A/N: So, what's the reason for my long-ass fucking delay? Well, I had massive writer's block and I have been busy with my other fics too. Not to mention I'm going through a divorce and it's still taking its toll on me.

*Chapter 64*

Reach stood across from Tucker, fully clad in his red and black armor. Tucker was eyeing him nervously as he ignited his energy sword, chuckling awkwardly as if he already knew of the brutal ass kicking he was about to receive at the hands of the hyper lethal vector.

"So, um…is there any way we can possibly postpone this for a later date?" he asked hopefully. "Like, to never?"

"Fuck no." Reach let out a scoff, tapping the blunt side of his own new sword against his shoulder. "You want to boast to the entire ship that you're the best swordsman here? Then time for you to prove it."

"Come on, dude, I meant that as a joke! I was just fucking with you!" Tucker protested.

"Don't care. Talk shit, get hit." Reach didn't bother try and hiding his slight smugness at how nervous Tucker was. He wasn't going to go all out on him and possibly kill him. Just give him a few good bruises to make him shut up for a few days.

'Please. Who the hell am I trying to kid? Tucker never shuts the fuck up.' He rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, you big baby. I'm not ruining anything you'll need for a nonexistent date."

"Hey, I'm sleeping with Sister. That has to count towards something," Tucker defended.

"Yeah, it does. It counts towards you having no taste in women," Reach shot back dryly. On the other side of the gym, Washington and Sarge snorted in laughter at that.

"Haha, good one Lieutenant," Sarge said with a chuckle, ducking under a punch from Wash and throwing his own back. The Freelancer easily evaded the heavier strike and countered with a hard kick to the stomach. The older man fell onto the ground with a loud grunt of annoyance and dusted himself off. "Son of a bitch that hurt. You'll pay for that one you little shit."

"Make me you old fuck," Washington shot back with a grin. "You're not the first person to say that to me and fail miserably."

'Nice to see those two getting along fairly well.' Reach smirked a little and turned his attention back to Tucker; the aqua clad swordsman was still looking at him nervously and twitching a little. Good, bastard knew of the impending asskicking he was going to get. But Reach wasn't worried about making it short and brutal. He had more than enough time to play with his food a little before they reached Valhalla.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" the Spartan challenged. "Are you going to wait until next winter to come after me or are you going to grow a pair?"

"Fuck off, dude," Tucker grumbled, bringing his sword up and bracing himself for the first attack. Reach circled him slowly like a tiger stalking its prey, still tapping his own sword on his shoulder and waiting to see if the perverted soldier had learned anything from the last training session (which mainly involved Maine beating the living shit out of him with only his hands) about being an idiot and rushing in.

Reach continued to circle him and he could practically see the sweaty nervousness radiating off of Tucker as he drew in closer. 'Surprise me. Don't be a gullible idiot. Use that thing you call a brain and think.'

"You do know he doesn't have a chance against you, right?" Eta whispered. "You're a fully augmented Spartan who could make entire Insurrectionist militias disappear in a night. It's not really a fair contest, even if you were blindfolded."

'Let me have my fun, will you? Damn killjoy.' Reach rolled his eyes.

"Didn't know Spartans were allowed to have fun outside of drinking and bedding highly trained special forces."

'Hey, I only slept with one and that's the one I married. For the love of God, please stop listening to Jun.'

Good God sometimes he couldn't stand having another voice in his head. Especially when it could freely roam and talk to anyone in the vicinity if it so desired. He didn't even want to think about the amount of horrible bullshit stories Jun would feed the AI as revenge for Texas's earlier prank.

At least he knew Texas had a built in 'bullshit detector' and could tell that Jun was just trying to get petty revenge.

Tucker shook his head with a sigh. "Man, this is so fucked up." He charged the Spartan with his sword up and Reach easily avoided the clumsy and predictable attack, punching him in the back. "Son of a bitch!"

"Come on, you call that an attack? I've been on dates that are more dangerous than you," Reach taunted, hoping to rile the soldier up to see if that would work; he seemed to be a little similar to Maine in a sense. The more annoyed they got, the harder and better they fought. Far from Carolina, who got sloppy and made mistakes when her composure was rattled.

"Dude, your idea of a fucking date involved blowing up a tank."

"…yeah, Tex has a love of blowing shit up."

"We noticed," Washington interjected, blocking a pair of heavy punches from Sarge and countering with his own. "We aren't surprised that we don't have a tank in working condition anymore onboard."

"The hell? Shit man, you broke the first rule of Bro Code. Don't stick your dick in crazy." Tucker shook his head and wasn't paying attention. Reach kicked him in the chest and the aqua soldier groaned in pain as he pulled himself off the floor. "The fuck did I do?"

"My wife is sane, you asshole." Reach prodded him with his boot. "Now get your ass off the floor before I let Maine shove you out the nearest airlock. Pyrotechnics is an art form. Just ask Carolina."

"Yeah, I wonder where she got it from." Washington rolled his eyes. "Like mother, like daughter."

"Hey man, I wouldn't complain." Tucker smirked. "If you ask me, that's not the only thing she inherited. Bow chicka bow—"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as a grappling hook attached to his codpiece and dragged him across the floor. Reach, Washington, and Sarge struggled to contain their snickers as the perverted blue soldier was slowly dragged towards a very annoyed looking Carolina.

"So, were you planning on finishing that sentence?" The redhead glowered at him with the piercing eyes of a hawk, planting her foot firmly on his chest to prevent him from moving. Yep, something she definitely picked up from her mother. It was the same kind of glare that Tex often gave the Reds in Blood Gulch.

Tucker sweated nervously and tried to play it off with some weak laughter. "Um, you've got your mother's temper?"

Reach's eyebrows rose. He certainly was expecting Tucker to say something stupid and get thrown across the room like a ragdoll. 'That's a fucking first. Normally he's the first person to make some sort of sex joke apart from Allison.'

"Also got her rack too." There it was.

Reach and Wash both facepalmed and let out sighs of disappointment at the same time. "Oh goddammit Tucker."

"For fuck's sake…you don't fucking learn."

Tucker didn't even have time to open his mouth to protest before he was punted across the room, Carolina having used her speed enhancement to make it all the harder. He crashed into the wall with a groan of agony and slumped to the ground, Wash and Sarge letting out barks of laughter while Reach shook his head.

"You really don't know how to keep your fucking mouth shut around women, do you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"I mean…I see a hot chick and I immediately go—"

"Rhetorical question, private. We already know you can't."

"Then why the fuck did you ask!?" the perverted soldier asked, groaning in pain as he stumbled to his feet. "Son of a bitch this hurts…"

"Then learn to shut up for once," Carolina suggested dryly. "Do that and you'll live longer. Unless you want to die early? If that's the case I will be more than glad to assist you with that." Reach could hear the deadly promise in her tone and knew that she more than likely would actually kill him if the opportunity presented itself.

Hell, part of him wanted to murder Tucker too. It would mean one less headache they had to deal with. But it would also make fighting whoever the Director had as reinforcements a bit more difficult. Despite being a raging sex addict the fucker had his uses, mainly his DMR skill and his swordsmanship. Plus he'd annoy the shit out of an enemy and make them more prone to messing up.

So for right now, despite Reach really wanting to shoot him for not knowing how to keep his goddamned mouth shut, he decided it was better for them to keep him around alive and in one piece. 'Dammit. Too bad. It would be nice to not have a headache and worry about one of us going on a murder spree because of his stupid antics.'

"So conflicted, huh? Humans are so intriguing for meatbags," Eta remarked.

'Shut up Eta.' The Spartan rolled his eyes and strode across to gym to Tucker. "Now, are you going to actually do the training or do I have to beat it into you? Or Carolina could beat it into you. I think she's earned some stress relief."

Tucker opened his mouth, no doubt to make another one of his usual snide remarks, only to shut it when he saw the redhead crack her knuckles menacingly. He gulped and nodded. "Y-yeah sure. Fuck man, this is gonna suck…"

"You learn more from losing. I got my ass kicked plenty of times."

"Bullshit, dude. You could easily take on all of us without much of a problem."

"And how do you think I got to that point?" Reach countered. "I had to eat the fucking dirt nearly every day in training since I was a kid. Compared to that, this is nothing. I know you're not a Spartan, hence why I'm not training you like one. If I was, you'd be dead by now." 'Please, he wouldn't have even survived the first day of training. Lieutenant Ambrose would've killed him with a single punch.'

His main commanding officer, besides Colonel Ackerson, was Lieutenant Kurt Ambrose. Or, as he was also known, Kurt-051 of the Spartan II program. The man was easily a foot taller than even the Meta in his SPI armor and simply huge. He could break anyone in half if he wanted to, but despite being the instructor and trainer of the SIIIs, he was fairly sociable and rather friendly. He showed his more human side despite his obvious augmentations and was very hesitant about subjecting Reach to the same genetic modifications.

If there was one thing Kurt made sure he installed in him, it was to have patience when training or working with others. Sadly, he was pretty sure that his patience was running thin with Tucker now.

"Well if I have a choice between dying and doing this, the first option is looking pretty desirable now," Tucker said bitterly, kicking at the ground. "I didn't exactly ask for any of this shit."

"Neither did I," Reach replied. "I didn't ask to be a supersoldier. But I chose to make the most out of it. Now you have a choice. Either be completely fucking mediocre for the rest of your life and inevitably get killed, or at least try and become something you and Sister can be proud of. What's it going to be, Tucker?"

Tucker looked at the hilt of his fallen energy sword and grabbed it, getting to his feet. The dual blades of plasma ignited in his hand and Reach felt a bit of pride. 'Thanks, Kurt.' "Alright then. Let's get started. Show me what you got."

Tucker took the first swing and Reach sidestepped the strike. He planted a firm kick into the small of his back and Tucker flew facefirst onto the map with a loud grunt. The aqua soldier stood up with a wobble and faced him again, keeping his sword almost parallel with his chest.

Hs sword flashed again and this time it met the strange red metal of Reach's own blade. Any normal metal would've been cut into pieces from the super heated plasma, but whatever this katana was made of, it was incredibly durable.

"Good strike, but your balance is still off a bit," Reach said with a grunt. He easily pushed Tucker onto his back without a lot of effort, pointing his sword at his throat. "If you were in an actual duel, you'd be dead."

"Any tips?" Tucker asked hopefully.

"Yes, actually. Don't stand so stiff; you're a person, not a lump of wood. Fighting with a sword or knife is very similar to dancing. Although a mistake on the dance floor only results on a stubbed toe or swollen ankle. Be fluid with your movements, not clumsy," the Spartan instructed. By this time, the others present were now standing around to watch the display.

"Balance is key," he continued. "Position yourself so you can't be knocked over so easily. That's down to footwork. You see how I'm standing?"

"Yeah."

"Try and knock me over."

Tucker tried to push him over, but Reach did not falter once. He remained firmly planted where he stood and smirked. "Harder than it looks?"

"Yes, you fucking jackass," Tucker replied with a huff, still trying to push him over with the same ease that Reach did to him earlier. "Fuck man, it's like trying to push over a goddamned boulder with you."

"Exactly. Now look at how my feet are positioned." Reach motioned to his stance. "Standing like this, it's much harder to knock someone down. Little shit like this can go a long way in fights."

"Alright, I get it, I think," the simulation trooper mumbled. "Can I get another try at that?"

"By all means." Reach removed his boot from Tucker's chest and readied his sword with a crack of his neck. "Come at me however you want to, but don't repeat the same mistakes you did."

Tucker's sword ignited again and he took a few quick swipes at him, both swings meeting the red blade of the Spartan's katana. "That's better. Much better. Your movements are a little quicker and cleaner. You are actually a quick learner when you want to be." 'If only you were like this more than your usual self. You'd actually be a decent soldier instead of a pain in the ass.'

"Hey, you told me to try. So I am." Tucker's sword again clashed with Reach's, and with a powerful heave the Spartan began to push him back into the defensive. Tucker's movements became a little more sluggish and sloppy as he tried to keep parrying the much stronger strikes, but after two hard swings he was eventually overpowered by Reach. His sword hit the deck and went out, and Reach sheathed his sword before helping the aqua soldier up to his feet.

"Good work. Hit the showers and grab a bite to eat from the mess; you've definitely earned it," he said.

"Thanks. Could we…could we do that again tomorrow since we're still a day away or so?" Tucker asked hopefully, dusting himself off and resting his sword's hilt on his thigh armor. "I could always use some extra practice for whenever we go up against that dickhead."

"Sure. I'll even give you another tip. Don't always fight fair. Sometimes, you have to fight mean," Reach replied. "When you're up against someone stronger and faster than you, you need to play dirty to even the playing field. Step on their feet, throw dirt into their visor, and dig your elbows into their sides. If they're emotional, talk all sorts of shit. Piss them off."

"No problem coach." Tucker reached down as if he were attempting to scoop up dirt from the floor and was promptly punched in the face by Reach. He flew across the gym and Tucker groaned out in pain. "Son of a bitch…"

"So, what else did we learn today, Private Tucker?" Reach asked smugly as he planted his foot down on his chest again, keeping him pinned.

"You're an asshole," Tucker mumbled.

Reach kicked him hard in the sides. "I didn't ask what you already knew. I asked what you learned." 'Never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually starting to hate him a hell of a lot less now. Huh, it must be the old teacher in me.'

"You knew that I am a smartass who would definitely try to throw dirt in your eyes and was waiting for it. And you punched me so hard I think I lost a few years off my lifespan."

"Exactly. So, you know what you do? Fight meaner. Make me work. Try and get under my skin to rile me up."

"You're actually a good teacher. Is that what you're going to do to the jackass that made you a Terminator wannabe?"

'Worst survival instincts ever. Of all time. I swear this guy is gonna end up getting himself killed one day if he doesn't cut it out.' Reach rolled his eyes and kicked him again. "No, you jackass. What I am going to do is see if Tex wants to take Sister up on her offer and have a threesome." 'Talk shit, get hit. Wonder if this'll work.'

"You fucking wouldn't!"

"Try me. Tex caught Sister trying to peek on her in the shower two nights ago."

"Bullshit, dude." Tucker stumbled to his feet, holding his side gingerly. "There's no fucking way. Sister—"

"Is a total whore. Literally everyone here knows that," Carolina muttered.

"Hey man, she's a good lay," Tucker said defensively, kicking at the ground.

"But you don't actually see yourself doing jack shit with her, do you? You don't see a future with her."

"The fuck this turn into, a goddamn therapy session? Jesus fucking Christ I need a drink."

"Can help you out there, Turquoise Boy." Washington smirked and pulled a flask out from his pocket.

"I'm fucking aqua, you asshole. Turquoise is so last year." Tucker caught it and took a heavy swig. Reach knew the kind of liquor Wash preferred drinking, so he waited to see how long it would take before the simulation trooper starting coughing his brains out. It was obvious that he didn't drink very much.

Tucker began coughing and sputtering not even five seconds later and closed the flask to prevent any of it from spilling. "W-what the fuck!? This burns!"

"Yeah, you're not supposed to really chug whiskey." Washington chuckled and took his flask back.

"Then why the fuck do you do it!?"

"Because it helps me with my headaches. I've got shitty coping methods." The blue Freelancer shrugged. "Never claimed to be the best role model, but I'm a good drinking buddy."

"Amen to that." Sarge nodded with a laugh. "So, what do you all say we go up to the bridge and get drunk?"

"Agreed!"

Today turned out a hell of a lot better than Reach expected.

A/N: Argh, I'm so sorry about this taking so fucking long. I want to thank everyone so far for continuing to stick with me despite the long periods between updates at times. Really, you guys are the fucking best. Sure I have my fuckin' issues that I'm going through right now, but you, the fans, are the bright spot. Thank you all for reading, and stay tuned for next time!

Cal II 141#5371