Hey all! Finally got updated--and a nice lengthy chapter to make up for the previous short one too. And yes, I'm aware that some of the characters are probably OOC--but this isn't exactly a normal SPARTAN scenario (plus I'm doing this at 0200 hours--yes, that's military time). Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Halo.
Chapter Thirteen: Hostages and Revelations
April 25, 2558 0730 hours
UNSC Reserve Base Camp Hayes
North America
She'd been out all night, searching every part of the base, and still there was no sign of them. Where could they be? How could I lose track of them like that? What kind of mother am I? I hope their okay. She was so busy searching and mentally berating herself that she didn't see the arm that dragged her into the shadows. What? NO!! A hand clamped over her mouth and a hushed voice got her attention.
"Alaya, it's me." Laura stopped moving and nodded, feeling her unseen captor let go. John regarded her with some concern.
"John, what are you doing out here?"
"Lorienna got in touch with us—she said you hadn't been in the bunkhouse all night, and that the kids were gone. We've been trying to help locate them."
"We?" Laura shook her dark head, little wisps of escaped hair drifting around her face. "Don't tell me you dragged everyone else into this too."
"There was no 'dragging' on this one, Laura—we volunteered," Fred's voice popped up to her left; a moment later he and Linda materialized at her side, Kelly just behind them. If she looked past them, Laura swore she saw camouflaged shadows moving around.
"You really think we're going to let a fellow Spartan's kids go missing and not do something about it? You're one of us, remember?" Linda placed one hand on her shoulder. "We're with you on this one."
One of the camouflaged shadows ran up, and materialized into gray armor—Laura recognized the suit as an experimental model ONI had been working on. Funny, I thought they'd given up. Guess not.
"We've pretty much checked all over the base. No sign of them," Ash reported.
"That's what worries me most—they're usually easy to find," Laura sighed heavily, one hand raking it's way through her hair; it was unusual for John to see her this visibly upset. "I dunno, maybe they're just running around loose and planning a few more pranks. But they've always been home in time for bed before."
"Panicking over it isn't going to do anyone any good," Kelly pointed out. "Neither is going without rest—you're coming with me."
Surprisingly, Laura gave in—maybe she knew the Spartans weren't going to let up, maybe she was just too tired and worried to care. She followed the other woman quietly, not realizing that she wasn't heading for her own bunkhouse, but rather the barracks set aside for the Spartans.
"Why here?" she finally asked when they were inside.
"We know for a fact this place isn't bugged—pulled 'em all out last night." Kelly pushed her down on one of the empty beds. "I figure we'd be able to figure out a solution undisturbed. But first you need at least a few hours' sleep."
"And just how do you expect me to sleep when my children are out there somewhere, alone and possibly in danger?" Laura asked, her voice rising as she fingered one of her combat knives; Kelly noted the battered sheaths and made a note to examine them later. "I should've stayed with them, why in hell did I stay indoors while they were outside?"
"Partly because you thought they were still in their rooms, and I was too distracted by ONI's files to check?" Lorienna's voice, too eerily similar to her creator's for Kelly's liking, cut through the room; for once the AI was as grim as Laura. "And no, I haven't heard anything on them in ONI's channels—if something's going on here ONI's not involved."
"Not directly at least," Laura muttered, rubbing her eyes. She was tired, even if she didn't want to admit it, and knew it was catching up to her now that she'd stopped moving. "ONI doesn't need to necessarily be involved to be involved."
Kelly must have looked confused, but thankfully Lorienna understood. "No word on whether or not he's involved, but I wouldn't honestly be surprised. That bastard has it in for you."
"And this surprises you?" Fred spoke up, the first comment he'd made throughout. John nodded, a grim look in place on usually calm features.
"He's still pissed that I haven't died yet, or that I refuse to be a good little toy soldier, or something," Laura spoke quietly. She was fading fast, but still refused to just sleep. I can't just stop.
"You need to rest, Laura," John interrupted, walking over and placing on hand on her shoulder, oddly near her neck, Kelly noticed.
"I can't…rest…now…" Laura barely registered the hiss of the hypodermic spray or the minor stabbing pain in her neck. She felt herself falling…falling…
John caught her and lowered her to the bed, shaking his head as he pocketed the hypodermic. "She's gonna kill me when she wakes up."
"Maybe, or more likely she'll try to blow off some steam," Lorienna giggled. "Where did you get the tranquilizer, though?"
"Dr. Gedeon. Once you mentioned she'd been out all night, I figured we'd need something more substantial to get her to sleep, and the good doctor agreed with me. It should wear off in about…" he checked his watch. "…two hours."
"Two hours isn't going to be enough rest though," Fred mused.
"All you needed was something to knock her on her ass in the first place," Lorienna pointed out. "Once she's out cold, she'll sleep like a rock—she needs it."
"You really think Ackerson has anything to do with this?" Linda asked; Kelly was caught a bit off guard by that, as were the S-IIIs. In their minds Ackerson was a decent guy. Then Kelly thought back to HighCom in Sydney, and had to admit they had a point.
"Wouldn't surprise me," John muttered. "He's either trying for leverage, or just wants the kids."
"Why?" The question came from Tom in the corner.
"They're Spartan-born," Lorienna interjected, casting a glance over to the sleeping woman. "The genetic augmentations were passed on to them: they are faster, smarter, and stronger than most four-year-olds, and given time could become the ultimate weapon, much like the Spartans themselves. ONI's been interested in them for quite awhile, but it was made quite clear to them that the kids were off-limits."
"In any case, if Ackerson is involved, he won't get to keep them. Laura will personally see to that." John seemed very sure on the point.
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April 25, 2558 1355 hours
UNSC Reserve Base Camp Hayes
North America
"Uhhh…" Laura sat up slowly, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she looked around. Note to self, never sleep in your clothes. Wait…this isn't my bunk! She was in a regular barracks, and there were no obvious signs of anyone around. A headache felt like it was in the process of splitting the sides of her head open, and she pressed her fingers to her temples to dull the pain.
"Here, these'll help," a voice murmured; Laura looked down to see a pair of pain relievers being pressed into her hand. Low dose aspirin, nice, she thought before downing the two pills.
"Aspirin, the original miracle drug," she smiled wryly. Pushing herself off of the bed, she glanced around to see Dr. Halsey, CPO Mendez, and a set of clothes nearby.
"John brought these by earlier, saying you'd appreciate the change of clothes." Mendez looked questioningly at her. "How did he know what to bring?"
"Easy—nine times out of ten I'm in one of my modified blacksuits, only constant variable is my underwear. Though I have a feeling someone else suggested the workout suit…" Laura fingered the dark blue material thoughtfully. Or maybe he knows me better than I'd like to admit—they don't need to know that though.
"How did he know where to find them though? I'd say that's an interesting coincidence," Dr. Halsey pointed out. She had to admit the shrewd look in those blue eyes was disconcerting.
"Interesting indeed," Laura nodded as she picked up the underwear and workout garments. And that's all you're getting out of me. Disappearing briefly, she reemerged clad in dark blue leggings and a blue tank top—a skin-tight material that still allowed for free motion. Noticing the good doctor's eyes rake her left shoulder, Laura had to suppress a smirk—the ugly, jagged scar was still one hell of an eyecatcher, even after all this time. Let her guess, I'm not going into details, she thought as she pulled on the blacksuit, her boots, and strapped her knives to her sides. Though it wouldn't be too hard for her to find out the story behind that particular scar, since her mission records were easily accessible to the right people.
"Where are you headed?" Lorienna popped in; Laura glanced around briefly before her eyes settled on the holographic projector. Shaking her head, Laura touched the handle of one knife thoughtfully.
"Any word on Sam and Kelly?" Noting the slow shake of the AI's head, she felt her face fall into a scowl. "Then I'd say it's a safe bet I'll not find them quite yet; someone's playing a game with me, I'm convinced."
"Or paranoid, one of the two," Lorienna pointed out.
"I tend to play it safe, what's your point?" Raking one hand through her hair—which she had re-braided as she dressed—she let out a long breath. "I need to think, and let off some steam. If something happens—"
"I'll know where to find you," the AI finished, the hint of a giggle creeping in to her voice.
"Good. Hold down the fort until I get back—to my bunkhouse." With that parting comment, Laura walked out the door."
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Two hours and several grueling exercises later, Laura sat in a crouch learned from one of her Sangheili 'pupils', though now it seemed they were teaching her more than she was teaching them. According to them, this position allowed one to rest and still be able to jump into a fight, but she had her doubts; the only thing she was feeling was a burning pain in her thighs. Either I still need to get used to this position, or the physiology differences are too high—probably the former. Still, she had to admit that it was easy to jump to her feet from this position. Allowing herself to at least try and rest, Laura closed her eyes and focused on centering herself, letting her mind wander freely; it was a mental exercise she had gleaned from her memories of Alaya, and she found it quite useful.
"I thought I might find you here," a familiar, oily voice broke into her thoughts; Laura snapped back to the present and leapt to her feet, knives drawn and ready.
"What the hell do you want, you sick bastard?" she hissed angrily. Ackerson stood there smiling, along with two squads of Helljumpers, fully armed and armored. "You really think they'll be able to take me?" Hopefully the attitude will make them think twice.
"Oh no, Blade, they're just a precaution. I don't need them to subdue you, not anymore." Motioning to one of the Helljumpers, he moved aside. All the color drained from her face when she saw what Ackerson meant.
* * *
"She's at the gym, please hurry," Lorienna alerted the other Spartans. "Ackerson's already there, and he has the twins."
"Has anything happened yet?" John asked. Kelly and the S-IIIs noticed the concern in his voice.
"Not yet, still just a shouting match. Just get there, hurry." The Spartans lost no more time and headed straight to the training area, which thankfully was close to their barracks. Kelly remembered being grateful for the layout, so she could practice with ease—now she was even more grateful that it was so close.
They were pounding their way down the hall when Laura's voice cried out.
"Don't hurt them! Leave them alone!" She sounded scared, almost panicky.
"Technically, it's your own fault for not keeping an eye on them before, Blade. Be that as it may, I have no interest in hurting them, they're much more valuable to me alive. That can change though, quite easily." Ackerson, Kelly thought angrily. The group stopped and crept in through the open doorway, studying the scene before them: Ackerson and about thirty Helljumpers, two of which were holding pistols near the young twins, and Laura crouched in a training ring with her knives drawn and ready.
"They're not involved in this, let them go!" Laura shouted, her grip tightening on her knives. I can't do anything, they might hurt Sam and Kelly. Damn it, there has to be some option! Before she could react, a voice cut through the room: Fred's voice, surprisingly enough.
"What the hell is going on here?" Distracted, the ODSTs lowered their guard just enough, and Laura moved; throwing her knives, she hit the two soldiers holding her children, and jumped headfirst into the fight. She hadn't aimed to kill, and her knives were lodged in their shoulders, so she had to act fast—yanking them free, she brought them down on two respective skulls, and came up swinging.
"RUN!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, trying her best to buy time. Sam and Kelly froze, then felt themselves scooped up and carried off.
* * *
Oddly enough, the two children didn't even struggle when they were grabbed, but Kelly wasn't going to question it. Right now they needed to get to a safe spot—and where was John going?
"This way," John motioned as they took a side door out of the building; leading them to a section of chain-link fence, he pushed lightly on a portion of it, opening the hidden door he knew Laura had made previously. "She always likes to have an escape route handy, just in case."
"Where exactly are we heading?" Fred asked, though based on their direction he had a pretty good idea.
"Guess." The group was now surrounded by the remains of a forest, which had been decimated by the Covenant attack. Some things were still relatively untouched, like the boulder John was now feeling around. Once he released the catch, they made their way through the underground tunnels to a familiar workshop.
"Figured you'd find your way down here eventually," Lorienna greeted them, swirling into place in a shower of sparkles.
"Lori!" Young Kelly shouted, wriggling in Kelly's arms; the Spartan almost dropped her in surprise. Tom, who had Sam, appeared to be in a similar situation.
"Hello little ones. You two appear to be none the worse for the wear," the AI smiled kindly.
"Where's Mommy? The bad men wanted to hurt Mommy, where's Mommy?" Kelly started saying, but Lorienna cut her off.
"Mommy's a little busy, but she'll be here soon. She's very worried about you both. Now, how about a cartoon until she gets here?" Her distraction worked, and within minutes the two were watching animated figures running around on a holographic projector.
"This way," Lorienna whispered, drawing the Spartans' attention to a command center a little distance away. The AI came to life on yet another holographic tank, a frown crossing her face.
"Dr. Halsey and Chief Petty Officer Mendez will be arriving shortly—I sent them to the old base ruins right after you left. Figured you'll all have a lot of questions, and it's best if they're all asked at once." Lorienna sighed heavily and raked a hand through her hair, the same gesture Laura used when she was nervous. "There's gonna be a lot of fallout from this one, I know it."
"Nothing worse than what she's handed in the past, if I remember correctly," Linda replied. "She, the Helljumpers, and ONI have all bumped heads before."
"You have a point," Lorienna conceded. A blank look crossed her holographic features momentarily, followed by the appearance of Dr. Halsey and Mendez. "Good, my directions got you here in one piece."
"Well enough. What is this place?" Mendez asked.
"An old ONI bunker, forgotten after one of their failed black ops. We were able to commandeer it without their knowledge, which came in handy when the Covenant attacked. It's one of the safest little hidey-holes we have, though Laura mostly uses it for her projects." She was about to go on when Laura's voice interrupted as she rocketed into the command area—but it wasn't the Laura they had grown used to seeing. This Laura was panicking and frightened, her voice several octaves higher than normal, and tears stained her face.
"Sam? Kelly? Are you here, are you safe?" Hearing their mother's voice, the twins ran out of their room and into her arms. All three of them cried and hugged, while the Spartans looked on in confusion and amusement.
After a while, Laura looked up, her teary eyes showing relief. "Thank you, thank you so much. You saved them."
"They're Spartans, like we are," Kelly replied, placing one hand on the other woman's shoulder. "We look after our own, you should know that."
"I wasn't sure, but yes," Laura scooped up her twins and stood, tears still brimming in her dark eyes. "Their father and I…we both owe you so much."
"Do we know him?" Ash asked from the back—kind of tactlessly, but Laura wasn't going to point that out. He'd earned the right to be a bit blunt, they all had. They should probably know now, she thought. This is gonna be awkward, though.
Before she even had the chance to open her mouth, a familiar, beloved voice cut her off.
"I am."