Halo: The Angels of Death

TWO

   DISCLAIMER! ALL THE CHARACTERS, PLOT POINTS AND SETTINGS THAT AREN'T MINE (CAL, WOLF (NOBLE SIX) O'BRIEN, DUTCH,CORTEZ, THE PLANET HIEN,) BELONG TO HALO LEGENDS, BUNGEE, MICROSOFT.

   Malcolm was awoken from his sleep by a knock on the door. At first he ignored it, but the knocks kept coming with each one getting harder and louder.

   "Go away!" He yelled, knowing that if his men or his superiors wanted him he would have gotten a call on his walkie.

   "It-it's O'Brien," came the trembling voice of the ODST.

   If Malcolm hadn't noticed the distress in the helljumper's voice he wouldn't have answered the door. He got up from his cot and walked the couple feet to the door and opened it.

   "O'Brien, I had just come back from a long mission and I just want to get some shut eye."

   "I know, that's what Wolf told me when I had asked for you," he said back.

   "Then why did you come knock on my door anyway?" Malcolm asked hardly while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

   "He told me where you were after I had told him the reason why I was looking for you."

   Malcolm knew that Wolf wouldn't tell anyone where he was staying, not even the superiors only if it had something to regard him or with his team.

   "What's the reason?" Malcolm asked, his mind racing. He had noticed a duffle bag by the young man's feet.

   "As you know, Cal had joined my squad on a mission on Heian," the ODST said. Malcolm was confused because O'Brien had never met Cal and he knew he wouldn't even call her by her first name if he had. He was looking the man straight in the face and saw that he was holding back tears. "She saved my life not just once or twice, but three times sir,"

   Malcolm had already figured out what O'Brien was going to say.

"Come in O'Brien," Malcolm said comfortingly. "Tell me what happened."

The ODST joined the Spartan in his room and took a seat on a chair that was by Malcolm's desk.

"We got the mission and were dropped from the ship in the pods that were dropping into the planets atmosphere. My pod got stuck in a swamp and was sinking fast and Cal walked through the thick mud my team couldn't get through like it was no problem and pulled me out," O'Brien paused, taking a minute to openly sob in his hands. "I was a dick and didn't even say thank you, she saved my life again when a Chieftain was about to crush me with his gravity hammer, she took out his eye and threw it over a waterfall, one that I was dangling on. She pulled me up and I reacted the same way I did the first time! The third time wasn't so lucky," he calmed himself down. "I hadn't noticed the Chieftain behind me and he swung...Cal took the hit for me. We took off her helmet and was surprised to see that the mighty Spartan was a girl. She told me to take the shot and I did. She...she...had died shortly after."

Malcolm was speechless. He just sat there and looked at the ODST who had tried to kill him earlier sobbing in his hands. O'Brien reached into the duffle bag and pulled out Cal's helmet and dog tags.

"I wanted to be the one to tell you because she's a hero sir, one that would be remembered by everyone on this ship and the rest of the Galaxy," O'Brien said.

Malcolm who was sitting on his bed got up and placed a hand on O'Brien's shoulders.

"Thank you O'Brien," Malcolm said. "It took guts and come and tell me that, and I appreciate it. Go to the mess hall and get something to eat."

"Yes sir," he said as he saluted Malcolm. "If you ever need a place to sit my table is always open."

With that O'Brien left Malcolm's room. Malcolm was both saddened and shocked by the news of Cal's death, and was pleasantly surprised by the thoughtful gesture handed to him by O'Brien. Malcolm sat down at his desk and stared into the helmet of his fallen comrade. He couldn't help but think of the last thing he had said to her.

"Be careful out there, ok?"

   "Always am Cap, get some sleep."

   Malcolm smiled at the memory. He pressed his forehead against the helmet and squeezed the dog tags.

   "Want to talk about it?" Wolf asked over their secure line.

   "No need," Malcolm said. "Let's get something to eat."

   "Roger that,"

   Malcolm walked the long walk to the mess hall and got on line to order their food. While on line Malcolm overhears a marine walking to O'Brien's table.

   "Heard about what you guys did down there. You took out a Prophet and stopped the Covenant supply chain dead for the entire Ark sector. They say a SPARTAN died there! Went down faster than a new boot on his first day of basic! I thought those guys were supposed to be unbeatable. I guess he didn't have what it takes to hang with the Helljumpers!" (Line from Halo Reach-I do not own)

   Malcolm was about to walk over there and teach that a marine a lesson when he saw the other ODST's throwing apples at him and telling him to shut up. Wolf walked over to Malcolm, both watching what went down.

   "Where do you want to sit?" Wolf asked.

   "I know a place, follow me."

   Wolf followed Malcolm no questions asked and walked with him over to the table with the ODST's.

   "Dutch, Cortez, O'Brien, any room for two more?"

   O'Brien stopped looking out the window to turn and look the two Spartans in their faces.

   "Yeah," he said as a small smile curved his lips. "Always."