The Marines of Charlie Company:

Chapter Nine

Getting to Know Each Other

"Hey…hey buddy! Wake up!" The voice kept repeating over and over, thumping into David's slumbering conscious.

Finally, Carson slowly allowed his eyes to open. They were back at Alpha Base now, apparently out on the landing pads, and a large group of men and women had gathered there to welcome Captain Keyes and the surviving Marines that had rescued him. Suddenly, an uproarious noise erupted from the crowd as the Corporal stood up and groggily marched down the ramp. He felt dozens of hands patting him on the back and, at first, was confused beyond all reason, but then he realized why; of all the Marines he left with, David was the only one left alive from the original rescue team…partly from luck, but mostly from…luck.

David smiled as best he could (exhaustion kept him from being all-around friendly) and worked his way through the crowds of cheering (and presumably drunk) Marines and technicians. David staggered doggedly through the twisting corridors along his memorized route to his 'room', which was really nothing more than a hole carved in the wall with a bed set up in it, a light fixture attached to the roof and clothes piled in the corner. He stripped off his armor and boots and helmet, set them all near the foot of his bed, and collapsed there.

While not exactly the most comfortable thing to do, it was practical; David's body had just about given out from the sheer amount of strain put onto it. Because of his quick entry onto said mattress, however, he didn't notice the second being lying there; that person being Cassandra, or Sally for short, Connors. She hadn't been asleep, but instead watched the young man stagger in and collapse, spurring a moment of worry, then of relief.

'So, he did survive…thank God' Cassandra thought as she pulled the somewhat inadequate covers over David. The red-haired Lieutenant sat and watched the man sleep; it was the first time she'd really gotten a good look at him. David's face, she observed, was rugged and squared, his chin grayish-black with day-old stubble. Battle scars lined his somewhat lanky, yet cut, torso. The man's black hair was cut short, but not newly cut; there was some length to it.

Cassandra smiled lovingly and stood from the side of the bed, her eyes still locked on the person she just couldn't get out of her mind. She exited the room with a soft sigh and pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail, deciding now would be as good a time as any to grab some food from the chow hall; she hadn't eaten all day.

It took a few minutes for her to navigate the corridors of the base and find the mess hall, located centrally in the 'base', grabbed some 'food' (that's not what she would call it) and found a place to sit among some of the troops, who were all laughing and generally having a good time. Now that Captain Keyes was back, the 'resistance' stood a chance.

However, the mood changed once she sat down and started eating; all eyes were upon her. One of the men sitting beside her was in the dropship that had brought them to Alpha Base. "So," he asked, "how is our resident hero?"

"Who, David?"

The men around her nodded and watched, intrigued by the woman that was closer to one of the men that had rescued the good Captain.

"He's exhausted, to say the least. Just kinda wandered in and passed out."

Their faces sullened a little bit; he wasn't invincible or a Spartan, but damn close in their minds. Hell, hers too. The next few minutes of the meal was spent in utter silence at that particular table, but utter silence in the cafeteria not soon after Cassandra had finished eating. When the quiet settled in, she glanced around the room until her eyes settled on what had caused the sudden drop in noise; there, in the doorway, stood four soldiers; Sergeant Avery Johnson, who everyone knew and most loathed, Captain Jacob Keyes, the Marines' fearless leader and father figure to many, and David Carson, a Marine that most didn't even know about until earlier in the evening. To the Marines, Corporal Carson was just another one of them; not a figure of authority, not an inhuman Spartan, but a supersoldier in his own right; he'd survived what countless others hadn't. He'd taken an Elite on in hand-to-hand combat.

Cassandra watched the trio move through the crowd in utter silence, their footfalls echoing ominously in the cavernous room. The Captain took up position at the head of the mess hall; he obviously had something to say and even the cooks sat down to listen.

"Now that I have your attention," the Captain began, "there are a few things that must be said. First, you've been working hard under the imposed command, and I thank you for that; the circumstances have obviously been difficult."

The Marines murmured in agreement.

"Countless acts of heroism have been conducted thus far, whether recognized or not. We've lost many men…"

Cassandra didn't hear much after that; her attention was drawn to the man she'd barely known three days. He looked sharp in his combat fatigues, standing at attention behind Keyes and beside Sergeant Johnson. Cassandra noted that his posture was perfect, although his face and eyes showed otherwise; he was tired, on the verge of exhaustion if he hadn't broken that point already. She watched as he cast glances about the room, searching for something…and finding it when their eyes locked. David inclined his head slightly, so much so that it was barely noticeable, but his way of saying 'Hello' to her while at attention; she smiled in return.

"…we must secure this weapon before the Covenant do. Sergeant Carson and Sergeant Johnson will be leading the teams that will accompany me. Sergeants, name your fire teams now."

Johnson was first and slowly called out the names of the men he'd be taking with him; some of the men she knew, others she didn't. The last name called was Jenkins, Wallace A. Cassandra had met him the other day on base, and he seemed a nice kid, if a bit green. She could remember bits of the conversation they had; trivial stuff, really, basic grunt conversation about Earth, family and whether or not the Marines had a chance. No one really talked about their present situation; always before or what they would do after. Pessimism was self-destructive to everyone, so spirits had to remain high.

David was much faster and rattled the names off; the people in his team consisted mostly of members of Charlie Company that had survived Reach and mixed a people from Able and Bravo of the Eighty-Fifth Infantry Division in there. Cassandra half-expected noise to commence soon afterwards, at least a few groans or grunts, but there was nothing but utter silence until Captain Keyes spoke again.

"I don't have to tell you how important this mission is. Even now, the Spartans and a Marine strike team are working to discern the location of Halo's Control Room." He paused for a second and watched the crowd's reaction; there was none, relatively. "Strike teams, we'll be deploying within the hour, so rest up."

Sound filled the room again as everyone dispersed but Cassandra, David, Johnson and Captain Keyes. From what she could hear, they were discussing the 'Great Weapon' that Halo contained and plans to retrieve it. Cassandra merely waited and watched the three men converse, and sighed when the older two left. She got to her feet and turned to leave, but stopped, turned around and scanned the room to find him approaching with a bit of a forced grin on his face.

"Hi there." he said cheerfully.

"Hi." She replied back, but without most of his enthusiasm. He sat down in a chair next to the one she had sunk back into, and it was then that she got her first real look at him. The Marine sitting next to her may have looked young and vibrant at one time, but that was all gone; now, he looked just like every other veteran…haggard and tired, but in an attractive way.

"We really didn't have time to get to know each other before, so I figured now would be as good a time as any."

Cassandra smiled and insisted that he speak first. She learned that David was born on Earth, in the United States as a matter of fact, and had been raised on Reach and Jericho IV, and also served in it's defense with his brother, Michael. Their parents had been killed when Jericho fell to the Covenant, but they managed to escape with a squad of Marines. It was then that they officially joined the UNSC. She listened intently as he described the next couple years of his life, moving from planet to planet and failing in each attempt made to defend them. Finally, he'd been selected to join the Autumn's crew and was shipped out to Reach.

Cassandra, in turn, shared her own story; she was born and raised on reach and joined the military as soon as she could. While not as exciting as the stuff David did, she had seen her fair share of action on Reach alone as a drop ship pilot, and nearly got shot down on several occasions. Near the end, she'd seen plenty of infantry combat and was involved in a good deal herself before evacuating as many as she could to the Autumn.

Afterward, they just sat in silence and either stared at the floor or each other; neither really had much more to say and the rest of the hour passed rather quickly. Although their silence was awkward, Cassandra didn't really feel uncomfortable about it just spending time around this man made her feel better for some reason and stirred feelings and emotions she hadn't known for a long time. It was interrupted by his name being called over the radio.

He stood, and she followed suit. Neither moved for a second, but he started to leave and she quickly found herself liplocked with him. This lasted a few precious moments before she pulled back, blushing, and unsure of what had come over her.

"Be careful, David. Please."

David gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm always careful…besides, now I've got a reason to come back."

A/N: Character development, ahoy! Heh, hope ya'll enjoyed that…now, review, damn it! I COMMANDETH THEE!