Title
Hands Held High
Chapter
Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
Pairing
Master Chief x Noble Six
Story Summary
She never asked to become one of humanity's greatest warriors; to be a savior, a killer, a Spartan. But she made the most of it by becoming the best there ever was; a hyper-lethal assassin, a lone wolf survivor, a one-man army. She's also friendly and damn well protective over her own, a trait no one really took care to notice. Having braved through many trials of death and war at every turn, Noble Six chooses to be a sacrifice in order to ensure everyone who matters survives. Yet even in death the ghosts of her past remind her why she works better alone. However, it just isn't her time, for the Covenant/Human War has only just begun and her ending is far from nearing.
Disclaimer
Everything I own belongs to me. Everything I don't own belongs to Bungie, Microsoft, 343 Industries and their respected owners.
XxXXxX
TIME:DATE RECORD [[ERROR]] ANOMALY / DATE UNKNOWN /
ABOARD HYBRID VESSEL GETTYSBURG-ASCENDANT JUSTICE, IN ANOMALOUS SLIPSPACE BUBBLE
-NOW-
The E Band suddenly crackled to life. "Chief, your ride is here."
Simple as that.
As soon as the dropship landed within the bowels of the alien launch bay, the Lieutenant released the side doors. Polaski grinned at her, a nervous energy making her jittery as she released herself from the harness to join the others in the back. A large inhale, exhale entered and left her lungs. She would never admit it, but she almost believed they wouldn't make it.
Alexis never feared death. Every day gave a chance to be her last, always prepared to go down fighting, but she never liked being cornered. Especially, currently, with the more seasoned Spartans and rowdy marines now beneath her proverbial wing. She didn't know them, didn't know the capabilities in which they worked as a team, didn't know whether she would be saving them, or if they'd hold up their own. The latter of which seemed likely, these were second generations after all, a hardy bunch.
What she certainly didn't know, was that the AI, Cortana, had a knack for last minute miracles.
The moment they were surrounded, something quite large and astonishing pushed the Covenant aside from nothing. A Covenant carrier class ship with a UNSC heavy frigate attached to its top like some leech.
In those seconds of its appearance, Cortana hailed the Master Chief to quickly board the hybrid craft, an action they took as soon as it was given, before it slipped back into slipspace.
A lot of things happened within the last five minutes, it was a lot to process.
A hand on her shoulder brought her attention forward.
"Come on, Lieutenant," Jun's voice had her discreetly dislodge her tight knuckled fist from her harness before turning to him. His helmet was on, but he had his other hand outstretched. "Heard you can't get around too well lately."
She cracked a small smile. "Emile tell you that?"
"I did no such thing," came said male's voice from behind him.
"Most of it was observation," Jun wiggled his fingers for her to take. She did without hesitation, struggling to her feet with most of her weight leaned into him. Once clear of the pilot's chairs, Alexis held tightly to Jun as he wrapped her good arm over his shoulders and gripped her around the waistband of her armor. "I'm surprised you're still standing."
Gritting her teeth from walking yet again, she huffed. "Believe it or not, I am too."
"Well let's not push your luck," Emile came to her other side, her helmet in hand, his shotgun in the other. "Come on, we should follow the others."
The three surviving Noble members trekked down the ramp, Emile taking the lead, ever watchful. Anton suddenly sprinted pass them to a wrecked longsword just meters away as they stepped off, their radiation counters clicking erratically.
"What was that?" Emile looked on curiously.
"The artifact from Dr. Halsey I'd imagine," Jun answered. "Best keep away from it." Their counters never stopped clicking until a few minutes afterwards.
"What happened?" she asked. Without her helmet, she was unaware of what they had seen.
"Radiation spiked just now."
"Well that isn't good."
The other Spartans and marines had stood in a semi scattered cluster, weapons out and eyes alert, though strayed to the bay doors. The Master Chief, Admiral and Dr. Halsey were standing away from them, also looking into the void of space from the open canopy. Following their gazes, Alexis saw why. A swirling wall of blue indicated they were in slipspace. However, it looked transparent, large parts of it dissolving in patches to look beyond into the stars, only to be mended again just as quickly. What the hell?
The trio came to a stop near the downed Spartan. She had yet to regain full consciousness, another Spartan - numbered 104 - keeping watch over her. Emile stood not too far away, watching those nearest the bay door.
"How is she?"
The Spartan-ll glanced up from his ministrations with the armor, first to her then to Jun. "Stable. Vitals are a little low," he crouched back, sighing quickly with a shake of his head. "She'll make it. Kelly's tough." Here he turned to Alexis. "You don't look too good yourself, Lieutenant."
"Did the gaping hole give it away?" she asked good naturally to the junior grade. "Or my hellish facade?"
The Spartan was quick to chuckle. "Definitely your façade," he nodded to Jun. "She the one?"
"Full of surprises she is."
"I see," he tilted his head at her. "Fred."
"Alexis," she looked to her partner. "You talking behind my back?"
"Only good things."
"Cortana!" the Admiral suddenly bellowed, jolting everyone silent. "Whatever you do, do not fire-"
Their vessel shuddered as bolts of plasma left the cannons. What they saw next was not something that made sense. A volley of hot plasma rocketed towards them, only to curve and bend away from the shields, streaking by just shy of the barrier, disappearing into the blue field beyond.
"Hot damn!" Sergeant Johnson hooped. "Just let those bastards be. Eventually they'll take themselves out of the picture. Look, they're firing again!"
"No, we're all in the same mess here," Dr. Halsey hissed, though not at him. "We are not safe."
"Cortana! Drop the launch bay blast door now!" Master Chief must not have liked the woman's comment, for not a second after did a bolt of plasma rocket past again, this one so close she saw his shields flare angrily. The ships own shields rippled and crackled a glaring red, holding together just barely.
The thick metal door finally slipped shut with a dull thud. "Blast door locked and secured," the AI announced, her voice filling the bay.
Admiral Whitcomb nodded. "Good. Now let's get this show boat on the way while we've still got it. Chief? Lead the way to the bridge."
"Yes, sir."
Fred picked up Kelly immediately, giving them both a gesture to follow the rest of the group. Slowly but surely, they fell in line behind the rest.
Walking at this point now was a struggle. It had only been maybe three hours since she woke up and within that time span, she had walked, been jumbled around and handled a little too much for her body to take. She was much too tired to concentrate on any conversations had, leaving that to her teammates, focusing putting one foot in front of the other. It was good she was for not a quarter way down the passageway they were led into did the ship shudder immensely from explosions and rolled to port. Jun held onto her tighter when the artificial gravity fluttered. She groaned in pain when his grip pressed into her waist to keep them standing, a white pain shooting up her side that would have taken her to the floor.
"Turrets one and seven destroyed," Cortana relayed in a near calm manner, righting the ship.
Not knowing how much more she could take, Alexis bit her tongue. That strain took its toll. The many before it sucking her dry of any lasting energy she tried to make last. Jun quickly moved his hand and continued along once the others had picked themselves back up. Emile came up on her right side, sharing a look with him over her head. Both knew she was toughing it out, keeping herself awake and forcing herself to move forward. Everyone had their limit eventually. She was quickly reaching hers.
Not soon enough did they all walk into the bridge, the Admiral spouting orders to the AI, the marines doing sweeps around the area, the Spartans keeping close to either him or the doctor.
The displays lit up, drawing attention to the enemy ships and plasma bolts as they popped in and out of sight, the shields of their ship flaring and rippling as if waves of a raging sea were hitting against the hull.
Fred was quick to settle Kelly down away from everyone else, Dr. Halsey immediately coming to her aid with a data pad of her erratic vitals. Jun did the same, settling her down next to them, biting her tongue sharply at the pull and bite of the movement. Her breath came in short bursts now, a sheen of sweat on her forehead. She kept a firm grip on Jun's forearm, grounding herself. She wasn't dying, she hoped she wasn't, but if something didn't help ease this strain, despite the earlier taken pain killers which seemed to do nothing, she would pass out for sure. Only this time, she didn't know if she'd wake up.
"Hit on subengineering decks. Sealing those regions. Fire in the lower levels. Attempting to isolate and pump out the atmosphere." Cortana said this calmly, moving about her little holopad to deter the worst of the damage to keep them going.
Alexis tried to focus away from her pain. Mind over matter. So she focused on the AI. She'd forgotten they'd somewhat met before, though it was only a glimpse and the rest in a transport container on her back. She had held her, protected her and nearly died for her. That anger she briefly felt before resurfaced. She had nearly died for her and she's back here? Was she insane? Quite obviously not, but what kind of AI would come back to the place they were sent away from to begin with?
The entire room shook with a loud roar, fire suddenly jumping at them from the passageway they had come through. The bulkhead door slammed shut. Jun had ducked down to cover her, though it didn't save her from the sudden pressure drop that popped her ears. This didn't bother most of the others, the Spartans not at all effected whilst the marines shook their heads or stretched their jaws to rid of the discomfort, but Alexis could no longer hear, the ringing extra loud, and it hurt.
A hand came to her ear to try and rub it out to no avail. Neither a shake or yawn worked either. All of which licked at the lingering headache she had when she first woke. Jun gripped her shoulder, possibly asking if she was okay. He turned to Emile, the two exchanging words when their attention turned to Cortana. The display table changed to an external camera of the ship, focusing on a trail of blue white gas that escaped from a large hole in the hull.
Words were spoken after that, a lot of nodding and serious faces. Master Chief and his Spartans followed their leader out another passageway with Polaski, leaving everyone else on the bridge.
"What just happened?" the ringing subsided enough for her to hear.
"You alright?" Jun turned to ask.
"Hearing went out but define alright."
"Master Chief's team is going to fix a possible sabotage attempt," Emile explained. "We're stuck otherwise."
"Great."
"Lieutenant?"
The Nobles turned to Dr. Halsey. Her eyes never moved from the datapad, swiveling back and forth from the device to her Spartan. The older woman gave the briefest of glances to each of them, one of the sternest looks schooling her features. "Last I saw you, you weren't injured. What happened?"
"Plasma burns," Alexis grunted out. "Possibly from a rifle. Impalement from a sword. Kicked in the head twice by a Zealot. I was rendered unconscious for several days."
"In that time, she suffered through blood loss, hypothermia and a concussion," Emile continued for her. "Second and third degree burns that were not properly treated with what was available. It had been reopened in the skirmishes to get to Admiral Whitcomb, causing more blood loss. The wound had to be reburned to keep from bleeding out."
"And how long ago was this?"
"I regained consciousness three hours ago, ma'am," Alexis didn't know whether to admire how the doctor did not once glance their way as she listened, or to take offence. "It took two weeks to get back on my feet the first time. I was out again later that same day for another four days."
Finally, Dr. Halsey looked over, her blue eyes raking over her body in assessment, lingering a second longer on the exposed hole in the armor that had yet to show any red. She said nothing however, only nodded.
"Doctor Halsey," their attention went to the Admiral, hands clasped behind his back, "Clear my bridge of the wounded."
The reaction was immediate. Jun and Emile stood straighter, the Doctor's expression pinched. "Admiral, I don't want to move either of these women. They're not entirely stable."
"Do it, Doctor. Both are a distraction. We have a battle to fight here."
The look given to him could have stopped a Hunter in its tracks that went promptly ignored. Alexis took the comment in stride, she knew she was going to be a hindrance to begin with.
Lieutenant Haverson cleared his throat, stepping forward. "Ma'am, there's an escape craft just off the bridge," he gestured towards a starboard hatch, which Emile immediately went to, opened and swept his weapon through it.
"It's clear."
"Right. Locklear, Sergeant, mind giving the doctor a hand with her patients?"
"Yes, sir," Locklear, an ODST, stepped forward immediately. "Happy to sit this battle out in an escape pod."
Sergeant Johnson, the closest of the marines, kneeled next to the unconscious Spartan, settling his gun on her chest. "Lets go, Corporal. Shake a leg and gimme a hand, the lady in her armor weighs more than your last date."
Alexis huffed a laugh as Jun bent down to grab a hold of her arm. With a hand under her back, she made to get up. Unfortunately, her body decided it had had enough of moving around, lurching in agony by the stretch of skin. She tensed to keep from moving any further.
"We've got to move you, Lieutenant." Her discomfort drew some eyes, including that of the doctors' just before she entered the pod. Alexis wasn't one to show her weaknesses, going so far out of her way to hide them even. Considering everyone here had seen her near crippled, she knew she didn't have to do that. But stubbornness and a little bit of pride kept her mouth shut. She grit her teeth, throwing her left arm around Jun's shoulder, bracing herself when he helped her stand.
Sometimes, her stubbornness got the best of her.
The moment she stood up, the world spun. Her legs gave out, her vision tunneled.
It took seconds for her to black out.
XxXXxX
TIME:DATE RECORD [[ERROR]] ANOMOLY / DATE UNKNOWN /
ABOARD HYBRID VESSEL GETTYSBURG-ASCENDANT JUSTICE, IN SLIPSPACE.
-NOW-
She was in and out of consciousness. That much she knew.
Her sight was dark. Always dark. Pinpricks of grey have been known to come up, but they never lasted. There was no pain. There was no movement. But there were voices. Female. Familiar. She didn't know who they were.
Maybe, once, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Another time, it was her side, which strangely didn't hurt when it was prodded and tugged at.
Then it did.
As always, the Lieutenants' sight came back first. It all started out grey, though a couple blinks turned it white. Florescent lights turned low and white tile. She stared a moment, accessing. A medical bay. She was lying flat, presumably on a medical berth. Her armor was gone, even her matte suit, but she wasn't bare. A tight feeling around her middle, along with a burning sensation, indicated her side had either been seen and tended to, or it remained as it had been. That same tightness was also around her bottom jaw and right forearm. Her body ached horribly, her head splitting from what was becoming a rather nasty headache. There was a prickling feeling in the crook of her left arm.
Turning her head hurt, but it was the only way to look about the room. A needle was the culprit, a tube and bag of clear liquid attached that provided her body with whatever it was missing. Dehydrated, exhausted, extensively wounded, and drained of blood, she could imagine a lot was necessary to keep her breathing. She'd have to thank those that brought her back. Dr. Halsey for sure, she's probably the only one capable of performing the surgery needed. But wherever the blood came from, that she'd have to find out.
There was no one else in the bay, which she was thankful for. It allowed her to breath a sigh of much needed relief. In pain she may be, it let her know she was alive. Whatever was happening now, outside these walls, didn't hold her worries high enough more so than that. She enveloped being alone for the moment, relished in the silence that, for once in the past few months, brought about a peace of mind. No one to worry about, no one to cover, no one to watch. Only herself, at least for now.
Did that make her selfish? To worry over herself when she was possibly expected to worry over the others first now that she had worked with a team? She didn't have to before. It wasn't like she didn't care for those she battled with, she enjoyed company on a regular basis. She enjoyed her solitude even more. It was how she was raised, how she survived. It was how she saved others. It kept her from getting hurt.
Alexis heaved a sigh, closing her eyes, appreciating the ache and stretch of her side with the movement of her breaths. She didn't feel as sick as before. Not as dizzy. She wondered why there were bandages around her arm and jaw though. How much time had passed? Last she remembered, she was on the bridge, attempting to stand on behalf of the Admiral's request. Then dizziness, then nothing.
Were the others doing okay? Should she be worried that no one was with her? What happened afterwards? The battle. Did they lose anyone else? Were they out of slipspace?
"I wondered when you would wake up."
Alexis cracked open an eye. Something purple drew her attention to the right. An AI stood on the nearby holo display, a hand on her hip.
Cortana.
She was slender, faint lines of coding running down her tall body to her bare feet. Short cropped hair framed a delicate face, but her eyes held knowledge and knowing of things she possibly couldn't. This was the first time seeing her up close.
The AI hummed. "You know, someone else greeted me the same way not too long ago," her body flickered blue, the coding briefly traveling faster. "You actually have a concussion though, mild, so your delay is acceptable."
Alexis chuckled, regretting it almost immediately when her side flared. To think it was the AI checking in on her first and not one of her own. At the least, she thought Cortana would make them aware of her consciousness. "You do this often with those in the medical bay?" To her chargin, her voice came out scratchy, dry. "Unusual for an AI."
Cortana smirked, crossing her arms. "Just to those that interest me."
She scoffed. "I highly doubt I'm at the top of someone's curiosity unless I've worked under them personally."
"On the contrary, you've garnered the Doctor's. And mine."
Alexis stared. Questions arose. That's right. Dr. Halsey wasn't the one who had chosen her as a courier, her AI did. Were they always given that option? She couldn't recall. Smart AI's were able to process and adapt to their multiple surroundings, retaining information like a sponge, therefore able to hold conversations, debate and, in this case, choose who they could or shall work with. Why did they choose her? It had to be a unanimous decision. Dr. Halsey had a resentment towards any generation of Spartan that wasn't her own. At least, that was her impression. She knew all her Spartans by name, chose them each time over a third generation, she assumed it was because of trust and affiliation. The third generation were mass produced through cheaper means by a man who cared less for their lives.
Whatever the case may be, the doctor was the last person on earth she would ever expect to save her life. What the AI convinced her to see, she had no idea.
"In that case," she began coolly. "Please, continue. Who am I to stop you?"
"You give yourself too little credit, Spartan."
"Possibly..." Alexis sighed. She couldn't give herself credit for anything. She was a war dog, trained to kill when commanded. Not mindless, but definitely controlled. "Cortana. Could you tell me how the others are?"
The AI uncrossed her arms to rest her hands on her hips. Deflection. That's what that was. Did she not see her own worth? She must know she was good, rivaling that of the Master Chief of all people. She must know how sought out she was by multiple persons across the UNSC. How interesting. Her body flashed blue. "Your team, Jun and Emile, are both accounted for. The Admiral called an all-hands to repair the ships. They are currently in the docks assisting with the deceased men and women of the Gettysburg. Jun suffered minor bruising along his ribcage, with a broken clavicle. Emile suffers through strained Achilles tendons in both ankles, and multiple lacerations along his back."
She chuckled ruefully. Of course they'd suffer less than her. It was always her luck to be the worse off out of everyone. "What about the others? The ones who I came with?"
Cortana silenced, caught off guard by the question. With a tilt of her head, and another flash of blue, she obliged. "The marines are all sustainable with minor injuries that have been tended to. They are currently a part of the all-hands in various locations. Lieutenant Polaski did not make it while assisting with the repair of the Ascendant Justice conduit breach. The Master Chief and his Spartans are sustainable with moderate injuries that have been tended to, apart from two who have recently undergone intensive surgery. They are currently down in the weapons assembly bay. Spartan-008 and Spartan-044 did not make it in their assist with the Ascendant Justice repair of the conduit breach."
A stoic mask slipped on her face. "I see." Li and Anton. Two of the first Spartans that helped her. They weren't even injured as extensively as her, yet they lost their lives while she still lived. She wondered how badly their leader took that news.
"Where am I?"
"Deck thirty-two of what is left of the Gettysburg."
"All right." Alexis took a deep breath. "Okay." And proceeded to get up.
Cortana watched her struggle up to her forearms and stop. "You Spartans just never know when to take a breather, do you?"
Huffing a painful laugh, Alexis' arms shook. "Not-Not sure about the others," using her left arm to fully extend herself up on the table, she finally had herself sitting up. "But if I lie here, sooner or later, something is bound to require my expertise." Spinning slowly on the table, she let her left foot dangle. She was dressed in a training uniform. Her armor was nowhere within the room. She assumed it was proffered to the good doctor to get repaired. Or even to the Spartans down in the assembly room. She didn't expect to see it for some time. "Besides, I doubt anyone else is lying on the job."
"You would be right." Both the AI and Lieutenant faced the now open door across the room. In strode Dr. Halsey herself, a datapad in hand. "Though in fairness, you came last on my list of surgeries."
Well that was grim. Alexis didn't know how many surgeries the poor woman had to do -Cortana did say two - but she didn't need to tell her that. "Ma'am." She greeted.
"Cortana, run through the diagnostics," Halsey came to a stop at the bag providing her with fluids. Near it were biomonitors that took silent readings of her vitals. She took a moment to study the multiple x-rays and scans of her own body.
Now she understood why her jaw and arm were tended to.
"Vitals are holding normal. Body temperature normal. Fracture of the mandible at eighty-four percent restored. Broken ulna of the right arm at seventy-seven percent restored. Second and third degree burns upon the right abdomen have been sterilized and treated with dermacortic steroids to accelerate tissue regrowth. Blood count is back within normal range. Concussion is mild and will be gone in a day or two."
She almost forgot that she had been hit in the jaw by a Zealot. Or had blocked a near fatal strike with her arm. Looking down at the metal protrusions encasing her arm and feeling the knobs of a cast along the bottom length of her jaw, she could only wonder. Those didn't feel like they were broken. Definitely sore though, now that she paid some attention to them. Somehow, she must have pushed those pains away, possibly distracted with the more pressing of her injuries.
"All in all," Halsey continued. "You should be back to normal within a week."
Alexis could only nod. She was already nearly healed. Still felt like falling over if she stood up, but nothing physical activity can't fix. "Thank you, ma'am." She finally said.
Halsey turned at the quiet gratitude, fixing her gaze on the woman who stared back. With so many years under her belt having to deal with her own Spartans, she could read her body language. Her face might have been schooled into impassiveness, her body cried exhaustion and apprehension. The shaking of her arm as she kept herself leaned to the left, the stiffness of her leg as it hung off the table, the rigid set of her shoulders and the weary look in her eyes.
Her file read that she was twenty-six years of age. The Spartan suddenly looked a lot older.
"If you insist on moving around, I suggest you stay near someone who could catch you." Having set the datapad down, the older woman went about fiddling with the IV. Alexis stayed quiet. "You should be giving yourself a few more days rest."
"I believe I've rested enough, ma'am," and she did. Alexis had spent more than enough time taking away someone else's rest time as a burden to bare. If she was well enough, then she could work too. She said as much when the woman took the needle out of her elbow. All she did was furrow her brow. Alexis could tell she was wholly against the idea but knew she couldn't really do anything about it.
"Try to stand, please."
Nodding, Alexis braced herself. Turning more to get both legs to dangle, she sat a moment at the sudden twinge of pain. She was very thankful that it wasn't as biting as it had been before. Taking a breath, she slowly let herself stand. Blood seemed to rush to her head, but not so fast as to make her dizzy. Her hand on the table kept her steady, breathing through the motions. Aside from the shift in weight, the pain was tolerable.
"Good. Now walk forward."
The assessment took all but five minutes to make sure the Lieutenant could walk. In that time though, Cortana only watched. The AI had read through her files, digging beneath the redacted entries and blacked out mission details that turned heads. She had watched the vids taken from her helmet. All of them. It wasn't hard. Not for her. It let her see how the Spartan worked and by what means. It was the deciding factor that had her choosing her to be an escort through enemy territory.
What neither of those had, however, was anything associated with the actual woman beneath the helmet. Not like with her predecessors. It was all professional skills and achievements. The only thing that brushed upon her personality traits, was her being a loner. She worked alone, not including her time with Noble. That made her dangerous.
She was good though. Scary good.
Scary was exactly the thing they needed for the next upcoming battle. Whether or not she'd accept the offer remains to be seen.
XxXXxX
Author's Note
Another year passed, another chapter down… Goof grief I am SLOW! Dx Please forgive me all. I don't mean to put this off for so long. I write as much as I can to make it make sense and fit in with what I have in mind. Work is also a factor, as usual, but that's a whole other ballgame of stress that I'd rather forget. Sadly, I cannot, for I work there every week! Hahaha…. Ugh.
This is the next installment. Sort of a filler-ish chapter, but I promise, next chapter will have more interaction with the team. Maybe even more Master Chief! She finally met Cortana though, and is near clueless on what to think of her and Halsey. Peculiars all around! This will all make more sense in the following chapter, hopefully. If not, list your concerns to me and I'll try and clear things up as best as I can without giving away what I'm going to do.
And I know it's been a while, but for those old readers, please let me know what you think. Criticism is always welcome. For those new readers, beware, there is no official update time with this story, but also, welcome to my Halo. I hope it's a glorious adventure for all as we continue on with what is now a recovering Noble Six.
Please also take note that I have gone back through my chapters and revised a lot of it. Not by much, just a lot of rewording and slight changes that may make a difference.
Til next time all! Pray it won't be for too long!