Chapter 3: Storm

Apologies for the delay! I've had writers block and have been busy this past while with other manners. I hope you understand and accept my apology. With that here is chapter 3! Enjoy!

July 23rd, 2552

Ryan had sat in the med for a few hours as they patched up his wounds from the recent scuffle with thunder. Turns out he had taken quite a beating from what the doctor had told him and the adrenalin rush must have blocked it out. Hearing that he had a busted nose and a cracked wrist to boot, he didn't think there was much left he had to deal with after the bio-gel had set in. After all, one of thunder squad's boys wouldn't be walking for a couple months and Little Joe would be out for the count until his leg fixed up. However they weren't the only ones that Ryan had to watch his back for after that disturbance.

After the doctor had given him a check over one last time, he told Ryan to let the wrist heal for the day before trying to shoot a gun, something he didn't exactly like hearing. After walking out into the waiting room, filled with the sick and infirmed, he immediately saw his squad waiting for him sitting around in the chairs with half of them resting their heads back. As Ryan walked over, Snow looked up at him with a bright smile reaching her cheeks, but Cross didn't share her enthusiasm to see him. Cross stood and walked right in front of him with a death glare and shook his head. "You got no idea of the shit storm you just got yourself into?"

Looking past Cross's shoulder he met Snow's eyes, looking down at the floor slightly and also slightly pale. Ryan let out a sigh before looking up to meet Cross's thousand mile stare. "So what happens? Run 20 miles? Cleaning toilets with my toothbrush?'

Butch and Hammer had stood up from their nice long rest and Hammer cracked his neck before letting out a long groan as he stretched himself out. Butch yawned and smirked at Ryan, "Oh no, this is out of his hands. It's going up to Admiral Black, which means it won't be good. You seem to be the center of attention these days don't you?" He elbowed him while chuckling. "C'mon, Black won't have the patients we do."

Thoughts raced through his mind as he stood with his squad and began making their way down to the Admiral's office. Knowing that from one fight and it had already attracted the attention of the Admiral? This wasn't going to end well for him or the rest of his squad. After all, Butch and Hammer we're enough trouble to keep from getting in one sort of trouble or the next.

It stayed quiet between the squad members for most of the way as they navigated their way through the crowded hallways, knowing exactly how long he had before he would be transferred, sent down to Reach or stuck cleaning toilets until he was put in his grave. The whole walk was quiet until they reached the door with the name "Admiral C. Black" which Cross knocked on and looked at over at him, "So," Cross let the words come out dry and plain. "All I got to say to you is tell the truth. She knows what happened so lying won't do you any good."

Ryan glanced over at the rest of his squad which all looked slightly concerned except Red, that bastard never showed any emotions, ever. Snow however was looking at him with slightly concerned eyes but her face was solid as Hammer and Butch's skulls combined, typical for her really. He let out a long sigh and smirked. "I'll try not to get transferred."

Before they could say anything else, a voice buzzed over a P.A. "Yes?" a voice came out over, sounding young and spry but very commanding.

Cross looked over at Ryan before speaking back. "We brought Penner, you said you wanted to speak with him?"

The P.A. immediately responded to Cross as soon as the words had come out of his mouth. "Thank you Sergeant, that will be all. You and your squad are dismissed."

Cross gave a nod to Ryan while he clenched his jaw. He hated being called by his last name; ever since he joined up with the Marines he had gotten nicknames before anyone had even memorized his actual name. Unfortunately the higher ranking officers weren't like soldiers, everything being from the book. He never liked being around them when he didn't have to.

With that through his mind the rest of his squad made their leave while the door slid open with a hiss and after he had gone through it had closed and locked itself. Nervously he checked the security clearance for the door, seeing that is was far too high for him to open.

There was a clearing of a throat as he spun around and came to attention and instinctively went into salute which the woman sitting at the desk linked her hands together on the desk. "At ease Penner."

He put his hand to his side and watched as she stared at a screen, watching as it flickered rapidly, opening different files, having no doubt it was an A.I. sorting through them. Black then spoke as she stared through the files with a hardened look on her face. "So… Corporal Ryan Penner, joined the UNSC Marine Corps at age 22, lived on Earth beforehand with your younger sister and parents. At age 26 you had gone into several engagements against covenant forces in which you took an injury sustained from an energy sword. You then spent several years onward taking part in multiple wars against the covenant on multiple different colonies until age 28 which you attempted to join the ODST detachment. After trying for a year at age 29 you successfully were drafted and were placed into Angel squad which you have currently been a part of to this day. Is this correct?"

Ryan swallowed heavily before looking down at the Admiral. Her appearance wasn't at all what he expected, having raven black hair tied into a ponytail, her crisp and sharp uniform with several different medals on the portion over her breast pocket with her nametag just above that. Overall she looked like she was in her twenties if it weren't for the wrinkles on the edges of her eyes and on her hardened, commanding cheeks. He only glanced over her for a moment before he stuck his chin up and stared straight. "Yes Ma'am."

Black looked at him from her desk and watched him closely. "Then you understand very well when I ask you a question you will answer truthfully. I know your kind very well and if you so much as lie to me I will have you stripped of your rank, taken of your position as part of the ODST's, thrown down to Reach where you will be stuck shining Spartan's boots until you lay in your grave. Am I clear?"

"Yes Ma'am!" He quickly responded. In this situation he didn't even have to think, after all, the woman which sat before him had the power to do it.

"Good." she said leaning over her desk and looking straight into his eyes. "My first question is did you or did you not engage in a conflict between another fellow ODST squad?"

Wondering if the truth would get him in a deeper hole, he decided to say in anyways so he didn't lose his spot with angel squad. "That is correct Ma'am."

Black rubber her eyes before sanding and leaving her hands spread apart on her desk. "You do realize we have a war to fight, don't you Corporal?"

"Yes Ma'am." Ryan knew exactly where she was going with this. The covenant invading had been hard on everyone and the officer's were the ones who had to organize the madness. In her shoes he probably just would have just given up.

"Then explain to me why you insist on attacking thunder squad and putting two of them out for the fight until further notice?"

Again he swallowed expecting the worst to come raining down on him from her, but in stead he kept himself fully composed. "Self defense Ma'am, there was no other choice."

Black stood and crossed her hands behind her back and let out a sigh before looking at him with a hardened face but still stern. "Then you will understand when I say that you had better smarten up. This time you may be right Penner but you still left several ODST's out for the count which their recoveries will not be soon. They may have attacked you but they were still soldiers we could have used against the covenant. You're dismissed, but next time this happens, I can promise you this. You will never want to set foot on this system so long as I am on it. Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Good, report back in tomorrow for your reassigned jobs. Since the covenant won't be here anytime soon, you will still be stuck with the unpleasant works. Be glad that this is all you will be getting."

With that Penner gave her a salute and made his way to the door but before he walked out, Black spoke behind him. "Hold on a moment."

Ryan turned and looked at her confused; not understanding what else there was to be covered. "Yes Ma'am?"

The Admiral flicked through something on the screen before meeting his eyes with a normal expression and even possibly some sorrow mixed in but he couldn't tell. "I rearranged your shift. You'll be taking a ship back to Earth in exactly one week time to see your family. Your sister deserves to have a brother for her 16th birthday."

He attempted to speak but no words began to form in his mind, not believing what the Admiral had just told him and with that he made his leave. When he stepped out of the office his whole squad was waiting for him and Butch was the first one to grasp an arm around him. "Well he came out alive it seems!" His attitude happy as a kid on Christmas as the rest of the squad stood up from their seats eager to go to bed it seemed. As they walked back to their bunks and Ryan went to walk into his room, Butch hit him on the shoulder and yelled back. "Have a good rest Storm!"

All of a sudden he had realized they must have come up with a nickname for him while he was speaking with the Admiral. He liked it actually, had a nice ring to it and was short enough to use in combat. Snow walked by and brushed hair out of her face before turning to him. "Have a good rest Storm, you've earned it."

With that she made her leave and Ryan didn't get a chance to respond. It was sad enough he could barely speak to her, nonetheless explain to her that he liked her. Problem was being an ODST; everything had to be at a professional level, no loose ends. He smacked his head against his wall before walking in, deciding tomorrow; tomorrow he would tell her how he felt. Hopefully she wouldn't kick him in the balls but if he only had a week left on this planet, he wanted to spend it with her. With that he sat in his bed and closed his eyes, finally being at peace and knowing it would be a good day tomorrow.

That was chapter 3! I will try to have next one up much sooner than this one! Don't forget to keep following the story and to give me suggestions on how to make it better!