Chapter 12: Sanity is Overrated

En route to Firebase Orion(Alien Structure)

It was a very quiet night. Karla leaned against the LAAG mounted on her Warthog and sighed. They were rotating positions, and Sanders was taking over the wheel. Riley was sleeping her wound off in the passenger seat. It would still be a while before they would get back to Firebase Orion. Normally, such a trip would only take a few minutes, but night was slowly creeping in, and darkness and a thick blanket of fog did not mix very well. Visibility was nearly zero, so the Warthog column had slowed down to a crawl. Also, it didn't really help that all the headlights were turned off, to reduce the chances of being spotted by the Covenant. Though the night seemed somewhat soothing, the fact that there was absolutely no sound except for the humming of the nearby Warthogs seemed to be putting several of the Marines on edge. They obviously weren't used to fighting in a thick forest. In a forest, all of the sound was usually picked up and blocked by trees, leaves, and all sorts of other things, leaving a very eerily quiet landscape.

"El-tee?"
Karla looked down at Sanders in the driver's seat.
"What is it, Sanders?"

"With all due respect ma'am, this place is creeping the hell outta me. Can't we just turn on the lights or something?"

"We can't do that, Sanders. Unless you want to risk announcing our presence like a giant neon billboard and get pegged by Covenant artillery. You ever see what a Wraith plasma bolt can do to a Warthog?"

"I'm not sure if I want to find out."

"Good, because neither do I. Just keep following the track. It should be evening out soon, and after that, it's just smooth sailing from-"

Before she even had a chance to finish her sentence, there was a bright flash of light, and suddenly, searing pain lanced itself through Karla's left shoulder. She bit back a curse and yelled.
"Covvies! Suppressing fire!"

Immediately, the Warthogs picked up their speed and the gunners started firing in all directions in an attempt to keep any Covenant at bay, and the Covenant responded in kind. The darkness was punctuated by flashes of light, illuminating the surrounding area for brief flashes like lightning strikes.There were men shouting, aliens screaming, guns rattling and plasma rifles buzzing, and yet, neither side had any clear idea where the other was.

Despite her injured arm, Karla tried to swing around her LAAG around and take aim at where she thought were some Covenant, but then a rattling noise filled the air, and the Warthog jerked forward with a sudden burst of speed, throwing her off balance.

Sanders, who was in the driver seat of Karla's Warthog, was frightened out of his mind. First of all, he was leading the entire Warthog column, which meant that if he slowed down, the rest of the Warthogs would be too, and there was also the fact that there were plasma bolts literally flying over his head. Unable to see, Sanders turned on his headlights out of reflex. That was his first big mistake.

Immediately, there was a horrifying rattling sound and the hood started flashing like a strobe light. Some Covvie with a Needler had drawn bead on the Warthog and started firing, which hit the hood and ricocheted off, creating the dazzling and furious display. Sanders panicked and floored the Warthog without telling his passengers. That was his second mistake, and unfortunately, Karla was about to pay for it.

The sudden jerk of the Warthog threw Karla off balance and she swung around a little more than she should have, and now left her at an angle where the LAAGs blast shield no longer provided her protection from enemy fire. A flurry of plasma bolts slammed into her chest and she toppled off of a Warthog going at an excess of sixty miles per hour.

When she hit the ground, the last thing Karla remembered was the sound of Warthogs driving off into the mist. She was wounded, behind enemy lines, and worst of all, left behind by her own Marines. However, these things weren't on Karla's mind. All she could think about was that she was so tired...

Mackhall Airfield, Lorain

It had been several hours since Sam, Leo, and the rest of the Marines at Outpost 6 were evacuated and taken back to Lorain. Sam couldn't help but feel disgusted though. In the battle, they had lost thirteen Marines, two of them from her squad. They were tired, battered, and generally unfit to fight, but what did command do? No thanks or nods of appreciation. They just stamped the mission off like yesterday's bills, assigned two new replacements for their squad, and put them right back on the line.

"Some way they show their appreciation."

Leo, who was on duty with her, smirked.

"Come on, at least this is a whole lot better than going out on patrol. We've got a base, hot food, and about two thousand Marines. Plus, we're not getting shot at."

"Yet, Leo, yet."

"Well, as I recall, the Covenant weren't really big on night attacks. Besides, what's gotten you so worked up? I haven't seen you this cranky since the time they refused to let you join the same unit as Karla."
Sam kept staring off into the endless forests and shook her head.

"Well, it's just that I feel that Karla is doing so much better at, well, everything. She's got her own platoon, and they go on the most daring missions-"

"Sam, trust me. You spend four years out on the battlefield, and you'll miss being stationed in a quiet area. The Marines aren't all fun and games you know."

"Yeah..."

Sam sighed, still looking troubled.

"I just can't shake the feeling that Karla's in trouble though."

Aeolan Wilderness

Next Morning

With the dim light of the sun creeping over the horizon, Karla could finally see the predicament that she was in. For the past two hours, she had been lying in that same spot, unable to move, unable to see what was around her.

Now that she could, Karla wished that she hadn't. Her nose burned with the combined stink of smoldering polymers and flesh, her eyes were constantly swimming out of focus, and were getting harder to keep open. Karla suspected that the fall broke her neck, hence the reason why she couldn't move or feel any sort of pain whatsoever. Karla tried to breathe, and found even that simple task draining on her strength.

She tried to pass the time any way she could, but all she could do was think about her predicament. Judging from the smell and the speed of her fall, Karla suspected that the plasma bolts had scored a direct hit on her. Her armor managed to slow down the bolts so they wouldn't be instantly lethal, but the plasma still burned straight through it, probably causing very nasty burns. The fall should have broken more than her neck. Probably some bones, ribs, and maybe even ruptured several internal organs.

But that didn't really matter. All she knew was that she was as good as dead. Even if rescue came now, there was no way they could get her back to a fully equipped hospital in time.

"Hmph, what a spot you got yourself in Karla, found dead in a ditch by the side of the road. What a glamorous way to die."

"You shouldn't devalue your life that way,

The sudden voice made Karla's heart stop, or maybe it just chose that moment to give out, she didn't know.

"Now now, daughter of Maya, you cannot die now. The Elders have great things in mind for you, and they would be very displeased by your death."

Karla couldn't see who was speaking, but she did see a curious white light surrounding the area like some powerful aura. The thing, whatever it was, continued to speak.

"You are lucky that the Elders have decided to be lenient with you this time. I shall heal your wounds, but remember, we do not give favors freely, and the Elders will not be quite as forgiving next time."

There was a blinding flash of light, and the voice spoke for one last time.

"I have also come to tell you. The wheel of destruction is in motion, and only you and the Holy One, stained with the blood of gods, can stop it. Seek out your enemy and face the greater evil. That is all I am allowed to say. Farewell, daughter of Maya, may the Powers shine brightly upon you."

At that moment, Karla woke up and scrambled to her feet.

Was that real?

She quickly looked around. She was still standing in that same patch of forest. She quickly scanned her body, and noticed there was no pain, and that she had her full range of movement, as if she had never even gotten any wounds in the first place.

Probably was a dream.

Then she reached for her vest pocket to grab her compass, when she realized it wasn't there. She looked down and noticed three fist-sized holes burned cleanly into her armor. Underneath, she could see perfectly healthy skin.

That's impossible. A shot like that would've made some serious burns...

Still confused and unsure of what just happened, Karla slumped to the ground. She was suddenly very tired. She just lay there for a few minutes until she could hear the distant rumble of a Warthog engine.

"Hey! El-tee!"

Karla looked up, and realized Williams and his squad had come back. She caught sight of Williams, who gave his usual sloppy, boyish grin.

"We finally found you! We were scared to death when we realized you weren't in your Warthog! We came back as soon as we could. Everybody thought you were dead!"

Another Marine, Boxer, piped in.

"But then he just said, 'If there ain't no body, then there ain't nobody dead!', gathered up the squad and just left!"

Karla couldn't help but smile.

"You actually came back through Covvie territory just to make sure I wasn't dead?"

"That, and if you were captured-"

"Or killed..."

"Yeah, or killed, then we would've had to fill out forms."

Karla laughed and pulled herself onto Williams' Warthog.

"Figures."

The trip back was fairly cheerful. There no more attacks, and the squad was glad that they had found their platoon leader again, whom they feared was going to be yet another name ticked off of a list and carved into a pretty stone. Karla tried to keep up with the mood, but something just nagged at the back of her mind.

Maya... how did that guy know my mother's name?