Augus Memorial Skybridge, Utgard, Harvest, Epsilon Indi System
Most of the soldiers were trying to catch what sleep they could before the Covenant made another push, others crammed down meals, idly chatted with friends, or keep an eye out for enemy advancements. Angela did none of the above, she simply sat on top of an empty crate once used for medical supplies and stared at nothing in particular, simply taking a breather while she could. Even at the worst points in the Omnic Wars she'd never dealt with such a mass of patients at once, but she supposed she was stilling thinking in terms of her Earth with their single moon outpost and population only just above eleven billion, but in this universe assuming standard growth statistics, a new age of exploration would likely lead to a population upwards in the hundreds of billions at the very least. Honestly there could be an entire countries population of soldiers station in this city – the thought of that many dying sent shivers down her spine.
Despite that she found an unusual serenity as things stood at this very moment, it seemed that way in all warzones. There was a moment after combat when the peace had lasted just long enough for soldiers to relax, for the adrenaline to wear off leading to a very candid portrayal of those on the frontlines. People watch was something she'd always enjoyed, maybe as a side effect of her job or maybe it was a part that pushed her to help others, regardless she found watching people fascinating. It offered a unique glimpse into who they were, what they aspired to do, what made them laugh, though she supposed there was a more selfish reason than that. Being able to put her focus on others helped to take her mind off the harsh realities of her work, that no matter how hard she might try some people just couldn't be saved.
So here she sat, trying to ignore the dozens of lives snuffed out far too early that suffered more than anyone she'd ever seen. Around her the soldiers went on with their lives as best they could, and she watched, it gave her life to see life so full despite the horrors raging around them. Not far from her a group of marines sat around a hastily consulted table in the mud playing cards, a small radio was playing a synth inspired pop tune while they jeered at each other with faint grins on their faces. In a dug out carved right next to them, a lone solider was tucked in with her helmet pulled over her face as she slept through the noise.
Speaking of noise, it was busy but in a far different way then what had been blasting her eardrums for the past several hours. Ever since that explosion that could been seen through half the city, the Covenant had been rather quiet, maybe something in their plans changed and had to regroup instead of pushing forward. Regardless she wasn't complaining. Now that the UNSC forces weren't under constant bombardment, supplies and injured were being ferried back and forth between the different fronts and back to an FOB called Camus far behind them. Several heavy jeeps that Adrian had called Warthogs speed over the trenches to resupply where it was worst. A pair of enormous mechs laid heavy fortifications along the frontlines while a third made patrols.
She sighed, looking down at her hands she could see specks of dried blood crusted under her fingernails. Grimacing, she ran the tips of her fingers against the uniform she'd been given, to help 'blend in' they said, not that she minded. Her stark white armor made her stick out like a sore thumb, and in a warzone that was just asking to be singled out. Regardless she appreciated the extra protection, it wasn't as reinforced as the typical soldiers, but she was granted her own helmet, basic plating, and what supplies they could spare. Flattening the white band wrapped around her arm, she grinned to herself, all of this reminded her of her early days with Overwatch, before she was Mercy. That got her thinking to everyone back home, to everyone left behind or even worse those that came through as well, grief tugged at her heart, and she truly understood how Adrian felt to be so isolated.
"Ma'am, a pelican of wounded is flying in with one in critical condition." A young private told her.
She looked at her hands for a few seconds before flashing him a reassuring smile as best she could manage. "Lead the way." She knew Adrian had to be here somewhere, she just hoped he was alright, she would do anything to see him again.
"Fucking…god damn motherfucking shit eating bylat ubl'udak. Я уже жалею, что приехал, я, наверное, скоро умру с такой скоростью." Adrian let the words flow as he tripped over a piece of ruble, his whole body feeling like a plethora of pins shot through his nerves at that small stumble.
Aliza didn't even pass him a glance, "Keep moving, we're almost at the position."
"Yeah yeah, how sure are we that Pari will actually be there?"
"Assuming she didn't rip the locator from her skin." She left the statement hang in the air for a second, "Then I'm very confident."
Adrian simply huffed at that, though at this point I think they both knew what the reality was going to be. The factory was gargantuan before the explosion and considering how far Adrian had been flung when he'd already made distance from it, well it wasn't so simple a trip as Adrian had first imagined when he decided to help Aliza. Still despite his cursing, it was the right thing to do, you didn't leave comrades behind.
It'd been a decent while since they'd left the pelican behind, they made surprising time despite their injuries and managed to avoid detection by phantoms thus far. By this point the Covenant will have likely shifted priorities anyway. He kept his thoughts to himself as they trudged on, just as he was thinking how it couldn't be much longer Aliza stopped in her tracks.
Frowning to himself Adrian usually expected the worse, it often avoided disappointment he found, this time proved no different. Even in the darkness the green armor proved a sharp contrast to the crimson blood beneath in. The spartan laid on her back, with a massive slab of steel reinforced concrete crushing her lower body up to her torso. A massive shard of glass lay embed in her collar bone in between plates of armor that, occasionally a spurt of blood shot up the fragment. A faint gurgling followed by a twist of the head caused Adrian to take a step back, she'd been alive this entire time, the agony would've been beyond imagination.
Aliza kneeled beside her partner and gently removed the other Spartan's helmet revealing a dark freckled skin with darker eyes. Pari stared directly at Aliza, her mouth moved but nothing came out save for a constant trickle of blood. Aliza brushed the blood from Pari's lips with a gentle swipe that seemed impossible given the Spartans size and gently laid an open palm against Pari's cheek. Quietly stepping backwards, Adrian found a quiet place to sit a few meters away to give the two some peace, it was an unexpectedly intimate farewell that he didn't want to ruin. Aliza would find him when she was ready. Briefly he wondered about the relationship the two shared, did Spartans form such connections or was he looking too deeply into it? Immediately he chastised himself, this wasn't the time for such speculation.
Though it did remind him of something, taking off his helmet, he reached into until his fingers brushed a thin object. Carefully pulling it out, he stared at the crisp polaroid of Angela; a memento he'd had printed for himself after his deployment to Indonesia and India. He didn't have pictures of her he'd taken himself, something he'd have to rectify when he sorted all this shit out, but he did have Athena crop a recent photo for him. A smile arose to his lips as he stared at the picture, her warmth and personality could be felt despite the static image. He ran his thumb along the edge of the picture just as Aliza had done, he clicked his tongue before tucking the picture back into his helmet and donning the piece of armor.
Pulling up the TACPAD on his wrist, he passed time running diagnostics on his armor, most of it was running optimally but unsurprisingly his suit was giving warnings regarding his vitals. Yeah, well not much he could do about that right now he thought to himself. He wasn't sure how much time had gone by when he heard footsteps from behind him, turning on his seat Aliza waved him onwards without a word. Gingerly standing up he saw that the rubble on Pari had been removed, the body made as 'presentable' as possible, and a twisted battle rifle stuck in the ground right above Pari's head. Her cracked helmet was placed upon the muzzle of the gun; a soldiers grave stone. Aliza walked onwards with Adrian following, if she wanted to talk, she'd do it in her own time, for now though they had other issues.
"What now? Our rides gone and went." Adrian questioned.
"Not exactly, to UNSC command Spartans are a valuable asset, we can pull some strings where others can't. As it stands though our ride is waiting out repairs, so we're stuck here till morning."
"If that's the only catch then you won't hear me complaining. We should still find a place to bunker down, lick our wounds, and wait out."
"Agreed. Pari's reconnaissance reports note a defensible basement position no more than a klick out. It's located in a small grove that will have enough space for a pelican to maneuver as well."
"That's the best news I've heard in a while, I'll follow your lead."
Aliza nodded, taking point though it didn't take long for them to reach the aforementioned alcove. A narrow alley opened into an abandoned courtyard that had no other entrance points, on the far end was a pair of heavy cellar doors indicating their temporary refuge. Hefting them open, Adrian peered inside to see a small room, no larger than twelve by fifteen and largely empty save for some long-forgotten tools. As Adrian limped down the stairs, his Spartan partner closed the doors behind them and shoved a metal bar through handles on this side. Sitting down of the ground with a sigh of relief, he removed his helmet, flicked it's flashlight on and placed it down next to him filling the room with a faint white light. Across with him Aliza sat with a heavy thud as her armor hit the floor, she passed a glance towards his makeshift lantern before grunting in acknowledgment.
"Lance Corporal Kasporov."
He shot her a glance, "Adrian's fine, been through hell already."
The faintest tug at the edge of her lips, "Did you know Spartans have their own communications?"
"No but I can't say that surprises me, why did Pari say something before she…" He trailed off. Her body language was uncommunicative, Adrian took it as a yes but also that it wasn't his problem, he didn't press any further.
Instead, she swiped two fingers across her faceplate, Adrian tilted his head, staring for a few seconds before repeating the gesture. His fingers passed over his lips like a smile – he looked back up at her, shot her a grin as he replicated the action. She responded in kind.
"Neat." He chuckled to himself as he began to remove parts of his armor plating, he wanted to make sure there weren't any outstanding wounds that he couldn't see, besides his leg would probably need to be set in splint for now. Across from him Aliza surprised him by doing the same, she removed her helmet revealing wild red hair, a sharp jawbone, and dark green eyes. Reaching behind her, she began to fiddle with the locks and latches on his chest armor, quiet hisses resounded throughout the room.
"Not that I ever doubted you were human, but you gotta tell me your workout routine. I look like a twig next to you." Adrian chuckled to himself when she didn't respond. Pulling pack of cigarettes from a pouch on his arm, he flicked one out and lit it up, faint whisps of smoke twirling up in the air. His aching lungs didn't take kindly to anything but clean air, Adrian coughed hard, wincing at the pain though once he'd calmed down, he took another drag regardless. Aliza snorted at this actions, he said "We all go one way or another in the end."
"Still wouldn't to rather have a say in it?" Aliza's responded as her chest armor fell in half, landing with a resounding crash on both sides that left cracks in the floor. "Whatever's necessary to win this war – but Pari deserved better."
"There are worse ways then saving hundreds of lives." Adrian offered though he knew what she meant, "Still doesn't feel right though does it? Feels like they're life got cut short, you think of all that could've happened if they'd lasted one more day…all the things they could've done."
She was quiet as she ran a hand across her torso, "I think one of my lungs is collapsing." She mumbled to herself before grabbing a thin titanium tube from her medical pouch, jabbing it through the black webbing of her under armor and letting out as a gasp when it pierced. Taking a deep breath to refill her lungs she sprayed a smidge of biofoam over the area before returning to the conversation as if nothing had happened, "We have to do whatever it takes to end this war, even if it means are deaths. As an ODST I imagine you understand just as well as any Spartan."
He nodded but added a caveat, "Doesn't mean you can't mourn the fallen. What was Pari like?"
He caught a genuine smile with more sincerity in her voice then he'd heard from most people, "Better than me."
Few words but he understood more than enough, plenty do things they're not proud of, he knew plenty of soldiers that… never fully recovered from things done during the Insurrection Wars. Sometimes what kept you going was knowing that someone close to you wouldn't have to do the things you did, or at the least keep hope despite everything else. Even inside their temporary bunker, the sounds of war permeated every inch, Harvest was a planet being split apart at it's very seams. To be honest it was a remarkable thing, the sheer tenacity of humanity refusing to submit this planet despite the cost. It was a mixed bag, on one hand Harvest isn't that strategically important, as an outer rim colony it was relatively new compared to most other UEG planets meaning it didn't have a lot of resources committed to it. It's location as well was isolated from any key systems, and so to a point it seems a waste to throw a million bodies against the wall that probably could've been better placed elsewhere. On the other hand, the long-term effects may outweigh such a cost. Being one of the few widely circulated victories the UNSC secured, it gave hope to a whole species recently unsure of its position in the universe. The pyrrhic victory was brutal, but the tales told of humanities tenacity spread even throughout the Covenant or, so he was told, maybe just some clever ONI propaganda. He really didn't know where his mind was running with these thoughts, perhaps just in awe of his position here or a bit frightened. To be at the start of this conflict, to know that generations will live, love, and die in that span the war has existed, that for many that's all they'll ever know, it was a sobering thought.
Adrian smiled grimly, "Only the dead have seen the end of war."
"George Santayana." Aliza replied but never brought her eyes away from the stitching she was doing on her stomach, "That's who the quote is attributed to." Adrian had learned that the Spartan was full of surprises, a fact that he found greatly amusing.
He hummed, "I don't remember where I heard that quote or have an inkling of what the context was…but it always stuck with me."
This time Aliza did turn from her work, her eyes staring deep into Adrian's own, "You've seen more than most in this war so far." It wasn't a question, but a simple statement. His breath hitched, he supposed there'd been a few slipups in trying to keep his lies straight but didn't expect it to come to anything. Though Aliza was perspective, far more cunning that he would've attributed to a Spartan though in the end that falls onto him for underestimating. He waited, preparing for the inevitable only to squirm under he stares as the question never came. It was then he started to realize that her stare wasn't one of accusation or interrogation but understanding.
"It just keeps going." He finally said. "Do you ever wonder what you'd do if this war hadn't happened? Sometimes when the past won't let me fall asleep, I find myself wondering about how my life might've turned out if this war just…if things turned out differently."
"I wasn't born for anything else."
"Guess that makes two of us."
Angela's focus was solely on that of the patient direct within her care, despite the vicious sounds of war flurrying about. The marine screamed, her voice hoarse from the pain as Angela tightly wrapped the tourniquet above a freshly bleeding stump of a leg, had she anything to give this soldier she would, but life was rarely so kind. As soon as the sun had begun to rise above horizon, the Covenant began another assault on their frontline, whatever issues they'd encountered had either been dealt with or pushed past. Regardless Angela had been pushed to the frontline to provide immediate care, no one said it, but she knew the reason, why how high casualties were it'd be less of a strain to have the mysterious doctor bite then a trained, loyal, UNSC field surgeon. She supposed she couldn't blame them; the whole situation was so absurd it was hard for even her to wrap her head around it.
Didn't mean to had to enjoy it though, she'd let out a few uncharacteristically creative curses that would've made Torbjorn proud. Though whatever semblance of joy she might've gleaned from that didn't last long as deaths kept piling up around her. It wasn't long until she'd stopped counting how many lives she saved and how many she didn't, quickly realizing that was a one-way trip towards insanity.
A mortar blast had landed far too close for comfort sending a spray of molten plasma splattering overhead. She involuntarily jumped on top of her patient though ultimately, it'd prove unnecessary.
"Doc I appreciate the concern – but you knocked the wind out of my lungs." The marine feebly wheezed from below her.
"Think of it this way, got your pain under control, right?" Angela flashed a shaky smile before moving onto her next patient. The Covenant had unfortunately pushed the UNSC back, the frontline had collapsed quickly pushing the marines out of their man-made trenches. Now they found themselves in a mix of repurposed ruins and hastily assembled prefab architecture that had been a temporary reserve point for the last month or two. A brutal scream drew her attention as she caught the unfortunate conclusion as a soldier tumbled through the air, his legs gone in a fuel rod explosion. She turned to rush directly towards the downed man but was stopped as an arm shot out in front of her.
A grim-faced marine didn't even spare her a glance, "You step out from this cover you're dead. Sniper's got us zeroed in and we've got zilch on that fucker."
As if to emphasize his point, it wasn't even a second later when a needle shard embedded itself in the crippled man's skull, burst upon impact sending viscera, grey matter, and crystal fragments scattering.
"Scheib drauf, they can't even leave the wounded in peace?! They can't give us one damn thing!" She said it more to herself than to the those around her, not that they were listening. Her thoughts were interrupted as a deafening mechanical roar filled her mind, taking a glance towards the sky she saw two pitch-black, triangular aircraft scream directly over them, unleashing a barrage of weaponry upon the building across from them. Several abandoned stories housing one sniper crumbled to nothing more than dust after the aircraft's barrage, a faint cheer echoed around her, but she couldn't help but stare where once fifty meters of steel and glass stood tall was now nothing more than twisted metal and fluttering fragments.
Eventually bringing herself to focus, she searched for her next patient but was one more distracted as a marine shouted, "Finally some reinforcements!" She quirked an eyebrow as she didn't see anything but maybe news was being carried over open channels, but the marine's eyes gazing upwards. Following his stare, she saw a dozen red hot objects falling from orbit, it didn't take long to realize these most be ODSTs.
"So this is how Adrian gets around, to see it in person – seems far scarier." She wondered aloud, though she could also see why ODSTs only recruited those like Adrian, you likely needed to be somewhat reckless and loose to cope with rocketing in a tiny metal coffin into a war zone. The drop pods landed with resound clangs all along the front line, with obsidian cloaked specialists bursting out of their pods weapons blazing. At that moment the tide of battle seemed to immediately shift, morale boosted as the UNSC pushed back on the offensive spearheaded by the ODSTs. They're training evident as they quickly cleared the initial onslaught of covenant forces with practiced ease.
Despite that, the war refused to be so easy. A needle round passed cleanly through the neck of an ODST, their hands flying up to their throat to desperately try and staunch the bleeding. Instinctively she went to move up towards his position despite the heavy fire but forced herself to stop as the poor solider was lit up with plasma fire. Agonizing screams could be heard despite everything before quickly going silent as the ODST collapsed to the ground. Another went down not long after when a charged burst from a plasma pistol engulfed their helmet, melting the plating and glass around their skull. If they didn't die of shock, the heat would certainly rupture parts of the brain, an unfathomably painful end. Even with the losses, morale didn't drop, everyone here knew what was at stake and now that they'd had a boost to their confidence, they weren't going to let it slip away so easily. Maybe things would turn out…well as good as they could considering the circumstances
"Damn, doesn't look like it's going well." Adrian quipped as he stared out the hatch of the pelican. He was feeling a renewed sense of energy course through his body, despite taking turns keeping watch both he and Aliza managed to nab an hour or two of shut eye each. It wasn't a lot but what can you do. When their evac had finally arrived, it didn't come empty handed, a small arsenal of firearms, medical supplies, and provisions was enough to boost any soldiers spirit. Perks of being with a spartan he supposed. That joy was immediately tempered as soon as the craft flew over the Northern Front of Utgard where a battle was currently ravaging the skybridge; half a dozen Grizzlies bolstered by a pair of Black Widows inched forward with any real progress being halted by anti-tank fire and shade turrets keeping the pressure on. He spied a handful of Mantis mechs, but they went down quickly, in such narrow quarters they were easily ripped to shreds, extremely versatile but that came at the cost of heavy plating. It was a war of attrition, not necessarily any different than the war as whole, but the skybridge inherently limited options, a fact worsened as both sides had likely been dug in for months. The longer time went on, the stronger the defenses, especially anti-air, meaning any attempts to ferry troops around the flanks probably only led to a lot of dead.
"That's why we're here." She replied coolly as she easily picked up an M247 heavy machine gun with one hand, jamming a fresh ammo box into it.
"Well, more why you're here, I'm just the unlucky son of a bitch along for the ride." He said as he checked the BR-55 he snagged, on his hip laid a factory new but unsilenced SOCOM as well as the familiar M7S caseless submachine gun on his back. Aliza was going heavy and loud, several pounds of 247 ammo, a SPNKr heavy ordnance launcher, and enough grenade to blow a hole to the center of the planet.
"You decided to stay."
Raising in finger in protest could find anything to argue, "Fair enough." Outside two GA-TL1 Longswords shrieked past them, simultaneously dropping their payloads onto the battlefield below. The shockwave reaching even them, an entire building collapsed to which Adrian whistled in appreciation. "You know early on when I first joined up, I thought about being a fly boy."
Aliza snorted derisively, "I can't see it."
"What?! But I've got the charm, the skill –"
"The arrogance."
"Exactly thank you. A perfect fit."
She gave a halfhearted shrug, "You prefer to be in the action, pilots by nature are dissociated somewhat." She stood up, once more towering over him as her heavy boots stomped across the deck to stare out at the battlefield as they came into land, "Got a plan?"
He polarized his visor, "Try not to die?"
"Spartans never die, remember? ODSTs on the other hand..." She replied with a hint of mirth.
Adrian huffed in surprise at the joke before hopping out of the hovering pelican and landing with a practiced roll; Aliza followed with a heavy thump. The pelican quickly maneuvered out of the war zone as it quickly became an easy target for concentered plasma fire.
Taking cover in a mortar hole, Aliza quickly put her rocket launcher to work taking out two shade turrets that were putting down a steady stream of fire. Meanwhile Adrian focused on trying to draw the attention of jackal or elite snipers, allowing his ODST brethren a chance to breathe and regroup. He managed to down one of each aforementioned species before having to scuttle down into the pit to swap for a fresh mag. The spartan next to him threw down her still smoking rocket launcher before nodding at him; both of them dashing out of the hole and pushing up towards the other UNSC forces.
Plasma fire rained around him, a few shots only narrowly missing with a needle round deflecting out his shoulder guard. A nearby explosion shook the ground, causing him to stumble, but before he could touch the ground Aliza latched onto his back plate and tossed him forwards. He hit the ground with a thumb, relatively safe behind a flaming scorpion chassis with Aliza bounding up next to him soon after.
Surveying the situation, he saw the Grizzlies making a push up with them, unleashing their deafening dual-cannons with no restraint. The Black Widows stayed back, one entirely immobile with its track shredded to hill and the other not faring much better, pockets of smoke and fire billowing from its interior. Despite that both tank crews did what they could to keep the heavy calvary functioning, shifting their role to that of support, acting a sort of mid-range artillery as they lobbed heavy explosives deep into the enemy line. APCs bolstered the infantry line, doubling as both an offensive role and defensive as they provided cover in the largely barren wasteland of corpses.
"I say we book it to those ODSTs." Adrian shouted, motioning to a set of troopers currently residing behind an APC. Aliza nodded in affirmation, laying down covering fire with her machine gun as Adrian booked it across the no man's land before sliding into cover with the ODSTs, quickly followed by his Spartan companion, her shields momentarily flickering.
"Plan?" He questioned, looking to any of the three soldiers for a response.
To their credit they only seemed briefly stunned at seeing the odd pairing quite literally appear from nowhere, "Trying to clear a path to get to the Type-20 Oppressors over yonder." One of the ODSTs replied, her voice barely heard over the APC's thundering cannons letting loose beside them. "Once we knock out those AA batteries, we can finally get some proper reinforcements."
"What's stopping you?" He said dryly.
"Other than fucking everything?" The other ODST responded with a chuckle.
Passing a glance towards Aliza, he raised an invisible eyebrow, "Any ideas?"
"I'll head out alone, doing what I can to keep them occupied and turn their focus to me. With any luck it'll lighten the defense just enough to allow you all to push up."
"Of course, take all the glory for yourself."
Aliza simply responded with the draw of a smile across her visor with two fingers, Adrian responded in kind, the other ODSTs stared in confusion.
…
…
…
"Viper 6-1, this is Stalker 2-1. Solid Copy. I'm checking stand by for six line."
"Stalker 2-1, Viper 6-1 I've visual on position, time until target – ten seconds."
"6-1 laser on."
"Laser on."
"Splat, clear to fire."
"Affirmative, Viper 6-1 is in the POT at 220 wings level."
"Clear hot, mavericks away… confirm hit?"
"Confirmed, Covenant position neutralized, much appreciated."
"Fucking hell that's a confirmed hit." Adrian swore as the B-62 Shortsword soared off; it's heavy payload having decimated a Covvie relief force. He stared in awe at the flame that must've reached two dozen stories into the air.
"We did good." Aliza said dryly.
That's the understatement of the century he thought to himself, after taking off from the APC it was a flurry of reflexes, trigger fingers, and overwhelming adrenaline made it a damn near blur. Despite the mounting casualties, Adrian along with the half dozen other ODSTs were able to disable the AA batteries while Aliza snatched a plasma turret and made the Covenant's lives a living hell. Still good was always relative, glancing back from where they'd came hundreds upon thousands of human and covenant bodies stacked up to his knees filled the once empty ruins. Still, they'd pushed the Covenant out of the northern front for now at least. That Shortsword probably racked up an inordinate number of kills, all thanks to fireteam Viper – a marine reconnaissance force that risked life and limb to get as clear a painting as possible. It did not disappoint.
Among the littered mass of corpses, a lone figure scoured every inch, the iconic red cross sported on their arm identified them as a medic to some degree. "No rest for righteous, eh?" The more he stared though, the more they started to seem familiar.
"It's not polite to stare."
He shot her an incredulous glance masked by his helmet, "Since when do you care about manors?" Bringing his focus back to the medic, he slowly started to walk forward as he muttered to himself, "Holy shit… what are the chances."
"Angela?" Her head shot up faster than a bloodhound on the hunt, walking towards her was an ODST, instantly recognizable with the painted white wolf skull encompassing his visor.
"Adrian!" She rushed up to him, a million emotions running through her mind. They embraced, arms wrapped tightly around each other but not for long, safety wasn't a luxury they could afford. Adrian removed his helmet revealing an unbelievably haggard face though that didn't differ much from everyone else. Black bags rested under his eyes, his face was marred with dirt, it was then that she noticed he favored one leg over the other, that his stance was slightly slouched as if pure exhaustion was heavier than gravity at this point.
"Still the prize picture of beauty?" He cracked.
It was then that she became aware of a third party shadowing not far behind Adrian, a hulking form that was easily as tall as Reinhardt but without the girth. It's focus was elsewhere, like a predator scanning for prey as its head slowly stirred from side to side.
Adrian drew her focus away from the super solider, "Have you heard or seen anyone else?" His voice lowering despite the isolation from others.
She shook her head, "I put out an emergency signal, any Overwatch forces would have picked it up already. Though from what you say… time isn't guaranteed." Hesitantly she passed a glance, unsure of how much his new companion was aware of.
Adrian grimaced though he nodded, "Also doesn't guarantee that something else didn't come with as well. Still, there's good news and bad news. The good news is the protype is still functional, the bad news is we'll need to secure a new energy source." Noticing Angela's hesitancy he cleared the air, "Angela this is Aliza, she can be trusted. Aliza this is Angela, she can get your injuries treated far better than anyone else on this planet."
Ziegler stuck out her hand, initially worrying that her hand might be crushed like a grape but was surprised at the feather-light grip of the super solider, "A pleasure ma'am." The Spartan said with an unexpected warmth that further surprised the Swiss doctor.
"Likewise." Angela flashed the solider a smile, "What's the plan now?" She questioned as she turned her focus back to Adrian.
"We find an energy source and get the hell out. Plasma battery, fusion coil, anything with power and we're good to go. Seeing as how we're standing on a battlefield, not far from a UNSC encampment, it shouldn't be too hard to find what we need, barring any unexpected circumstances."
The Spartan Aliza spoke of her own volition for the first time since they met, meeting Adrian's comment with a snort, "We're in a war against the Covenant Adrian. Nothing will go as expected."
Adrian immediately deflated, "Yeah… you're probably right."
The sound of snapping neck reverberated through the ruins; a heavy blast quickly overwhelmed that echo. A human body crumped to the ground, their head lolling at an awkward angle with a gaping hole filling their chest. Gabriel 'Reaper' Reyes leaned back against the wall next to him, the dozen of dead human soldiers lay at his feet, his breath wheezed out. There was so much going on it was hard to keep track of everything, but all he knew for certain was that he was hurt, not only hurt but burned. Fucking burned, by some sort of freaky fucking alien tech that sizzled his nanites, melted them, something he didn't even think was possible. The military unlike anything he'd ever seen was far more formidable than anything he'd encountered before, in a land he'd never visited, it was straining his limits. But still these fucking aliens, straight out of a science fiction story had put him in a bad spot. He would survive, recover, he always did, but it would take time, and he wasn't sure if time was something he had on his side right now.
Pushing off the wall, stepped over the human corpses indifferently, reloading his shotguns with ease as he stepped outside. A beeping sound originated from the tech within his suit, a familiar sound he'd long since disregarded but kept the knowledge integrated, knowing that one day it might be of use. He let out a deep, ragged chuckle, being a part of Blackwatch had its perks. Overwatch was above all predictable, it had been easy enough to stay connected to their basic communications, to know that should the shit ever hit the fan they'd fall back to the standard Overwatch initiative alarm. He wasn't alone here, but he'd make sure that he left here alone.