Disclaimer:Characters/factions/items that were not mentioned in any Halo and Assassin's Creed franchise (e.g Arnold-124) belong to me. I do not own any characters/factions/items that do belong to the Halo franchise (e.g Master Chief Spartan-117, Desmond Miles).

A/N: I'm back! And I finally sat down to see this through! Yay! Also I'm thinking of editing the previous chapters. Re-reading through them made me realise that the flow of the story seemed jumbled. Aside from that, special thanks to hukomuyo for the inspiration for this chapter~ Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Misgivings: Part II

0000 hours, October 20, 2537
Southend District City, New Chester
Planet Zenith

New Chester was once a place of despair. All around the city was nothing but bleak shadows and a darkness that had no end. Those with families kept their children off the streets and in their homes; those alone were left to fend for themselves, whether you were a child or not. Not everybody survived. And even then, only the lucky ones did.

That was when Abstergo moved in and changed things. Drastically. Miraculously. Suddenly, everyone was better. People were affording food and homes. Malnourishment wasn't a common sight among children anymore. Poverty was an urban legend among the citizens now. All in all...everything became better.

Which was why it baffled Arnold when their mission had them confronting the corporation that brought hope to a dead city. As it was, masquerading as an organization intent on making the world a better place to hide the monstrosities committed was...he didn't quite know how to put it.

Admirable? Disgusting? It was a mixed feeling Arnold had.

He barely had time to register the fist Kelly held up to signal him to wait. Skidding slightly to a halt, he crouched down just behind her, both hiding behind the wall of a ventilation fan. She turned to look back at him then faced forward. She noticed his mess-up. Peering around the corner, she motioned him to follow before speeding up.

Catching up with her was not necessarily a difficult task. He was just as light as she was; just not as fast. They stopped at the edge of the building, looking over the thousands of people bustling about and the loud traffic below. Prospering. Yet they didn't know the ones who allowed them to were also the cause of destruction. Ironic.

Arnold placed a foot on the ledge, leaning on his arms when he placed them on his leg. "A shame really."

Kelly glanced at him. Then she looked down below.

"They live like this now because some people decided to help." Arnold went on. "The same people also decided to help the bad guys." He looked over at Kelly.

She stayed silent.

"Does that make us bad guys if we destroy their hope?" He asked, knowing he won't get an answer.

Stoic and silent, Kelly continued watching the life going on below. Arnold checked his HUD; the mission clock read 5 minutes until they had to move. The pair went on like that for the next three minutes, in an dead and awkward silence.

When the Pelican dropped them off a minute ago on the Helipad of the UNSC-controlled tower, records showed a crew list of one. Officially, no one saw the Spartans, sneaking off in two directions. Supposedly, no one knew of the plan that four Spartans would be running across the city in discretion.

Said plan was simple. Two squads, Alpha and Bravo, would take off in opposite directions: Alpha towards the 56th leveled balcony and Bravo towards the 50th. Phase One. Phase Two: Infiltrate enemy tower and take command of the overall security system. Phase Three: Retrieve the artefact and kill the Claw.

Alpha Squad would of course continue on with Phase Three. Leaving Phase Two to Bravo; Kelly and himself.

Arnold mulled over Kelly's less than friendly behaviour towards him. The history between John and himself was watched by Kelly just as it had been lived through by Chris. She knew first hand as to why the two's mutual...feelings towards one another was in such a way. Arnold didn't mind her not being as nice to him as she was to Chris.

She had a family and saw Arnold as the black sheep. Arnold only saw ever saw two as his own.

"Let's move." Kelly finally stated, pulling herself away from the sight.

He followed suit, going over to the side of the building where there checkpoint was. This ledge was closer to another building, like the others that were next to each other. From afar, the tall white and blue building that Abstergo resided in shone like a Christmas tree. A beacon of hope and trust.

"Mission time: oh-hundred-oh-five hours. Starting clock. This is Blue Two. What's your status Alpha?" Kelly spoke over the comlink.

"White One here." Chris's voice crackled over the feed. "Alpha Squad is ready to begin. Sync clocks on my mark."

Arnold reset his clock to zero.

"Mark."

The counter started.

He looked over at Kelly.

"Race ya." He called over to her.

Arnold swore he heard her grin over the comlink.

Kelly was speed.

She was clean.

She was precision.

Arnold?

He was agility.

He was elegant.

He was fluidity.

She saw the way he moved. The way he ran. The way he leapt. Everything about him was like water. He ran with a quietness that another Spartan couldn't and jumped like a deer over the obstacles in the way. Arnold vaulted over a metal pipe, rolling onto his back and then continuing on with such smoothness it had Kelly momentarily envious. She was quick, clear and clean cut. She evaded walls with proper dexterity, jumped over poles and then kept running. It was a difference she noted.

It was also the first time she had seen Arnold in action.

Years of war kept the Spartans apart. Some met and crossed paths; others went quiet for so long one had to check if the Spartan was still alive. For White Team, they've always been singled-out. Back then during their war games with Tango, the three were always put on intelligence gathering. When their training turned to combat, they were set aside from the rest to focus on espionage rather than war.

Kelly was at first skeptical of White Team's famous espionage skills. The Spartans were all equipped and trained to the same degree; how we're they different? She saw why now. She saw the difference. The ability to move, continuing to move and then finishing it all off was something every Spartan could do. The elegance that White Team had? It was defining in itself.

The elegance that Arnold had?

The memory of her conversation with Chris, before Alpha Squad was dropped off stuck in her mind.

"He's volatile. Unpredictable. Impractical."

"Yeah but he's good at what he does. And what he has to do."

"I'm not sure Chris. There's a lot to this equation that are unknowns."

"Then watch him. See the difference. And trust him Kelly."

"How?"

"He's got your back."

"Wide gap, heads up." Arnold's voice broke through her reverie.

Surprised, Kelly leapt over the gap without heeding the forewarning. The alley yawned like a black hole in space below her; her feet dangled in the air. She fell short of the distance and her hands slipped away from the edge of the building. A pair of others grabbed her outstretched arm. Thudding onto the wall, she braced herself from hitting it hard. Kelly looked up and saw her helmet reflecting off the golden visor of another's.

"I did say watch out." Arnold quipped, pulling her up. When she straightened herself, he asked, "You good?"

She faced him, watching him from behind her visor. She nodded; lifted her fingers into the signature Spartan smile. He seemed taken aback; the tilt of his head indicated it. He nodded though and returned the gesture. They both sped off.

Arnold leapt up onto an overhanging pole, grabbing onto it. With his weight, he pushed forward, momentum causing him to further the distance between him and her. He landed, cat-like, on his feet before launching again. Rolling over a metal ventilation fan and then sliding beneath low-hanging pipes, getting up again to run.

The image of Arnold winning this 'race' was far from an outcry.

In fact, she wouldn't mind if he won at all.

He has my back after all.

It was oh-hundred-fifteen by the time they reached the rendezvous point. Arnold noted the two green lights on his motion tracker. And the several red ones up ahead. He and Kelly hid in the shadow of a high wall, scanning the area. The balcony of the 50th floor was right before them. Arnold winked green on his HUD the same time three others flashed.

Phase Two was a go.