35

"You're an idiot."

Jacen clipped the ballistic armor over his torso with a laugh, pulling the straps until taut. "This is better than the silent treatment, I suppose."

Naomi didn't seem amused. "I keep trying to tell myself that you're doing this for the right reasons, but…"

Jacen stopped his prep, hands hanging from his chest rig as he stared at her. "You can say it."

Naomi rubbed the back of her neck and broke eye contact. "I think you're doing this to clear your doubts… to give yourself an excuse to trust her again. And you'll risk your life to do it."

Jacen often wondered if he appeared transparent in Naomi's eyes. It wasn't an intrusive feeling, but it was an inescapable fact that there was nothing to hide from Naomi Diaz. He knew it was never black or white with her; their entire lives were in the gray. Still, at least in his mind, he felt it was more simple than that.

"Maybe you're right, sure," he shrugged. "I haven't been able to frost her outta my head as easily as you did, but this isn't about my feelings. Damon's right; we can't talk in circles anymore, we have to act on this."

Naomi took a few slow steps toward him, head down before slowly raising her eyes to him. "I can't stop you from doing this, but just keep your head. Don't get yourself killed trying to prove a point."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jacen slung his gear over his left shoulder. He wrapped his free arm around her neck and pulled her close. "I'll be back, okay? You know how hard it is to kill me."

Naomi squirmed free from his grasp, her neck and cheeks reddened from being squeezed. She adjusted her hair. "Yeah, despite my best attempts."

"See you in a bit," he said.

"She was my friend too," Naomi said suddenly, "so it wasn't as easy as you think. She left us both."

Jacen stood in the doorway of the lounge, looking over his shoulder at her blurred form in his peripheral. He wanted to say something, the urge built up in the back of his throat. The words suddenly left him as quickly as they formed, buried deep where he'd never use them. He managed to give her a piece of a smile, throwing up his hand in a slight wave before he walked out.

There wasn't a damn thing that would make the M18 reliable in Kipp's head. He'd done what he could, he and Aaron. Polanski wasn't much of a mechanic, but he knew the basics of vehicle maintenance. That was good enough for Kipp. He checked the seals once more, pumping oxygen into the empty cab for leaks. The readings from the digital gauges told him that the seals were holding.

It wasn't the ideal vehicle for the lengthy drive, but there was nothing else. The junker on wheels would have to do. He looked over at Aaron topping off the fuel, sealing the tank, and twisting the cap tight.

"You mind checking the tire pressure again?"

Aaron set the empty cylinder of fuel on the floor with a forceful clang. "I already checked it twice, even on the spare. Overzealous much?"

Kipp grunted as he pulled back the hood to reveal the engine, immediately reaching his within the maw of belts, filters, and banded wires. "Y'know, some of the rocks on this moon's surface aren't actually rocks? They're water, frozen so hard they look like boulders even. It's not all flat out there. Not to mention that Selk is a crater. If those tires aren't 100%, Vasher and Pearce could be in trouble. You wanna try changing a bad tire in the middle of all that?"

Aaron looked up at the rows of lights on the ceiling and sighed. He went to grab the pressure gauge. "Fine. I'll check it again, just spare me the education."

"Thanks." Kipp tested the strength of the battery. There was minor corrosion around the terminals, but he imagined it wouldn't be anything a few sprays of baking soda solution wouldn't solve.

He pulled his torso from being hunched over within the engine when he heard boot steps approaching from behind. Rey had walked up to the nose of the M18, eating apple slices from a plastic container. It occurred to Kipp that he'd never actually seen Rey eat before. Maybe he just hadn't noticed.

"Is she ready?" Rey asked.

Kipp stepped down from the M18, wiping his greasy hands on his coveralls. "Yeah, just about. There's nothing we can do about the busted purge valve, but that's only an inconvenience at this point. Brakes are good, the engine is decent, and… Aaron, how's that--"

"Tire pressure is good. Don't ask me again."

"Yeah, as long as they don't push her too hard, she'll make it."

"We won't. Give us some credit." Damon walked in behind Rey, waddling past them with his gear. He set it on the floor before opening the driver's side door to the cab to load.

Kipp slammed the hood shut. "You have the occasional heavy foot. Faster is not always better. Moderate speed, please."

"Yes, mom." Damon pulled his gear into the cab's rear, the row of seats folded into the floor that converted into a single bed. He dumped his gear atop the bed before setting his assault rifle on the floor.

He stepped out to see Jacen walking toward him, an M45 shotgun slung over his left shoulder and hefting his field pack on his right. The man always looked as if he was ready for a fight, an additional layer coated on his DNA that bred combat. He saw the same readiness in Naomi, but he imagined it was a customary lifestyle to them.

"You look prepared."

Jacen lowered the shotgun from his shoulder as he walked around to the passenger side. "No such thing as over-preparedness. If the Covenant is close enough to see me, they're close enough to get blasted."

"Then let's hope you don't use that logic with snipers," Aaron laughed. He slapped Jacen on the shoulder as he walked past. "Good luck out there."

Jacen held his tongue and growled under his breath, watching him leave. You can't shoot him. You can't shoot him. He opened the door to the passage side and chucked his pack in the back next to Damon's. The shotgun remained with him, the tether clipped to his chest rig and hung at his side.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed Rey advancing toward Damon, extending his hand with something small between his index finger and thumb.

"Here." Rey set a small thumb drive in the palm of Damon's hand. "You'll need this to breach the security protocols. Maybe it works. It's practically just an extension of DEV, so if you're hoping to get some peace without him, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

"It violates my protocols, but I could remove the oxygen within the facility and watch all of you suffocate," DEV said from the tether on Rey's belt.

"DEV, it's when you say things like that that makes me start to distrust you." Rey shook his head and waved over Damon and Jacen. He walked them over to a secluded corner of the garage. "I'd like to reiterate that this is a courageous act you're doing. You're the right men for this. As said before, this is reconnaissance. Don't engage unless you're engaged. I uploaded additional Intel on the drive. Familiarize yourself with your enemy. These aren't the type of Covenant you're used to fighting, in case they're actually there. No shame in running if things get hot."

"We'll do our best," Damon said.

"To not die, you mean?" Jacen added.

Damon shrugged and walked off towards the M18. "There's also that."

Jacen stood there alone with Rey, smothered in an awkward silence that neither of them seemed eager to break. There was nothing he felt he needed to say to the Army captain, but it was to his surprise that Rey spoke first.

"Your confidence that Jasmine is telling the truth was enough for me to greenlight this, otherwise this wouldn't be happening. Let's hope to God you're right about her."

Jacen didn't know whether to accept the words as a compliment or a soft threat. It was growing tiresome to analyze the meaning behind his words. Maybe it was a time just to accept them at face value. He remained neutral. "It's not confidence, it's just experience. I know when someone's lying to me and when they're not."

"And she's never lied to you?"

Jacen felt it was a loaded question, designed to blow his brains out no matter how he answered it. "Everybody lies, no matter how long you've known them. We'll find out soon enough. But since we're asking questions: what'll happen to her if she wasn't?"

"She lives," Rey said nothing more and walked away.

It was a naive question, Jacen admitted to himself. Of course, her life hung in the balance. Maybe Naomi had a point. Was he risking too much? The heart was more treacherous than anything else and was desperate. It wanted what it wanted. Jacen groaned within. Why did you have to go and make things so damn complicated, Jasmine?

"Yo, Pearce! You ready to roll?"

Jacen snapped to attention to turned to face Damon who was standing at the driver's side door with his leg perched up on the metal running board. "Yeah, yeah… ready."

"Good. I say we drive in shifts, three hours per. I'll start, then you take over after we reach the depot. Okay?"

Jacen climbed into the passenger side and shut the door. "Yeah, that's fine."

"Cool." Damon started up the M18 and it eventually sputtered to life, rumbling and vibrating the interior.

Everyone in the garage began to clear out, Rey being the last to leave as he gave a casual salute to them on his way out. Damon cycled through the touch screen in the middle of the console, switching on the oxygen. A gentle hiss sounded above them as the doors clicked and tightened the seals.

The garage doors parted open, sending sensors into overdrive as the temperature plummeted and the once oxygen-rich environment was exchanged with nitrogen and methane.

"Here we go." Damon geared the M18 into drive and accelerated out into the terrain.