"And what say you, Sir Samuel? I had not expected to meet yet another one bearing armor of this type..." Scarlet commented as she watched the Spartan and kids matching pace with her, one of them on Sam's shoulder as if he were an older brother, while the elder of the two held onto his hand. Sam wasn't as much confused as he was surprised to hear there were more of his people around, but he didn't voice it. Scarlet took the silence as its own answer and told him, "You handled yourself quite well, for your first time fighting raptures."
"Thanks," He replied, wary. The gait and posture of the woman, despite her friendly demeanor, spoke of someone always on-edge. She was spry, but looked tired and wary herself, despite the soft smile. At least that was what Sam thought as they approached a tubular elevator hidden amidst the wrecks of a dozen vehicles, many of which were military armored transports. He asked, "This the elevator?"
"Yes," Scarlet nodded, "Come along now, Children. 'tis time to head home..."
Sam helped the girl on his shoulders down gently, then took his helmet off and smiled at both of them, before telling them, "As much as you guys need to scavenge, please, don't wander out like that again. God only knows if we're going to find you again..." before patting both of them on the head. Giggling, the two nodded in thanks, then stepped toward the Elevator as Scarlet hit the 'open door' button. The two entered the surprisingly large elevator car, before both Scarlet and Sam waved and Scarlet hit the 'go' button.
As the doors pressed shut, not a seam between them, Scarlet stretched and yawned, before murmuring, "Odd day to feel sleepiness. I need my spirits..." as she showed Sam to follow. The two walked, with the woman humming as she arranged her hat, before stating, "Those children are probably outsiders to the Ark, or so they seem. Have you had a chance to talk to them, learn their lives?"
"Nope," Sam sighed, "Not before we had to hide from a battalion of those things we fought."
"The Raptures," Scarlet told him, "Yes, devious fiends, those... Though lucky for the children you were there. The marks of battle scar your armor," and she motioned to the dents and plinks from various caliber rounds fired by the Raptures. Strange name for machines of war, but Sam couldn't exactly complain about naming conventions. He scanned the area around him, noting the trees, the rising forms of ruined Skyscrapers in the distance, the overgrowth and the destroyed vehicles of military and civilian origin. A ruined highway lay farther ahead, bridge destroyed, rubble blocking the road.
Overhead, rainclouds had long ago gathered as the sun faded behind their gray form. Rain began to fall, Sam sliding his helmet on his head as the pit-patter of the droplets came to him. He heard Scarlet breathe in, then watched her outstretch her hands, before letting out a deep sigh and smiling. "The wonders of the Surface..." She whispered, barely audible.
She led Sam through into the depths of the forest as his HUD continuously updated. He tried activating his communication system, but found slight jamming kicking in due to some sort of radiological issue nearby. He sighed and switched off his communication system, making sure to keep his IFF tag up just in case friendlies were around. Or, well, if the person Scarlet had met was friendly, so they could identify him.
The quiet walk through the Forest gave him time to reflect. He had died. He remembered it quite clearly, having to hold off the Covenant because an overcharged plasma blast holed his suit near the chest, leaving it unsealable, which meant a space walk would've been a suicide run anyway. He'd held the Covvies off 'till the bombs went off aboard their ship and it was destroyed, recalled the flash and the next thing he knew was he was here.
Scarlet was not one to break someone out of their pondering if it helped them cope, or at least realize things about their problems. She instead chose to simply lead him forward to one of her closest Gardens, so he may yet find some solace in resting, perhaps alongside another comrade. Deeper in the Forest, the pair entered a clearing that had tilled soil and canals, a small hut sat to the side and some discarded bottles of drink here or there.
A figure clad in armor, a ragged cloth cape draped over her shoulders, worked the soil with a smile. Buzzcut brown hair let the droplets of rain fall down her head as she plucked up certain plants and removed weeds from amidst the roots of the foodstuffs. Scarlet smiled at the sight, while Sam blinked. There was something familiar about the woman, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Scarlet calling out "Lady Kelly!" however, made all pieces fall into place.
Kelly-087 hummed and smiled, turning toward Scarlet and starting, "Oh, Scarlet. Welcome back. Was just finishing uprooting the wee-' And, as she fully turned and stood to her feet, she blanked, the roots dropping. With wide eyes, the woman stared at the Spartan, the creases and scars on her face marking her age and the passage of time. She stared at the Spartan, mouth agape.
Only to almost double over as she watched him remove his helmet, revealing his blonde hair and wide blue eyes, filled with just as much surprise as hers. He spoke to her, "Kelly...?" while the girl looked like she'd just been stabbed, grabbing onto her armor's breastplate. Scarlet, having noticed this, smiled and excused herself to prepare some refreshments while the two had their moment.
"... Sam..." Kelly had finally managed to croak out, even as her armored boots sunk into the mud. He smiled and scratched the back of his head, a little awkward, while Kelly swallowed. She had almost instinctively reached up to her face to make the Spartan Smile, only to realize her helmet was off her head, inside the hut. So, instead of giving a faux-smile, her own trembling lips curled into one.
Before Sam could register it, though, Kelly charged him and almost tackled him to the floor in a hug, murmuring, "... How are you here...?" then quickly pulling back, "W-We saw you die..."
"Turns out I didn't... Heh..." He shrugged, "You okay, Kells? You look... Old..."
He couldn't tell if it was the rainfall, or if Kelly was crying. Normally, Spartans wouldn't cry. They'd had that beaten out of them during training. But considering what Kelly just said, he could understand a little. They'd known each-other for a while, after all, been best friends since they were kids. The girl patted him on the shoulder and said, "I am old, Sam... Got good news, though. We won..."
"We did?" He asked, then hummed, "Cost...?"
"... Dozens, if not hundreds of worlds burned. Thirty-three billion gone on last check... Almost every Spartan," She sighed, then said to him, "C'mon inside. Best we talk with Scarlet, too..." as she and him walked. Rainfall was a pain to talk in. Lightning flashed and thunder followed some seconds later, rumbling across the entire place as they walked in. Truth be told, Kelly wasn't that old. Only in her forties, she thought, but the war must've taken a toll on her.
Not as much of a toll as whatever the hell transported them here and had her winding up working with Scarlet, Kelly thought. As Scarlet brought over some fresh fruit, the two Spartans and the Replika sat themselves on the floor, the food and drink between them, Kelly told him, "I've been working with Scarlet for around half-a-month now... Didn't think I'd see any other Spartans around. Especially not you of all people, Sam. No offense."
"None taken, Kells," He said as he plucked up a strawberry and bit into it. Every fiber of his body told him to swoon over the sweetness of it, the delicious, fresh taste and all, but his training had kicked in, keeping him from making a poor first impression on Kelly after so long, "So... How long has it been since I died, eh...? You sure look the part of the Veteran nowadays."
"... About thirty years, give-or-take," Kelly shrugged. Scarlet paused and looked over to Sam.
She then asked with astonishment, "Pardon me, but Sir Samuel perished?!"
"In one hell of a boom, yeah," He smirked, "Took out an alien ship and gave cover to them while they were getting off of it. Suit was blasted open by a plasma shot beforehand, so the seals failed. We had to take a Space Walk and that would subsequently have led to me dying anyway, so... I went out swingin', on my own terms..." before sighing, "Still... Thirty bloody years... We won, at least. Where'd it end?"
"Beginning of the end was Earth. Covvies found it, apparently. We had one hell of a fight, last I heard, though I was a bit busy travelling with Doctor Halsey," She chuckled, then bit from an apple, "Had to rescue a bunch of kids, a new gen of Spartans being trained by Kurt on some distant world..." before another sigh escaped her lips, "I swear, you guys have bad habits of dying..."
"Kurt died, too...?" He raised a brow, taking a sip from the drink and coughing a little, "Wow, that's harsh..."
"My thanks, good sir," Scarlet smirked, "'tis my personal brew."
"Alright," He hummed, scratching his chin. He looked over to Kelly, who chuckled and shook her head before taking a sip. He blinked and stated, "I didn't take you for a drinker, Kells. You okay?" before she shrugged and nodded. Sam had been fourteen, just like them, when he died. Now, he had just heard Kelly had been fighting for thirty years, meaning she was forty-four...
"Miss Kelly partakes, but does not imbibe," Scarlet chuckled, "Also, I've yet to say, but 'tis an honor to meet thee, Sir Samuel. Lady Kelly has told me much of the Spartans' work against the Covenant in thine world. Truly a horrific war, but at least thine mankind managed to step off from this world before apocalypse came..." And she gazed out toward the distant skyline of the city.
"Given enough time," Kelly started, "We'll take it back, Scar. Just gotta reunite with any other survivors if there are any. I don't know where Fred and Linda wound up. Was too worried until recently that they'd never show up if I went looking, but at least I know there's a chance now," turning to Sam and smiling again. Sam gave a smile and a nod back, before turning back to eating the fruit on the plate ahead. He'd try to avoid alcohol if he could help it, he thought.
He hummed, then asked, "Oh, right, what happened to John?"
Kelly snorted, "Went and won us the war, then went MIA somehow..."
"He's alive, though, right?" He seemed worried. Of course he'd be, though, Kelly thought. John and him were practically brothers. They were all basically a very tight-knit family, one that Scarlet could probably tell cared deeply for each-other, especially from the stories Kelly had managed to share with the drunkard swords-mistress. Kelly couldn't help but chuckle at Scarlet's antics from time to time, though. She was a very good sword wielder, fighting against things like the Raptures up close and surviving, only to come home and brew herself something to drink.
She sighed. Her mind was going off-target. She nodded and said, "John's apparently alive, yeah. We were sent to look for him after another attack on Earth, believe it or not. This time by a Forerunner," before grinning as she saw Sam's eyes shoot wide open. She spoke, "Aye, was weird reading the Infinity's AAR back then, while we were out doing other stuff... Turns out Forerunner tech likes teleportin' people around, though."
"Huh," Sam blinked. Odd...?
With Chief's Team
Delta had taken the lead in scouting, donning a camouflage poncho as the rain had started falling upon them. She looked back toward the others, whom the Chief had also ordered to grab similar items of clothing to keep themselves warm and dry. By this point, though, the rain had intensified enough for them to have to take cover in the shade of a building.
She shifted into position, peering through a crack with her rifle and looking down the scope as Chief brought her something warm to eat and drink. With a nod in thanks, she set the rifle down and turned over onto her back so she could start eating. With a hum, she watched the Chief do the rounds as usual, before humming. There was something about him right now, like a fire had been lit under him from the moment they walked out of the elevator.
She was sure the other girls could see it, going by the fact most seemed to just be observing the Chief at the moment. Cortana poked into the Radio frequency and spoke directly to Delta, "He's hoping we'll find a specific group of our own out here. Blue Team, more specifically. Fellow Spartans of his... Which is more likely than I thought, now that I think about it. We did see Linda with the Sniper Pilgrim..."
"I see. Should be interesting to meet them," She smiled, "Thank you, by the way."
"For?"
"Saving Rapi's memories," The shooter replied as she quickly chowed down on her food. She went prone again and shouldered her rifle, leaning it on the bipod as she explained, "You two have only done good for us Nikkes ever since you've arrived. Kind of similar to commander Harriss in that regard, though his actions are sometimes less inconspicuous... Rather obviously."
"Alyosha seems like a good kid, but he's a tad green. Also, no problem. Chief's entire shtick is viewing anyone who defends Humanity as fellow soldiers. And you girls aren't all that distant from humanity anyhow, except for the Cyborg enhancements," The AI replied jovially, probably also talking to the Chief. She asked, "How many Nikkes are currently at the Outpost, by the way?"
"A few dozen at most," She replied, "We've got three or four squads, which include the APD's personal SWAT Team of a sort... Officer Poli being the TL of that unit. Her, Quiry and some new girl by the name of Miranda are working at the ACPU Precinct. Other than that, we've got the Scouts, Counters, Mighty Tools, the Seraphim squad... You've met a good chunk of us, in fact."
"So I know Counters is Alyosha's team, AKA Rapi, Anis and Neon. Mighty Tools, I'm guessing, would be Liter, her dog, Volt and...?" She quirked a brow.
"Centi. The other repairwoman," The girl replied, "Helps in building a good chunk of the Ark's stuff with her own drones. Seraphim is the women you saw in the Clinic, Pepper and Mary. Kind hearts if nothing else, with the medical skills to match even the best of the Ark's doctors, not to mention the repair skills to help keep us moving. You saw what they did for Niner."
The women both seemed to take a moment to look back at Niner as the girl sat there with her fellow 'mass production' models, eating. She hadn't had time to go get a helmet replacement, so her short brown hair now danced lightly in the wind of the thunderstorm as it found its way through the innards of this dead building. Layla and Sammy were sat with her, exchanging small-talk and eating and laughing. Pinne beside them wore a smile, too, though she was leaned against the wall and merely listening instead of participating. Signal was awkwardly talking to the lot of them about some telenovela she'd seen.
Niner's new bionic limbs and eye were a tad shinier, though even they were gaining the glint of old, worn equipment. Her armor was still scarred by the blasts and bullets of the Raptures and her Machine Gun had a slightly bent heat shield around the barrel, courtesy of the heat that emanated from the continuous fire. Layla, an iDoll Sun, wore markings on her breastplate, Sammy's HUD glasses had a chip and her clothes were scratched, body armor raked with bullet holes and Pinne? Pinne looked fairly haggard.
"Yeah," Chuckled Cortana, "For Nikkes 'designed to stop riots and terrorists', the girls are holding their own pretty well up here."
"Replacements," Delta snorted, "Yeah, sure..." then turned and looked down the scope again. A moment of silence passed, with only the distant chatter of the girls around a heat lamp and the Chief's thundering steps echoing as he patrolled the inside of the building to add to the concerto of Rain and Thunder. Delta then started, "Cortana...?" only to hear an affirmative hum from the AI. She asked, "... I am not one to usually look a gift horse in the mouth, but... You and the Chief are in far more danger than us. I'd hate to say it, but should he not just stick to the back...? His armor's Titanium, right?"
"A Titanium alloy, yes. It's still susceptible to the Neutron Beams fired by some of the larger Raptures, but it obviously hasn't stopped him," Cortana replied, "As for telling him to stay put? Heh, nah. Chief wouldn't accept letting his soldiers ahead of him just so he survives. Much like Alyosha, he prefers to lead from the front... Even if it might lead to him taking a bullet or more."
"Yeah," Delta sighed, "You do know that Nikkes have a series of programs installed via their NIMPH."
"Ah, yes, the Neuro-Implanted Machine for Protecting Humans. A nanomachine Lattice that forces you girls to follow the orders of the Central Government and your respective Commanders, even outright forbidding doing harm to man via imprinting Asiimov-style rules into you. If you dared disobey said orders, you'd be branded an irregular and shot or sent for disassembly," Cortana replied, stunning Delta. The AI told her, "I read the data on the NIMPH after accessing the CG's Computer Network."
"I shouldn't be surprised you can hack the Ark at this point," Delta chuckled, a little awkward, "But yes, the NIMPH. I guess you know we have a direct order to protect our Commanders from harm, no matter the cost..."
"Yes and if you fail to do that as per reports, you get punished either via Mind-Wipe or something else, yadda yadda..." The AI snorted. She asked with a certain level of sarcasm, "Not like the reports are being written by yours truly, who may forget or omit certain data for the sake of a better functioning of the squad without the risk of our soldiers being dragged off by their fellow Nikkes for a mind-wipe that'd bring down unit cohesion a lot, right?"
"Hah," Delta laughed and shook her head, "You'd never catch me faking a report."
"Because you're a soldier. Like Chief. Pragmatic to the end, even to your own detriment," Cortana chuckled, "I'm a bit more shrewd than you and him, believe me."
"I know... Good thing you're on our side," She replied, then paused as she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up to see Layla, rifle leaned against her shoulder and visor active, tilt her head toward the heat lamp and smile. The sharpshooter smiled back, stood to her feet and slung her rifle over her shoulder by the strap. She saw Signal was, yet again, fast asleep. This time, on Niner's lap.
As the sniper walked to the team, Cortana told her, "You seem to care a lot about Signal..."
"She's been my subordinate since we formed the Scouts. And she's been like a little sister to me. A little sister that's way into romance," The Scouts' leader stated as she sat down with the team. Niner, Sam and Pinne looked to her, confused. She pointed to her earpro/com and said, "Cortana's talking to me via Radio. Wanna link in, switch to Freq 3,5 and you'll find it."
"Rog," Snorted Niner, slightly more jovial as she patted the sleeping Signal on the head, "Think I'm okay for now. Say hi to her for me, though." And Delta gave her a nod and a smile.
"Anything out there?" Pinne inquired. Delta shook her head, to which the blonde MP Nikke stated, "No news is good news for now. We're looking for Chief's team, aren't we?" as she began to adjust her radio receiver/transmitter system to hear Cortana, too.
"Deductive," Cortana chuckled, "Hey, Pinne."
"Boss," The Shotgunner replied, her smile growing a little. A confused hum came over the com, before Pinne told her, "You and Chief are basically our TLs. Can you blame me for calling you 'Boss' as well...?" which got a chuckle out of the group. Chief, who was still patrolling and setting up various decoys for the Raptures, probably listened in on the convo as well, thought Delta. Lightning and thunder interrupted their thoughts for a moment, the flash lighting the entire building's insides before the rumble echoed.
"Heh, fair enough..." Cortana replied, "So, as I told Delta and as Pinne deducted, yes, we're looking for John's team and any other survivors we may run into along the way. Orders are simple:We bring them to the Outpost, brief them on the Big Mess the world is unless they've already met a Pilgrim and been briefed, then prepare for them becoming a little extra backup."
"Honestly, Cortana, if they're as good as the Chief?" Sam quipped, "It'll be more than just 'a little' extra backup for us."
"Any gun extra's a good gun," Cortana snorted, "Especially if it's Spartans... Though we may wanna start looking into upgrading their gear soon, considering Chief's MJOLNIR is at around 98,8% integrity due to being hit by a couple beams. Might even interlace some Goddessium into the forging materiel next time if we can afford to buy any from the Big Three."
"Could be an idea," Shrugged Delta, "It is what we're made out of, after all."
"I'm looking into some gear to upgrade you girls as well. Best to have everyone in Power Armor than just a couple people," Cortana chuckled, then hummed, "Gimme a sec..." and her Radio signature faded, probably returning to the Chief. The Nikkes looked to one-another, with Sam and Niner letting out short chuckles as they looked at the Supersoldier that commanded them.
He nodded to them, then turned and continued his patrol as the girls started eating. Layla, meanwhile, radioed to them and told them, "Save me some of the strawberry Splendamin, please. Diesel got me hooked on the stuff a couple days ago," which got a few more laughs out of them. Delta herself couldn't help but smile at that, giving their current Overwatch a thumbs-up and stowing some of the food away for her. As twilight turned to night, the crew had switched watches twice so far, Niner now being the main eyes, while Chief just walked around, making sure everything was in order. Better safe than sorry, he thought.
Blue Team was close, waiting to rally up...