The Ashes of Reach

12.

It had been about a week since Khyt'Kuttin started living in Alison's house. He's been getting used to all of our "human electronics" or whatever he calls it. He's even been using her gym a lot, been enjoying the food she's been cooking him, and even been waiting for some clothes that Alison ordered for him. He was getting comfortable quick, and Alison was happy about that.

Alison was making some lunch for her and the Sangheili around 1PM. She was in her backyard, cooking some burgers on her grill. "Trust me, Khyt! You're going to love this!" She says while looking back at the elite, who's sitting in her sun chair "I bet I will! I mean, everything else you've made has been really good!" He says in a cheery voice, a great improvement from last week. As she was about to take the buns out, her doorbell rings. She quickly put the burgers on a plate and covers it before closing the grill and walking to the door and opening it.

At the door were two ONI soldiers, both having their hands behind their backs and looking happy about something. "ONI? Are you two here about my involvement with Noble team?" She asks with a confused look "No ma'am. We're actually here to drop someone off to you." One of the soldiers say. Okay, now she was extremely confused. Who could it be? "Uhhh... okay. Who?"

The two soldiers would move out the way, and there he stood. The man I thought I'd never see again. Jason. Jason was here. Alive and well, with a new robot arm. She couldn't speak, she was lost for words. Her heartbeat and her breathing sped up. Is this another vision? Like the mirages she would get all the time. Jason would walk up to Alison and ask "Miss me, Alison?" "I...I... what... is... is this real? Jason...?!" She would say, completely shocked. Jason was about to say something but Alison ran to him and gave him a huge hug, starting to cry in his chest "I thought you died... I thought you were gone forever...!" She says through her sobs.

Jason chuckles and goes to hug her back, rubbing the back of her head "Heh... I'm a lot tougher than you think, Alison." Alison would look up to him with her tear-soaked face and say "Hah... that's... scary... if you're even stronger than I thought." She would chuckle and continue to hug him. He didn't want to let go, she felt for a bit that if she let go, he would disappear again and never be seen again. But Jason slowly pushes her off and says "I'm here to stay Alison. You don't need to worry. But didn't I tell you... you're strong enough to survive. I knew you'd make it out. It made me so happy when I saw the pelican take off." He says before noticing Khyt'Kuttin walk in the distance

"Alison? What's going on?" The elite would ask. The sight of an elite immediately put Jason into attack mode. He would quickly wrap Alison in one of his arms and pulls out his magnum, aiming at the Sangheili, who immediately put his hands up "Hold on Alison! There's an elite in your house!" He was about to pull the trigger but Alison quickly grabbed his arm and slammed it onto the door frame, making him not be able to aim at Khyt "No! He's no an enemy! He's my friend!"

Those words made Jason confused and a little annoyed "What?! Friend?!" He yells while dropping his arm and making the Sangheili run away to his room "Don't you fucking remember what the elites did to our team?! Our planet?!" Alison would look down at the ground before nodding "I know... I know what happened... I get why you're upset but..." She would then look up into his eyes "The way I see it, all those Elites were doing their jobs. It was nothing personal to us, it's just their shitty ideology. He was a captured elite that can never go home... I want to give him a good life like I've been trying to do for myself." Jason tried to calm himself down a bit by taking deep breaths "We can't trust him... what if we both sleep and he slits our throats?" "Well I trust him. He's living here and it's gonna stay that way. He won't get in your way though." She says, making Jason think to himself before nodding "Fine. But he better not even talk to me, got it?" Alison nods before going to bring him inside, going upstairs with him "I need to check on him. But you just hang out in my room okay?" He says before nodding and going into her room.

He would examine the room, seeming to be happy to start living here, even it's with a Sangheili. He would put his pistol and knife down, trying to settle in already. After a little bit, he would turn to the door to see Alison standing there "So you found it..." He says while staring at his old, broken helmet.