"Enemy forces eliminated." Clancy said, happily. They had just finished a firefight, and they had escaped with few to no injuries.
"God damn, I love these things." Six said as he exited a Scorpion tank that they had come across. "So much firepower!" Six walked towards the newest group of marines that they had just saved. "Are you sure we get everyone? 'Cause I'm willing to get back in that tank if you guys want."
"That's the last of 'em, area secure. They did their damnedest, that's for sure. This is all that's left of my platoon! The Covenant are down here in force, and they brought plenty of toys. I wouldn't have given us a snowball's chance until you two showed up." A high ranked marine said.
"I can tell from your voice that you're from Fire Team Zulu. Are you the Sergeant?" Six asked.
"Yes sir, I am." The Sergeant replied.
"Alright then. Keep your aim steady." Six said. He walked over to John, who had been riding shotgun (Or machine gun, depending on how you look at it) in the tank with him. He was leaning against the tank's tread.
"Having fun?" John asked.
"Yeah, I am, actually. You?"
"It never is for me." John said in his normal, deep voice. "Too serious, I guess."
"I understand what you mean. I try to force myself to have fun these days. Sometimes though, like then, I didn't have to. Tanks are nice that way." Six said.
John chuckled. "Okay, I have to admit, the tank was fun."
"Glad to hear that you think so. I'm going to get everyone moving in a minute, so make sure you're ready." Six said.
"Aye aye, Cap'n." John said with a friendly salute. Six saluted him back and turned to address the marines.
He looked at the bulk of them and thought about what he was going to say. Screw it. I can make it up as I go along, He thought. He took a deep breath and started.
"I hope you'll all be ready in the next thirty seconds, because we can't stick around long."
He took a pause. Everyone looked up at him.
The pressure was on.
"If we don't get to Halo before the Covenant do, we could be in it pretty deep. Do not run. Do not hide. You have an entire team that has your backs, including me. As far as I'm concerned, you are the toughest sons of bitches in the entire marine corp. Do not let your emotions take control of you. And if you see any of those Covenant scum, shoot them right in between the eyes." Six said as he gestured to the top-middle part of his visor. "We are going to win this fight, and we're going to make the Covenant wish they had never come across the Human race!" He cleared his throat as quietly as he could, then continued. "Am I RIGHT, marines?!" He shouted with his fist in the air.
"SIR, YES SIR!" The marines shouted back, saluting him.
"Alright, move out!" Six said as he loaded his DMR and his shotguns. John walked up from his side.
"Good speech." He said.
"Thanks." Six responded.
John was about to walk away with the rest of the soldiers, but Six stopped him.
"Hey, could I talk to you for a minute? I just remembered I never answered your question." He said.
"What question?" John replied.
"When we crash landed on the Installation, I said that I didn't want to lose everyone again."
"Right. I remember asking about that."
"I used to be in a squad called Noble team. I was the last one alive, and I was found minutes before you were pulled from cryosleep. I should have told you about this before, but I was a little… mentally unstable… for a little while."
"Does that have anything to do with your fit of rage on the Autumn?"
"Maybe. I was completely isolated for two weeks, and after a few days, I started having these dreams, about what happened to my team members. On the ship… It was my friend, Kat. She got shot in the back of her head while her shields were down. I had to drop her, and we ran. But in my dream, I fought."
Six holstered the shotguns on his back.
John looked at him. "When were you going to tell me this? This is huge." He said.
"When it became relevant." He replied.
"It was relevant before." John shot back.
"It never got brought up."
"You should have brought it up on the Autumn then."
"I just wanted you to understand, I didn't need your opinion."
"Then why did you tell me in the first place?"
Six just sighed. "Forget it." He said.
"No." John replied. "I've only known you for a few days, Six, but I'm sure as hell not going to let you stew in your own guilt and misery."
Six looked up.
"You're a friend. Friends stick together." John told him. "Like glue."
John looked behind himself. The marines were a good fifty feet away now.
"We'll talk more later, alright?" John said, walking towards the marines.
As John walked away, Six thought about that. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. They'd only known each other for a few days, but John was calling him his friend.
Six grabbed a few grenades, and started walking towards the marines, too.
"Aw, crap. Let's get the hell outta here, man! Somebody call the dropship!" A marine near the back of the group said. Six turned his head and was about to tell him to grow a spine, but Clancy did it for him.
"Shut up! Show some backbone, will you?" He said.
"Alright, we need a few of you to travel with the Master Chief through this ridge. The others can go with Noble Six to advance from the side and attack from there. Any takers?" The Sergeant said. A few marines raised their hands and advanced towards John, including Clancy, and a couple others stayed where they were.
"Alright, you four are with me, then. Hop to it." Six said. "You too, Sergeant."
"Yes sir." The Sergeant said.
Six took a quick look at the Chief, and the Chief took a quick look at him. They nodded, and set off on their assigned courses.
The group cut around the main path and approached a low part in the ridge. Six adjusted the scope on his DMR to his liking, checked the chamber and loaded it. He was thinking about what John had said.
I'm sure as hell not going to let you stew in your own guilt and misery. You're a friend. Friends stick together.
The thought of what John had said made something else occur to Six. He had something that he hadn't had for a long time.
He had someone that he could really, truly trust.
"Enemy mortar tanks sighted at my position... it's gonna be a busy day." Six said on his radio. He was prone, looking through the scope of his DMR. From where he was, he could see Wraiths in the icy canyon before them.
"The Covenant placed their tanks to defend the entrance to the tunnel." Cortana said. "The armor is thick, but my analysis indicates that the tanks have several weak spots, the engine on the back being the most prominent."
"Thanks, Cortana. Everyone ready?" Six said.
"Ready." His marines said.
"Ready." John said.
"Ready as we'll ever be." Clancy said.
Six took a pause. "Go!" he hissed. Six slid down the canyon and broke into a steep run halfway down, making large footprints in the snow. A Jackal located Six and started firing on him and his squad. The first of two Wraiths turned and fired an enormous plasma mortar into the sky.
"Watch it! Mortar!" A marine shouted over the gunfire. A loud explosion echoed from behind him, followed by a scream. John's marines ran down from their positions and opened fire on the second wraith. John jumped on the hood and ripped the Elite out of the turret. Six looked above him and saw another mortar flying down from above. He jumped out of the way and ran around the Wraith. It turned slowly and boosted at him, catching him in the midsection. He clung to the front with his legs under the Wraith, but he let go and was sucked under and shot out of the bottom. He rolled five feet and stopped, now behind the Wraith. He could see the Wraith's turret unloading on his soldiers, so he got up and ran at the back. He jumped on and tried to pry the engine cover off to no avail. He punched it with his robot arm, and the cover split easily. He grabbed a grenade and stuck it in the engine, causing a sickening sputtering noise.
"Get clear!" Six yelled as he jumped off and ran. The Wraith exploded a few seconds later, disintegrating the engine and killing the Covenant inside.
Six looked at John. He was punching a Hole in the driver's cover, and broke through. He grabbed the driving Elite, threw him out, and chucked a plasma grenade in. He jumped off, then it exploded, sending pieces flying. The marines from his and John's squad had cleared out the surrounding Covenant, and the area was now clear.
"Good work, everyone. Move out." Six said into his radio as they approached the cave.