- Five: In the Dark -
(Halo (c) Microsoft Studios, Bungie & related creators; Red vs. Blue (c) the Rooster Teeth team. Text (c) L.Q. Coverdale. Content includes mentions of death, violence and some inappropriate language.)
There was his mother, smiling sweetly at him. She looked beautiful in her teal armour, even if her face was wrinkled and haggard from substances that no body should have taken in. Leaning down, she brushed her lips against her son's forehead, frightful tears in his eyes. Though regret wrapped around her heart like a great snake, she had no other choice. This was her atonement, her penance for sins against her son and herself, and a better way of protecting him from what lay beyond.
Standing back up, she said, "Now you be good, Lavernius, for Mr. Flowers. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Lavernius - much younger then - only sniffed. He was biting his lip, trying to hold back the crying and be "the big man". His mother smiled gently, patting him on the head, before looking at Mr. Flowers. The veteran smiled, nodding knowingly, his one remaining arm around Lavernius's shoulder. The man had, apparently, known his mother for years, and had been one of the most vocal against her decision. Still, he would not bring that up now; he had to put aside his worries for the greater good. Lavernius had nowhere else to go.
"You be safe now, Lena," he said softly. "Remember what we planned - if you get a craving - "
"Yes, I remember," said Lena Tucker. "I have them stored with me in a side slot. I'll try to keep in touch, but no promises; it's a little busy in the channels around here."
"Tango Five always had bad reception," said Mr. Flowers with a laugh. "Don't worry, I've got contacts. I'll make sure the littl'un gets everything you send, okay Vern?"
Lavernius sniffed again, nodding slightly. His mother looked satisfied, but ... there was still a touch of something in her face. She turned, a nearby pilot barking out for all to board. The younger Tucker's eyes burned.
"Be safe!" Lena yelled to her friend and child, replacing her helmet before jogging to join the rest of her comrades. Flowers waved, and so did Lavernius, letting out a couple of shaking sobs as his mother disappeared into the crowd.
Tango Five only lasted so long before the Covenant broke through, making sweeping runs before being shooed off by UNSC defence ships. Lavernius would hide behind Mr. Flowers in the bunkers, the alarms screaming faintly above him, people crying and screaming as the world came down around him. Of all the most vivid memories he would have, being in the dark would be the most shaking; being unable to see, stepping and slipping in God knew what, Mr. Flowers not always with him.
That wasn't the only kind of darkness he would grow accustomed to. After a few odd communications with his mother, he barely heard from her for months. The outside channels around Tango Five were secured for private military use only, out of fear the Covenant was eavesdropping. Lavernius would be left in the dark as to her whereabouts, only to rejoice when he heard her voice on a recording when it came.
Eventually, the calls stopped coming, and his loving mother simply became a thing of the past. For many years, he would not know where she went, nor if she was to come back. As hard as Mr. Flowers tried, he could not find where Lena had gone, due to how secured Tango Five was. The darkness of the heart - which would claw at and wound Lavernius worse than any weapon or living thing - would be something that would remain with him for a long, long time.
