"Very impressive. And how long ago was this?"
"Yesterday sir, they're currently on the planet camped out and awaiting extraction"
"This team is unlike any other headhunter duo I've ever seen, I think they might just do."
"Good to hear sir, I'll have them debriefed and prepped for you tomorrow"
"Thank you, General, and one more thing."
"Yes sir?"
"Their helmet cameras, they cut off when they exited the base. What happens to these Spartans between the completion of their mission and extraction?"
"I'm not entirely sure sir, they set up camp and sleep I suppose. They're Spartans, you know as well as I do they mostly just fight."
--
Caleb sat next to the fire, watching the orange light jump up the cave walls. Iona was by the entrance, setting up a camouflage film designed to make the cave entrance look dark and empty. It had been a long mission. But a successful one, he thought to himself, patting the data chip currently strapped to his leg. Iona finished setting up the camo and walked back into the cave, sitting down near Caleb in front of the fire. She stretched and then pulled off her helmet, cracking her neck once it was off.
"Well," she said smiling, "I think we outdid ourselves this time."
Caleb chuckled under his helmet, "Yeah, except for that techie spotting me when we were in the data chip room."
Iona shrugged, "Meh, he got lucky. Not like it mattered"
Caleb nodded and they were quiet for a while, staring into the fire. They had the entire night ahead of them before they exited the planet in their carefully concealed ship. Their escape had to be done carefully and concisely, so as not to be noticed by the Elites. So before then, all they had to do was wait. Of course being Spartans, that wasn't exactly an issue. Nothing was.
Iona looked up at him, "Still wearing your helmet again? We're out of the mission, you can take that bucket off"
Caleb shifted awkwardly. "I prefer keeping it on, it's just more comfortable that way," he replied.
"Really?" she asked, "I always thought they were a little cramped"
"Come on, they're designed to be comfortable" He retorted.
"I don't know about comfortable. Tactical maybe, but not comfortable," She said.
Caleb conceded to that. Truth be told he didn't know why he preferred keeping his helmet on after missions. He had done this kind of run with her a thousand times, all the way down to camping out in a random cave in the middle of the night, but he always preferred keeping his helmet on. He figured she would have grown used to it by now, he guessed not.
Iona stretched herself out again and yawned, "Alright, who's taking first watch? I'm exhausted." Caleb smiled to himself. They were Spartans, they were only sleepy if they wanted to be, and yet she always liked pretending that she could do things like "get tired". As if they were real people.
"I say we let the data chip decide," Caleb said, detaching it from its strap and looking at it for a moment. "Weird-looking lines or UNSC emblem? Call it" he said, flicking it into the air like a coin.
"Mm... The UNSC one," Iona said, lazily watching the coin fall back into his hand. He turned it over and looked at it.
"Weird looking lines," he said, "looks like I'm up."
Iona nodded, "Enjoy staring at an empty cave entrance for two hours."
"I will," Caleb replied.
Iona leaned back against the cave wall and set her helmet down, letting her head fall back and short, curly brown hair press up against the wall. She closed her eyes. Caleb watched for a moment, and then let his eyes drift back to the fire. Five minutes passed and he knew she was still awake without looking. Her breathing was still short and controlled, just like they had been trained to do. Iona could be asleep in less than 2 minutes if she wanted to, but she often chose to stay awake anyways. Something Caleb assumed she did to give herself time to think or reflect, reliving the day's mission, but sometimes it was for another reason.
"Hey, Caleb?" Iona asked, eyes still closed. Caleb nodded to himself, It looked like it was one of those nights for her. "I'm having trouble falling asleep, think you could sing me a lullaby?"
One night, after what must have been only their third mission together, Iona had overheard Caleb quietly singing to himself while setting up camp. Iona had asked him to sing a little louder, he did, and from then on whenever Iona asked, Caleb sang. It was the kind of tradition that became one without a word being uttered to its name, and they always honored tradition.
Caleb chuckled, "What are you in the mood for tonight?"
Iona thought for a moment. "That old ODST one?" she asked. Caleb nodded and drew in a breath beginning to sing the first lines of the old military cadence. His voice rang out softly throughout the cave.
Helljumper, Helljumper, where have you been?
Feet first into hell and back again!
When I die please bury me deep!
Place an MA5 down by my feet!
Don't cry for me, don't shed no tear!
Just pack my box with PT gear!
Cuz one early morning 'bout zero-five!
The ground will rumble, there'll be lightning in the sky!
Don't you worry, don't come undone
It's just my ghost on a PT run!
Caleb finished his chant and looked over at Iona. She was asleep, for real this time. He never knew why he had that effect on her, after all, he didn't know many actual songs. The ones he could remember ranged from lullabies he could faintly remember from his childhood to war chants drilled into his mind by drill sergeants. Caleb smiled, watching the steady rising and falling of her breathing for a while. Suddenly he caught himself and looked away, slightly embarrassed. He wasn't quite sure why.