Wise stopped as he noticed Mendez standing nearby and eased away a little. Mendez looked at Wise and turned away quickly as what Wise thought to be a small grin show up on his face. Wise had never seen a fight move like that nor has he ever seen someone survive an attack like that, could this be their modifications that Mendez was talking about and which Wise paid no attention to? He wonder it had done for him and he was also tempted to go touch the armor of 117 which he almost did until Mendez shouted his name. Wise stood tall at attention predicting what was coming next but, predicted wrong. Whence Mendez question him about have he seen what he can do yet with the abilities and would he like to. Wise was wondering what he had in mind?
Jacon felt someone lean into him. Things were still fuzzy through the goggle but from the sounds and the outline he could tell it was Abbra. She was crying on Jacob. Just then it hit him. Abbra and Axel had always been close and she looked to Axel as a support a hero.
This must have destroyed her image of him. To be honest Jacob didn't quite know exactly what had happened with Spike but from the sounds and the people rushing to him Jacob could tell he was in bad shape.
Jacob put his hand around Abbra's shoulder letting her cry as much as needed. Jacob never spoke much and he hpoed this small gesture showed the comfort she needed.
Jacob shot a look down the hallway as Axel kept walking down it. Jacob prayed for his soul.
It had never really struck him, being new and all, what kind of light that Abbra must have seen Axel by. He had glimpsed the adolescent earlier on when they had caught a sneak peek of their armour and listened to Abbra while she talked. He had even tried to prise the information out of his fellow Spartan-III's.
It still never told him what kind of a person Axel must have been back then. Surely it wouldn't have even compared to what he had seen not a few moments ago. What he saw now was cold and ruthless and in his own way, more monstrous than the Covenant.
The Covenant, at least, were in their own way true to their own customs as beliefs, abhorrences as they were. Here was a soldier who had trained alongside and befriended the trainees of this unit, who should have shared at least a sense of comradeship with them. He had broken so many values that Lawrence held dearly; trust, friendship, compassion.
Yet Spike's blood had been shed at his hands, broken and beaten with no pity nor remorse. Not even Abbra's pleading, who he had made a deep sacrifice to in the first place, helped. No longer man, but a machine.
It made Lawrence's blood boil. Any earlier thoughts of admiration he had for Axel vanished completely, replaced with a deep loathing.
Abbra continued to sob. "I - I thought he was - de-dea-dead, and when he comes back, he just makes things worse!" Her hands shook so badly she let go of his arms, and burrowed the side of her head into his neck.
"I thought he- he was going to kill Spike. He had th-the most terrible look in his eyes. I was so afraid. So I t-tried to pull him off but I could-couldn't. Jacob..." She whimpered
Taking his blurry eyes off Axel he looked down at Abbra. She could barely function and she was shaking so bad.
Jacob lowered his head so that his cheek was now touching her head. He turned his hand on the shoulder into a one arm hug clutching her trying his best to let this embrace do some good for her.
"I thought he- he was going to kill Spike. He had th-the most terrible look in his eyes. I was so afraid. So I t-tried to pull him off but I could-couldn't. Jacob..." She whimpered
At the sound of his name Jacob finally spoke, "It will be ok"
As he listened to Abbra's disbelieving sobs, Lawrence sat up heavily and suddenly felt much older than his few years. Soldiers like him weren't meant to be exposed to such drama and a whirlwind of emotion. They were meant to be battling out in the field, like on some backwater world against the Covenant. He felt much safer with a gun in hand and plasma fire sizzling over his head than here where things were worse than an old soap opera.
He rubbed his shiny head, blinked, and went over to Abbra. The two of them glanced at each other for a brief moment.
"He will get his comeuppance."
That said, he strode purposely off to the gym and didn't look back. A good workout would clear his mind and ease the stress.
Gender: Male Location: Over there. Maybe there, too.
Parker awoke to silence. He blinked a few times and moved his neck. Then it hit him. Hey, I can move easily! How long have I been out?
He sat up and yawned. His body was stiff and sore in still a few places, especially his knees. A doctor came in a moment later and took off the protective glasses he was wearing and smiled. It was the same doctor who had operated on Parker a couple of days before.
"Welcome back 115. I was beginning to worry about you."
Parker blinked a few times again. "I-I can see.." Then he shouted at the top of his lungs "I CAN SEE!!!!!"
The doctor laughed and helped Parker into a wheel chair. Parker looked at him curiously. "Where has everyone else gone?"
The doctor looked at him "They've all been released. You've been out for three days straight. We had to feed you through small tubes that we stuck down your throat."
Parker looked around "Where are we going?"
The doctor began to push him down the hall "We have a special visitor. Everyone's there now, waiting for you. Your legs may be stiff and sore, but you should be able to stand for a little while."
[I need to know where you guys are before I continue..]
__________________
(Thanks Raijin) Xbox Live-Frisky Marcus
Change my attempt, good intentions.
Should I? Could I?
Abbra glance up at Lawrence, she was so happy he had healed as well as herself. But she couldn't express it right now, when every part of her was so broken with fear and shame. Abbra reached out and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, thankful for his support. Her head nodded up and down, acknowledging what he had said. He was such a wonderful person. But Abbra didn't want Axel to get anything, just for him to see what he had did through somebody else's eyes. Her eyes, and watch what he had just done. Regardless of what Spike had done, he had no deserved any of that. Would Axel had done it to her? To Rae?
She pulled her hand away from his and wrapped each one around Jacob's waist. Her tears and trembling slowly bean to die down. Her head still rested on his shoulder, not there to cry on, but now for support. "I've still got you and all my other friends ri-right?" She asked wiping the small streams of moisture off her rosy cheeks. "'Coarse it will. Thank you." She said, backing up away from him and turning her head so he wouldn't have to see her red, stained face. "I don't know what I'd do without you Jacob. Y-You're my sunshine."
Wise decided to go lay back down, though he had did nothing today it seemed rough enough already. Then he remember what he was up for anyway, he wanted to go laugh at Rayden in the first place. Passing by he couldn't help but notice how Abbra was still in tears after that, but he had no idea of what to do the last attempt he had on cheering her up resulted in him being splat in the face with mash potatoes as memory serves.
The huge punching bag reared back with a groan of protest, a rip near the point of impact starting to leak sand.
"Shit." Lawrence said, futilely trying to mend the rip. Twenty exercise bags in this room, and I have to break the first one on the first blow. He had apparently underestimated the power of his own bioaugmentations. After the initial day or two of recovery from the rather unsettling side effects, he felt like an old, rusty sword reforged, renewed, and polished.
He moved onto the next cubicle and tried to banish Axel from his mind, but failed miserably.
Left, right, knee, flying elbow. The bag shook. Before augmentation he was barely able to make it shudder. Everything seemed a touch slower as well, his reaction time having gotten tweaked.
Jacob could feel Abbra start get less shacky. She was finally starting to come around. Then she asked "I've still got you and all my other friends ri-right?"
Jacob looked down at her and said, "I'll alway be here for you and everyone else here by God's strength."
She turned away trying t ohide her beat red face. Then she uttered more words.""I don't know what I'd do without you Jacob. Y-You're my sunshine." Jacob's head lowered he was glad Abbra trusted him.
Jacob then decided he would confront Axel personally. Jacob asked for someone to help him find Axel. He needed a giude to help identify him.
Abbra grinned. "By God's strength. Besides, I'll look after you won't I? I think I owe you after this." She said with a half hearted chuckle and placed a reassuring hand on his arm. Showing it was not just a joke, but a promise she had full intention of keeping. "I'd go with you to find Axel, but I don't think I could look at him right now." She muttered, and glanced at the ground. "Wise might though, you could ask him. I think I'll go to the gym or wait 'till Rae gets here. See if she turned out as good as everybody else."
The sound of his effort at a running start leading to a high head blow. A loud smack of knee on leather sounded.
It was from the Muay Boran stance, the most brutal style originating in old Vietnam that CPO Mendez had kindly taught them. Lawrence, being the asian, had eagerly adopted it. Now having the higher leg power, he could jump up and bring his knee down on a taller opponent's head with violent force.
If he were decked out in their new MJOLNIR, it would have broken a helmeted Elite's neck and crumpled the armour like dead bark.
He was really looking forward for a chance to try these out. Mendez hadn't been kidding when he said they were going to be made into beings of raw strength and speed.
Gender: Female Location: Somewhere hidden in the shadows.
Raevynn buried her face into her two unsteady hands. She listened helplessly to the sickening noises of breaking bones. With every snap and crunch of Spikes body, she felt a part of her own being broke as well. These Spartans were all a part of her, as she was a part of them. And here they were, right in front of their superiors, reflecting a negative image for the entire Spartan III's.
Spike, Axel, and the two Spartan II's left the room, leaving the rest of the Spartans to themselves. Raevynn could hear Abbra sobbing, and the very sound itself was almost enough to break her into tears. She pulled her hands away from her face, surprised to feel they were sticky with blood. Her eyes were bleeding down the length of her face, but she hardly had time to deal with the issue. The door slid open, and an all too familiar voice boomed in her sensitive ears.
"Spartan-116!" Roared CPO Mendez as he marched to the side of her bed. "Get your ass out of bed and come with me."
A fraction of a second later, a trio of nurses rushed to aid her. One of them pushed a wheel chair to the side of her bed, only to earn a scolding from Mendez.
"That wont be necessary. She wont be needing help any more." Mendez growled as he impatiently waited for Raevynn to follow her orders.
Raevynn swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, wobbling to the point she stumbled forward. These clumsy movements were her first steps on her "new" legs.
Mendez showed no remorse. He simply turned and strode out the door, Raevynn lumbering after him. With every clumsy step came a surge of pain, but Raevynn knew she deserved this. It would be nothing compared to whatever punishment Mendez had in mind. She was going to be in a lot of trouble for the fight that had broken out under her command.
__________________
"Be the change you want to see in the world." -Mahatma Ghandi
"Violence may not be the answer. But it sure as hell gets a point across."-Spartan264
The thirteen year old did not respond. Instead he stood silently, watching as the medical personnel with them on Reach tended to Spike’s wounds. He’d never intended to kill him, only go as far as possible before the unthinkable happened.
He’d been taken when he was seven or eight… He couldn’t remember now, couldn’t think straight. Now he was thirteen. He’d only been with these Spartans for a very short time. He’s spent the majority of his conscious life training under the eye of Col. Ackerson and his fellow Spartans. He’d fought beside them in live combat since he was eleven. Far to young. Now they were all dead. All his Spartans. His family. Everyone in the Crusade was gone. The Admiral, the objective. He’d failed. Failed the mission, failed his Spartans. All because of a lack of control, lack of discipline. He’d made sure he made himself distant. Don’t show you really care about them… In the end, he was a caring person. He’d showed compassion. That’s when everything went wrong… When people started dying. One. After. The other.
“Axel.” The voice came again. Calm. Kind. He ignored it.
Then he’d ended up here. After almost dying himself, again. Woke up to see a bunch of jokes. Lawrence, Abbra. Trouble waiting to happen… That would do no good in the field. Raevynn? He hadn’t see any sign of real command come from her. Spike? What the hell was wrong with that kid? He’d tried multiple times to disobey orders and evade the people who’d tried to enforce him. Spike had attacked him first… Of course no one had a problem with that. They were all a big happy family. Useless. If this was their future then mankind was doomed to extinction. He highly doubted these people would be able to do anything about it.
”Axel…”
He sighed. His action were, of course, not in the right. He’d warned Spike. Told him more than once to listen to his officers… Spike was aware of Axel’s state. He’d lost all his soldiers, and placed all the failure on himself. Every objective, every mission, failed. An entire section of the UNSC wiped out… And Axel, again, was the lucky survivor. Great… Live to die another day.
Hope is only a lie used to bring good men to the slaughter.
Whether he believed that didn’t matter. He didn’t have any hope… only training. No inspiration, only his own willpower. “Don’t ask me if I’m alright Julius.” He said, using the mans name for the first time. “I can tell you right now that I’m not sure, but I doubt I’m fine. To end my first career I suffered the most traumatic thing that could happen to me, not to mention the gauntlet of a life Ackerson kindly gave me. I’m cooled down now though…” He trailed off. “Doubt I will ever be myself, but this is a life… a path that I can’t keep walking along.” He turned around.
”Spartan 010…” The Master Chief stepped forward. “Frankly, your performance was pretty sloppy. I was there with your Spartans at the Atlas Moons, and you’ve slipped a long way since then. You’ve nerves of steel and a will of iron. I didn’t see you falter once on the battle field, but it was the conversation we had after the fight that showed me you and your fellow Spartan IIIs really have potential. I lead my Spartans as a family. We fight as soldiers, but we’re still a family.” His expression was invisible through an impassive golden faceplate. “I expect better Spartan.”
Axel lifted an eyebrow. “I’d summed that up myself…” He walked past the two, heading for the door. “Bones can heal… Hearts can’t. You know that already. Don’t try and stop me I still outrank you.” He didn’t bother to mention Julius was promoted before he was even born. Instead, left quickly to wonder the halls.
Marie looked out over the room, noticing she was the only one remaining. Some went to comfort the weeping girl, while some went of to the gym to practise. The squad leader was escorted away by CPO Mendez, and with that exit Marie was the only one left in the room. Running her finger along the floor, she carried on doing her figures of different kind. She felt pitty for the team. She felt pitty for the squad leader. It must be horrible, trying to lead a squad of such a big failure. The only thoughts that crossed her mind, were negative ones. Some were exhaterated though, while some were her own personal experience. She knew that she was not supposed to judge the herd by the sheeps, but at this point it felt like there were no use in doing that.
She had no intention that it would turn out this way. Everything went wrong, from scratch. If she only could rewind the day. She could have saved that boy, Spike. Well, she could have saved him for a few amount of minutes. She gave out a sigh, before getting up from her sitting position. "I am a two legged disaster, and the worst thing ever happened to the Spartan III project. However, that should not let me down. Things could have been much worse. The guy could have gone all berserk on me, due my behaviour" She said quietly to herself. She walked out trough the door, leaning carefully against the door edge and looking at her squad members as they went different ways.
Marie herself decided to make a more personal introduction to each and every one of the members. She started up by slowly walking to Abbra and Jacob. With a quiet, careful voice and avoiding eye-contact Marie took her hand forward as an offer of a handshake. "Hi" She said "I am Marie Bishop" She had both hands behind her back, and at all time looked onto the ground to avoid their probably angry glare. "I am the newest member of your squad. My talents are few, but I find great pleasure in flowers and taking orders" She said as an introduction of herself. Knowing how silly it sounded, she still were dodging eye-contact.
Jacob could feel Abbra's hand touch his arm.
He replied in a soft voice "You don't owe me anything."
Afterwards he had a nurse guide him through the hallways. They were navigating it until Jacob saw a blurry outline come outside of a door into the hallway. The nurse confirmed his suspicion.
"Axel" was all Jacob said. He knew Axel would stop even in his current mood. Jacob made a head nod to let the nurse know she could leave him for now. The nurse went around the corner to leave the two alone. Jacob began walking to Axel as long as Axel stood there he knew where he was at although he kept one hand all the wall to help him keep his barrings.
Jacob approached Spartan 010 the show he put on had the other Spartans a little afraid of Axel. Jacob wasn't even though he was half blind and not quite the fighter Axel was he could make Axel regret fighting him and Axel more than likely knew this as well.
Jacob was now standing less than two feet away from Axel. Axel was a little taller and bulkier than Jacob. Jacob stood and looked into the fuzzy outline of Axel's eyes. The Spartan had a serious look on his face and Axel knew Jacob was serious on the matter.
You see the differences between Axel and Jacob were cosmetic between at best. Only the Small difference in appearance and ability made them different. Deep down they were the same person. They were both inward thinkers who didn't like to wear their emotions on their sleeves.
They both thought little of themselves and more for other people. Most importantly they both believed that they had a higher calling and were men of destiny. Jacob got his through his Lord Almighty. Axel got his through his knowledge he would someday be a legend.
They were basically carbon copies of the same people and Jacob could see through Axel's disguise. He knew deep down Axel still cared for his fellow spartans and Jacob knew he wouldn't be able to kid Jacob on the matter. Jacob always could see right through people.
Jacob made one simple gesture extending his hand firm into offering a handshake wondering if he would accept.
"Axel" was all he said.
KMC Community Forums
Feb 20th, 2007 01:01 AM
but then again he's not the most reliable person)
