Author's Note: It's chapter 4! Thank you to everyone who continues to read this story. I was a little concerned that it lost traction when views were dipping, but that was only because it had been 3 weeks so I was worried about nothing. Also, I did change her Naval ranks to Marine. Anyways enjoy and review like always.

Formerlyarandomreviewer - I thought about it after reading and came to the conclusion that "Yeah, why did I keep her Naval rank?" So I went back and changed each mention of it to 2nd Lieutenant or Lieutenant.

L - I suppose English isn't your first language, but I was able to understand most of what you said. For your theories, you'll need to read and find out as the chapters come out. I'll keep up the work though.

Guest - There's both a Colonel and a Major in charge of Boston, but in this case I made it just a Major to show the more direness of the Militaries current situation.

Fuze - Force Recon's more of a scouting force than it is a mainline infantry force whereas I could make them Raiders, however that wouldn't be right now just yet.

Jack Smith1 - If I were to introduce any UNSC equipment, it would have to be in the form of her making blueprint or a care package that got sent with her or even her own gear, but implementing it into the story would make it a lot different than what I want: pure Military vs the world.

Disclaimer: I don't own Halo or The Last of Us as they belong to Microsoft/343 Industries and Naughty Dog.

"Quotes."

"Radio Messages."

"Thoughts and/or reading"


Boston Quarantine Zone, Enlisted Barracks

August 3rd, 0330 Hours, 2033

A whistle sounded and lights flashed on throughout the bunks of Delta Platoon. Out of the roughly four dozen leathernecks, most jumped out of bed from months or years of experience while a couple sat up too fast and hit their heads on the bed frame.

"Get up, get up, c'mon!" Daisy shouted down the aisle. "I was told you were the best this Battalion had to offer so don't let me be disappointed on the first day!"

As enlisted and NCO's scrambled to stand at attention, Daisy slowly walked up and down the aisle, glancing at every Marine that was moving slower than their peers and taking note of them. After her third walk, all of the Marines now under her command were up and ready.

Taking her own position by the front door, she looked left and right at the two rows that stood before her. "I must say, most of you were ready fast enough to my liking, but there were a few who stood out. Martinez, Dominique, Galloway, Peruvia, front and center!"

The group of four sprinted to the front of the room, spacing out three feet apart in a square formation.

"I want to know why you Marines were slower than the rest!" Daisy demanded.

"Because we were caught off - guard ma'am!" Martinez spoke up.

"Caught off guard?! What do you mean?!" She told him, walking right up to his face, her 6'4, muscular stature towering over his own. "Did you not have schedules, leadership, priorities?!"

"No we didn't ma'am!"

"And why not?!"

"We haven't had a Platoon leader for nearly three weeks ma'am!"

"Nearly three weeks?! Then why the fuck didn't the squad leaders step up like they were supposed to?!" Backing away from him, she looked forward to address the whole room. "I may not know everyone's name here yet, but I'm sure as shit going to after we're done. Command's got a big day planned for us, so I want everyone in tip - top shape. Form a double column!"

Everyone scrambled to get onto the quickly forming pair of lines. After a very short fifteen seconds, they completed the formation. Daisy nodded slightly in approval.

"Before we begin, for those of you who have yet to hear of me, I'm 2nd Lieutenant Spencer and I'm your new Platoon leader! First impressions are important, so I want to provide the best one I can! I do not demand respect from you, I want to earn it, however, do not take that as a sign that I will be relaxed towards you. You will break, you will hurt, and you will cry by the time I'm done, but expect this for sure, everything you do, I do. We are one unit, so we will all work as one. Am I right Marines?!"

"Ma'am yes ma'am!" They shouted in unison.

"That's what I like to hear! Now, break and get ready for a jog. You have two minutes starting thirty seconds ago!"

The stunned Marines stood for a second before running to their foot lockers and getting dressed in PT gear. As they did this, Daisy walked over to the front door where she left her armor and put it on. The Marines were ready faster than they had woken up and back in the double column.

Holding her helmet under her arm, she walked up and down both sides looking for any discrepancies. Finding none, she nodded in approval before putting her helmet on, her shoulder length blonde hair emphasizing it's multicolor camouflage.

Opening the door to the hallway, she held it open. "Alright Marines, funnel out!"

"Ma'am yes ma'am!" They shouted as the first row started jogging through the doorway.

Once all four dozen Marines were outside, Daisy shut the door behind them and walked to the front. The moon was slowly falling from the sky, but it provided the necessary light for her men nonetheless.

"Marines, we're gonna jog until I get tired, understand?!"

"Yes ma'am!" A collective shout replied.

Turning around, Daisy placed two fingers in the corners of her mouth, blew a few short times, and began leading the Platoon in a jog.

"Helljumper Helljumper where've you been?" She instinctively began singing.

"Helljumper Helljumper where've you been?" Her men mimicked.

"Feet first into hell and back again!" She continued.

"Feet first into hell and back again!"

"When I die please bury me deep!"

"When I die please bury me deep!"

"Place an M4 down by my feet!"

"Place an M4 down by my feet!"

"Don't cry for me, don't shed no tear!"

"Don't cry for me, don't shed no tear!"

"Just pack my box with PT gear!"

"Just pack my box with PT gear!"

"Cuz one early morning 'bout zero - five!"

"Cuz one early morning 'bout zero - five!"

"The ground will rumble, there'll be lightning in the sky!"

"The ground will rumble, there'll be lightning in the sky!"

"Don't you worry, don't come undone."

"Don't you worry, don't come undone."

"It's just my ghost on a PT run!"

"It's just my ghost on a PT run!"

The cadences continued with several breaks in between each of the rotated songs. By the time Daisy and her Platoon were rounding the corner to get back to their bunks, the moon was just barely peeking over the horizon. Finally finishing their jog, Daisy took a look at a watch the quartermaster lent her from his 'lost and found' bin. The watch read 05:23, so they had been doing this morning jog for nearly two hours. Daisy, when compared to her troops that were huffing, puffing, and sitting down, no doubt the chilly morning air burning their lungs, was barely breaking a sweat.

"Marines, form up!" She shouted at them.

With some groans of pain and lack of breath, they reformed their double column. "Good job to all of you, none of you fell behind. Now, I want four rows front to back, keep space in between each row because it's exercise time." She gleefully stated.

"Yes ma'am!" They yelled as the double column split into four horizontal rows.

"Down on your faces." She ordered, getting into a push - up position. Lowering and raising herself to the ground, she counted first. "One."

"One." Her men said.

"Louder! Two."

"Two!" They all shouted.

"I want to not be able to hear anything other than your voices! Three!" She shouted for emphasis.

"Three!" She got in reply.

"Now I don't like counting, so I want you to count for me." She stated, doing another push - up.

"Four!"

They continued until several Marines were barely keeping their arms straight. Ending the exercise, she gave the Platoon a two minute break, keeping in mind that they couldn't work nonstop like her. Once their break was over, much to the dismay of some, her Marines continued their morning which consisted of Daisy's morning routine.

Once they were finally finished, the sun was almost over the horizon and her Platoon was starving. Giving them the next hour to get some food and relax, she went to her room and snacked on some beef jerky. Around forty minutes into her relaxation time, there was a knock at her door. Getting up and opening it, she was met with a Marine carrying a slim yellow envelope with Classified stamped on it in red ink.

As soon as he saw her, he snapped to a salute which she waved off like normal and took the envelope from his hand, dismissing him. Closing the door and placing it onto her desk, she opened the thin packaging and inside it contained both a stapled set of briefing papers and a map of Boston outside the quarantine zone. The map itself had clearly been passed through the chain of command because the other three Platoons of Delta Company had already made notes and scribbles on it.

Reading through what she's supposed to present to her Platoon, she found out that the communications tower was within an old T.V. station. Looking at the map, she traced a finger over it until she finally spotted it. "Not a bad place really. Not too far from the QZ and has good overwatch positions." Grabbing a pen, she began to mark areas on the map; making her own adjustments, she planned for her route for retaking the station. Nodding at her handiwork, she reached for the radio on her chest.

"Alpha, Charlie, this is Bravo, come in." A few seconds passed by before she tried again. "I say again, this is Lieutenant Spencer of Bravo Platoon, Alpha, Charlie, come in." Another few seconds passed by before the radio crackled to life.

"Bravo, this is Alpha." A recognizable male voice replied. "Sorry for the wait. Wasn't expecting a sudden call during my breakfast."

"No worries Alpha. Any idea where Charlie is?" She asked.

"She's probably showering after making her Platoon catch some hell because one of her E - 2's started a fight yesterday."

"Understood Alpha. Stay on the radio for now, I got something to report to both of you."

"I'll send a runner to her room, let her know you need her on the radio."

A few minutes of radio silence ensued. Humming to herself to keep her mind occupied, she waited for Lieutenant Cherry to get on the radio. The wait, while short, felt long and arduous until finally a crack came over the radio.

"Alpha, Bravo, this is Charlie."

Raising the radio to her mouth, Daisy responded with a slightly annoyed tone. "This is Bravo, good to finally hear from you Charlie."

"Before you go on making fun of me for being late, I had a perfectly valid reason." Charlie explained.

"Making yourself look beautiful isn't a reason Jess." Alpha joked.

No audible response came through, but no doubt it was anything from a sigh to a few select choice words.

"Hygiene is important Tyler, not like you'd know anything about that." Jessica responded playfully.

"That's not fair and you know it. If you spent all —-."

"Alright that's enough." Daisy interjected. "We're all adults here, so let's act like it. I've read my orders from the Major and I want to discuss them further with you guys and Captain Kingser."

"I think she's in a meeting with the other Battalion CO's about some grand plan to finally push back the Fireflies. If you wanna talk with him, you'd have to wait a while." Tyler informed her.

"I see. Thanks for the update, I'm still learning one thing at a time."

"No problem Daisy. Going from Spec Ops to the normal grunts must've been one helluva loop to be thrown through."

"Eh, a little. I'm just not used to leading on this level of scale."

"Still, welcome to the frey. It's good to have someone of your talents here." Jessica complimented.

"Much appreciated Jessica. I'll hail you guys again when I get a hold of the Captain. Until then, I have a Platoon to administer. Out."

"Understood, good luck with those dimwits." Tyler joked.

"For once, I agree with this idiot." Jessica commented.

Chuckling, Daisy turned her radio off and placed it back in its holster on her shoulder before standing up. Heading back to the barracks, she saw a few of her Marines trickle in just before her. Walking in, one of the few dozen already back from their breakfast called the entire room.

"Attention on deck!" She shouted.

The entire room snapped quiet and stood tall and firm. Daisy looked to her left, then right, then back to the left.

"At ease." She calmly stated. "You have eight more minutes Marines, make use of them. I'm going to get a roll - call so sound off."

The next two minutes involved Daisy calling out each Marine's name from a list and memorizing who acknowledged what name. After all was said and done, there were still five minutes left for seven unaccounted Marines to show up. Nearing the last sixty seconds, five of them showed up, albeit with a scolding from Daisy.

Daisy waited as the last twenty five seconds counted down with the last two Marines nowhere in sight. Once her watch read 07:15 she stood next to the door like she was ready to ambush someone. A short minute later, the door slowly started opening as the missing Marines poked their heads through. They saw everyone else standing at attention, but no Daisy. Assuming she was out looking for them, they crept inside, but once the door clicked shut behind them, they saw out of the corners of their eyes certain death.

"Marines!" Daisy jumped at them.

The pair slipped and fell to the ground in surprise. Helping them up, she grabbed their collars and hoisted them to their feet, surprising everyone else in the Platoon. Holding the two of them mere inches away from her face, she stared at them with a very strong poker face.

"I gave you an hour, why were you two late? Everyone else made it back on time, even if a few cut it close." She glanced at the rest of the Platoon. "But there is no excuse for being late, so due tell."

"W — w - well…" One of them stammered. "We were eating and joking around and didn't keep watch if the time and —"

"Stop." She released her grip on their collars. "I get it. You're human and you weren't paying attention." She said, taking a few steps to the side. "But, there are no excuses. Reasons, yes, but no excuses. Go to your bunks."

Doing as they were told, a mixture of confusion and fear ran through their bodies. Was their new Lieutenant nice? Perhaps. Was she lenient? Definitely not.

"Guess what we're doing as a punishment Marines? Because we all lost fifty seconds of our lives waiting for Newman and Gasser, we're gonna take apart and put our beds back together fifty times."

A few groans echoed through the building.

"Fifty five!" She yelled, answering their concerns. "In sync!"

There were no complaints after that. Heading over to an empty bed, she began the process she had just ordered her men to do, meticulously taking the bed apart and putting it back together without a wrinkle to be seen. A grueling half hour later, the punishment was completed. Taking a deep breath, Daisy looked at her Platoon who was now standing at attention in front of their beds.

"Good work, all of you. Now I want you all to line up, quadruple column. We're marching to the firing range because what happened two days ago cannot happen again. Understand Marines?" She concerningly asked them.

"Ma'am yes ma'am!" They responded.

"That's what I like to hear. I don't want to see any of you die, let alone another soldier. I've already held my dying brethren in my hands, I don't want you to have to do the same." She stated solemnly. "Now march!"

With Daisy leading the group, the formation filed out of the barracks and onto the street once more. Being in the 'rear' area of the quarantine zone allowed them to have a relatively safe and peaceful march to the range and armory aka the firestation.

"Unit, halt!" She shouted back at them.

All at once, her four dozen Marines came to an immediate stop. Most we're excited to shoot their rifles again because it was such an uncommon occurrence due to limited ammunition, but they didn't show it for fear of yet another punishment.

"File in." She ordered them. Stepping inside herself, she went up to the counter that held the Master Sergeant.

"Hello again Lieutenant. Back so soon?" She asked.

"Fortunately Sergeant. I was assigned to lead Bravo Platoon, Delta Company, 3rd Battalion and I want to make sure their marksmanship holds up to what I've been told about them."

"I see. Well get them lined up so I can hand them their rifles. Oh, and just Zoey is fine."

Daisy nodded and turned to her Platoon as Master Sergeant Zoey opened a shelf in her desk and pulled out Bravo Platoons file.

"Line up for your guns." Daisy stated.

Due to there being nearly fifty Marines in a small room, the line wrapped around a corner as Bravo Platoon formed a single line starting at the armorer's window. Several trips back and forth to the armory and front desk, Master Sergeant Zoey handed each Marine their rifle before disappearing into the back.

Opening the range door, Daisy shuffled her Platoon to the rather large makeshift firing range. Lining up, the Marines stood with their rifles shouldered low as Master Zoey wheeled out a cart of loaded 5.56 magazines. Handing two per person, Daisy stood off at an angle as each Marine chambered a round and returned to their lowered states.

"Now, you all have sixty rounds of ammunition in total. The targets are going to be shifting in distance every twenty, so once you've finished your rounds, lower and safety your weapon. Once everyone's clear, I'm going to prepare the targets for the next wave. I want to see at least forty five rounds hit their marks. If you hit more, congratulations; any less and you'll be provided with additional training. Automatic for the first target then short bursts for the second and third. I want to see your marksmanship ladies and gentlemen so make me proud."

"Yes ma'am." They echoed.

"Take aim." She ordered, raising her arm and swinging it down. "Fire!"

The room echoed from the sounds of around two hundred fifty bullets leaving M4 barrels. One after the other, an M4 went silent until every barrel was pointed down and away. Daisy nodded in approval, unsure of exactly how many rounds had hit their target, but she remained confident that most, if not all, of her Marines did well.

Walking down the range, she took a white piece of chalk and circled each bullet hole on the paper targets before moving them back from fifty yards to one hundred yards. Stepping back behind the firing line, she again raised her arm.

"Aim. . . Fire." She ordered, swinging her arm down.

The process began repeating itself, albeit a little slower as the Marines took a few seconds longer to reorient their aim on the smaller targets. Halfway through, they reloaded and fired ten rounds from their second magazines. Still, finishing in a relatively short amount of time, they again lowered their carbines.

Once no threat of accidental discharging was imminent, Daisy walked out to the targets this time with yellow chalk and circled each bullet hole. After she finished, she moved the target out to one hundred fifty yards, ideally the furthest engagement distance for urban warfare.

"Do me proud Marines. Aim." She raised her arm one final time. "Fire!" She bellowed, bringing it down.

Five to six short bursts from each rifleman either landed or missed. Once the final magazine ran dry, they ejected their magazines and cleared the chambers. Daisy, meanwhile, went up and circled the bullet holes with a red piece of chalk. Once every target was marked, she called the Marine for that target up and showed them how many hits vs misses they achieved and how well their grouping was.

They all passed, unsurprisingly. With a smile on her face, she took the paper targets off their wooden backdrops and brought them to a table behind the line.

"Good job to all of you. You've all met or surpassed my expectati —"

"Spencer, this is Captain Kingser, come in." Her radio suddenly crackled.

"Hold one Marines, I'm getting a call. Turn your weapons in to Master Zoey in the meantime."

Grabbing her radio, she pressed down on the transmitter button. "I read you ma'am."

"Good. I want you to report to my office once you're done with whatever training you're currently giving your men."

"Understood. I'll be there in two mikes."

The radio went silent as Daisy clipped it back into her shoulder. "Marines! The Captain wants to see me so you're dismissed for now."

A few of them hollered in happiness at having a break, but it wasn't meant to be.

"Alright now you get to sit in silence contemplating life in the barracks. First Sergeant Knot!"

The NCO in question came running from down the line and immediately stopped, standing in parade rest in front of her. "Yes ma'am?"

"You're in charge until I get back. Make sure none of them gets so much as a peep." She sternly ordered her.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good, go."

Saluting Daisy, First Sergeant Knot turned to face the rest of the Platoon and barked orders for them to get moving. Wanting to leave a lasting impression on Daisy, she told them to be faster because their lives depended on it.

Daisy herself walked out as soon as she dismissed the NCO. Stepping outside, she jogged her way back to the brick officers quarters building; and heading to the second floor, she found her Captains' room and knocked on the door.

"It's open Lieutenant." A muffled voice came from the other side.

Opening it and stepping inside, she came face to face with her fellow Lieutenants Cherry and Fork standing at parade rest in front of Captain Kingser. The Captain's angular face and sharp eyes met with Daisy's. She snapped to a salute and waited a moment until Captain Kingser returned the gesture.

"At ease." Kingser stated, sitting behind her desk.

Daisy relaxed to parade rest. "I assume you ordered me here to discuss our company's plans?"

"Pretty much. I see you've all drawn up where your Platoons would be entering from; you, Spencer, even marked where individual squads would go, and after looking at it, was quite exceptional. I would have done fairly the same thing with my own men." Kingser complimented. "Anyways, in my meeting with the Major, we've got the green light to proceed how we see fit. Also, Alpha and Charlie companies are taking part in the operation.

"And why not Bravo ma'am?" Tyler asked.

"Because they're undermanned and under equipped. Remember, without steady supplies from the Army, we've started running low on some essentials. Fresh rifles and parts being one of them."

"Understood ma'am."

Kingser nodded. "Any other questions before we move on?"

The room was left silent for a good five to ten seconds. Standing up, Kingser clasped her hands together before pointing to the North side of the T.V. Station.

"That's where Alpha Company is going to be securing the front door and main lobby." She shifted her hand to the rooftop. "Charlie Company is taking the roof. We're using the few Huey's we have left to get them there. The Major declared this operation a high priority, so he's authorizing the rest of our heavy weapons. Right now Engineers are replacing our 50.'s with Mk 19 Launchers. Flamethrower units are also being thrown into the mix for hives. If anything's inside, we don't want to lose a single man; if anything is drawn to the noise, we want an unbreachable perimeter."

"How well connected are we going to be with the other Companies? Shouldn't they also be here with their Platoon Commander's?" Jessica asked.

"Great question Cherry. We've been doing small officer briefings frankly out of paranoia. The Fireflies may try to get all of the Battalion's officers so Major Haxer only wants us to communicate via radio, at least for now."

"Aye ma'am. When are we scheduled to move out?"

"With the amount of equipment being prepped, it's estimated that we're acting tomorrow at 1300; 1330 at most. There will be an 'all hands on deck' call from Major Haxor so get your Marines geared up. Any last questions?"

"What type of resistance should we be expecting at the station?" Daisy asked.

"At best, nothing; at worst, runners, stalkers, and clickers. It pains me to say, but no doubt you'll find some of our own having been turned. Be sure to give them a quick death. We may not have been able to save them, but we can at least give them a peaceful end."

The three Platoon officers looked at Captain Kingser with sorrow. Having to see your men die is sad enough, but having to kill them yourself is like being punched in the chest. While they were all used to it, becoming fully numb to the experience is near impossible with even Daisy not being an exception.

"We'll make sure to put them out of their misery ma'am." Daisy reassured her CO.

"Good. Anything else?"

The room fell silent for a few seconds. All of the information they had been provided was sufficient since they had actually had a battle plan.

"No? Ok, dismissed. Get your men ready, this is our first grand operation in a long time ladies, so let's make it count."


Author's Note: The gears of war are turning, but the question is how long will I hold the suspense? That's chapter 4, and I'll be honest, I don't really have a grand plan for how this story will turn out, heck I barely plan the next chapter. I improvise a lot of this and I hope it's satisfying content.