- The Munchies
- |
- Honorable Member
- gamertag: [none]
- user homepage:
P.17
The squad stood on the bridge, surrounding the figure in the cryotube. Canine crossed his arms. "You're telling me that this is 117? The Master Chief?"
Dante nodded. "No doubt, it's stenciled on the side of his helmet."
"God damn."
"Can we unfreeze him?" Shadow asked.
Saline shrugged. "We could, but I don't see a reason to do so. We're going to jump soon, and he would only use up food on the journey back."
"We should wait to jump," Boomer said, "We need to make sure we don't get stuck in slipspace again."
Shadow nodded. "There's a reason to wake him up. He could help our Chief to salvage everything possible form that cruiser wreck while we check out the Slipspace Drive."
"Alright," Saline said, "Let's thaw him." She kneeled down next to the cryotube, and tapped it's controls. "There. It'll be about ten minutes, considering we aren't in a cryo-station."
"Alright." Shadow said, sitting down. Saline jumped onto his lap, eliciting an "Oof!" and a smile from Shadow. Their relationship was understood on both ends. He wrapped his arms around her stomach, and she placed her hands over his.
"We are about to meet a legend guys," Canine said, sitting down on the cryotube containing 117, "Anyone else pumped?"
Saline turned to Canine from flirting with shadow, and raised her eyebrows. "I'm sure 117 loves that spectacular view of your ass."
"Damn right he does." Canine replied. Everyone but Dante laughed.
"Who's going to break the news?" Boomer asked.
Canine turned his head to the Russian, "About?"
"The UNSC collapsing."
"We don't even know if it's true."
"It's true." Shadow said as he toyed with Saline's black hair that fell half way down her neck.
"Because the pretty ONI lady said so?" Canine teased.
"Because she risked her life to tell us."
"I think it would be best if the Chief told him." Saline commented.
Canine nodded. "Yeah, have the Chief tell the Chief." The Cryotube began to beep, and Canine jumped up off of it.
"Sh1t!" Saline shouted, jumping off of Shadow's lap and kneeling down next to the pod, "His vitals are pinging all over," She looked up at the squad with a worried face, "We have to cancel the thaw, it's to risky. Something's off, he has to be thawed in a Cryo-station." She canceled the thaw, and a hiss signaled the tube reactivating. Everyone looked disappointed, but not Dante, no, he looked sad.
Boomer stood, "We should get to fixing the slipspace drive."
Shadow nodded, "Canine, you stay here to let the Chief out and in while he gets food. We'll decide where to go while fixing it."
"Whoa whoa whoa," Canine interjected, "Why not stay here for a while? I mean, we could all use a break."
"What?"
"I'm just saying that we could hang around, take a brea-"
"You're saying we go AWOL?" Shadow said in a confirming tone.
Canine rubbed the back of his neck, "Well I wouldn't call it AWOL, it's just-"
"Without E18 and 117, a lot of people are going to die, and you're suggesting that we sit around and take a break?"
"Calm down bro."
"I'm not your bro, I'm your commanding officer, and your starting to sound like a god damn worthless deserter."
"I-"
"No!" Shadow yelled, standing up, moving Saline aside, and getting right up into Canine's face, "You're no better than a god damn Innie! If we stay, a sh1t ton of people are going to die, all because of us!"
"I almost fucl<ing died back there Terry! Back on that asteroid, a high powered sniper rifle missed my head by less than a fucI<ing an inch, and punched clean through the building behind me! I don't know about you, but I don't want my brains painting an Innie wall! Is that what you want?! To be dead on the road with half your goddamn head gone?! Is that what you fucI<ing want?! Is it you s-!"
Shadow interrupted Canine with a punch to the side of his face. He spat as Canine hit the floor, splitting his chin. "Next time you talk to me like that, I won't be as generous." Blood poured from Canine's wound as he watched it fall to the ground. The ODST jumped up, and tackled Shadow to the ground, relentlessly smashing his fists into his CO's face.
Blood poured from Shadow's nose, making his face wet and slippery as Canine's fists slammed down on him. E18 recovered from the shock, and grabbed Canine from behind, pulling him off of Shadow. "Get the fucI< off me you freak!" Canine screamed, kicking his legs as he tried to break free from the Chief.
Shadow wiped the blood off of his face, and looked at Boomer. "Keep an eye on Canine while you monitor the Chief's scavenging." Boomer nodded, and him and Saline went off to the engine room.
Saline found a toolkit, took out a screwdriver, and began to unscrew the covering of a metal box in the engine room. She popped the panel off, and examined the wires inside. Everything looked okay, so she screwed the panel back on, and kneeled down next to the drive. It was small for a slipspace drive. Whoever the innies got this from had access to some revolutionary military technology.
Saline opened up the drive, and began to examine it. "We're alone you know."
"I'm aware," Shadow replied, "Can I help you with this?" He asked, referring to the slipspace drive.
"Not with this," She said as she began to tweak something, "But with something else"
"When everyone goes to sleep we can, but as of now, we have a job to do."
"Fineeeeeee," She dragged out, "Ah, there you are you son of a b1tch." She pulled out a cracked blue cylinder, examining it.
Shadow's eyes widened, "That little crack stuck us in slipspace for two months?"
"Yes. There should be a spare around here."
After a brief search, Shadow found a spare. "Found one."
Saline walked up to him, and took it from his hands, examining the cylinder. "Bingo." She said, moving back to the slipspace drive and installing the blue object.
Boomer entered the room. "The Chief's back with provisions. Are we ready to jump?" Saline nodded, and boomer went on to a second question, "Where are we going?"
"Earth." Saline replied immediately, "The war is most likely on a wide scale now. If there's anywhere that the UNSC still has, it's Earth." The three left the engine room, and stepped onto the bridge. Canine was hugging his knees in the corner, and the Chief was leaning against the wall, looking down at the cryotube containing 117.
Shadow took a long look at the nearby planet. Something about it gave him the creeps. He charted it, and turned to the main controls. "Jumping now." He entered a series of commands, and the ship jumped. Everyone seemed a little uncomfortable to be back in slipspace, but at least they were going home.
Saline sat down at the table, and rounded everyone up. "Now that we're not going to die, it's time to tell the rest of the story."
[Edited on 04.29.2010 8:20 PM PDT]