AN: THIS IS WHERE THE AU REALLY STARTS. PLEASE TELL ME HOW I DID WITH LEO'S "LAST STAND".
Meeting New and Old Faces
B312
Fifteen Minutes before Covenant Attack
Broken. Separated. Divided. Murdered. These were the words that came to mind the moment Leo had finally reached his destination. The lone Spartan felt one of his fists tighten with titanium crushing force. He felt the, rapidly becoming familiar, powerful anger build up in his chest once again.
The damned aliens had not won a battle here. Had not fought a united force of Spartans. They had sent hundreds after each individual member of the team. Once separated the team had fallen one by one, unable to help their nearby teammates. The bonds of brotherhood and loyalty broken as each Spartan saw another friend die, another member of their family fall and being unable to help.
This was not a battle. It was simple murder, denying this team the right to an even fight. Eyes hidden by his visor Noble Six continued to find one dead Spartan after another. He did not know most of them, but at the same knew them all. Leo knew what each of them were, he just did not know their names. But what would it matter if he did? It would not change what they were, what kind of person they were.
Each of the fallen had been one of his fellow Spartans. Each of them had been a Spartan-III. All of them soldiers to the bone, who knew their duty. And with a grim satisfaction, he saw they did it well if the blood was any kind of sign.
Leo closed his eyes as he thought of the one Spartan he did know. Rosenda-314 was the Spartan whom he was standing over at the moment. The two of them had been part of the same Trainee team during their training to become Spartans. She had been his only friend at the time, that was likely because they were both from the same colony and knew each other.
Now…. Now she was dead, and he was alive. Tilting his head lower he caught site of the gleaming metal in his left hand. Six additional dog tags, one for each of the bodies he had discovered save for hers. Leo did not want to do that, he did not want to see the face of a young woman he had known since childhood. It would distract him far too much from what was about to happen.
This place, this barren place, this graveyard for Spartans, would soon have a new addition to its total. Leo had made his decision the moment the Pillar of Autumn had left the world. This was where he would fight the Covenant one last time. Where the ground would be colored in the blood of the many different species that would die here soon.
Where he would join his fellow Spartans at last.
Lifting the hand carrying the tags up towards the sky, he took careful note of them all. The way the light reflected off of them, the way they sounded grazing each other because of the slight pick up in wind. He rubbed his thumb over them in deep thought.
He felt nothing. He was nothing. He was already dead, his body just had not caught up with the rest of him. Once again he slipped more tags into the hidden compartment on his chest. They joined the tags from Noble Team, and his own. Briefly he wondered if he should have done something other than carry the tags with him.
Shaking the train of thought away he turned his attention towards his position. Several small and damaged buildings filled the otherwise empty terrain, along with a single damaged tower. It was small, but not enough to restrict his movements. It was open, but not enough he could not find a place to take cover.
It was as good a place as any to fight his final battle he supposed. Looking at the weapon in his hand Leo shifted his feet. In the previous half hour he had placed most of his weapons in hidden locations. All he carried at the moment was his Designated Marksman Rifle, his M6G, and a pair of fragmentation grenades. The other Spartans had left him some additional supplies.
A fully loaded rocket launcher with two additional rockets. A Laser with 80% charge. Two mounted machine gun turrets which he had already repositioned. A sniper rifle, several MA37 assault rifles. All in all, it was enough help that he knew he could do some serious damage to the bastard aliens when they found him.
Walking up to the tower Leo felt everything change about him. He was no longer afraid, nor ashamed. He walked with a total certainty in the eventuality of the coming battle. He almost felt happy. No, it wasn't happiness he felt at the present moment. It was a feeling of pride, and relief. He had done his duty to humanity to the best of his abilities. He had fought beside the bravest and most courageous individuals in the entire UNSC.
This battle was for them. Not for humanity, not for the fallen Reach, not for some oath. It was to honor his fallen team, his new family that had been taken from him one by one. The Covenant were going to pay with blood. That was the obvious point. Just as he knew Earth's best chance for survival rested with the Autumn, he knew he had helped that along. He was responsible for whatever happened in the war from this point on. He and Noble Team.
It was just a damned shame that no one would remember them. Not even the public was aware of their existence, the Spartan-II's were the public defense of humanity. Yet even they were unaware that they were not alone in their struggle against the genocidal alien empire that called itself the Covenant. The few troopers and marines they had fought beside on this world were certainly dead by now.
The only people in the galaxy that knew about them did not care what happened, so long as Earth was safe. Except for two very important individuals. Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose, and Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez. The two men who together had made each of them Spartans. They who gave them a purpose, something to strive for.
He closed his eyes as he thought of them for a moment. The two men took each Spartan death personally, and there had been many, many dead Spartans. Leo mentally apologized to the Lieutenant Commander for causing him just a little bit more pain. The man deserved to know his trainees had done well, had fought like Spartans. He would know that they had done the impossible time and time again.
"The short definition of a Spartan," as Chief Mendez had once said.
Leo rather liked living up that definition. But he knew there would be no way to do so now. The impossible was to survive this glassing. That was impossible, not just because he could not escape but also something more. Spartan-B312 did not want to escape. He wanted to die.
The deaths of Noble had hit him harder and harder. For nearly all of his time as a Spartan, Leo had worked alone. The moment they had started to put their trust in him had inadvertently changed him. For the better of course, but also opened him up to unbelievable pain. He knew that this was why he did not work with other teams before.
But he was in no way disappointed. If fate had given him the opinion to go back, and never come to Reach Leo knew exactly what he would have done. He would have gone to Reach in a heartbeat, would have chosen to be a Noble without a second thought. This world, this team, they had been good to him. They had given him the chance to become a real Spartan, and he would willingly accept any punishment just to go through it all again.
He took pride in that knowledge. So lost in his thought he failed to notice the first Spirit and Phantom class drop ships arrive until one had flown directly over him. Holding his rifle by center, Spartan-B312, Noble Six, Leo, prepared to give the aliens a living hell and to die.
A226
Jun walked with the doctor, surprised with the sudden change in the older woman's demeanor. She had changed from a woman feeling her years begin to catch up with her, to someone half her age. She was all but jogging, moving fast enough that Jun was having to walk just a little bit faster than normal. She even seemed almost bearable to him.
And she wasn't brining the AI with them. That was the best damned bit of news he'd heard all day. Noble Three felt incredibly thankful for the surprise visit. And from her own words, Doctor Halsey was pleasantly surprised as well. As they neared the hidden entrance to CASTLE Base, Jun picked up a strange sound over the facility's secure radio frequency.
It was a short six note whistle that sounded a bit feminine. The doctor then whistled a similar tone, only slightly longer than the first. Tilting his head to her in curiosity he watched as she allowed the new arrivals in. Jun stayed to the side of the entrance, not wanting to surprise the team of Spartan-II's at the moment. Their armor was different from the privatized MJOLNIR variants used by Noble Team. It was more uniformed with no distinguishing features, and all possessed a dull green color.
The five walked differently from the Spartans he had seen on previous occasions. They almost seemed broken, their decades of discipline the only thing that appeared to be holding them together. It occurred to Jun that the famed Spartan-II's must have also been on Reach. Which meant that a majority of their teammates had fallen to a similar fate as the rest of Noble Team.
Noble Three decided to wait for the doctor to decide to introduce him. These were not the same Spartans as Noble Team. The Doctor herself had not even known of Noble Team until their appearance at ONI Sword Base, thus it stood to reason that the entire Spartan-II class did not as well. Hidden behind his helmet, Jun let out an almost inaudible snort. The next few days would certainly become very interesting now.
"Fred, Kelly, Will, Vinh, Isaac. Its good to see you are each still alive." The doctor said to the Super-Soldiers. So, thought Jun, I did hear a woman. Wonder if she'll be like Kat. Doubt it though.
"Good to see you as well Doctor Halsey. Have you heard from any other survivors?" One asked, this one he assumed was Fred as he was the first whose name Halsey had called, and the first to speak. The Doctor shook her head sadly.
"I haven't heard from any of the other Spartan-II's. I am so sorry." Clearly this woman had the same type of relationship with these Spartans as she did with Jorge. Her tone was almost motherly.
"Understood Ma'am. What about John, Linda, and James? Did the Autumn manage to get them out of system?" Fred asked.
"I do no know about Linda and James, but I do know for a fact that Captain Keyes and his ship did manage to escape with John." Before Fred or Kelly could say another word, Doctor Halsey raised her hand in his direction. "However, we are not alone in this facility. Noble Three, please come join us."
With a quiet sigh Jun complied. As he came into view of the other Spartans, the sniper could see the almost invisible fraction of movement that showed them tense up. With a small wave of the hand he stopped standing directly to the right of the Doctor.
"Warrant Officer Jun A226, call sign Noble Three. Glad to see I am not the only Spartan left on Reach for sure." Briefly he wondered about the other three members of Noble. Regardless of their status he needed to be focused on the here and now. Which unfortunately meant dealing with five Spartans with years more experience than him, each of whom he outranked, five men and women at least a decade older, and who knew nothing about him.
Nothing easy ever happened to a member of Noble Team.
Not to his great surprise, the Spartans each snapped to attention at the mention of his rank. Another difference he found between them and Noble, they were more formal than Noble had ever been. Carter's command of the team was strict, and they did follow the chain of command, but outside of a battlefield the team had always acted more relaxed and informal. He missed that greatly. After a few seconds he reached up and removed his helmet, the cold air tickling his bald head.
"Warrant Officer, meet my Spartan-II's. Fred-104, Kelly-087, William-043, Vinh-030, and Isaac-039." The doctor said, gesturing to each individual when she announced their name. How the hell could she tell with their armor on, no distinguishing features at all, and no IFF tags? Jun let the thought die down. These weren't his brothers and sisters.
B312
One Hour after Covenant Attack
Leo swung the detached heavy machine gun around him, landing a powerful blow to an Elite Ultra. The moment the Elite fell to the ground he had his armored foot on its back holding it down, then he let loose with the machineguns firepower. The rounds tore through the warrior's armor killing it instantly.
Stepping away from his most recent kill the Spartan continued to empty the weapon on even more of the aliens. Rounds severed arms, and heads from their inhuman owners, dozens of pained screams reached his ears. The lieutenant had no idea how long he had been fighting. Was it minutes, or hours? He could not tell, and it didn't matter at all to him.
The only thing that mattered was the sheer number of hostiles that continued to come at him. He had lost count as to how many of the Covenant's troops he had killed. He knew it was in the dozens for certain, the fact that whole piles of their troops lay slumped together proved that.
As his current weapon was finally emptied, Leo dodged an energy sword strike from another member of the warrior aliens. Bringing the empty weapons barrel to strike his latest attacker in the head, he pulled out his M6G. The moment Leo made contact with alien's face he dropped the machine gun and fired a round into its open maw.
Turning to face a small group of Grunts he saw they were near one of the fuel tanks. He fired at the nearest of the little aliens to slow them down. As they were distracted by their falling comrade he then aimed at the fuel tank. Unloading two additional rounds into it, causing an explosion which spread over the half dozen remaining aliens.
Barely avoiding a salvo of plasma bolts Leo broke into a dead sprint towards the nearest cover. Rolling behind the crumbling wall he waited for his shields to recharge. Releasing the empty magazine of his sidearm Leo swapped it with his last full one. Resting his head on the wall the Spartan took several deep breaths. He felt the burning in his right shoulder, thanks to a plasma bolt that had melted through his armor. Luckily it was not overly charged, and as such did little permanent damage to the Spartan.
If he waited four or five days, the signs of the injury would have disappeared. He just did not have anything more than hours at most.
Shaking off the pain Leo re-holstered the M6G, and picked up an MA37 and a nearly empty rocket launcher. He saw a phantom drop-ship nearing his position, and broke from his cover. As its cannon locked on, the Spartan was already aiming his own weapon. Jumping over a pile of dead Skirmisher, the plasma cannon missing by inches, he fired his last rocket at the Phantom's only vulnerable spot.
The open gravity lift, which was currently off loading troops, soon came into contact with the powerful human device. The explosion killed the troops half way off the Phantom, and set off secondary explosions which crippled it. Leo did not watch as it crashed into a squad of Spec-Ops Elites and their Grunts, instead running to his left the assault rifle already in his hands.
He fired short bursts from the weapon mowing down Grunts and Jackals. Reaching for one of his last grenades Leo tossed it at the feet of a Zealot charging him. Unloading the rest of the clip at the Covenant leader the moment the grenade detonated, he saw it fall to the ground dead. Leo jumped into the burning remains of a destroyed Spirit needles, and plasma impacting the hull. Taking a position at an exposed opening the lone Spartan fired at the hostiles in between their weapon discharges.
As he ducked his head out of cover to return fire, a stray plasma shot struck his visor forcing his head back. Temporarily dazed he stayed on the floor, shaking his head to clear his vision. Once it had returned he noticed two separate cracks had formed. Deciding it was time to move, Leo jumped out of his temporary cover once again. Spraying rounds at a trio of Elites, he pulled his combat knife the moment one's shield had disappeared.
Lowering his head down he tackled it, taking the brunt of the contact on his shoulder pauldron. As he planned it caught him as its feet dug into the ground, preventing it from falling over. Breaking off its hold on him Leo twisted it to face the other Elites, using it as a shield to stop their plasma fire. Pulling off one of the dying warrior's grenades the Spartan kicked it towards its fellow Elites, but not before he had activated and thrown the plasma grenade.
The single grenade combined with the other grenades, producing an even large kill area. The trio of Elites were dead the moment he dropped his then empty MA37. He turned behind him just as an Ultra's leg connected with his torso, denting the armor and forcing him to the ground. As its weigh fell upon him, the Spartan gripped the aliens right hand which held an energy sword. Weakened as he was, the weapon came closer and closer to his head.
Seeing the amount of weight his opponent was forcing on him, Leo suddenly let the blade come to within an inch of him. The Ultra's surprise allowed him to draw his combat knife, and imbed it in the silver armored warrior's eye. Pulling back from him in pain, the Ultra dropped its sword. Seizing it in mid-air Noble Six plunged into its former wielder's chest, and pulled down opening up its rib cage to view.
Leo quickly kicked the dying Elite away from him and rolling to the right as a burst of plasma fire cut across his former position, and then threw the weapon with precision aim into the cockpit of a banshee causing it to crash into its wing man. Pushing himself off the ground he removed his damaged helmet and threw it with bone breaking force towards a suicidal Grunt, snapping its neck. The two grenades the diminutive creature had been holding flew back and stuck a pair of Minor Elites who howled before they were the grenades detonated.
Looking around quickly he saw that the Covenant aircraft had flown over his position, and would not be coming around for another run until several minutes. Turning his head forward he caught sight of another sword wielding Ultra, and a final MA37. Preparing to make his last seconds count, Noble Six jumped for the rifle rolling forward so it was pointed at the Elite.
He fired several rounds into it, destroying its shields and punctured its throat. Its life blood pumping out, the warrior fell to the ground. His instincts kicked in and he found himself ducking under yet another sword, this time so close he felt the back of his skull begin to burn slightly. Bringing his elbow into its chest he forced it back a step then turned and rammed his shoulder into its face. Pulling out his M6G Leo fired a round into the gold armored General's head.
Suddenly he was struck by several plasma bolts which only grazed his armor, and two that made contact with his forearm and the opposite shoulder. Through gritted teeth he let out a roar of pain as he brought his rifle and sidearm to bear. He saw several more Elites surround him, and he began to fire. His mind began to show him older memories from his past, as he was overwhelmed and knocked to the ground.
My home planet being glassed in front of me. Leo kicked off an Ultra, and watched as it dropped its sword.
The Commander inducting me and the rest of Beta Company into the Spartans. A Zealot tried to take his head off, but he backhanded it and watched it land on the ground.
Jorge pushing me off the Corvette, Noble Team firing at the Elite sniper that shot Kat. The Spartan pulled out a smaller knife and forced it into another Ultra's neck before punching it away.
Carter signing out before he crashed the pelican into the scarab. Emile taking the Zealot with him after being stabbed in the back. Leo watched as the first Ultra he knocked away leapt at him. This time he was not fast enough and it held onto him. In his weakened, and pained state the lieutenant was barely able to put up a fight. The second Ultra, his knife still in its neck, joined the first in holding him down.
He watched as his last chance for escape left without him, carrying the reason why so many had died. The Zealot had pushed itself back up, and then activated a smaller dagger like weapon in its gauntlet. Leo struggled as much as he could as his death approached him. He stared into the Zealot's eyes and found an almost apologetic look there, likely only sorry it hadn't been able to defeat him on its own.
Suddenly he heard the crackle of a sniper rifle, and the Zealot fell to the ground with a large hole through one eye. The Ultra pair looked up as two more cracks were heard, and they to fell to the ground dead. Leo stared in shock at the bodies, before looking around for the familiar shape of Jun.
What he did find instead shocked into utter stillness for several heartbeats. The rifle now being used to hold the figure's weight, helmet on the ground, blood dripping from pale lips, breathing heavily, arm clutching the large opening in her armor now bleeding freely once again. Her head lifted up slightly and Rosenda offered him the smallest ghost of a smile, before loosing her grip on the rifle and falling forward.
In an instant Leo had covered the short distance and caught her in his arms before she struck the ground. Laying her down gently he took in her appearance. Skin ghostly pale, even for a Spartan, sweat keeping her short bangs matted to her forehead, and a large opening in her side pouring out blood. His green and gold eyes met her near lifeless blue.
"Rose, how-" She began to speak quietly, and he quickly silenced himself. Every word seemed to be a battle unto itself, each breath coming in far and between. Her voice was so quiet, he only managed to hear it due to his augmented ears.
"Shock. Some. 'Foam, stopped. Blacked. Woke up." She tried to take in another breath. Leo could not believe what was happening to the young woman under him. His friend, was dying right in front of him, her blood covering his armored knees. Regaining some control she began to speak again, slightly louder. "I saw you. Fighting, then you got surrounded. I found the sniper rifle next to me, one clip. Got up, and saved your life. Finally." She finished with a smile before she coughed even more, blood flying onto his chest.
"I still have some pain killers, let me-"
"No." She said simply, her lips curled into a frown. Rosenda lifted her right arm up slightly to make him look. He saw her TACPAD, just like Carter's, with a timer ticking down. "I hacked into the last Defense Platform in space. Its damaged, but its right above us. I set it up to fire on my position when I activated the timer, but I got hit before I could. Used your code Lieutenant. Chiefs like me don't get any." Gripping his hand as tightly as she could, which was far too weak to him, Rosenda looked him in the eye. He couldn't keep the connection. He put an arm around her legs, and then began to do the same with her shoulders. "Stop."
"No, we can make it. I can get you out of the blast radius." He argued with her. Then he felt a gloved hand on his cheek. He looked at her eyes once again.
"No, you can't and we both know it." Suddenly with a burst of strength that surprised him, she pulled him down and embraced him for several seconds. "Promise me, that you will find a way to get of Reach. Even if you have to hijack a Covenant warship, get off Reach. Please, make me this promise." Loosening her grip on him she fell to the ground, a quiet groan escaping her lips. "Please." She mouthed at him.
"I… I promise." He said as he took one of her hands in his own. Rosenda smiled once again, before motioning him closer with her other hand. When he complied she gave him a short kiss on the cheek and forced something at his chest. Once again he looked for her eyes, only to find them closed one last time. Looking at what was now in his hands he found her helmet, a final gift from his dearest friend.
Quickly he grabbed her dog tags and ripped them off her neck, as he ran from the location. Leo avoided the Covenant kill teams that continued to fire at him, dodged the Banshee strafing runs, and got out of the way of the Wraiths. All the while mentally counting down from the number on Rosenda's TACPAD.
As he neared a cliff face he heard an unbelievably loud sound hit his ears, causing a loud ringing. As he reached the edge of the cliff, the Super MAC round struck Rosenda's coordinates. The shockwave reached him and launched him off the ground. As his body continued to roll the down the hundreds of feet to the bottom of the cliff Leo blacked out.
10 minutes after MAC strike
A226
Jun felt the ground shake beneath his feet and reached for something to steady himself. Around him the other Spartans were doing the same, save for Kelly who was holding the Doctor. As the shaking stopped Jun looked to the doctor.
"What the hell was that?" He asked. Surprising the doctor nodded and walked towards the nearest computer. Fingers moving with speed and precision he had never seen outside of the Spartans, the Doctor pulled up an image on the largest screen in the Command Room.
"It seems that one of the Orbital Defense Platforms fired at MAC at a position on the other side of the continent. Strange, it wasn't ordered by any UNSC commander. In fact I don't recognize this access code." An idea came to Jun as he thought more about what the doctor had said. A smile came to his lips as he walked towards the computer to confirm his suspicions.
"Doctor, please let me see." Moving out of the way the doctor allowed him to scan the information. The access code immediately caught his attention. "I can't believe it. I knew he was crazy, but this is unbelievable! You better still be fighting out there Six, I refuse to accept you'd let yourself be put in that situation."
"Warrant Officer. Explain." The doctor ordered calmly. Jun turned to face her.
"That code doctor. It was the Lieutenant's. He hacked the platform, and called a strike down on his position. He seems to have killed himself and hopefully several hundred Covenant troops."
He hoped he was wrong about what seemed to have happened to six. If he wasn't then…He was now the last of Noble Team. He felt sick to his stomach.
B312
Two Hours after MAC strike
Leo slid down the slope as quickly as he could, rocks and dust flying in the air, landing on his feet. However due to his momentum, injuries, and sheer exhaustion the Spartan-III failed to stop his body from falling forward. Despite all their augmentations, their training, the technology behind their armor, and their sheer will the Spartans were still human. And even they, Super-Soldiers that they were, also had their breaking points.
Breathing heavily and through gritted teeth, Leo pushed himself off of the rocky ground and onto his back. Removing the helmet Rosenda had given him the Spartan took several deep breaths, exhaling each slowly to avoid further injury from his multiple broken ribs. The last thing he needed was for one of the puncture a lung, of all the things that could happen that was not the way Leo wanted to go out.
He'd awoken just under an hour ago, nearly night and had started heading in the direction of CASTLE Base. Most of it was downhill, and as proven by his recent fall down the slope, he was exhausted.
God, he thought ruefully, If you're real then what the hell makes me so special you refuse to let me die, and simply cause as much pain as possible? Blinking his eyes quickly Leo began to feel some of the pain drifting away. His bones had yet to fully recover from his crash landing after Jorge had launched him out of the Corvette, and the new broken bones were not helping him. With a dark chuckle Leo imagined all the bones in his body as having been cracked multiple times in the past month.
Unfortunately, they probably were damaged in some way or another.
Leo put one hand inside the his new Commando helmet. The piece of equipment was of the same model as Carter's. Forgetting all feeling of pain, he reached with the fingers on his other hand towards the black visor. He was still alive, he had survived his attempted 'last stand.' A part of him was enraged at Rosenda for saving his life, at the expense of her own. It was another Spartan dying to save his own skin.
His eyes narrowing at the thought Six let out a quiet growl from his throat. Leo wanted to die. It was that simple the Spartan realized, he never wanted anyone die to save his life. Carter had sacrificed himself for the mission, and Jorge had done the same because he had believed it should be him who would save his home world. But now there was no reason to do that, no reason for the seventeen year old Spartan girl to kill herself.
Throwing the helmet at the nearest rock Noble Six felt his anger flare. She had been the closest thing he had to a sister, to family. If anyone should have sacrificed themselves for the other it should have been him! Then, like a Spartan he regained control of his emotions and saw the logic behind his oldest friend's end. She was dying, there was no way to stop that. But she could have saved him, and so she had.
But why did she have to call him brother. The shame that he had been unable to protect her hung over his head, threatening to send him into another mindless rage. Why did she have to hold on to him, begging him to promise he'd find a way off Reach? Suddenly the rage turned to uncontrolled sadness. Leo let the tears through his eyes, not even trying to stop them.
After having reined in some control Leo pushed himself off the rocky ground he had been grieving on. Making his way towards the helmet he thrown the Noble stared at the visor and saw his reflection. Hair shortened to almost Carter's length, bruises on his right cheek bone, tear stains, and lastly a defeated look in his eyes. He felt disgusted with himself.
Bending down Leo picked up the helmet, its black visor barely showing anything behind it. It was just like Carter's, just like his leader. Effective, easy to maintain, with multiple attachments to better command. The lieutenant felt unworthy of the piece of equipment, its green painted metal heavy in his hand. But he had promised Rosenda he would survive as long as possible, and get off Reach. The young woman had utterly no doubt in her mind that he would be able to do it. He did not share her certainty, but he would give it his all just like he always did.
Spinning the helmet around, the Spartan tilted it forward so that the inside stared back at him. With a sense of renewed purpose he moved the helmet closer to him. Sliding it down his head Noble Six felt the familiar feel of a fully equipped set of armor. His shields recharged now that the helmet was fixed to the rest of the suit, the sound easing the slight tension he felt in his stance.
It was at that point that he heard a sound that nearly stopped his heart with shock. It couldn't be, there can't be any-his thoughts were halted as the scream of a child sounded again. Snapping out of his momentary shock Leo focused on shrill cry for help. Turning in the direction it was coming from the Spartan-III ran as fast as he was able.
Running in between the dying trees he heard the child's voice growing louder. He also hear a familiar roar that sent chills down his spine. It was just his luck that a Guta would have somehow survived as well. Running up a hill he jumped over the crest and rolled down until he stopped the moment he saw it.
Large. At least twice his height, and at least three times his weight in his armor. Gray skin covered in scars and fresh burns. The hilt of an energy sword imbedded in its neck, a large scar on its right foreleg. Two seven foot long tusks. Instantly Leo realized exactly what he was up against.
The Guta from several weeks ago. With a sinking feeling, Leo realized it had somehow survived its injuries and made its way into this forest. His thoughts on the how, and why, were silenced the moment the beast let out a roar and charged him. With surprising speed it closed the distance between them. Leo had barely managed to avoid being trampled only to be struck by its left tusk.
The blow lifted him several feet into the air and nearly three dozen meters away. Using his newfound momentum the Spartan twisted himself so that he landed on the balls of his feet, the shock transferring up the rest of his body. His injured body protesting from the renewed strain Leo knew he was in trouble.
His mind and body were reacting much slower than they should have. This was a mindless beast operating on instinct. He'd destroyed ships, heavy vehicles, hundreds of enemies were killed by him. All of them had been harder than fighting something like the Guta.
So why did he come running into this fight with no plan? With no weapons whatsoever aside from his M6G with only half a magazine left. The answer was he was nearly broken, physically and mentally at that point. He knew it, and he half wondered if the beast did as well. Leo decided to go for it head on, he didn't have the firepower to take it out and if it came to a battle of endurance, well he was barely standing as it was.
The fact that the Guta only needed to hit him once head on did not make him feel anywhere near at ease. The Spartan-III locked eyes with his freakishly large foe, he saw a primal survival instinct behind its eyes. How ironic that two non-covenant life forms were about to kill one another because they both wanted to survive.
Suddenly they both made their move at the same time. The giant of steel, and the giant of flesh closing in on one another with lethal intent. As the Guta attempted to gouge him with its sharp tusks, Leo threw himself to the side. Grabbing onto the tusk that barely missed him by a foot the lieutenant held it tightly. As the beast began to try and shake him off it threw its head in the air.
Lifting him up rapidly would prove to be the end of their battle. The moment he had reached the maximum height he could hold onto, Leo swung himself on to the Guta's neck. Grabbing on to the energy sword he pulled as quickly as he could, praying the weapon still had some charge.
As he pulled the weapon out, the Guta had finally thrown him off. Landing on the ground hard, Leo rolled to avoid the heavy feet that had nearly trampled him. Activating the energy sword quickly he slashed at the nearest leg. The creature let out a cry of pain and pulled back momentarily. Taking advantage Leo slashed at its opposing hind leg, further paining the beast. Finally as it turned to face him he ran at it.
Sluggishly the freak of nature once again attempted swipe at him with its massive tusks. Once again it missed, though this he jumped onto its back and plunged the blade directly above where its brain was located. With a loud crashing sound, and a slight shaking, the beast fell dead.
After killing the creature Leo allowed himself to fall to the ground, landing on his right foot and turning it into a roll. He came face to face with the tiny child. Her dark hair contrasted heavily with her snow white pale skin. Her brown eyes held a mix of fear and awe, along with relief. After several seconds Noble Six fully kneeled before the little girl.
"Are you okay?" He asked as he kept his gaze locked on her small eyes. The little girl suddenly developed a change in appearance. The fear she showed replaced by an angelic smile as she ran to him. She wrapped her small arms around his neck, burying her face in his armored chest.
"Thank you mister! You saved me!" Surprised by the child's reaction Leo was stunned into stillness. Never, not once had he been treated with such a strange reaction. Certainly he'd seen parents do the same to their children, lover to their partners. The closest had been Rosenda's final embrace, but that was her saying goodbye to him. This…. This was new. So it was a strange disappointment that filled him when the little girl pulled away.
"Um. Your welcome?" He said almost sheepishly. Something to do with his reply brought a giggle from the child.
"Are you a knight?" Now that was something he had never been called before. He'd heard hero, super human, freak, mistake, but never knight.
"Sorry to disappoint little one, but I am no knight. Spartan B312 at your service." He said formally with a curt nod. He felt as though he had made a mistake when the girl's smile disappeared.
"That's not a name." She said it as though it was the most important thing in the world.
"No, its not I suppose." The girl opened her mouth but was cut off by a shout.
"Rozsa! There you are!" Leo turned his head in the direction of the voice, an odd feeling of recollection in his mind. Which was soon replaced by shock as the young woman Jorge had talked to at the Visegrad Relay facility. The young woman also stopped upon seeing him. Her face changing from relief to one of disbelief.
"You!" She said with hesitation and barely hidden anger in her quiet voice.
"Yes. You're the girl Jorge talked to."