Emily

The silence was terrible. Frayed wires and circuits drifted in the breeze, the wind whistling through holes in the spaceship.

"J…John?"

I shivered, feeling small. I hated the quiet. I hated the bodies. I hated myself for having eyeballs. John was kneeling on the ground, his eyes downcast. He seemed to be in some sort of trance and he did not respond when I called his name. I closed my eyes and walked over, remembering the landscape so I didn't have to look at the skeletons. I stopped and John's blinked. I touched him lightly on his shoulder, and he lifted his head. His eyes were completely blank and cold, emotionless. The shock had swallowed his feelings again. I didn't want to say anything, didn't want to disturb him, but I was scared and unsure. He was the only one who could help with that.

"Where are we?" I whispered.

John didn't respond, looking over my head into space somewhere.

"Wh…what happ-"

"They are Spartans." he finally said, his voice stiff.

I forced myself to look at one of the less gross skeletons. Its bones gleamed like metal, and that was not normal. Spartan bones were coated with some kind of metal to make them almost unbreakable. I sniffed. I thought. I acted. I cried. This was too much. Too too much. I could not deal with this. Why? Why do we insist on having wars like this, even in the future?

"Their last names are numbers. And I recognize the first names."

What had he just said? Only one Spartan program had their candidates last names removed, from UNSC files, from their heads.

John's program. The dead Spartans were IIs. This was horrible. No wonder why he had cried. He seemed to be okay now, standing and glaring at the alien bodies. Man, he recovered quickly.

"Why did they fight? Couldn't their spaceship just run away?"

"It would have been boarded, the captain killed. It would have crashed."

"How are we going to get out of here?"

"We are not. We will ask someone to take us. There may be a radio inside the ship." he said in short sharp words.

This man was not happy, and I didn't think he would be for a while.

One hour later

Emily

I felt dizzy, so I sat down on one of the many supply crates littering the bridge. Many of the computers and monitors had been smashed, and what John was doing didn't help the picture. He was ripping metal plating off the wall; he was searching for the radio system. He'd spent the better half of an hour looking for the armoury, which he couldn't find to his obvious annoyance. He was clearly looking for weapons. He had also dragged me around with him, so I was dehydrated and my legs ached. He'd seemed to have recovered completely from seeing his dead Spartans outside. Yes, I said "his" because he was their commanding officer, well, until the war had ripped the squads apart. The Human Covenant War had caused all the strife, all starting from when an alien ship had landed on a planet called Harvest, requesting the planet as their own. I was interrupted in my musings by a loud crash as John threw a metal plate down. He turned and marched down the ruined corridor. He had done this all day; not bothering to check to see if I was okay, not bothering to see if I was following. His emotions were gone again; he had reverted back to what he had been like on the Infinity, cold, hard, uncaring. I trotted behind John, halting when he stopped to look up into the air vent. He was obviously looking for something and I didn't ask why, he probably wouldn't respond. He hadn't said a word after his pronunciation that there may be a radio. He walked for about ten minutes, not bothering to check if I was still there. He ceased walking finally as he reached a glass case. It was full of what looked like opaque computer chips. They were blue, and I recognized them. They were memory crystals, the equivalent of a HALO universe's USB drive. I watched John as his eyes roamed over them, flicking about restlessly. I heard a small shifting noise above me and I looked up, freezing in place as I did so. An alien was crouched on a roof panel above me, training a plasma rifle on John. I screamed.

"John! MOVE!"

It was too late, as John noticed the alien he threw himself to the right, but the superheated green plasma was too fast even for him. It scorched across his left flank, burning a whole instantly through the cloth and I could smell something ominously close to burning flesh. He didn't cry out, just fell on his side and got up. It was amazing. He was probably in terrible pain, but he didn't show it, blood running down his side and onto the metal floor. The alien jumped down, bending his knees with the weight of the impact. He threw away the plasma rifle, drawing his plasma sword instead. It was blue, with white along the edges, and it hummed quietly. He had four mandibles for a mouth and he was coated in thin grey armour. He leaped at John, but the Spartan was too quick, injured as he was and he dodged out of the way, slamming his fist into the side of the alien's head as he went past. There was a sickening crunch as I watched in horror; John's hand appeared on the other side of the alien's skull. I cringed. I quailed, and I hurled. I collapsed onto the floor, my guts emptying the last of my food onto it. After a minute I stopped and looked for John. He was crouching, his hand pressed to his side where the plasma had hit. He didn't look in pain, and his eyes were sharp and clear, his pupils narrowed. He seemed more interested in me than the thin trail of blood running down the side of his chest.

"John! You've..You've been hit! Go to the medbay!"

I stood and grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the direction of the medbay(There seemed to be one every hundred metres) frantically. He stood slowly, obviously hampered by his wound. It was obvious he didn't feel the pain, but physically his body was failing. I was angry that he walked calmly down the corridor after me, blood trailing behind him when he could die. The door to this medbay was smashed in and the only thing not overturned in the whole room was a bed with clean white sheets. I shoved him over, though it did nothing to his speed. He walked almost…ponderously over, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"What do I do?"

He didn't reply.

"TELL ME!" I screamed.

He still didn't respond, although he grabbed a bandage from a table and began to wrap it around his middle, over his injury. The blood stopped as the layers got tighter and I realised that I didn't need to help him, he could help himself. I huffed. He could have told me that I didn't need to do anything that it was alright. I was angry with him, and I knew that he realised it. Once he was done, he lay down on the bed, obviously to rest. He was completely ignoring me.

"What are you doing?"

"Keep searching for the radio." he said in a completely calm voice.

"What? I can't leave you!" I said indignantly.

"Look for the radio." he repeated.

"But…Grr…Nevermind."

I ran non-stop back to the bridge, angry. By the time I arrived, I had used all my anger for fuel for my muscles. I would find the radio, and I would give it to John.

Three hours later

John-117

I did not feel pain. Now that my emotions had disappeared, I could simply acknowledge and ignore it. I did not enjoy emotions one bit. Only happiness was one that I moderately liked. My mind drifted back to the Spartans. My Spartans. I had recognised many of the names on those dogtags, felt the memories come washing back. Now I didn't care that they were dead. I was in a cold rage, showing it when I killed that Covenant waiting in the ceiling. I did not really care about Emily much anymore, although a small voice said that I should, that she was a friend. Some logic in my head said that friends were useful. I shoved away the voice, instead focusing on listening on the child who was even now, running back, honing my enhanced hearing on one sound of footsteps, light and quick. She was about fifty metres down the corridor, and I could hear her heavy breaths as she ran. I heard her voice explode into my head, cringing as my boosted hearing amplified the sound.

"I found it! I did it! Jooohn!" she hollered excitedly as she burst into the room. I did not let on that her excited yells were deafening me.

Emily

I handed the radio box over to John, grinning happily. I had succeeded. He took it from me, examining it closely. The box was see through and I could see the circuits perfectly, and it fit neatly into his hand. John took one look and crushed the fragile box in his fist. I gasped in horror.

"It is fried. We cannot use it." he said.

I flopped down onto the bed next to him. A wave of exhaustion and disappointment washed over me; I had crawled through twenty metres of maintenance tunnel, barging through wires and shards of metal. My left hand had a deep gash in it because one of the metal bits had sliced it. I held it to my side, attempting to slow the ooze of blood. It seemed okay and I did not feel the need to bandage it. John however thought otherwise, and nothing escaped his sharp eyesight. He turned his head, looking down at me. He grabbed my hand, turning it over, his pupils narrowing as he examined it.

"You are hurt."

"That sounds rich, coming from you. You could have died."

I was exhausted and extremely annoyed. He had crushed my hard work in an instant. I didn't particularly feel like being nice. I knew I should be kinder, he was caring about me, and that was a big step after he had turned all "Spartan mode" on me.

John-117

I examined the cut on the child's hand. It was deep, around one centimetre. It could get infected and I didn't particularly want to amputate her hand. I was a little concerned, I felt something for this child, I knew but I could not seem to resurrect the feeling. I knew I had….felt before, but now I could not. I remembered that I was scared of emotions. That they complicated everything. I did not understand why this child could feel and do what was necessary at the same time. I did not believe emotions have a purpose. I pulled a bandage off the shelf in front of me and began to wrap it around her hand. This was an old ship, the medical supplies were not up to date and many of them were probably what Emily had in her world. Emily winced a little as I wrapped up her hand, but I paid no attention and carried on, taking great care to not break any of her tiny bones. I finished and let go of her hand, and she did something completely unexpected. She knelt on the bed and kissed my cheek. I saw it coming but did not react. I wanted to see how it felt. It felt strange, but good at the same time. I knew that was a normal person's way of thanking someone. I knew that she was trying, trying to get me to feel. It didn't really work.

"Thanks John." She said gratefully.

"Do not ignore your injuries." I chastised.

"C'mon John. Lighten up."

I could not reply as bright sparks exploded in my vision and I could feel a sharp pain on the back of my head. I slid off the bed, collapsing onto the floor. I knew exactly what had happened; someone was trying to knock me unconscious. My head was on its side, on the floor and I saw Emily collapse, down for the count beside me. I felt a surge of anger that someone would treat her like that, but I set it aside as I knew that I had to ignore feelings. My brain urged to do the same as Emily's had, but someone rolled me over onto my back before my light snuffed out. My eyes adjusted to the setting sun through a hole in the roof above me and I looked up into pale blue eyes. They were set into a scarred feminine face, with thin eyebrows much like mine. Her lips were pressed together tightly, she was obviously not enjoying this or she was surprised. Spartans did not have a wide range of facial expressions. I wondered why I had called her a Spartan. The face struck me as familiar and my dazed brain provided me with the necessary information:

It was Kelly-087, a Spartan who had used to be in my squad.

And probably the fastest thing that had ever lived.

I went out cold.

Three hours later

Emily

I woke up with a jerk. Blood trickled down the back of my neck from a wound on my head. I attempted to feel it but found I couldn't. I yanked at my hands but found them bound together with rope, my feet restrained likewise to a metal chair. I was in a large room, which looked very much like every other room on the ship; metal plates, more metal plates and more metal plates. I looked wildly around for John, and saw him at the other end of the room, a syringe stuck in his arm. His eyes were open and looking about, but he did not move, his body slack. I realised he was sedated weakly, enough so he couldn't move but his mind was coherent. I tried to scream but found I was gagged. I "Mrrffpttt!" frantically and a face appeared in front of me. I wanted to bite whoever that was, I did not enjoy being tied up. My eyes focused and I realised it was a she. She loosened my gag and I spat murder at her.

"Oi! You! Who do you think you are! What did you do to John! Where are we? You psychopath!"

The woman's blue eyes seemed to narrow, suspiciously like…..John's? I examined her face. Her eyes seemed to have that steely coldness that John's had, and her face was scarred like his as well. I realised I was looking at another Spartan II, a survivor. She ignored me and strode over to John. His eyes flicked upwards and I knew he was trying, trying to move. She yanked out the syringe, and I knew that John would be mobile soon.

"He's gonna chew you out, whoever you are, cause he is the Master Chief and the most badass person I know."

The other Spartan froze and spoke.

"You…..Know?"

Her voice was somewhat lighter and less serious than John's and it did not have that undertone of command that his had.

"Hell yeah. And I have no idea what rank-"

"Petty Officer First Class."

"-you are, but he's gonna kick your ass out of this universe. I don't think he likes being sedated and I sure as hell don't like being tied up."

I snorted at "Petty" Officer.

"Oh I see. A "Petty" Officer." I smirked.

I enjoyed antagonising people, I realised. She whirled around, glaring at me, crouching and lowering her face centimetres from mine. I was a little surprised; her emotions were not as controlled as John's. I looked straight into her eyes, refusing to back down; she seemed to do the same. Slurred speech ended our stalemate.

"Stop it. Kelly, she is our ally."

The so called "Kelly" started in surprise. I relaxed as I realised who she was, the mystique fading away. She was Spartan-087, the fastest of all the Spartans. Her reaction times were even less than John's, which meant she could react in less than a third of a second. She also ran slightly faster, around 70km/h.

"John? How did you get here? And who is this child?"

I got a little annoyed at "child". I was almost thirteen! She referred to the Master Chief as John so it was obviously a close relationship. They had, after all, been in the same squad.

"She is my friend. Untie her."

I felt a little happier. He had referred to me as friend. Kelly simply broke my bonds. I sprung up, rushing past Kelly. I tried to get to John, who was trying to flex his legs and arms. He obviously couldn't feel them yet. Kelly flashed something and before I had even processed this, a hand was hooked around the neck of my shirt, pulling me back, choking me.

"Orruk! Hey! Let ME GO!" I coughed out.

"She doesn't come near you until I know who she is and why you are here."

John sighed. He told Kelly about me coming to the Infinity, going to my world, coming here. Her grip loosened when he finished and I scrambled forward. By the time he had finished he was able to stand and I ran behind him, peeking out to stick out my tongue at Kelly. John fastened a hand around my shoulder and I felt a prick at the side of my neck. I realised John had stuck me with the rest of his sedative. I looked up at him with dismay.

"I am sorry. But I need to talk to Kelly without you hearing."

I went out like a light.

John-117

I stuck the syringe in Emily's neck and she looked up at me. Her gaze was filled with betrayal and sadness and I felt a little twinge. I didn't enjoy doing that to her. She fell limp and I caught her, laying her down gently onto the floor. Kelly shifted from foot to foot. She was so fast that she could not sit still for more than a minute. Back when she was in my squad, she had to actually slow herself down for me and the others.

"So what will we do, John?"

"Did any escape pods fire?"

"Yes, two or three I think." she said, chewing her lip.

"Then their radios may be functioning. Emily retrieved the radio from this ship and it was fried."

"Emily retrieved the radio?" Kelly asked disbelievingly.

I frowned. Why did that sound so strange now?

"Yes she did. Is that a problem?"

"Err…no."

"Good. Do you know if any other Spartans…survived?" I asked tenderly.

I was treading on broken glass here. Even though I was her commanding officer, our friendship meant she could challenge me. Kelly was known for having a quick temper.

"Fred may have survived. I don't really know, once most of the Spartans had died we retreated into the ship. Fred and I split up and I don't know where he is. Linda ejected in an escape pod. She didn't arrive at the ship's crash site."

I felt a little better knowing that Frederic-104 was probably still alive and in the ship somewhere. Linda-058 was a different story. I wanted to find her, but Fred would be first. Some help would be useful. I felt a small amount of happiness entered my mind. All my old squad members would reunite and I could see them again. Kelly was excellent bait, her speed enabling her to distract enemies, earning her the nickname "rabbit". Fred had an uncanny skill with combat knives and Linda was the finest sniper I had ever seen. The combination of these skills had made Blue Team the most formidable Special Forces squad in the UNSC's arsenal. The war had killed the fourth member, Samuel-034, also effectively separating Blue Team. I had considered him almost as my brother. I shoved away my grief; it had been more than twenty years ago. First, however, I needed help to find Fred. Two Spartans were hardly enough to search the spaceship's vast length.

"John I am happy to see you. I missed you."

I jolted away from my thoughts. I did not know how to respond to this. Some memory in my head knew how to, but it was too faint and I could not summon it.

"I….I missed you…too Kelly."

She sighed and I knew I had failed my attempted of stepping around the conversation.

"John, we can't search the ship by ourselves."

"I know. But I know who can help us."

"Surely you don't mean…."

I was going to ask Emily to help.

And I did not think it would be easy.

Emily

I opened my eyes, focusing them on a scarred face. It was John, so I spat. I was not happy that he had sedated me. His head jerked and the spit sailed past.

"Emily, I require your help."

"And pwhat mwakes yhu think I whill?" I slurred.

"Because you will be finding Frederic-104."

I started in surprise.

"Wwhy?"

"So we have reinforcements. We will be looking for escape pods and Linda-058. The pods also may have a working radio."

"Ok. So you are looking for Fred, so we can look for Linda. Why the heck would we need more people?"

I didn't understand. He didn't explain things very well, in his silent "man of few words" state.

"There may be Covenant around. We will need the extra help."

Just great. Juuuust great, I thought. Well, at least that explained it. I also thought that John was finding Fred for his own personal gain. He obviously wanted to unite his team again.

"Hmmm….okay. But don't blame me if Fred kills me or something." I grudgingly agreed.

Two hours later

Emily

"We will split into teams. Kelly will be searching along the corridors of the starboard side; I will do the same on the port. Emily you will go straight through the middle."

Kelly saluted and whirled away, running into an access tunnel. I looked at John. He seemed to be thinking.

"I thought it would be best to separate you and Kelly." he announced.

I folded my arms.

"And why would that be?"

"Kelly is not exactly impressed that I have decided to take you along with us."

I growled. I turned and stomped down the main corridor through the middle of the ship. I didn't like being called a liability. I wasn't sure that I liked Kelly now. Some part of me wanted to prove that I wasn't useless. I looked everywhere as I walked, but I didn't spot anything out the ordinary. The walk was all uphill, so I stopped to take a rest and sat down on one of the metal peg-things that seemed to line the floor. I heard a soft thump, very similar to when the alien had jumped down. I shot upright, turning my head to look. Jesus. There was a man standing three metres away with brown hair and eyes. His face was scarred very much like John and Kelly's. Why do Spartans have to keep appearing like that? It scares me out of my wits! He advanced around me like two boxers do in a ring. I copied, my arms held in a ready position although I knew I was hopelessly outmatched. I mostly did it to show that I wasn't afraid. The initial shock had faded away. I thought it was Fred, because I remember reading that he liked to use combat knives, two of which he held currently in his hands. His eyes seemed to focus on mine, like he was trying to intimidate me. I glared back defiantly. He almost seemed curious, like I was a bug in an insect exhibit. He cocked his head to the side, almost an impression of John. I yelled, maybe John or Kelly would hear me. I didn't think Fred would keep this cautious curiosity up for long.

"Keeeellly! Jooohn! I found him!"

Frederic-104

The child yelled for two people, using names I remembered. She knew them? I twirled my knives restlessly. I didn't want to attack. She did not seem a threat, she was a civilian, and I did not attack them. This child was ferocious, glaring at me like I wasn't even holding weapons, like I was tiny. I was a little surprised, I had only encountered civilians screaming and running. I continued to circle around her. She followed suit, so I had some time to think. I knew Kelly had survived, but I couldn't find her. John however was a different story. The Human Covenant War had ripped the Spartan IIs apart and it was sheer luck that Kelly, Linda and I and a few other Spartans had stuck together. I hadn't seen John for over twenty years. I decided that I would ask the child a question, because I was utterly stumped.

"John and Kelly?"

The child replied, her tone one of utter anger. She obviously was scared, but covering it up with rage-imbued words.

"Yeah, and they're gonna come and save me, you don't scare me one bit, you and your tough act and twirling knives."

Heh. This wasn't a tough act, it was my normal act. I darted forward, slipping my knives back into their sheaths and gliding past her, hooking my arm around her small neck. I didn't do it hard enough to choke her, but enough so that she was dragged backwards. Her small legs kicked wildly. The child viciously bit my arm, but I didn't feel anything. I turned around, so I was facing towards her back, looking over her head.

Emily

Fred put me into a hostage position, like I had seen in the movies when the murderer had a gun or a knife. I bit his arm, trying trying to get him to let ME GO. I didn't like the feeling that I was weak, that I couldn't fight back. I hollered loudly, knowing that his enhanced hearing would hurt his ears. I tortured him as best I could, so I felt a little better.

"I'll STOP WHEN YOU LET ME GOOOOOOO!" I screamed in a loud opera singer's voice.

John would probably hear me from one kilometre away. I could feel Fred's breath over the top of my head; he was at least two or three feet taller than me. I was probably hard for him to hold me in this position, considering that. I felt him shift behind me; it was obviously extremely uncomfortable, me yelling this close to his ear.

Kelly-087

I heard Emily clearly. She was obviously with Fred, because I didn't think that an alien would take her hostage. She wouldn't be saying anything at all if she had met one. I wondered if John had heard. I thought if I should let him take the situation, because I honestly did not think the child worth saving. Emily yelled out my name, Kelly, so she seemed to think that I would help her. I sighed quietly. John would chew me out if I didn't intervene. I ran back down the corridor at full pelt, my quick reaction times meant I could dodge any obstruction. I dug in my heels and skidded around the corner, coming face to face with John. I nodded to him and he did likewise, and we both ran straight through the middle of the ship. I saw Fred holding Emily, an arm around her throat. I slid to a stop.

Emily

Kelly and John came running down the hallway, so fast their legs were blurs. I yelled again, enjoying the obvious discomfort that Frederic-104 was experiencing.

"SEE!? THEY CAME TO SAAAAAAVE MEEEEE!"

I noticed Kelly and John flinching slightly, so I stopped. I knew I was safe anyway.

"John?" said Fred, his tone flat, but he was trying to mask up his disbelief and I knew it.

"I'll tell you later. Let the child go." he ordered.

Instead I felt the arm tighten, and I found it significantly harder to breathe. Twice. Twice I had been taken hostage today, first by Kelly. I gasped.

"Fred, let her go."

I was surprised that Kelly even cared; John hadn't seemed to think so.

"Frederic-104, I order you, let go of the civilian."

There it was, the command. Fred let me go, and I collapsed gasping, onto the floor. No one seemed to care that I was in a state of shock, sitting on the floor and rocking back and forth. The Spartans had a quick conversation and Fred was told of John and I's adventures. I heard Fred sigh with relief.

"I thought you were dead, John."

"It takes more than a few Covenant to kill me."

I didn't really hear this, as my mind was foggy. I was so scared from the incident with Frederic-104. I tried to tell myself that it wasn't his fault that he was just following what he had been taught since he was six. I felt a small tug and I was lifted to roughly to my feet. I looked upwards through my tear streaked eyes. They met a pair of icy-blue ones, John's.

"Are you okay?"

I noticed the crowd of faces around me. They didn't seem worried, just a little concerned. I didn't reply; my mind was playing back the horror and fear of being held hostage. Repeat. Rewind. Repeat. I couldn't handle it.

I passed out.

John-117

Emily's eyes closed and she fell limp. I gently lowered her to the ground. I knew what feeling she had felt, but I could not understand it. I glanced mean fully at Fred and he shifted uncomfortably.

"Someone will have to carry her." I announced, looking sideways again at Fred.

"I will, John." Fred reluctantly agreed.

I stepped back from Emily's limp body, examining her to make sure that she was not injured. She seemed to be fine, the expression on her face apparent to be one of peace. Frederic-104 strode forward, lifting the child over his shoulder in a fireman's carry position. He dwarfed the child, almost amusingly. His arms alone were wider than Emily's head. Kelly watched the scene with a small expression of disgust. She obviously was not impressed that Emily had fainted, meaning that she would hamper the team.

"We should just tie her up and leave her here."

"She would starve and die. She is hungry already as it is. We all are." I replied with a hint of anger in my voice.

"Kelly, what is wrong?" asked Fred.

I already knew. Kelly was jealous. For some reason when I told her about the time that Emily had spent with me I could almost imagine her face turning green. I didn't know if Kelly actually liked me, I probably should ask Emily when she wakes up. She would know what to do.

Emily

I woke up on a medbay bed, yawning. I had somewhat recovered from the incident with Frederic-104 and now I was hungry. I looked about for one of the somewhat annoyingly suspicious and serious Spartan IIs. I spotted John just outside the door, and I attempted to catch his eye. He was standing three metres away, side on. He was talking with Kelly, and it seemed to be sternly. Fred was nowhere to be seen. I waited five minutes and decided I'd had enough.

"JOHN! I WILL EAT FRED WHEN HE COMES BACK IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL!"

The Spartans winced at my yells. I had found a weakness, and I enjoyed exploiting it. They seemed to realise it. John turned his head, and I shut my mouth instantly. His eyes seemed to suggest he was very unhappy with my screaming. Kelly did the same. I blushed. I was trying to prove myself to them, and screaming like a toddler was certainly not assisting me in my task. I looked at the floor, chastened. I sat there like that for twenty minutes, until I heard heavy footsteps and I looked up into brown eyes. It was Fred and he was holding what looked like a muesli bar out to me. I took it, mumbling gratefully. I looked into his eyes and he said something completely unexpected.

"I am sorry for scaring you earlier."

My eyes widened in surprise.

"Um…That's okay Fred. I knew it wasn't on purpose."

"Thank you. Could you please, preferably, not, eat me?"

I rolled off the bed laughing, taking the expression "ROFL" (Roll on floor laughing) a little too seriously. I rolled onto my back and looked up at Fred, towering over me.

"Truce?" he asked.

I managed to stem my laughter.

"Truce." I agreed.

It sounded weird; it was something a kid would say after an argument. I guessed he thought of the word militarywise, like a ceasefire or something. I slowly got up, sometimes uttering small outbursts of giggling. I accidently grabbed Fred's arm, trying to steady myself, but he didn't seem to mind, looking at me with amusement in his eyes. He was a little less serious than John. Kelly was just arrogant, with a fair amount of annoying in there too. I attempted to shut my mouth, I was a few feet away from Fred, and I didn't want my laughter to deafen him. I actually felt bad now.

"Umm…I'm sorry too, for screaming at you earlier. I knew it hurt your ears."

"It's okay. It is actually pretty smart, to find your enemies' weakness, and exploit it."

I grinned at the praise, and I felt like I could dance a little jig. Not one of these Spartans had ever praised me before.

"Please do not grow a big head Emily. John would most certainly notice."

I collapsed on the floor again, this time tears streaming from my eyes.

"S…stoppp! I can't eat my food if you keep doing this to me! This torture!"

Frederic-104 was silent, and I knew he was doing it so I could finally stop laughing. I recovered and stood again, taking my weird food bar and biting into it. I almost spat it out. I tasted like cardboard. I looked at Fred with dismay, chewing disdainfully.

"It is dehydrated. It is the only thing to eat. It is barely enough for ourselves."

I guessed "ourselves" meant John and Kelly. I ate the bar then proceeded to glance past Fred's waist at them. They seemed to come to an agreement, Kelly looking at the floor and John nodding once. They both turned and observed Fred and I. Fred stiffened, and I knew that he could feel their gaze on his back. He turned and I walked next to him, glancing at John and Kelly nervously. I knew that they had been discussing me while I had been unconscious. They strode over, halting in front of me. John stepped forward, crouching so his eyes were level with mine.

"This could be dangerous. You could die. Are you sure you want to come with us? We are searching for the escape pods."

I tensed my jaw, trying to look tough. I knew what they were planning anyway, and I had pre-prepared a sentence.

"Hell yeah, John."

Two hours later

Emily

I thwacked away the leaves with my hand. The forest around me was dense and thick, the atmosphere chokingly heavy. I sweated, my bra sticking to me annoyingly. The Spartans and I had set out, but not before they had raided the food storage facility, also finding water there. They had also found some heavy duty bags which we had stuffed full of supplies. There was a long trek to the forest at the edge of the impact site, during so the Spartans had been silent and respectful, obviously thinking about their fallen comrades. The long ditch where the ship had ploughed into the earth was deep, at least ten or twenty stories so and just as wide. I looked ahead, trying to spot the sneaky Spartans. They moved so quietly, so stealthily, it was almost as if they weren't there. I sighed. My legs ached and I needed a drink. I didn't yell, because I knew the Spartans wanted stealth, and they could hear me anyway.

"Guys, c'mon. I don't have super strength and endurance and I almost certainly can't walk as fast as you."

I continued my painfully slow waddle, stepping over tree roots and vines. I eventually caught up with the Spartans, sitting on fallen tree logs. They were discussing something as I arrived.

"Do you know what planet this is?" asked John.

"No, we attempted to slipspace jump away from the Covenant ships, but we put in random coordinates to try and throw them off. We are in an unknown system." replied Kelly.

I decided to intervene, throwing myself down onto the ground in the small clearing.

"Well, that's demoralizing. Thanks, Kelly." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

The Spartans turned their heads at the same time to look at me. It gave the effect of robots moving in sync, their eyes focusing on me. It was creepy.

"We need to keep moving. The first pod is still at least one or two kilometres away." assumed Fred.

"I agree." John approved.

"But we can't make good time, because of her." Kelly snorted.

"Then we won't make her walk."

John glanced meaning fully at her.

"Are you suggesting I carry her?"

"Yes."

Kelly grumbled angrily.

I smirked.

Four hours later

Emily

We arrived at the first pod, the Spartans barely tired. John began to search the craft, looking for the radio. The small craft rocked wildly and his head poked out of the entry bay.

"There are bodies in here, none of them Spartans. The radio is fried as well, and I don't think Linda was in this one."

I sighed tiredly, flopping down onto the ground. I heard a branch snap behind me and I whirled around, standing up. Kelly and Fred had already done so, crouching into a ready position. There was silence for a few seconds. One, two, three, four, fi-. My thought was cut off as two huge aliens, the same kind that had attacked John, charged out of the bush, drawing their plasma swords. Each was larger than the Spartan IIs, at least eight or nine feet. Kelly dodged nimbly to one side, and Fred ducked under the swords. John ran to stand in front of me. I was surprised and happy. I watched the scene, peering past John's waist. Kelly was a blur, dodging and weaving the punches and sword swipes the aliens attempted to hit her with. She grabbed its wrist, snapping it instantly. It roared and dropped its plasma sword, and she drew her combat knife, burying it into its neck. It snarled once, then fell to the ground and was still. Fred had simply broken the Covenant alien's neck with an uppercut. My mouth dropped open. I hadn't seen anything move so fast in my life. Neither of the Spartans seemed even the slightest puffed.

"Holy CRAP!" I exclaimed.

John, Kelly and Fred exchanged looks.

"We need to find the next escape pods, a radio and Linda fast. There could be more."

I groaned. More walking.

Over the course of the day we found one more pod, John pronouncing the radio fried as well. Linda was also not present, no tracks or trace found of her. I currently walked at the end of the single file line, bringing up the rear. I was talking to John, who had let Fred take point position for a while, dropping back to keep an eye on me.

"So what we gonna do if we find Linda but not a radio?"

"Then we will find the Covenant's temporary base and hijack a ship."

They had encountered four more aliens on their trek, leading Kelly to think they must have a base.

"Hey John, I always wanted to ask, what do you think of the Spartan IVs?"

He thought for a moment.

"Unprofessional and reckless. Sarah in particular. They seem to think that they know what they are doing yet clearly they don't."

"Yeah, I once read an article back in my world that they had special stuff done to their muscles or something. I didn't really pay attention that much, but apparently I think the enhancement was almost as good as yours."

"I don't think so. They seemed sluggish when I practised my hand to hand combat on them. I could dodge them easily."

I giggled at "on them", and I thought of the hurt egos they must have sustained.

"They can also run at around seventy kilometres per hour without their armour."

John raised his eyebrow, ever so slightly.

"I can run that fast with armour."

"Oooh, aren't you mister competition?"

He proceeded to look down at me and glare.

"John, move to point position." came a soft voice ahead of us.

I ran after him, even though he was just walking briskly. Fred and Kelly were staring at something.

It was Linda, standing in front of an escape pod. She had orange hair and green eyes and she was surrounded by at least twenty Covenant. I knew that the Spartans would be hard pressed to kill them all. John's eyes narrowed angrily and his pupils shrunk like they do when he thought. I noticed that he seemed to favour his left arm and leg and I realised that he was still quite injured. The bandage around his side was soaked with blood, the wound hadn't sealed itself properly yet. I was worried, I knew that he seemed to be fine, but he was in danger of dying.

"We will have to fight head on. I'm not letting Linda die."

"You're hurt John. You won't be able to fight." pointed out Fred.

"Besides, who will use the radio? The escape pod's need a power source to work." said Kelly.

"That's what I've been thinking about. And I know the perfect person. Emily will do it. She is small enough to run through the battle without being noticed."

I gasped. I could get killed! But I knew very well that we would die anyway if we couldn't get to the radio. The Spartans turned to me, questioningly, their gazes asking me if I would agree. I nodded firmly.

"Emily Taylor, master of stealth at your service. I'll do it."

"John, you be careful. I don't want you dying and the rest of us surviving." said Kelly.

"On three. Two, one. Go!" John ordered.

They charged out, and I stayed behind. I was waiting until they got the fight underway. Three aliens were dead in ten seconds, the big ones that had attacked us before. A swarm of little ones ran out of the escape pod, yelling and waving their hands about. They had gas masks and a small tank on their back, they obviously couldn't breathe oxygen. The other big Covenant reacted and drew their plasma swords; they clearly thought the Spartans would be fighting in close quarters. I decided it was time and ran out, darting into the escape pod. I looked about frantically for the radio, and I squeezed into the cockpit. I spotted it and pressed the small switch next to it, grabbing the headset on the dash. I began repeating the sentence that John had drilled into me, broadcasting over all frequencies.

"Any UNSC personnel please respond. We are on an unknown planet and need immediate evac. All personnel please respond. Covenant are present, I repeat, Covenant are present."

On the UNSC Infinity

Sir, we are picking up a radio signal, very similar to that of an escape pod. It's coming from coordinates that has not been travelled to yet. Would you like me to amplify it?" asked a monitor operator . He glanced at the man standing on the edge of the window, looking into space. He turned and spoke.

"Permission granted. Put in through the speakers." commander Thomas Lasky ordered.

The voice was very hard to understand, and was breaking up badly.

"Ann….y UNS…Persone…pleaaaa….respond. We are ooonnn…unknow…..anet neeeeeed….evaaaac…..all…persone…..plea….respond. Covenaaaant….are prese….I reeepeat, Covenannnt are prrreeesent…."

The commander started in surprise. Could that be the ship that had disappeared, the precious cargo of the remaining Spartan IIs nowhere to be found? He thought he could recognize the voice….Could that be Emily? Had she appeared with John? The Spartan II had gone through that light.

"Sir, I have a fix on the signal. Shall we initiate a slipspace jump and investigate?" asked another deck officer.

"Roger. Fire up the translight drive."

A round, rotating hole appeared in the front of the ship, no light emanating from it. The UNSC Infinity slipped inside, the hole in space and time closing behind it.

Emily

I repeated the sentence over and over again until a noise behind me broke me away from my task. I barely heard it through the ruckus outside. I turned and screamed. A small alien was pointing a stubby plasma pistol at me. I froze in terror. I didn't have a gun, so I couldn't shoot it. I closed my eyes and waited for my impending death. I heard the alien screech in pain and my eyes snapped open. Linda-058 had stuck a combat knife into its back, and spoke quickly to me. The alien collapsed to the ground, dead.

"Keep transmitting. If the Infinity slipspace jumps to this location, she will be attacked by the remaining Covenant ships orbiting. There is a chance she may deploy a Pelican to evac us while she fights. She may have a strong enough signal on us to reply."

I took the advice and continued repeating the same sentence, my voice cracking. Linda rushed back outside, presumably to continue the fight. My throat was dry, and the Spartans IIs had drunk the rest of the water. I finished one repetition and I must have jumped at least a foot off the seat as a strong and clear voice replied. I felt a flush of excitement as I realised the voice was Thomas Lasky.

"We hear you loud and clear. We are engaging numerous Covenant ships currently, a team of Pelicans should arrive shortly. UNSC Infinity out."

Kelly-087

I dodged the plasma sword easily. My incredible speed meant that it moved in slow motion. I punched upwards, breaking the Elite's neck instantly. I heard a roar and a whoosh behind me and I ducked and whipped around, swinging my fist. It connected with the alien's sword arm and I felt it give way, the sharp points of bone erupting from its wrist. It roared in pain and dropped the sword, and I picked it up, igniting it again. I slashed the Elite in half, and tried to do the same with the next one, but the plasma sword was out of energy and it spluttered and died. I swore, dodging again and breaking the alien's skull with a punch. I couldn't keep this up for long, the damned evac better come soon. More Elites swarmed out of the forest and I realised it had been an ambush. I spotted Fred single handedly fighting three of the big aliens, his combat knives wreaking havoc. Linda had joined in the fight as soon as the Covenant's attention was diverted. John used his impressive strength, matching punches with the Elites.

UNSC Infinity

Calculations ran rapidly through his head as he called out degrees, guiding the Infinity to fire upon the Covenant ships. The Infinity's database confirmed one of the three ships to be a CAS-Class Assault Carrier, its name Shadow Of Intent. The other two were CPV Class Heavy Destroyers, the database naming one Esteem, the other unknown. Alone, they were no match for the UNSC Infinity, but as one they could break down her shields.

"One hundred and thirty degrees, fire one MAC round at Assault Carrier."

Magnetic Accelerator Cannons fired fifteen centimetre rounds, with one point one gigajoules of kinetic energy. Lasky was aiming to destroy the carrier's shields before firing the Infinity's Archer missiles. The round spat from the nose of the Infinity, pummelling into the alien ship's shields, but they held. Their energy was depleted, however.

"Fire three hundred Archer missiles at hostile carrier."

The deck crew complied, the missiles speeding toward the purple Covenant ship. As some made contact with the shields, the nearly impenetrable barrier collapsed and others smacked into the spaceship, ripping it in half.

"We're taking fire sir! Our shields are holding strongly."

Blooms of light exploded around the Infinity, the Heavy Destroyers firing their plasma cannons at her.

"Fifty degrees! Fire primary MAC cannons, three seconds after each other!"

The deck crew increased the power to the Infinity's engines and fired the port manoeuvring rockets, the five kilometre long ship yawing to the right. One MAC round spat from the nose of the Infinity, closely followed by another. The Heavy Destroyers' shields were not as strong as the carriers, one MAC round destroying it, the shield disintegrating with a flash of light and the second round slammed into it, ripping the front of it off.

"Shields at fifty percent sir!"

"Ninety degrees! Repeat previous firing solution!"

The second Heavy Destroyer fell to the Infinity's might.

"Send a Pelican squadron down to the planet, give them the coordinates to the radio signal location."

"Aye, aye sir."

Emily

"Engagement of hostile ships successful, Pelican squadron has been sent down to dust you off."

I pressed the transmit button.

"Roger, roger, all Covenant at our location defeated, awaiting evac."

I grinned happily, turning to look at the Spartans watching me. They, surprisingly, produced a small smile as well.

"We're getting out of this hellhole! Yeeha!" I crowed.

Three days later

Emily

John was expected to make a full recovery, and I was glad of it. I sat on the bed in my old room on the Infinity. John had seemed to return to his stoic-yet-slightly-funny attitude in a few days. I told myself he went like that because he had been in a combat situation, and that his mind automatically changed itself.

"Emily? Thomas would like to speak to you."

Cortana appeared on the hologram projector next to the bed. I sighed. I was still tired from the incident on the planet.

Twenty minutes later

Emily

"I called you here to discuss your future. As of yet, that strange light has not appeared to take you back. My question is, what would you want to do while you wait?"

I thought for a moment. I shifted on the hard chair in the small grey room.

"I wanna clean the Spartan's armour!"

Sarah Palmer grinned, speaking for Thomas.

"That can be arranged!" she said enthusiastically.

I groaned. She probably would make me polish and wax it as well.