A/N: Hello all, welcome to Chapter 54 of Agent Reach. I am glad to see the reintroduction of CT went down well, even though his arc is drawing to an end. I can't believe I waited this fucking long to do that… *sighs*

*Chapter 54*

CT pursed his lips as one of the aliens approached him, dragging a piece of ancient technology with him. "What did you find, Smith?" 'Useful as they may be, I can't believe I'm actually working with these motherfuckers. If I had my way, I'd have killed every single damn one of them at the fucking treaty.'

After the Human-Covenant War that spanned nearly thirty years, a rebel leader of the Sangheili came forward with a plan to help defuse tension between humans and Elites. He suggested that each excavation team contain at least one representative from each species. The proposal was met with applause from those tired of fighting, but CT grudgingly accepted it. He had a reason to hate the aliens; he loathed them even more than he hated Reach because of their actions during the war. He lost countless friends and family at the hands of the Covenant, and to think now that he was fucking working with them was incomprehensible.

He could feel the lingering ghostly stares of his friends, shaking their heads in horror and disbelief. "You dare to work with those bastards? After what they've done to us?"

CT had to remember that it was only a temporary basis, and that every damn hinge-head at the site would be dead the moment they blasted through the doors of the temple. Right now though, it wasn't budging one bit, and additional reinforcements were still a few days away. 'They live for now. Once that door opens, though, it's time I get a little payback.'

Smith handed him the device with a garble of excitement. It looked ancient and smooth, with unusual runes decorating it, and it was cool to the touch. A fantastic find, and something guaranteed to attract a buyer.

"Not bad," CT commented. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be some sort of alien weapon from eras long past, and he hoped they could find a way to activate it without ruining it. "Keep up the good work, Smith. I'll put this with the other finds." 'Keep it away from their hands, no matter what. Last thing we need is for them to acquire this kind of technology and use it to start another war.'

CT smirked once Smith turned away and headed back to the dig site to find more ancient technology. They were so unaware of the plot he laid against them, and the thought of seeing their surprised looks as he put a bullet in every one of the heads was enough to make him quiver in excitement. Not even his own men knew what he was planning, and he couldn't wait for the day to come. The day where he got his revenge on the Elites.

For now though, he had to wait. He was more than content with that, knowing what lay ahead.

The rebel leader carried the old alien weapon to the pile of other bits of technology and dumped it, wiping his hands clean of the mess. "Jones! Get down here and stop playing with your dick! Got something for you to take a look at."

The young soldier came in a hurry, still fastening some of his armor on. "Sorry, sir! And my name is actually Jo-nes."

"Whatever." CT rolled his eyes, and he pointed to the weapon on the pile. "See if you can get that alien piece of shit working again. I want to make sure it actually works before I try looking for a buyer."

"You got, sir." Jo-nes nodded. "By the way, the LT called and said he'll be delayed an extra two days; they're caught in one hell of a nasty sandstorm."

'Now that's just fucking great. Exactly what I needed to hear. Why can't I ever get good news for once instead of this shit?' CT sighed. "Great. That's exactly the kind of news I wanted to hear today. Why don't you give me a nice paper cut and spray it with lemon juice while you're at it? Just get this shit online."

"Yes, sir," Jo-nes replied. He pulled out his toolkit, crouched down and went to work.

'At least someone around here knows how to work without bitching and complaining all the fucking time,' CT thought dryly. "Call me when you get it working. I'm going to see if Beta Team has had any luck trying to get in."

He didn't wait for Jo-nes's reply, and he marched towards the alien temple. The rest of Alpha Team was busy repairing the Warthogs after the battle with the Freelancer team, and he assigned Beta to have the next crack at getting in. Who knew what kind of ancient secrets lay buried beneath the sand, waiting to be uncovered?

CT wasn't an archaeologist, but the prospect of making new discoveries from eras past excited him nonetheless. He just wished he didn't have to do it alone. 'Connie…'

Connie would've been excited about this kind of shit, had she survived her wounds. She loved the thrill of exploring abandoned temples and uncovering artifacts. But the bleeding and damage done to her internally were far too severe for the biofoam to mend, and she died in his arms. A part of him died that day, too. His heart had become much colder, and changed who he was.

Memories he tried to keep buried resurfaced, and he clenched a fist. His hand shook with anger, and his breaths started to come out rapidly. "Reach…you'll pay for what you did. That's a promise I won't fucking break." 'He needs to suffer for what he did to you, Connie. He needs to feel what it's like to have someone you love ripped away from you and killed before your eyes.'

He took a deep breath, calming himself down. There was no need for him to get worked up over it. Not when he was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and could finally get his revenge.

'Calm down. You still have a job to do and open that fucking temple,' he reminded.

CT approached as Beta Team began placing explosives on the tough stone slab that had so far bested their efforts. They were running low on land mines, and CT was starting to wonder if the damn thing was indestructible. 'Maybe I ought to put in a request to have a suit made out of the shit.'

"Ready!? Bombs away!" one soldier yelled. A loud explosion rang throughout the desert, and when the smoke cleared, CT growled in anger. The damn door still refused to budge.

"Jesus fucking Christ, what the hell is this thing made out of?" he asked to no one in particular. 'This is getting ridiculous. I can't believe we've been stuck here for this long trying to open a fucking door.'

"I don't know, man," one of the soldiers replied, taking off his helmet to scratch at his shorn hair. "This shit looks like rock, but it is way tougher than that."

"What's tougher than rock though?" another asked.

"Paper," CT said sarcastically. The remark brought out a chorus of laughter from the men, and he could see that their efforts weren't completely in vain. Small fractures were beginning to show on the stone's tough face, and CT strode forward to touch it with his hand. "Hmm…it looks like it's finally starting to weaken. Good. Now, get another set of mines on this thing. Once you blow them, I'll ram one of those Brute Choppers into it. Let's see if this hunk of rock can survive that."

"You got it boss!" they cheered. Blowing shit up and crashing alien junk was one of their favorite pastimes, and CT couldn't blame them for having some enthusiasm. It was fun to see shit explode, especially when it wasn't yours and belonged to someone you hate.

"Hey, boss!" a woman yelled, waving at him from the giant freighter they recently got. "I'm picking something up on the radar! Something huge!"

"How big is it!?" CT yelled back, jogging over towards her.

"Fucking massive!" she answered. "It looks like a ship is coming towards us! Should we evacuate!?"

"No," CT replied smoothly, rubbing his hands together. "Get everyone geared up and ready to fight, though. Someone who I've been waiting to see again is coming here, and I don't plan on being caught unarmed." 'Finally! He's here, and I can put those memories to rest. My revenge has finally presented itself to me.'

There were a lot of preparations for him to make, and every bit of remaining time was necessary to make sure everything went the way he envisioned it, with him standing over Reach's dying body.

Reach wiped his forehead, placing the crate of ammunition on the ground. "Finally. Glad that's over with." 'It's about fucking time I finished. I can't believe the damn armory was in the state it was.'

He had spent nearly three hours cleaning out the armory, for when he went in it to grab himself a Sniper Rifle and BR85, he found it in a state of absolute chaos. Ammo crates were on their side, weapons were left all over the floor, a light bulb was cracked and dangling from the ceiling, and the entire room reeked.

He wasn't fucking pleased and was about to yell in anger at the top of his lungs for the first time in a millennia. However, Texas had caught the one responsible and made sure they suffered dearly.

Reach could still hear Grif's girly screams, even hours later. Whatever Tex had done to him, he sure didn't like it. 'Well next time, he won't do something stupid like this.'

He doubted Texas did anything more than give him a couple of swift kicks to the shins and break his cigarettes in half. Compared to what Maine and South wanted to do to him, it was definitely one hell of a mercy. They wanted to blow him up and see if they could clog a Rocket Launcher with his body parts. Strictly for science, of course. Thankfully, Reach and Washington were able to persuade them to let Tex handle the punishment, knowing that she wouldn't attempt to kill him. At least not intentionally.

'Not like he didn't deserve it.' Reach rubbed his shoulder, catching his breath. The armory was now perfectly clean, not a rifle out of place. It was always nice to get some hard work done, even if it meant toiling away for a long period of time.

He picked up a Sniper Rifle and six clips of ammo for the weapon. If he needed more than that, he'd probably be in trouble. Still, he also grabbed his BR85 rifle for closer range, just in case.

"How unlike you to be so focused on your weaponry," Eta remarked, watching Reach swab the barrel of his rifle with a cleaning solution.

"A soldier always makes sure their equipment is in top condition," the ex-Spartan replied, adjusting the sights on the weapon. "Last thing we need is a weapon malfunctioning in the field. Don't want it to do the enemy's job for them. Speaking of being in working order, are you used to running two different types of equipment yet?"

"I am. I can run both you Promethean Vision and your Active Camouflage units at the same time," Eta replied. His hologram flickered slightly. "However, it still places an enormous strain on my functions. I'm only a fragment, after all. Running your equipment for too long can short circuit me."

"If I need you to run both for that long, I'm probably not going to win that fight." Reach chuckled. "Let's get to work, shall we? We have to investigate that signal and find out just what the hell is going on down there."

Eta winked off, and Reach hit the comms. "Everyone, get yourselves armed and armored, then report to the bridge ASAP. We've got a job to do."

The plan was for him to lead a strike team consisting of South and Tucker to investigate the signal while Maine and Wash served as the backup just in case things went to hell. Tex meanwhile got to play with the ship's main weapons in orbit in case things really ended up FUBAR.

South and Tucker arrived in the armory in minutes, both already armored. South picked up a Shotgun and Magnum, along with ammo for each weapon. "So, what's the plan? Go in, kill a bunch of assholes?"

"As fun as that sounds, I don't think it's a good idea." Reach snorted. "You're good at infiltration, so I want you to go in and see what you can find. Tucker, we'll find you a hiding spot once we get a good aerial view. Remain there until I give you the signal."

"Um, dude, I'm a little old to be playing hide and seek," Tucker objected. "You don't think it would be better for me to go in with her?"

"Are you volunteering to go out and scout an unknown desert temple that may or may not be inhabited with a dozen pissed off and very dangerous alien warriors?" Reach asked, pretending to be shocked. "Color me surprised. I never knew you were so eager to get turned into a pile of ash, Private Tucker."

"You know what, on second thought, forget I asked." Tucker sighed and selected a Battle Rifle and pistol for additional support. "I'll take the choice that gives me a better chance to stay alive."

"That's what I thought." Reach rolled his eyes. "While I do appreciate the enthusiasm, remember that you weren't trained for scouting and infiltrations like the Freelancers. That'll be something we'll work on with you in the future."

"Great. I can't wait to see what happens," Tucker mumbled sarcastically.

"Tucker, do us a favor and shut up," South said while she clipped a handful of grenades to her belt. "This is a serious situation. Someone has possibly attacked and killed a Freelancer excavation team, and there is a whole manner of tech down there that cannot be allowed to fall in enemy hands. "

"A serious situation? And it has to deal with Project Freelancer? Gee, what a fucking surprise," Tucker snapped. "Seriously, why the fuck should we care? I thought you hated the Director. Wouldn't it be better to see everything he built burn?"

"Trust me, I thought that for a moment, too," Reach answered, saving South the headache of having to explain everything to him. "But, this is the problem. Imagine if the rebellion or the Elites got a hold of Freelancer technology and equipment. Would you like fighting them when they have the same armor enhancements that we have, or would you rather get rid of the problem by hunting it down and salvaging it?"

Tucker thought about it for a moment, and he let out a defeated sigh. "Honestly, I'd rather not get involved with that shitstorm. It's a huge fucking mess, and not one I'm happy to be a part of. Spartans, Freelancers, AIs, aliens…Jesus fucking Christ, man. All I wanted to do was sit around a shitty box canyon and do nothing but bullshit with my friend. Instead, it turns out I was just a fucking lab rat. Total bullshit, man."

He looked through the scope of his rifle, his grip on it tight. "I swear, if we find the fucker who was behind the whole 'Reds and Blues' shit, I want to be the one to put a bullet in his head."

"Get in line," Reach returned. "Tex has first dibs on that honor." 'If that's what she wants to do when we find the Director, I'm not going to stop her. It's better than letting him go to trial and risking the chance of him getting a minor sentence.'

"Oh goddammit," Tucker groaned. "Why does she get to go first?"

"Because, she has an even bigger reason to want to shoot him than just being a simulation trooper in a pointless conflict," Reach answered. "It's one hell of a long story, and one I don't exactly have the time to tell you at the present time. Let's move out."

South and Tucker fell in behind them, and the trio joined the others on the bridge. Washington was tossing a combat knife nonchalantly, Maine was busy inspecting his Brute Shot with Sigma murmuring something in his ear, and the other Reds and Blues were all milling about with an air of uncertainty about them.

"Good, you're all here," Reach said, all eyes now on him. "Let's go over the plan."

He gestured to himself, Tucker, and South. "The three of us are going to be Team A. We're going in first to assess the area, with South being our sneaky sneak and Tucker hiding nearby with me covering them. Maine and Wash, we'll call you in to come in guns blazing if shit hits the fan and we're in trouble. The rest of you hit the damn gyms. We'll be doing a new training exercise starting tomorrow, and I want you to be in shape. Sarge, you're in charge of that. If they complain, prompt them with your Shotgun."

"Hehe. Now that's an order I can get behind, LT." Sarge chuckled menacingly, bringing out nervous laughter from Grif and Simmons. He turned to face them, grinning at them. "You hear that, ladies!? I'm gonna work you to the bone!"

"Well, fuck me," Grif cursed. "And I was looking forward to spend the morning smoking my lungs away."

"Grif! Stop smoking inside your helmet, or I'm going to pull out your damn intestines through your cornhole!" Sarge growled. "And that'll be a sweet mercy compared to what Tex will do to you."

"Speaking of the bitch in black our commander decided to knock up, where the fuck is she?" Grif asked. Reach looked over the chubby soldier's shoulder, and he sighed. Standing right behind him was Tex, and Reach began the countdown. 'Three, two, one…'

"Right behind you." Tex grinned, and she decked Grif in the back. He flew forward with a pained cry, and she planted a foot on him to prevent him from moving. "Tsk tsk. I thought you would have learned by now to shut your fucking mouth."

"Ugh…why don't you just kill me and get it over with?" Grif groaned in agony. "It'll be more painless."

"Fuck that. It is way more fun this way." Tex smirked, kneeling to rap him on the head with her knuckles. "And killing you wouldn't go down well with the boss. He likes you alive…for now, at least."

"Gee, you have a way with words that really makes me glad we're on the same team," Tucker said, gulping nervously.

Reach merely shook his head, sighing. "Let him up, Allison." The blonde pouted, but she listened nonetheless and allowed Grif to clamber back to his feet.

"Okay, now it's time to get this shit started. Move out!" he ordered.

It was time to get to work.

A/N: Next up will be the fight, and Jun's arrival. Hopefully I don't have another lapse where I just stare at a blank document for two-plus weeks…

Discord: DPL #5371