Flesh Wounds

Chapter Eight "Spartans Go MIA"

10 Days left

Nick Pov

I throw up a small metal can in to the air which followed after I draw one of my magnums and fire. The bullet barely hits the side and the can spins around as it falls to the ground.

I shake my left arm after my practice shot. "Well that sucked." The whole group has been split in half. We've got Sandman dead, Yang dead, and 34 as well dead. Why the hell do I kinda feel bad? I mean. Geez I've got to stay in character or else I will blow it.

Looking back at the current group I can tell that we're leaving soon. Everyone is trying to chat like nothing has happened or changed but in the end, most conversations stop with silence.

"Hey it's coming in now," 5000 looks up to the sky at the crate drifting slowly towards the ground.

"'Bout damn time," Dillan grumbles and sits up some more while putting on her helmet.

I look among the group almost smiling, then a strike of fear hits me, "Wait guys where's Sparky?" I look around now checking for their location.

"That little guy? Um," Dillan took a few left and right glances then shrugged, "I don't know. He'd probably show up if yah called his name."

"Okay for all I've known him he isn't a d-"

"Sparrrkyyyy!" 5000 yells out for the Spartan, who is a human being.

"He's not a dog!" I yell out to both 5000 and Dillan.

Then over on the other side of a car like it's true, Sparky's head pops up in search for the voice, "What? What did you say?"

"See. Just yell for him," Dillan says crossing her arms and smirking with pride.

My own face changes into a frown, "Whatever." With a metal thunk the crate hits the ground and opens. We all quickly crowd around the box to look inside at the contents. A couple signal flares, ammo to restock and. I reach inside pulling out a small chip.

"Ha- what's that?" Sparky snatches the helmet chip from my hand and examines it. Flipping it over he sighs sadly, "Darn it, it's yours," he hands it back to me and I stand there thinking what have I witnessed?

5000 retrieves the two flares and hands one to Dillan while I stroll off to find out what the chip is about. I mean I know where it goes. I take off my helmet and look at the back slot in it. "There." I thought out loud like normal as I slid the chip into the reader. Putting my helmet back on I can see lines of code slide through the VISR, it must be downloading something from the chip. A new offline message appears inside my notifications so I assume I must investigate.

'To MS-991. Incased within this chip is a newly crafted tech piece. Using the sample you provided us (after receiving negative results for possible memory reconstruction) I began my own prototype to compute the health of a Elite without a COG or medical device in hand. Thus creating a SBD, a Sangheili Bioscan Diagnostic. Equipping this and trialing will give us the research needed to run full scale VISR production. Enjoy the demo, Dr. Hei Buascher.'

Hm. That sheds some light on this. Dr. Hei? Is that the Elite scientist at the base? Am I asking myself questions? At least I know the answers.

I take a look around the corner back at the group and the red flare sticks blind me instantly. I can't even tell who's holding them while squinting. I bring my head back around and blink my vision back into my eyes.

We're leaving soon. Are we really going to leave 34 and Yang just dead here? My actual senses are coming back. I stand against the wall firmly with my arms crossed. Thinking about recent events. Well as recent as only three weeks. So much has already happened and its only been so recent since becoming a full Spartan. I have always wondered why they named these super soldiers Spartans. Maybe because spartan's themselves were the heat of the battle, the one's to make the tides turn, and the one's to die for the cause. Maybe that's why, or maybe it's unexplainable. Maybe, that's why all soldiers choose to be who they are.

As I get lost in pointless thought the familiar whistling sound of thrusters from a Pelican dropship sounds over a towering building. "I think I'm going to go home..." I assure myself within a whisper of my voice. I round the corner as the Pelican comes into view. 

The flares are no longer producing the blinding light as how now they are emitting a red gassy smoke that rises into the sky, signalling the location. 5000 and Dillan were the one's holding the flares. 

As I come back I remind them, "You know that the flares don't have to be held by someone to work right?"

Immediately Dillan drops the flare on the ground and walks away, "That thing was everything horrible."

"I think I might've gone blind now," 5000 tosses the flare off on to the road and steps aside.

"This is the point in your life where you think you'll go blind?" Dillan asks 5000 as she shakes her needler, loading new needles into the magazine.

"Well this isn't the point in my life that I would expect 34 to die. We're better than all of you," 5000 pretty much insults everyone.

"Excuse me?" Dillan remarks to 5000's rant.

"The only person that would know what I'm talking about is Yang. The rest of you aren't even close to having experience that we had. We we're, Head Hunters," 5000 continues.

"Well everyone knows how it goes. Spartans never die," Sparky finally comments the inevitable.

"Thank you," 5000 sighs and watches up in the air as the Pelican comes in for a landing.

"Then what does that mean for us?" Dillan asks aggressively, "Most of us aren't actual Spartans, we're just augmented assets. We only run the suits."

"But not the battle."