Chapter 4
Location: Eisenhower Academy, Planet Reach
Date: August 3rd, 2541
"Welcome to Eisenhower Academy! I am Sergeant Anderson Polski! And right now, you, cadets, are the new faces to the faces of the UNSC! It's your job to pass this academy and learn your skills as a Marine to fight against the Covenant! And it's my job to make sure you idiots get that proper training! You will fall in when I call your name! Is that clear?!"
"Yes, Sir!" All the cadets shouted back in unison as they obeyed their new CO at the moment.
A young man walked forward along with the several new recruits that have been with him for the sixteen long hour journey. He had what looked like soft brown hair that waved along the in gentle breeze that blew on by. His brown eyes were full of vigour and energy along with excitement. He may've been only eighteen along with his younger brother who was just beside the Sergeant since he was only sixteen, but he was ready to do what it would take to become a UNSC Marine and protect his family.
"Private Riley O'Neil! Forward!"
A small smile affixed itself to his face as he stepped up to the Sergeant with bravado. "Reporting, Sir!" He replied back boldly before promptly giving him a salute. Something his older brother had taught him before leaving.
"Just because your older brother is an admiral in the UNSC, don't let that make you think you're gonna have special treatment! Is that clear?!"
"Sir!"
Ghost shot up from his sleep with a small gasp accompanying him. He held his head with a hand softly with his breath unsteady. Sweat was dripping down his chin as he panted hard. Another dream. Another memory. A memory filled with so many emotions.
Happiness. Hurt. Anger. Regret.
The ODST slowed his breathing placing his hand over his mouth and breathed through his nose to regulate his heart beat. "Just a dream... It's nothing but a dream..." Ghost whispered weakly. "Just... A dream..."
Evidently, this was but a half truth. Behind those dreams of his was memories. Memories that have been buried deep in his mind that he never wanted to ever remember again. This was another reason why he feared going to sleep. Conjuring up memories of old to torment him of the halcyon days that have passed on by.
Graciously, he heard a knock on his door and jerked his head to look. "Y-Yeah?" Ghost called out wiping the sweat off his brow and sighed.
"Mr. O'Neil? Are you doing alright?" The door soon opened to reveal Zoey who had a concerned expression on her face. In her free hand, she had a tray with a bowl and a plastic water bottle. "I didn't want to disturb you while you were asleep, so I decided to give you your breakfast in bed. You seemed to have been in thought as of last night."
Ghost just nodded at her in his silent expression and fixed himself so he was properly sitting on the mattress. "Yeah... Just been preoccupied, lately, ma'am," He addressed to her with his head bowed down.
"How many time have I told you? You can call me Zoey. We're all adults here," The Rabbit Faunus reminded him placing the tray down on the floor and placed her hands on her hips curtly.
It has been a month since Ghost has encountered Zoey. On multiple occasions, he wanted to leave and never wanted to have a family house a man whom they have no idea who he is. But Zoey has always insisted that he could stay as long as he likes for as long as he does his part in helping them out.
And there was one thing that the ODST knew very well about women since he was part of relief forces after liberating a planet from Covenant occupation. No matter what, you never argue against women who offer housing and food to you. Ever. He only cringed hard remembering the last time in doing so, it caused him to end up in the infirmary from her and her daughters.
"Just... Been thinking about my brother, that's all," Ghost replied back to her reaching down to grab the water bottle. "Sorry if I've been somewhat... A burden for your family," Ghost told her as he took a sip from the bottle.
"Riley, it's okay. You told us that you've been let go from the Atlas Military and your house was taken by the bank. I've told you multiple times, you are welcomed to stay with us as long as you want. Now eat up, we need to open the shop before eleven. Alright? I'll be waiting for you once you're done with your breakfast. So hurry. I'll be waiting so you can help me out with some errands."
Ghost nodded once again at his host as she left the room. He peered to the side of his bed looking at his breakfast on the floor and groaned placing a hand over his eyes. "Idiot..." He cursed to himself. "At least she took that lie..." Ghost mumbled to himself softly.
But as always before he even had anything in his stomach, he got onto the floor and got himself paralleled to it. He then began some push ups to start of the day as he tried to forget the dream he recently had. "I have to try to forget... It's no good having them come every night... Jackie... Fuck... Just forget it..."
After hitting fifty push ups, he laid himself on the ground and rolled onto his back and started to do some sit ups. It was always a routine for him after a couple years of forcing himself to get up every morning to recite said routine. Now a force of habit, he did these rituals every morning, whenever he could, to start of his day.
The ODST yawned deeply as he walked downstairs holding the tray in hand that he was given. Thanks to his hosts, he was given some new clothing as he didn't have anything else on him but his ODST armor. He was wearing a snow white cardigan with a black sweater beneath it. Dark blue pants came along with black boots that accompanied the look. He didn't mind it, this meant he had free clothing with clothes that actually fit him.
He came into the kitchen and placed the tray into the sink before walking into the living room. The first sight he saw was not one pair of rabbit ears, but two pairs of rabbit ears were in his sights.
After having some explanation from Zoey about why some people had animal appendages, Ghost had some trouble believing it at first, but after a couple weeks of learning the terminology of the world he was now in, known as Remnant, he has gotten used to seeing Faunus now.
The owner of the other pair of rabbit ears looked over in the direction Ghost was in and she titled her head. "Mom? Who's that?" She asked Zoey politely with her ears drooping down.
Zoey looked behind her and saw the ODST in the doorway to the kitchen before turning back and smiled. "Oh, he's a guest of ours, dear. But don't worry, he's a good person. He's been helping me and your father out for the past month he's been staying here." She then gestured to Ghost prompting him to come over to her.
In reluctance, Ghost walked over and stood beside Zoey looking at what seemed to be her daughter from first glances. She literally looked like a younger version of his host causing him to chuckle silently seeing this. "Riley, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Velvet Scarlatina. Sweetie, this here is Riley O'Neil. He's a former soldier from Atlas but he lost his house and had nowhere else to go. Make sure to make him him feel more at home with your assistance."
Velvet nodded at her mother before she bowed forward a bit towards Ghost in greetings. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. O'Neil. I hope you're doing alright," She said to him with a caring smile on her face, clearly a trait that she has gotten from Zoey.
The ODST did the same as well to her with a curt nod. "It's nice to meet you as well, Velvet. I haven't seen you around before."
"Oh, I just came back from my first semester from Beacon Academy. I'm just here for a couple weeks on semester break before the second one comes along by," Velvet replied back at him still smiling.
"Beacon Academy? What is that? Is it some school?" Ghost asked in curiosity outloud.
Both Scarlatinas looked at him with shock on their faces. "You haven't heard of Beacon Academy?" They both asked him.
Ghost sighed as he chuckled nervously. "Sorry, I've been in the military for too long. Guess I kinda've forgotten what it is," He replied back still chuckling nervously.
"Well, I guess that's understandable since soldiers and Huntsmen are entirely different," Zoey explained herself as she nodded. "Okay, Beacon Academy is a special school where people like my daughter here go to to be trained into people who fight against the Grimm."
The ODST reminisced the time he first set foot into Remnant. He learned what the Grimm where through some research. Apparently he encountered what was called a Beowolf. It tried to kill him. He gave it a dosage of buckshot into it's brain. "Oh, alright. That's good to know."
Zoey nodded at him and looked at her daughter. "Mr. O'Neil is currently unemployed at the moment. So he's currently helping us out with errands and jobs."
Velvet perked her ears up from that and looked at the ODST. "Oh, that's unfortunate... Oh! I remember something. I overheard from some professors at Beacon looking for a new combat instructor. The last one quit because he couldn't take some of the fourth year students anymore. Maybe I could-"
"As much as you are offering to say that I might be a good replacement for a combat instructor at your school, I'll pass on it for the moment... Gotta get used to normal life for a bit," Ghost quickly replied back at her waving a hand.
This is what always surprised him over the past month. The kindness he was being shown to him from people that don't know anything about him. Yet one small act of saving reaps this?
"Oh, well, I suppose that's normal. Well, if you ever want to, I can let my headmaster know about you when you want," Velvet replied smiling at him. The Rabbit Faunus then looked at her mother with her head tilted slightly. "Where's Dad, Mom?"
"Oh, he's out right now working. He should be back this afternoon," Zoey answered to her before hugging her. "Now stop dawdling. You must be starving, you poor thing. Let's get your stomach filled up," She announced before letting go and waltzed her way to the kitchen.
Ghost let out a soft, low laugh at this before looking at Velvet. "Is your mother always like this?"
Velvet blushed a bit and smiled with a small giggle. "Yeah. My mom always wants to make sure everyone is fed and alright."
Before they could continue the conversation, the sharp sound of glass shattering was heard from the kitchen with a loud gasp. There was no need to exchange anymore words with the two for they rushed into the kitchen. Ghost heard crunching beneath his foot and gazed down to see pieces of a broken plate. Shifting his head up straight, he saw that Zoey had her hands over her mouth and eyes widened with shock within them. They were gazing at the small television that was set up in the kitchen.
"Mom? What's wrong?" Velvet asked worriedly walking over to her side. "Is there something-?" She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the screen and stared at it. "That's... That's Dad's workplace..."
Ghost walked over to them and looked at the screen. What he saw shocked him.
"This is Lisa Lavender, reporting to you live from downtown Vale. Just an hour ago, the Commerce building across the city hall has been taken over by insurgents of the White Fang. Every single employee in the building has been taken hostage. So far, no one has been reported dead as of yet. Police have set up a perimeter around the building tp prevent any escape for them. And what appears to be the leader of the group has demanded a ransom of a million Lien for exchange for the hostages they have inside. For the past hour, they have been at a standoff between each other. The-"
"Where is this located?" Ghost threw out at them as he turned around walking away.
"W-What?" Both Scarlatina's asked him ripping their eyes off the screen.
The ODST froze on spot and turned around with his eyes that seemed almost soulless, a complete opposite of what they were earlier. "The police aren't trained enough to take this themselves. Get me in the field, I can be able to pull the hostages out with no casualties on either side."
"Riley, you've just left the military. You don't need to throw yourself back into the fray," Zoey told him before looking back at the screen.
"If you don't tell me now, people are going to die. I'm going to get my armor on. Time to get back in the game," Ghost retorted back cracking his knuckles. "I won't let this slide on by... Not again..."