Heyy all, here's the next chapter. It's not one I'm particularly happy with, but I just couldn't get it right so if you think it needs a touch up just let me know :)

Thanks to gwb99 for betaing :D

Thank you for all the review, favs and follows, I'm glad you're all enjoying the story.

Sparta47: I imagine that she was to a II, when she does it again I'll put in the speed :) So far Guardian hasn't made any weapons and I doubt he will, so she'll use NEST weapons and if all goes well then the Bots might come up with something. Thanks for the review, I'm glad to be back!

dracologistmaster: Thank you and that sounds about right to me :) There's some one Dot in this chapter.

helkil: I'm sorry, it'll take some time perhaps before they do, if they do at all :p

Guest: Thank you :D Glad you like him.

Guest: Thank you :D

RamenKnight: I think a few of them do find it pretty scary as well as some of the NEST soldiers and being Six she's not too good at alleviating this. Thank you for the review, hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Darkness Alpha1: Thank you, hope you enjoy this one too :)

CrioChamber: Thank you :) Yeah I have a bad habit of doing that and as they look quite similar I don't tend to catch them when I'm skimming through :L thanks for pointing it out though.

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Thoughts, words stressed upon or AI speaking directly to Six.

"Speech"

Who Is In Control?


~/~

Correspondence Between General Glen Morshower & Major William Lennox

From: Gen. Morshower

To: Maj. Lennox

Subject: Re: New Recruits

Received: 07:00, 09-08-08

From what you've sent me it appears Sigma requires a full psyche evaluation. Sigma appears to be a competent soldier, but differing methods seem to be the issue you're having. I suggest splitting Sigma from the reminders of their origins and that will perhaps calm it down. If you do not believe this is the best course of action, have Sigma put in for an evaluation. Gathering more information pertaining to their origins would also be vital as it sounds like Sigma is withholding intel.

General ,

Joint Chief of Staffs.


From: Maj. Lennox

To: Gen. Morshower

Subject: RE: New Recruits

Received: 07:45, 09-08-08

Sir, I don't think splitting Sigma from the others is the best course of action. Putting them into a squad may improve their understanding of how soldiers here work. I won't know until later this week, but if we were to move them, what would you suggest assigning them to?

Major ,

Commander of NEST


From: Gen. Morshower

To: Maj. Lennox8

Subject: Re: New Recruits

Received: 07:48, 09-08-08

I'll await your report on the matter by the end of the week. I'm only concerned about this as an asset such as Sigma may draw unwanted attention from other commanders and we cannot afford to have Sigma moved to another branch. If Sigma were to be reassigned, then I would place them directly under my command as their expertise in so many areas would be useful.

Concerning the finished report of Sigma and Rho, I ultimately believe they will both be valuable asset to your team. I will see to it that Rhois put appropriately on record.

General ,

Joint Chief of Staffs.

~/~

Noble Six, NEST Base, Hangar Four, 1400 Hours

Still buzzing from the use of her armour, Six strode into hangar four. The hangar wasn't as large as some of the others, but that didn't stop it from being packed. Multiple people dashed around the hangar as they all whizzed off on different missions. Metal tables also lined the place, covered in different pieces of tech, some familiar looking to Six, others not. There were even some vehicles that she hadn't seen anywhere else around base. All had various designs, such as one which looked like a very bulky warthog with what looked like an unmanned small fire missile launcher sat on the back. More of the warthog like vehicles were parked next to each other, all with different types of artillery on the back. She ran her hand along the smooth cool black metal of one equipped with launchers, marvelling over how things were so different yet the same as she stared across the hangar. Seeing so many reminded Six of the Battle of Viery she'd spearheaded with Noble Team; one of their last ops as a whole team. Her fists clenched as she remembered the battle, the Covenant in their seemingly unendingness. Thoughts surfaced of the super carrier that had decimated the Grafton and so many other UNSC forces. She felt her teeth clench as anger built within her-

"Is something wrong, Six?" Dot's words at the back of her mind snapped her out of her building anger.

"I'm fine." Was Six's curt reply. Dot didn't appear to buy it, but Six wasn't surprised. The AI had always known when something was bothering Noble Team, even her.

"If something is distressing you, it is best to talk about it. I'm always happy to listen –to anyone that isn't infected or a Warrior Servant. My apologies, I thought I was managing to control these...glitches."

Glad for the change of topic, Six murmured softly, "We'll figure it out Dot, don't worry."

"Your concern is appreciated, Six. I will try my best to find the cause."

Six didn't say anything else, even if she really wanted to dispute the fact that she held concern for the AI. That was probably a lie though, Dot was the only thing left from Reach –from Noble- there was little reason for her not to care. Whatever it was that was effecting her, Six would find a way to fix it, because this was her fault.

A grey dot appeared on her radar, "Noble Six!" The owner of the dot yelled and Six turned on the spot. As she turned Six found herself staring at a large group of people and a quick count revealed elven pairs of eyes staring back at her.

Six locked eyes with Captain Hughes and snapped a quick salute, "ma'am."

The woman smiled warmly, "at ease Six. I've got some good news; you'll be joining us this afternoon. But, there'll be eyes on us so, best behaviour."

"Affirmative, ma'am."

"You'll be with me for this exercise while First Lieutenant Martínez leads the other half," Captain Hughes gestured to a taller lightly olive skinned young man who was stood just next to her.

He sent her a grin as his hazel eyes assessed her before preceding to hold out a hand for her to shake. Without hesitation Six shook the man's hand, taking care to ensure that her grip was as light as possible. As he shook her hand a flicker of interest shone through his eyes, only to be replaced by a challenging gleam.

"Feels like a strong piece of gear, Hughes'll need all the help she can get," there was a distinct roll to his words, but Six couldn't place the accent as she'd never heard anyone speak similarly.

Captain Hughes snorted in amusement while a few others laughed quietly at First Lieutenant Martínez's words, "He's bluffing as always, I've kicked his arse for the past two months. At least now he'll have a legitimate excuse for losing."

"Tienes cojones, perra, [You've got balls, bitch]" First Lieutenant Martínez chuckled despite his serious expression. While the translated words came through her internal speakers, Six glanced between the pair, wondering if the Captain knew that he was insulting her. She was about to say something when Hughes replied, even if the words sounded slightly mangled.

"Eres tan patetico, que resultas entranable. [You're so pathetic, you're actually entertaining]" The words from Captain Hughes' quirked lips were dry with humour while Six rose a brow at the pair's exchange.

"You need to roll your words more, stop being so stiff capitán. But, you're British so it can't be helped," First Lieutenant Martínez remarked with a roguish grin and a mischievous look in his hazel eyes. Hughes laughed and the two continued their brief chat, with the rest of their soldiers occasionally contributing.

Six stood passively as the pair finished their small exchange, uninterested in the small talk they were partaking in. When they finished, they introduced Six to the rest of the squad and she promptly stored the information. The teams then spilt, with First Lieutenant Martínez taking one half and Captain Hughes and Six with the other. As they made their way to a room off from the hangar, Captain Hughes gave Six a brief rundown of what it what they'd be doing.

"Today will be the second field test for our EMP mines. They're non-lethal 'cause we don't want to hurt the 'Bots, but they'll hit them where it hurts. We'll be using paint rounds during the exercise and Martínez's group will be taking on a different objective. I'll explain the rest in our prep room." Captain Hughes gestured to a door just before them on the left. She then proceeded to press her hand to a panel on the wall and after a delay the door opened with a click.

It took moments for everyone to filter into the medium sized room. It continued the same colour scheme as the rest of the base, which even extended to the lockers that were back up against the walls. There were more than enough lockers for the people they had, so Six assumed that others from the base probably used this room too. As everyone picked a locker, Captain Hughes showed Six to hers and left her to get ready before turning to a large table at the top of the room. The sleek table appeared to be connected to the wall mounted screen that stood above it.

Turning her back for a moment, Six pulled open the locker, only to find that she didn't need any of the contents. Armoured clothing was the main item that had been neatly placed in the locker, accompanied by a small radio, a pair of boots extra kit for holding items. With a small sigh, Six closed the locker and proceeded to wait for the rest of the team to get ready.

She had to give it to them, they were quick. It was only a minute later when they were all stood around the table and it's no longer blank screen. Images of what Six could tell were the EMP's littered the screen as well as a detailed map of the arena. Placed down the side were the Autobot targets they were going to be facing.

"Alright ladies, today we'll be against Knockout –who wants to regain some dignity-, Beachbreaker and Ironhide. Our objective is simple, wipe them out using the EMP's, preferably before they wipe us out." Captain Hughes paused a moment as the table flared to life and an enlarged map appeared on it with a yellow dot just up from the centre. What Six guessed was the mine also took over on the screen, it's design and specifications taking up most of the screen in the same light blue colours as the map. Some bits were highlighted in red and after reading the notes Six realised they were the properties that had been changed for the exercise.

After a moment Captain Hughes continued, "For this exercise I'd like them placed here," a blue dot appeared at an intersection at the centre of the map. "Here, here," two more dots appeared on past the middle and on either side of the map. "Here," a dot appeared on a thin road that went directly through most of the area. "And finally here," the last dot appeared on the centre most road and at least two-hundred meters from the first one.

"Remember," Captain Hughes continued, "You'll all have one miniature one that can be thrown, don't forget to use it. They might not pack as big of a punch, but they'll still blind them temporarily. Any questions about the set-up?"

No-one said anything, clearly trusting the Captain's tactics. Six on the other hand, studied the map, frowning as she noticed a flaw.

"Captain?" She asked, gaining the woman's attention.

There was a knowing look in the woman's _eyes as she looked at Six, "Something you'd like to say, Six?"

"Would it not be better to cover ourselves more?" Six gestured to the table, "May I?"

Captain Hughes nodded with a smile, "sure."

Placing her hand on the table, Six directed Dot to more around some of the EMP marks. Dot complied, even making a couple of suggestions as she did and Six gladly considered them. Knowing that battle with these Robot's was different to what she was used to had almost made her hesitant in saying anything, but then this could only be an opportunity to collect more intel. By the time she was finished the EMP's covered them more firmly from flanking attacks that could be made from thin roads and the larger ones that circled around. She'd also made sure not to spread the mines out so they were all within one hundred and fifty meters. She kept the one Captain Hughes had placed in front of them, encase a head on attack was attempted. Indicating that she was finished, Captain Hughes studied the set-up, humming in appreciation as she did.

"I like your style," She complemented. "You've covered any kind of flanking they could attempt, but kept the mines close enough so we know what's hit them; nice. Alright, we'll run with yours, see if you future people know how to party as well as us."

"Thank you, ma'am," Six nodded, stepping back from the table. There was some excited murmuring from the others around the table, and they all appeared quite accepting of the change.

"As usual, the weak spots are under the armour, the eyes and as Six discovered the joints. But, be gentle ladies, we don't want to bruise their egos too much," Captain Hughes flashed them all a roguish grin as a diagram pointing out the Autobot weak spots appeared on the screen. She then launched into a detailed, but brief, speech on the tactics each Autobot had a habit of repeating. Six hoped what she said was useful as even though she could see how it could be, it didn't necessarily mean it would be. The number of times they'd made a plan to combat the Covenant based on what they already knew, only to have it squandered at the last moment.

"As for Martínez'sgroup, they'll be acting as a sniper team and playing observation. Their positions should be on the map right about...now," seconds after Hughes finished speaking new dots appeared the map in green. They appeared quite sparse as they covered the majority of the buildings around the centre of the map as well as covering the locations of the EMP's. Captain Hughes studied the map for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. She then ushered them out of the room and into another long room that was filled with weapons.

A variety of weapons were placed neatly around the room. Extra ammunition was also neatly lined up on the shelves under the counters. Metal plaques were secured above the weapons, labelling each section for specific weapons and even the matching ammunition. Six glanced around quickly, taking in the variety of weapons and noticing that a few were still locked away. Dismissing them when she noticed they were a bit too much on the side of heavy ordnance for this mission, she made her way over to one of the rifles shed spotted. Six then proceeded to lift the weapon from its holder, noticing how much lighter it was than her usual choice. She held it up to have a quick looks down its sights and hummed quietly in satisfaction before placing it on the counter.

"Shall I link this weapon to your armour?" Dot's voice quietly rolled through her mind.

Slightly surprised that such a prospect was possible Six answered as she loaded the weapon, "go ahead. Will it work?"

There was a flicker of hesitation from Dot as Six checked the weapon over and pulled out some more magazines. "There is a chance that there will be initial glitches, but I'll iron them out as we go. You should be able to slide your weapon onto your back as usual, I shall activate the holders."

Six nodded her thanks as she picked up the rifle and slid it onto her back, feeling the stiffness that ran through it as it was locked in place. She was curious as to how the weapon would hold up in combat compared to what she was used to. Given that Dot could make it compatible with her armour and the sight wasn't as ancient as she thought.

"Went for the M4A1, eh?" Captain Hughes said as she moved into view, a smile on her lips as she glanced curiously at the weapon held on Six's back. "I don't think I'll ever get used to your fancy tech... Then again the 'Bots can turn their hands into guns or blades, but with you its different y'know?"

Six said nothing as she studied what the Captain had chosen, unsurprised when she noticed she was holding the same rifle. There was also a pistol strapped to Hughes' hip, similar to the one Six had used the other day. Multiple pouches that were no doubt holding all the woman's ammunition lined her waist and we're strapped to her legs. Hughes then drew out a couple of pouches as well as a pistol from behind her back.

"Here, oh silent one," she grinned as she held it all out to Six. "Figured I'd bring you one over seeing as they're all crowding the place."

Six took the offering from the Captain and nodded, "thank you, ma'am."

Captain Hughes shrugged, "it's no issue. I take it you don't need a hand with the straps?"

"Affirmative, ma'am." Six began strapping the pouches to her legs, tightening them all to ensure they would be able to withstand her rather intense movements. Once she was done the Captain nodded in satisfaction while Six checked what she had, smiling a little when she counted the ammunition Hughes had brought her for the pistol. Knowing she still had room for the rest of her ammunition Six swiftly placed it in the empty pouches and attached her pistol to her thigh; she was done in a couple of seconds.

"You're one quick lady, Six," Captain Hughes commented with a grin.

~/~

Roh

"Today we'll be analysing Team Charlie's match against the 'Bots," the man Roh had recently discovered was First Lieutenant Mathews announced as they entered a large room that reminded Roh of an observation deck. The wall at the front was mostly windows with a few screens positioned to the sides and a large table at the centre. However, as Roh examined the room, he couldn't help but feel that the team name mentioned was familiar. He barely had time to consider it as there was a multitude of groans from the others.

Ignoring the teams displeasure, Walker walked around and flicked on all the screens, "Here's their plan," he pointed to the top screen before pointing to the one under it, "and the 'Bots plan. Study it and look for any flaws in either one, we've got five minutes until they start."

There was some murmuring as everyone walked up to the monitors and began discussing what they saw. Roh remained at the back as he examined what he saw, finding that both had sound tactics but, one looked familiar. Sergeant Major Walker came up beside him as well as Sergeant Evans and while they were both shorter than Roh, they stood taller over the rest of their team.

"What do you think?" Walker asked.

Evans answered first, a confusion in his voice, "this isn't Hughes's style…"

Walker shrugged in response, "It's more aggressive and lacks the usual weak points. Perhaps she had more input from the others? Harris can be quiet offensive in his tactics."

"I do not believe this is by one of your people," Roh finally spoke up.

Evans folded his arms over his chest, "Why do you say that?"

"It looks familiar," he supplied before gesturing to the layout that had echoes of what the UNSC Humans used. "The Demon, is she a part of this group?"

"Charlie?" The smirk on Evans' face was what had given it away, "She sure is."

"You think she planned this out?" Walker asked, a brow raised.

Roh nodded, "I do. The setup is similar to what the rest of her people use but, it's forwardness bares her aggression."

"I hope Hughes knows what she's doing," Evans grumbled as he sharp eyes returned to the screens.

Walker sighed, deciding to move them along, "so, do you see any holes in their tactics?"

"Flanking will be difficult but, it appears she allows them to get too close. However, all the mines they've placed are easily viewable and thus allows them to see who has tripped them, revealing the vulnerable enemies."

"I wonder how Hughes's team will handle it," Walker commented with interest. "They're not quite used to being so close to the frontline like this."

"We're about to find out," Evans piped up, nodding his head to the arena containing the expansive faux Human city. As he did the plans from the screens disappeared and were replaced by multiple camera feeds of the area.

Silence descended on those watching as they glanced between the camera feeds and the large viewport. There was some murmuring as the a few soldiers commented to one another about what they were seeing. It appeared to be going well and the excitement was almost palpable as they watched the Demon work with the others. Roh also watched her keenly but, it wasn't because he had any interest in seeing her on the field; he'd witnessed that up close. He watched her because he wasn't sure if she was ready. He knew the hatred she held for anyone that wasn't Human and the rumours from the mission she'd been on with the NEST soldiers were not flattering.

It appeared to go well to being with. Charlie team quickly fanned out and set up the devices they were testing before falling back to the intersection. While they lay in wait for their opponents to reach them, Roh flicked his gaze across the other camera feeds. The large constructs were rapidly making their way towards the group after initially probing for a way forward. They had chosen different directions to come from. The smaller bike, having abandoned the smaller roads came at the left side of the intersection. The other two were further behind, with the truck taking a straightforward approach and his other companion coming up on the right of the intersection. All were attempting to evade shots from the Human snipers, with the bike being the most successful and the truck being the least. Just as the rest of the Humans began to open fire, the bike flipped over the mine and the Construct coming from the right was caught by sniper fire on his back end, sending him spinning out. The action resulted in him spinning into one of the mines and there was a rumble from the arena below as he went crashing into a building. There were multiple murmurs of appreciation but, they quickly ceased as they all noticed what the Demon was doing.

She was breaking away from the others and as Roh watched her something didn't feel right. Her movements weren't as fluid as usual and they were a lot more aggressive. As she steadily approached the oncoming Construct Roh had a sickening sensation he knew what was going to happen. Compelled to stop it, he nudged Walker with him arm as he continued to watch the Demon's progress.

"Someone must stop her," he instructed quickly, not currently concerned if he was being rude. "Something's not right."

"Mathews," Walker called without missing a beat and his next words surprised Roh, "get onto Hughes-"

"Already on it," Mathews responded. Just as he starting informing Hughes of the situation and her men started to turn to the Demon, Roh could see that it was too late. Despite how often he'd seen a Demon wreak havoc on the battlefield, the unbridled rage she used against the Construct was horrifying. She was scrambling up his arm, pulling and tearing at anything and everything after discarding her gun. There was no sound from the camera feeds, but Roh could see the pain twisting onto the Construct's face as he desperately tried to remove the Demon.

Then, the agony on the Constructs face spiked as the Demon's fist went further into his arm than before. What Roh assumed was blood spat out of the impact site, confirming that damage the Demon had done. To the front of the group, Roh just about registered Mathews calling Lennox while something metal glistened in the Demon's hand. He quickly studied the split second of imagery before him. The orientation of the object in her hand appeared to be directed towards the Construct's chest and despite knowing little about these Constructs, he knew if it landed it would be fatal. He wasn't sure why, but he felt his hearts in his throat as he quickly looked around for anyone that could stop her. Hughes' men were still getting into range because the Demon had been so fast and one of the other Constructs was still pulling itself from a building.

Suddenly, there was a flash of black metal and in the next instant the Demon was being slammed into the floor by what had been the black truck. Roh felt himself breathe a sigh of relief along with others in the room. Unclenching a fist, he hadn't realised how tense the events had made him. He wasn't sure why, but it was likely that he didn't want the Demon to ruin whatever chance they had at NEST. And despite the fact that he held little love for the Demon, she was his only way of getting home and he needed her to stay with NEST.

As they watched the Constructs arm withdraw and the Demon get to her feet uninjured and surrounded by guns, Mathews shut off the screens.

"Right," He yelled sternly, grabbing everyone's attention. "I'm going to need reports from all of you about what you just saw. Let's not draw this out more than it needs to be, right?"

There's a chorus of 'yes sir' that Roh was a part of, but he could see that some of the Humans were slightly shocked at what they'd seen. Other's appeared confused, or even angry and Evans was one such Human.

"She's nuts," he muttered as Walker led them from the room. Behind them Roh managed to catch a glimpse of Mathews pinching the bridge of his nose before turning the screens back on; no doubt to review them. Turning his head back forwards, Roh felt Evans' eyes on him, "did you think she'd do that?"

"No," Roh admitted. In truth he hadn't predicted her actions, which was something that worried him. As it meant that either his skills were slipping or there was something wrong with the Demon and he wasn't sure what was worse.

"Well you did say she was aggressive..." Evans said, a frown in his voice. "Even with what I saw the other day, I wouldn't have thought…"

Roh stopped at that. A thought slowly surfaced in his mind as he started to turn back the way they'd come.

"What's up?" Evans called as he also came to a stop. The others continued on with Walker at the lead while Roh started back to the observation room.

"I need to check something," he muttered and picked up the pace.

"Like what?" Evans had to jog to keep up and Roh turned to see he was grinning; why was the Human being so...friendly?

"I'll know when I see it." They got closer to the door and he could hear Mathews cursing at what he believed was the recordings of the Demon's actions.

Evans muttered something about Roh being cryptic, but he ignored it as he dashed into the observation room with Evans at his heels. Mathews instantly turned at their entrance a hand on his temple as the recording he was watching froze at the moment the Demon had cracked the Constructs arm.

"Evans? Newbie?" His voice was stern despite the soft expression on his face and Roh held back a flinch at the nickname he was anything but a 'Newbie'. "You two have your orders, you should be with the others."

"Sorry, Sir," Evans replied while Roh stepped around to look at the screen and analyse its contents. It was zoomed in on the Demon's form and her God given armour. Drowning out Evans, he pushed aside his irritation that she'd been given these artefacts so easily and focused on what he needed to. There was a tenseness to her body that could've been appropriate for battle had he not seen her fighting up close. From what he had seen, she was much more fluid in battle because that was where she appeared to belong; the tension in her rigid form had to be from something else…

"Roh?" Evans called, louder than necessary. Mathews was still stood staring at the pair expectantly.

"There's something wrong with the Demon," he murmured distractedly, still trying to see more in the still image.

Evans snorted, but whatever he had been about to say was stopped when Mathews raised a hand.

"What do you mean?"

Roh nodded towards the recording, "compared to what I've witnessed she's very stiff. From what I remember she's fluid in battle…" the image of the young Vito being killed flashed behind his eyes, causing him to stop. He took a moment to regain his composure, knowing that the Humans are eyeing him with varying degrees of concern.

"You alright?" Evans is the one to speak up. As Roh looked in his direction it appeared Mathews was content to leave it to him while he stared at the recording.

"The Demon has killed many of my people, it is difficult to forget the slaughter of my team," Roh admits shamefully; he'd failed as a Commander that day and it had cost him.

"It happens to the best of us. You just have to honour them the best you can." Evans' expression softens a small amount and Roh thinks it's the first time he'd seen compassion on the Humans face. He can tell that the Human's referring to things that have happened to him in order to understand and Roh nodded in appreciation.

"So, what do you think happened?" Mathews calls with an urgency to his voice. Roh turned and frowned at the paused recording. He wasn't sure what had happened, but perhaps he may if he saw more?

"Resume the recording," his voice unconsciously takes on an ordering tone. "But allow it to play slowly, we don't want to miss the smallest of details."

Mathews raises a brown sternly at Roh and the Sangheili realises his mistake.

"My apologies…Sir," he frowns as he says the word. It leaves an uncomfortable taste in his mouth and it felt strange to say. Perhaps this wasn't going to be as easy as he believed it to be. Although, from the deep set frown on Mathews' face, perhaps he found it strange too?

"Don't worry about it," Mathews waves his apology away as he approached the controls and tapped at them a little. As he finished to pressed at one of the buttons and looked up at the screen, "Now, let's see what we can find."

The recording resumed at a slow pace, which Roh was happy with. He watched the screen intently, staring at the subtle blue glow of the Demon's armour before he flicked his gaze brielf onto the to Construct. As he did, a flash of orange had him turning his attention right back to the Demon, only to see nothing different. He frowned and without looking away he requested Mathews to rewind very slowly. The Human silently agreed to his request and again there was the briefest of orange flashes as he did and it came from the Demon's armour. Had he not been looking for something he would've missed it as it lasted no more than half a second, if that. After realising where it came from, it took him but a moment to figure out what could be the cause.

"Her Construct…" he muttered aloud. The Demon had arrived with a Construct called…Dot? Had something happened to it? And was it the cause of the Demons sudden turn? Or at least a contributing factor?

"The orange flash," Mathews started. "You know what it could be, don't you?"

Roh turned away from the now paused recording and towards Mathews and Evans. Both looked at him expectantly for an answer and Roh found it strange that he hesitated before giving it. Surely if the Demon's Construct was breaking down it was in the best interests of her and those residing on base to do something about it? Although, it shouldn't be for him to decide. Yet here he was, making a decision that effected a Human and a Demon at that; nothing had changed.

Coming to a decision, Roh sighed heavily at what he was about to do, "The Demon carries with her an intelligence similar to that of Guardian, but it's power is not comparable to him. These intelligences have been known to deteriorate and their 'minds' become unravelled. I believe that the one the Demon brought with her has reached such a stage and may be the cause of what occurred today."

"You got all that from an orange flash?" Evans asked, impressed.

"I've seen it before," Roh supplied with certaintly. He wasn't about to mention that he'd seen similar behaviour in Guardian. It would not do for NEST to believe that Guardian was…unstable.

Mathews took that as his chance to jump in with a question, "she won't admit this will she?"

"No. She will protect the Construct at all costs."

He nodded and smoothed a hand over his buzz cut hair, "great. That doesn't make this difficult at all."

"And if it's not the AI?" Evans queried with a disbelieving frown on his face. Roh had a feeling that the Human couldn't believe it wasn't the Demon and it appeared that Mathews picked up on it too.

"Lennox will do what's necessary. In the meantime, I don't want your personal vendetta clouding your judgement." His tone was warning at first as he stared down at the shorter Evans, but then it softened and he added, "We all miss Carter. She was a great soldier, an even better medic and an amazing friend to a lot of people. But, that does not mean that you use her death against Noble Six, I'm sure she did everything she could."

"Sir." Evans snapped off, his posture tense.

Mathews sighed before turning to Roh, "I'll let Lennox know about what you found. Not sure he'll ask her about it considering how touchy she is. You've done well though and I think you'll fit in well, all things considered."

"Thank you, it has been an interesting experience working with your people," Roh admitted sincerely because while there hadn't been combat, it had been good to see things about the Humans that he'd never seen before.

Mathews chuckled before he started out the room, "you won't be saying that in a few weeks. I'm going to go tell Lennox what we found, make sure you both submit your reports; I'll know if you don't."

Before Roh could say another word Mathews was gone and he was left with a brooding Evans. The Human was facing the viewport with a frown. The Demon along with anyone else was long gone, but there were small echoes of what had occurred.

"Your anger for the Demon is not unwarranted, but it will not help your current situation."

Evans' response was short and snappy, "and you would know, wouldn't you?"

"Indeed, I would," Roh said solemnly.

He pressed his head against the glass before cursing, "ah, shit. I'm sorry. I'm being an arse, I know."

Roh chuckled at the admission as he took a position next to Evans, "The Demon has the ability to bring out the worst in those she's near. I suppose it is a curse for the power she bares, but also a blessing."

Evans snorted, "How can that be a blessing?"

"The Demon appears to be one who prefers her own company."

"That I can see," he chuckled harshly. "But it doesn't excuse her!"

"I do not know of the events that occurred or claim to know what goes on in the head of the Demon," Roh said, keeping his tone calm as he tilted his head in Evans' direction. "However, where we come from accepting losses becomes easier especially for someone such as a Demon or even myself. The death of the medic may not be a concern of the Demon, but it's of concern to you and your people and that is what should matter. Hating the Demon will not undo what has been done."

Evans sighed and his body drooped a little, "Maybe you're right. I guess you're speaking from experience, yeah?"

Roh merely nodded, it seemed that the Demon was had been involved in both their losses.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

~/~

Noble Six

Captain Hughes turned to face the others, striding towards the table at the centre of the room as she did, "Alright ladies, time for the toys. One handheld each and every one take a mine, Ratchet's tweaked them a little so they're smaller and lighter. They'll fold out on setup so it's not like trying to get them to hit an ant."

There were stern nods from the all-male group as the table at the centre slid open. Once it was open it appeared clearly divided into sections that showed the vast difference between the mines and their throw able counterparts. What Six believed were the mines were thick metal rectangles with straps for carrying then attached. Through the metal she'll she could see some complex circuitry as well as a few other pieces she didn't recognise. As for the handhelds they looked similar to a spike grenade, only they lacked the usual spikes. Both objects were a dark colour that would likely make them more difficult to find visually, but would do little if these robots used other means to detect them.

Including Six, everyone grabbed one of the mines and then they all picked up a grenade. There were a few excited murmurs as the group loaded themselves up. Once they were finished the top of the table slid back over, closing with a faint hiss that was followed by silence.

"Alright, Owen, Johnson and Harris you take the back and left three," Captain Hughes ordered. "Me, Six and Walker will take the rest, today's radio channel is Charlie-Two," She then used her free hand to flick a button on her radio. "This is Captain Hughes, sound off Charlie squad."

Six quickly told Dot to connect to the squad's channel as everyone sounded off, including the First Lieutenant's group. Once they were all satisfied that everyone was ready, Captain Hughes smacked a button that had the lights turning green. Seconds after they were charging out into the bright daylight and splitting into their two small groups. The training group was set out like a city, with a couple of high rise buildings here and there as well as cars that looked like they'd been rescued from re purposing. As she followed the Captain's run with her own light jog she had Dot get a map of the area.

By the time they reached the first mine's location Six had a clear map sat at the corner of her HUD. The Captain told her to keep watch at they quickly set up their first one, so Six crouched down quietly as she aimed through her gun down each street. Just before the Captain and Walker finished setting up, the other group called in their first set up completion. Six had Dot make the mine on her small map and then followed it up with theirs a second later.

Two more minutes of jogging later had them at their last one and the other team on their way to theirs. As Six crouched down in the middle of the road and slung the device off her back, something red flickered on her radar.

"Potential contact, two o'clock, two hundred meters from me." Six spoke swiftly and clearly as she placed the mine on the floor and activated it. Strips of metal shot out from each side, covering most of the road with a quiet hiss and click as it did. Just like the others a small green light illuminated the side of the mine, indicating it was armed.

"Affirmative Six, probably Knockout so stay alert everyone," Captain Hughes spoke sternly over the radio as she gestured for them to fall back down the road. With a nod Six brought up the rear, keeping an eye on her tracker and area as she did. Everything was silent as they hurried back to their rendezvous location. The location was at the centre of the mines layout and reasonably defendable as there were, from what Six could tell, hollowed out cars strewn around the area as well as some other forms of cover.

"Prepare yourselves! Six keep an eye on our nine," Captain Hughes thrust her arm out to her left as she spoke, before she then pointed it in the opposite direction. "Walker you take three, I'll keep an eye on our twelve until the others get here; they shouldn't be long."

The rest of the group arrived only moments later, assuming positions quickly as Captain Hughes directed them. Everyone remained quiet while Captain Hughes, Sergeant Major Owen and First Lieutenant Martínez spoke over the radio about possible sightings. Apparently no one had seen the large truck known as IronHide, although they had spotted the other two all over the area. As Six continued to listen she had Dot plot the sightings on her miniature map, frowning a little as she noticed something. The routes the two were taking gave them good sight of where they'd put the mines a well and they were gradually getting closer.

"-scouting the area," Martínez murmured over the radio. "They'll start coming in now, I think-we just spotted Knockout, your eleven o'clock!"

Another voice broke out on the radio, tagged as one of Martínez's snipers, "Beachbreaker spotted, coming up on your three o'clock."

"Safety's off ladies, get ready to fire on sight," Captain Hughes's voice was followed by multiple clicks in the area as everyone readied their weapons.

"Now, where's the big guy…?" Martínez trailed off into a question over the radio as the rest of them listened out for any sound of an approaching engine. As soon as Martínez finished talking one of the snipers from his group called out Ironhides position.

"Big guy a hundred meters straight ahead, looks to be charging- he's stopped-"

The man was cut off as another spoke quickly over the radio, "Knockout coming up fast, on your nine."

"Fire on sight, the rest of you keep an eye on the other two," Captain Hughes ordered. "They'll probably try and rush us when we engage Knockout, let's just hope the mines do their job."

There was group acceptance of the order and Six lowered her eye to the sight on her weapon. Through it she managed to spy the rapidly encroaching form of Knockout, also noticing that he was just about to hit the mine. A grin began to creep onto her lips before it was wiped off by a frown as the bike transformed and flipped over the area where the mine was. There were a few curses around her as everyone fired when the alien landed back in bike form. Six managed to get a couple of shots on him, but as the paint suggested she was finding it difficult hitting the important places.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion and crashing sound directly behind her. Shouts followed the noise, sharpness speared through her mind, and Six suddenly found herself in her old armour and back on Reach, staring down at a charging Ghost. She smirked as she remembered the best way to deal with this and she leapt over the makeshift barricade before charging at the oncoming enemy. Someone called out to her, but she was in the zone; it was just a lone Ghost after all, nothing she couldn't handle.

It took seconds to get close and she was surprised that the Ghost hadn't tried to shoot her. She was even more surprised when the vehicle transformed, but she didn't let it phase her. So they've cooked up something new, huh? Time to destroy their new toy, she thought with a smirk. The machine raised its weapon to shoot her and she pushed herself off the floor to avoid the shot. It cursed in English, which almost made her pause, only the veil was dropped back into place when something spoke to her.

"I've never seen this before…there's no time for that, eliminate the hostile. Scanning…I'm highlighting its weaknesses now." Suddenly everything looked different, she could no longer see reach and the hostile before her wasn't a machine it was a colossal mound of brown flesh that had been shaped into a body. It mattered little as Six listened like the soldier she was and as the voice spoke markers appeared on the hostile in various colours ranging from green to yellow to orange and then finally red. She took note of the red ones as she danced around another incoming shot and then shot up the hot barrel of the oversized gun; barely registering that it wasn't using plasma. No Plasma, what?

"What kind of ammunition is that? Useless! Get on it and take out its joints!" The voice sounded panicked as it roared at her distortedly. It then began to mumble over and over in her head, "I won't let you die too. Please don't die, I can't be left alone. Please, don't leave me alone. It's dark. It's cold. Please..."

Six tried to ignore it as words poured into her and instead focused on the task ahead of her. Adrenaline pumped through her as she leapt up and grabbed onto the first thing she could. She held on tight as the hostile tried to shake her off, glaring down at her with angry eyes. It chattered at her and suddenly the scene before her was flickering from the NEST base to Reach and then another place that looked familiar. The rapid shift was disorientating and she couldn't determine what was real; it had to be Reach. Something as strong and as well fortified as Reach couldn't have fallen, surely she'd dreamt it. Before clarity could come to her the voice in the back of her head whispered to her again and she snarled at her enemy before attempting to shoot it in the face with her free hand. Irritation spiked through her as some of the shots missed, although enough hit it in the face to distract it. She slung the weapon onto her back and then hastily pulled herself onto its arm, not stopping for anything as she charged her way up to the shoulder.

More shots hit the hostile in the face as she pushed herself onwards, launching herself over the metal-flesh- obstacles that stuck up all over the being's arm. It didn't take her long and she was soon at the shoulder and pounding away at the joint with her fists. The voice egged her on as the flesh –metal- began to buckle beneath her onslaught. She heard something very close scream in agony just as a warning was yelled at her.

"Down!" She was down in an instant, just as the voice asked. The sound of something fast swiping through the air reached her through the screaming. Not wanting to falter now she wound up another punch and struck hard at the metal –flesh- below her.

Crack, the noise echoed around her as the metal split and the surface she was on buckled. Alternatively, she watched as a strange mix of red and green liquid rushed out of the wound, it's smell hitting her with such force it must have been real. Silence followed for a moment before something young roared a name, she couldn't make it out and her hesitation was only berated.

"Don't stop now! The device you carry, use it on its chest. Now, while it's distracted!" Why? Something's not right, I- Her thoughts were cut off as something flexed in her mind and the voice spoke again, "You don't have time for this! They'll kill you!"

The words rocketed through her and made her move. She turned around and quickly found her target as she pulled the grenade off her leg. Noticing the armoured plates –thick flesh- on its chest she knew that in order to have the best chance of destroying this thing she'd have to jump down and shove it behind the plates –flesh-. Smirking, she was just arming it and jumping down to finish the hostile off when something smashed into them. Not wanting to been thrown to the ground she grabbed onto the nearest piece of metal she could, which happened to be the piece she'd partially ripped off. There was another agonised roar at her actions followed by something unknown grabbing her by the waist. The scenes flashed before her, her senses on overload as in one breath she was smelling burning metal while in another the putrid stench of decaying flesh was choking her. She couldn't determine what was real, she knew what she wanted it to be, but something itched at the back of her mind; was she crazy?

"No! You can't do this!" The words rattled through her head with earth-shattering rage. It was painful as her head tried to come to terms with it all. Suddenly there was a sharp hiss and pain crackled through her. She gasped as the thing holding her became slack and she fell. The wind was knocked out of her as her back smashed into the ground. A cough rose in her chest, but she promptly crushed it down as she hissed in both annoyance and discomfort.

"I'm sorry…Six." We all make it sooner or later. She cursed silently as the voice of Jorge rolled through her head and attempted to drag herself to her feet. Her helmet's HUD spiked with static that almost covered the whole screen, disorientating her as she staggered to her feet. Footsteps could be heard all around her as the only noise other than that was something groaning metallically. Her breaths came rapidly as something itched at the back of her mind; dread and anxiety being all she could feel from it. She vaguely wondered where Dot was, but the thought had little time to surface as someone coughed loudly before her.

Her head snapped up to see the furious face of a woman glowering at her. A rifle was held in the woman's hands and she was backed by multiple others pointing theirs at Six. As Six took the scene in her eyes widened in surprise, no…. how did this happen? She stared at her hands, expecting –wishing- to see something that would tell her this was not the real one. Blue covered hands stared back at her, the faint smell of electricity creeping through her filters as if trying to bring her to her senses. Stunned, Six didn't move as her hazy mind tried to process what had just happened.

I was attacking…the thought slipped through her fingers, Covenant? What was that other thing?

"What on Earth do you think you're doing?" The woman roared as the haze on Six's mind cleared back a little. Captain Hughes…

"Noble Six! You were told that this was a friendly exercise, yet you acted with the intent to kill! Why?" Captain Hughes tried again, her voice filled with power and strength, yet betrayal shone through her eyes. Six's confusion soon turned to anger when the voice spoke again.

"You can't trust her; you can't trust anyone. Not anymore at least." Six's HUD become distorted again as the voice crawled through her mind, what did you do!? What are you!? Nothing answered, instead she stumbled a moment as something rolled through the armour and tried to force her arm to grab her pistol. Resisting the movement, Six used her other hand to keep her arm in place.

"I've been compromised…" Six murmured barely believing the words herself. How did this happen? I'm not that crazy, am I? I've always been in control, nothing like this has ever happened. Her thoughts then turned to the armour and the voice, she had a feeling as to what it was and even if it wasn't the best of news she hoped she was right, because at least then I know it's not me that's damaged, it's something that's tangible and can be fixed.

Captain Hughes' tone was wary as she asked, "What do you mean 'compromised'? How?"

"The armour," Six would've gestured, but she was still holding back her hand. "Something's in here that shouldn't be."

"What about the armour?" Captain Hughes looked confused as she spoke and Six frowned before going to repeat what she just said, only to be cut off.

"She can't…hear you, I've disabled-the armours speakers. You must-not trust them, they-speak lies," exertion was evident in the distortion filled voice as it whispered through her head. Now that she wasn't so preoccupied with the flow of battle, she could tell that it's interaction with her felt similar to Dot's. She rolled the thought over in her head, realising that this was what had been causing Dot problems earlier, what was its name?

Sublime Aegis, the thought surfaced and she frowned in irritation. The corner of her scarred lip twitched up as she began to demand answers; if Guardian has anything do with this there'd be hell to pay.

"What did you do? I would never attack a friendly." If they were Human, her mind added silently to her caustic words.

Genuine confusion came with the reply, "I…There was a threat…I did not want you harmed because then I would be left alone again and I don't want to…"

Six didn't let the soft words change her tone. This…AI had probably ruined it all. She had assured them that she would not harm their alien friends and she'd broken her word. Gritting her teeth, she pushed past his answer and gave her harsh reply.

"You failed to check the situation and I should've ignored you. Where's Dot?"

"The other one? She tried to stop me from helping, but I broke past her defences." The words sounded so innocent for what they were describing and it only made Six madder.

"You didn't answer my question," she spat furiously.

"Is she important to you?" Six could feel herself growing impatient, but she continued to play his game.

"Yes."

"She is still here, I locked her away as her assortment of code made me uneasy. She has pieces of me," the last part was a hurt filled whisper, but Six wasn't in the mood to dole out sympathy so she pressed on.

"Bring her back, now." Her voice was steely and pushed through her teeth while she refrained from

There was a no response and Six was about to encourage another when the sensation of something seeping into her mind stopped her. She waited for a moment, hoping it was Dot, but preparing herself for the worst. When a voice finally spoke, Six hadn't realised how tense she had been.

"Noble Six," Dot's voice sounded quiet, but Six still felt the tension easing from her. She couldn't let anything happen to the AI because if she did, she didn't know what she'd do.

"Dot, everything where it should be?"

"Yes, Aegis has given me control for the moment. I'm turning the speaker back on, but we will need to discuss this later."

An instant later the strength in the armour on her arm dropped and she was staring at a very angry Captain Hughes. The rest of the team was gathered around, their weapons raised threateningly even if they were just filled with paint. Captain Hughes was furiously talking into her radio and Six had Dot slyly tap into the channel.

"She's talking to Major Lennox about what happened. He's not pleased, he wants to speak to you and her alone later. The rest of the team are to submit reports on what happened and Ratchet is on the way to aid Knockout. Apparently he set off the moment it happened, but I was unaware…" Dot trailed off into uncertainty and Six nodded as she pulled together a quick story that didn't involve the AI in her amour. She couldn't have them wanting to pull Dot apart and examine her and if they tired she'd decommission her.

Six breathed in, "Ma'am, it was never my intention to injure one of them. There was a HUD malfunction and I thought I was back on Reach."

Playing crazy will help to a certain extent, either way I never thought I'd be reprimanded for attacking an alien. She didn't like pretending she was effected by the war, but it was the only reasonable explanation that did end with just 'technical difficulties'. Besides, this way they would be unwilling to ask too many questions as they'd likely believe it would encourage flashbacks. A smirk materialized on her lips after she finished talking and Captain Hughes expression quickly swapped from furious to compassionate. The soldiers surrounding her looked vaguely confused, but lowered their weapons when she gestured them too.

"I understand, we'll report to the Major when we return and then we'll go from there." Six wasn't sure if she liked what the Captain was insinuating. It didn't matter though; she'd have to put up with it if she didn't want them going near Dot.

Six remained silent while Captain Hughes ordered everyone around. She had two of her men stand either side of Six and take her weapons. Six handed them over without question and stood impassively as her guards remained a fair distance from her. The rest of the Captain's men were escorted back to the main base by First Lieutenant Martínez, muttering things to each other as they left; likely believing that no one could hear.

"-think Reach is?" one asked.

"I don't know, she's from space-"

A third voice interrupted, "a planet probably. I wager one that got attacked-"

The second voice was snarky as it cut in, "and she was there."

There was a pause before the first voice spoke in a no nonsense tone, "quit it." There was a sigh, "whatever happened it must've been bad…. but what she did to Knockout…."

"Makes you wonder what she's really capable of…" the second voice trailed off as the owners grew in distance from Six. It didn't matter what they thought though, so long as she did her job and protected Humanity, nothing else mattered.

Ratchet arrived soon enough, his blue eyes furious as the glared at her when he walked past. She remained as silent as she had done for the past couple of minutes. The soldiers stood either side of her had said nothing, but she didn't fault them for it; they probably didn't know what to say. Behind her helmet she observed as Captain Hughes explained the situation and expressed her apologies. The alien nodded as he strode up to his comrade; who hadn't stopped glaring at her since the end of the exercise. Another one stood off to the side, a grimace on his face as he shook his hand a little and Six internally thanked him for stopping her. She'd never admit it though, not when they were the cause of everything wrong.

"C'mon then, let's go see the Major," Captain Hughes spoke with a heavy heart as she gestured for Six to walk with her. Silently complying, Six fell into step with the Captain while the other two soldiers brought up the rear.

"Knockout will be fine, Ratchet said it'll only take a few days for the joint to fully repair and after another day or so he'll be in the clear." Six wasn't sure what response the Captain wanted so she merely nodded.

There was a very obvious sigh from Captain Hughes, "Six, you're not making this easy. I can't try and understand what you're going through if you don't talk; it's what I'm here for."

"There's nothing to understand ma'am, I hurt and ally," Six rebutted tersely as much as she hated saying the word in reference to them.

"You've been through a lot and adjusting to this is probably difficult." There was a brief pause and then a guilt filled, "I shouldn't have made you participate today. It was too soon… you haven't even been here a week."

Six watched in surprise as the woman's brows knitted together in concern; she blamed herself? Her eyes then swept back to stare at Six though her faceplate. A myriad of emotions washed through her troubled eyes and didn't show any sign of leaving.

"I'm sorry Six, for not understanding the rapid changes you're going through. You're a good soldier and probably an even better person under all that armour." Six refrained from snorting at the Captain's words, there was no person other than the soldier she was created to be. The armour was a part of her and she doubted anyone other than another Spartan would understand that.

"Silent as always, huh?" Captain Hughes had a strained smile on her face as she spoke, "I guess it was quite a shock."

Six frowned in confusion, why was she so sympathetic and not angrily berating her for what she had done? She had looked so furious, so what had changed?

"Why aren't you a disciplining me?"

The Captain's voice turned serious, "the severity of what you've done means I must refer you to Major Lennox. But, there are two reasons why I'm not yelling in your face right now. The first being that I believe you know what you've done was wrong, so yelling isn't going to achieve anything." Her face then softened while her voice adopted a wistful tone, "as for the second, I knew someone who had a severe case of PTSD. Your incident reminded me of one of the episodes he had," Captain Hughes paused to collect herself while they continued to walk into the prep room from earlier. "After that, he wasn't the same and then a few months later...well, it didn't end well. I don't want to see someone else suffer because of it, that's why I'm not yelling at you."

Captain Hughes finished with a sad smile and Six wasn't sure what to feel after that admittance. Perhaps she should have felt guilty, but she didn't and that was why she had a mask.

"Thank you, ma'am. Your understanding is appreciated," Six laced the words with sincerity so that the woman would believe her genuine. As she did they passed out of the prep room and into another they hadn't been in earlier.

"Good. Right, the Major will be through there," she gestured to a door on the far wall and they began to walk towards it. Captain Hughes flashed her a reassuring smile when they reached the door and she knocked on it, "here goes nothing."

There was a very stern, "come in" that answered their knock and with the Captain ordering her men to remain outside, they both made their way into the room.

The room was simple and reminded Six of one ONI would use for their 'interviews'. It was empty apart from a black metal table that sat at the centre with a chair on one side and two on the other. The Major has a serious look on his face as he sat next to an empty chair with a few papers, and what Six believed was their equivalent of a data-pad. He silently gestured for her to sit opposite him as Captain Hughes joined him on his side. Moving as requested, Six carefully placed herself on their chair, prepared for it to collapse as it creaked with her weight. The chair didn't buckle and Six waited in silence for the Major to begin.

"Could you remove the helmet?" He asked curtly as he slid the data-pad to Hughes. Six watched the sleek black metal slide across the table, curious as to what was on it, and then without a word she had the helmet pull away from her face.

The Major then sent Hughes a nod and she tapped the screen before her, "Interview with First Lieutenant Spartan Bee-Three-One-Two, also known as Noble Six, conducted on the tenth of September two-thousand and eight at sixteen-hundred hours. The subject of this interview is an incident that occurred between Noble Six and another member of NEST, Knockout. The incident in question occurred on the tenth of September two-thousand and eight at fifteen-seventeen hours. Noble Six, are you aware of the incident in question?"

"Affirmative, Sir."

"Sitting in on this proceeding is Captain Samantha Hughes, Commander of Charlie squad and by extension Noble Six. Captain, are you also aware of this incident?"

"Yes, Sir. I witnessed the whole thing," Hughes replied evenly, her face neutral as she glanced at the Major.

He nodded in response and looked at Six, "Explain, in your own words, what occurred between you and Knockout."

"Our team had set up the EMP devices that were being testing. We were waiting for the enemy to arrive and when they did we engaged. The one called Knockout avoided the EMP device and in order to prevent him from getting closer to my allies I charged at him. During my engagement with the enemy I…." she added in the hesitation, pulling her face into an expression that displayed distress.

The Major's expression softened just a little at her act, "take the time you need."

Six nodded and swallowed for effect, "I had flashbacks to a battle that commenced on the planet Reach. The confusion of it all had me confusing the contact with that of the Covenant," She grit her teeth and clenched her fists at this point, not needing to fake her hatred for the Covenant.

"I will mention that the Covenant is a collection of aliens, determined to wipe out Humanity where Noble Six is from. The planet Reach is a place where Noble Six was stationed before it was destroyed by the Covenant," The Major's voice remained steady despite the fact his eyes flashed with grief and anger.

He gestured for Six to continue, and she did keeping up her little act as she did, "I…attacked the contact with intent to kill and planned on using the grenades we had been given for the exercise to do this. Had one of the other contacts not intervened, I believe the outcome would have been worse."

The Major nodded and asked another question, "What do you believe it was? A flashback? A hallucination? Something else?"

Six pretended to take her time, schooling her expression into one of mild thoughtfulness. When she believed enough time had passed she answered uncertainly, "I'm unsure. It felt so real. I can't determine what it was."

"That's okay, maybe another question will help…"

They continued much like that for what Six believed was half an hour. The Major asked her numerous questions as he tried to determine what had happened and why. As he did that she pretended to be confused about it all, not to lessen any punishment she would receive, but to protect Dot. His questions covered many areas, from her feeling towards aliens to how she usually handled her mental state on the battlefield. She kept as much truth to it as she could, making sure that nothing conflicted and that her story remained intact. However, when it came down to it, it didn't matter whether or not she lied; it was nothing new.

~/~

William Lennox, NEST

He'd seen it happened. He'd watched as Knockout screamed in pain while everyone was powerless to stop it. He should've know that she wasn't ready. After everything he'd heard, he should've given her more time to adjust. Roh had told him about what she'd done to his team and while a small part of him felt they deserved what they got, the rest of him realised how that behaviour could so easily translate over.

Six was unstable, that much was evident from how quiet and aggressive she was. He knew why she was like that and he wanted to understand, but he couldn't possibly ever truly understand. She was from a universe surrounded by war and death. A place where she could easily identify her enemies and take shots without consequence. He had hoped that she had gotten used to the 'Bots enough and the beginning of the exercise had shown that.

Will sighed as he stared out over the sand and ocean. Reds and oranges bled through the waves as the sun was beginning to set over a day that he wished hadn't happened. Six was currently confined to the brig without her armour while Ratchet tended to Knockout's arm.

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Will," the comforting baritone voice was accompanied by multiple sets of heavy steps. Turning to see who else was with the Autobot commander, Will was surprised to see that it was everyone bar Knockout and Beachbreaker.

"I shouldn't have let her participate," Will rebutted. "She wasn't ready."

"You do not know the ins and outs of Noble Six. She will have to start working with us one day," Optimus reasoned.

Will shook his head furiously, "Not at the cost of one of you. I don't know what to do with her…. She doesn't think or act like anyone I've ever had under my command. She-"

"Acts like a soldier with nothing to lose," Ironhide supplied.

"She's reckless," Ratchet snapped angrily. "Her clouded past makes her difficult to predict and reason with."

"Ratchet, we know-"

Ratchet waved his hand sharply, "We only know what she wants us to know and she knows there's nothing we can do about it."

"Ratchet…." Optimus started.

"No, Optimus. You must see it! She's not some poor Human in need of a good talk, she's a killing machine and the only thing she'll ever see as the enemy is us!" Ratchet hissed, his blue eyes turning a furious white with each word.

Optimus put a calming hand on Ratchet's shoulder, but the irate Autobot smacked it away before storming off. They watched silently as the green medic disappeared through the hangar doors. Optimus then turned his weary eyes to Will.

"I'm sorry, Will…."

Will shook his head, "No, I'm sorry. I put one of your people in danger today and if it hadn't been for Ironhide…."

"Don't be so hard on yerself," Ironhide chipped in. "She may be able to take down to 'Con grunts, but we're not so easy."

Will nodded tersely, "How's Knockout holding up?"

"His injury is providing some discomfort, but it'll soon be repaired," Optimus assured. "However, he holds a huge amount of hatred towards Noble Six, so I would suggest keeping them away from one another for the foreseeable future."

"Don't worry Optimus, with what she did today…there's going to be hell to pay…."

"Will," Optimus began. "While I know Noble Six must receive some form of punishment, please do not be to-"

"Prime?" Ironhide snapped his head up. "Will can't afford to be soft, not with someone like her."

Optimus sighed and was about to speak again when Will started, "I know what you're saying Optimus, but I can't have her past clouding my judgement no matter how it affects her. I have to treat her like any other soldier under my command and I know you'd do the same."

"Perhaps my agenda to make her feel welcome in this place is clouding my judgement…" Optimus hummed thoughtfully. "I do not know how to handle a Human such as her as she leaves no room for change. The incident with Knockout today has shown me that she's not what I had anticipated."

"She's not what any of us anticipated," Will confirmed, silently wondering if finding out more about her augmentations would change that.

"I will leave you to your thoughts, if you need any aid with Noble Six, my door is always open," Optimus said gently before striding away. Ironhide sent him a reassuring looks before he too set off towards the Autobot hangar.

~/~

From: Maj. Lennox

To: Gen. Morshower

Subject: RE: New Recruits

Received: 16:00 09-13-08

Attached is a full report on Sigma's and Rho's progress during the week. Sigma has shown little socialisation improvement, but the acquisition of their new armour has drastically improved their mental state. Sigma also appears to be distracted with their Alpha, but the reason remains a mystery to all on the base. Although, Gamma is likely to know and is as elusive as ever. An exercise earlier in the week shows Sigma's battlefield prowess and the ability to work with their team, however, there was an incident as you are aware [Details attached – see file 'Charlie_091008'].

Rho keeps away from Sigma and confines themselves to the NBE's hangar. They appear to be getting along as well as possible with the residents of the base, although it is understandable that many remain wary of Rho's intentions. Rho has also shown a great tactical mind in their groups final combat exercise of the week [Details attached – see file 'Foxtrot_091208'].