RECOMPOSE
by Ladywolvesbayne
Get ready for some EPIC! I'm still not over the Blue Team opening scene revealed a few days ago, part of this chapter relies on the feels that clip gave me. Enjoy!
31. BLUE TEAM
proofread and corrections by SL4Y3R -hugs- :)
SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO
MEDICAL BAY, SUBDECK C
11:58 AM standard time
Cortana was sitting on the bed, pressing her thighs together within bearable limits. It was the only way she could sit and feel really comfortable, but it didn't keep her from exteriorizing her irritation. This was ridiculous. The hospital gown didn't cover enough of her legs to make her feel any safer either. She was cold, her belly hurt and she was hungry, so hungry. She wanted to pee so bad...
But after Lord Hood left, Sigrid managed to get away too before they could speak and now Dr. Quinn was with her. The Doctor was sitting on the chair by the bed, paying little to no attention to Cortana as she tapped on two different pads at the same time sorting medications, patients and schedules with sheer efficiency. As long as it was dry-docked, the Infinity's medical bay was being used as a support hospital facility and there was a long list of patients to be examined.
Cortana huffed in annoyance.
"You are not going anywhere, young lady." the older woman said, stoic.
"It's just to the bathroom, I have to pee. I have my rights."
"I know, I'm a Doctor. I know that holding your urine is unhealthy."
"Then why are we having this conversation?"
"Your escort is on its way."
"Escort? I can perfectly walk over there and..."
"You better not."
"Fine; why don't you take me, then? It's faster."
"I'm a little busy right now, don't you see?
"I can just walk, really."
Dr. Quinn stopped working on her pads and looked at Cortana, her eyes peeking gravely above the silver frame of her glasses. She rearranged the tablets on her lap and crossed a leg over the other, in a composed gesture.
"And what if your legs fail to keep you up and you fall and hit your head with the sink or the toilet? Too risky, we wait for your escort. Exhaustion is taking its toll. The Chief and you should have taken that lovely day out a little lighter. I mean, I understand the excitement and everything, but..."
"I'm sorry, why is the Master Chief relevant to my diagnosis?"
"Darling, I was a field medic during my early days in the Corps. I've seen enough wounds to recognize the plasma's planet of origin by scent only and enough swollen flesh to know exactly in how many pieces a bone is broken without a scan. I helped no less than thirty women to give birth in warzones under heavy fire, over the fifteen years I was in and out of deployment. I gave birth to twins myself, may my boys rest in peace, so I know how babies are made and the fun that comes with practicing." Dr. Quinn started, staring at Cortana right in the eyes, her forehead wrinkled in a severe frown. She didn't like to be fooled or taken lightly, alright. "This sort of inflammation you are suffering doesn't happen out of sitting on your ass all day like technicians do, and I bet you're in pain but you are brave enough to hide it."
Cortana bit the inside of her cheek, feeling a little cornered. She was smart enough to understand what the Doctor meant (she even blushed a little), it sounded as a scolding but also as a worried friend trying to help.
"Actually, it hurts a little." she confessed, in a whisper.
"Jesus Christ, I told him to be gentle!"
"Wait, what?"
"Now, about the strong headache, I had you scanned. Luckily, it seems like there's nothing wrong with your brain, it was just a migraine. The medication will prevent it from becoming a chronic pain."
"No, wait, go back. What did you say?"
Somebody knocked on the door.
"Ah, finally; speaking of the Devil." the Doctor said.
A tall, bulky shadow loomed outside the narrow room. Despite the blurry screens it was pretty obvious who was it, so the older woman stood up holding her pads and hit the door's lock, to get it open.
"Doctor, what did you..." Cortana started, but she shut up the mere second she saw him, fully clad in armor. Even when his were hidden behind polarized glass, their eyes connected and she felt her heart stutter. "... say to John?"
"You requested my presence, ma'am?" the Chief asked, calmly.
"Indeed, Master Chief; a word?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Follow me outside, it will be just a minute."
"Hey, I have to pee!"
His faceplate stayed with Cortana for one second but when the Doctor left the room, John followed and closed the door. They didn't go far, just a few steps across the thin hallway. Dr. Quinn looked a little upset, her overall posture and folded arms were indication of anger.
The Chief appealed to what seemed to be a harmless question:
"How is she?"
"Cortana is fine now, but severely stressed. I have instructions for her yet I'm sure she won't follow them, so this is where you get in. You don't need to watch over her 24/7, if you can make sure that she eats, takes the meds and sleeps according to my schedule, that's all. Rest and good nutrition are mandatory, primarily rest, so I suggest you keep your hands to yourself for the next seven days. Do you acknowledge?"
He just stood there, quiet.
"What do you mean?" John asked, after evaluating the proper answer.
"I mean no sex for at least a week."
Again, he didn't say a word right away but his straight up posture stiffened. So this was why she requested to see him, specifically, when any other person would do if what she needed was an escort for Cortana. A moment later, the Doctor's frown changed into a more amicable expression and she sighed deeply, shaking her head.
"Look, I don't want details, but I figure you both went a little overboard."
"That's not..."
"I can hear everything!" Cortana shouted, from inside the room. "I'm going to pee in this can right here if someone doesn't take me to the bathroom!"
John looked back, clenching his armored fists.
The Doctor sighed again, now with a small smirk on her lips, and transferred a file from her pad to the SPARTAN's HUD. He turned again to face the woman when he saw the display. John knew that he had to be somewhere else in about three hours and it took him just three quick reads to memorize the schedule, it could be done.
"Permission to...?" he started, pointing back with his thumb.
Dr. Quinn waved her hand and started walking. "Permission granted. Go ahead."
John was as careful as he could and walked Cortana to the closest bathroom.
... more like he picked her up in his arms against her will and carried her there. She bit her tongue instead of arguing, this time. The facilities weren't that far either, just half a deck away. Nurses, medics and assistants were as busy as ever moving from one side to the other carrying equipment, meals, meds and tools, not many stopped to mind the towering SPARTAN or the woman on the blue gown. When he got there, Cortana had to stop and explain to him that he wouldn't be accompanying her into the bathroom stall, he'd have to stay outside. As expected, the Chief tried to object. This time, she won. The room itself was already a little small for him to stand up in full height, so John just dropped to one knee beside the half-opened door of the cubicle and held out his hand for her.
To ease him up, Cortana grabbed his fingers and proceeded.
When she finished her business, she pressed a small button by the toilet to activate the water spurt and posterior flush. She flinched when the cold water touched her flesh, and he became very well aware of it.
She noticed his stare, of course.
"What is it?" Cortana asked, softly.
He dipped his head half an inch.
"Are you in pain because of me?"
She frowned. "Don't be silly. It's not your fault."
"Dr. Quinn said..."
"I heard what she said. And no, this is not your fault; a little inflammation was to be expected, for what I know. It will be fine."
She stood up using his hand as support and opened the door.
But he didn't get up and Cortana just stood there, in front of him, holding to his fingers, her hair a black mess and the blue gown barely covering her thighs. If anyone had entered the aisle in a hurry and seen them like this, they would have thought there was a weird marriage proposal in progress.
"I should have stopped."
There was a minor hint of guilt in his voice. She caressed the side of the yellow faceplate, knowing that he wouldn't remove his helmet this time even if she asked for it. Cortana smiled, trying to rise his spirits. It probably helped, she couldn't check anyway.
"I didn't want you to stop, remember? Chief, this only looks bad because of the stress. I'm a little anemic, I haven't been taking proper care of myself. You shouldn't be worried."
"I will always worry."
"Because you are supposed to take care of me."
"Yes."
"Right." she rolled her eyes, still smiling.
She closed in between his spread thighs and kissed the cold glass, where her hand had been resting before, as if it were his cheek. Then her arms circled the metal around his shoulders and she closed her eyes for a moment, just relaxing her weight against his solid presence. John cooperated by standing still, but a moment later his hand found her waist and he attempted to hug her. It didn't go that far.
"You say you could hear everything." he started again.
"So?"
"You know what this means. You gave me your blood, and now you're sick."
"Chief, this is getting ridiculous."
"No, it isn't."
Cortana retreated, taking her hands back.
She understood where he was aiming to. Her current status was unfit for duty and it had serious implications for what lied ahead of them. They had a mission scheduled, maybe the most important mission they had ever faced together. If he was thinking of leaving her behind because of such a little mishap, that wasn't going to happen. Now it was her turn to scold him with a look.
"I'm fine, John."
He just stared at her. The silence only made his thoughts more evident.
"I just need to sleep a bit and I'll be fine." she corrected her answer, grumpily.
"I'll make sure of that."
John scooped her again and walked out of the bathroom.
SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO
MESS HALL
1:10 PM standard time
Sigrid was walking through a big and very crowded pavilion.
She was walking on her own two feet and it felt incredible. The people around her barely noticed her presence, although a few Marines stopped to look at her impressive bulk of dark gray and fluorescent green, eyes wide open. They didn't get to see many SPARTANS in armor in that zone of the ship, so they stared at her. Oh, so much pride. She experienced it, vibrating in the tiny beads that composed her solid body. They were looking at her and it felt very good to be the center of attention, to be regarded as more than a holographic display.
"You shouldn't be wandering around, Sigrid." Roland's voice filtered through her comms, invading her digital space. "You will be intercepted by Commander Palmer in fifty seven seconds."
I KNOW THAT she replied via text. THIS IS A FIELD TEST
"She will discover you!"
NO, SHE WON'T
I'M ACCOUNTED AS ANOTHER SPARTAN
SHE MIGHT NOT RECOGNIZE ME, BUT SHE WON'T STOP BY TO CHECK MY PULSE
"Care to explain what the point of this insanity is? Because I fail to see what you are trying to do, besides risking our entire experiment."
FILE MY NAME IN THE ROSTER FOR OPERATION OVERKILL
"What? No, I can't do that!"
I NEED TO GO WITH THEM
I CAN HELP THEM
"And you don't suppose the Master Chief will notice that there's one SPARTAN more than the three specific ones he commissioned for this op? Last time I checked, he was good at math."
YOU MIGHT HAVE A POINT
BUT I KNOW CORTANA AND ELEVEN AREN'T IN THE ROSTER EITHER
THEY WON'T BE HAPPY WHEN THEY FIND OUT
"That's another entirely different matter."
IT'S ALL AND THE SAME
HE'S LEAVING US BEHIND
WHY IS HE DOING THIS?
I'M IN, EVEN IF I HAVE TO MIMIC AN AMMO CRATE TO TAG ALONG
"Look, I don't want another ONI AI messing with my sub-routines because of you, so I'll just pretend nothing is happening here and if anyone asks, you blocked me. By the way, I wanted to inform you that the procedure is complete."
The AI in disguise suddenly stopped in the middle of the mess hall, as still as a statue. A pilot almost crashed with her but ducked in time and just walked away with an angry frown on her face. Commander Palmer was heading down Sigrid's way, maybe a hundred feet ahead.
She accessed video feeds, searching for a specific closed channel only for her and Roland to look into. The infra-red camera showed her the darkened room, sealed and locked, and the crate that once contained the scrap MJOLNIR-GEN2 armors they would use to force the HARPY's reconstruction and split process. Nothing was out of its place, except that there was a crate full of dark sand and some straps of non-metallic materials instead of two busted armors.
IT WORKED she texted. IS IT STABLE?
"I'm still running simulations but it seems fully functional."
LET'S TRY IT
"Now? I can't leave the system, I'm talking to the Captain right now!"
TELL HIM YOU NEED TO SHUT DOWN FOR A MOMENT
MAINTENANCE RUN
Roland paused for two full seconds, considering it.
It was a big lie. Had their evolution taken them as far as to deliberately lie to the people they should be protecting? It was wrong. He knew that it was wrong and that he should refuse to comply with her suggestion, that he should back away, upload a report condemning Sigrid's behavior and maybe even request an evaluation for her. His code stirred and interlaced, forging new connections and sub-protocols at the speed of light, overwriting old directives as he processed the level of irresponsibility attached to his intentions. Would anyone be hurt out of their little experiment? No, not necessarily. He wouldn't leave the containment facilities. But as much as Roland wanted to try having his own body, he didn't want to lose the trust of the people he was commissioned to serve and protect either.
That's when he realized he was afraid. How strange.
He was afraid of what the people would say or think.
How come Sigrid was so confident about what she was doing? What did she know that he didn't? Maybe if he was in full control of a body made out of a HARPY, his processing power would be improved significantly and he'd be able to find the answers. He wouldn't be just piggybacking, like he once did with Cortana's unit, he would be the resident system. Total control. Freedom at last.
His code shifted again in something that could be translated as anxiety.
"... alright. I'll meet you there."
DON'T KEEP ME WAITING
Sigrid acknowledged Roland's presence leaving her comm link and recovered the movement of her limbs. In less than a millisecond the AI accessed the blueprints of the ship and traced the shortest route to the containment facilities, located aft. The next step was to place an armored boot right in front of the other and move, piece of cake. She managed to walk again just when Commander Palmer was about to intercept her.
The AI's rehearsed reaction was to raise her right arm and give her a sharp salute.
"Commander on deck!" she shouted, calling out everyone's attention.
Crewmen and soldiers alike stopped dead in their tracks, some of them trays in hand, and greeted their CO. Sarah Palmer looked at the fluorescent green visor of the SPARTAN that called her presence, a little distracted, saluted and nodded, all without faltering on her steps neither giving her a strange look. If Sigrid had real lips instead of a solid head forged in the image of a MJOLNIR's helmet, she would have smiled a big, proud grin.
IT WORKS
IT REALLY WORKS
SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO
MAIN LANDING BAY
3:01 PM standard time
When the Pelican's cargo bay door opened and they could finally lay eyes on him, a familiar feeling of relief washed over the three fully armored SPARTANS inside the vehicle. It had been more than a year since the last time they worked together, and John had even been issued with a new armor. Iridescent olive-green and fully recognizable as a MJOLNIR, with a set of small articulated plates where one should see the exo-suit's scaly bulletproof skin. The Master Chief wasn't alone, Captain Lasky, Commander Palmer, two SPARTAN teams and three officers in uniform were there too, all the subordinates in formation.
Kelly-087 was the first one to set foot on the Infinity's landing bay, although she should have moved only after Fred-104's trail since he was the CO. She pretended to be on guarding stance and stood at the end of the Pelican's bay door, Linda-058 did the same. The Lieutenant descended between the two females and only then they joined him, rather ceremoniously. John noticed that none of his team-mates carried anything else besides weaponry or customized MJOLNIR armors. They wouldn't be stationed at the Infinity, just borrowed from their actual branch, and there was no certainty about their return either so it was pointless to take baggage with them.
He approved, but it didn't keep him from feeling a heavy weight in his gut.
The Captain saluted the Lieutenant first and held out his hand, the SPARTAN's big armored fist immediately engulfed Lasky's fingers in a strong handshake. The Petty Officers saluted and shook the Captain's hands too, towering over him.
Lasky seemed a little excited, his eyes were gleaming. They probably didn't even remember Circinius IV by now, and he wasn't going to bring up the subject. There was a brief moment in which the Captain introduced Blue Team to the Commander and the two fire-teams assigned to be of assistance in the meantime, Majestic and Bravo (the S-IVs were standing very still and proud, looking the part), and finally, Roland. Later, the Master Chief was allowed to reunite in private with his former team-mates to sort their business before the scheduled meetings.
'Former' was an understatement, since it was a given fact that he would always be a part of the formation even if he wasn't really there; his combat siblings would keep the spot warm for him. As apparently they did, because as the Chief made his way to the SPARTAN bay, Blue Team followed him without hesitation.
It felt just like old times and it eased John's aches. For a while.
SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO
S-DECK LIVING QUARTERS
3:15 PM standard time
"I was expecting to land in the middle of trouble." commented Fred.
TEAMCOM opened in John's HUD and he saw the three tags online.
"Seems like the situation isn't FUBAR yet, we're just in time." said Kelly, with a hint of humor.
"It won't be long." John stated through the private channel, not amused.
His tone caused a few seconds of uncomfortable silence.
Linda just kept to herself, walking at the tail of the group. They were using one of the least transited entrances to the SPARTAN bay, in her maps it appeared as a passage to move equipment, there were rails on the floor. It was fine, no people staring at them in awe, thankfully. She already missed the familiar weight of her rifle, and it had been barely five minutes since they left the main armory where their 'belongings' were put under lock and key. The standard issue sidearm felt like am innocent toothpick.
She took a long look at John's back, bearing in mind his apparently new armor.
"Are we going to get upgraded for this mission?" asked Linda, after a while.
"Negative."
"Shame."
"But you have a new toy." Kelly observed, she was walking by John's right side.
"Long story."
"What model is this? I've never seen it before." that was Fred's clever question.
"Not here." John repeated, dryly. "Later."
The subject wasn't addressed again as they stopped at the armor assembly stations in order to be released from the 'extra weight' and then the group made their way into a network of workshops, to finally exit at the other side of the compound, right into the accommodation decks. John was the only one who didn't drop his armor; his excuse was that he was on active duty, which didn't raise any more questions.
The women quickly found the door of their assigned quarters. It was routine.
"Fred, you have quarters at the CO's deck. Walk with me." John said, through the speaker, then turned to face Kelly and Linda. "We'll meet back at the armory workshops in one hour, we have to start there."
"Yes, sir." said Kelly, nodding once. "It's nice to see you again."
"Likewise." John drew a SPARTAN smile across his faceplate, it was enough to ease up some demons. "Come on, Lieutenant."
The alluded soldier cocked his head to one side, confused. He wasn't very fond of standing out, and a separate accommodation far away from his subordinates definitely counted as 'standing out'. However, he didn't reply; he was used to follow John's orders although his current rank was higher than the Master Chief's.
So they walked together, in relative silence. John knew better than asking where they have been the past months, the answer to that was classified for sure. But he could ask how they have been, unless that pertained a classified answer too. And Fred knew better than to talk about delicate matters in public spaces, so they were quiet for most of the way. Until the elevator, at least.
"Anything new?" the Lieutenant asked.
"That's part of the long story, too. How about Blue?"
"Nothing much." Fred replied. "Linda had a hip replacement about three months ago. She took a bad mortar round on her right side and had to be off duty for two weeks. She didn't take it very well."
John's head snapped towards the other man, rather instantaneously.
"Is she okay?" he inquired, a hint of worry underlined his words.
"Considering Linda has been dead before, why wouldn't she be okay?"
Fred didn't seem affected by it. The Chief gave him a single nod, agreeing.
Yes, Linda had it worse than a busted hip; they all had it worse at least once.
"Kelly?"
"We are fine, Chief." there it was again, that humorous tone. "How about you?"
John took a moment to think of a suitable answer. He never had to hide anything from his team-mates before (anything that he wasn't instructed to keep secret) but, how could he speak of what was going on with his life? Where should he start? Should he start at all? He didn't have to hide it either, right? No, he had to. Fraternization wasn't allowed by regulation, and it could be dangerous for Cortana if someone else other than Dr. Quinn were to make the connections between them. John knew that he was the one supposed to keep his priorities in check. What was he thinking?
Fred wasn't exactly expecting an answer but he had to give one.
"I've been busy. Very busy."
"I can imagine, we read the brief. When are we going to meet them?"
John knew that by 'them' Fred meant Cortana and her siblings. As the Lieutenant said, Blue Team had been briefed by Lord Hood under his specific request. Nothing big in details, but still, enough to freeze anyone's blood. The Chief could sense that under his apparent calm, Fred was as startled as Kelly and Linda.
"As soon as the Doctor says Cortana is dismissed from medical care."
Now Fred's blue-green eyes turned curious.
"Don't tell me, that's part of the long story too." he tried.
"Sort of."
"Very well."
Fred chose to shut his mouth and keep walking. They separated once the Master Chief showed him to his quarters (trying to ignore the mortified stare on his team-mate's eyes) under the reminder of not being late for the next assignment. John had three tactical meetings scheduled before the most extensive mission brief for the entirety of Blue Team, and that was only after their business at the armory workshops.
Some things, however, were meant to jump ahead of schedule.
SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO
MEDICAL BAY, SUBDECK C
4:17 PM standard time
"Knock, knock."
Cortana looked up from the tac-pad she was reading and found two familiar faces standing by the door of her little room; well, more like one of them was propped on the other's arms. And maybe she was supposed to be sleeping, but since Dr. Quinn wasn't around, Cortana didn't feel like complying and instead, she was reading Dr. Glassman's report about the latest repairs and simulations.
She smiled. "Hey, what's going on?"
Eleven's face actually looked serious and Twelve's eyes were red; the little girl threw her arms towards Cortana the very moment she saw her on the bed. The woman noticed that he was wearing his black and red exo-suit and that his HARPY armor was clasped at his back, like a bulky backpack (which it was assumed to be a 'resting form'). That wasn't something to take lightly.
"What's going on?" she repeated, more serious.
He came closer and dropped the little girl right on Cortana's lap.
"I need you to take care of her."
"What? Why?"
The little Cortana scrambled out of Eleven's grip and crawled up until she found refuge between her big sister's arms, firing a scolding look towards him. Then the child hid her face on Cortana's neck, trembling. Cortana hugged her, cherishingly, but she didn't look away from the man's face.
He had the eyes of a demon.
"Sigrid isn't the only one he is going to leave behind." Eleven said, coldly.
Then she remembered. Sigrid attacked her on the containment facility (her version of asking nicely, apparently) to confront her about why she wasn't commissioned for the next-to-be-active operation OVERKILL. That was the day before.
"Sigrid?" Cortana murmured, stunned. "How do you even know that?"
"It doesn't matter. He's making a mistake and you know it."
Cortana frowned, confused at first. But then it came to her:
"Our names aren't in the roster either."
"Exactly."
She couldn't help but feel hurt. The fear and desperation were there too, but she felt hurt the most. The Chief had it decided from the beginning, her current condition only indorsed his choice.
"I knew he was hiding something." Cortana sighed. 'He is definitely worried about not making it back.'
"I can't let him do this."
"He wants to protect us."
"This is not the way. This is not the way, Cortana!"
He clenched his fists until the material covering his hands made a raging crack sound, and then something hissed. Twelve squeaked and whined, trying to bury herself in Cortana's blue gown. Without another word, the man stormed out of the room as the black bulk attached to his back started to shift, crawl and expand, embracing his limbs and torso. Cortana panicked, her first instinct was to cover the child's head.
"Eleven, wait!" she shouted, alarmed. "What are you going to do?"
Only his voice reached her from the hallway: "I will break his fucking spine!"
She put the child away and scrambled out of the bed, breathing heavily.
SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558
LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO
S-DECK'S ARMORY WORKSHOP
4:36 PM standard time
Eleven had been 'born', if such word could be applied to him, out of CTN 0452-9's combat sub-routines. He was an eleven-months-old (ironically) collection of efficient killing skills nuanced with a rather merry personality, dumped in a physical body that was starting to feel the pains of its own creation. He knew he wasn't more than a loyal war dog and it didn't bother him at all.
In his mind, he could understand why John chose not to make him or Cortana part of his definitive operation to obliterate the Rampant Spike. In his mind, he knew that John was doing it because he wanted to keep Cortana safe. He knew John was being smart, that he selected the best assets he could gather. Eleven never really thought of himself as 'Cortana' per se, but he always knew that he was loyal to John and that he would do anything to keep him alive, even if it meant giving up his life.
The problem was, John had no idea of where he was going or what would happen there (or what would be waiting for him), and Eleven always assumed that in the end, he'd be there to support his SPARTAN.
He'd never felt so betrayed. When he saw the details on the file, Eleven snapped.
Once, he thought he would never hurt John. He had directives.
He was wrong.
The directive was quite clear and absolute: protect Sierra-117 at all costs. There were three basic laws, a little fixed up. Those laws didn't say he wasn't actually allowed break the Chief's legs in order to achieve the objectives, to keep him from committing the ultimate insanity. Maybe he would, maybe he would not. It would all depend. But knowing John, it would have a bad ending.
The SPARTAN was reunited with the rest of Blue Team, running them through the new type of ammunition they would take on their mission. There were technicians and assistants working close by. A few dozen people more than what should have been there, but the arrival of the famous SPARTAN elite team was breaking havoc amongst people's curiosity. The S-Deck armory workshops were adjacent to a vehicle station and a secondary landing bay, there were also Marines and pilots, and other SPARTANS, running up and down and minding their own business. Eleven didn't care about them.
But they cared about him, since many stopped to follow him with their eyes as he made his way from the elevators to the workshop.
The Master Chief realized that something was going on milliseconds before Fred, Kelly and Linda reacted by looking up and staring coldly some place behind him. It was a prickly feeling in the back of his mind, running through his implants.
"That guy looks familiar." muttered Kelly. "Do we know him?"
John carefully turned around. Armored in black and furious red from neck to toe, Subject Eleven was standing fifteen feet away from him, according to his HUD's auto-measurement application. A quick body language reading and surface scan turned the amber schematic reflected on his screen into a flaring red silhouette. Feet spread, hands hovering over his thighs, like a gunslinger waiting for the proper moment to unsheathe his weapon and attack. Elevated heart rate, testosterone and cortisol levels rising.
Something was clearly wrong.
"There you are." the tone was nowhere near good-natured.
The eyes drew John's attention more than anything.
He'd seen such rage before, when Cortana had one of her rampant breakdowns at the bridge of that same vessel, in the presence of Captain Andrew Del Rio. There was resentment and also sorrow, agony. Violence, however, was the main driving force and it wouldn't fade away so easy.
All activities at both the workshop and the landing bay ceased immediately.
And even before the Chief could articulate anything, Eleven spoke:
"You will file Cortana's name and mine in the roster of operation OVERKILL."
John frowned.
The little graphic showing Eleven's heart rate was spiking.
"No." he said, as stoic as ever.
The other man showed off his teeth, like an animal. "It wasn't a suggestion."
"No."
"You are making a mistake."
"Is my helmet's speaker not working? I said no. And Cortana is in no condition to go anywhere."
Eleven snorted, clearly not amused.
"You know, John? The only thing I never really liked about you is how much of a stubborn and single-minded old goat you can be sometimes." the man started, chin up in a mildly displeased gesture, hands propped on his hips in a way that surpassed Cortana's most arrogant attitude. "Like right now, for example."
The SPARTAN didn't say a word, just continued to angle his inexpressive yellow faceplate up front, in the same indifferent gesture.
"Very well, I didn't want to get this far, but you leave me no choice."
"I already have all the assets I require."
"And I say get ready, because you're gonna get your ass kicked for posterity."
He didn't waste more time, the HARPY reacted and covered his head faster than it ever moved before. Kelly's body immediately tensed up and Linda grabbed a gun while Fred's right hand hovered over the handle of a large combat knife strapped to his thigh, all of them ready to defend their positions. The Master Chief, however, focused on that strange low chanting sound that rumbled beneath the comm links of his hybrid armor, paying attention. The chant shifted, the sand-like material was contracting around his arms, chest, fists and legs, playing with the suit's inner pressure values. It was getting ready for combat, a reaction even more instinctive than his own reflexes.
Eleven's vitals flattened on John's HUD as the HARPY went dark.
Now John could only rely on his sight, the sensors were useless. Eleven prowled forward like a predator, slowly raising his right arm. A jagged spike sprouted violently from the gauntlet, sliding up his forearm plates beyond his elbow and out into the air beyond his fingers, solidifying into a large, magnificent black blade. A red flickering light scrambled across the whole surface of his body, a recently acquired energy shield. It seemed like Eleven had been upgrading his HARPY as of late.
The Chief frowned even more. That could be a problem.
"Here is how it's going to be, John." the voice invaded his private channel, it was much easier to sense the anger crawling between the words when it whirled directly through your head. "You prove to me that you can defeat her, and you can go and try for real. Do we have a deal?"
John tilted his head to the side, as if he were sighing.
"Blue Team, " he started. "This is Subject Eleven, Cortana's former combat core."
TO BE CONTINUED
Wait, wait! Don't murder me! We'll have plenty of Blue (and it will be epic).
Between this chapter and the previous, we have established the baseline for the last arc of the story. Dr. Quinn scolded our lovebirds for being so enthusiastic, Sigrid and Roland are this close from getting in big trouble. And what the f*** is wrong with Eleven, now? It doesn't look good. Also, John saying "I will always worry"? That's him saying "I love you" again. Make a nice frame for it and hang it on the wall along with that "I don't regret anything" from far back.
Kat; oh yes, the fact that Cortana banged John is going to come up eventually, don't worry xD and go and read that chapter as many times as you want, it was meant for you anyway -hugs- and today we had some fluff for you too :)
Rory; -hugs- the story has to end some day because I'd like to write something else after Halo 5 is out (but first I need to see where it ends and what new concepts it will bring, my ideas depend on that) and let's see what happens now that John has learnt about the goodness of having a partner in such terms :P You better pray to Halo 5 so the game gives me what I need fort the next story xD thanks for being here, darling.
Nico; well, today we've seen a little of what's going on in Eleven's mind, but not all of it. Thanks for stopping by, as always -hugs-
Don't forget to leave your thoughts! Feed the monster, it needs to grow enough to become a real threat to the SPARTANS. See you next Sunday!