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Chapter 9: Invincible
4 days.
It took 4 long days to reach Earth.
It was the longest 4 days of Kat's life. She had failed again to protect the sixth member of Noble Team. His form was motionless. Nearly devoid of life. But she would be damned if she was just going to watch him expire. Using Covenant medical technology, she'd managed to stabilize Six's condition with the help of his armor's life support systems, but no matter what she did, he wouldn't wake up. For the duration of the slipspace trip, his condition dwindled, the armor's life support beginning to beep, drawing additional amps. His body seemed to have slipped into some kind of stasis.
A coma.
That's what it was.
"Hello?!" Kat called out using the Covenant communication system. She spoke frantically as soon as they broke into realspace. Expecting a response, she received only silence. Did she have the wrong channel? "Hello!" she repeated.
There was some muffling on comms. On the other end, a shocked voice in the background.
"Is that a person? Coming from onboard that thing?" they said.
Then came the actual speaker. A familiar and high-ranking tone. The tone of an officer.
"This is Fleet Admiral Hood of the UNSC Navy. Identify yourself, or so help me God, I will unleash everything I have on your vessel."
"Don't shoot!" Kat said. "I have the ship under control."
"I won't ask again. Who are you?"
"This is SPARTAN-III Catherine, Noble Two, of NOBLE team. UNSC Naval Special Warfare Command, Special Warfare Group Three. Service number: S-B-320. And I am the one piloting this behemoth."
A moment of silence as this information was processed and verified.
Hood remained low and stoic, nevertheless, a few drops of astonishment slipped through the seasoned veteran's words. Truly, he had now seen it all. "NOBLE, eh... I almost can't believe I'm hearing this. What are you doing on that ship, Spartan?"
"I've commandeered it," Kat clarified. "Requesting an immediate approach vector for Cairo Station."
Hood raised an eyebrow. "For what purpose, Noble Two?"
"I have a casualty on board. He's in bad shape and needs medical assistance."
"Can you elaborate? Who is your casualty?"
"Noble Six..." Kat said dejectedly.
"Acknowledged, Noble Two. I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, get your team leader on the line for me. Where is Noble One?"
Carter... Kat thought.
Kat's voice turned flat, as though she had no more emotion to show, and nothing left to cry. "He's KIA, sir."
"And the rest of your team?"
"The same. Jun—I mean... Noble Three... is MIA."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Hood replied, peering into the blackness of space from behind a large window. "Any other passengers I should be worried about in there? Covenant? I'm staring at a monster right now so give me a sitrep."
"I've disabled the ship's air circulation system," Kat explained. "Most of the Covies are dead, but anything this large is still going to be crawling with alien scum. Currently, I'm barricaded in the bridge. I'm going to need medevac while you quarantine the airspace."
"Affirmative, Noble Two. We'll do everything we can to get you out of there. What's the condition of Noble Six?"
"Stabilized," Kat said with uncertainty, "but I'm not sure how much longer he'll stay that way. He's lost a lot of blood and fallen into a coma."
"He's not dead yet," Hood reassured. "Stay put. I'm dispatching a Pelican for you now."
"Thank you, sir. Please hurry."
Every minute that went by without proper medical attention felt like a thousand hours. The next thing she remembered was Six and her being shuttled off the Sublime Transcendence in a Pelican by a fireteam of SPARTAN-IIIs and shock troopers, all while she held his withering husk of a body. That haunting gray form. She could barely compose herself during the transit. Then, the rear door opened, the blinding white lights of Cairo Station bleeding in between blanched lab coats and assistants with clipboards. Medical personnel everywhere. The doctors came and took him away from her behind walls and doors where she couldn't see, and performed procedures and operations she couldn't supervise to make sure they were doing right by him. All she could do was wait outside on a cold steel bench as medical personnel moved in and out of the double doors leading into the medical facility and then to an operating room somewhere, some of the staff just by themselves, others in a group, and a few carrying supplies or pushing carts with haste. But eventually, the commotion began to slow to a crawl until it stopped outright.
Was something wrong?
The gray drab of the wall began to burn her eyes.
No, no... He's not dead.
She was alone in here.
Alone with this... uncertainty.
Kat gripped the rim of the bench, feeling as though she threatened to dent the steel with her fingers.
It was killing her.
Just what was going on in there?
For the time being, there was no closure to speak of. Kat did not bother leaving to remove her armor or even sleep lest the results of the operation came while she was absent. She slept in the waiting room on the bench, legs up and entwined, back against the wall, arms crossed, tense, and head drooped over her chest. It was like that for several days straight yet she dared not move until one of the doctors would come out to tell her what the outcome of all the procedures was. At a certain point, she heard the click clack of dress shoes, but it was obviously not a doctor that had come to see her.
Admiral Hood.
He didn't say anything when he first arrived. He merely reclined back next to her as she sat hunched over, her blue helmet off, eyes down. The blanched whites of his pants glared bright from the corner of her vision.
"Not going to say anything, sir?" Kat asked with thinly-veiled disdain. "Is this about finishing my debriefing again? I told the last person to—"
"I'm not here for that," Hood cut in. "As a matter of fact, as soon as I heard of it, I made sure to put an end to the issue. They won't bother you anymore."
"Then what are you here for?"
"I came to give my encouragement. He's going to make it, Catherine," Hood said, calm and steady as a rock.
Kat did not raise her gaze. She remained almost frozen. "As nice as that is to hear, I'm not so sure anymore. I'm not sure of anything anymore."
"I looked into him—Noble Six. I know his type... He's a tough one to be certain. One of our finest, maybe even the best. He'll make it."
"He told me something similar..." Kat turned to look at Admiral Hood. "How do you know?" she said boldly, looking with her eyes as if to demand assurance.
"This is Earth. I have the best doctors the UNSC can muster working to bring him back."
"I'll try and keep my hopes up," Kat replied flatly. She did not have much respect for the operations nor competence of the UNSC, and that was even before this.
An honorable man and not one to overstay his welcome, Hood stood up to leave, fixing his attire. "Let me know if you have any more problems with the staff around here. We're stationed so far away from action that some of them can be sticklers for protocol."
"I do, actually," Kat returned very quickly. "I'd like to see Six in person."
Hood nodded. "I can put a word in."
"Thank you, Admiral..."
Admiral Hood tipped his officer's cap. "Ma'am."
The Admiral's word carried serious weight around Cairo Station. Within the hour, Kat had a chair inside the operating room as groups of masked doctors performed a delicate procedure to repair the damage to Six's abdomen and spinal cord. She wasn't sure if she regretted her decision to see the state of Six's body. The outside of the wound had been somewhat clean, as was typical of a sword that cut, but seeing the rest of it now, his body completely opened up by the doctors, the searing heat of the energy dagger had completely scalded his insides. Even after dozens of hours in the operating room, it still looked like burnt meat and singed blood coagulated together into this strange mass of mutilation. Red. And melted. What was there left to even fix?
It broke Kat.
But she needed to see this.
The gray armor she had become so accustomed to seeing was gone. And now, all that was left was this lifeless man before her. It was jarring. She had begun to think Six was invincible. She had begun to actually believe it. But he wasn't. And it looked like the condition was not going to change anytime soon, but the doctors did their best. The back-to-back surgeries and operations lasted nearly a week. After many more hours of waiting and staring, stopping to sleep only for a few minutes here and there, in case Six finally gave out while she was not watching over him, the doctor's left and concluded that they had done all they could. They even told her that the operation was a success.
Why was he still unconscious then?
When was he supposed to be back?
The beeping of machinery hummed in a regular rhythm. Kat pulled her chair closer and placed her head on Six's chest as he lay comatose in a hospital gown, hoping that her touch would cause him to awaken and meet her eyes, but he did not. Every now and then, a nurse would come in to jot down a few numbers and take a few measurements—vitals presumably—and make sure all the machinery keeping Six alive was working, and then just leave. Cold and impersonal. Everything and everyone in here was cold and impersonal. So Kat would speak to him when they were alone. Saying something here. Saying something there. Caress him. Hoping it would keep his spirit warm. Even humming a lullaby between speeches.
This was all she could do. This was her desperation.
And it continued for days.
His body was full of tubes, wires, bits of metal, and other things to replace the still immature function of his new organs. Flash cloning. A heavily restricted and regulated practice, but given Six's newfound legendary status amongst the UNSC as well as Admiral Hood's crowning rank over the Navy, a few strings were easily pulled in the background to make that magic happen. Kat couldn't help but scoff at the bureaucracy of even healthcare in the military, though, she was grateful to Hood for the kindness he had shown in spite of all that. As for those ONI dogs that wanted more information on what exactly had transpired on Reach, they couldn't even spare a single word or kind thought for Six. They could go to hell for all she cared. Until things resolved, she wasn't going to give them a damn thing even if it meant a court martial.
Kat's bitter anger faded as she gazed in sorrow at Six's closed eyes.
"You always beat the odds..." she began to whisper into his ear, thinking she was becoming more and more crazy the longer she stayed. "You told me that Noble always gets its mission done..." Kat shut her lids in a tight grimace. "And I don't give you permission to die you stubborn bastard..."
A chuckle, from nowhere. A very weak, short, and yet, hearty chuckle.
"Y-yes... ma'aaam..." a breathy reply came quietly.
Kat brightened, gasping. "Six!" she said, cupping his face as she leaned over the medical bed.
"I could... hear you..." Six struggled to say as he stared into her beautiful blue eyes. "...these past couple of... days... Finally... my mouth... moved..."
Kat grinned in relief, stuttering a sigh and breathing out. "You had me worried. What the hell took you so long?"
"Sorry..." Six said. "I was a bit busy... being dead..."
Kat laughed softly, a few tears falling onto Six's cheek.
"Don't cry anymore... Kat..." Six continued. "I'm... not... dead... anymore..."
"I know. But I thought you were. Or worse..." she replied.
"Did you think... they could kill me... so easily?" Six smirked weakly.
"I think," Kat emphasized, "you need to work on your situational awareness."
Amusement flashed across Six's face. "You're one... to talk... You hurt me back in... New... Alexandria... I guess we're even... now..."
"No, Six..." Kat corrected, solemn and serious. " We're not. I owe you my life..."
"You know... it's not 'Six', Kat..." Six replied. "I never told you my... real name... did... I?"
Kat chuckled. "So now you want to be on a first name basis..." Kat leaned in a little further. "What is it?" she inquired with curious inflection.
Six smirked weakly. "Well..."
o - o - o - o - o - o
Admiral Hood sat in the privacy of his office. He clasped his hands together on his desk, addressing the two infamous SPARTANs standing before him.
"Therefore, Noble Two, Noble Six... considering your outstanding return and the unfortunate loss of the other members of your unit, I'm promoting both of you. Noble Two, as the new team leader, I'm promoting you to O-5, the rank of Commander. Noble Six, you are now O-4, Lieutenant Commander. You can keep your current callsigns for the time being. Right now, high command is working on reconsolidating your unit—I want NOBLE back to full strength as soon as possible. Expect to be introduced to the new members of your team very soon. Congratulations again on your return."
"Respectfully, Admiral, I think Noble Six should receive my promotion. Frankly, he's the only reason we got off Reach," Kat said. "I'd like to remain as second if that's okay."
The Admiral gave way for pause. He was surprised to hear this.
"Noble Six?" the Admiral said, turning to him for confirmation.
Six exchanged a brief look with Kat, as if to silently ask if she was sure from behind his visor, and it seemed she was. "If that's what Noble Two wants."
"Very well, Spartan. Promotion granted. Noble Six, you are now the official leader of NOBLE team. Noble Two, you will remain at your current rank as second in command. Oh, and before I forget, there's someone in the barracks that would like to meet with you. I think you'll be happy to see them," Admiral Hood said. "If there's nothing else you'd like to discuss..."
Hood hung onto his sentence, waiting for them to bring anything up, but they did not, so he stood up and saluted to conclude their conversation. The standing Spartans saluted back.
"...then you are dismissed," Hood finished.
"Sir," Six replied, leaving with Kat in tow.
o - o - o - o - o - o
Jun wrung his hands together, his armor a dull green in the light of Cairo Station. "So, how did you guys escape Reach? You managed to capture a whole Covvie supercarrier and still haven't told me."
"It's a long story, Jun," Kat replied. She shifted her weight to one leg, unknowingly emphasizing the curve of her hips. "I'll tell you when we get underway. Let's go meet our new team members first."
As Kat walked in front of Six to leave, Six reflexively palmed towards the small of her back, nearly giving her a love tap, but he yanked his hand back as soon as he realized what he was doing. Kat walked off none the wiser, but this did not escape Jun's sharpshooter gaze.
Fuck.
Jun stared Six down, doing a double take, not believing what he just saw until Kat was out of earshot. "Did I just see you...?"
"She walks slow," Six said dryly. He shrugged and tried to play it off under his usual quiet and aloof demeanor.
"Riiiiiiight..." Jun played along poorly, "You know what? If you're brave enough to do that, I don't need to know how you got off Reach."
o - o - o - o - o - o
Two marines, one older and one younger, talked in the hangar bay as they loaded munitions onto an industrial cart.
"Those two over there? Yeah. That's what was left of NOBLE team," the older one said. "They're the guys that got off Reach and hijacked that huge Covenant ship."
"What? No way," the other, much younger and greener marine said.
"Saw it with my own eyes," the first marine vouched. "Hard to tell who's in charge now, officially at least. Sometimes it seems like the one in that tacky blue armor. Then again, sometimes it's that gray one too yet he hardly speaks. Kinda weird if you ask me. I've seen her defer to the other guy though. No idea who he is, but he's been commanding a lot of respect from the top brass lately. I hear he was former black ops."
"What about that third one with the ghillie hood?"
"Not sure about him either. He kind of just showed up out of the blue. But he's definitely not the team leader."
o - o - o - o - o - o
"So, since you're in charge now, I guess I'm going to have to start calling you Noble One, eh, Six?" Jun jived from atop a military crate as he thumbed armor-piercing rounds into one of his sniper rifle's magazines. They had the barracks entirely to themselves. "Feels strange not having the rest of the team here. The original team, I mean... These new guys just don't understand."
"I was the new guy once," Six said.
"Yeah," Jun laughed. "But the difference between you and them is that you were quiet. You didn't run your mouth."
"They haven't seen what we have," Six added in their defense.
Just then, heavy footsteps could be heard as an unknown soldier approached. But this was no ordinary soldier. These steps were heavier than usual. Heavier than a SPARTAN-III's. A towering green SPARTAN-II suddenly appeared, taking up all the space in the walkway and all the conversation out of Six and Jun.
It could only be one person.
"Is that..." Jun's voice trailed off.
Master Chief nodded to both of them but stopped right next to Six and examined his standing form. There was no judgement, only respect.
"They call you the Chief, don't they?" Six said, bold enough to break the ice.
"They do. And you?" Chief said, remaining stoic. He was terse, but not curt.
Noble Six met Chief's demeanor equally. "Just Six," he said.
"I heard you'll be at the awards ceremony, Six," Master Chief said. "Great work you did."
"Likewise."
A red light burst into a flickering as Cairo Station's alarms started going off. Master Chief looked off to the side, peering out into space through one of the glass panels. The sight of a Covenant battle cluster reflected off Chief's gold visor.
"Another drill?" Jun asked.
"No... Worse..." Chief said.
A/N: Thanks for reading guys. This concludes the story! What a weight off my shoulders.
It was quite the challenge for me to write this over the years as I only like to write—dare I say, can write—when the creative juices and literary motivation strike me, which, if I'm missing these elements, tends to reduce my writing quality significantly, so if you're wondering why this fic took so long, that's why. The same is true for the rest of my fics. Probably the biggest challenge with this story was getting the ball rolling because I had initially started in my head with the idea of Six and Kat at the bridge of the Sublime Transcendence with Six incapacitated and confessing his inner struggles, and then I had to figure out how to roll it back and get there from ground zero starting at the canon New Alexandria scene which I did not want to change at all as I preferred to stay as canon as possible. For someone who has never read a single Halo book and only played the games, you can probably imagine how hard that is. God bless the Halo wiki. Also, it only occurred to me after the fact that I needed to figure out if Six was going to die or not once I actually got to the scene where he gets critically stabbed, and since this is fanfiction, I ultimately decided to go with an alternate ending where he lives. I was hung up on that for so long. If you don't understand, I'm actually a big fan of putting horrible plot twists into stories because readers always expect a good ending. The anime "Akame ga Kill!" taught me a lot about it from a creative perspective and I respect that show a lot more even it made me really upset for having the moxie to kill off mainstay characters because it just made every additional scene have real weight to it, especially battles. You got lucky this time though, readers! Six lives!
Moreover, in retrospect, there were many parts of the fic where I believed I could have done better, but if I kept postponing the fic indefinitely on account of certain lackluster writing skills, then I would never have been able to deliver this story in any fashion at all, so at certain points, I just found myself pushing through and swallowed whatever I had managed to conjure onto the page even if something felt missing. In order to mitigate failure points as well as give myself time to find the motivation to write again, I would completely abandon my work and then return weeks or months later to go over it again and often would find myself having a new epiphany of how I could write something or catch errors I did not previously see while proof-reading. I credit this strategy for the best parts of my fic but I cannot say that I did perfectly.
For those who found this fic lacking in the lore department, I appreciate you for bearing with me. For others who found the story to lack "meat on the bones", so to speak, especially in the earlier chapters which I did notice myself, I also appreciate you for bearing with me. And for those who found the plot development to be suspect, such as Kat surviving her headshot or no one on NOBLE team checking her vitals which I saw some reviewers mention, these are all valid criticisms. As with any story, there is some degree of suspension of disbelief, especially when making plot changes in order to achieve certain outcomes—for me, again, that was the scene where Kat and Six are on the Sublime Transcendence which I had a burning desire to reach. Kat had to survive somehow. The entire story was contrived essentially on the fly just for that singular moment actually. In my defense, I don't see her surviving a glancing headshot as any worse than Master Chief surviving his fall from space at the beginning of Halo 3 which is pretty crazy and lucky if you ask me. And as for the reviewer that said the romance was cringe, I can understand why some might see it that way, but I stand by what I wrote because that's what love is to me. On that note, I would love to write a sex scene to put the proverbial cherry on the top—I know Kat and Six NEED it—but I'm pushing my skills to the limit as it is, and I've never been particularly good at writing smut. So the train stops here and I leave that type of content for someone else's story. If there is anything to take away from this experience, it is that I hope my fic inspires others to write their own male Six x Kat stories, because in the beginning, what I was thinking of reading I couldn't find, and so I took matters into my own hands. Thus was the start of this tall tale.
Thank you everybody.