Last Hope

Chapter Seven

The Wraith was facing away from them when they ran out of the hospital. Even Tucker was up and out the door with them, not a second behind them. It was firing its plasma turret was firing at a piece of rubble.

Sabre was behind it.

"I'll draw it's fire," Frost said "you guys go get him. Make sure he's safe and uninjured."

All of their lights winked green. Even Tucker had winked a light which was odd because he still didn't have a HUD to use to wink it.

"Move on my mark," Tucker said" Three. Two. One."

The Wraith shot it's main cannon.

"Mark," Tucker finally said.

Frost took off like a bat out of hell. He shot a full magazine of a SMG at the Covenant tank. It turned towards him, slowly but it didn't have to turn far for the turret gunner to have a clear shot at him. The bulk of the fire was taken off of sabre but there was still one problem. Was he OK? The team moved to the piece of rubble that was under fire, but he wasn't the. Where had he gone? Tucker checked his data pad, Sabre was still on the roster, but he couldn't get a lock on his location. Something was blocking it. Their attention moved to the wraith, it had to be stopped. They all moved behind cover, Frost still had its attention.

"What do we do?" Clementine asked.

"We take that thing out," Tucker said.

"How?" She asked in return "I left my rocket launcher in the hospital."

A second later a voice same from behind them.

"You mean this one?" The voice said. A rocket launched from behind them, hitting the wraith directly in the side.

Everyone turned towards where the rocket had come from. Nobody could believe it.

It was Sabre, his chest plate completely destroyed. But that didn't stop him. He took a plasma grenade from his belt, handed the rocket launcher to Clementine. He ran out at the wraith that was turning towards them, and jumped on it. The rocket had killed the turret operator. He armed the grenade and shoved it into the drivers compartment. He jumped off it and and slide back into cover. The second he was in cover the grenade detonated, obliterating the wraith and it's occupants. Sabere came out of cover and looked at the wreckage of the tank. Blue flames ungulfed it, nothing moved in it. Nothing from that tank was gonna hurt any of them again.

"Thanks guys," Sabre said "I owe you guys."

"You don't owe me anything," Tucker said. "None of you do, you've all risked your lives to save me time and time again. I owe you all my life."

Everyone was silent. Chy walked over to Sabre and gave him a hug. Tucker pulled his ski mask up, showing his face. This was the first time everyone, except Clementine had seen his face. He was smiling, he looked as if he hadn't slept good for days. He had a small scare on the right side of his jaw, and an indent next to his left eye. He had brown eyes, that looked as if he was still in pain. Noob, Doc, and Frost were amazed at what they saw next.

Tucker walked over to Sabre and Chy, he wrapped his arms around both of them. They looked like they belonged together, like a family. Tucker as the dad, Chy and Sabre as the kids. Tucker was a good foot or two taller than them both, he surely fit the height for the job. They all said nothing for a while, until Frost spoke up.

"I think we should head inside," he said "we don't want to get injured."

Tucker broke away from the group hug, he kept his mask up on the top of his head. He moved Chy and Sabre along, they still had their arms wrapped around each other. They all walked into the hospital together, as one group. They walked into the waiting room where the was lighting, they all looked towards Sabre. He had plasma burns all over his chest, arms, and legs.

"Let's get you patched up," Doc said.

"There's spare armor in the infirmary," Tucker said.

"Alright," Sabre said "you guys should get some rest,"

Sabre and Doc walked out of the waiting room and into the infirmary.

"So I'm gonna stay up to make sure he's OK," Chy said.

"I'll join you," Noob said.

"So will I," Clementine said.

"Me too," Junior said.

"I'm in," Frost said.

They all looked towards Tucker. Saying nothing.

"What?" Tucker finally said "of course I'm gonna stay up, he stayed up when I was hurt."

They all took seats in the waiting room. Noob was still looking at Tucker's scars.

"Alright I gotta ask," Noob said "how'd you get the scar on you're jaw?"

"Subdermal radio," Tucker said rubbing his jaw. "It's a radio that's on my jaw, it picks up everything I say as well as things close proximity to me. It's how I'm able to talk with you guys in your radios."

"But," Clementine said "how'd you get into our secure radio frequency?"

"My data pad," he said tapping his wrist "I can hacking into almost anything I need to."

"Sweet," Frost said. "But what's your goggles for?"

"They are special sonar goggles," Tucker said holding his goggles in his hands. "They use sonar to locate things around me, kinda like a submarine does. I can see through walls, floors, and I can see people and aliens. That's how I see invisible brutes."

"That's pretty sweet," Noob said "I know this is off topic, but I'd like to get to know you a little better."

"Well," Tucker said "I was born on July 15, so that makes me a cancer in the zodiac signs. I don't really know anything else to really say. I haven't been around that long. I was born here on Earth, I was one of the few soldiers that was born here."

"Oh," Clementine said.

"I have one final question," Noob said.

"Yes?" Tucker said turning towards him.

"I hear you whispering every once and I while." Noob said "who are you talking to?"

"Well," Tucker said rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm usually singing to myself. But now I've been talking to something."

"To what?" Chy asked.

"My AI," Tucker said.

"You have an AI?!" They all said.

"Yes, he does," a voice said.

A figure appeared on top of Tucker's data pad.

"Hi," the figure said "my name is Thomas."