30

Damon had never seen Rey angry before. In fact, outside of combat situations, he'd never even heard the man raise his voice in anger. There were moments when he was visibly frustrated, annoyed, or simply stressed; but never unbridled rage. That made it all the more unsettling when he informed the UNSC captain about the discovery and capture of Jasmine. It didn't help that Astrid was in the room also when he arrived, but Damon figured she would know eventually. Two birds and a stone, he supposed.

If Rey's rage was anything, Damon could only compare it to a midnight storm that went unnoticed until you woke up and witnessed its destructive aftermath. For now, the storm must've been brewing within him.

Rey said nothing initially, and his silence was growing more worrisome by each passing second. If his eyes could speak, it was an inaudible nuclear detonation. He hadn't moved from the spot where he was standing when Damon had come in, hands in his pockets with unmistakable fists inside of them.

Astrid seemed to hang somewhere in the middle, the display of genuine shock on her face but held back by the eventuality of Rey's reaction. She continued to look between Damon and Rey, expecting the flash and thunder that she was accustomed to seeing. It didn't come. Instead, it was Damon that had to thaw the solid ice that was Rey's silence.

"You have to understand that none us expected it to be her. Out of the thousands of scenarios, it could've been, I can promise you that she wasn't included in any of them. Nevertheless, it's my error for not notifying you when this escalated."

Rey massaged his chin with his thumb, grating the growing stubble that was coming through. He pulled his eyes up from the floor and locked in on Damon. "Who else knows?"

Damon was surprised by the response. He expected more, but the look in Rey's eyes had shifted from rage to disappointment. Somehow, that cut deeper than being screamed at by Damon's standards. He swallowed hard and answered the question.

"Just us, and obviously Aaron and Diaz."

"And Pearce," Rey added.

Damon winced. "He shouldn't."

Rey shook his head. "Trust me, he knows. Diaz doesn't keep anything from him and vice-versa. The good thing is that Pearce isn't big on talking, at least to anyone else. But that's already too many people in my book."

"And you're sure she was alone?" Astrid hadn't stood up from where she was, pitched forward with her arms resting on her knees. Her legs suddenly felt like they were stuck in concrete. "There weren't any traces of the others?"

"She was alone," Damon answered with as much certainty as he could muster. "We swept each room in those tunnels. She was the only one."

"Yeah, that we know of. That doesn't mean the rest can't be hold up somewhere else in the camp." Rey blew out a fraction of his frustration in an exhale. He swept his hands across his hair was that growing beyond regulation if those types of things still mattered. "You took a major risk. Had she had a weapon, she could've taken you all out. The only reason you're standing here right now is because of luck."

"I don't think she was trying to kill us, because she had plenty of opportunities." Damon felt that his words wouldn't protect him. Rey was right. It was a risk and Jasmine could've killed them easily, but she didn't. Why was that? "She was more interested in trying to escape from us."

"And had you not caught her, she…" Rey held his tongue. He banged his fist on the aluminum table in front of him before turning his back to Damon and began to slowly pace. Dredging up all the possibilities of what might have happened was useless at this point. She was captured and detained without the loss of life. It was the best he could've hoped for.

"Sir, I know she's hiding something," Damon said. "Maybe what she knows can help us, because I don't believe for a second she was here the whole time."

"It makes sense to me." Astrid stood up and faced Damon. She looked more menacing with her wiry blonde hair pulled back from her face. She took a few steps forward until she was face to face with him. "I can see the plausibility of it. There is no shelter for hundreds of miles, and the nearest camp is even further. She wouldn't have survived the amount of oxygen we gave her. So she came back somehow, entered the camp, and lived among us without us knowing. If that's what she's not telling you, then that information doesn't help us."

Damon crossed his arms and maintained eye contact with Astrid. "Well, we won't know for certain until she talks. But she won't talk to me, or anyone else it seems."

"She'll talk to me." There was no doubt in Rey's voice. "Where is she?"

"We're holding her in the old technical spaces in sub-level one, but…"

"Good. What's her condition?"

"She's stable," Damon answered, finding the question odd given who Jasmine was. "She has an injury to her side, although we haven't assessed it."

Rey paced a few steps, patting his leg with his left hand. He came to a stop where Astrid was sitting. "Keep her down there. Tell Aaron and Diaz to sit tight until I get there."

Damon worked his jaw from side to side with furrowed brows. "Sir, I think…"

"I think it's safe to say you've had enough ideas, Corporal," Rey shut down. "Right now, I need you to follow orders. Get back there and keep guard. NOW!"

Damon replied with an arid "yes, sir" and left out of the room.

Rey took a few steps and sat on the edge of his cot, palms over his forehead and fingers in his hair. The room suddenly felt smaller and the bottle of bourbon that was 3/4ths empty under his cot was screaming for attention. It wasn't so much Damon's secret investigation that rattled him, it was his own negligence to the possibilities he didn't foresee.

There are some things you wanted to forget, and others that no matter how hard you tried they remained tightly adhered to within your memory. Jasmine was one of those memories; her and the faction of rebels that nearly wiped out every UNSC soldier in his command. Six valiant soldiers slaughtered, including various civilians in the crossfire in a single act of rebellion.

And now a fragment of those memories had found its way back, damaged but intact. He didn't know what to expect from her, but he knew for certain it wouldn't be a blissful reunion.

Astrid sat down next to him, leaving a modest gap of space between them. "Somehow you'll blame yourself for this. I'm telling you not to. You can't carry this weight, Reymond. You're not Atlas, holding the world above your shoulders."

"We should have executed them." Rey knew that his first thought was usually wrong, or more often incomplete. Still, his stomach shifted at the thought of a reignited rebellion. "Exile was a mercy they didn't deserve."

"We're better than that."

Rey shot up from his cot with an irritable grunt. "No, we don't get to play that card. Let's not forget that these were the same people we fought against before the Covenant showed up. It was dirty warfare then and it's dirty now. None of our hands are clean. The protection of innocent lives means we get dirty so they don't have to."

"Exiling them was executing them because they were as good as dead out there. Having them all lined up and shot wasn't the message we needed to send. It would've only made things worse."

Rey began quietly collecting his sidearm and datapad, sliding the gun into this thigh holster and tucking the pad into his rear trouser pocket. "Astrid, I want you to stay here. This may not end well."

Astrid paused, lips parted open with motionless eyes. "Are you going to kill her?"

The question hit Rey like a slap: a fresh sting against his face that prompted a choice to react or not. He felt there was more to her question than a simple yes or no. A possible gauge to see where he'd drawn his line. Of what purpose did Jasmine serve? Right now, she was nothing more than a prisoner with an undetermined sentence.

"That depends on her," he said.

Astrid walked off to the other side of the room as she shook her head. She pulled an octagon-shaped medical kit from the wall, released the clasps, and studied the contents. Satisfied, she sealed it and tucked it under her arm before standing where she once was.

"I'll be in that room with you," she said, holding up her hand at Rey's approaching rebuttal. "Whether you're aware of it or not, you need me in there. I'm not exempt; there's blood on my hands, too. If Jasmine's life has value then we can determine her future. And if not, then we can end it. I won't stop you."

"This isn't a debate."

"And I'm not arguing."

Rey ground his teeth as he stared into Astrid's unblinking glare, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to deter the woman to sit this one out. But she was right, in part; there were no exemptions here. The rebellion affected her just as it did everyone else. Rey just hoped to God that it would be the last time he ever had to see his people fight and kill those they were sworn to protect.

"DEV," Rey called out.

The AI spun up from a small pedestal on a nearby desk, his form nothing but a mist of dull light that lit up when he spoke. "Captain."

"Are you aware of the present situation?"

"Affirmative, Captain. I am aware that Ms. Jasmine Lang is in our custody."

"Then I need you to begin increased surveillance. Threat level Alpha at this point." Rey went over to the podium where DEV was and removed one of the three data crystal chips from the ports. He placed it within a transparent case that clipped to his belt and tested its hold. "Stay connected to the anchor. You may be needed there."

"I will remain on stand by, Captain. Is there anything else?"

"Report all suspicious activity to myself or Ms. Shafer. If there is chatter about Jasmine or the like, then I want to know about it."

"Copy that." DEV dissolved.

Astrid hadn't said anything, occasionally glancing at where DEV had been with a blank expression, but there was apathy in her eyes that Rey detected. He knew she wouldn't agree, but squashing another rebellion before it began was better than her approval. She'd have to accept it.

"This is only temporary until we know Jasmine's intentions," he said.

Astrid inserted the medical kit into her rucksack that was nearby and zipped it shut. "We already know her intentions. It's just a matter of if she's changed her stance. I doubt she has, but it's worth the ask. Are you ready?"

Rey let out a breath. "Let's make this quick."

Three against one wasn't impossible, Jasmine thought. Several scenarios unfolded in her mind as she observed the layout of the room, where Aaron and Naomi stood, and the only exit she could see. The zip ties would be simple to snap against the slender frame of the chair. There was no point in making a run for it. She'd just end up with slugs in her back, and she was sure Naomi wouldn't miss. Aaron was the obvious choice. If she could get to him, get to his gun…

The door swung open with Damon walking through. Jasmine shifted her eyes from Aaron and focused on him, checking the somewhat reserved body language he displayed. Had his confidence been drained out of him?

She watched him wave Aaron and Naomi over, huddling together in a conversation that she couldn't fully grasp. Naomi looked over her shoulder at her for a beat before turning away. It only made Jasmine laugh to herself. How years of friendship and loyalty could dissolve in an instant was a comedic example of human nature and fabricated emotions.

No matter the depth or importance of their conversation, the trio went mute the moment Rey entered the space. Astrid followed in behind him without a word, scanning the room like a surveillance camera before briefly sweeping her eyes across where Jasmine was. Rey, on the other hand, didn't casually check his surroundings. His eyes had a pinpoint target, seemingly unbreakable until he eventually turned away to face the others.

"Your reputation remains intact, I see," Rey said to Naomi. "You truly can find anyone."

Naomi checked his tone; it was neither a compliment or an indictment, but somewhere between where she didn't know how to correctly respond. She said nothing.

"I'll take it from here," Rey continued. "Diaz, Aaron -- head back to the tunnels and recover everything she's collected of value. Make sure the meds get back to Mathison. Vasher, Astrid, and I will see this through."

Aaron's brows shot up, glancing over at Naomi before returning to Rey. "We're being sidelined? We brought her in. We can at least…"

Rey held his hand up. "Your involvement is appreciated. For that, I'll double your food rations for the month. DEV will ensure that."

Naomi shook her head with a terse laugh. It wasn't a surprise. Typical UNSC vultures. It was out of her hands now, passed to someone else to finish the job. The only difference is that this time there was no lucrative payment to be received, only the knowledge that she'd added another notch to her belt of success. Maybe that should've been enough, but seeing Jasmine strapped to that chair felt as if she was losing out on something.

Aaron wasn't persuaded. "Look, all due respect, but I'd much rather know what she has to say than extra food on my plate."

Rey marked him with a glare that said more than words needed to reinforce. Had Aaron been more than an MP, he would've been busted down for insubordination.

"Let's go." Naomi tugged at Aaron's sleeve. "We're done."

Aaron grunted and walked off with grumbling expletives. Naomi couldn't blame him. They'd worked hard to locate her and now they'd have to settle for the cliff notes in the aftermath.

She made her way out slowly, stopping close to Rey's left shoulder and leaning forward. "Finish the job this time."

Rey didn't see her leave, opting to hear her fading footsteps until he heard one of the doors slam shut. He unbuttoned the end of his sleeves and rolled them up to the elbow. The cold air bristled across his exposed arms, goosebumps puckering up. He walked into the room where Jasmine was secured, taking the chair opposite of her and sitting down with his legs swung out and crossed at the ankles.

Astrid came in next, removing the bag from her shoulder and unzipped it. She removed the medical kit as Damon made his way in and stood to Rey's right against the wall.

"I need to examine your wound." Astrid stood over Jasmine with the kit in both hands, glancing down at the bloodstain soaking through the shirt.

Jasmine craned her neck to see Astrid's emotionless expression, half expecting some lethal cocktail to be pulled from the kit and shoved into her neck. By all accounts, she should've been dead more times in the past several hours than in her entire life. It wasn't the end yet. She lifted her shirt just above her ribs as Astrid took an extended look.

"Mm," Astrid mumbled. "Some of the sutures are torn. It's maybe a few centimeters deep. It needs to be cleaned, stitched properly, and dressed. Sooner rather than later."

Rey looked unbothered. "Critical?"

"At the moment, no, but…"

"Then leave it as is."

Astrid wore muted confusion on her face. The wound was inflamed and susceptible to infection. The antibiotics she'd taken had probably worn off by now. To argue would've been pointless. The look in Rey's eyes was empty and without tolerance. There wouldn't be mercy today.

With that, she stepped back from Jasmine and set the medkit on the table next to Damon.

Rey pulled his arm up, resting it on the table with a sidelong glare. He tapped his fingers a few times, pinky to the index for a few moments before he opened his mouth to speak.

"There aren't many moments when you have the opportunity for a second chance at life. It's unforgiving that way. In fact, most of us can recall one decision we made that either improved or destroyed our lives. And then there's that second chance, a moment to start over. A clean slate. I'm here to tell you that's not going to happen for you."