Just Dropping In (A RvB x Halo Fanfic)

Chapter 6

"That was quick." I say, looking at Rey. She's frozen in shock and confusion. I have no idea why she's so stunned by the news. Yes, he was caught being in the Chairman's office, and you could say that part of that might of been my fault, but still: it's no surprise that Matthew would be questioned and taken to the prison block after breaking into the Chairman's office.

She just looks at me and orders. "Stay with the prisoner."

"Wait. What?" I say in confusion as Rey runs out of the prison block with Mike right behind her. I blinked a few times, trying to process what just happened and was currently happening, and then it finally clicked: Rey wants to see what's going down with Matthew after his arrest and I'm now stuck watching Washington.

I sighed. I'm not surprised that she ran off that quick. She and Matthew are pretty close. Not sure if they're together or anything. I only know that they care for each other. I guess you can compare it to how Zack and I are.

I pulled up a chair and took my position at the guard post in front of the cell, setting my helmet down beside my chair. I pulled out my datapad and started up the application to look through the Chairman's computer without even knowing.

"So what's going on?"

I looked up from my datapad to see Washington staring back at me, his blue eyes burning with questions.

"You know, prisoners aren't allowed to ask questions." I tell him.

"However, I have the feeling that you're still going to tell me what's going on." He smirks.

He's smart and not wrong. "The leader of my squad was arrested for breaking into our boss's office."

Washington raises an eyebrow. "And why did he break into the office in the first place?"

I shrugged and looked at my datapad again. "No idea." I said as I continued scrolling through the many folders. I find a folder labeled "Letters," and out of curiosity, open the folder. There, I find a conversation going back and forth between the Director of Project Freelancer, Dr. Leonard Church, and the Chairman. Just exactly what I was looking for. I opened the first file and began to read.

To the Director of Project Freelancer, from the Oversight Sub-committee Chairman.

Dear Director,

I want to thank you in advance for your openness in response to our Sub-committee's request for more information.

We were... disappointed that your Recovery force reported a total loss at Outpost 17-B. We had hoped there would be at least one soldier left that could shed some light on the situation. I know that your agency has enjoyed a high degree of freedom with very little scrutiny in the past few years.

It is not our intention to disrupt such a progressive military program, but instead to find a way we can work together in a manner that befits all our responsibility. I am certain that you will agree. And we look forward to making this review process as painless as we possibly can.

I stared at the document in confusion. Whatever happened at Outpost 17-B sure got the attention of the higher-ups. I look up at Washington, who's facing away from me, sitting on the floor and throwing a bouncy ball against the wall repeatedly. It might be possible that he knows, but it's a risky move to make. He is a Freelancer, after all.

"Do you know anything about what happened at Outpost 17-B?" I asked, setting my datapad down on my lap. Wash tenses up and stops throwing the ball. "What did you say?" He asks in a harsh tone. So, he does know. And judging on that reaction, it's something big.