City of Vermillion, Coetzee II, Basker System
2546
Adrian sighed in boredom as he adjusted the sight on his spotter scope for the umpteenth time, passing time as he and Idris 'Wizard' Farhan kept on eye on the southern flank of their front. The city of Vermillion was half-way between utter ruin and barely being recognizable as a city, still it held strategic importance only the fools in command would know. With that indisputable fact, it became known that jackal marksmen and Sangheili snipers had taken to picking off anyone they set their sights on from the southern ruins. In front of him laid a wide though ultimately empty boulevard of near five dozen meters plus a mess of sidewalk, that was immediately followed by a mostly intact series of office buildings and apartment complexes. The Covenant were no strangers to brute forcing their way through issues, though their main forces laid at the heart of the city where the main assault of UNSC forces was happening. That didn't stop them from utilizing our exposed flanks, and hence here the two of them were acting as glorified babysitters while the rest of the squad ran search and destroy.
Adrian and Idris would be adamant that such a posting was unfair, that of course it had nothing to do with the rather flagrant comments on the acting captain's wife. Who to be fair was quite something to admire, more than that they'd absolutely deny acquiring that faded polaroid any other way than simply pure luck as they stumbled across it in the FOB. So of course it reasoned that the gunny's choice to stick them as far away from the acting captain as possible was nothing short of miraculous coincidence. That said, it didn't change the situation nor their posting, so they continued to stay vigilant for movement in the opposing buildings until ordered otherwise.
"If you keep twisting the knob it's going to break." Wizard remarked as he stared down the scope of his tailored SRS99, his tone light despite the intensity of his work.
"And if you keep straining to find a target you'll pop a blood vessel." Adrian retorted though his fingers drifted away from the scope, instead toiling with a small chunk of rubble beside him.
Wizard looked back from the scope, resting the stock of the rifle on the ground with the bipod keeping the barrel pointed skywards, "Yeah well, can't imagine the shitstorm it'd cause if someone got hit by enemy fire on our watch. Especially in our current standing."
Adrian gnawed on the thought, "Good point, at least take a rest, I'll take over the scouting." He offered as he looked through the spotters scope.
Silence reigned between them for a few seconds before Idris spoke up, "Damn it was worth it though." The two laughed together, "Forget the ninety-nine virgins Allah, just give me one like her and we'll call death a worthwhile endeavor."
"How the hell did that stick-up-his-ass captain with a face like liquid shit manage to land someone like her?"
"It's all in the personality my friend." Adrian shot Idris a curious glance from behind his visor, "You see…she's probably a righteous bitch."
Adrian had to bite down from laughing loud enough to alert every sharpshooter in a mile to their position.
"True enough but can you imagine the lay? I get tingly just thinking about it." Adrian commented as he turned zoomed in the spotter scope just a touch.
"Eh. I couldn't put up with it for the relationship like he does. You're too short-sided Adrian, you gotta think about the long term, what about marriage in the future? Do you want to live with a woman whose all looks with nothing meaningful underneath?"
"I do think about the long-term, that's why I live for the now." Adrian awkwardly spread his arms out in front of him, highlighting the total annihilation that laid barren before them. "Rather, why do you insist on well…" Adrian struggled to put his thoughts into words. "You're not a fool Idris, we both know the endgame of this fucking war so why keeping stringing yourself along for something better?"
Wizard shook his head mirthfully, "Then why do you keep fighting if the ending is already written?"
"Well that's – that's different."
"Is it?"
"I fight cause I don't have anything else to do or worth doing. Killing covvies is what I'm good at and makes sure there's one less to enjoy the victory, but love, marriage? Those are just thoughts, hopes compared to the action of reality."
Wizard mirthfully shook his head, "You have no thoughts beyond that? No hopes, no dreams for beyond what we're already doing?"
"Feels like we're just wrapping back to my original point, this is all we're ever going to be doing. Seems like you're only setting yourself up for depression setting up attachments that will only fade away."
"A fair enough point, but you said it yourself, live life in the now. So why does that have to be immediate gratification, quick fucks, and nights black out drunk? Sure, there MAY be sadness down the line, but the time in-between will be wonderful, especially when you find yourself in dark times, having something to hope for may be what gets your ass out of the fire, forcing yourself to care means you yourself have a reason to live."
"Is wanting to stay alive not reason enough?"
"For some yes, but for others no. Let me tell you something. There's a girl that I was with before she moved to Earth, she was something special and I mean beyond what was immediately seen. My time with her… it went beyond someone I would die for, rather it was someone that I strove to live for. That's how much she pushed me; can you imagine having someone so close to you that you're compelled to live simply for the sake of being together with them once more?"
Adrian stayed quiet for second before responding, unsure of how to word his reply, "What happens when – if – she dies. Then what? You're a sobbing, inconsolable mess in a time when we don't have that luxury."
Idris nodded in understating, "Perhaps, hell you're probably right, but even so I dream of the time we could spend together hope for the day I see her again. On the long nights when it's just us under the open sky, the footsteps of Covenant troops echoing around us as they hunt us down to skin us alive. On those nights I think of her and I like to think I've survived many encounters because of that drive to see her again."
Adrian didn't have a response to that, he laid there on the rooftops with the only noise being the whipping of wind as it whipped past them. Out of the corner of his eye a brief snippet of movement caught his eye as he focused the spotters scope across the way, Idris didn't need words to immediately snap back into position with his sniper rifle, eyes glued to the buildings across the boulevard.
Adrian spoke carefully, "Glass building with the sunken roof at eleven o'clock, second floor from the top – jackal at a hundred n' three feet with winds at…"
Their conversation still echoing in Adrian's mind.
…
…
…
Adrian awoke from the dream of times past; he blinked a few times as bright lights burned his retinas. Raising his arm to cover his eyes he groaned as it felt like his hand was weighed down by sacks of sand, in fact his whole body felt like it was covered in a steel blanket.
"Its 'bout damn time." An Aussie voice broke into his mind, it was with those words that Adrian remembered what led to this situation.
"Christ Barbie, feels like I was used like a glorified pinata."
"Based on the medical scans that wouldn't be too far off."
He finally lifted the hand from his eyes to see the plain white ceiling of the med-bay above him as well as several large lights above him. Struggling to push himself up, he settled for laying back on his elbows as he glanced about the room, empty save for Liam and himself.
"How long-"
"A day from the moment you passed out on the way here; then about a week in our enemies gracious care."
Adrian snorted at that last part, "Shouldn't I be in the care of a real doctor?"
"Kept you alive so far ya cunt, or maybe I'm not pretty enough to pash?" Adrian practically choking on air, "Don't think you were so subtle there mate, not that I blame though." Liam whistled lowly.
"Look its…complicated."
"Alright sure, anyway your real doctor is right outside the door talking with Winston."
With a great amount of effort and no less in trying not to sound like an old man, Adrian pushed himself up into a sitting position on stiff slab of insulated metal that doubled as a table and a medical cot. "What's the damage then?"
"Well you had a real bad tummy ache, quite the booboo on your arm, and a big ol' scratch on your leg. But don't worry, one kiss from papa here will fix that right up." Liam spoke with the exaggerated tone a mother would a baby.
"Will that include kissing my ass while you're at it?"
"Only if you pay up." The two chuckled as Barbie got serious, well as much as the wise-cracking Australian could, "Not great but not awful. Seems whatever that witch doctor in Talon's employ was doing worked no matter how panful your account was. Honestly though your ribs and humerus will need some serious rest, the damage to the surrounding muscle was pretty damn severe. Still not as bad as Wolfe taking the spiker round to his wrist, it'll take time but it'll come naturally, not like his wounds."
Adrian nodded; Wolfe was their resident demolitions expert who one day some years back took a stray needler round to the wrist. Bad enough on its own but it also practically demolished the bone and muscle in that region, so utterly pulverized that even bone-matrix replacement wouldn't save it and the muscle was useless. Now he had a prosthetic hand that he boasts as being better than ever due to him now being able to practically lift any heavy-MG with relative ease.
"That old fuck spill anything?" Adrian questioned, of course referring to the Russian oligarch Boris.
"Oh yeah, gave him the classic UNSC welcome and not only did he talk about damn near everything, it's how we found you." Adrian raised his brows, asking Liam to continue, "Well he didn't give us specifics, hence why we didn't blow that whole base to kingdom come as soon as possible, but he kept records of every transaction with Talon. After so many dealings he started to notice a trend in shipping locations, especially within his own province, so we had a few flight crews carrying various members of Overwatch. Just happened that the Swordfish holding yours truly was in the airs when the gunfire erupted."
Adrian smirked, especially upon noticing that Liam's knuckles were dark and bruised, he wasn't kidding about that workover. Before anything else could be said, the door slid open to reveal not the doctor as Adrian had assumed but instead was a much smaller though arguably more vicarious Overwatch member.
"Yeesh you look worse than usual." Hana remarked with her typical flippant tone though that couldn't hide the gleam in her eyes or warmth in her voice.
Not one to take such a ribbing sitting down, he bit back, "I'm sorry little girl, this is a big adult area for grown-ups, and I think its past your nap time!"
She walked over lightly smacking him in the chest as she grinned, "You ass." Adrian wheezed as he doubled over, Song apologized through laughter, "I'm sorry but you've never seemed older than you do now, it's like not touching something at the museum cause you might break it."
"Yeah well, you should head my warning while around this lecherous old man right here." Adrian gestured to Liam.
"Whoa now man, even I won't stoop that low." Barbie scoffed at the implication knowing full well the age difference and not even touching that mess with a ten-foot pole.
Hana rolled her eyes, "Yeah yeah whatever. I held off Reinhardt for now, we were all worried he might crush you in a bear hug and literally kill you." Adrian nodded his appreciation, "Though Genji came along too, figured you didn't have to worry about him." As if summoned by the mere mention of his name, the mentioned cyborg ninja appeared, carefully balancing a porcelain cup in his hand upon a small plate.
"My friend, I was glad to hear of your safe recovery and return, celebrations are in order once your health returns. In the meantime however, I brewed a specialty tea from my childhood, wisdom has it that ingesting it will bolster the recovery of injured warriors though it's also a simply enjoyable mix." He spoke as he handed off the cup to Adrian.
"Much obliged, hell knows I'll need every bit I can get." Adrian responded as he sipped the brew; true to Shimada's word, the supposed healing properties aside, it was a damn good brew of tea – like really damn good. They spent the next few minutes simply talking, with Hana and Genji filling Adrian in on the key events he'd missed though mostly it was just a period to unwind for them all.
Sometime later the door opened once more, this time Doctor Ziegler in fact being the one to step through the door, any trace of her uncertainty from their brief encounter gone or masked behind her typical demeanor. Thinking back to their kiss, it had been brief, too brief in his opinion, when she pulled back it was like being yanked from the warmth of a good cot and tossed to the bitter frost of the frontlines. Afterwards she'd briefly excused herself to which Adrian couldn't do much to follow or similarly excuse himself, being momentarily crippled upon the stretcher. Liam then came to talk with him which would be the last thing he could remember, at some point during their conversation he blacked out only to awaken in the med bay on base. His body, simply having been operating on fumes for god knows how long, took the first opportunity it could to rest.
"Well it looks like someone got quite the welcoming." Angela spoke with a smile.
"If you consider abuse of the handicapped a welcoming, I suppose." He shot Song a friendly glare.
"Ah so you admit you are handicapped? Always knew you were behind the curve mate." Liam joked.
"See what I have to deal with?" Adrian threw up his arms in exasperation.
Ziegler stifled a laugh as she walked around his cot, checking various monitors as she passed and jotting down notes. "You're in luck then, I was coming to ask for everyone to clear out so I can run some more tests, and no offense to some of you but I prefer to work in peace and quiet." She eyed Hana and Liam.
Genji left gracefully, giving a small bow upon his exit which was a stark contrast to the young Korean's grumblings as she followed suit. Liam was the left to go, giving Adrian a gaudy wink and a not-so-accidental pat on the back as he left, whispering with a shit-eating grin, "Don't know it will be quiet for long."
Adrian tried to rap the other ODST on the back of his head but was too slow as he'd slunk out of the room quite deftly. Leaving Adrian to mimic Hana's personal grumblings as he lightly massaged the place where Liam had hit him.
"How are you feeling Adrian? Anywhere the still hurts more than simply sore or aching?" She asked as he motioned for him to lie back down upon the cot as it raised itself towards a more reclining chair position.
"Uhh – not that I can feel. Though my arm sometimes feels strained when I move it, same with my chest when I sit up."
She wrote something down, "Alright, nothing too unusual, the injuries you sustained were quite severe and will take time to fully recover, so that's too unusual. If it gets worse or continues to feel the same in say…two weeks, then let me know."
He nodded, "How long until I'm back on duty?"
"Not for a couple weeks at the least, even then it'd be a tentative recommendation at best, though in five days I'd recommend so light exercise, stretches, or simple aerobics to help work your body back into peak condition."
Nothing was spoken between them for a bit until the tension was simply eating away at Adrian, obviously could switch between her professional and personal life with the flip of a switch but there was still a desire to have answers for what had happened.
"So uhh…Doc…about what happened."
She stopped writing, the professional veil dropping completely as she coughed into her hand awkwardly, "It was – it is complicated…. I suppose. I was genuinely worried and in the wave of emotions once we found you…" She trailed off unsure how to continue.
"Heat of the moment then?" He postured with no hint of accusation upon his voice, "I get it Doc, tense times with a big payoff, emotions go high and well maybe not always int eh way we imagine." It was something that happened quite often within the UNSC, big victories or major losses had that effect, especially on the ones down in the trenches serving on the frontlines. Sometimes those built-up emotions exploded in less than pleasant ways, other times it might be a relatively harmless confession or period of intimacy in the heat of the moment. He was prepared to resign himself to that fact despite the odd feeling of disappointment within him, an unfamiliar clenching in his gut.
Angela looked up towards him with a slightly surprised expression, "No! No. Rather…what I did I meant, it's just I…this is rather unusual for me."
"That makes two of us." Despite the relatively calm exterior he was exuding, inside it felt like a mess of thoughts and impulses that was driving him crazy. It was like charting unexplored territory, which was simultaneously exciting and terrifying, though there was a deeper level to it than that which he figured was the core issue of both her uncertainty and some of his own. "We both live…unconventional lives…and…" Like she did earlier, he trailed off as the full reality of the situation came down upon him. In the past, had he been on the outside looking in he already knew full well what his reaction would've been, the same it was in the memory he'd just awoken from.
'What's the point when the end is near?'
It'd been the driving point for many soldiers in the UNSC, and it was the reason he'd never sought any sort of serious relation though that wasn't the only reason. With sky-high death tolls across every front in the war, there wasn't any place immune to the Covenant's desire for utter annihilation. He'd seen plenty of soldiers form attachments only to be grieving the following day after they watched the very person they'd confessed their love to have their brains blown out with all the ceremony of throwing out the trash. The thought of getting so deeply attached to someone to only live each day wondering if they'd make it out a live, or vice versa, wondering everyday if he'd leave them a sobbing mess as his corpse became one with the ground as a covvie glassing beam erased his body from the sands of time. He'd already experienced it once with his sister, with his parents, with his whole planet being reduced to a soulless husk of rock floating through space, to commit oneself to the same agony was exorbitant self-flagellation that only had paths to destruction.
"Maybe…fuck I don't know." He swore as he shook in head, and he knew Angela was suffering the same type of uncertainty, just on a different level. For her, her work was her life, was the whole reason she pushed herself, the thought of not being able to save as many as possible was crushing. To deviate from that was the same sort of self-afflicted misery Adrian was so consumed by. She might try to rationalize it as work-place conduct, but in her mind Adrian was sure that she was worried that if she became invested, involved with someone…it might cause her to shirk her duties which equated to losing lives that could've been saved. On top of that, she wasn't a fool, she knew the risks of Adrian's job especially with the inevitability of him returning home, neither of them could say how that would impact either of them when that time actually came to fruition.
Still despite his own thoughts, the words from his dreams penetrated his mind, Wizard's warmth seemed contagious in much the same way as Angela. In a time like this he silently thanked the man's steadfast philosophy though he'd never say it in person.
He hesitantly spoke, "But…the way I see it…what's the worst that could happen." Angela shot him a curious glance, "We got once life, one chance at making it what it is and frankly it'd seem like a waste to have this opportunity and waste it. I mean against every conceivable odd of scientific fact known to humanity, against the very fucking laws of nature themselves, I traveled to a whole other Earth managing to survive improbable odds after being in a one-in-a-million event of being absorbed into a slipspace portal. There's bound to be problems down the line, but that's for Adrian and Angela of the future to deal with, no reason to never try anything because of what might happen. Hell, if anything that should be encouragement to do it, to be able to spit in the face of what could've happened but didn't and say, 'fuck you, look where I am now'." His hesitantly had turned into a full-blown rant in a matter of seconds, his hesitant demeanor quickly turned into his brash, unrestrained, and oddly charming personality that Angela had grown to enjoy.
The doubt in her thoughts had seem to fade at his words, now a toothy smile adorned her face, "I don't believe I'd ever heard something so poignant riddled with such crass language." She laughed, "Though I agree, there's an old cliché saying that lacks the same flair as what you say. We each have our concerns, our worries, but there's no reason we can't deal with those along the way. Besides, I have the feeling that well… this whole relationship will take some time; problems don't disappear in a day."
Adrian snorted, "No doubt, it's gonna be rocky before it's smooths out."
"That said," She leaned in, "I'm glad we're trying." Angela grabbed Adrian's chin, drawing him in for kiss, they're lips pressing together in a flurry of erupted emotions this time without the abruption of confusion. Heat ran through him as her fingers dragged across his cheek before she lightly pushed him back, a cocky grin ran across her face that'd normally feel so out of place on the doctor but at the moment drove him crazy.
Voices from outside drew their attention as Barbie could be easily heard despite the thick walls, "WELL UHH SIR, DOCTOR ZIEGLER SAID SHE HAD WANTED PEACE SO MAYBE I SHOULD GO ALERT HER FIRST."
The distinct baritone rumblings of Winston's voice could be heard despite the lack of clarity in the words, though it didn't take a genius to imagine that he was wondering why Liam was yelling.
"WELL, IF YOU INSIST ON GOING IN, I JUST HOPE THE DOCTORS NOT BUSY."Barbie really emphasizing that final part, as Adrian and Angela laughed together.
"You can't fault the man for helping." Adrian remarked as Angela stood up, straightening her doctor's coat out.
"Despite your rough exteriors, it seems that the Covenant of your world haven't managed to crush humanity's heart."
Adrian lightly smiled, thinking back one last time to everything that had happened, "Yeah…I suppose you're right."
A/N: And a chapter on schedule unlike the last two, hope you all enjoy!
thetyrant67: Thanks for the reviews! As for your first review I strongly agree, I really despise the trope of a villain living only to then come back later stronger for an unnecessary fight. So I wanted to basically do away with that and also because it wouldn't make sense in my mind for Adrian to let them live considering where he comes from, while also dealing with the consequences because this specifically isn't his world. As for the greatest weakness of my story I also whole heartily agree, I think maybe it's because I'm worn out from so many long winded arcs simply dragging their feet, nonetheless I basically went too far in reverse and well...ended up with what we have. I'll try to fix that in the future but thanks for the constructive criticism, I really appreciate it. Also I'm glad you enjoy the character interactions, those are my favorite parts of the story and seem to be a highlight for many other people, so I'm glad to be doing such a good job. Hope you enjoy the rest of the and continue to leave your thoughts on future chapters!
Mikhail Kutuzov: Hot damn that's not a name I thought I'd see, absolutely love it. Anyway thanks for the support, I'm glad you've been enjoying the story! Hope to see more of the great General Kutuzov in the future.