A Hero's Sacrifice: a tale about Noble Six

Found

Agent Profile:

Carolina.

Status: Minor wounds all over. Prognosis: Will survive. Beacon: inactive.

Location: Training Room, Mother of Invention

Nearby: All Freelancer Agents, Spartan Blue Team, several UNSC marines.

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I watched as Rhode ran away. No, don't! Don't make us chase you down!

The Master Chief turned around to see Rhode run away. He raised a hand, trying to stop him. "Six! Come back! Six!"

His hand fell down and he sighed. After looking around, he lowered his head and raised a hand to activate his radio. "Infinity, this is Sierra one-one-seven. Spartan B-312 has gone AWOL. Repeat, B-312 is AWOL."

The Agent in pure black looked at her arm, then fell to the floor. Everyone turned around to look at her as she pulled off her helmet, crying. I was shocked to find that it was Hope, the tiny girl Rhode had brought aboard, under that armor. Thing was, she looked several years older than she should be.

"Jason..." She continued to gaze at the back of her arm like it wasn't there.

Slowly, I stood up. "Hope?"

She didn't look at me. "Carolina."

I almost gasped. It really was her, somehow grown up! "Hope, how-?"

"He," she gestured at my dad, "had me step through a Forerunner portal. It accelerated my growth, making me 17. I don't mind."

Quietly, she stood up, slipping her helmet on over her head. The girl walked away, a pair of dog tags in her hand, and we watched her go. It was like she was pained to watch Rhode go.

I've got to talk to her.

Before I did so, however, I got to work helping my fellow Freelancers. All of them were hurt and needed care as soon as possible.

With Wash in my arms, I walked him over to the med bay, my eyes drifting out into space. Rhode, where'd you go?

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POV swap!

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"Rhode..."

I sighed, putting my hand on my visor. "Xi. For the last time, it's Six."

"Sorry, Six. I want to ask you, where are we going?"

I sighed once more and let the thrusters burn a while. "To a place I know all too well."

Xi looked at the star map. "I don't understand."

I turned the ship to the left, heading on intercept. "It's a planet that fellow Spartans died on."

"Harvest? That world has been abandoned ever since the Human-Covenant War. It's perfect for isolationists."

I shook my head, then dove down into the planet's atmo. "No. What planet got glassed right after Harvest?"

"Reach, why? Wait, you're telling me-"

"Yes. We're going to stay on Reach."

"People live-"

"I already know that, Xi. We can live in the remains of a certain ONI base buried into the mountains. There'll be weapons there, food, water, power, stuff we need to live. We'd be able to live in peace, Xi."