(A/N)- Welcome back to our loyal readers, and a big welcome to all the new traffic checking us out for the first time! Jeremy's the best, isn't he, giving our Collab a shoutout in the RT OT Podcast "Pushing Buttons as a Team." For now, we've got Harper's crew back trampling over sensible word counts again with the first part of two, and the main Phase Two story is revving back up in the background very soon.

Masks Over Masks: Part One

Fireteam Phoenix

Written by Minaethiel

"No matter how 'normal' people look, living 'ordinary' lives, everyone has a story to tell. And maybe, just like you, everyone else is a misfit too."

-Sanhita Baruah

"Arky has the worst ideas about funding," Lieutenant Ian Harper complained as he tied a black tie around his neck. "We could be raiding UNSC stockpiles for goods to sell while disrupting their operations, but noooo, let's throw a party instead! That'll be far more successful!"

Phil laughed from his side, already suited up and sporting a mask that was almost a mirror image of a peregrine falcon.

"Look at it this way, Ian, it's just another kind of battle to be fought: who can charm the most privileged patsies into keeping our coffers full. Besides, we both know that events like this are necessary on occasion."

Harper had to give his second that, indulging the other man with a protesting groan instead of any more arguments. Despite the infinite number of better things he could be doing, sometimes a little party was necessary. And he couldn't say that he was entirely against it. After all, it was a party in their honour. Well, sort of. Enough for him to go along with Ark's 'suggestion' of showing up. Though he had noticed that the lapdog hadn't been invited. Then again, Penn was more likely to threaten people into doing what he wanted as opposed to convincing them. Must be such a shame to be so socially inept.

"And is the rest of the team geared up for tonight?" He asked, grabbing the mask he'd chosen for himself. Geist, he knew, had elected for a grey wolf as his visage for the night. Harper had taken a similarly lupine approach, and over his head went the mask of a jackal, obscuring his features save for his eyes and the roguish upturn of his lips. Falcon shrugged.

"They should be. Aaron won't shut up about how great his getup is. Of course, he hasn't shown anybody except for Geist and we all know he won't say a word if Aaron swore him to silence. Mike and Lucas should be here anytime, assuming the former didn't go shopping for a new look," he added with a chuckle. "Apparently he's got a thing for birds of prey too."

"Well I'm positive he didn't think Falcon was going to go with a falcon for tonight's masquerade," Ian noted with amusement, bumping his friend's shoulder. "A falcon. Really?"

"Hey, somebody was going to make the joke eventually. Now they can't, because I already got to it."

Shaking his head in amusement, the Crimson Sun lieutenant clapped him on the back.

"Well let's go gather the others and have some fun then. The night is young, and we've got work to do."

It began.

Men and women sympathetic to the cause streamed through the doors of the club Ark had commandeered for the night, the ladies glittering in gowns and the like, with the men offering a more uniform presentation in simple black tuxes, save for the occasional pop of colour among them. Ian was mingling charismatically with anybody wanting a word, smiling smiles that actually looked genuine as opposed to the hungry flashes of teeth he displayed amidst the carnage he created. All the while he'd occasionally check in with his team, which had dispersed among the guests like they were born to do so. Well, most of them did. Geist, while polite, clearly wasn't as invested in the schmoozing as the rest of them, which Ian could understand. Even in ONI, Geist had never been one for the social aspect.

Bidding the couple he'd been chatting with a fond farewell, the Phoenix fireteam leader made his way over to the assassin in the corner. His wolf's mask didn't make a move, yet he knew when Ian was stepping up to his side. Somehow, he always knew.

"While I can accept that being here was an order, why are we dealing with this and not Arkansas himself?"

There was no hiding the condescension in his tone, the French tilt to his words making the sentence that much more annoyed.

"Well after the last party got ruined I suppose Arky thought it would be best to stay away. On the upside, no leash tonight, and isn't that something worth celebrating, Geist?" He added, lifting his glass in a toast. The assassin snorted in reply, despite the slight upturn of his lips. A victory if ever there was one when it came to Geist. "You know, people tend to notice the brooding assassins in the corner."

"I figured, judging from how many looks people have shot me so far," Geist replied.

"I bet if you danced with some of them they'd leave you alone," Harper suggested with a wide grin.

"And who else would watch the door to make sure nobody sneaks in?"

"Hawkeye would from the bar, obviously."

A frown of confusion pronounced itself on Geist's face, and the lieutenant sighed in exasperation.

"Seriously, you don't get that reference either? One day we're going to sit down and you're going to watch all these shows so somebody will laugh at these jokes. Top quality and nobody gets them."

Geist shook his head, pushing himself off the wall and meandering lazily towards two women that had been shooting him flirtatious looks for the previous ten minutes. Shaking his head in amusement, Ian made his way over to Phil and Mike, the two men looking like twins with the bird masks adorning their faces. Crosshair had opted for a Red-Tailed Hawk, which was a good pick to differentiate between him and Falcon. The sniper was nursing a glass of champagne that the staff was providing, with Phil electing to go straight to a bottle of beer. As he came up on the two men, he could clearly catch the tail-end of their conversation.

"-though. Who did you expect to make the joke?"

"Aaron," Phil said immediately. "Though he can't really talk considering that massive beetle he's wearing right now. Seriously, the horn of that thing has to be at least half a foot above his head."

Scanning the room, Ian was easily able to find what they were talking about. Phoenix's resident pyro made an imposing figure in a tux, sure, but the large blue rhinoceros beetle mask really made him stick out. Always something dramatic for him, Harper thought, not without fondness. He'd always been about making the biggest mark possible, not that Ian minded. It was really part of his charm, especially when he let loose on the battlefield. Taking a seat next to Crosshair, Harper grabbed another glass of champagne from a waiter walking by. Mike gave him a nudge and motioned to Phil.

"You didn't put him up to the falcon mask thing, did you, Ian? He's acting like the end of the joke nobody told."

Amidst Falcon's protests, Ian put up his hands innocently.

"Mate, that was all him."

Phoenix's second scoffed.

"Of course it was all me. Somebody has to think ahead in our motley crew."

"What do you think my whole job involves?" Crosshair inquired with a grin. "Thinking ahead is like second nature. At least for things that make actual sense, as opposed to ridiculous jokes."

"I'll show you ridiculous next time we spar," Falcon growled jokingly before looking over Crosshair's head to throw Ian a smirk. "You seem like you're actually enjoying yourself after complaining about Arkansas to Earth and back."

Shrugging, Harper took a generous sip of the beverage he'd grabbed.

"I never said parties weren't fun," he defended himself easily. "Just that Ark has the worst funding ideas. Two very different subjects." That earned a chuckle from all three of them, and Harper knocked back the rest of his drink with ease.

"Well, you two enjoy the drinks. I'm gonna go stop Firefly before he melts the two ladies Geist is chatting up with his mind."

Indeed, the pyro was watching Geist and company like a hawk. Ian knew Firefly well enough to notice the slight frown even beneath the mask, his arms crossed defensively, his stance wide and intimidating. Coming up next to the man, Harper nudged his arm and nodded towards the assassin.

"You think he needs rescuing, Aaron?" The team lead murmured, faintly amused at how wound up his friend was at the sight of Geist's preoccupation.

"No, he doesn't. But he's clearly distracted by a pretty face."

Ian seriously doubted Geist was distracted by either of them. If anything, he was playing them perfectly into the Crimson Sun's hands. Despite his social aversion, Geist could blend in when he wanted to in any setting. ONI training - and whoever the hell else had trained him - at its finest.

"I bet he'd ditch them if you asked him if he wanted a drink," Harper bet immediately. "Look at him. He's only talking to them because I suggested it to him."

Firefly grunted before shrugging.

"Whatever you say, Boss. Nice mask pick by the way."

"Not as extraordinary as yours though," Ian laughed. "A beetle. Where did you get the idea for that?"

"I'm not going to go into a party with half-assed effort. Besides, the rhinoceros beetle is cool," the man said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Beats the hell out of everybody else's masks."

Chuckling at that, Ian motioned again to the assassin.

"Go rescue your partner in crime. He looks like he could use the bail out," Ian said, clapping Firefly on the back. "Just have Falcon entertain them. I'm sure he'd appreciate the attention."

The red-haired man made his way over to Geist, smiling at the group despite the annoyance he'd displayed earlier. Geist did indeed seem grateful, offering the two women a parting grin before following his teammate over to a waiter. There, the pair picked up a couple of drinks for themselves before retreating to a corner, laughing over some private joke Ian couldn't hear. With those two taken care of, the soldier looked around for the last of his team, spotting the mop of red hair easily despite the mask that almost blended in with it. Lucas was sporting a red fox mask that suited his personality almost perfectly; the slyest of them all, though nobody outside the team would be able to tell.

Lucas had opted to chat with a couple other guys, and from the sounds of it, they were enthusing over the latest smart watch from Core Tech, which Ian knew Circuit could turn into a wearable hacking device overnight. He seemed perfectly at ease, wearing a winning smile and showing off the intelligence that had allowed him to hack into pretty much everything. The younger man caught sight of his team leader and excused himself from the conversation, nodding to Ian.

"Finally made it over here then. These people are practically lining themselves up to help us out."

"Common causes can unite even the strangest of bedfellows. General Allen knew that better than anybody. Just look at where we are now," the lieutenant noted, gesturing to the room. "We never would have seen ourselves in a position like this before years ago. Yet here we are, and loving almost every minute of it. Plus, we're surrounded by new best friends," he added in amusement. "You seemed to be enjoying yourself, Lucas."

The Scotsman scoffed.

"Of course I was. It's not often I get to casually have a conversation about all of the new technological advances of our time. Maybe not to the level I understand, but it's good enough. We should attend these more often, Harper," he snuck in with a grin, to which the man in question rolled his eyes.

"Maybe when the mood strikes me again. Better savour this while you can. Personally, I'd rather just us go out on the town, but this will do for now."

"Fair enough," Circuit agreed. "A bar run does have a ring to it right now. I don't think these people could handle us cutting loose."

That earned an outright laugh, the jackal mask on Harper's face appropriate for the moment of vocal amusement.

"We'll have to save a couple hours for all of us later then. Assuming Arky doesn't show up to ruin our fun as soon as the party's over."

"Hey, Ian! Lucas!"

The two turned at the sounds of their names to see that Mike had claimed a table, the guests apparently pleased enough to finally leave them alone for a bit and become more enthralled with each other. Good. The rest of Phoenix was gathered already, and despite the glee at the sight, with the six of them together, there was always that obvious holes in their ranks, where eight would have stood proudly. But he clamped down on all the emotions that realization brought along, and stuck a grin on his face as he made his way to the table with Lucas beside him, claiming a chair and resisting the urge to plant both feet on the table.

"So here we all are," Ian said lazily. "Whose idea was it to gather us all at one table? That's trouble waiting to happen…" he said with an easy smile.

"Mine, of course," Phil spoke up with a chuckle. "With how hard we work we deserve a bit of casual time to ourselves."

"And some better-quality booze too," Aaron noted, twirling a glass of the champagne that had been served all evening. Geist snorted at that, shaking his head in exasperation at the pyro's comment.

"Could be worse," Mike put in. "We could be stuck with the watered-down crap some places serve. This stuff actually has some bite." To emphasize his point, he took a swig of a beer Falcon had no doubt procured for him.

There was a murmur of agreement, old memories flashing between them all. They'd seen a lot in their years of service. Been to a lot of places. But the things they remembered the most swung on a pendulum between the very good and the very bad, with the bad numbering pretty high on the list. Yet through it all, they still stood, the ashes of old lives and enemies behind them.

If that wasn't something worth celebrating, then was there anything worth it at all?

"To us," Ian Harper found himself saying. He wasn't bothered by the lack of a drink in his hand, instead resting his elbow on the table, fist raised. The other members of Phoenix set their drinks down, bringing their own hands to the center of the table, the fire that burned within all of them visible even with the masks, the spark shared between them all an unstoppable inferno that crumbled armies and damned the people opposing them.

He wouldn't trade any of them for the galaxy.

And it was clear from the shared grins that managed to hide and share the pain from their lives that the others were thinking the same thing as they bumped their fists together, their hands returning to their drinks or to rest on the table.