A/N Remember to review on your way out!

Eye of the Storm

"What's wrong with her?"

Esq heard those words daily now. Most of the time, marines just went back down to the cells to check on her. Johnston was busy being treated by a Corpsman somewhere. Lucy was busy being dead. Now, all she had for company were strangers who whispered behind her. Her ears could pick up the gossip easily but she was much too tired and upset to do anything about it. Lucy and Will were not in any position to be helping her out either.

Truth be told, Esq did not mind the rumours being spread. Her days were long… well, they might have been short. No sunlight reached the brig. Esq's sleep time became irregular and the time she spent awake seemed more like a waking dream. Dreams scattered randomly throughout her mind. They were mostly about what would happen when the real Covenant invasion came. Yes… she was upset and tired but another reason for her comatose state was the fear.

It was only a matter of time before the real invasion of the Human's base became a reality. The Humans were not even fleeing to a safe location that would have bought them more time. Esq realized the one reason for their stubbornness. They must have been stranded. No transport or reconnaissance was available to them. The only reason why the Covenant had not yet glassed the planet was probably because there were Forerunner artefacts to be gathered and processed. Either that or Humans were the dumbest creatures in the Universe.

Fear was strong in her emotional makeup now. There was however one question. What exactly was she afraid of? Who exactly was she afraid for? Perhaps she feared for the Human's Destinies? Perhaps she feared that her betrayal will become widely known in the Covenant. That would result in the loss of her honour. The loss of her Father's honour… Maybe, it was a mixture of both. It was a possibility. In some of her dreams, Lucy's spectre haunted her. Bloodless face staring 

up at her. Humans were being burned by plasma. Their screams gurgled upwards to the Heavens and the smoke carried their voices far away. In other dreams, she saw the Mark of Shame descending upon her and her Father. Her dreams were vivid. She could feel the blistering pain of the hot metal. Felt the sharp edges cut deep into her as she screamed. Her screaming often scared the marines. Her screaming often scared her.

During the Covenant's last siege, many suffered physical wounds. Esq was one of the few who had suffered emotional wounds. One individual in the compound however, suffered neither. She had suffered psychological wounds. Despite what many might have thought, emotional scars and psychological scars are completely different. One mind, one technologically advanced mind suffered extensive psychological damage. Unfortunately for the marines, psychological wounds are so much more serious than emotional ones. People with psychological wounds have the tendency to hurt others and giggle in corners. Those are the sorts of people who enjoy tearing the wings of flies before skewering them and burning them for simple pleasure. It was extremely unfortunate that it was Somme who suffered such damage. Especially because Somme had the controls for many of the bases defences, she was a very dangerous person to have psychological damage. After the bases siege, Somme decided to indulge herself in the simple joys of life. Burning the flies that had oh so unwisely invaded her mind.

"Esq? Esq? Hey girl, you alright? C'mon wake up already!"

Esq was awake. Her eyes were just closed. She was also feeling very very ill. Slowly, she got off from the blissfully cold ground of her cell. For the first time, and probably last time in her life, she was grateful that the cell was lined with 'primitive' concrete. The coolness of it was relieving from her hot headache. "Ugh… Human?"



"You feel alright?" Will knelt down and felt her forehead before leaping back. "You're burning up!" That was not a good thing. It was made worse that Esq was a reptile. A cold-blooded animal that got its heat from the environment. The cell was anything but hot.

"My head really hurts…"

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"Sorry sir," the corpsman stood up from Esq's prone body. "I'm not really familiar with… the anatomy of an Elite. Her ailment is unknown. From what she told me, her temperature is way beyond the normal Elite standard."

"It is just a common cold…" Esq said. Her voice was barely audible.

"Perhaps for you it is. However, we have no means to treat it. It would most likely escalate to something much worse than a 'common cold'. I suggest you just rest… there is nothing we can do but wait."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Human, just send me back to my people. It is what you should have done long ago."

"Not possible. First, how are we supposed to do that? Let you wander off on your own to find some Covenant base? Even we cannot find it!" Johnston said. Frustration saturated his tone and his fists clenched and unclenched spasmodically. Esq was going to die wasn't she?

Esq could have named several plausible situations in which she could find her way back to her home when she realized why exactly she was kept a prisoner. It was not a nice thought. "I am the one keeping you alive now, am I not? The Covenant will not eliminate your pathetic base because I am in it right?" She clicked her remaining three mandibles in anger; ignoring the searing pain shooting through her skull at the slightest action. "Lucy just had to let me out of my cell so our 

warriors could take a good look at me. I am just a hostage to you! Prophet curse you Human! You snivelling worm!"

It was true that was the reason Esq was still thriving in the Human's base. However, Will's intension of brining her to the compound was a good one. Just before he made his retort however, a voice sounded over the PA system.

"Snivelling worms…" The voice was grainy. The poor quality of it made it even more frightening. A fading voice overtaken by stronger ones. It sounded almost like Somme's harmonious chorus… except… it was distorted. Twisted into something vile and evil. Somme's voice used to be like a harmony of angels. Now, it sounded far more sinister and dangerous. A hysterical laugh came from the speakers. The laugh of a dying dog as it rose in volume and pitch before falling. After that, there was quiet wheezing. "Are you afraid?"

At that moment, the base went insane.

A/N Please review! I'd really appreciate it! . Eventually, updates will take a longer time. It is mainly because I will be in the U.S and so, will not have access to my computer. This chapter is not proof-read because I do not have time. I spent the entire day trying to get that damn IWHBYD skull with permanent invisibility. I hope you understand…