"I know it's hard to believe, but please, try." he snorted, a faint smile in his lips.
"Chief, what is this?" she said, pretty much at a loss of words.
"I call it sleeping in."
His reply was calm, pleased.
After a short moment, John reached out for a kiss. She didn't reject the advance, in fact, she was quick enough to respond by locking her lips with his. This time it was very different, nothing about it felt strange or funny; it was intense and serious, as if they had figured out how to do it properly in the turn of one night. It felt right. Much more than right, it felt hot and sexy.
Sexy? Where did that word come from?
Cortana sighed in a moan when she felt his calloused hands head down the small of her back, a shiver of sheer pleasure erupted through her skin. He kissed her neck and she melted; what kind of sorcery was that? She took a very long moment to appreciate the arousing awareness of his solid muscle against her belly and breasts. At last, the need to breathe was stronger and she pulled back.
"Oh, God." Cortana muttered, ecstatically.
"Wrong; I'm not God." he growled, digging his fingers in the flesh of her...
Cortana's eyes snapped open in the dark of her private quarters and she sat on her bed, where she was all alone. Sweat rolled down her heated skin. No warm sunlight, no scent of vanilla. No kiss and no rough hands. No Chief.
She understood immediately.
"It was a dream." she sighed, somewhat upset. "A dream, nothing else."
How could it be a dream and feel this real? Maybe it was one of the perks of being human, all sensations were genuine even when sleeping, amazingly vivid and full of emotion. Maybe something was wrong with her. She thought she should feel ashamed but the feeling wasn't there; was it normal for people to have that kind of dreams? She never wondered about that, as an AI her interests were unlimited but she preferred to learn about things that could be useful for both her purposes and John's. Cortana pulled herself out of bed and paced nervously across the narrow room. She couldn't shake off the coiling heat.
"It was just a dream." she mumbled, closing her eyes.
Then, why was it so disappointing?
She dressed on the double and got out of the room, roaming through the corridor.
It was still early, most of the halls were empty and she passed by only a handful of soldiers on guard duty. Most of the Infinity was asleep, they were in slip-space after all. Cortana sighed loudly again, she needed a distraction. The memory of Eleven and the two girls appeared on her mind. She still wasn't ready to face the other two, although her 'brother' insisted on it and she hated to let him down; they were sleeping in closed quarters at the med-bay. Nobody was allowed to enter the med-bay after visiting hours, Dr. Quinn was very strict about it.
Cortana shook her head in denial, hugging herself.
Her skin felt a little prickly under the clothes. She rubbed her arms up and down, recalling again the tingling sensation of those rough hands from her dream. She wished it wasn't just a ghostly feeling.
AUGUST 11TH 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY IN SLIP-SPACE
4:42 AM standard time
The Master Chief released the safety of the weapon and pulled the trigger, testing it. The mechanism clicked, as expected the chamber was empty. A large magazine, also empty, rested on his left thigh waiting to be refilled. He looked inside the chamber with a flashlight and saw a disturbing yet thin layer of grease mixed with dust. That could jam the rifle and get someone killed.
He removed his right armored glove; the task needed precision.
Then, he pulled a cylindrical brush and used it to clean the insides of the chamber. He blew some air in the hole to clear the view and tried again. Sometimes, you just had to do it old school way, which was actually the way he learnt to do a lot of things.
Infinity was still a long way away from the Sangheili home world, and most of the crew that wasn't cryo-sleeping was scheduled for drills, war games or support activities. And since he was still another eighty minutes away from the end of his second shift, John decided to join the gunnery officers and re-check the arsenal. He didn't have pretty much anything else to do, anyway, Cortana was asleep. There was no more war -well, at least, the kind of war that needed SPARTANS to win- and he sometimes felt anxious about getting off the ship, even if it was for a recon mission. Old habits die hard.
However, what he felt wasn't just the force of habit.
It reminded him of his many conversations with Dr. Waters.
"Ma'am." he saluted, automatically. She outranked him quite a lot, after all.
"No ranks allowed within the walls of my office, John. Can I call you John? Since there's no last name recorded in your file..."
He hesitated, yet lowered his arm quickly.
Few people called him by his given name, being Dr. Halsey and Cortana on top of the shortest list ever. It was a name he never truly recognized as his own, but with time he got used to it and made it as his as his serial number was. Thirty years of almost non-interrupted combat changed a lot of things, both inside and outside of his head.
"John is fine." he said, nodding.
"Wonderful. My name is Selena Waters. It's my pleasure to meet one of the most renowned men in the history of the UNSC." they shared a respectful handshake. "You can call me Selena if it makes you feel more comfortable."
Comfortable. Now, that word was completely alien to the Chief.
"Dr. Waters." he established, serious.
The blonde woman pointed at a large sofa in which he sat down, she sat across the office in a cushioned chair, beside a little table with a lava lamp -an antique-. She was older than her apparently young looks, he knew that for a fact. "I'll be very honest with you, John: I never gave counseling to a SPARTAN of your class before. I guess this is going to be an interesting experience for both of us."
He took a deep breath, but didn't say anything.
The Chief put the rifle down when he was satisfied with the maintenance. Then, he took the magazine and a small pack of ammunition; he refilled the magazine one large caliber projectile at a time.
The first ten or twelve weekly sessions were hard. Dr. Waters seemed focused on asking questions whose answers were either classified or uncomfortable, facts that made John think twice many times before to speak. First, because he didn't trust the woman. Second, because he was extremely reluctant to talk about his personal experiences with someone he didn't knew or trust. And third, because he'd rather be lost somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest, doing something as silly as fishing piranhas if that was what the UNSC wanted him to do.
But the UNSC wanted him to do this: to sit on a couch and talk.
A few times, he thought of leaving for good. Who would care, anyway?
He wasn't the last of his kind but he was certainly worn out in many, many ways. When he couldn't do anything to save Cortana, he knew a part of him was done, that he just faced the greatest breakdown of his career. He protected Humanity once again, yes, he saved millions of anonymous people; but he couldn't save someone close to him. That certainty made him question about his own reliability as a soldier. It is true that it wasn't his mission to take Cortana back to Earth with Dr. Halsey, but it was something he promised to do. Something he needed to do.
What would she say if she could see him like that?
And that was what kept him in that couch for over ten months, actually: he didn't want to fail again. If he had just took off and disappeared, like he wanted to do at first, it would have been another failure. The only way to win was to endure the whole therapy and get back to work, ASAP. To convince himself of it was hard too, but slowly he started to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
He wasn't trained to give up. So he wasn't giving up.
Yet, certain truths were painful and hard to accept, even for a SPARTAN.
"Tell me, John; the Human-Covenant War is over now. It took so long and we lost so many lives, but it's over. Have you thought about what would you do from now on?"
"What do you mean?"
"There's no more war."
"The Covenant is not fully neutralized yet. I'll go wherever I'm needed."
The Doctor smiled softly. She lazily tangled loose bangs of her blonde curls with the tip of her pen, while watching at him. Her face was unreadable.
"I'm not trying to make you feel useless, John. But most soldiers who make it alive at your age choose either a well deserved commissioned rank or retirement; maybe, to become field trainers and shape up new recruits. Have you thought about retirement?"
"Look at me, Doctor." he said, coldly. "What else could I do?"
She put the pen down on the little table, along with the tablet. Still, the Doctor took a short glance at the parallel scars on the back of his hands, carefully.
"What would you want to do?"
He was about to answer something related with Cortana or his teammates, but he chose to shut up and rethink. Therapy was surprisingly tricky. She knew he was giving her evasive answers -fifty percent of their talk was smoke and mirrors anyway, but the fifty percent that was real mattered a lot-, yet she never pushed him.
He didn't answer that question.
"With your CSV you could easily be a great trainer. You are a legend, John; who wouldn't like to be under your command? Or you could just take a break, Humanity knows you need it."
"I don't need a break. I need purpose."
The Doctor blinked a few times, surprised. It was hard for her too to understand how deeply hardwired the SPARTAN training was, especially for a second generation SPARTAN, but she was getting there.
"I have a friend in the UNSC that runs the entire K-9 delegations. I can talk him into accepting you for the program, they are always looking for suitable candidates to pair with the enhanced tactical dogs they raise and train. Would you like to give it a try, if I get you the chance?"
"I don't understand, you want to get me a dog?"
"Is that how you see it?"
"That's how it sounds." he slightly shrugged.
"You know, there are plenty of studies and research that prove the efficiency of animal-based therapies; mostly in post-traumatic stress disorders like yours."
"So, you think I need a dog."
"Well, you said yourself that you needed purpose, didn't you?"
And that's how he met Charley. At first, the dog was the most annoying thing he ever had to deal with: she was young and undisciplined; she cared to spend more time sleeping, hiding from him, barking and chewing things than actually training. She was incredibly loud. But with patience he managed to shape up a six month old puppy into a fine enhanced tactical asset, the best of the litter. She grew up a lot, too, from a sloppy critter into a dog the size of an adult lion in less than a year.
Towards the end of his leave (maybe out of generosity) somebody asked him if he would prefer to remain in the K-9 program and keep being Charley's handler. The dog was about to be stationed at the Infinity's permanent unit, so he just accepted and now there they were, together.
John and Dr. Waters had a few conversations about Cortana, but none of them dug deep into the subject. The woman didn't seem to care that much about it; she addressed the issue as another life lost in the line of duty, an event like every other in the military. He would vigorously disagree, but Dr. Waters was in charge.
The Chief tucked the magazine in the rifle, then tapped it with the talon of his hand until he heard the familiar locking sound. He readied a projectile in the chamber and took aim. The scope was so unbalanced. That rifle was so fucked up he seriously doubted it had saved any Marine's life lately.
"I think I want to travel a bit. I've never been on Earth this long before."
"Where were you born, John?"
"I don't remember." he wasn't used to lie, but he did it anyway.
Dr. Waters quickly scribbled something down in her pad. He wasn't edgy about her doing that anymore. Actually, he wasn't nervous about anything related with her, her questions or her counsel anymore; John felt respect for the woman's job.
"Well, Earth is the crown jewel of the colonies." Dr. Waters said, and she left the pad aside. "I think your idea is great, there are magnificent places to visit. How long do you plan to travel?"
"I have two more months of leave."
"Are you taking your friend with you?"
"I don't think that's possible. Dogs don't get leaves."
The woman smiled wider. "So, is this goodbye, John?"
"... you have to discharge me, first."
"You know I already have. You're a very quiet man but you're quick and smart as a fox, I'm sure you were informed about my report. We had no appointment today, yet you made it anyway; right on time. Is there anything you want to tell me?"
He shifted in his seat.
"Thank you, Dr. Waters." John said, politely. "For everything."
After a short moment, the woman got up from her chair; John immediately stood on his feet. She lend him a hand, looking at him in the eyes. "Then, I'm glad to inform you that you are discharged, Master Chief. The merit is all yours. And about dogs not getting leaves... talk with Sergeant Reynolds next Monday. If you happen to visit Paris, I would consider the favor repaid if you bring me one of those little plastic Eiffel towers. You know, for my desk."
"Of course, ma'am."
They shared a strong and reassuring handshake. Then, they saluted each other.
That was the last time he saw her, yet not the last time he heard about her. John undertook his plans for traveling and the Doctor left the planet a few weeks later. Dr. Waters was a renowned counselor of the UNSC, she was assigned to the most particular cases and she was usually wandering from one station to the other, attending at her numerous patients. It was by orders of Lord Hood that she put in standby most of her activities to stay close to the hero of Humanity.
And the hero was silently thankful for it.
John picked up some tools and proceeded to align again the rifle's scope. It took him less than five minutes to accomplish it, but when it was done, he raised the weapon and aimed. He squeezed the trigger.
The round hit the center of the holographic target.
Now the Chief felt more at ease, and not only about the rifle.
AUGUST 12TH 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY ORBITING SANGHELIOS
10:13 AM standard time
The four Sangheili small carriers approached, as they were instructed. Their duty was to attach themselves to the Infinity and ferry her across atmosphere for secure dry-docking in a station at the Capital Keep of the State of Vadam. The warship was too big to maneuver alone in the already crowded airspace of Sanghelios. It would have been easier to refill their supplies in orbit but it would take longer, hence the Admiral decided to go all the way and attempt a landing.
Technical adaptations would be required for the whole process. Dr. Glassman's crew had been literally on fire working non-stop for the past two days to make the alien technology compatible with the ship's systems. The Sangheili energy delivery structures were different, since their energy sources were way more advanced. But thanks to the Forerunner tech embedded within the Infinity, some other things were a lot easier. Many people wondered what kind of food the Sangheili ate, or if the taste of their water would be nice. There was a lot of expectation amongst the crewmen.
With yearning in his golden eyes, the Arbiter looked at the reddish scenery of his homeland and sighed, clicking his mandibles in meditation.
He hadn't been home for a while.
"Our people are not allowed to leave stations during the resupply, Arbiter. There's nothing to worry about." said Captain Lasky, in appeasing tone. "We know Sanghelios is not Earth, and we're not taking any kind of advantages that could result in discomfort among your kind."
The upper screens of the strategic commanding aisle showed different video feeds from the escorting Broadswords' cameras. There were a lot of Sangheili civilians in the streets, looking at the sky. Most of them seemed curious, surprised. So much excitement made Lasky's stomach flip a little.
"Vadam was once my Keep." the alien commented. "Now that I'm the Arbiter, my people respect me even more. If I say humans are welcome to stay, then they are; yet I find your resolution of not making large scale contact most appropriate. Things are still a little sore within certain factions."
"We won't cause you any trouble, you have my word."
"Were it so easy, the Demon is here. Wherever he is, destruction usually follows."
"We can say he's incredibly lucky in so many levels." the Captain chuckled.
"No, Thomas Lasky. You lie to me."
Lasky's face went pale.
"Sir, I..." he started, nervous.
"You expect attack." the Arbiter insisted, serious.
The Captain pursed his lips, uneasy. They already had implied the possibility of hostilities in another talk, but this time the alien knew that something wasn't being said. The human's expression was conclusive.
"Yes, we do." he answered. "This is a one-in-a-million opportunity; we have intel that suggests we may or may not be engaged. It's a fifty-fifty chance, way more than I'd like."
"Two of the biggest fleets on this side of the galaxy against one single individual don't seem much of a threat. But I have seen with my own eyes what this corrupted construct can do. I wouldn't take her lightly either."
"I want to clarify that I never meant to lie. I just wasn't at a liberty to discuss it."
"Your superior officer should have considered sharing this information."
"She should, Arbiter, but she's top brass and I don't get to tell her what to do."
"Then, you will tell her that the Arbiter says we are supposed to work together. We cannot protect your people for as long as you are here if we do not know what the plans are. I expect to be trusted at least with the basics."
The Captain's expression was somewhat sheepish. The Arbiter understood.
"You are absolutely right." Lasky sighed. "I'll try to make it happen, sir."
The Elite leader clicked his mandibles again, nodding. He couldn't wait to get off the ship and stretch his legs in land, breathe the air of his own world and hear the voices chanting in the streets. Maybe even eat something that hadn't been in storage for a long period of time, and get some sleep. Oh, yes; sleep.
Sleep would have to wait, he had priorities to attend.
"Sir, all carriers attached and engines running in standby. We are touching land in five minutes." informed Roland, his faint amber figure popping up at the corner of the holo-table. "Should I make any announcements?"
"The crew already has their orders, Roland. Thank you."
"Then I'll concentrate my processing power in overseeing the resupply, sir."
"Knock yourself out." the Captain smiled, satisfied.
When Roland disappeared, Lasky leaned in to observe carefully the holographic display of the current activities: there was an amber miniature of the ship and four red shapes -the carriers-, the current course, the expected landing angle, the station waiting to receive the gigantic ship's structure. And the rough terrain of the mountain top where the Infinity would lay her tremendous weight. It was pretty much a standard spaceport, it had all the accommodations for massive carriers including repair sub-stations, large cargo elevators and flexible fuel ducts.
The Captain cleared his throat. "We have a few minor repairs listed, Arbiter. It shouldn't take long or bother the activities of your officers either."
"About taking your civilian passengers to somewhere safe..." the Arbiter started.
The man raised his head, curious.
"Please, go ahead."
"My fleet could assist you." the alien said, with confidence.
"Your fleet?"
"I can drop your civilians in any human planetary system of your choosing. If we divert the efforts, you increase the chances of survival for your people by fifty percent. The enemy is after the Infinity, isn't it?"
Captain Lasky frowned a little. "Why would you do such a thing?"
"It came to me that it could be a relief for your crew." the Arbiter said, carefully.
"Indeed, it could be a good strategy and it's very thoughtful of you, Arbiter, but I don't get to make the choice. I'll discuss your proposal with Admiral Osman and let you know."
The Elite leader closed his eyes for a moment, thinking.
"Very well, I'll wait for your word."
"We really want to cause you the less trouble possible, sir." insisted Lasky.
"Then, one last thing; would you allow me to arrange an event for our diplomats to meet your people? I think it would be proper to introduce yourselves, since we are supporting your operation."
Tom's eyes went wide this time.
"Of course, I mean, we don't want to offend anyone."
"Good. I will send you the time schedules once the event is set. In the meantime, I will order my assault forces to set a defensive perimeter around this mountain top and be ready."
The Captain accepted the gigantic paw of the alien and they shared a handshake.
"Thank you, Arbiter."
"I hope someday you could do the same for my kind, Captain. I'll be seeing you."
TO BE CONTINUED
I bet the only "action" Cortana will get for now is the one on her dreams xD So, how about therapy? Dr. Waters seems cool, I kind of picture her as a bit more mature Natalie Dormer xD I don't think we'll see more of her, this is only a little flashback to enlighten us about things that needed background, like Charley's origins. This dog has a role to play before everything ends, so don't forget about her :) Other things are about to get fucked up again soon, so don't get your seatbelts off yet... but for now, let's enjoy the Arbiter's home. Sanghelios is so underrated!
Thank you all for being here every week and leaving your words, it makes me very happy to entertain you!
Join us for the next episode, Party at Vadam Keep!... just kidding. There will be an alien party soon, but not just yet, there are other things first. Let's make sure nobody important dies next Sunday!
Don't forget to leave your comments, pals! You feed this beast :)