The static of the radio system washed the small bunker, awaking the Rebels present in the place. Nadya straightened up in her bed, grabbing her rusty AK from behind the bunk. She looked to the Chief, who'd stood guard for the duration of their rest as the others woke up, then turned for the Radio Room. Anton greeted them with a thumbs up and said "Doctor Vance is on the line, Sarge. Sounds like he's got a job for us."
"Patch him through." Nadya ordered, slinging her rifle onto her back.
"Outpost Red, do you copy? This is Eli." A male voice boomed through the speakers just as Chief entered the room. The woman leaned forward and tapped a set of keys on the radio console, before being handed the old microphone. She spoke clearly "This is Outpost Red. We hear you loud and clear, Eli. We got a new guy with us and he's pretty nasty as far as soldiers go."
"So I heard, Nadya. I take it he's the reason the Overwatch started deploying more troops in your sector." The man spoke calmly. Nadya snorted.
"Yeah, pretty much." She answered. "He killed a few Overwatch soldiers pretty brutally, if Jess and Talbot are to be believed."
"So he basically chose our side almost immediately. That's good... Listen, Nadya, I got a mission for you and your team and we may need it done before the Combine surround your location. I couldn't convince my daughter otherwise, so... Alyx is gonna meet you in the Park soon, afterward I want all of you to head into the Outlands. She found some files on an old computer that hinted at the location of an old underground Soviet base nearby, with an ammo depot."
"You want us to go in and find the guns and kit, don't you?" The woman smirked. "What kind of gear are we talking about?"
"Old Earth weapons, I think... I'm not sure, since I'm not a soldier, but I do believe you'll like'em." He seemed content with the given explanation. Chief shifted slightly as the man continued "I'll send Anton the coordinates now... It should take you a couple of days to reach the spot, but it'd be a big boon for us to get new weapons without having to rely on killing the Combine for them. Afterward, I want you to come back into the City itself. We may wanna rally up whoever is still in the outer area in case the Combine decide to double security outside."
"Sure thing, boss." Nadya said. "We have maps of Combine Outposts set up in the Park if Alyx wants them. We'll prep our gear and go meet her, then we'll head on out. Hopefully..." She turned to Chief "Big Guy we got will join us on this little endeavor to better arm mankind against the Combine."
"I'd say go for it..." Cortana chirped into his ear. "May get us a bit more context to what the Combine have been doing... And how the whole Black Mesa event affected the world." and, according to that, Chief gave a light nod to Nadya, who smiled. Bidding goodbye to the man they called Eli and shutting off the com, she turned to her team as they all slowly woke, with Jess being the last out of her bunk.
"Yo... So, we heading out?" She asked Chief, looking up at him, her SMG on her back.
"According to your orders, yes." He answered bluntly.
"Sweet. What're we hitting?"
"A big ol' Pre-War Russian weapons depot, my good girl." Talbot, who had been up when the briefing was given, responded jovially. "Maybe I can finally get myself one of those old AKs I've been hankering for for the past few years of my life."
"Heh. If we find them, just pray they ain't rusted, Talbot." Nadya noted, racking the bolt of her own AK. "Alright, people, start packing up essentials. I want the CPUs and a portable radio from you, Anton. Torch the rest of the console. Talbot, ammo and meds. Jess, the explosives. We're leaving this place as barren as can be, since Eli seems to want us back in the City before the situation becomes to batshit insane out here. And you, Chief? You're with me. We're taking point."
The Spartan hummed, then said "I'll be taking point alone. My armor can take the sustained fire better."
"Ya sure?" The woman raised a brow, a slight flicker in her left lid... She must've not liked someone disagreeing. She seemed to calm down pretty fast as she said "Well, to be fair... Armor versus whatever the hell the CP uses." She motioned back and forth between him and her. With a sigh as the team gathered all they needed, she went to open the door, then showed him to lead "Alright, Chief... I'm game for now. Let's head on out."
The Spartan racked the bolt of his now-drawn AR, walking out first, with Nadya, a grinning Jess, Talbot, calm Coleman and radio-hauling Anton. Exiting through into the wooden tunnel and then out through the pipe, the Spartan held off at the exit of the pipe itself, scanning their surroundings. The squad took a knee behind him, weapons held tight and safeties off. Chief's Motion Tracker found nothing but them so far. Not even above...
He nodded, then exited the pipe and started climbing the side of the lake pit.
With the whole squad now near the edge of the lake, the trek began in earnest, with Chief leading. Going through the park was a game of avoiding patrols and waiting to meet up with a new friendly contact. A few hours, with the rare whispered exchange between the Rebels, passed as the sun began to set. Chief maintained lead position, with Nadya close behind. Their Contact, she'd told them, would be using a more... Dangerous... Shortcut to get to them... John saw something in the corner of his eyes... A blurry blue. And for a moment, his Motion Tracker pinged one extra contact right at the edge of scanning range.
"So..." Nadya started, walking beside the Chief "I take it you guys trekked a lot during your days in the Military?"
"We ran patrols and did have treks to our objectives, yes." The Spartan responded. "Do your people not train?"
"The few Drill Instructors we have are in Outlands bases like White Forest... Not a lot of Rebs make it to the place." She answered, then chuckled. Noticing a look that denoted raising a brow from the Chief, she explained with a tone of melancholy "Sorry, just having flashbacks to my training. Ruck marches and everything back in Basic..." before she let out a deep sigh. "... Man, half the people I knew from there are either dead or... Combine."
"What about the other half, Sarge?" Jess joined, taking to Chief's left flank, as opposed to Nadya.
The old Sergeant looked to Jess and answered "Somewhere halfway between Moscow and Kiev, I think... Sorry, Cities 19 and 14, respectively." with a dangerous smile. She shook her head.
"Fuck the Combine's numbering systems, amirite?" Chuckled Coleman.
"You said it, brother." Anton responded, smiling. "Muscovite and proud." He grinned.
"Odessan over here." The Sergeant quipped. "Beautiful city, ports and all... Pretty sure it's nothing but a rubble-filled heap right now."
"We'll rebuild when the Combine are off our rock, Sarge. Don't worry." Jess answered, proud smile still visible.
"Oh, yeah? Where're you from, Jess?" Talbot asked, shouldering the bag of supplies he was carrying. Jess grinned.
"Jefferson City. Missouri, represent!" The girl declared proudly, placing a hand on her chest. Everyone, save for the Chief, laughed at that. So, Ukrainian, American and Russian. Jess turned her head to Coleman, then asked "What about you, Cole? Lemme guess, New York?" and only got a nod from the Afro-American man. She beamed, saluting the man, then looked to Chief.
Talbot declared "And I... Am a Londoner." with a sigh. He received a pat on the back from
"What about you, Chief?" She raised a brow.
"Classified." He answered almost mechanically.
"Oh, come on, space-man." The Odessan quipped. "You can give us a hint, at least."
He sighed. The troopers seemed to have taken the hint for no-He put his hand in front of Nadya's head. The gauntlet and shield absorbed the blue energy of a pulse shot that echoed across the park just as night set. He called out to the team "Sniper!" and saw the entire squad dive to cover, either behind rocks, trees or, as was the case for Jess, behind the Chief. A second shot rang out and hit the Spartan's shield, making it flare and drop by at least 20%.
"Anyone see the fuck!?" Jess yelled, taking a knee and shouldering her MP7.
"Got nothing here!" Coleman called out.
"Fucker's in the trees, I think!" Nadya called out. "Chief, you got LOS?!"
Jess saw the Chief raise his Assault Rifle, trailing where the shots had come from. A third shot slammed into his shields, dropping his shields down to 40%. The Pulse shots really hit hard... Not good... He fired a burst of assault rifle fire in what was more of an educated guess. His helmet amplified the sound and he heard the rattle of equipment as the Sniper ducked. So that meant he was in that general direction and...
He heard a second set of footsteps, then a modified, deep voice let loose a roar of pain that echoed across the treeline, loud enough to scare the birds in the trees. The Chief's motion tracker pinged an unknown dead ahead. He trained the rifle on the heading, but a female voice called out "I see you guys and girls had some problems!" smugly. A young woman with tan skin and short brown hair that had wisps of red in it, held by a brown headband. A pair of dark-green eyes locked onto the Chief and the smirk she bore soon changed into a face of pure shock.
"Alyx!" Jess called, standing up and smiling. She walked beside the Chief just as the rest of the team stood to their feet, then pointed at her and said "That there'd be our contact, Chief. Alyx Vance, daughter to the man leading the Resistance."
"Hey, Jess..." Alyx said, half-ignoring her friend as she stared with fright in her eyes at the Chief. She pointed at him, looking to Jessie and asked "Who's he?"
"Oh, this? Alyx, this is the Master Chief... One tough hombre." Jess's grin widened as she explained "He just tanked sniper shots like they were nothing... And I'm pretty sure he's sort of an alien. His armor tells us as much, but apparently he's also human..." She looked for approval from Chief, turning to him and asking "You are human, right? I didn't misunderstand your story."
"Yes." The Chief noted. He nodded to Alyx, who nodded back.
"So, you're the guy Nadya told my dad about..." The girl mused, approaching him and noticing he was about... A head taller than her, give or take a few inches. She had to look up and he had to look down for them to actually properly talk face-to-face, or, well, face-to-visor. "Jeez, you're actually pretty tall... Nadya wasn't exaggerating, was she?"
"I never exaggerate." Nadya said, approaching her. "Good to see you, kiddo."
The young woman smiled "Likewise, Sergeant."
She then turned to the Chief and extended her hand "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Chief. Thanks for saving my friends."
He shook her hand and offered a simple nod as an answer... The girl chuckled "Man of few words, aren't you?" then stretched and said "We aren't far from the exit to the Outlands... From there, it's another day and a half of trekking through the forests." only to wave the team forward. Chief took lead again, with Alyx guiding the team from his right. Another hour of walking found them at a wall on the edge of the City itself, with Combine structures being raised nearby to fix cracks within said wall. One crack, about the size of the Chief, thankfully, allowed them to exit into the Outlands.
And another hour in the Outlands had them settling in, hidden under the canopy of the forest, and making camp. The Rebels had sat themselves down around a hidden fire, while the Chief stayed on his feet, keeping watch over their surroundings, to make sure they weren't surrounded. Alyx looked to him curiously, then whispered to Jess "He doesn't talk much, does he?"
"Hasn't been very talkative, really..." She shrugged. "Answered basic questions'n'stuff but that's about it."
"Ah..." Alyx pursed her lips... She took the bag she carried off her back, then said "Hey, Sarge." making Nadya turn her way... The woman caught a wooden, stringed musical instrument out of mid-air, which lightly knocked the air out of her lungs. Alyx smiled at the Sergeant "I found some time to fix and re-tune your old guitar. Found her laying around in dad's room and said to myself 'why not'?" And she saw the Sergeant's eyes grow wide, a hint of joy in the tired look of the veteran.
"Sarge, you played guitar?" Talbot asked, leaning toward the woman.
"Used to... Back before the War..." She smiled as she sat there, reminiscing and looking over the old wooden guitar. "Used to play all the time to some comrades of mine around campfires." And she looked up to Alyx, offering a genuine smile "Thank you, Alyx... I'm glad to have it back..." As she ran her fingers down the laminated wood of the main body, looking at the refurbished strings.
"Well...?" Alyx raised a brow, expectantly.
Confused, Nadya started "What?"
"Play us up, Sarge." Anton answered.
"Yeah. Would be cool to hear ya." Jess smiled.
"... I haven't played in over 20 years, you guys..." She sighed. "I don't know..."
-Play STALKER:He was a Good Stalker(Long Version)-
"Oh, come on, Sarge. I'm sure you still got it..." Alyx assured her. Narrowing her lips and letting out a sigh of defeat, the Sergeant shrugged, putting the guitar under her arm. She set her hands as she remembered it was meant to be played and strummed... She soon fell into rhythm, an old soldier's song that she'd played at Campfires, with a calm look, one of focus, in her eyes as she let the rhythm guide her.
Her hands moved by themselves as she picked up the pace slightly in one section of the song, her fingers playing the chords like they were an extension of her soul, asking to be let loose to speak once more. Alyx was leaning her chin onto her hands, listening intently, with Jess leaning back and listening too, a smile on her face. Coleman moved his head to the rhythm, Talbot held his eyes closed and listened and Anton... Anton held an old wooden cross necklace in his hand as he listened to the Sergeant, a half-smile on his face as he looked at the woman.
The Chief listened to the serene, melancholic tune as his eyes adapted to the darkness around. To his right, he could see a large outcropping of rock that somewhat resembled a mountain peak in the distance, past a stream of water off of which the light of the moon reflected. Said stream passed right through the center of the Northern Outlands, probably also going into the City... The Chief turned his head toward it.
The old East-European architecture, a combination of Soviet-era apartment blocks and the likes with older architecture gave a weird vibe to the whole place. In parts of the city, the Spartan could see the oppressive, jet-black steel of Combine structures and in the center of it all, with cables hanging off of its sides as support, a gigantic metal structure in the shape of a prism with a ribcage near the top and moving parts loomed menacingly over the City.
"The song the Sergeant's playing is eerily relaxing..." Cortana spoke.
Chief, external mic muted, answered "Status report."
"Well, you'll be happy to know that, for now, I can't detect anything hostile in a five kilometer range of us... Of course, with the MJOLNIR's suite of sensors, it's hard to find anything that doesn't look odd past two and a half kilometers, but, at least, we've got some sort of reprieve for now. Well, unless these 'Combine' are..." She paused upon seeing what the Chief was looking at "... Wow..."
"Think that's their command center?" Chief asked.
"I mean... If I were to hazard a guess, the big, dark, menacing skyscraper in the center of the city does seem like the best spot to make the evil Alien Invasion's command center..." She snarkly remarked. "... I'm gonna need access to one of the Combine's computers. If anything, it'll help us get to know what their motivations are. Meanwhile, you should probably consider resting, Chief... That portal trip must've taken a toll on you too."
"... Mhm." He murmured. "Maybe later."
"Alright, Chief." She sighed. "I'll keep working on decrypting those data packets we flew through."
"Hey, Big Guy!" Jess yelled. "C'mon! Stew's on the fire!"
He hummed, looking to her. She waved him over again, grinning... With a sigh, the Spartan walked up to the fire where, indeed, a pot was in place. Nadya had stopped playing, as she was stirring into it. It was still a long way to go to that base... He sat himself down, but kept watch on his MT just in case of anything, as Jess and the others prepared to eat. Nadya started playing again, this time murmuring some parts of the song in Ukrainian...
Chief's radio crackled with static for a moment. In the corner of his eye, to the left, he saw that same figure in a blue suit as before, watching them from between the trees. Cortana piped up "I... Just got something odd on scopes... Small radiation spike about 45 KM away from us. And I think the sensor suite had a bit of an error, because after the rad spike, it showed three friendly IFFs in close proximity..."
John hummed... And Cortana continued "I'll check the armor's software. You mind?"
He lightly shook his head and Cortana bid her goodbye, turning to work now... Chief had a feeling that the situation at hand meant something big was going on on this Earth aside from the Combine's involvement. He still had a lot to find out about the whole world, the events and their enemies and allies. Right now, though, he needed to focus on the job at hand... Letting Nadya play her songs while the others sat and ate, the Spartan kept a dutiful, silent watch over their surroundings.