"One does not choose his future, but one can choose how to achieve it". ~BarQes_

Chapter 11: Antigua

Linda opened her eyes slowly. She noticed that she's in a small and clean room. There was nothing more than a single chair a small couch and lots of hospital equipment. "So that explains where I am...Now how did I get here". Linda thought to herself.

As on gue a doctor in white hospital robe entered the room and jumped slightly surprised that the spartan was awake.

"Ah my apologies, didn't think you would be up quite this fast". Came her fast reply. She took a deep breath and continued "Doctor Elisabeth Woods at your service". She gave Linda a quick handshake and noticed that even tho she seemed to listen she really wasn't in this room.

"How are you feeling?" She asked professionally.

"Terrible" Was here simple answer. "Where is John?" She continued almost instantly.

"John?" Elisabeth was confused, the spartans names weren't common knowledge so she naturally had no idea who Linda was talking about.

Linda looked confused for a moment and realised "Oh...I-I mean the Master Chief". She managed to say before she started coffing blood.

"Need help in room 127, NOW!" Elisabeth yelled to her personal walkie-talkie.

2 Hours later Infinity infirmary

Outside Lindas private room Fred paced around nervously. Spartans weren't ment to have feelings but working with someone for your entire life changes man's perspective on things.

Blue team shared a bond that no other spartan fireteam had. They had lived, fought and survived together. They were connected to each other so deeply that they didn't know how to tie their shoe lashes without doing it as a team.

It shoudn't even have to be explained that John's disappearing to Halo campaign tore them apart and they were certain that Chief didn't have it any easier eather.

Fred was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard door opening behind him. He tore his gaze from Linda's prone form and turned around. What he saw was hearthbreaking. If he wasn't sure that he had a hearth he is now.

John in the definition of the word looked like shit. His short hair was all over the place, his blue eyes looked hollow and the giantic eyebags didn't help the situation.

"I thought we were over this John". Fred stated seeing his condition. "I thought you pulled yourself together for the team". He kept going trying to be careful not to cross any boundaries.

"It's never truly over is it?" He said quietly, almost whispering.

Fred realised that the amount of death John had seen he would never heal. At least in wartime and most definitely not when his comp…" He line of thought was cut when John walked past almost bumping into him. He opened the door to Linda's room and walked inside.

He circledaround Linda's bed ones and sit in the reinforced metallic chair next to her.

"I really am the death of all of us". He said quietly inspecting Linda's sleeping form before putting his face in his hands.

"No...You are the reason we are still alive and well". Came Linda's quiet voice. It was so quiet that no one but spartan could have heard it.

John stiffened when he realised she had spoken. He looked up from his hands and saw Linda's tired but worried eyes on looking at him.

"My personal attachment with an AI construct is getting us all killed. I could never forgive myself if I lost you again...Any of you again".

Linda was tired but her worry just doubled. John had never opened up about his emotions to anyone else but Cortana and now here they were talking about the most important and fragile part of John's life.

"John we both know you don't mean that. She was or perhaps will still going to be your partner, comrad, fellow soldier and most important of all...Lover".

Her words hit him like a train. Had she just..Had Linda out of all people told him that.

Linda was the most quiet of all the spartans and rarely showed any emotion towards anything. In conversations she preferred to stay quiet and only speak when spoken to, shortly even then.

Now she gave him encouragement from her hospital bed when she should be resting.

Chief was wordless. Not that he spoke very often after Cortana's...But this was different.

"Linda I-I"

"Shhhh" She stopped him and giving John a moment continued "You are our only hope to ever defeat the guardians and get Cortana back. I didn't understand before why or how you got so attached to her but now I understand. John the seeds of our future lies in your past…" With that Linda fell asleep exhausted from her injuries.