Hello, this is the fourth chapter of my first published fanfic. Anyway, Halo belongs to Bungie, and the book's authors. You know the drill. Anyhoo, on with the story!

Delano laid down in his cot and sighed. Twelve years of training and missions had left him tired. He had just got back from the Griffin, a UNSC cargo ship that had fallen under Covenant attack. Sam and Michael had been wounded during battle, a few stray plasma shots caught them and burned through their armor when their shields had already dissapated. Sarah and him had to round up their ammo and call for a Pelican to evacuate their allies. With only two people, against waves of Covenant, they were still able reclaim the ship and drive off the Covenant. It might've been a winning battle for them, but it didn't come without it's losses.

There was a knock on the door, he groaned and got up to answer the door. He was just about to go to sleep, it better be important or else the person on the other end of that door was about to go through hell.

"Who is it?" He heard three more knocks on the door. Except, they had a rhythm that distinguished itself, and only the rest of his team knew it: Hey, buddy. Delano smiled, it was Sarah, he opened the door and he knew saw he was right.

"Hello, Del," she stepped in his room and sat down on her chair beside his bed. It had been there ever since they had arrived on this base ten years ago. Sarah claimed it as her own by sitting in it every time she came to his room and forced people out of it when they took it. Delano sat down on the edge of his bed and looked at her.

"So, what's up?" She shook her head.

"They just released Mike and Sam. The doctors said they would be fine and that they just needed to rest for a while," at first Delano sighed with relief but then laughed.

"They won't be, we've been worked to the bone ever since training ended. And that was years ago." She nodded.

"Yeah, but we'll probably get a break soon, right?"

"Well, the doc's been promising us that for a few weeks now. I don't know, maybe we will, guess we'll just have to wait and see." Sarah stood up and Delano's eyes followed her every move.

"I guess I'll be going then, see you later, Del." She turned her back and then felt him grabbing her hand. She turned around and looked at him. "Is something wrong?" Delano looked down at the floor.

"Sarah, I'm sorry about getting you into this. I mean, you wouldn't have been taken if they didn't know about you. And I guess them knowing about me gave them a clue about you." Sarah sighed and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Think of the alternative, if you hadn't been my friend all those years ago. I wouldn't be alive and neither would Michael or Sam, but we're all still alive. That's because of the friendship that we've all had for so long, don't be sorry about it." She saw a weak smile on his face and he nodded.

"Yeah, your right. Anyway, say hi to Mike and Sam for me."

"I'll do that, see you later." She stepped out of the door and pulled it shut behind her. Hearing that door shut was almost painful to him. As per being the leader of Shadow Spear, she was an extremely valuable asset. As per being himself, she meant a lot to him, all of his friends did. That's why he cringed when he heard the term 'acceptable losses' being applied toward his team, as well as the Spartans that he had worked with in the past.

He shook off the thought and laid back down on the cot, closed his eyes and was yet again about to fall asleep. All of a sudden red lights filled the room and he heard Colonel Jack Foley's voice coming on through the intercom.

"We've just received a message from Fermion, Covenant ships are rallying and preparing an assault on Reach. All crews that can't fight, go to the hangar bay and wait for evac. All other personnel, prepare to fight." Delano jumped out of his bed, now alert and no longer feeling groggy. He reached over to his desk and pulled out two pistols and some clips that he stuffed in pouches along his belt. He also grabbed two fragmentation grenades and clipped them to the other side of his belt.

The door to his room burst open and he aimed his gun towards the door. When he saw that it was the rest of his team he put his gun back in his holster.

"I guess you've heard,"

"Let's kick their ass for what they did to home!" Sam shouted.

"I hear you, let's go to the armory, suit up, and get some more weapons. If we're taking them on, we're going to need more guns and more ammo. Not to mention our armor." Delano surveyed his team, they were all ready to go and get some vengeance, and so was he. Anticipation was in their eyes, they've all been waiting for a moment like this. "All right, now, let's do what we do best."

Okay, yeah, I'm kind of tired while I was making this. Anyway, I skipped some of the story, seeing as I have lost some of the material I had written on about their missions and training. If anyone wants, I may include them as a lost chapter when I finally finish this story.