A Hero's Sacrifice: a tale about Noble Six

Just like old times

Agent: Rhode Island

Time: 0600

Near-by Agents: Carolina

Location: Mother of Invention

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"Sir!" Carolina and I stood at attention.

The Director chuckled. "At ease, Agents. Agents North and South are in... trouble. I hope you two can handle drop-pods."

I glanced at the leaderboard. Their names were indeed flashing. "We can handle the situation, sir. Just give us the word."

He nodded. "Wonderful. You know what to do. Dismissed!"

We gave him a sharp salute, then turned on our heels and took off for the drop-pods. On the way, Carolina tried to strike up some conversation.

"Do you know how to pilot a drop-pod? Cause I sure as heck don't!"

I shook my head. "It's easy: let the computer do it."

She paused. "Huh?"

"If those drop-pods are standard-issue, it means that they have an onboard AI that'll help with keeping us alive. Let's just hope we don't get hit by an EMP. Then things will get... difficult."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"You shouldn't."

And with that, I remained silent. Carolina tried making more conversation, but I brushed her away, focused on the mission. As I sat down in my pod, I heard Carolina sigh.

Probably just some pre-drop nerves.

"This is Agent Rhode Island, reporting in. Agent Carolina and I are ready for deployment."

FILSS came on. "Copy that. Deploying drop-pods."

Four beeps and then Carolina and I were launched out of the Mother of Invention. Over the radio, I heard Carolina quicken her breath.

"Carolina. Calm. Down. Hyper-ventilating will only make you light headed and we have to jump straight into battle."

She mumbled something, but I was too focused on performing the tiny course corrections I needed so that I didn't land two hundred feet below sea-level. Our pods slammed into the ground, causing everyone to pause and stare at the huge dust cloud Carolina and I made. With a hiss, our pod doors blasted off and I stepped out into the open, sending fear crawling down everyone's bones.

I looked around, taking in the situation. Around a hundred insurrectionists were aiming at North and South Dakota but shifted their aim to face me. One of them nervously called out to me on a megaphone.

"S-surrender! W-we have you outnumbered, I think. W-we've got b-better equ-"

Someone cut him off. A sniper round echoed through the empty base. My HUD began to glitch and the shield bar that I had disabled came back. An orange curtain washed over me, revealing secrets I wasn't ready to reveal. One by one, my HUD returned to what it was back on Reach... back when I was with Noble. Speaking of which, a familiar voice whispered in my ear.

"Hello, Noble Six. It is good to see you again."

I almost gasped. No way...

I shook my head, then raised my DMR. Without a word, I began to shoot down the insurrectionists one-by-one. The mysterious sniper helped me along and I swore I heard a familiar chuckle.

It can't be! There's no way!

One of my foes tried to rush me, but the sniper simply but a bullet through his head. Someone laughed and my shields flared, then collapsed. My ears ringed and my health was critical. Someone kicked me onto my back and I gazed up at a man wearing a midnight ODST helmet.

"Looks like this was your final battle, Freelancer." He aimed a Covenant Carbine at my visor.

"Hang in there, Six!"

I gasped at the voice. A Spartan shoved the man off me and pulled me up. I gazed at the Spartan's visor, disbelieving.

You're not... dead?

Everything seemed to slow down. Memories came flooding, untameable. My old ally looked at me and spoke into a private channel.

"Six. Help me out here. Just like old times."

I nodded. "Yeah, just like old times." I kicked my DMR into my hands. "He's going down, one way or another."

The man got up and looked at us, planning. He began to laugh hysterically and dropped his gun. My hyper-active brain spotted the shifts in his weight and the bulging of muscles. I saw Jun raising his sniper to take the shot, but I swatted the rifle away from its target, sending the shot way off course. Our foe deployed a domed energy shield and Jun's shot was sent further off-course, slamming into a metal beam.

"The hell was that f-?!"

I shut Jun up with a swift strike to the gun with my rifle. Our enemy laughed at us from inside the shield.

"Well then, looks like someone's more than what they seem! Now tell me, Freelancer, how did you know I was deploying a shield?"

Behind my helmet, I gritted my teeth. "I have eyes, dumbnut. I saw the shift in your weight."

He began to laugh harder, then looked right at me with his now blood-red visor. Looking closer, red flames were coming off of him. He raised his rifle and his shield vanished for a split second, allowing a single shot to escape.

It slammed into my visor and when a loud bang deafened me, that was when I realized it was a frag. My world went dark and Death tried to claim me. With a sigh, I closed my inner eye, ready.

We're a team. That lone wolf stuff? It stays behind.

Tell 'em to make it count.

That AI chose you, Six. She made the right choice.

Hundreds of other lines that my fallen comrades uttered echoed in my mind. There seemed to be no end to them. Slowly, they faded to nothing.

Is this it? Am I truly gone?

A single voice echoed in my empty mind.

Negative.

My voice.

My eyes snapped open to see Jun getting strangled by Mr. Big-shot. Jun's helmet had fallen off and my friend was visibly struggling to breathe. With a silent roar, I lunged up and threw one of the hardest punches I've ever given straight to his gut. The man let go of Jun and stumbled back, dazed.

He looked straight at me. "Oh, now you've asked for it."

I clenched my teeth and raised my fists. He charged me like a bull and I stepped aside, then slammed my bleeding fist into the back of his head, shattering his helmet in the process.

He laid there with a broken and bleeding skull, staring straight up at me. I gazed at him, emotionless.

"Heh heh. I always get the last laugh."

He raised his hand and revealed a detonator. With a laugh, he pressed it, setting off all of his explosives. And I was right next to him.

My head slammed into a metal wall and my world swiftly vanished. A low, constant beeping began to sound but even that faded away.

My mind rushed to remember a single event in my life. The time I met my sister, and before then.

KABLAM! Another chapter finished! Six, aka "Agent Rhode Island", is in a critical state and is remembering his past!

He met up with Jun and saved Agents North and South Dakota!

What do you think Six's past is like?

Go on and find out!

Bye~~~~!