The Ashes of Reach

2.

She had to keep running, any sign of her getting tired and they'll get her for sure. She turned back on last time but her vision was obscured by the dust. She would turn back and was about to get in the Pelican but then, someone grabbed her by the shoulder.

Her eyes widened, she tended us up and slowly turned around to see an elite, zealot class, gripping her shoulder harder before casting its energy sword and plunging it into her abdomen. Noble 7 would let out a loud yelp as she crashed to the ground, holding her bleeding stomach. The elite would beckon over her, as she tried desperately to crawl back "Please... please! Don't kill me! Please!" Noble 7 would beg for her life to the zealot, but the zealot was entertained by her pleads. The zealot would grab the spartan by the chest armor, and would slash her neck swiftly.

Noble 7 would wake up in a sweat and quickly sit up in her hospital bed, letting out a loud sudden yelp. She looked around in confusion to see herself in a good sized hospital bed, hooked up to medical devices, completely stripped of her armor and only being in a tank top and shorts. While looking down at herself, seeing her leg wrapped up in a cast and her pelvis having bandages around it, a voice would be heard next to her, sounding a lot like Noble 1 "Hey, are you okay?" She would quickly turn around, having a split second of hope that her commander survived what seemed to be impossible to survive. But unfortunately, it was not, and when he spoke up again, it's like his voice completely changed

"You have a bit of a nightmare?" He asks, the Doctor was wearing a coat with the USNC label on it, clearly it's a doctor designed to handle military personnel "I'm... fine..." She says and goes to lay down, ignoring the pain in her leg "What happened...?". "Well, after you walked out of that Pelican, you crushed to the ground and fell unconscious. The soldiers who were with you brought you here and I got you patched up. Though you won't be doing any physical activities for a while, young lady. Your leg is fractured and your pelves has a crack. You need time to heal yourself." The doctor would say, a serious look plastered on his face. Noble 7 didn't like the "young lady" comment the doctor gave her. She's been though a lot more than they doctor ever could, she's no young lady anymore, and never will be again, she's changed, though for better or for worse she does not know yet. She looked at him with squinted eyes before saying "Yeah... okay... thanks." She says in a low tone, then the doctor would get close to her

"We uhhh... we all heard about reach... about Noble Team... we know you all fought valiantly, and your fallen comrades will all be remembered." He says and grabs her shoulder, but as he grabbed him, she would grab his arm and quickly throw it off  "D-DON'T HURT ME!" She would yell and start to intensely shake. The doctor would stumble back from the sudden reaction, soon putting his hands up in front of him and saying "Woah woah hey! I'm not gonna hurt you. Don't worry..." Noble 7 would gasp and look at her hands, her eyes being filled with tears  "I'm sorry I... I don't know what came over me..."

The doctor would think to himself before noticing what's going on "I see... you've been through too much for your mental health to handle. It seems you have a case of PTSD." She would wipe her tears away before taking in what the doctor says, that would make sense, it would explain the dream and her reaction, she just knows that her military career could be over now "Dammit... I... what do I do?"

The doctor would soon walk over to the door and turn back to her "I will get you a couple of medicines. One that'll help dull the pain and another to help you be more... relaxed. For now, rest. I will inform General Edwards about your state and he'll be the next person to help you with what you're going to do after all this." Noble 7 would nod to him and rest her head on her pillow "Thank you... Doctor..." "It's Doctor Cronal. And you are?" Noble 7 hesitated for a bit, her time with taking down the old she never wanted to tell anyone else her name if she didn't know them. Funny, those memories seem like good times now. Though she did owe him something for helping him, so after a few seconds she would respond with "Alison..."