Grey Lines

Chapter 1 - Dark Nights

The Compound looked empty. Key word there is that it looked that way. But when you'd been on the frontlines as long as Sergeant Artemis had, you learned that looks, can be deceiving. He pulled the Binoculars away from his eyes. Partially because he doubted he was going to see anything he hadn't caught already but also to get a break from the sickly green world he peered into whenever looking through a pair of Night Vision Goggles. Even after all these years the damn things still gave him one hell of a headache after prolonged exposure. Low light vision was always preferable but the trick is you needed just that, light. And on a night like tonight, with heavy overcast and barely a ray of moonlight, his team had had to swap to more 'reliable' tech. He decided to take a moment to stop and breathe in the unfiltered oxygen around him. They were lucky the recent campaign they'd been on had a planet with a breathable atmosphere. Though he still didn't get to enjoy it often enough since he practically lived in his vacuum sealed suit of battle plate. The armor was great for taking a bullet but often left him out of touch with the world around him. A luxury he didn't get to enjoy anymore. He began to slightly drift off at the thought of further luxuries like a nice warm bed and a hot meal when a voice snapped him back to reality.

"What do you think?"

The question came from the dark silhouette to his right. Shadow shifted under the weight of the pack on his back while still maintaining his prone position not taking his eye off the scope of his Sniper Rifle for a moment. In this lighting Artemis could understand how he'd earned that nickname. He was nearly invisible even with the usage of NVGs. Shadow was a Corporal in his team and his second in command. He'd always admired Shadow's discipline in the field. The 2 of them had been a part of the 5th Combat Team, Pathfinder, for a little over 2 years now and within those 2 years they had become practically inseparable.

"Looks like standard 'empty compound' camouflage, the warehouse to the South East corner is most likely where our Target is hiding."

Shadow sighed slightly under his breath "I really wish they'd at least Try to make this difficult."

Artemis chuckled "Yea they sure are consistent. I have to give them that much."

There was more truth to that statement then Artemis cared to admit. This would be the 5th compound they'd take down in 2 days. And it was getting repetitive. That made him uneasy 'Repetition breeds complacency' his old Drill Instructor had always said. 'The second you get complacent you lose your edge. And the second you lose your edge, you lose your life.' Artemis shuddered at the reminder of the ODST entrance exam. Years later and he still distinctly remembered the course of fire being a nightmare for him and his entire class, especially the final part of the exam. Named, The Mountain, it certainly earned that title. He shook his head clear. Now wasn't the time to be recollecting about the past.

"Aegis, you still got contact with Command?"

Artemis didn't have to turn around to know Aegis was crouched down 2ft to his left. He didn't need Motion Tracker either. When you had spent the kind of time in the field they had together you developed a 6th sense for that kind of thing. They were more then just teammates or comrades. They were brothers, each and every one of them would die for him and he would do the same for any of them. It was hard to explain but he could feel Aegis there. Just like he could feel Carroll anxiously tightening his grip around his MA5K Carbine to his rear. He maintained watch over the teams six for any enemies lucky enough to stumble upon the teams Recon Position.

"Affirm Sarge. You need me to establish a link for you?" Aegis asked

Artemis donned his helmet and was greeted with the all too familiar surplus of digital information displayed across his vision. From Ammo Counters that calculated how many rounds were left in his current load out, to a virtual cross hair thats algorithm constantly determined the most effective velocity and trajectory of those rounds. He had to admit when he was a newer recruit within the 65th ODST, the system had seemed disorienting and confusing. Nowadays though, his HUD just felt like an extension of himself. The million dollar piece of tech gave him every advantage a soldier needed in battle. He wasn't necessarily reliant on it, that was another lesson his DI had drilled into his consciousness. 'High Tech is just a fancy term for overconfidence. What makes you all the best of the best, is you don't have the convenience of overconfidence. Never count on your tech to do the job of an ODST.' Yet another thing that would get him killed. He flipped on his NVG settings for his visor. One of the many visual options the helmet offered. He winced at once again being thrust into the world of green around him.