Welcome back everyone to chapter two, I hoped you like the first one! Not much to say other than thank you for the support and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let us get right into it!

"Project Freelancer,"

The name rattled around in his head a little while. He repeated it to himself over and over again. This Project, this was his next assignment. The next paragraph in his file to be blacked out, covered and hidden away. Much like how he was now. He was a ghost, submerged in secrecy over his death and now being assigned a mission that needed to stay with the dead.

But this. . .this was nothing new to him. He had done this before, making entire Militia groups disappear in one single night. That's all it took, then their news could be swept under the rug and locked away from the general population of the UNSC. But. . .how would his team feel about this? Carter. . .his commander had told him to leave everything behind. Everything that made him a Lone Wolf. To Six, that meant more than just, stop acting alone.

When Noble Six was considered a Lone Wolf, before he was known as 'Noble Six'. He was entirely alone. He had no partners, no supervisors. He just reported directly to ONI, once to confirm the mission was completed. All the targets had been neutralized, and all the evidence had been destroyed. The second time was to get his next assignment. It was very rarely that he had an actual break, time in between missions. But at the time that was the way he wanted it to be.

Before Noble Team, Six never really fit in with anyone. Even in his days before he had earned the title of Spartan. As he was going through Basic Training and becoming a weapon, his skills set him apart from his peers. They never wanted to lean on him, they never wanted to ask him for help, they were all afraid and distant. They felt he was too skilled for him, already on another level. He was isolated.

After a while he became comfortable that way. When you had just you, there was no one to worry about, no one to distract you from your mission. No one to lose on the battle field. The Lone Wolf, the one who left the pack and grew on his own. One kill at a time.

Noble Team however. . .they were different.

Carter did not care about his skills, his past, nor the people he had killed in his time as a Headhunter. All that black ink, it was invisible to the commander. It did not matter. He was just happy to have another member. It was the same with the rest of them, they did not care about his status, they just knew they had to work together. And they worked together well.

The first team that did not make Six feel different, they did not make him feel ahead of the pack or a different breed. He was just a Spartan, there to do a job just like the rest of them. They accepted him and he came to rely on them to watch his back. A task he would have never given anyone in the past.

But now, the situation was different. He had no team, they were all dead. All sacrificing their lives not only so he could live, but also so innocent people could, so humanity could live. Six would make sure that he would not waste that chance they gave him, the opportunities and dreams they passed on to him. But he would have to do what he was ordered to do.

He was a weapon, he was made for this very purpose. To make people disappear. That was something he was always good at, that was why ONI wanted him in the first place. His job was to ensure humanity survived and thrived, his specialty was to do it in the shadows. So no one else had to.

This Project, these Agents, they were just more names on a list. His next assignment. He had to follow orders. One more assignment.

"I'm sure you've already put together your assignment," The Admiral said, breaking Noble Six out of his thoughts as his eyes refocused on the woman before him. She crossed her arms. Closing out all images that were presented before him and spoke directly to the Spartan. "Your main target is Director Leonard Church. However you are to ensure that nothing gets leaked to the public. All Agents are to be handled. . .one way or another. Bring them in, or take them out."

The Admiral stood up from her leaned position and walked to the other side of the desk. Sitting back down in her chair before sliding forward into her desk. She reached into the desk and pulled something else out, a small drive. What seemed to be a data drive that could be plugged into any UNSC secure computer and accessed.

"Any Freelancer equipment should be destroyed or recovered if you have the opportunity but your main priority is neutralization of the personnel. I should not have to tell you how big of a security risk this is. If information gets leaked that a project we funded went rouge and is using experimental equipment to harm civilians, the population will lose faith in us. It will draw recourses from the war and no doubt result in defeat." The Admiral placed the drive down on the desk and leaned forward, narrowing her eyes.

"You have a huge responsibility Noble Six, we are trusting you to get the job done and get back out there fighting the big fight. Do you understand?" She spoke simply and clearly. There was no questions, there was no uncertainties. Another mission that had to get done.

"I understand, Ma'am." Noble Six said. Though his voice was clear, his mind was not. There was still a great deal he was thinking about when it came to the war he had just survived. But that would have to wait. This life, it was never over. It just repeated over and over again. This is who he was.

"Good, I knew we could count on you Spartan. You were always the best we had. The deadliest Headhunter we have ever sent out into the field. I know you'll handle this job, the way it needs to be done." That was code word for, making sure everyone was quiet. Noble Six usually was not one to bring people in. Locking them away for the rest of their days, seeing no light, having no freedom. That almost seemed as bad as torture. Dying was a quicker way to end it all. And it would seem that the Admiral was not one for bringing people back alive either.

"Take this," She spoke up once more, breaking the Spartan out of his thoughts as he slid the drive over the table. "This has all the information we have on Project Freelancer. You should find everything you need to begin your mission. If you have any other questions, you know how to contact us. Other than that, you are dismissed. You are free to leave the cruiser after zero hundred hours." The Admiral went to look away before she raised her head once more and spoke. "I forgot to mention, we will be issuing you a Sabre class space fighter, it's a prototype that we have equipped with a small slip space drive. It should get you where you need to go."

"Thank you, Ma'am." Noble Six said as he took one step back from the desk and rendered a proper salute. Given that he was now dismissed he had some places he wanted to go and visit before he left this place.

The Admiral returned the gesture and dropped her hand, for the Spartan followed. Placing the date drive in the center of his hand and closing his hand, Six turned around and walked towards the door. Watching as it opened before him as he stepped through. As he took a step outside, he began to walk towards his room. Which had been updated on his HUD upon placing his armor back on. He would need to research some of the information provided to him by the Admiral about Project Freelancer.

Though this assignment, there was something about it the did not sit well with the Spartan. If this was such a big deal, ONI should have handled long before Six was found to be alive on Reach. The timing of this assignment seemed almost too close for comfort. ONI was good, but the Spartan did not think they were that good to predict that he would survive such a firefight.

At the end of the day however, it was no his place to question. He was a Spartan, he was made to follow orders and not ask questions. That was the job he was given and that was apart of the oath he swore to. He would follow the orders of the officers appointed over him. Whether he liked to do so or not. This, mission. . .was just another job, one that would be over sooner or later. Of course there was no specific date, but Six was willing to spend as much time as he needed to complete the task at hand.

So much more black ink. It was almost like he could not get away from it. But he could not help but think about what Carter said to him the first day he was on Reach. 'I've read your file, even the parts ONI didn't want me to see. I'm happy to have your skill set on my team. However, that Lone Wolf stuff stays behind.'

It was almost like some sort of joke. Not even a week after the death of his team he was back doing what he had been told not to do. Being placed in a position he thought he had left when he arrived on Reach. He was back to being alone, working alone, and being isolated. He was back to hiding behind black ink and classified stamps, he was back to making people disappear.

In that end, it just seemed like that was who he was. That was his purpose, the reason he was created. The reason they made him into a Spartan.

To cover the world in black ink.

After his briefing with the Admiral, Noble Six made his way to his room. Highlighted on his HUD shortly after he was cleared from the medical wing of the ship. As he walked down the hallways he lost himself within his own thoughts. Holding the data drive that was given to him in his hand as he took step by step to his room.

There was a lot of information that he had to process, to get in the mindset to plan another assignment. Yet there was more to it than that. He almost wondered if it was too early for him to be assigned to another mission. He held great amounts of guilt when it came to the fall of Reach. Being the only surviving member of Noble Team, with the exception of Jun, who Six was not sure if he was alive or not, weighed heavily on his mind.

There were many times in the past twenty four hours that he thought of actions he could have taken on Reach to maybe save more lives, to save his team. Maybe if he had done this then maybe this person would still be alive. It was a lot of if and buts and the Spartan knew that there was nothing he could do now about the situation he was in. However he could not help himself, he could not help but feel responsible for their death.

Looking up slightly, his orange visor reflected the object in front of him. The door to his room. Blank and white just as the rest of the ship was. He slightly turned his head to the small key pad that was to the side of the doorway. An entry keypad that would require a code to allow the door to open. Six pressed on the keypad, typing in his Spartan identification number. 'B-312'.

With a selective beep, the keypad turned green and the door opened before him. The Spartan took a step inside and looked around. It was a simple room with a bed, nightstand, desk, and a room for the bathroom. However on top of the desk was an information access kiosk. Six walked briskly over to the desk and stood in front of it.

Raising his hand forward he opened it, sitting within the palm of his hand the data drive that was given to him. He moved his head to the kiosk and looked at it for a moment before deciding to act. Moving forward slightly he took the data drive and plugged it into the appropriate slot. The kiosk reacted to the new drive being plugged in and turned on.

It projected an image, the blue hologram acting as the screen to a computer. An ONI symbol appeared on the screen with a small loading bar. The bar slowly filled before stopping for a second. Right before being full all the way.

The Spartan lowered his head for a moment, looking at the loading bar. Did these information kiosks always take this long to load? Should he. . .do something? Six stood quietly for a little while longer, watching the screen. He raised his hand slowly, reaching for the drive to pull it out and put it back in. Though before he grabbed the drive the screen loaded, pulling his hand back. He watched as the screen changed.

Six looked at the files that appeared before him. It was everything that ONI had on this new Project Freelancer. Personnel files, weapons, equipment, supply orders, ship details, everything one could dig up. It was right here.

The Spartan raised his hand and cycled through the files. Looking through each of the options that were presented before him. The screen reflected off of his visor as he looked silently at the information before him. 'Experimental Weapons' Six scrolled one more before he stopped on the next file. 'Personnel'.

Six taped his fingers on the file for it to open. The file opened up a list of personnel assigned to the Project and sorted by position.

'Maintenance'

'Administrators'

'Director'

'Human Resources'

'Basic Military'

'Agents'

Six hovered over each of them for a moment, however ultimately he decided to start at the top. His main target for this mission. The Director. Six tapped his fingers on the file for the Director and allowed it to open. First in front of him was a basic file of information. Name, Age, Sex, Birthdate, Personality. . .and so on.

Six's eyes scanned over the information. He kept his eyes on his main profile, his back ground before the project. It read: Prior to being selected for Project Freelancer, Leonard Church enlisted in the UNSC as a basic Marine. During Basic Training, Leonard Church got into a conflict with another trainee, Trainee Delaney. Shortly after the conflict, a female Trainee, comes to the aid of Leonard Church and incapacitates Trainee Delaney.

Six Stopped for a moment, taking a step forward to look closer at the information before him. That was how ONI had spotted the Director. He had appeared on their radar ever since he had joined the UNSC. A paper trail, however the Spartan doubted that he would be able to see everything. There was most likely more information that only the Director knew about. But this would be a start.

Scrolling down further Six continued to read. 'Director Church would later go on to start a relationship with said future Soldier. They would marry and have a child. The wife's name was Allison Church.' The Spartan stopped for a moment after reading the small section of information. There was a bit more when it came to the history of the Director. It would also seem that he got a doctorate after severing the UNSC in Artificial Intelligence.

His intelligence and determination towards said degree is what got him Recruited by the Office. He was appointed the Director of Project Freelancer after he presented the idea to the Office and got it approved and funded. Yet, despite all this information. . . There was one piece of missing information that stuck to Six.

What was his motive for disobeying the UNSC? Why was he appointed head of the Project that was said to develop experimental equipment? If he had a degree in A.I would it not make more since for the Office to allow him to help with the development of more? From what the member of Noble Team understood, such AI were a major advantage in the war currently. The success rate of Spartan and AI combination teams were almost double or even triple to that of a regular Spartan.

What was he missing?

However, there was something else as well. The name Allison had a file attached to it. Six tapped the screen with his two fingers. By doing so a file appeared in front of the Director's. It was named, 'Allison Church'.

Six's eyes scanned over the file. The beginning information was basic information about her. Name, birthdate, and so on. However it was the backstory that caught the Spartan's attention.

The first paragraph was the same as The Directors. The story of how the two met in basic training only for Allison to defend Leonard and hospitalize another Trainee. Yet that is where the story started to change. She did marry Leonard and have a child. However instead of leaving the UNSC, she stayed. Serving as a Marine.

She was good, very good, even looked at by the ODST division for training. However, she denied them, many times. Her family took priority, the child was young and Leonard was depended on her strength. She was loyal to the UNSC and her job, when the Great War came. She was one of the firsts to go.

Six looked at the end of the report. The last sentence read: 'Status- K.I.A'.

Yet there was something else on her profile. A video, taken from a camera and recovered. This video was linked to Allison's file and the Directors. Six raised his hand for a moment, reaching to play the video before he paused. He lowered his hand and rested it at his side as he stood looking at the screen. Maybe another time.

Allison Church was killed in the war. Much like many good soldiers and civilians alike. Perhaps that was why the Director got involved in ONI? To make better equipment for regular soldiers in order to decrease causalities in the war.

But then why go rouge? Why fight against the very people your wife fought for? That made little sense in the end.

Six raised his hand and closed the two files. Closing the tab of the Director's file and moving over to the Tab that read, 'Agents'. He pressed his fingers to the screen once more, selecting the tab and watching as many files appeared on his screen. The Spartan read through the names as well as status. However there seemed to be many names no listed, for some spots were blank or unfilled.

'Agent Carolina. Status: Active'.

'Agent Connecticut. Status: Active'.

'Agent Florida. Status: Active'.

'Agent Georgia. Status: M.I.A'.

'Agent Idaho. Status: M.I.A'.

'Agent Illoinis. Status: Active'.

'Agent Iowa. Status: M.I.A'.

'Agent Maine. Status: Active'.

'Agent New York. Status: Active'.

'Agent North Dakota. Status: Active'.

'Agent South Dakota. Status: Active'.

'Agent Ohio. Status: M.I.A'.

'Agent Utah. Status: Active'.

'Agent Washington. Status: Active'.

'Agent Wyoming. Status: Active'.

There was a decent amount of Agents supporting this Project. Most of them specialized in one area in order to increase the overall effectiveness of the team. Which in the end was not uncommon. Noble Team had a similar dynamic, Carter was the leader, Kat was the technology expert, Jun was the marksmen, Emile was the assault, Jorge was the heavy, and himself. . .he was the assassin.

But upon looking closer, these agents weren't picked for compatibility. The Director picked them for skill. They were polarized. With each name of the Agent came a rank next to their profile. A ranking system meant to 'improve motivation to better themselves and the team' or that's what the file said.

In the end Six knew that was not the outcome that would come out of such a ranking system. The polarization of the team, was a result of this. It would form platforms that some Agents would reach and others would not. Causing miscommunication and distrust between teammates. A weakness in a strategy that looked good on paper.

In the end, they were skilled soldiers. Depending on the skillset and experience they were most likely around the lethal capability of an ODST, or perhaps higher. Gauging their ability would be difficult without seeing how they act on the battle field. Though a quick look through their equipment would help Six decide what he was working against.

From the briefing and what ONI had already told him, their goal was to create equipment Spartans could use with their armor, and make it available for anyone. Armor lock, invisibility, speed boost, anything. If this was the case and their equipment had been developed, then they could prove more deadly than one might think. Engaging them may take a bit more thinking than one would think.

There was one more thing, much like how everything in this data file had been going so far. Always one more thing.

Another Agent, the file mostly hidden away. A classified file that was scrubbed clean, mostly. 'Agent Texas'. Six tapped on the file and opened it. Much like how it looked, it was empty. There was no name, no birthdate, not even a background to go off of. Just, a code name. Texas. There was a report however linked to the file.

Clicking on the report, it opened in a side menu of the file. It read: 'Agent Texas continues to improve and surpass all expectations. Her skill in the field outshines that of all other regular Freelancer Agents. Despite Agent Carolina being the number one Freelancer for quite sometime, Texas seems to have already gone beyond the limits that Carolina faces, thanks to her [redacted] state. With future additions when it comes to equipment in mind, we have high hopes for what we can achieve. We are sure the results are satisfactory. The conflict arising within the Team Leader will be discussed in another report. -Counselor.'

Agent Texas seemed to be the most recent and skilled Freelancer they had. However with such a skillset, she also seems to have a certain and unique situation compared to the others. Unfortunately the data ONI provided, would not give any hints to what that condition was. The report also talked about the results of Agent Texas' performance. To who are they reporting? Maybe just documentation. . .or something more.

Six swiped the file away, closing out both Agent Texas' file and her report. He would not get anymore information out of that right now. He would have to gather more once he starts moving on the Project. He did have a start. Whatever it was about Agent Texas, Six was sure it had to be handled. But such a report did lead to another Agent.

Six scrolled to the top of the list, stopping at the team leader. 'Agent Carolina'. The Spartan's fingers connected with the screen to open the file. This one, unlike the last, was filled with information concerning this Agent. Everything, listened from early life to current. The reason for this was in her name.

'Name: Carolina Church'.

Six continued to read the rest of the profile.

'Parents: Father- Leonard Church. Mother- Allison Church.'

'After the death of Allison Church during the Great War, Leonard Church surrounded himself within his work and work life. Disregarding most of his daughters up bringing. This could be the reason as to why Carolina was the first Agent to volunteer to join the Project in it's early stages and the reason behind her determination to be at the Number one spot. Carolina was also responsible for most of the Projects early success, as well as recruiting certain members. Agent Carolina was able to recruit Agent New York when she had tracked him down to a bar on the planet Reach. She is a powerful asset to the Project and a skilled Agent.'

Six stopped for a moment to think about the information before him. Project Freelancer had been on Reach? It was mentioned that Carolina had gone there to convince Agent New York to join, however was there more? There was no other information concerning Reach and if the Project had been there for other reasons. But, it was something else that stuck out to Six.

Carolina on the other hand seemed to be another Agent Six would have to look out for. She was determined and her family connections made her deeply involved in the Project's success and survival. Yet, the Director seems not all that concerned when it comes to her well being. Looking at the mission logs and reports given to Agent Carolina, the Director seems to disregard her safety in terms of missions if it means overall success.

Despite his rather distant attitude towards his own daughter, she does seem to be the one with the longest mission record. Even to this day. Yet her skill and attitude seems to not only set the tone for the rest of the Freelancers, but also lead her to the team leader position. A natural leader. But how much did her Father effect her? A possible weakness.

The Spartan believed that he had seen enough concerning Agent Carolina and closed the file. There were many more to go through, but for now they would have to wait. Six had all the important information that he needed, later he would make sure he learned and read the rest of the Freelancer's files. But what he had seen would work for a start.

Swiping away the profiles concerning all the personnel, Six went to the bottom. There was a report concerning the most recent mission that involved Project Freelancer. It was true that at the moment ONI had little to no idea where the Freelancer Headquarters was. Given the fact that they had devolved a Cruiser as said HQ.

The Mother of Invention.

Six clicked on the file, seeing if he could find any hints concerning the next place Project Freelancer would visit. However when he first opened the file he was met with a newspaper article. A newspaper from the planet that the Freelancers had just visited. The title read, 'Attack on Local Company. Fire Fight in The Streets. Many Wounded.'

Scrolling down some more would provide a little more information. It would seem that the Agents of the Project had raided a company on planet. That company was said to be a corner piece for Covenant equipment research. Due to that research, it would seem that the city had gotten plenty of funding and recourses given the attention the company brought to the planet.

No big surprises there.

Once the Great War had started, plenty of companies around the universe had done their best to be the first to access the newly discovered alien equipment. Despite everything that had to happen for that weaponry to appear mattered to them none. All they saw was a new market, and a big one at that. Private militarized companies jumped on the opportunity and paid big money to get their hands on that information.

One could imagine how the UNSC would react to a bunch of private militaries owning Covenant weapons. Noble Six had 'unofficially' put them out of business a couple of times. Ideas of said companies was nothing new to him.

However reading further, Six soon came to learn what had become of the building shortly after the assault. The Mother of Invention had used MAC rounds or, Magnetic Accelerator Canon rounds in atmosphere. Not only was that against UNSC laws, but that had also destroyed the building and surrounding area. Killing many people, including civilians and company personnel.

They had also attacked a company official, killing him and his body guards on the freeway. The police seemed to have gotten involved however the Agents had received evacuation from a Project pelican. Of course that was after the shoot out with the police.

Six stopped scrolling and thought for a moment. Allowing himself to think about what he had just read. All of this seemed to only draw more attention to the Project, not only that but it seemed to be a rather desperate and risky move in order to gain something.

But what was that something? There was no information within the report about what they had gathered from that company, they did not even list what company it was. Either way, Noble Six could see why the office wanted to handle the Director. Especially behind the curtains.

If the general public were to find out about this there would be panic. Not only would they fear the Covenant but also rouge UNSC personnel acting outside the guidelines established by the U.N. This would only lead to more rebellion. Much like how the resistance acted in the past. The only benefit was that all this took place way outside previously UNSC controlled spaced. The Covenant had pushed the UNSC out of that area long ago, there was no influence there.

But what was the motivation for al of this? What was so important that they needed to expose themselves this way? The thought of something like that is what not only interested Six but also made him worry slightly. However whatever it was, it was causing them to break laws, to hurt innocent people. Six would make sure it was taken care of as soon as possible.

Six knew what he had to do. The information he needed was not here, but something he did need was. Coordinates to the planet. He would have to visit and see if he could find any information that would lead him to Project Freelancer.

He had his first move.

The Spartan closed out all tabs and files. Looking at the time displayed on his HUD. 2245. It was getting around the time that he was authorized to leave. He was not going to waste any time beginning his mission. But there was something he needed to do first. Grabbing the data drive and unplugging it from his kiosk. Six placed it away within his armor.

After doing so he turned around and headed for the door.

"I'm here to pick up my weapons. B-312."

The man behind the armory counter looked at the Spartan for a second. He was not sure whether to be intimidated or honored to be standing in front of a soldier such as Noble Six. Though the Spartans voice, being relatively young, is what broke him out of his thoughts.

Being around the age of 22, Six had gotten that reaction from a lot of people. Though he did not think it was just him. All Spartan usually had gotten that reaction at some point or another. Though some Spartans were better at hiding their age. Six on the other hand was not. His voice was young, not very deep. It was easy to pinpoint his age to be around his early twenties. Though even the oldest of Marines knew that he had seen enough to make him eighty.

The soldier behind the counter came back and placed the weapons on the counter. "Here Sir. All of your weapons that were checked in under your name." The Spartan in black armor lowered his head to look at his weapons. One DMR, one assault rifle and one pistol. Though even to him this was more than he needed most of the time.

Six reached his hand out and placed it on the DMR. His preferred weapon of combat. It was a long range high penetrating rifle. With accuracy it was deadly, even against enemies that possessed a shield. However with the Spartans skill set, it's usual long ranged effectiveness could be manipulated into a close combat deadliness.

This was his very weapon he had when he had fought his last battle. The serial number matched the same weapon he had before that as well. This weapon, just like him, had seen the fall of Reach and the deaths of many. Though this was no such attachment, just a simple observation that brought back many memories for the Spartan.

It was not long before Six grabbed it. Testing out it's serviceability before taking it out on the field. He looked down it's scope, making sure it was dialed in correctly. He cleared the chamber and primed the weapon. It seemed to be in good working order. With a satisfying click of loading the magazine, Six placed the weapon on his back, locking it in place.

He then reached for the pistol, doing the same as he did with the DMR. Checking it to make sure it was in working order. And just as he did before, loaded it with a magazine and placed it at his side. Though of course there was one item he was missing.

"And the knife?" He asked, looking for his most deadly weapon by far. This standard combat knife had been the end to many enemies, humans and elite alike. The Spartan felt rather uncomfortable without one. It just did not feel right.

"Oh right, sorry about that Sir," Said the soldier, leaning down behind the counter and pulling out his combat knife. Stores away properly within it's sheath. Just as the other weapons and even his armor, it was scratched and worn, though it's sharpness never dulled. Six did not manage it like Emile did his own, but enough to keep it's blade.

The Spartan reached for the knife and pulled it out, looking over the edge as the blade shined and reflected the artificial lighting of the room. Six nodded his head before placing the knife on his chest piece. The same place he had it during the battle of Reach. "Thank you. Keep the Assault Rifle. I don't need it."

"Of course, Sir," The soldier grabbed the rifle and placed it somewhere behind the counter. As he stood up straight he placed his hands on the counter and watched as Noble Six walked towards the door. Before he could leave, the Soldier spoke up. "Welcome back, Noble Six."

"Good to be back."

Noble Six stopped before a single door. Not much different than any of the other doors on the ship, but what was behind it was a lot more important to the Spartan than any of the other doors on this ship.

It was his final stop for the day, his final stop before he left and began his mission. His first mission back as a Lone Wolf. But just because he was now alone did not mean he would forget those that helped him change his look on being alone. His team, his family.

The Spartan pressed his hand to the keypad, opening the door. As Six turned his head slightly to look into the room, he found what he was looking for. For better or for worse. His orange visor reflected what he was looking at, a room. Mostly dark but one single light above a table. Yet that was not what he was focused on. It was what was laying on the table.

Well, not what, but who.

Six took a step forward, enough for the door to close behind him. Yet that step he took into the room was the only step he took. He was frozen in place, his mind and thoughts swirling in his head a thousand miles per-minute. He lowered his shoulders slightly with a deep breath. His helmet dropping as he looked towards the ground.

Who was laying on the table was Emile, his former teammate and friend. Six picked his head up a little, looking over to the side to see that on another table they had placed his iconic helmet and knife. The helmet must have been to confirm identity, while the knife was for safety. Given how sharp Emile kept that thing, it would not surprise Six if it could stab someone through the sheath that held it.

The Spartan took a step forward towards the helmet. The room filled with silence besides the metal shifting underneath the weight of his Spartan armor. It did not take long to reach the small table, looking down slowly towards the items.

The helmet laid lifelessly on the table, pointed towards a random wall away from Six. Given the type of helmet, the visor reached all the way around the head, allowing the Spartan to see his own reflecting in the shining visor. Reaching his gloved hand down, Six picked it up and held it in his hands.

Turning the face of the helmet to look directly at him. Despite Emiles talent in being the first one in a gun fight and the last one out, he had a rather delicate talent of being able to draw with precision. The skull that was carved into his helmet was proof of that. It was done with the very knife that he had taken pride in. A large knife, one larger than most, used for close combat and his favorite past time.

Turning his head towards the actual body of his deceased friend, Six held onto the helmet and also the knife. Walking towards the body slowly. It was almost as if with each step, another memory of Emile played in his head. He stopped, however Emile's voice didn't.

'That's the way we get it done!'

'Keep'em, he gave'ed to you. I'll honor him my own way.'

'I didn't bring my shovel, Commander.'

'It's been a honor, Sir!'

'Autumn won't wait forever! Let's go Six!'

'Six time for you to leave. . .Get the package to the man, and get your ass off this planet! I got your back!'

'I'm ready! How 'bout you!?'

Six held the helmet a bit more tightly after hearing his over, his guilt still building within his chest after the death of all his teammates. Emile included. If he had just been a little bit faster, or perhaps gotten the package delivered and gone to assist Emile, then maybe he wouldn't have died. Yet something told him, even if he tried to help, he would deny it.

That's the way he was, prideful and stubborn. He was the very definition of what it meant to be proud to be a Spartan. He wanted to die fighting, Six couldn't imagine it any other way. Neither could he.

Noble Six gently placed the helmet down on top of Emile, on the center of his body. Holding his one hand on top of the helmet as he lowered his head. It was quiet, mostly because Six kept his thoughts to himself. There were many thing he could say, none of which Emile probably wanted to hear. He was never really one for being sentimental. He could hear him now.

'Quit your cryin' and go kick some ass, aren't you a Spartan?'

Despite thisthought in his head there was one thing Noble Six had to say. "I'm sorry." A simple two word statement, yet it held everything Six wanted to say and more. It was a sorry for a lot of things. Sorry he could not save Reach, sorry he failed, sorry he couldn't fight just a little longer. . .sorry he let you die.

With that Six raised his head, taking his hand off the helmet but feeling the added weight to his chest. Not for what he was feeling, but the weight of Noble Teams dog tags that he held within the center compartment of his armor. He made sure to keep them together and on him at all times. This was no different, they were just. . .heavier right now.

Yet there was something else that pulled at the back of Six's mind. His head turned and looked at his left hand. Holding the large knife that Emile took great pride in. He raised it up and placed it on Emile's body. But something didn't feel right. It was almost like this feeling in his gut that he was doing something wrong.

The Spartan picked it back up off of Emile and looked at the blade in his hand. Grabbing the handle he pulled the blade out and looked at it. It shined and glistened in the light. The edge being sharpened to a very deadly point. Not even a days worth of ware on this blade, but it had seen it's fair share of combat.

Six knew how Emile felt about this blade. No matter what, he knew Emile wanted it to be used. What was the point of a weapon if you couldn't fire it. That was what he always told Jorge when asked why he always went to using a knife instead of reloading.

The Spartan lowered the sheath and reached behind him. Anchoring the knifes housing on his waist line underneath his back. Holding the knife up, he looked at it one more time before sheathing it away behind him, the handling point towards his left arm. Perfect for him to draw in unison with his classic combat knife.

Six lowered both of his hands and stood there silently, looking down at Emile one last time.

"I'll take care of it." He said, making sure to let his teammate know that it was in good hands. The scene of Kat trying to use it to draw in the sand came to mind. Emile was never one to really share and always worried about that thing. It even came with a warning, 'Don't cut yourself'. But int he end he let Kat use it, and Six had a feeling he was going to let him use it too.

Then Six stood at attention, standing stiff and professional as he brought his hand up in a salute. A sign of respect from soldier to soldier, to Spartan to Spartan. But this was more than just that. It was a thank you. Thank you for giving me the chance to fight. Six knew without Emile, he would not be here. Without any of them, he would not be alive. He would not let their deaths be in vain.

He dropped his salute after a couple seconds taking another deep breath. After this, it was on to another assignment. This time alone, without Noble Team. At least, without them physically. Six would keep them close, always on his person whenever he needed their motivation and spirit. He would not forget them, how could he? But that did not mean he did not have to say goodbye.

"Goodbye, my friend."

Well there it is! Thank you all for reading and please review and tell me what you think! Either way I hope to see you guys in the next chapter! I hope you all have a great holiday!

Peace!