Chapter Thirteen: A Couple Twists of Fate
October 28, 2552 1938 hours
Covenant Freighter
Unknown System
Laura was in the process of capturing a small Covenant freighter, no easy task considering she was going one against a thousand or so Covenant warriors. Her portable shield, one of the many little secrets and gadgets whose development she was keeping hidden from ONI, had helped her nearly complete the mission. She'd almost reached her objective, but something warned her to turn and make sure she was secure before heading onto the command deck. As she turned, a camouflaged Elite materialized from the shadows, flashed an energy blade, and charged.
Maro 'Iramee had managed to track this elusive human from the moment he had begun causing mayhem upon his ship. Now I shall show this creature what it means to attack its betters, he thought as he deactivated his active camouflage. He much preferred it that the cretin see who would be his demise. Roaring a challenge, 'Iramee raised his energy blade and charged.
Laura stood her ground until the Elite was close, then she moved to the side. Raising a hand, she karate-chopped viciously on the Elite's sword-arm, hoping to disarm it before it killed her. Her plan didn't work out as well as she'd hoped, seeing as her hand practically bounced off its wrist, but it caught the Elite off-guard and gave her a chance. Gripping his sword-arm in both hands, the slightly slippery feel of an energy shield beneath her fingers, Laura twisted hard, hearing the slight crack of bones fracturing as she wrenched the sword away from him. The Elite bellowed and swung at her head; Laura dodged and staggered back as the blow fell on her shoulder. Another near-miss landed on her leg, and she flipped backwards to avoid another blow. I don't have time for this, she fumed as her opponent kicked her in the shin. Screw this, she thought and kicked it in the leg, bringing a warble of surprise from the Elite. She then launched into the martial arts that she'd learned on Earth so thoroughly, hoping they would render her opponent unconscious at the very least. If not, well, hopefully he'd be disoriented enough for her to escape. Once she finished her mission, she could deal with him when she had more time.
The first strike, aimed at its head, was blocked, and her opponent aimed a kick at her head, which she blocked and returned. The Elite counterblocked, and lashed out at her head again, which she dodged easily enough. One hand connected with what she guessed to be its ribs, and she swore she heard a grunt of pain. The Elite lunged, trying to knock her off balance; she sidestepped and it turned again. She took a big risk and stepped closer, hoping to get it in a headlock and knock it out. It didn't work: the Elite took advantage of her proximity and grabbed her by the neck. She started choking, and did the only thing she could think of to do, something that disgusted her no end; tilting her head down, Laura tried to bite her opponent's arm. The Elite's shield held, but it dropped her in surprise, and she scrambled up and kicked. Her left leg connected with its chest, and the Elite grunted in pain as a good portion of her body weight connected with bruised ribs. She lashed out again, catching it in the head as she flipped on her hands, landed on her feet, and launched a one-two punch at its head. The Elite seemed to be taking the beating hard, finally, and Laura launched a final roundhouse kick to finish it off, for now.
'Iramee hadn't expected the human creature to be so fast, anymore than he'd expected it to be so proficient at close combat. In the beginning he'd had the upper hand, in spite of the vermin getting his sword away from him. Before the end, though, he soon found himself fighting for his life. Block, strike, counterstrike, counterblock, none of it seemed to stall the relentless human attack. If I do not leave now, I will perish and this human will go unopposed, he realized. Suddenly breaking off, he activated his cloak and vanished. Another day, human, he thought, another day.
Laura was caught by surprise when the Elite turned and fled, disappearing when it activated its camouflage, but she didn't dare pause to contemplate. She still had a mission to finish, and she turned and headed to the command deck, melting into every shadow. I'll think about this later, or give it to the ghouls in ONI to chew on, she thought to herself as she completed the mission she had been assigned.
'Iramee waited in the escape pod he had commandeered and launched as he contemplated the new enemy he had just escaped. That he was human was unquestionable, but his tactics were more like his own people's than those of the human vermin. It galled him to have had to abandon the battle, but it had not been a total failure: he could report of this new human foe to his commanders, offer to slay him, and receive a promotion, perhaps even the blessings of the Holy Ones themselves. It will be a glorious day when I defeat the human vermin, he thought, musing on the glories to come.
October 30, 2552 1800 hours
UNSC Reserve Base Camp Hayes
North America
Having left the Covenant freighter outside of UNSC—controlled space, Laura returned to Earth and reported in for debriefing. Ackerson was less than pleased with her success, as usual. He still thinks he can use the Covenant to wipe me out, fool. By the time she returned to her bunk, which was at a late hour, she wanted nothing more than to rip his head off, but knew better than to try. One day he'll get his comeuppance, I guarantee it, just not now, she thought sleepily as she turned in.
October 31, 2552 0015 hours
Blade's Bunkhouse
Camp Hayes
Laura woke up in the middle of the night, fully alert, with no idea why until she looked out her window and saw the full moon on the green hills beyond the base. It was nights like this when she got hit hard by the beauty of nature, and longed to dance in the night like women of old she'd read about in her history texts. This wasn't the first time she'd felt the hills calling, and she knew she could not deny the call; she'd tried once, but in the end had slipped out anyways. Throwing her blanket and sheet off of her, she slipped out, knowing that Lorienna would cover her tracks. The night was cool, but not overly so, and Laura knew she could endure much colder nights. Wearing only her thin white nightgown, she hugged the shadows and headed to the fence surrounding the base. Coming to a portion of the fence, she pushed lightly and slipped out through the portal she had made for nights like this one, and for the occasional sneaking out just to escape. Once she was through, Laura closed the door and ran lightly through the wooded area behind the base. Anyone watching her would have noticed a striking difference from when she ran the track on the base. There she ran to push herself beyond her limits and prove her worth, but here she ran just for the joy of being alive, the thrill of the night around her and the call of the hills echoing throughout her body.
Once she'd cleared the woods, Laura ran lightly up the hillsides, dancing in the cool grass wet with dew. The moonlight threw her shadow out behind her, and they both danced together beneath the moon and the stars, Laura feeling enough joy that she seemed to be intoxicated. When she'd worn herself out dancing in the moonlight, Laura sat down on the crest of the hill, lifted her panpipes to her lips and began to play: some sixth sense had told her to bring them with her before she left her quarters. The tune she played was strangely and surprisingly mournful; it was the tune she'd played at her grandmother's funeral, but why was she playing it now? I don't understand. What's going on? She felt with absolute certainty that there was some other force at work than coincidence or the call of the hills.
John and Will happened to be walking around the base in the middle of the night; for some strange reason neither of them could sleep. They had just rounded the corner of a warehouse when they saw a figure in white slip out of a window and head for the fence bordering the base. She slipped out of sight for a while, and by the time they saw her again she was already on the other side of the fence and running through the woods.
"How did she get out so fast?" Will wondered aloud.
"Never mind that. Looks like she's heading for the hills. Let's follow her and see what she's up to." Will nodded, agreeing to John's suggestion, and both headed toward the base gate.
As if to confirm her fears, Laura finished her tune in enough time to notice she was being watched—watched by two of the Spartans that had arrived last month! Oh shit, she breathed inwardly, how did they find me? What do I do? With no weapons, and being completely exposed, Laura was at a tactical disadvantage. She saw them starting to climb the hill, and that gave her a chance: the hill where she was sitting was steep enough to occupy their entire attention on climbing it. Thinking quickly, Laura bounced up on her feet and sprinted down the hillside toward the woods: a dangerous tactic on a steep slope, but she was in a hurry. She barely made it to the shadow of the trees before they topped the hill, and had just shimmied up into a tall red maple when the handsome one came looking into the trees; fortunately, he couldn't see her through the thick, crisscrossing branches beneath her.
"I don't see anything, Will. There were tracks in the dew, but they fade out once they reach the trees." His voice was hard as iron, but Laura thought she heard a subtle music beneath the stern tones. Ok, why am I suddenly finding various aspects about the Master Chief attractive? She didn't like the thought of being…intrigued…with a potential threat.
"John, I found something," his companion called from the hilltop.
Laura, still seated in the boughs of the red maple, watched in shock as Will approached and held up her panpipes. How could I forget those? I didn't even notice I'd left them behind!
"What do you think these are? Some kind of weapon?"
"No, I don't think so. Too many holes, and definitely too many pipes. It could be an instrument of some sort. Let's take it with us, maybe there's someone on base who knows what they are."
As they turned away, Laura dropped out of the tree as silently as she could and slipped behind the trunk. She didn't come out from behind until she was sure they were headed away from her. But even as she watched them walk away, the Chief turned and looked at her. Their eyes met briefly, and he seemed puzzled. He shook his head to clear his vision, and Laura seized the opportunity to slip into the shadows.
By the time they got close to the hills, they heard a mournful melody floating down from the top of the hill nearest the woods. They looked up and saw the woman in white seated on the hilltop, the moonlight glistening off her dark hair; there was something familiar about her face. She looked up and seemed to see them watching her, but made no move to run. John looked at Will, and they both nodded and started to climb. When they looked up to the top again, however, there was no sign of the mysterious woman in white. They climbed upwards with renewed strength, and saw tracks in the dewy grass going every direction.
"How did she find the time to cover her trail before we got up here?" John shook his head in amazement.
"I don't think she did," Will said, his tone intense as he scanned the grass. "Look, two sets of tracks heading towards those woods—one coming and one going."
As John headed towards the woods, he noticed both sets of tracks stopped right as the trees began. No surprise there, considering the amount of shade here.
"I don't see anything, Will. There were tracks in the dew, but they fade out once they reach the trees."
Stopping under a red maple tree, he thought her heard movement in the branches above him; before he could investigate, however, Will's voice interrupted him.
"John, I found something." Will had been checking the hilltop, and had literally stumbled on the strange object: it seemed to be comprised of several ornately carved wooden pipes bound together by strings of plaited leather.
"What do you think these are? Some kind of weapon?"
"No, I don't think so," John replied. "Too many holes, and definitely too many pipes. It could be an instrument of some sort. Let's take it with us, maybe there's someone on base who knows what they are."
As they started walking back to the base, John swore he felt something watching him; when he got to the hilltop, the feeling intensified to the point where he just had to look. Standing at the edge of the tree line was the mysterious woman in white. He got a good look at her face: it was strikingly pretty, with wisps of dark hair drifting around it. What caught his attention most were the woman's dark eyes, and the look of sadness that seemed to haunt them. The sight was too eerily beautiful to be true. I must be seeing things, he thought as he shook his head to clear it. While he was trying to clear his head, he realized why the face looked so familiar. Blade! When he looked up again, she was gone.
November 2, 2552 0015 hours
Blade's Bunkhouse
Camp Hayes
Laura woke up again, knowing that the hills were calling once again. As she exited her bed, Lorienna's voice halted her.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? Last time you almost got caught."
"The hills are calling, Lorienna. I can't stay away. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
After she slipped out of the window, Lorienna's voice echoed through an empty room.
"That's why I'm worried."
Laura ran lightly through the woods again, feeling the chill of the night around her. She had almost cleared the woods when she stopped suddenly. The hills were crawling with ODSTs and ONI agents! What the hell? How… A rustling noise behind her was all the warning she had before a hand clamped around her mouth. She felt herself being pulled backwards, and struggled. The hand stayed over her mouth, while another hand wrapped itself around her waist, trying to pin her arms to her body.
"Stay still, we're on your side," a rough voice whispered in her ear. It sounded vaguely familiar…
"How soon before ONI gets here?" a second voice asked. At the mention of ONI, Laura struggled even more, almost breaking free. The grip on her waist got tighter, and she felt like she could barely breathe.
"No idea, but we've got to get out of here, and soon," the first voice replied, the voice who'd tried to say it was on her side. A suspicion of who her captors were nagged at her mind, and she kicked out, trying to break free. Of course they'd try to lie and gain my confidence, she thought as she struggled even harder. No one had followed her, so obviously it had to be a coincidence that she'd gotten captured by ODSTs on her own turf.
"She's still fighting," another voice whispered, this one more feminine than the other two. A shadow moved in front of her, moonlight glistening off close-cropped red hair. The Spartans! Laura realized she had no chance of escape, so she stopped fighting and nodded, trying to signal cooperation. The hand was removed from her mouth, and she turned to see the other three behind her. The Master Chief was closest, so she figured he'd been the one to catch her. Remembering ONI was on the loose, and having heard that the Spartans didn't want to be seen by the spooks, she moved off. Better get moving, before ONI catches on. I'll pump them for info later.
"Follow me," she whispered, her voice barely carrying. She slipped away through the trees, looking back until she was sure the Spartans were following.
The Spartans had seen the entire base go on alert, and figured it had something to do with Blade. John and Will had immediately figured she'd be in the woods, and had set up a trap to intercept her before ONI could. It had worked well, but something had almost gone really wrong: when John had pulled her backwards, he'd suddenly gone weak-kneed, and come close to letting go of the elusive woman. It had been all he could do to keep his grip on her. How had she done that? What happened? He figured he'd find a way to explain it later.
Blade suddenly stopped moving, and began feeling around a large granite boulder partially obscured by ivy. Has she gone insane? The thought flickered through every mind until she released a hidden catch; the boulder swung upwards, attached to a hidden door. Blade motioned the Spartans inside, followed them in, and sealed the hatch.
"Lorienna, what happened?" Laura asked empty air as she led the Spartans down a narrow hallway.
"Someone saw you sneak out your window and reported in," the AI replied. "I didn't dare try splicing recordings after that, since that would have raised even more questions."
She stopped short in front of a large room. "You did the right thing. I probably would've done the same in your place. Still there'll probably be some awkward questions tomorrow." Laura sighed heavily, and opened the door. Inside was a large array of weapons, tools, and machinery in varied states of disrepair.
"Welcome to my workshop. I figured here would be the safest place we could talk. ONI has no idea what goes on down here, since they don't even know it exists." Crossing her arms in front of her, she stared at them, dark eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why did you come after me? What's your angle?"
"ONI sent the base on full alert once they found you were missing. There were Helljumpers waiting for you in the woods, on the hills, everywhere." Linda met the woman's suspicious gaze with a green-eyed glare of her own. "You're damn lucky we decided to get to you first."
"We'll see about that," Laura returned, narrowed eyes opening the tiniest bit. It was difficult to tell, but it seemed that she was a little less suspicious of their motives. "How did you find me in the first place?"
"Will and I had a guess as to where you'd be headed," the Chief muttered, voice harsh as usual. Definitely some music in his voice, Laura mused, then mentally smacked herself in the head. What am I thinking?
"Lucky guess." She smiled lightly, but there was still worry behind her eyes: worry, distrust, and confusion. For a brief moment, it seemed as though the redoubtable Blade was vulnerable, if given the right circumstances. The moment passed, however, leaving behind a formidable, if slightly suspicious, Spartan behind.
"Better wait for a few hours before you head back out. Lorienna can tell you when it's safe to exit. You'll be able to find your way back, I'm sure."
"Where the hell are we, anyway?" Fred demanded, having been silent the entire time. Laura raised an eyebrow at the angry voice.
"Why don't you ask Sergeant Johnson?" With that cryptic response, she exited the room. Fred opened the door, only to find shadows and seemingly empty hallways.
"That woman is starting to get on my nerves," he muttered angrily.
"You're just jealous because she kicked your ass over a month ago, literally," Linda replied, a hint of amusement in her quiet voice.
"So? Even you have to admit she's a pain in the ass about ninety percent of the time."
"Maybe, but she's a clever pain in the ass," John interjected. "I know I'd hate to be on her bad side, especially after having seen this bunker."
"If you only knew the half of it," Blade's voice echoed around. The sound startled the Spartans, until they saw the holographic figure of Lorienna nearby. She chuckled softly.
"It's safe for you to head topside at any point. Just head back the way you came, and I'll lock the door behind you."
The Chief stayed behind after his team had gone ahead. "What did you mean?"
"I meant that, while she may be a pain in the ass, Laura is sharper than she lets on. She was smart enough to appropriate this bunker, clever enough to make the passage you came through, and wise enough to only let you see this workshop."
"There's more to this place?" John asked in amazement.
"I didn't say a word," the AI winked as she vanished.
Realizing the conversation was over, the Chief headed back up the passage and rejoined his fellow Spartans.
"What took you so long" Will asked.
"I had a few questions for an AI."
Laura winced inwardly as she saw the officers approaching her bunkhouse. This isn't going to be pretty. She hoped Lorienna had spliced the recordings so they didn't see her leaving the workshop. If they saw that one, there'd definitely be hell to pay.
"The Spartans are gone," a soft whisper echoed in her ear.
"Good. You'd better go too," she replied.
The Spartans could have killed me, Laura mused, reminded of that fact by her AI's message. Why didn't they? Could I really have been wrong? Loud banging on her door interrupted her musings. I'll think about that later. Squaring her shoulders, Laura walked to the door and the recriminations awaiting her on the other side.