Chapter 14: A Trip Cut Short

"Hey, Will, two things." Will looked over at Chris who was leaning through the bulkhead to their chambers. From his tone of voice, it sounded important.
"What?"
"Alright, first off. Kat got cleared; she just got put onto a destroyer that's headed here this afternoon."
"That's…great." he said, stepping back from a computer console, leaving the TacSat photos of the planet still up on the screen. "What's the other thing?"
"The cap came through; we're got three days on the surface starting tomorrow." Will was shocked at this. Thinking it was the captain just trying to seem nice to the new crew on board, it surprised him that he actually made the request and was then able to get it approved.
"When is the destroyer supposed to be here?"
"I think they said about 1500 hours or somewhere around there."
"Thanks." Chris just pursed his lips and pulled back out of the hatchway.

Will was uncomfortable in the civilian clothes he had been handed, not because they didn't fit (which they did) but because he rarely ever wore them. Putting his arms through a black jacket, he twisted his neck to try and get the tight cream sweater to sit in a more comfortable position. His olive cargo pants were the only thing he approved of and couldn't help but take a quick glance in the mirror in their room but looked away quickly. He headed towards the door and stopped at his locker, looking at the black M6E sitting on the top. It was rare that he was ever more than a few minutes away from weapons, if not carrying one with him. Grabbing the black pistol, a shoulder holster and an extra clip, he tossed them into his small backpack along with his earpiece headset.
"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were doing your hair in there," JJ remarked as Will left their quarters.
"Shut it," Will said, shooting a dangerous look his way.
"I didn't say anything…"
"That's what I though."
"Our ride is waiting, but we're not the only ones that are going down so we have to hurry." Will nodded and they headed to the Hawk that was waiting for them. A few other marines and navy personnel were waiting outside and only glanced over at the much less imposing Spartans. The other Spartans finally arrived and waited a few more minutes before they left the hangar bay. Turning towards the green planet, the pilot spoke of their plans.
"We're head to Fort Lawson which is near the capital city, Gallant, you'll get some more info once we land but I figured I would give you an idea of where we're heading." Will pretty much ignored what he was saying and looked at the others inside the craft. Making up the majority of the passengers, the Spartans for one of the rare times they weren't in military garb, blended in with their comrades in arms. His eyes finally rested on Kat who looked stunning. Her hair shown in the light of the craft and her perfect body was accentuated by the clothes she wore. Looking up, she saw him staring and smiled, her bright white teeth glistening. Millions of feelings forced their way through Will's body and for the first time, he blushed. A few seconds later the ship started to rattle as it entered the atmosphere.

"Welcome to beautiful Thandon! For more information on our halcyon planet, please refer to one of the info stations located outside of the port as well as throughout the city!"
"That would get annoying…"Chris said, referring to the large holographic projection of a woman cheerfully welcoming the new arrivals. Due to an accident at the fort they were supposed land at, they were rerouted to the public landing zones and left to get their own transportation to the fort or lodging in the city. Almost immediately, the Spartans split into two groups, Will, Linda, Chris, and Kat in one and JJ, Kayla, Matt, and Karl in the other. For an Outer Rim world, Gallant, at least, was very well developed. Tall skyscrapers rose into the air, their tops jutting in to the crystal blue sky. Cars moved busily about the city as people moved around the sidewalks, going about their business. It was a strange feeling for them; it was rare for them to ever be at a city that was truly alive and not just waiting for the Covenant to blow it off the face of the planet. They started walking in a random directing and Will discreetly placed his headset into his ear but kept the volume down. "I don't know about you, but I am hungry" Chris remarked as he looked around for a restaurant.
"I guess we can go and look for something to eat," Linda said. Moving through the city, they finally found a small café and sat down to eat. Will looked over the menu and was again lost in a world he had never experienced.
"Hey there! I'll take your order whenever you're ready," a waitress said, holding a small holopad in her hand and a stylus in the other.
"I need a good burger, and some fries, big soda too, what else…" Will looked over at Chris who was absorbing every word on the menu.
"I'll just take some water please," Will said.
"Salad?" The waitress nodded at Linda's request and wrote it down along with her dressing choice. Kat quickly ordered a salad as well while Chris added on onion rings to his order. No more than five minutes later, all of their orders had arrived and they were eating them. Will looked out over the park to their right and saw the sun falling down behind a snowcapped mountain off in the distance. He took a few sips of his water and just listened to the banter between his squad mates. Once they had all finished and Chris was able to move, they headed off through the city again. The light slowly dimmed and the crowds on the street transformed from business persons into evening clubbers and couples looking to have a night out on the town.
"We should probably head to the base because I know I don't have any money to get a room here," Linda said. The others looked at each other and confirmed her suspicions. A taxi drove by and she quickly waved it down. "We're UNSC personnel but…well, we've got no money. Is there anyway we can get a ride to Fort Lawson?" The taxi driver leaned over the seat and looked at the four of them.
"Yeah, we can work something out, only problem is, I can take only two people at a time." Linda looked back at the others but turned when the driver spoke again. "It's not me, it's the law."
"You two go, we'll wait here," Will said, referring to him and Kat. She slowly turned towards him but looked back at them.
"It's about a two hour drive there, so unless you wanna wait all night, you're better off flagging another taxi down or I can radio another one to come and grab you guys."
"We'll do that."
"Alright." Linda and Chris got into the back of the yellow car as the driver radioed another taxi. "He'll be here in about ten minutes or so." Will thanked him and stood at the corner of the street with Kat as they waited.
"I wonder how that would've gone if we were in our armor…" he said. Kat laughed at his attempt at a joke and to Will, it was like music to his heart. She scooted closer to him and they leaned against a pillar together.
"Thanks for visiting me at the hospital. You're the only one that came regularly."
"We were pretty busy, everyone else wanted to come but they had to get back up to speed. Linda and I were already up to speed on everything so we had more free time."
"Still, thanks. You kept me from thinking everyone had left to go onto better things, leaving me behind for good." Will looked down and felt her shoulder bump up against his.
"Did you know that I've never been to a city that hasn't been under assault or when we weren't on a mission?" he said, trying to break the silence. "I don't really remember anything from my childhood except Reach and when we were old enough to be on our own, well, we were being Spartans."
"I've always known war, ever since I was a kid, Retter was always under the threat of attack and then I was pulled into the Spartan program."
"It'll be weird if we can make it through this alive. Having a normal life I mean. They probably never even thought of what they would do with us afterwards, but I bet once the Covenant showed up, those people who had the authority assumed either we or Humanity wouldn't survive which would eliminate that problem." Another taxi pulled up and the driver slid down his window.
"You the soldiers?" he called out.
"Yeah, that'd be us." He motioned with his hand and they walked over. Will opened up the door for Kat and placed his hand on the small of her back as she bent down to get in. He followed in behind her and the driver started driving.
"Fort Lawson right?"
"Yes," Will responded. He looked into the rearview mirror and saw the driver's eyes go from him to Kat who was tying her shoe.
"I've gotta make a personnel call, hope ya don't mind me putting up the separator." Both of the Spartans shook their head and a black screen slid up in between the two rows of seats. Will's heart started to beat a little faster as he rode in the car. Surprisingly fast, the lights of the city disappeared behind them and were replaced by lush green forests, plunging them into darkness.
"This reminds me of Reach," Will said, remembering the sprawling forests that they spent their childhood training in. He felt a soft hand touch his and he looked down, seeing Kat's grasping his. Her head then settled onto his hard shoulder and his heart quickened it's pace once more. His body started to get a little clammy as he felt her body come even closer to his. They stayed like this for a few minutes before he felt her head move off of his shoulder. Looking over, she was staring right at him.
"We can't keep pretending this isn't here." He didn't respond but took a deep breath. Suddenly he felt Kat's body up against his and he wrapped his arms around her as they pressed their lips together. They pushed closer to each other, and time seemed to slow as they kissed. Will's hand moved along her body as she pressed harder and harder against him. Will felt something in the back of his mind and stopped.
"This can't happen…" he said, breathing heavily.
"What?"
"This, all of this, it can't happen. What just happened there...it just can't." Kat slid away from him.
"I don't understand."
"We're soldiers, we were created to kill, not to love. You and I will always know what's between us but it has to stay within ourselves." It surprised him how easily it came out, but it still hurt. She was the one person he had ever felt this way about and he was telling her off essentially. In the darkness he saw her look away but she said nothing. He was about to try and comfort her when he heard something in his left ear. Quickly bumping up the volume of his earpiece he was thrown into the center of a frantic conversation.
"Multiple hostiles, requesting assistance from any nearby ships! We're taking heavy fire! Just calm down son, help is on the way. They're all over, fire the main-. Jesus, did you see that? Launch fighter squadrons!"
"Shit." Will knocked on the screen quickly and the driver lowered it down.
"What can I do for ya?"
"Fast, go as fast as you can to the fort!" A confused look came across his face. "Just do it!" They suddenly accelerated as they sped through the forest.
"What's going on?" Kat's voice was methodical and cool.
"They're here," he responded while going through his bag. His hand felt cold metal and he gripped the barrel of his pistol. Digging a little more he found the extra clip and holster.
"You brought a pistol with you? What were you expecting to happen?"
"You've got a gun in here?" They both glanced over at the driver who looked back at the road. Sliding the thin clear mouthpiece down from his earpiece, he called tried to get a hold of the rest of his squadron.
"JJ here, what's going on?"
"Trouble, get to Lawson ASAP!"
"Roger that." Willed pulled the slide back and chambered a round.
"You didn't bring an extra did you?" Kat asked.
"I didn't think I'd need this one. Otherwise I would've grabbed a few more magazines." Off in the distance Will saw the lights of the fort and suddenly felt relieved. Their taxi sped up to the gate where the two Spartans jumped out. "I don't think we'll have time to be dealing with the money issue. But whatever you do, stay away from the city.
"Yeah yeah yeah," the driver said, suddenly jittery as he turned his car around and took off. Running up the guards, Will was finally able to see the new standard issue armor for the Marine Corps. It was more or less the ODST armor but covering even more of their body.
"We're Spartans!" he yelled as they ran by them. Fort Lawson was bustling with activity as Hawks were loading up with Marines and gear. Soldiers hurried back and forth and in all of the commotion, Will spotted Linda and Chris.
"They're-," Linda started to say but was cut off by Will.
"Yeah, I heard. The others are on their way here but I don't think we'll have time to get to the ship and get our armor." Their trip was suddenly looking as if it was quickly becoming a liability. The sound of a horn blaring caught their attention and they saw a large SUV come flying up to the gate. Music was blasting from the car, shaking the ground they stood on. Four Spartans jumped out of it and ran through the gates of the base as the SUV peeled out and headed back down the mountain. JJ and his group ran up to their squad mates and were filled in on the situation. The base was quickly emptying out as Hawks ferried Marines to the city to fortify it ahead of time. Just as Will was about to find someone in charge, a colonel came running over to them. Saluting him, the Spartans then listened to what he came to say.
"General Johnson has told me to tell you that your mission is to defend the city at all costs. Transport to the battle group is out of the question right now and unfortunately, we don't have any spare armor lying around. You are in luck though, we've got one Puma still left and an armory with some weapons and ammo that are still there. Once we can get you back to the Tigre, I'll send a Hawk your direction." They saluted again and the colonel jumped onto the last Hawk on the landing pad. Instead of heading towards the city, it flew up over the mountain and out of site. The Spartans were now the only ones inhabiting the eerily silent fort.