A/N Remember to Review on your way out! As usual, this chapter is not proof-read.

Father

"Oh my god, we're all gonna die… we're gonna die…" Will muttered under his breath as he ran down yet another corridor splattered with the horribly disfigured marines. "And, if we somehow get out of this… I'm gonna die… Your Father?! Damn it, Esq he'll murder me!"

"There is no better solution," Esq shot back. "I am confident he will not hesitate to kill you under normal circumstances. However, I am sure he will spare you considering this rather odd situation."

Will was about to rebuttal Esq's statement that would have left her face flushed with anger if he had not seen a young woman flicker on and off. "Somme's hologram! Run Esq!"

Esq turned around out of curiosity. She saw a transparent young human turn down another hallway. She was flickering on and off…

It had been approximately five minutes when Will helped Esq re-calibrate the systems to send a distress signal. The next priority was to get near the entrance. The first place the Covenant would arrive in… At the moment, the door was sealed tight. It was not unexpected. If the door wasn't closed, Will and Esq could have just walked out of the base.

They were not so fortunate as to have Somme suddenly rendered to become forgetful. That was why; they were stuck near the entrance, with all doors and vents of the base closed. Air, was being sucked out of the base.

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If there was no limited supply to the air they now breathed, Johnston might have said, "I told you so… we are going to die." Whereupon Esq might have boasted about how fast Covenant replied to distress signals. Though secretly, inside, she would be inclined to agree with Will.



It was getting hot inside the base… with all cooling units shut down; they were slowly being baked alive. So, if the suffocation did not kill them, the heat would. Neither William nor Esq had any water to drink for the past fifteen hours or so. Johnston was barely conscious. Esq was slumped down next to him. The heat did not bother her as much as it bothered Will. Sanghelios' temperature got a lot higher than this.

Sweat dripped down from Will's face, chest… everywhere in fact. It made a steady plunk plink plunk noise. A rhythm that beat out insistently against the hot floor of the base where the sweat proceeded to be evaporated almost instantaneously. William would never have thought there would be a time in his life where he hoped the Covenant would arrive to save him…

Those were his last conscious thoughts before he slumped onto the floor from the lack of air. Esq followed suit and she tumbled down on top of him before rolling off so that her chest was against the floor. Slowly, her breathing slowed and along with it, her heart.

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Where am I? Dull light pierced her eyelids. Oh, it seems I passed out… I must be back in the cell now… Esq then remembered what happened and opened her eyes. She smiled. "Father."

"Esq," his mandibles twitched in the equivalent of a relieved smile. There was no time for sentiment further than words. Not while they were surrounded by members of her Father's warriors. Warriors… the thought of that reminded her of something incredibly important.

"Father! The Human… is he?" she could not bring herself to finish her words.

"He?" Esq's Father was a bit confused at Esq using a noun normally reserved for friends. "It is fine… We received the message that it… assisted you. It is currently situated in the brig."

"He- it saved my life. Can we do no less?"

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"And… that is why you are still alive."

Private Johnston grunted. The Engineers… Esq had called them Huragok. She had also kindly lent him a translator. 'Lent' was the keyword why he was still alive anyway. "So, how do you consider us 'inferior beings' now?"

If Esq was surprised by his questioning, she did not show it. "As any loyal Covenant member would." Her voice was cold now. "You are… a good sentient being Huma- Will. I do not, cannot deny that. I go far enough to thank you. However," her voice became… perhaps a mixture of bitterness, anger and was on the verge of being cheeky. "Your destruction is the Will of the Gods, and we are the instrument."

William did not say anything. He understood what she said.

"Goodbye… Will. I will kinda miss you."

He smirked not unkindly at her less formal words. He extended his hand. After a moment hesitation, Esq clasped it and shook. A gesture unfamiliar to her but she understood the meaning in it anyway. An Elite and Human shaking hands for perhaps the first and last time. "There is no need for goodbyes. We won't see each other again… split-lip." They parted ways.

As Esq saw Will's now fixed Pelican fly off into the air, she whispered, "This encounter changes nothing. I am a devout follower of the Great Journey and I will follow the footsteps of the Forerunners. Nothing shall ever change. I tread the path. I swear this by my Father; Field Master Sesa 'Refumee."

A/N Thank you! All of you for being kind and considerate and helpful in your reviews. This will not be the last story I write so stay tuned! Please remember to review! I will be in the U.S for five weeks so I will not be able to reply to anything for awhile.

If you want to know Will's future, just say so in a review or PM… I decided not to write a chapter on it this time. Esq's future will remain hidden. For now.