Second Chances

Here's that late update that I kept saying I was gonna write, yes I am a horrible person :) Please enjoy and I own no Halo rights

I couldn't stand the noise of the alarms any longer, I knew that either I was going to be saved by whoever got on board or I was going to be tortured to death...I'd rather not go with the latter. I tried tugging on my restraints for the hundreth time even though I knew it wouldn't make a difference, sure I'm always seen as depressed or guilty but that didn't mean I wanted to die, I couldn't let my brother down. "Someone help! Can anyone hear me?! Help!" Of course there was no response but to make things worse the door pinged open and a group of three elites barged in with weapons at the ready and snarls on their ugly faces. "Grab the she-devil before the demon comes! I am not done with her yet..." I was shocked to hear the one silver elite speak fluent english but I didn't have much time to react as the clamps around my hands and feet were released and I fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

I felt the other two elites roughly heft me up and I struggled as I was being dragged towards the door, I managed to elbow one of the elites in the chest and tried to rip my arm free but I was brought to my knees as an extremely painful shock coursed through my body. "Ahhh!" I heard them grunt in amusement as I screamed in pain as I was continuely shocked, "Enough of this game, let us end her life now! Up the voltage!" At this point my mouth was open to scream but no sound came out and as I tried to brace myself with my hands on the ground I saw drops of blood begin to stain the ground. Still they continued to make it worse and just when I thought I was going to completely blackout for the last time three gunshots went off, then all was quiet. I felt my body begin to fall to the side as my muscles gave out and my vision darkened around the edges, but I never felt the impact of the ground, instead I felt armored arms hold me up.

"Help..." My voice was so weak that if I had the energy to care I would have been disgusted but I didn't even flinch as I was lifted into strong arms and taken from the room that had been my hell for the past 48 hours. The purple hallways flew by me in a blur as my vision continued to fade and mix colors together, noises of doors opening and a few gunshots here and there before I lost consiousness. When I awoke once more I now heard several different voices, two of which sounded familiar, "Chief we need to get her medical attention soon or she won't make it, there's a docking bay with one of their ships ready for take off. If we can get there I can fly us out of here." "You marines heard the Captain, lets go!" We started moving once more, I'm not sure where for my eyes were closed, they were to heavy for me to open now, and I then heard another familiar voice through my ear piece that was amazingly still intact.

"Rikki, stay with us ok? The Master Chief is going to get you out of here and you'll be fine." I took in a few short breaths before trying to answer, "C-Cortana...is tha you? How...did you..." "Have you ever know of a system that could lock me out? Now don't talk anymore you need to save your strength." I smiled as much as I could and I felt something wet trickle out of the corner of my mouth, I knew that my chances were 50/50 at this point but I was glad that they had actually come for me, at least I wouldn't die in that damnable room. "Chief, there's the ship! We just need to get past these covenant and we're out of here!" Gunfire sounded as the marines engaged the covenant forces and the firefight began, grunts of strain could be heard coming from both sides as grenades were thrown now and then, forcing the troops to roll out of the way.

"I don't know if we can take them out sir, we're down to two grenades already!" Johnson said something to them that sounded something like "Grow a pair soldier!" but I opened my eyes as I felt myself being layed against a few crates. "Don't worry I won't leave you here, just stay hidden." I relaxed slightly at the mans tone for some reason but worry still coursed through me as he loaded his weapon and jogged off to help the others, since when did I become such a weakling? By the sounds of the fight I knew I couldn't just sit here and do nothing even if I was beat to hell and back, I couldn't let them down, not now. I mustered what strength could possibly be left in my body and I struggled slowly to my feet, grunting in pain as I felt my left leg tremble from the weight but I didn't sink down. Looking around a bit groggily I saw a plasma rifle and two plasma grenades in the corner along with a few grunts bodies, I quickly half jogged half limped over and picked up the weapons before turning towards the others.

No one had noticed me yet so I decided that now was better than never to do this no matter how stupid it was, so I braced me shoulders and got the grenades ready as I made my way towards the battle. I had always been good at blocking out what pain I could, and now that I had adrenaline coursing through my veins I felt my legs move into a run/near sprint. The marines, the Captain, and even Johnson shouted my name in surprise as I ran by them and readied the grenades as I fired at the covenant, hitting a few grunts but the rest of the shots being deflected by the jackals energy shields. A stray shot managed to hit my shoulder but it didn't stop the momentum of my arm as I swung it as hard as I could and lobbed the grenades straight at the group of aliens, hitting an elite square in the chest and the other landing directly behind them. I grinned as I heard the cries of the elite as he tried to shake the plasma off and I tried to get to cover behind a jut in the wall, but it was too late and I was thrown back as the grenade detonated.

Time seemed to slow as I flew back and hit the floor hard, my armor making a screeching noise as I slid across the floor and stopped as I hit a crate, my body now unmoving and still. My vision was bluring into one solid black color as I heard the amazed voices of the marines and the worried ones of Johnson and Cortana through my earpiece, "She's not gonna make it!" "Don't say that, Chief we need to get her back to base now!" "That is one crazy soldier..." And with hearing that my consiousness slowly faded until I was drifting through the nothingness of space.

(Time Skip) Empy, that's the word that described exactly how I felt at the moment, but I never thought that it would feel so depressing and I thought that you were supposed to go somewhere when you died, not stand around in some empty room of nothingness. Yet this room was familiar to me because it seemed that now and again whenever I would black out or sleep I would end up in this romm, not all the time only sometimes, and now all I needed was the floating voice to come and harrass me. "Do not worry, you are not alone." "And right on cue..." I crossed my arms against my chest as I heard the deep growling voice speak up from nowhere in particular, it's tone slightly condesending as always, "Did you think I would just leave you alone? You amuse me almost as much as you dissapoint me."

"Dissapoint? Look I couldn't care less whether I dissapoint you or not, besides I'm dead anyways so it's not like it matters." Again it chuckled, making me annoyed as it continued to talk, "Dead? Oh no, your journey is far from over young soldier. In fact, let's call this little encounter the beginning of the end hmmm? I am going to...enhance...a few things about you that will help you along the way, almost like that green friend of yours." My expression went from one of annoyance to one of confusion as I figured out he was talking about the Master Chief, "Wait how do you know about-" But my sentence was cut short as a flash of pain ran up my spine and my vision went white, my body unable to move, "Do not fear, let the change flow through you and it will be over soon..."

(3rd person PoV) Inside the medical bay of the base that had been set up Dr. Lancer had finished cleaning up and wrapping the agent known as Rikki Dusk, "Well, she has suffered major head trauma and her left leg was pretty torn up, she also had minor fractures in her rib cage and mild to severe burns on her torso. The outcome isn't looking too good...I'm sorry." Johnson and the Captain looked down at the battered and broken woman with sadness in their eyes, "Why did she have to be so damn crazy? She was a hell of a good soldier, and a hell of a good friend..." The Captain said nothing as he simply nodded at Johnsons words and then he looked back to the doctor, "Is there any chance that she may pull through this at all?" The doctor merely shrugged and looked over at the monitor as it steadily beeped, creating a somber mood in the room, "I was able to get her stabalized but because she suffered so much trauma she slipped into a comatose like state, one of which she may never come out of."

"I...understand. We'll track how she's doing over the next few days and if she doesn't come out of it then we'll have to...pull the plug I suppose." The doctor nodded in understanding and as the two soldiers walked out he rested a hand on the head of the agent, he admired that even when she was in deep sleep she managed to look stubborn. "Try and come out of this Dusk, they need you more than you know..."

The Master Chief looked around at the soldiers in the camp and nodded at a few that raised their hand as he walked by, a lot of lives were saved because of the stunt that agent pulled on the covenant ship...she almost died to save them. "She is brave isn't she? You may not have know her more than a few days but I have, she was always so stubborn even if she was injured...she reminds me of you." He said nothing as he listened to the AI but he found himself walking towards the medical bay area, he hadn't checked on her since they had arrived and she had been wheeled off, but from what he had heard from Keys the outlook wasn't good. As he neared the doorway his enhanced hearing picked up the steady beeping of the heart monitor, alerting him that she was indeed still alive but in a deep sleep.

One glance at her as you walked in and anyone else would have mistaken her for dead already but he could see the faint rise and fall of her chest showing her life, but her skin was so pale...he hadn't realized how pronounced she looked. When he was carrying her her face was marred with burn marks and blood but now, now he could clearly see the slightly round angles of her jaw and how her silver white hair gleamed in the light. His thoughts stopped as he began to feel off, it made his mind tingle and he didn't like it, he had to be in control at all times and that meant he couldn't sit here and think of a woman that he knew virtually nothing about. He turned his head at the sound of someone walking in and nodded to as he stood near the Chief, grief in his eyes as he spoke. "It's a shame that she couldn't pull through, she was so strong and had so much potential...would you like to be here for the short ceremony?"

Before the spartan even had a chance to say something Cortana interjected quickly, her tone deciding and assertive, "Yes, I have something I would like to say before you end it. When will it be held?" "In about an hour, only Johnson and the Captain will be present when we pull the plug-" His sentence was cut off abruptly as the heart monitor began to sporadically beep and go haywire and the agents body began to convulse, her mouth opening in a soundless scream. "By the Gods!" The doctor cursed something under his breath and shouted to his assistant to bring him several medicines in shots, "We have to stop these seizures before she hurts herself!" His assistance nodded and pushed the medicine into the toob going into Dusks arm while the doctor restrained her wrists and legs. "All we can do now is wait." They all stood near the bed tensely as her convulsing slowed and then after another few seconds stopped completely...along with her heart.

Cortana was silent as she watched the doctor try several times to try and resucitate the flat lining woman but it was no use, she was gone. "I...I'm so sorry you had to see her go like that. I tried." The Master Chief had been silent this whole time and surprised the doctor as he spoke to him, "We know, it happens doctor. Thank you." Nothing else was said as they bowed their heads and payed their respects to the young soldier...none of them seeing the slight blip that made the heart monitor jump.

Ahhh such a long wait for a short chapter I'm sorry! Please review!