Hello everyone and welcome to my story! I have written most of this on another site but with my motivation to write this story growing with each person that reads it I want to publish this on more than one site. That way I have the chance to show many people! Red vs Blue is one of my favorite TV shows? Online Shows? Not sure, but anyway I love this series and seeing the way that it has been playing out is sad but also. . .giving me inspiration to write some more. That way I can change what things I don't like or just try to make them better. This story focuses on Noble Six, the generic Six we see in cut scenes. So just picture that guy when reading this. Anyway I hope you like it!
It did not take long for Reach to fall, our enemy was ruthless, efficient, but they weren't nearly fast enough. For you had already passed the torch. . .
It was just black, there was no light nor was there any sound. His body felt as if it was submerged into water. A deep black pit of water that seemed to have no bottom or no top. Yet despite this feeling he felt okay. He could breath, he was not panicked or gasping for air. He was just. . .okay. But there was another feeling there, something pulling at the back of his mind as he floated aimlessly in nothing.
Where was he? How had he gotten there? Was everyone okay? There were so many questions, yet he was alone here. There was no one here to pull him back up once he had fallen within this pit. There was no one to tell him to stand back on his feet or keep pressing. He was just here. Alone. . .once again.
It didn't used to be like this, he had people, he had teammates that he began to lean on. Soldiers that he trusted with his life. Family that he began to relax around and finally feel apart of something more than just himself. Yet now, this was all he had left. Black, nothing, empty. Then again, there was this continuous pull at the back of his mind. Like a voice that he couldn't focus on but knew it was there.
His hand raised in front of his face as he reached to grab whatever was in front of him. Whoever was in front of him. What could it be? He kept reaching and reaching before finally light shined in between his fingers. There was no end to be seen but it looked as if it was right there. He just had to keep going. The more he reached, the more he went towards a light, the less the black was around him, the less he felt submerged in water.
"You aren't done yet, Number Six. Time to get up."
A voice, someone he knew so well. Someone he had come to rely on, someone he wanted to save during the battle. But someone he knew wanted to protect the planet he had grown up on. He knew that there was no other person on that planet that loved it more than he did. He wanted to die protecting it, even if in the end it matter little. He was telling him to stand up, telling him to fight. All he had to do was keep reaching.
Finally his eyes opened, there was no blackness anymore, there was no voice. Just what laid above him. Right now it was a shiny white ceiling, a simple light fixture flush with the rest of the ceiling panels. Slowly sitting up he could feel the cloth of the blanket around his legs. The softness of the bed underneath his body. Yet as he moved to sit up straight his body reacted, shooting a sore pain through out his core.
Reaching to hold his pained center he would look down to see the bandages that were wrapped around his chest. The soldier had no armor, no weapons, just a simple pair of pants that did well to keep him warm and cover him. Yet there was no shirt, making sure to keep the bandages accessible. From what it looked like there was no more bleeding. All clean and white, tightly wrapped around him to support his chest and sore areas.
His eyes would move from his own person to the area around him. Nothing too important nor anything that stood out to his eye. It was a simple room, a hospital room if he had to guess. Yet the there were no windows either, barely any decoration. Typical for a military type of health building or clinic.
It would not be too long before his eyes were drawn to the door to his room. The signature 'swish' and hissing sound of the door as it opened without command to a person walking into the room. Looking over the person that walked in, it was not hard to tell that the man was of middle age. A doctor from what it looked like as he was dressed in a white coat and held a tablet in his hands.
His attention was drawn into the tablet, not noticing that his patient had already awoken from his health related sleep. Grabbing the glasses off his face, he would place them within his pocket of the coat before looking up from his tablet. Looking to see that his patient had already began sitting up, he would widen his eyes before smiling and walking over.
"So you woke up already?" He asked, stopping his approach next to his bed and looking over the soldier. The doctor scanned over his patients body, checking the bandages and seeing that they indeed had no bleed marks, nor did they seemed tampered with. He raised his tablet and typed in the information before regarding the patient once more. "How do you feel, Noble Six? You took quite the beating, most of us weren't expecting you to be awake this early but I'm sure the commander will be pleased." He said, finishing the work he had on his tablet before once again pressing it against his body.
"I feel fine, Sir. Just a little sore." Noble Six spoke simply, his voice unchanging through his sentence. As expected from a Spartan. Though this time there was more to his monotone voice than just what he had been taught. It would seem the doctor had already taken notice to that.
"That's to be expected." He said with a small smile and a nod of his head. "You did fight a whole army by yourself. Just because you have some fancy armor doesn't make you invincible. You'll need time to heal, though most of your wounds have already closed. The soreness should be gone within the next few days. Depending on how easy you want to take it." A small attempt at a joke, mostly to lighten the mood.
Noble Six nodded his head slightly and looked around the room once more. "Where am I?"
"Ah yes. . ." The doctor walked over to the wall farthest away from Noble Six's bed and typed into a key pad. Upon pressing a button the while wall lifted, showing behind it what was a window to the outside world. Yet there was no world, it was black limitless. Space. "We're in orbit. You're currently on one of the Office's classified Space Cruisers. We were ordered to stay within the planet's orbit until you've recovered. Not to mention staying here is our best bet right now."
Noble Six's eyes went to the window, behind the Doctor was the planet he was talking about. Planet Reach. It wasn't how he had remembered it. There was no green, nor was there any blue. Any traces of life on that planet seemed to have disappeared for now it was brown and empty. The slight hint of red indicating the planets surface was still cooling after the Covenant had glassed the planet.
"How long have I been out?" The Spartan asked, removing his eyes from the planet's surface and facing the Doctor once more.
The medical personnel could see the look in the Spartan's eyes. Despite them being inhumanly good at hiding their emotions and intentions, the way Noble Six kept his eyes on the surface of the planet only meant one thought was going through his mind. The battle of Reach. The Doctor could not help but look at the Spartan with a sadden look.
"A couple days. We were expecting you to be out longer, but it seems that you had other plans." The Doctor turned and pressed the key on the keypad once more, closing the window to outside the ship. Walking closer to Noble Six again he stopped and pulled out his glasses. Looking over the information concerning the Spartan. "From what it looks like, you should be cleared from bed rest by the end of the day. You'll still be sore, but you'll be field ready soon. The Commander wants you up and running as soon as possible, otherwise I would have you rest for a little longer."
The Doctor sighed and placed his glasses back within his pocket. Closing the information on the tablet before walking over to the bed. He stood next to the small night stand that was positioned next to the bed. There he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. The sound of thin metal banging and clanking as the objects rubbed into each other. "I have these for you as well. I'll just leave them here." He said, opening his hand and placing them on the table top.
What he left there was multiple sets of Dog tags, all wrapped and tangled together but each on their own chain. The sliver metal was dirtied as brown dirt covered some or most of their surfaces. The Spartan's eyes would go to them, looking at them closely before going back to the doctor. "That's all I really have for you right now," He said adjusting his coat. "Someone else will be in shortly to check on you and most likely clear you to go and see the Commander. Once you get your final medical evaluation, you'll be sent to get your armor. We had to send it to the armory for repairs, though it was pretty banged up. Usually the UNSC would probably just issue another set and destroy the original but we don't have the time nor recourses to do that. So we are working with what we have."
The Doctor continued, "In addition to that we recovered some of your weapons left on the battle field. Your standard Magnum pistol, your Assault Rifle, and your DMR. They will be issued to you once you receive orders to process out and you get cleared by the Commander herself. If you need anything just press the button on the top of the rail. Feel free to walk around and stretch your legs but I wouldn't leave the room until you've had your appointment." The Doctor finished before nodding his head and offering a smile.
Once he turned around the Spartan lowered his head and spoke up. Stopping the doctor in his walk and getting him to turn and face Noble Six. "What about Emile, Spartan A-239? Did you recover his body?" Noble Six asked, keeping his eyes planted on his hands resting on his lap.
The Doctor frowned for a second before nodding his head slowly. "We did. . .we haven't done anything yet, concerning his burial. That was scheduled for today. I can postpone it till tomorrow sometime if you wish to visit him sometime later today?"
Noble Six nodded slightly. "If you could, Sir." He answered simply, refusing to look up and face the Doctor.
"Of course, it's the least I could do." The Doctor took one step to turn around before stopping. Looking to the ground himself he stopped to think of the words he should say. Biting his lip for a second he spoke. "You saved a lot of people. . .You and your team are heroes. I just. . .I wanted you to know that we are very grateful for what you did. I wanted to be the first to thank you, and say I'm sorry."
There was no movement from Noble Six. There was no change. He just sat there with his head lowered. For him, there was no need for a sorry or a thank you. He was just doing what he needed to do, what he was supposed to do. Anyone else would have done the same if they were in his position. He just wished he could have been stronger to save them, to protect them. He just wished he had more time. "I was just doing my job. Anyone would have done the same thing I did."
The Doctor quickly shook his head to the side. "No, I don't think they would have." That was all he said before he looked to the door and took a step forward. The door responding to his movements and opening and closing once he stepped through and cleared the door. Once it hit the ground there was no one else in that room other than Noble Six. Just him and his thoughts.
Looking away from his lap, Noble Six looked to the night stand. Sitting on top of the night stand was the set of dog tags. Reaching for them he grabbed them in his hand and brought them over. Shuffling the individual tags between his fingers, he made sure to rub his thumb over top the surface to wipe away any dirt or grim that had dirtied them.
The Spartan looked at all of them individually, making sure to remember and recall the times he had spent with the that member of Noble Team. That was all he had left. Their name on a metal tag, usually used to identify who they were when they died if the body was too damaged to identify. Yet now they represented the only item that tied Noble Six to them still, the only physical piece of them left.
They were all there, Noble One Carter, Noble Two Kat, Noble Four Emile, Noble Five Jorge, all but one. Noble Three Jun. There was hope in Noble Six's mind that Jun had made it off Reach alive. Of course right now he had no way of contacting him. But when Six was one Reach before his final stand he had tried to find some way of getting signal or sign from the Sniper.
Of course there was no response, the planet had been blanketed with radiation. The radio signal had been blocked many times over and the only outcome that came from sending such a signal was the Covenant tracking his position. In the end sending those signals were worth it every time but Noble Six just wished he knew whether or not Jun was alive. Maybe he would not be forced to be a Lone Wolf once more.
Looking towards the window that was currently covered, the Spartan swung his feet over the side of the bed before pushing himself slowly out. His body still ached, and his chest and body were sore. However, all it took was a little stiff movements and he was able to effectively get out of bed and walk over to the window. Pressing the same button as the doctor the window slowly slide open Revealing the view of Reach, or what was left of it, and the black space behind it.
Gripping the dog tags in his hand tightly he looked out to the planet. Nothing but thoughts about the war crossed his mind. He could not help but play the final moments of each member in his head over and over again. Yet there was one person that came to his mind the most. Jorge. His final words being, "tell them to make it count". But look at the planet now. He failed. . .he failed all of them.
The sound of the door opening once more would drag Noble Six's attention away from the window and make him turn around. When he did so he locked gazes with a nurse. Holding her own tablet, however upon making eye contact with Noble Six she stopped in her tracks for a second. Seeming to look over his body, whether she was surprised by the shape he was in or the condition was unknown to him. But it seemed to pass as soon as it came onto her face.
She smiled, walking into the room and holding her tablet out. "Hi there. . .Lieutenant. I'm here to do your final check so you can get cleared to go and put your armor back on. They just finished it not too long ago." She said, "I'm just going to look over your wounds and make sure they are healing nicely. If they are we can go ahead and get these bandages off and send you over to the armory, okay?"
The Spartan nodded his head, "Yes, Ma'am." He said, walking over to her and standing straight so she could take a look at his chest.
She leaned closely and looked over his bandages. Untying them slightly to look underneath. There was no open bleeding and it seemed that his body was already in the process of healing over the scabs. Taking note of his condition in her tablet, the nurse began to slowly pull the bandages off his body. She could not help but notice how truly beaten up the Spartan had gotten from his battle on Reach.
The smaller wounds were burn and spike wounds. Towards the lower right side of his stomach. Most would heal but some of the deeper cuts and burns would cause scarring. However the largest of the wounds was the centralized stab wound done by the Elite with the energy dagger. A clean stab wound, however deep and wide enough to leave a scar. Right now that seemed to be the worst looking of the bunch, with staples and stitches to match. She hummed slightly and took another note before swiping away at her tablet.
"You look a lot better than you did when you first got here, I'll go ahead and sign off on this form so you can go ahead and get your armor back on. However. . .I just want you to know that this wound in your stomach is going to take a little longer to heal. Just be mindful when you are moving out on the field. If you reopen it, it'll end up worse and send you back to bed rest." She said as she stepped back from the Spartan. She grabbed a folded white shirt and placed it on the bed next to him. "I'm sure you'll want to wear this down the hallway."
"Thank you," He said grabbing the shirt and putting it on. He then slid the dog tags into his pocket before looking towards the door. Before he could leave the nurse stopped him one last time.
"The armory you'll be looking for is down the hall to the right. They should know you are coming. After you get your armor on you'll have to report to the Commander. I'm sure after that you'll be dismissed for the rest of the day. Make sure to grab everything out of this room. You'll be staying in an actual room for tonight." The nurse said, walking over to the door next to him. "Oh, and Spartan. . .Thank you." She added before she left walking through the doorway.
The Spartan stopped for a moment and thought about what she had just said. Another thank you. It felt so weird to be thanked for just doing his job. Yet there was more to it than that. He did not do anything worth thanking him for. The people that should be thanked are those that gave their lives. His team. . .they were the real heroes on Reach, not him. Without them, there was no way he would have completed his mission. If it was not for them, he would not be alive right now.
They all gave their life for him. In one way or another they died so he could live another day. They placed their faith in him, someone that was new to the team. Someone that replaced a former team member. They trusted him that much. And yet. . .look where it got them. He would make it right, he had to. That was his duty now, even if it killed him.
Looking towards the door he walked to the armory. He passed a couple people on the way, yet he paid no attention to their face nor their expression. His eyes were locked towards the ground, one foot at a time. It would not be long before he found himself in front of the door. Turning to walk in, he was met with another face. A soldier this time, looking up from his tablet and standing at attention.
"Good afternoon, Sir. We have everything ready for you. Please step forward and we can get this done as soon as possible." He said stiffly, it was true that Six was still an officer, so he held that officer atmosphere around the enlisted members.
Noble Six followed the instructions of the soldier. Walking forward and stepping within the mentioned spot. It was a simple armor rack. A way to stand and allow the personnel to dress him in his armor. First of course he was outfitted with the classic black under suit. It was much like a skin tight deep swimming suit that did well to keep him warm and comfortable in many environments.
Next came his classic black armor. The mark five, bravo. The black paint barely painted back on. Due to the time they could not cover all the burns and cuts that were done to it. So it was still battle worn. Yet it was his armor and it felt familiar. The technician pulled out what seemed to be a screw gun. He held it up, pulling the trigger a couple of times to test it. As it spun it created a whining sound, almost like something being spun up. It was very unique and distinct.
Yet the more the Spartan listened to that sound, the more it began to sound like gun shots. His eyes became unfocused, before too long the noises around him were that of a war. Explosions and gun shots, screams and orders. All be shouted at once. His ears began to rang as he lost track of time. This was Reach. He could hear it. It was haunting him over and over again. The loss of so many people burned into his mind.
Then he heard his commanders voice, Noble One Carter. Between the explosions he could hear his voice yelling out to him. "Move forward Noble Six! Six! Six!" Yet the words drowned out once more as the room become silent. Soon the voice of his former commander was gone and it went back to the technician in the room. "Sir? Sir?" He said over and over again trying to gain the Spartans attention.
Noble Six's eyes went to the soldier as he regained his focus. Upon seeing he had gotten the Spartans attention he nodded his head. "You're all set, all you have to do is grab your helmet. You'll be free to come back later and get your weapons once the commander gives the order. . ." He was silent for a moment, wondering if he should mention what had just happened. He sighed and began to walk away. "I'll leave you to it, Sir."
It would not be long before Noble Six was left to himself once again. There was nothing but silence. He took a step forward, the familiar sound of his boot connecting with the metal ground and creating that certain, crash. He looked down at himself, holding his hand up and turning them over. His armor felt just as it did before he got hurt. His fingers ran over his chest, the burns from when he fell from the atmosphere still there. The only difference now was that the chest piece was fixed.
Turning his head Six looked at his helmet. No major repairs but the single bullet hole that cracked his HUD before. He walked over to it, grabbing the helmet and holding it before his face. Looking into the orange tainted visor. Once he put this helmet back on he would be Noble Six once more. He would be the man that survived Reach. There was so many scenes burned into this very visor. There was still more to come. He only could ask himself why. Why had he been saved?
Usually asking such a question would lead to no where. But this. . .this was different. He would have been happy dying on Reach. There was a reason why he stayed behind and allowed the Pillar of Autumn to leave him. He was a member of Noble Team, he wanted to die that way too. But here he was, the lone survivor. Back to being a lone wolf. Maybe that was the way it was supposed to be. Maybe he was not fit to be apart of a team.
Six turned the helmet around, slowly placing it on his head. His HUD activated and for the first time since the fall of Reach, he was a Spartan again. He was Noble Six, alive and the last of Noble Team.
Pulling out the Noble Team dog tags, Six looked down at them within his hand. There was so many things he owed them for. With them he had finally felt like he belonged in a team. Before that he never fit in anywhere. All his previous teams felt scared, intimidated from him and his skill. His ability to follow orders. They were scared of black ink that covered him and his file. He would make sure that no matter what happened in the future, he would stay a member of Noble Team. He would fight as Noble Six, he would make sure he made everything right again. He would not waste this chance they all fought and died for. Not this time.
Clutching the tags in his hands he looked up. Placing them within the center piece of his chest plate and taking a step forward. His next stop was the commanders office. No doubt to brief him on his next mission. Though he felt sore still and the deaths of Noble Team still weighed heavily on his mind. He would continue to fight. Whatever assignment was given to him next, he would make sure it was done.
But, there was one thought he had. He wanted to return to the war. He wanted to help fight the Covenant and make sure they could not do what they did to Reach. He had lived through it, making sure that would not happen to Earth would be a nice way of paying them back for what they did. Not only to his team but also to the billions of innocent people.
Of course something told Noble Six that if they wanted him fighting in that war, they would have already sent him out. The Covenant War was a deadly war, one that took many lives and resources. A Spartan was a very valuable asset, one that could turn the tide of a single battle as soon as he stepped foot on the ground. Not only because of their skill, but also because of the impact they had on morale.
Having a Spartan fight next to someone was described as having a second wind. It was as if you had someone watching over you, a pillar that could not be broken fighting for the same reason you were fighting for. Every Marine and ODST fought that much harder when they had a Spartan backing them up. To them, there was nothing that could kill a Spartan. Noble Six was no different.
When fighting next to the many soldiers on Reach they watched him constantly survive battle after battle, save life after life and kill Elite after Elite. For them, it was like watching a symbol fight. Inspiring them to fight harder, a feeling that they could not lose because he was there. Many times after a battle, despite the losses, Six would be thanked by his comrades. Of course he was just doing his job.
But that also brought up another question then. If the UNSC did not want Noble Six fighting in the War then what did they want him for? He doubted it was a coincidence that he was on an ONI cruiser. He had plenty of experience in the past with ONI and he knew that nothing they did happened for no reason. They were always planning. This was probably no different. The only question this time was, for what?
If it was not the war, which seemed to be most of humanity's concern at the moment, what did they need him for? A hyper lethal Spartan, not fighting the most important fight humanity has ever fought. What was that much more important?
Six could not answer that, but he would find out shortly. Standing in front of the office for the commander of the ship, Noble Six raised his hand and knocked. Upon hearing a verbal enter, he did so. Walking briskly to the desk and rendering a proper salute to a commanding officer.
However this was not just any officer. This was the head of ONI, Admiral Margaret Parangosky. Of course Six had known her well. She had been his commanding officer long before he had been apart of Noble Team. He was referred to as ONI's personal Grim Reaper, in all actuality he was her personal Grim Reaper.
The Admiral turned from her desk to stand and face the Spartan. At this point Six offered the proper custom and curtsy. "Ma'am Spartan B-312 reports as ordered." He said holding his salute.
She nodded her head for a moment before giving the Spartan her own salute, in which she dropped hers and Six followed. The admiral sat down at her desk and sat up straight. Looking directly at the Spartan as she folded her hands on top of the desk. A small smile on her face. Though this smile had more layers to it than it looked. The Spartan could tell.
"Please Spartan, stand at ease." She spoke, at which Six complied by slightly standing a bit more relaxed, though he said nothing. "It's good to see you again, though of course I heard about your team. I am very sorry. I heard that you did well on that assignment, that is to no surprise to me. You always were the best we had here at the Office." She said, speaking in a calm manner, though her words were sharp. If one was not careful. She would tear you apart in a second. Truly terrifying.
"I'm happy to see you are back on your feet. As always you are eager to work, though knowing you, you are probably wondering what assignment I have in mind for you. First let's start off with the simple pieces to the puzzle. I am reinstating your title as headhunter. Effective Immediately." She ordered, though after she spoke. She had reached down into her desk and pulled out a folder. Labeled 'classified'.
Yet such an announcement came to a surprise to Noble Six. Of all the assignments he thought he would be sent on, this was not one of them. Being a head hunter meant that he, yet again, would be adding more black ink to his profile. They had something very secret in mind for him, especially if the Admiral was the one giving the order. It would not surprise the Spartan if she had not even told most of the Office. There were indeed a select few people that even knew half of his information.
"We've already taken the liberty of updating your file, to include your reinstatement and also your time on Reach. However, there is another piece we had to update as well. Your status. . ." She reached for the keyboard to her computer, typing in a couple of things before a display was presented before him. His status read. . . "Officially, to the UNSC and it's database. Noble Six died on planet Reach, a hero and a warrior. This physical copy here is the only file in existence that states you are alive and under ONI once more. This is important for your assignment."
Six understood what she was saying. She was saying that he was unable to make contact with the UNSC, he had to stay dead. At least for now. That's why they needed him, it was starting to come together. But once again he had to ask himself. What for? "I understand, Ma'am."
She pressed a button and the display disappeared, leaning forward once more with her hands on the desk she spoke. "Good. Only myself, and the select few personnel we allowed you to see today know of your survival. Secondly do not worry, we won't be issuing you a headhunter partner. You'll be alone on this assignment, per your usual preference. As for contact, for this assignment you'll be mostly on your own. This means you'll have full authority over your actions and how you wish to complete this mission. Yet, I will be updating your orders at certain times should the situation arise. If this does happen, you are to complete the updated order and then return to your current task as you were."
So he would be mostly off the record on this one as well. It would seem that the Admiral wanted to keep this more secret than most of the other assignments he had been on before. Six could remember only a couple of times when he was given full authority over his mission. That would mean that this will be a long term mission, that way ONI does not have to waste resources constantly updating and keeping track of him. Not to mention doing so, runs the risk of others and the enemy finding out. "Yes, Ma'am."
"Now then, I'm sure you want to know what your assignment is?" She asked, once again typing some information into her computer before the display appeared once more. This time however there was something else on it. Information concerning a project. Names of personnel, equipment, travel logs, communication, mission logs, everything they could find. Or so it seemed. The Admiral stood from her chair and walked to the side of her desk. "Before the war on Reach, the Office was looking into other ways to provide super soldiers. The Spartans provided excellent results but were expensive. We wanted effective results with time and cost in mind."
She tapped a button once more and changed the display to a logo, official enlistment logs of this Project and ONI. "As a result we funded a Project that was to research ways to create equipment that would allow any ordinary soldier to perform as Spartan. Increasing the overall lethal capabilities of our armies against our adversaries. We code named this Project. . ." She stopped changing the display once more, crossing her arms and turning towards Six.
This time it showed a picture, a group of soldiers in armor that looked to be designs of Spartan armor. Most looked to be a Mark 5 or perhaps a newer variant. Yet the build said soldiers had were not that of a Spartan. Soldiers that seemed of average height. It was clear this was the experimental equipment she had been talking about.
"Project Freelancer,"
I want to thank everyone for reading this first Chapter! Please tell me what you think and hopefully we can get some more Chapters out to you guys! I want to write more RvB stories in the future but want to get this one out there to get my foot in the door with this. I have not decided what other story I want to write but maybe you all can help me with that in the future. Please review and tell me what you guys think! I want to hear from you guys! Anyway thank you for reading and I will check you all later!