A/N: Guess who's back, back, back, back again, gain, gain…ahem I'm back! Thank you to everyone for their re-…wait…only two reviews? Both from Aphotica? I wonder where everyone went…ah well. Anyway, review please! I need motivation to keep going! By the way, read Through the Eyes of Another, the fiction that inspired me to write Charlie Company. You MUST check out Owen Frost: Warrior, written by Aphotica. It is an amazing story that has everything a good story should have! On with the show!

The Marines of Charlie Company

Chapter Three

Down Time

Dust stirred and whirled around as the powerful Pelican engines powered up and it headed skyward. The young Marine Corporal had seen a lot in his short three years of fighting the Covenant, more than he'd like, and now lived only to seek revenge for the millions of innocents that had been slaughtered in this Hellish war and for his fallen comrades. Now, though, he had a new reason to fight; the destruction of Reach and the death, he assumed, of his twin brother, Michael. Carson looked around at the other Marines in the cabin of the Pelicans and observed their faces and conditions. Most were battered and bruised, some bleeding and burned, others just cut from their rough landings. Amazingly enough, Sally remained practically unscathed, save for a small cut on her forehead.

David hadn't time before to get a good look at the lifeboat pilot yet, and decided this would be his chance. She was a slender young woman, beautiful too. Long, flowing red hair, emerald green eyes, full ruby-red lips…and then he noticed something else about the young woman; she was staring at him. Carson could feel her eyes penetrating his soul, his own giving away what he was truly feeling inside; anger, hate, resent, regret, sorrow, sadness, remorse, depression…everything negative that one could possibly feel at the same time. "Are you okay there, David," she whispered softly. That was something else remarkable about this woman…her voice was silky smooth, completely opposite of David's cold, emotionless voice.

"I'll be okay…you get some sleep. Believe me, those damned medics'll knock me out good."

She giggled softly, then rested her head on his shoulder and clenched a small hand on his forearm. David smiled warmly and then looked around at the other Marines…who were all staring at him and smiling. He could've sworn the Chief and blue Spartan were too. He blinked several times before the answer finally dawned on him. "What are you all staring at?"

One of them, a Sergeant judging from his uniform, spoke first. "Corporal, I don't know what the hell you did, but it worked. Keep it up, son, and she'll be yours, I can see it."

Smiling, Carson looked down at Sally, who was still sleeping peacefully on David's shoulder, apparently not hearing any of the conversation Carson and the Sergeant just had. He chuckled softly as he thought about what the other man said and wondered what the future beheld for him…but he'd have to think of that later. For now, all he could focus on was survival and a way to escape the ring.

Thoughts rushed through his head as he watched the ground scream by under the Pelican. Everything from how he'd escape the ring, to Sally, to whatever else he could think of. Truth be told, part of David was bored with just sitting around, and another part of him was the opposite. The young Marine had developed several personalities over the course of the war, due mainly to the psychological stress of 'kill or be killed' situations constantly occurring. While this sort of thing didn't always happen, no one knew why Carson had these personalities…battles were a guess, and they really didn't know what triggered each one.

Yet, David lived and fought on for vengeance and to protect everyone else he knew. That was the reason he had joined the Marine Corps at the age of eighteen, as soon as he was old enough. Carson had a knack for combat, as some said, and was an excellent rifleman, winning three medals in basic for his marksmanship. He was also the type of person willing to give life and limb to save someone else, even if he didn't know 'em. 'Simper Fi,' he thought proudly. "Simper Fi…"he then mumbled, causing the other men in the aft to look up, smiling.

Simper Fi is short for the Marine Corps' slogan; Simper Fidelis meaning 'Forever Faithful' in…either Latin or Greek…he couldn't exactly remember, but it didn't matter. What did matter was that he took that saying to heart when he joined the Corps and wasn't about to forget or neglect it. As Carson looked up, he noticed the other Marines were smiling, and he smiled back. "Simper Fi," he called out to them.

"Ahoo-Rah," they replied, followed by laughter and talking.

"Heads up Marines," the drop ship pilot called, "we're coming up on echo base. Carson, get up to the cabin. There's someone that needs to speak with you."

David stood up, his chest protesting the action harshly, and inhaled sharply. Pushing the pain aside, he headed toward the cockpit and slid the heavy iron door open. After stepping inside, he shut the door behind him. "…yes sir, I've notified- ah he's here," the pilot said and handed the mike Carson.

"Corporal David Carson here," he said non-emphatically, waiting for a reply. It came in the voice of 1st Lt Anderson, Captain Keyes' backup in case something happen which, obviously, it had.

"Carson, we've got a mission for you. Captain Keyes has been captured by Covenant forces. After looking through your record, we believe you're a good choice for this mission. You'll be working with three Spartans," the 1st Lt said with disgust, "and eight or nine Marines, depending on who we can find. You've got 24 hours to get ready."

The mic clicked off and the young Marine handed it back to the pilot with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Corporal," the pilot noted sadly. He then noticed blood on the mike. "You're injured!"

David looked down and noticed that the chest wound had begun bleeding again and stumbled back through the doorway and to a medical kit. Everyone had heard the pilot and rushed over to aid their comrade, first by catching him before he collapsed and then by setting him on his back.

"Damn," commented one Private, "Sarge, you seein this? The guy's a damned battlefield!"

The Sergeant nodded and began to replace the old gauze that was now stained and caked in dried blood. Plasma was supposed to cauterize a wound when it hit someone, but, for some reason, this guy was bleeding his guts out. "Cortana," the Chief suddenly growled, "what's this guy's status?"

"Scanning," the AI replied, "There's something wrong with his circulatory system, Chief. Either that, or something right with it. The young Corporal here has developed some sort of resistance to Covenant weaponry, or he'd be long dead from poisoning."

The Marines and Spartans in the aft of the drop ship were jostled around roughly as the wheels of the Pelican slammed into the ground rather roughly and the landing plank lowered with a creak and a clang. Several Medics rushed the rear of the ship to aid Carson, pushing many other people out of the way. They loaded the wounded Marine out on a stretcher and rushed him across the landing platforms and into Sick Bay. Many of the soldiers that were in the Pelican, including the pilot and co-pilot, followed close behind until they were ushered away and into the mess hall by other medics.

The next few hours passed uneventfully, most of it spent in the Mess Hall picking at the slime the UNSC dared call food, waiting for any news of Carson's condition. Finally, at 1955 Zulu, six hours after they had arrived, a medic found them. "Your friend is lucky. He'll survive, but right now he's in a comatose state. We're not sure how long it could be before he wakes up, or if he wakes up at all."

In Sick Bay, as the medic explained David's condition, he was tossing in his sleep at the images that flashed through his inner mind. Pictures of horrid, pustules of creatures wiggled and bounced and skipped toward their prey…humans…it was in a large, cavernous room about forty meters high and half that wide…screams echoed in that chamber, screams of pain and suffering. Then, all went black and a deep, rumbling voice occupied his mind. "The Flood will consume all," it bellowed, "there is no escape."

The Flood? What the Hell were they? What was going on? Then, the sentence reverberated through his mind, shattering all hope like a mighty sledge hammer slung by a giant at a thin sheet of glass. Despair began to overtake the young Marine as the voice repeated the same sentence over and over…"The Flood will consume all, there is no escape."

Now scared and disturbed, he desperately wanted to escape this hellish nightmare, wake up and forget everything. Something was not right on this ring. A presence lurked beneath the surface, dark and sinister, a presence like nothing Humans or Covenant had ever even imagined to exist…they were about to release a creature that they could not fight and win against. Then, a bright flash filled his mind and the despair was lifted. At first it was so bright, David could not open his eyes, but as it dimmed, he did so and they widened to the size of saucers.

There in front of him stood a trio of beings, wrapped in cloaks of all colors and varieties. The robes extended to the figures' feet and great hoods lined with ornaments and laced with gold covered their faces in shadow. They spoke in unison, their voices melding into one, melodious tone that seemed to be made of the finest silk. "Do not fear, David Carson, for we are not here to harm you."

"Wh-who the hell are you? How do you know me," he shouted.

"That is not of your concern, David Carson, not yet. A great destiny lies ahead of you, far in the future, in the final battle against the Flood. We cannot tell you when or where this will occur, for it will lead to your destruction. We can, however, leave you with this wisdom. Take it to heart, for there can be nothing more true. Evil cannot exist without Good, just as Good must coincide as evil. We must leave you now, David Carson, and you must rest. Many great battles lie ahead of you, and you will need all the strength you can muster."

Just as they came, the figures left, in a blinding flash of light. David lay there, pondering upon their words in his sleep. What they told him made little sense, but he supposed that he would have to decipher their code as he went. Things were becoming interesting already, and Carson was sure that they would become more so as time continued on.

A/N: DONE! FINALLY! I apologize for taking so long to update, but school and other things have been a pain. I hope to hear your reviews and any guesses as to who these strange beings are. Until next time, peace out! Also, I'd like to let you all know that Aphotica will not continue to write until May 2005 due to low self-esteem and a lack of ideas. Please let him know what you think of his works. Thanks!