I know I know, I'm always late and I'm sorry! Just enjoy this chapter and be sure to leave reviews if you would like. I own nothing Halo

(Flashback)

"My brother has worked with a Spartan before, he says that their amazing on the field. Not big talkers though."

"Well whadya expect? After being experimented on and augmented they probably don't have much to say. What about you Dusk?" The almost inquisitive tone that laced the marines voice made me want to ignore his question, but I had to play nice. At least until I had finished my advanced agent field training. Putting on my best relaxed expression I tore my eyes away from the simulation momentarily to answer.

"If you're asking whether I've worked with a Spartan before the answer is no Laurence, though I hear they're bigger than life." 'Keep focused so that when any enemies pop up you can one up'em kid'. My brothers voice always manifested itself inside of my mind whenever I was training and this time was no different. Maybe that wasn't a bad thing though. He was the drive in my life and the one thing that had kept me going even when my body was bruised and my hands scraped and bloodied. If it hadn't been for him then I probably wouldn't have even made it past boot-camp.

Turning back to look at the fake battlefield I raised my rifle and waited patiently until I finally heard the telltale beep of the simulation beginning. Almost immediately grunts began appearing from behind bushes and firing their plasma pistols and throwing plasma grenades in the direction of me and my assigned team. As I rolled to the side and began to fire, keeping most of my body behind the barricade, I snorted at the yells of the men next to me desperately scrambling to ready their weapons since they had all been chatting it up like school-girls. Apparently, this exercise was meant to build reaction time and keep us on our toes for any type of situation that may arise on the field; all it seemed to be doing was giving most of my team a run for their money. Oh well, not my problem. Though it did become my problem when a plasma bolt nicked my shoulder and pushed me back a bit.

I grunted in pain and rubbed the spot as I took full cover once more. Damn if these simulations weren't just as real as actual scenarios, suppose that was the point though. Just as I reloaded and was about to begin firing once more I felt a nudge beside me and looked to see Richard, his familiar voice reaching my ears as he spoke whilst firing.

"Miss me?"

"Not even for a second." I smirked at my friend and joined him in taking down the remaining grunts quickly, getting only minimal help from Laurence and the rest of the marines on my team. Bunch of rock heads those guys were even if they were supposed to be put on special ops.

"Good work Dusk and Green. The rest of you marines however are lacking in the field of attention, so you four will be running another sim by yourselves." Groans were heard around the room and I couldn't help but chuckle at hearing their vocal disapproval, but that was what they deserved. Packing up my rifle and my pistol, waiting for Richard to do the same, I gave a slightly smug salute to the others and then made my way out of the training area of the station and headed towards the barracks with my friend in tow. As we walked Richard and I chatted casually about where we were both supposed to be stationed.

"Pillar of Autumn huh? Isn't that the craft that is carrying Spartan 117?"

"Yep. I'm not really sure why there but I guess it couldn't be worse than here. How about you?" I had taken my helmet off at this point and was wiping some of the sweat off of my forehead tiredly, trying not to let my weariness from the day show. It never really seemed to hit until it was time to rest, and even then sometimes it would carry on into the morning.

"Oh well I was given two options actually. I could be stationed on either Akuze, or Earth."

"Earth?" Most of my life I had been moved around so much, first being born on a station my father had served on and then hopping from vessel to vessel until going to Earth at the age of 5 after my father was killed in action. It wasn't until I had turned 17 and my brother had passed that I had enlisted and got the hell out of the shit storm that had been my home. Now the mention of the planet had me thinking about what happened to my mother after I left; I never bothered to call considering she loathed me anyways. What was the point?

I could see that Richard had glanced at me with worry, but he continued on anyways. He knew that I didn't want others to hold back even if I was uncomfortable. It was just better to hear what had to be said and be done with it.

"Yeah…I don't know which one I'm going to choose though. At least not yet."

"Well don't wait too long. Wouldn't want them replacing you before you chose."

"Nah, that won't happen. I'm one of the best damn pilots around, they can't afford to not station me."

We both chuckled at that and fell into a comfortable silence, no words needing to be said as we merely enjoyed one another's company the rest of the way to the barracks. I ran hand through my hair and let my fingers slightly massage my scalp as I did so, relishing in the relaxing effect it had on my body before sighing and opening the door to my room. My voice sounded wearier than I intended as I spoke and I had to keep myself from cringing at the roughness of my throat.

"So…I guess I'll see you around huh?" Richard could tell that something was up with my sudden draining of life and stand offish disposition, but once again he chose not to speak of it and merely went along with the façade that we both knew I was putting up. Smart man.

"Yeah, take care okay? Sleep well." His smile was earnest and he patted me on the head a few times, letting his hand linger for a few seconds extra before turning away and making his way down the hall towards his own room. My disheartened gaze following him all the while at the thought of hurting him. I had intentionally 'forgot' to mention how I was leaving in the morning and wouldn't have the time to say goodbye….I hated goodbyes.

After about another minute of staring at the now empty hallway I pulled myself back into my room and let the door slide closed, making sure to lock it before stripping my armor off and letting it fall to the ground without a care. My old roommate had already been sent off to her station on Earth so it wasn't like she was there to lecture me on proper armor removal conduct or some bullshit. When the last piece of armor finally hit the floor with a loud 'thunk', I set to remove my underclothes rapidly, not wanting to sit in the dirt from the day or my own sweat any longer. The skin-tight bodysuit slid off my skin in a satisfying way, albeit was probably from the sweat but still, and I also let this drop to the floor. Now standing in nothing but my underwear and thin cloth sports bra I walked to the bathroom and reached to turn on the shower.

The sound of water rushing forth from the spout immediately hit my ears and I enjoyed the sound for a moment, closing my eyes as steam began to collect in the air around me. Upon opening my eyes, I then looked over towards the mirror to momentarily inspect myself as most women did. My jawline was on the more masculine side, but it seemed to go along well with my build of none too petite shoulders, 5'9 height and slightly busty chest. Sure, my stomach wasn't the flattest it could be mostly because myself and Richard constantly sneaking sweets from the commissary, but I felt like I had earned a few guilty pleasures. "Maybe too many…." I sighed as I said this and turned away from myself, stripping the rest of the way down before slipping into the shower.

"Ugh….my head feels like it's been blasted by a rocket. What the hell happened?" Looking around what I was now able to identify as a Pelican I finally surmised that I had been dreaming about the night before I had left to work on the Pillar of Autumn. It had felt so real though…. sometimes I wish I could go back to that time in my life. Things weren't so dire and I could always take a moment to breath, but nowadays as soon as we left one fight another would come out of nowhere. My eyes landed on Richard as I asked the question and another left my mouth before he could even answer. "Who the hell is flying the Pelican?"

"Oh, the Master Chief. And as for what happened well, after you two had made it to the last generator and taken out the sentinels I came to pick you both up. Unfortunately, whilst you were waiting for me out on the platform a chunk of rock from the mountain face fell and smacked you on the head, after you took your helmet off of course." He finished the sentence with a smirk and held up my helmet, cracked visor and scuff marks aplenty; though the cracked visor was the main reason that I removed it. Feeling the heat build-up making its way up my neck I quickly cleared my throat and turned away from him, concealing my face behind my now nearly chin length hair. Why was it growing so quickly? "So, uh, where are we headed now?"

I tried to turn the conversation away from me and back to the subject at hand while also being genuinely interested in our destination. Last I had heard the Captain was still missing as well. Richard ran a hand through his hair and helped me up so that I could take a seat beside him, my head still a bit sore and causing me to wince as I did so. "As far as I know we're headed to a base camp near the covenant ship that you had been captured on. They had gotten intel that it was where the Captain had been taken." Richard's face was now grave and I nodded in understanding. Hopefully we would be able to get this mess over with as soon as possible, take care of the flood once and for all and get off this damnable ring. It's brought nothing but pain and misery to all those who have set foot onto it.

Both of us remained silent for a few minutes after that, letting the severity of our situation sink in completely. Here we were in a stolen Pelican heading to a base camp near the ship I had been held hostage on, hoping to be able to rescue our captured Captain again and then destroy the unstoppable parasitic force that had been unleashed. Yeah, not a walk in the park once you thought about it. My hand instinctively moved to my hair and began to run through it, trying to relieve a portion of the stress that I currently felt, though I knew it wouldn't help at this point. The only way to be rid of it was to simply solve the problem and complete the mission. While I was running multiple scenarios of how everything would play out through my mind, Cortana chose that moment to speak up and startle both Richard and me.

"Awake now I see. Next time don't take your helmet off so quickly Rikki, you're lucky you didn't get a severe concussion." I rolled my eyes and chuckled a bit to try and keep the mood light. "Yeah well, I can't promise anything. How long until we reach the camp?" I could tell, even without seeing a physical representation of the AI, that she was slightly irritated with how casually I brushed off my injury; but she continued nonetheless.

"Approximately ten minutes. Johnson was able to escape the covenant that had been holding him so he will be there to brief everyone, but it will be about two days before we'll be able to make a move for the Captain."

"Two days?!" I internally winced at the tone of my voice as it caused my head to throb once more but continued. There was no way we could wait that long to rescue the Captain, he could be killed or even infected in that timespan! Richard seemed just as confused as myself and chimed in beside me. "That does seem like far too long to wait, especially on such a sensitive mission."

"Johnson had reported overhearing a conversation between two elites saying that the Captain had been captured by the flood and was being held at a previous marine camp that had been overtaken. It was also reported that it seemed as if they had been there at least a day. If my theories are correct, which they usually are, the flood have a purpose for the Captain and will continue to hold him for the next two days at least." She sounded so sure of this, but I could hear the doubt creeping on the edges of her voice that made me shift uncomfortably in my seat. "What would they want with him specifically?" "…. They want his mind. His information. And they will take it in whatever way they need to."

Panic seized my thoughts momentarily as I saw an image of Captain Keyes as one of them. No. It wouldn't happen, John- the Master Chief wouldn't let it happen. He was going to find a way to stop this, and hopefully I would be right there to help. We sat through the remaining minutes of the ride in silence and tried not to think about the inevitable, it was much harder than I thought. I barely reacted when finally, the Pelican jolted slightly as it touched down on the ground once more and grew quite as it shut down. Maybe Richard and I wouldn't be in as much trouble as we initially thought considering we practically helped complete the mission.

"Hey, we're here. C'mon." I tried not to show how uncomfortable I now was after all the turmoil within me had settled. Between the raging headache I was now sporting and the nervous tension in my stomach I felt about ready to empty its contents all over the floor, but as soon as the bay door began to open and the Master Chief walked into the back I swallowed it all down heavily. There was no way I was barfing in front of him, a Spartan; I would never live it down.

"Here."

"Wha-?" Oh man, great. I had zoned out and must have completely missed what the Chief has said to me! What should I say?! Amid having a minor panic attack on the inside, I had reached out slightly and was surprised to say the least when the Spartan gripped my hand, hoisting me up and pulling me forwards. Considering I wasn't expecting it I don't really blame myself for losing my balance so easily, as this happened I took a few steps too many towards the man before me and nearly tumbled into him like a klutz. Green armored hands shot out and steadied me quickly, making sure to keep a measurable foot of distance between us all the while; thank the gods Richard had already gotten off and hadn't seen this.

"Oh! I-I uh, I'm sorry. That was my fault." As I tried not to trip over my words and completely failed I stepped back out of the Spartans reach at the same time to break the physical contact. For some reason, it just…. felt out of place in that moment. Like it was troublesome for him to even worry about me in any way. How unfair was this world to make me feel anything towards somebody who would never feel the same? I avoided eye contact with him after that and proceeded to exit the Pelican quickly, making sure to watch my step and tread carefully as the world around me spun slightly. Was Cortana sure that I wasn't concussed?

"Just need some water and sleep…." I muttered the few words to myself and ignored the stares that I received as I trudged through the base, dirtied white armor scuffed to hell and dented in more spots that I could count at this point. It didn't matter, let them talk all they want because it wasn't going to change my destination. *gurgle* Scratch that. My violet eyes scanned the surrounding area looking for the familiar red cross signifying the medical station as my stomach began to churn angrily. There! I moved with a quickness that was almost inhuman and barged inside, mentally sighing in relief as I saw that no one was in there, and then made a move to the nearest trashcan. "Aghhhugh!" No more than 2 seconds after bending over the metal bin I became violently ill, throwing up and clenching the rim of the bin so hard that I was sure it had bent.

Minutes, hours, days. Hell, I probably could've spent years over that can and it would have felt all the same to me. When I had finally finished throwing up the little food I had consumed over the past few days I reached out clumsily, fumbling around on the counter to try and find anything to wipe my mouth off with. It wasn't until someone so obviously placed one in my outstretched hand and hummed in question, waiting until I had wiped my mouth and turned around to speak up. It was the medic that must run this place.

"Feeling alright my dear?" Her voice was stern yet gentle as she questioned me and I felt obligated to answer, almost as if it would be disrespectful if I hadn't. "I apologize ma'am, my stomach was not cooperating with me. I'll be going now." I made to leave as quickly as I had entered but my body had other plans, almost as if it were trying to sabotage me on purpose. The room began to spin slightly and I quickly took ahold of the door frame nearest to me for support, pain breaking through my wall and etching itself onto my face as plain as day. This in turn caused the medic to tut and make her way over to me and usher me towards a bed with a knowing look.

"You soldiers always think that you're invincible to whatever this world throws at you. Let's get this armor off, shall we?" "Okay…" I spoke quietly and helped with what I could as her methodic hands released the clasps on my armor and put it off to the side piece by piece, stripping me of my outer layer until only my under suit remained. It felt so odd to be so exposed in front of someone I have never met, yet I did not feel tense any longer. At least not until she then demanded that I take off my under suit as well; at that request I felt my eyes bug out of my head.

"What? Why!" My words were bordering on sounding like a whine and the medic could sense this, but still she stood firm and had begun doing it for me. "That's what I said, off. I need to assess you properly and I cannot do that with your entire body covered up." Seeing that she wasn't going to let it go and feeling the throbbing worsening still I finally complied and quickly removed my suit. Almost immediately her hands moved to the back of my head, sifting through my hair until she made a small noise of what seemed to be confirmation and pulling back. I was surprised to see a small amount of blood on her hands.

"Just what I thought. Nothing life threatening, though a minor concussion should still be treated correctly. I'll watch you overnight and you should be fine by morning." Her tone was very matter of fact and I could only continue to watch through a now half-lidded stare as she moved to the cabinet, pulled a few things out, and filled a glass with water before walking back over to me. "Take these, they will keep you from falling into too deep of a sleep but you will still be able to get some proper rest." Taking both items without any word of resistance I quickly popped the two pills into my mouth and drank the glass of water quickly, handing it back to the medic before sighing and laying down onto the bed quietly.

As I pulled the covers up over my mostly bare body I couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't even asked for my name. Isn't that something that doctors had to do? My mouth opened slowly as I prepared my question, but before I could even utter a single word the woman once again beat me to the punch; her timing was impeccable and her wit incredibly sharp. Was she a Spartan in disguise? Nonsense. "No need to get names involved, after all, yours is one that I am already aware of Miss Dusk. Now please, get some sleep." Almost as if her words had a spell woven into them my eyes closed the rest of the way immediately, then within seconds my headache began to subside and I had drifted slowly into the lull of a dreamless sleep.

"She hasn't been by here?"

"Not that I've seen no. Perhaps the barracks? She did seem a bit…green when she left the Pelican." Richard rubbed the back of his neck in thought as Cortana appeared in virtual 'physical' form on the pedestal before him and a few others; one of those being Spartan 117. Half a day had passed since the three had arrived at the base camp near the covenant ship and as Johnson had gather the Master Chief, Richard and another Officer by the name of Holland, they began to wonder what had become of the purple eyed Agent. Last Richard had seen she was walking briskly through the base looking a bit sickly, but he merely thought that she was going to rest up in the barracks then hit up the mess. When he went to check though, she was nowhere to be found.

"I'll check the mess, then the barracks again just in case. When I find her I'll bring her back here immediately."

"Right, then we shall meet back here in two hours for a follow up. Gentleman, and lady." Officer Holland nodded to everyone around the room and excused himself politely, walking out with measured steps and a straight back. Johnson made an odd noise himself before walking off as well, muttering something about needing a cigar. This left the Master chief alone with Cortana in the debriefing room, the quiet allowing him to collect his thoughts once more as he pondered over where Rikki would be. It wasn't until the AI before him spoke up that he connected the obvious dots. "I believe she would be in the medics office yes? If she was looking sickly chances are she would seek out medical attention." A nod from the Spartan was what she received and he went to grab her chip, planning on putting her in the safety of his helmet, but she held up a hand.

"Why don't you handle this one, I'd like some time to gather a bit more information on the rescue mission in the meantime." The AI said the statement casually, but her inner workings knew that for the Spartan and Agent to grow closer they need time to themselves. That meant without a nosey AI like herself watching their every movement. The man in question nodded once more and made his way out of the debriefing room and letting his heavy steps carry him towards the medical building. His thoughts drifted back to when he had tried to help her stand in the Pelican and how she had shown signs of being concussed.

'…. that was my fault.' She had apologized for nearly stumbling into him and put distance between them almost immediately, moving her arms out of his grip and then rushing from the vehicle. One of the Spartans hands closed as he remembered how cold his hands felt after leaving the warmth of her body, it had been unpleasant even under all his armor and body suit. Violet eyes that were usually filled with strength and cunning had been glazed over with pain; why hadn't he made sure that she was alright? He should have told her to keep her helmet on or even had Cortana radio ahead to have a medic ready instead of Rikki having to go off. Careless. And what else was this feeling he was experiencing? Irritation? Worry? Constantly she was putting herself in danger for his safety, a ridiculous notion, and it drove his instincts to protect her into overdrive.

"Hello John. Come to check up on Ms. Dusk?"

"Doctor Nadira, how are you." Trying to act like he hadn't almost walked past her without noticing and into the medical room the Spartan collected himself, nodding politely. Unfortunately for him though, the older woman before him was far too experienced to know that there was something going on, mainly because as she asked about the Spartan this morning the answers she received from her patient were definitely those of admiration. The shine in that girl's eyes as she told tales of how brave, determined and selfless this man was told more than she had actually said. This also made the Doctor somewhat remorseful though. Spartans were here to kill and protect, not love and console like her patient wished. Eventually the cruel reality would catch up and show that life cannot be what they always wanted…. then again, unbelievable feats have happened in her lifetime. Maybe this would be one of them.

"Oh, I'm well and fine. Please, would you keep an eye on her for me? I need to check up on another patient for a moment before I clear her for duty."

"Of course." So, she was okay. Knowing that Rikki was well and alive put his mind at ease and he let his clenched fist relax now, not wanting her to see him in any other state besides one of neutrality. As the large green armored man made his way into the medical building and into Rikki's room he immediately noticed her armor resting on her bed, but she was nowhere to be found. Deciding that he would simply wait for her, assuming that she was using the facilities or getting dressed, the Master Chief reached up and undid the clasps on his helmet; lifting the rarely ever removed head cover off and setting on the counter next to him.

Why though? Why choose now to remove the helmet? Did he want her to see him without it…? did she want to see him without it? The questions he could not answer were the ones that had always plagued him the most and now he was constantly being berated by more every day. Every time her was with her, actually. He wasn't supposed to want this, he shouldn't want to see her smile or see her safe for his own personal satisfaction. His job as a Spartan was to protect humanity at whatever cost it took and having a distraction keep him from that was wrong. As the man continued to wrestle with his inner demons he began turning away from Rikki's bed, moving to put his helmet back on to conceal the frustration now etched onto his face. "Chief?"

Such uncertainty in her voice, so much that it almost made her cringe, but Rikki couldn't help but call out to him. She had just come out from getting into a fresh under suit just as the Spartan had turned around and resealed his helmet into place. The sight had shocked her to say the least and she couldn't help but stop him from leaving, a pull in her chest wanting to keep him a little longer. Now, as he turned back around and faced her she couldn't find the words. So many thoughts raced through her mind and made it hard to think, but eventually after a moment of stretched silence she finally settled on thanking him. "Thank you." The cringe on her face was slight but the Master Chief ignored it as he answered, his stare from behind the visor focusing on tracing the curve of her eyes and the swell of her cheekbones. "It's my job."

So emotionless. Did he always have to sound that way? Rikki knew it was stupid to think that she was any more important that all the other marines on the battlefield, but even knowing that her heart still flew up into her throat. Emotion getting the best of her and making her lips form a tight line. John noticed this and felt his own heart squeeze under the strain, all the while maintaining the same mask as always. Had the room always felt this cold? Or had it simply become more noticeable now that all the warmth had been completely drained out of the woman before him. But when she spoke again it still sounded so strong and willful.

"Right. Well, if you give me a moment to put my armor back on-''

"There's no need. We are only debriefing later today."

"Then why are you here if I'm not needed now." The way it was said was not as a question, but as a statement. A slightly resentful one at that. John couldn't help but feel the urge to comfort her, but in what way? Any way he tried it would simply be inappropriate and unprofessional. "Because. I wanted to make sure you were okay." "Oh…" Tension now. So thick it could be cut with a knife if someone wanted to do so. Rikki sighed and sat on the bed slowly, being careful not to jostle her amour, and ran a hand through her still damp hair slowly. Maybe they could just talk. Nothing intense, nothing about the attraction she held for him, but just regular normal conversation. Would he want too? Her teeth began to gnaw on her bottom lip nervously and drew the Spartan's attention from behind his helmets visor.

"Would you mind if we just…. talked?"

"Talking isn't really a strong suit of mine, and we need to prep-''

"Please." There wasn't desperation in her voice as she stood once more but a need. The need to understand why he was so shallow towards her at times and why he couldn't just make her feel happy. He sighed when it looked as if there was no other choice, not if he wanted to keep her from feeling uncomfortable and estranged in his company. With slight reluctance, the Spartan agreed and began to walk behind the Agent as she lead the way out, seeking a place where they could converse in peace. As they left the aged Doctor watched them go with a sad smile and lines creasing her face, hoping that whatever the two found in one another would stay with them if possible.