Sorry about the last chapter--depressingly short. This one's a bit longer than the other one, and brings back an old 'friend'. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Halo.

Chapter 9: Will-o-the-Wisp

UNSC High Command

Sydney, Australia

April 8, 2558

Earth. That one word could hold so much or so little meaning, depending on who you were. To the Covenant, it had meant nothing—at least until they discovered the ancient Forerunner device that had lain hidden beneath the African soil. To the long-exiled Forerunner society, it was little more than a landmark in a history long past: a novelty, but little else. But to the humans who lived there and fought for it, Earth was home, a place of sanctuary and beginnings, almost the most valuable thing in the universe. When did I start getting this philosophical? Laura thought in surprise. I must be getting soft.

"We're here," she heard John say behind her; she heard the slight unease in his voice. "ONI's requesting an immediate debriefing."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" she sighed before grabbing her duffel bag; slinging her gear over one shoulder, she cocked her head at the Chief.

"You do realize I can't leave the room if you're blocking the whole doorway, right?" John still didn't move. He looked almost…well…nervous.

"Laura, I don't like this. ONI already debriefed us on the Cairo, why are they doing it again? Something's not right."

"You aren't telling me anything new," she answered. "Nothing ONI does ever sits right, but there's not a whole lot we can do about it…yet." She winked, in her own way providing assurance that all was under control. When he tried to say more, Laura merely shook her head once—her signal that she wasn't going to continue the conversation.

"Let's move out, Blade." Rolling her eyes, she followed him out to the ramp and outside into a brilliant Sydney afternoon; the sun was so bright after the confines of a ship's cabin that she had to shut her eyes briefly. Once she could open them, she followed the Spartans, Dr. Halsey, Mendez, Arisaya, and Arnyris—why those two were being taken along she had no clue, but knowing ONI it probably wasn't going to be a hearty welcome reception. Making sure her emergency gear was still in place (and very well-concealed), she continued to follow the group, dark eyes discreetly checking her surroundings as they were led deeper into the heart of UNSC High Command.

--

Dr. Halsey eyed the conference room they'd been brought to, wondering what exactly ONI had in store. While she mentally ran through all the possibilities, she noted that the Spartans seemed uneasy, most notably the SPARTAN-IIs. Fred, Linda, and John seemed unusually still and silent; even encased in the Mjolnir armor, she could see the set of their shoulders that signaled battle-readiness. Laura/Blade, the so-called 'test case' for the program, was pacing back and forth, the image remarkably similar to a caged animal.

"You're making me dizzy," Ash commented from one corner; the older woman shot him a dirty look and continued her pacing.

"Would you rather I went crazy instead? Because that's exactly what will happen if I sit still." She actually stopped, though, and raked a hand through the top of her hair. "Damn I hate waiting. Gotta be a psych job."

"Psych job?" Arisaya asked. The young scientist had seated herself at the table, and was looking to Dr. Halsey for an explanation.

"What Laura means is that ONI is attempting to unsettle us by making us wait. And by the looks of things, it appears to be having some effect." Though mostly on just one of us, it seems.

Laura resumed her pacing, the long braid swinging back and forth. As Dr. Halsey continued to study her, she wondered about this unusual Spartan. Everything about her was completely contradictory to her SPARTAN-IIs, but her augmentations and training could make her nothing else. Still, she seemed unusually hostile and unstable, especially now.

"You keep pacing like that and you'll wear out the floor," Laura's voice, in oddly playful tones, echoed around the room—but she hadn't said a word. The pacing Spartan stopped short, alarm and relief flooding her face at once.

"Lorienna, what are you doing here? If ONI catches you, you're dead!"

"Relax, I've been sneaking in and out of their systems for a while now—I learned how to cloak myself." The voice giggled, but now Dr. Halsey could recognize the synthetic voice of an AI unit. "Comes in handy sometimes."

"I'm sure. Remind me to check your programming when I get back home." Laura shook her head, but now a faint smile played across her face.

"That might take awhile, if ONI has anything to say about it," the AI replied, her cheerful tones becoming grim. Now she sounds even more like Laura, Dr. Halsey mused.

--

Laura had to grip the back of a chair to keep from exploding; the cold metal back kept her relatively grounded.

"What are you talking about, Lorienna? And you'd better be quick with the explanation."

"I hacked into ONI's files, and it's not good news. He's back in action, and he's up to his old tricks again." A sick feeling grew in the pit of Laura's stomach; she had a feeling she knew what her AI friend was going to say.

"ONI's planning on keeping you here, Laura, permanently. And I think you have a good idea as to why. Once you're out of the way—"

"I think I get the picture." A familiar anger burned in her veins, but her voice remained cold as ice. "But why the others? Why have the Spartans and all these others buried here with me?"

"ONI wants to question them thoroughly, probably regarding the Covenant and the Forerunners. More than likely they're looking for more stuff for Section III. I doubt it'll be the routine briefing you were hoping for."

"Probably not." Laura frowned, trying in spite of her anger to remain focused. A crazy idea surfaced and she grabbed it with both hands. "You still have the program we came up with?"

Lorienna giggled. "Which variant do you have in mind?"

"Eagles—and don't get caught either." Laura sighed heavily. "Tell Mom and everyone else what's happening, and I'll be home when I can."

"Will do. I'll be in touch."

Laura stood still and shut her eyes, gathering some semblance of calm to her psyche—for what she was planning she'd need to be calm and focused, quick and sure as a steel blade. They made a big mistake, thinking this place would hold me.

"Care to explain what that was all about?" Fred's voice made her open her eyes; judging by the way he flinched when she looked at him, her expression must've been one of deadly, deceptive calm.

"I think you'll hear my opinions on the Covenant war first, Fred. Now leave me be unless you want another ass-kicking." Laura smirked ruefully as she recalled that sparring match, and the months of suspicion that had followed.

"You'd be outnumbered, then," she heard Tom from one corner; ignoring him, Laura ran one hand along the concealed hilt of her knife, reassuring herself it was still there. I might need to fight my way out, though I'd rather not.

She registered when the door opened, heard the ONI officer's voice, and focused on the calm she'd gathered while waiting. This "debriefing" had become a mission, for her at least.

"So how many people did you have to bribe to get out of prison, Ackerson?" Opening her eyes, she noted the lack of guards and the doorway just beyond. Almost too easy; then again, I think they're hoping to track me through my implants. Poor fools.

"I didn't have to bribe anyone, Blade—especially once ONI realized they needed someone with experience to keep you contained." The snide remarks were enough to set Laura's nerves on edge; outwardly, though, her face retained its cool façade.

"As if anything could keep me contained, Ackerson. Once this debriefing's over, I'm headed back to Camp Hayes, where I belong." Narrowed brown eyes took in the smug look on Ackerson's face, confirming Lorienna's warnings.

"You're being reassigned to a new installation, Blade. A permanent assignment, here, as a liason to our off-world guests. Any extraneous items and materials at your old posting will be handled by ONI crews and specialists." Ackerson grinned, reminding her of a shark sensing prey. "Consider this your new home."

"The hell I will," she answered, in calm deadly tones that belied her real opinions on the subject. A few seconds later, she struck: lightning fast, with skill that no few people in the room had underestimated, she cold-cocked the Colonel and bolted from the room.

--

John watched as Laura made her daring, if somewhat futile, escape. No one could get out of here and not get caught. Glancing to his comrades, John signaled them to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Kelly asked, no doubt wishing she had a weapon on her person.

"We're really not going anywhere—knowing Laura, she's probably waiting for us nearby. She's got something planned, otherwise she'd have skinned Ackerson alive earlier." What are you up to, alaya?, John thought. Behind them he heard Mendez and Dr. Halsey approach, followed by the rest of their group.

"Where is she?" Mendez muttered. John swore he heard a soft chuckle to his left, but there was no one there, or at least no one visible. A moment later Laura's voice split the quiet.

"Execute command: WILLOTHEWISP." The distinctive shimmer of someone in active camouflage moved in front of them, and Laura spoke again.

"I don't have much time: the longer I stay the sooner I'm caught. But there's no way in hell they're keeping me here. Give it some time and maybe I'll be back where I belong."

"So you're heading to Camp Hayes?" Fred asked; a sharp laugh preceded the other woman's reply.

"Not likely—that's the first place they'll look, especially since we just 'borrowed' a Pelican and sent it there. I'm not sure where I'll end up, but for now I'm getting out of here. They can't see me: I found a way to scramble the signal on my neural net ages ago. Here one minute, gone the next—will-o-the-wisp." An unseen giggle echoed, then the voice grew serious.

"I'm out. Expect me when you see me, and watch out for ONI—they can't be trusted for a minute." John felt someone place one hand on his armored shoulder, then there was nothing, and he knew Laura had flown the coop. Something planned, definitely. ONI'll have a hard time catching her now.