Five hours later

Location: Reach task force barracks

When Marcus had arrived back at the base after going to the cave in the Zula mountains again, he had given Auto's data cord to sergeant John and was told he might be debriefed later on in the day by him and captain McCrea. He was also told to keep quiet about this mission, something which Marcus was annoyed at but decided to listen this time for he was worried that he might cause another incident with the other members of his group like he had done with Anya last night.

He had returned to the barracks as quietly as he could and tried to capture the last few hours of sleep before they were woken up. Today, he could sleep a little longer because the taskforce was being debriefed on an attack on the Covenant fleet before they were board the main assault carrier and that would not begin until midday.

By about 9am, they were all awake, had their breakfast and were now waiting in the barracks. Eve was, as usual, going over the plans for the attack on the main assault carrier but had decided to take a break and was having a rest. Anya was with Allison, Bethany and Emily at Anya's bed. Marcus had thought about asking to talk with her but he was too nervous to see if she was still angry with him about what happened last night. Hopefully she wasn't.

"I still think we should tell the others about what we've been doing," Tanya said.

Marcus was with his group around Tanya's bed. They were talking about the fact that they still had to keep quiet about their 'secret missions'. It was stupid, but they just had to go along with it because they knew what would happen to them if they told anyone else about the Covenant scouting missions on Reach.

"You know we can't," Tyler told her.

"I know, but still…" Tanya replied. "They have to find out sooner or later,"

"Tanya's right," Alice piped up. "It's only a few days until the mission and the others deserve to know what's been going on,"

Whilst the others were talking, Marcus was looking over towards Anya's bed where he friends were all gathered. He sighed in knowing that she could still be angry with him and looked around the barracks. He saw one soldier in a red bodysuit sitting on the side of his top bunk bed with his feet dangling down the side, reading a letter in his hand. That soldier was called Matthew. Apparently, he had been taken out of the barracks as well and told about something that had made him really upset. What it was, Marcus did not know.

He looked over at Anya and saw her quickly look away from him. Even though she looked away from him very quickly he saw the annoyed look on her face. So she was still angry with him.

Marcus sighed and stood up. "I'll be back in a minute guys," he said to the group and he turned to walk towards Anya only to see her, Emily and Bethany walking towards Eve's bed. Marcus' eyes widened. Oh no! he was losing his chance to talk to her! He quickened his pace towards her. He was going to talk to her and he had to do it now!

"No Marcus, stop!" a voice said as someone stepped in front of him. It was a woman with brown hair and brown eyes and wearing a green bodysuit. It was Allison.

"Allison, please! I just want to talk to Anya," Marcus told her.

"No, Marcus," she said, not moving from where she was standing. "She told us everything about last night and she doesn't want to speak to you,"

Marcus sighed and looked down at the floor for a second before looking back up at Allison.

"So you know now?" he inquired in a low tone.

"Well no," Allison replied.

"But I thought you said-"

"She told us that you and her had gotten into an argument, but not over what. I was hoping you could fill me in on that,"

"I can't, Allison. Now I need to talk to Anya,"

He went to walk past her, but Allison stopped him. "No, Marcus!" she told him sternly. "She doesn't want to talk to you!"

"Allison, please," Marcus pleaded.

"No, Marcus, stop!" Allison said. "You've already upset her. Now just…please just go and sit down!"

Marcus looked down the room towards Eve's bed, where Anya, Bethany and Emily were gathered around and sighed in defeat and walked back over to the bunk bed where his group of friends were sitting.

"Are you alright, Marcus?" Tyler asked him as he re-joined the group, making the others look at him as well.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied lowly.

"You don't seem fine," Tanya said.

"Tanya, I'm fine!" Marcus snapped. "Just quit asking you, will you,"

"Sorry, man. Y'know we're just trying to help you," Stinger piped up.

"Guys, I appreciate that, but I'm fine, really!" Marcus insisted and looked down at the floor. The others looked at him and each other questionably and worryingly but decided not to press on in asking Marcus what was wrong. Perhaps later he would tell them or they would find out.

BEEEEEEPPPP!

Suddenly, the whole barracks went a dark red colour and the blare of an alarm filled the air. Marcus jolted upright and watched, along with everyone else in the barracks, Eve run past to the end of the barracks and opened the door. She paused in the doorway and talked to a passing general before she turned to face everyone in the barracks.

"Alright, everyone, let's go, let's go!"

"What's going on, Eve?" Matthew, who was sitting on the bunk bed across from the one Marcus was sitting on, asked.

"It's the Covenant, they're attacking," Eve replied.

Like a herd of cattle moving out into a field, everyone in the taskforce ran towards the barracks entrance. As Marcus ran towards the entrance, he completely forgot about his backpack under his bed, which concealed an object that was important to him and reminded him of someone he cared about.