This is a one-shot, a prologue of where Cogg was before he joined the other Red's in Blood Gluch.

The seven soldiers marched into the training room, their footsteps echoing in the large empty room. They lined up, backs perfectly straight.

A soldier in brick red armour walked among the six other soldiers, eyeing them intently.

The CO, a First Lieutenant by the name of Gates, looked them up and down, before stopping.

"Markov, Cogg, congratulations. You're our demonstration for today. Make me proud." He stated, looking at the two soldiers on the right end.

The two soldiers he mentioned straightened their backs even further then thought possible.

"Yes sir!" They both stated, marching down to the training floor, while Gates turned to the other 4 soldiers.

"Meanwhile, the rest of you, watch and learn." He said, turning back to the two soldiers on the floor below.

They started at opposite ends of the room, taking fight stances.

"Give me a challenge this time David!" Cogg shouted, grinning under his orange and silver Mark VI helmet, while the other soldier, David, snuffed a laugh.

"Oh please, I kicked your ass last time, remember?" He said, his crimson and gold ODST helmet glinting in the artificial light.

Gates nodded at one of the soldiers, who pushed a few buttons on a console.

"Round 1, hand to hand combat, begin." The voice of F.I.L.S.S announced throughout the room, and Cogg and David charged at each other, both determined to win.

Cogg swung a quick punch, which connected with David's chest. David ignored it, quickly sweeping Cogg's legs out from underneath him with his own, before bringing his fist down on his face. Cogg blocked it with his arm, rolling away and leaping at David, tackling him down. The two exchanged blows, David landing a killer to Cogg's jaw. Cogg stumbled back and fell, collapsing in a clumsy heap.

"Round 1, hand to hand combat, over. One point to Markov." F.I.L.S.S said. "Begin Round 2, combat knife fight."

Cogg stood back up, grumbling, and drew his knife. David did the same, and they ran at each other. David swung his knife, and it collided with Cogg's. David tried again, same problem. Cogg blocked each hit before striking quickly, his knife speeding towards David's throat. David caught the blade with his knife and twisted it, sending Cogg's knife out of his hand and into David's left hand.

Cogg backed away as David charged, spinning the knives with lethal skill. Cogg ducked as one knife soared over his head, while the other rushed at his stomach. Cogg rolled onto his back, and kicked up at David's face. David recoiled, the knife he stole from Cogg flying up out of his hand. Cogg rolled backwards, and catapulted off the ground and crash tackled David to the ground. David went to raise his knife, but Cogg gripped his wrist with his hand tightly, causing David to release the knife. Cogg then raised his other hand, catching his own knife out of mid-air, and brought it down just above David's throat.

"Round 2, combat knife fight, over. One point to Cogg." F.I.L.S.S announced. Cogg stood and offered David his hand. David grasped it, and pulled himself up. Cogg and David stared at each other for a second, before putting their knives away and walking to the end of the hall, where a table raised out of the floor, with a magnum on each one.

Cogg picked his up, loading a clip of lockdown paint into the gun. Across the room, David did the same.

"Final Round, lockdown paint, begin." F.I.L.S.S announced. Pillars rose, allowing cover and protection.

Cogg stormed in, climbing a pillar and sprinting from it to another, and another, while David roamed below. Cogg saw David and opened fire, while David rolled behind cover, firing back as he did.

Meanwhile, Gates nodded towards the other four soldiers. "You know what to do." The soldiers nodded, and pulled out their magnums, switching the live ammunition with lockdown paint.

"Team change." F.I.L.S.S said, and David and Cogg stopped firing. They looked at the screen above them, and saw their own names under Team 1, while Team 2 consisted of all the other soldiers.

Cogg turned, and immediately, a paint pellet flew past his head.

"Shit!" He muttered. He and David locked eyes and ran towards the oncoming soldiers. Cogg ran, dodging the fire, before flipping off, shooting a soldier, Osborne, in the left arm, before landing on him. The soldier directly next to Osborne, Stratford, fired at Cogg, but Cogg knocked his gun away and fired right into Stratford's chest with a full clip.

Cogg reloaded and caught Stratford's gun, before running to assist David fighting Walker and Jenkins. Walker fired at David, who ducked and fired back. But Walker was fast, rolling behind cover as Jenkins went to fire, but her hand was caught by Cogg, who disarmed her quickly.

But Jenkins was not to be taken lightly, and quickly knocked Cogg's guns out of his hands. The fight then went hand to hand, punches and kicks were thrown, while David and Walker continued the gunfight.

Osborne gritted his teeth and pulled his gun up, firing off a few shots in Cogg's direction. Cogg saw them and spun around behind Jenkins, using her as a human shield. Jenkins never stood a chance against the paint, being immobilized instantly. Cogg rolled over her, grabbing his gun off the floor and finishing Osborne with a few shots to the head.

"Sir!" A voice rang out in Gates helmet.

"What is it Hawkins?" He asked.

"Sir, a couple of pelicans just unloaded at the blue base! I don't know what's in it, but whatever it is, it can't be good."

"Keep an eye on it. Gates out." Gates returned his attention to the fight at hand. Walker had shot Cogg squarely in the back, but this gave David the moment he needed, and now, Walker was falling to the ground, looking like a giant purple blob.

"F.I.L.S.S, activate lockdown paint removal." Gates said. A sudden whirring could be heard, and an electric pulse rippled throughout the room, the paint covering everyone cracking open, falling off them in little shards.

"What the f-OH SHIT!" A voice screamed in Gates earpiece, as an explosion could be heard in the background. "It's Hawkins, and sir, Blue base just…it just blew sky high! I don't kn-what the hell is that?!" Gunshots could be heard, first human gunfire, and then plasma fire could be heard in the background. "Sir! I need backup! I'm under fi-" Hawkins suddenly cried out in pain as an explosion ripped through the building, blasting open the door to the training room. Gates was thrown to the ground by the force of it.

Cogg rose unsteadily, to see a covenant elite wielding an energy sword, roar in triumph, before shoving the sword through Gates' chest. David drew a live mag and inserted it into his gun, as the elite saw them.

It opened its mouth, and a war cry rang out of its mouth. David put a stop to it, a bullet ripping through its head. It did no difference, as 20 more elites wielding various covenant weaponry charged into the room, and the 6 soldiers on the training floor readied their weapons, with no other option but to fight through the swarm of elites.

Stratford fell first. He didn't go without a fight; he took at least five of the split-jaws with him. He fired at the approaching elites, taking one down with headshot. A carbine shot hit his shoulder, causing him to miss the next headshot, hitting an elite in the shoulder. One wielding an energy sword rushed him, managing to get him in the chest, while the others surrounded him. With a final effort, he pulled the pin on a grenade on his belt, taking him and the elites surrounding him in a fiery explosion.

David and Osborne flanked left around the never-ending swarm, but they realized it was no use, and tried to hurry back. The end result was Osborne getting hit by a headshot from a beam rifle, and falling to the ground with a steaming hole in his forehead.

Jenkins was doing well, until she saw an elite sneaking behind Walker. She fired at the elite, and got a click, in return. Out of ammo. She threw her gun to the ground and tackled the elite, only to get stabbed in the side by the elite's sword. She fell back yelling in pain, while Walker spun on his heel and put a bullet through the split-jaws head. He threw a grenade at the swarm, below at least 10 away.

Another effect was that, due the other explosion of the door, sections of the wall fell away, open several more exits.

Walker grabbed some C-10 explosive, which would be able to level the entire building, and tossed it away, grabbing its detonator.

"Go! I'll catch up!" He shouted to Cogg and David. The two ran for the nearest exit, while Walker went to help Jenkins up. Jenkins helmet fell off, and he saw blood trickling down her forehead as she smiled grimly up at him.

She then gasped in pain as a sword went through her back and out her chest. Her eyes suddenly lost any sign of life, as the elite holding the sword drew an energy dagger and stabbed Walker clean in the chest.

Walker fell, but not before putting a bullet into the throat of the elite. Walker looked at the detonator and reached for it, his life fading away. He knew he wasn't going to make it. But the others might.

Cogg turned as David yelled in pain, to see an elite grabbing David and shoving his dagger through David's ankle. Cogg fired three bullets into the chest of the elite and one in it's head. He tossed his gun away, rushing to David.

David looked up at him.

"Go." He said. Cogg looked at Walker in the distance, his hand almost at the detonator. If Cogg tried to get David, the explosion would kill them both. But he couldn't leave David. He was reason Cogg joined the army, so David wouldn't be alone.

"I'm not-" Cogg started, only to see the barrel of David's gun aimed at his head.

"Go. That's an order." David grimly looked at Cogg.

Cogg stared for a few more seconds, before sprinting away.

A fiery explosion ripped through the base as Walker hit the button. Walker died instantly. David was swallowed up moment later.

The fireball then reached Cogg, and he was tossed like a ragdoll as his vision turned black.

Cogg awoke, and only saw darkness. He tried to sit up, but something was holding his legs down. He managed to push off the rubble covering him, and sat up.

His helmets visor was shattered, and through it, he saw a crater full of rubble and the occasional elite body.

He also saw David.

Cogg stumbled over to him and saw his armour. The crimson had been completely burnt off, leaving it a dark grey. The gold stripes somehow still remained, a reminder of who owned the armour.

Hoping against hope, Cogg felt for a pulse.

Nothing. He waited a full minute for one. Still nothing.

Cogg threw what remained of his helmet away, and choked a sob down. He looked at the body of his friend. They had been friends since school. And now he was gone…

Cogg removed his own armour piece by piece, leaving himself in the black jumpsuit. He took off David's armour, before finally he wore what was once David's armour.

As Cogg walked away from the remains of Red Base, he looked back at David. He said a silently goodbye, knowing that David would never truly be forgotten.

As he tried to get the god damn helmet radio working, he wondered, where would he go from here?

Well, that's that folks. One last note, David Markov was an actual friend of mine in real life. However, he had an asthma attack in April, and died in hospital. R.I.P David. This one's for you mate.