Dream Bound

Sorry it's been kind of touch and go with this story, I'll try to make more frequent updates. Please leave a review if you enjoyed, and even if you didn't just tell me what you didn't like. I do not own anything Halo besides my OC Rikki

"What the hell were those! I can't find any information on what they are or how they got here Chief, the covenant have no idea what these things are. You need to find Rikki and get out of there!"

As he ran out of the room, shooting down more of the disgusting new enemies as he went. His strides were filled with determination and the sure feeling of anger. At first John thought that maybe it was because she had disobeyed direct orders from a superior, coming here to an unknown structure and recklessly putting herself in harms way; Now he knew he was wrong, he was angry with himself. He should have been above getting so angry with her, especially because she had been right. Promising to make it up to her the spartan continued to push on.

As he entered the next room his keen senses immediately picked up on the swarm of enemies that were occupying the room, the squishing of their feet as they walked tipped him off. Stealth would have to be his friend in this scenario. He crouched low to the ground and readied his pistol, trying to keep the thud of his boots as silent as possible, which was next to impossible. As he crept up behind one of the creatures he stood quickly and took a hold of what he assumed was the things neck, twisting sharply and violently. A disgusting crunch noise sounded out as the head was practically ripped from its deformed body...but it wasn't dead. The Master Chief barely had time to react as it screeched and dove at him, latching onto his body and holding him against the wall as the rest of them began to converge.

"Ngggha!"

The spartan punched and shot at every one as they tried to swipe at him, but it seemed that it took more than a shot or two too take these creatures down. A few fell here and there but there were just too many to overcome as much as he didn't want to admit it. Suddenly shots rang out, and they were not his own.

"Over here you bastards! Fresh meat right here!"

His lips upturned slightly into a smirk that was hidden by his helmet, she was so vocal. As the crowd began to thin, most of the beings flocking to the new noise, Master Chief was able to quickly take care of the few that were left near him before reloading and heading towards the familiar figure of Rikki Dusk. The armor she wore gleamed in the low light as she stepped forward to meet her attackers fearlessly just like in the banshee...just like a spartan. He knew she wasn't, but the feeling it sent through him was almost something akin to pride. Even in the face of death and without any extra strength or speed this woman fought as ferociously as he would. She turned her mostly covered head towards him at the sound of his footsteps and smiled widely, the smile he hadn't realized he missed. But while her attention was diverted for that mere second an enemy was able to make its way close to her, too close.

"Look out!"

But his warning was too late. She looked back just in time to fire a few stray rounds before she was violently hit and sent flying against the wall. Her body hit the metal surface with a loud thud before laying on the ground motionless, weapon sliding a few feet away from her and glass surrounded her head from a broken visor. Fear struck him for a moment at the sight of her body, she wasn't dead. Pulling out his assault rifle the spartan fired a widespread barrage of bullets that quickly finished off the few monstrosities that had been left before rushing over to his fallen comrade. He crouched down low on one knee to examine her body for any suit damage. The beeping of her shields reached his ears as they began to recharge themselves, but she still didn't move. As he rolled her body over he noticed that a few shards of glass had cut her face and blood had run down onto her lips staining them ruby red.

"Agent respond. Agent Dusk do you copy. Rikki!"

His voice hitched as he said her name as clear as day, the words formed so easily by his lips. He now had a hand on her shoulder and was shaking her slightly to try and rouse her unsuccessfully, each shake becoming a bit more violent.

"Chief...stop."

"What are her vitals Cortana."

"John-"

"Vitals. Now."

The authority in his voice was not as strong as he had wanted it to be, some of his desperation leaking through enough for the AI to catch.

"I can't. The signals are too scrambled down inside the construct...I'm sorry."

Standing quietly, picking her weapon up as he did so, a feeling of loneliness encompassed his being.

"I need to get her body out of here. Call for an extraction-"

"What the hell do you need to get my body out of here for? My legs work perfectly fine thank you very much."

Rikki's voice came out rougher than usual and as she sat up spots danced in front of her eyes, probably attributed to the nasty bang against the wall thanks to that...whatever the hell it was. She also noticed that her visor had been broken and her weapon was missing.

"...try and refrain from doing that in the future-"

"I saved your life thank you very much-"

"But thank you."

She got flustered as it first sounded like he was chastising her but it soon changed to embarrassment as she realized that he was thanking her, of course she was as hasty as ever.

"Oh um...yeah you're welcome or whatever. Couldn't just leave you out here you know..."

"Right."

She grunted as he held out a hand, which she graciously took, and helped her stand once more; Handing her the battle rifle he had picked up off the floor.

"Guess this helmet's shit now."

Rikki took off the damaged part of her suit and hooked it onto her belt before reloading the rifle, looking to the spartan and waiting for him to speak.

"We can have it fixed later. Right now we need to get out of this hell hole and get topside immediately, there should be a back up team waiting for us."

The agent nodded and followed him as he exited the room quickly and moved into another hallway. She would never admit it to anybody, even if they held a gun to her head, but she secretly loved having to follow his lead so she could admire his nicely shaped backside. Even if there was pounds of armor covering she could still tell that it looked good. Room by room they extinguished any enemy that walked into their path, one would reload whilst the other took aim, they were working like a well oiled machine and they both loved it. Neither wanted to admit to the other that fighting together like this was the best feeling in the world. That having one another to watch their backs was comforting. The Master Chief didn't want to admit it but he was continually looking her way to make sure she was ok, just because she said she was fine didn't make it true. The way she carried herself was so sure...yet there was hesitation. Every time she was about to fire he noticed that she would close her eyes, longer than a blink, and take in a deep breath. It was like she was preparing for something to happen. He had never made it a habit to check the backgrounds of his comrades but he already knew some of hers considering her brother was a well known first lieutenant, and had he not died he would have been promoted to a captain. Unfortunately there was a nasty incident with the covenant and he received fatal plasma related injuries.

Since he doesn't remember having any family he wouldn't know but she was probably close to him. A part of the spartan wanted to ask. He wanted to pick her brain and find out her ticks, what foods she liked and what her favorite color was. He wanted to know why she joined the UNSC and what happened to her when she was held prisoner...what made her sad and what made her laugh. Stop. Now was not the time to be caught up in such whimsical day dreams. As they both stepped onto the elevator that would return them to the surface Rikki spoke up, shifting slightly as the elevator jolted a bit before ascending.

"So...I want to apologize...for the things I did and said. I was wrong to disregard you as a superior...and I'm sorry."

It sounded a bit strained, she probably had too much pride to want to apologize but the guilt had been eating her alive. That's something they shared.

"You weren't the only one at fault Agent. I should have controlled my self and kept a more professional composure."

Her eyes widened in slight disbelief as she listened to him speak. He knew he wasn't at fault yet he still felt the need to act like he was...maybe it was so she didn't feel so stupid. Or maybe he felt just as bad as she did. Regardless of the reason his confession warmed her from the inside out and put a content smile on her face for the rest of the elevator ride up. When they finally reached the top and met up with the marines Rikki could practically feel the morale boost as they realized the famous spartan would be leading them. They all thought so highly of him yet...somehow she felt that he didn't think that of his self. He didn't seem the type to be egotistical all the time, if at all. Shrugging to herself she grabbed a shotgun while putting away her rifle and loaded up on rounds before moving to follow the rest of the group into the marsh, that was until a armored hand took a hold of her upper arm. She looked to her side in surprise and gasped when she saw it was the Master Chief who had taken hold of her, his grip was gentle and he didn't let go even as she turned towards him.

"What are you-"

"I want you to stay here and wait for extraction."

His voice was matter of fact and neutral, not letting any of what he was actually feeling or thinking show through. Rikki on the other hand immediately felt hurt, and she was sure she didn't cover any of it up.

"But why?! We work together as a great team, wouldn't you want me watching your back with those...things out there!?"

Her voice was cracking and he knew that she felt betrayed, but he needed her to be out of harms way.

"It's not because I don't like you and it isn't because I don't trust you. Your body may have changed since you were kidnapped but you're not like me, you need rest and nourishment or your body will start to shut down. And I need you to be ok...to be...safe."

He wanted her to be safe? Her heart quickened as he spoke. He cared about her well being and actually admitted it to her, but he was a spartan...they weren't supposed to care in that way. Unable to move her lips for a response she settled for a slight nod of her head, a few locks of silver hair falling into her face and obstructing her view. He nodded back after she did and with one last look moved out into the marsh with the other marines, his form quickly disappearing amongst the thick fog that blanketed the area.

"Everything checks out Agent Dusk, you're good to go. I recommend getting something to eat and then resting for a few hours at least, your body needs to recover."

Nodding without a word the woman left the medical wing and moved towards the mess. Hopefully it wasn't anything to gross so she could eat something.

"Hey Dusk! Dusk get over here!"

She looked around to find the source of the voice and smirked when she saw a group of marines seated by the entrance to the mess tent, a few of them stuffing their face while others turned their attention towards her. As she walked over to the table she saw that there was a tray waiting for her with all of her favorite foods. Only one person would have known to have these foods ready.

"Richard?! No fucking way what are you doing here!"

The man in question stood with a huge grin on his face and pulled the Agent into a bear hug, squeezing her firmly and making her laugh. Richard and Agent Dusk had become brother and sister in boot camp, he had reminded her so much of the brother she had lost that she stuck to his side like glue. But when they had been separated and put onto different ships to serve...she had shut herself back into her shell of seclusion.

"Ahhh Rikki Tikki! Have you gotten taller?"

"Actually yeah, long story. Something happened to me and I got taller, and my sight and hearing improved. So what's goin on?"

She chuckled as he ruffled her hair and they both sat down to eat, Rikki stuffing food in her face while he talked.

"Well, we got a call that the Pillar of Autumn had crashed and they needed some supplies and reinforcements for this base camp. I found out you were stationed here and I decided to stay. I heard you've been out with the famous Master Chief."

" Mufph wamma ya!"

"I can't understand you with a mouth full of food piglet."

He chuckled at her ridiculous face as she tried to swallow all her food, burping slightly before she began to speak.

"Awesome. And yeah we've been going on a few missions, he's amazing to see in action! He can run endlessly and punch out an elite in one hit and his voice is so deep and amazing- I mean he's uhh, intimidating."

She sputtered a bit as a confession escaped her unintentionally, taking a sip of her water to try and play it off. Unfortunately for her the man who was now chewing his food thoughtfully caught every word. Was that admiration he detected in her voice? No, the Rikki he knew would never be so girly...but maybe...

"So he's just as intimidating as he sounds huh? Where's he at now?"

Maybe he didn't catch it. She continued to eat small pieces of her meal so she could answer easily, not looking up from her tray the whole time for fear that her cheeks were red.

"Uh I think he's at the marsh where Captain Keyes and the others disappeared. I was going to go with him but he asked me to come back to base camp."

"Why?"

She didn't want to tell him the real reason for fear that it would make the war hero sound weak. Obviously nobody needed to know the actual reason for her coming back.

"Just said that I was needed back here and that he had enough marines as backup."

"Well that sounds a little rude, but spartans do tend to work alone."

"Yeah, I didn't take it personally. Well thanks for getting me some food but I have to get some rest. I'll see you around okay?"

He could see the weariness in her eyes as she turned to look at him while picking up her tray. Underneath her eyes there were dark circles and the skin was sagging slightly, the color in her iris's duller than usual. Richard knew that she wouldn't accept being coddled so he merely gave her another hug and told her that they would meet up for breakfast, watching her figure disappear into the sleeping area without another word.

This had to be a dream, there was no way that this wasn't. She had left the marsh when the spartan told her too. But here she was, gun at the ready and her broken helmet still attached to her belt; Everything was exactly as she left it. Her boots sunk down into the mud as she trudged through the unexplored area, each noise making her turn in a state of paranoia and pointing her gun wildly.

"Hello?...Chief...anybody?"

Her voice carried through the air, echoing in the distance and making a shiver run its way up her spine. He would be here if this was real he wouldn't just leave her. As she continued to walk an odd type of groaning suddenly caught her attention. Rikki didn't want to turn around, didn't want to see what could be behind her, waiting to grab at her or consume her whole. But it was the only thing she could do. Shaking hands steadied the rifle as she swung around and shot...at nothing. The bullets sounded out and ripped through the fog before flying off into the night, never finding a target. That's when she began to run. The confused and now frightened Agent tore through the foliage and pushed branched aside as she tried to get somewhere, anywhere, that wasn't this depressing and life sucking place.

"Do not run...listen. The answer to your questions...will be answered in due time."

Him! Of course he would be here in her messed up reality of a dream. She skid to a stop, muck water flying everywhere, and answered the disembodied voice harshly.

"What are you?! And how the hell do you keep finding me?"

"We are connected. An invisible string...ties us together. Our fates will be twined together...but for now I will show you...what you wonder about."

His voice was grating and meticulous. Every word was carefully pronounced and carefully placed. As she thought over what he had said the scene before her suddenly changed; No longer a marsh but the inside of a building it seemed. She looked around, confused, and began walking through the rooms.

"Where did you take me? What is this place?"

"Patience young one...please watch."

Deciding that there was no point in arguing with the entity she looked ahead at what seemed to be a large doorway. Nothing seemed to happen at first, but as she continued to watch with mild interest the door began to light up near the top. A small circle whirred for a few seconds while glowing a bright blue color before the door groaned as it opened. Her interest piqued further as a glowing blue orb floated through the door way whilst making a high pitched noise...it almost sounded like it was laughing. But what followed after it was what really caught her by surprise.

"Chief!"

She ran towards the familiar green armored man, expecting him to turn towards her in surprise and berate her for being there; But it was as if she didn't even exist. He didn't even acknowledge her being there. Disappointment washed over her being with the realization that she was like a phantom here, but at least she could see how he was doing. And better yet she could see why he was even here.

"How did he get here? And what the hell is that thing that's with him?"

"I believe...that is the caretaker of this instillation. It transported him to this location...for the index."

"Caretaker? Index? I don't understand...so it needs him to get this...index thing?"

"Correct."

"Well at least this place seems abandoned- Oh gods!"

After following the two down several corridors they came to a long hall with what seemed to be an elevator at the end...and a whole horde of those disgusting creatures from the marsh were waiting. Disgusting green and brown ooze seemed to fall off of them as they moved, and it seemed that some were even armed with weapons. Rikki turned to see the Master Chief take a shotgun from his back and load it up as well as readying a plasma grenade, there was no way he was thinking about taking all those things head on.

"He is brave...facing this enemy with no fear. This one is stronger than the others."

"He'll die!"

Without another thought she began to run after the spartan who had already began to make for the horde, her feet not carrying her fast enough to her target.

"No!"

Her hand reached out to grab his arm, but as soon as she touched him everything vanished...and then she woke up.