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Michael stepped quickly to the Captains door and raised a fist prepared to knock. In his breast pocket he held the data chip that SPARTAN-019 had given him inside the barracks. Blood pounded in his ears and everything seemed to blur out.

"Don't let them capture this base" said Twombley gripping Michael's hand in his final moments, "don't let them have it."

Tears began to swell in his eyes as he placed his hand against the wall next to the door for support.

"Oh Mike..." Brennan ripped his dog tags from his chain and tossed them to him. "Hand them to Captain Resnick."

Hunched over, Michael began to cry releasing all of his frustration. His anger. His envy. Heavy tears pinged off the titanium-A flooring.

"I want you to get all the survivors and make a break for it. I'll make a hole" said Captain Resnick of the Armengald. "Godspeed Gentleman, may you all live long and happy lives."

So many people had died, and for what? So he could fight another day? Those people who had died were good soldiers, men and women who had given their lives to stop the Covenant threat. If only they could truly be honored, remembered for all of time. Michael swore that he would honor their sacrifices by continuing on, fighting the threat and winning this war.

But first he had to fight off the ghosts of his past, people that he had come to love like brothers. Warm arms wrapped around his upper torso and a soft commanding voice spoke gently, "come on son, cry it out." He didn't realize that the Captain had opened the door but apparently he had done so because he had heard him sobbing. All his feelings were beginning to vent.

Five minutes later

Lieutenant Commander Hammer stood at attention in front of the Captain's desk and the Captain himself. He wore a new rank now; Commander. "Looks like we stumbled upon something with one of our beacons inside" started the Captain, "and according to protocol we have to go and check it out." Michael nodded his head, "yes, sir." His blue crystal eyes were held hard against the wall while the Captain sat himself on his desk top. "I understand you have something for me, son?" Michael reached into his upper left breast pocket and pulled out the data chip, handing it to the Captain. "Yes, sir. Sierra-019 gave that to me sir, to give to you." Flagg took the chip and analyzed the situation quickly; a SPARTAN from O.N.I. Sector-III giving him a data chip surely meant it was more than just some information. "It's an A.I." said the Captain in a low voice, "alright, at ease. We should get to the briefing room to let our soldiers know what's going on."

In the middle of popping a marine's leg back into its hip socket (the bone had been pulverised, and the new bone-growth stimulant wasn't "taking" so well, and the supporting bone and ligaments were weak to the point of the leg not staying in well) he sighed heavily (the marine he was helping yelped sharply, then squelched it).

"Well, for one, this "important assignment" is starting to look a lot like another crap mission from where I stand. But then, all missions are crap when you're as low on the ladder as I am. But we all do our part, eh?" Another shove, and the marine's leg was as good as new-- until it decided to pop out agian. "Hang on a sec." He took combat-strength adhesive tape, and pinned the man's leg up, with pressure heading towards the groin and abdomen, to ensure the leg wouldn't "fall out again".

Seeing Rory's skeptical look, he added, "Well, you know, a bit of sulphuric acid, that tape'll come off good as new." The ODST he was helping looked horrified. "Haha, I'm only kidding, man. I could take that stuff off with a $3 bottle of solution. No biggie." He pat the hardy soldier on the back, then moved on to a man who was missing an eye. A coagulant patch fixed him up real fast.

"So, Rory, what's your story? Why the Monterey, why now?" A man with a punctured and collapsed lung awaited him next. As he was finishing up, though, Lt. Adams addressed him. "The Sergeant, Sir? Master Sergeant Henry? Yes, sir!" Pointing over toway=rds Rory for confirmation the he could do his part, and satisfied with the affirmative and curt nod of the head, Ashton snapped a salute to the Lt., then made a break for the doors. If I were him, I'd be headed towards the Captain's offices, or at least the command decks... whaere is it, again? Accessing the map provided to him by the Lt., Dansmith quickly found the Captain's quarters, just as he saw MSgnt Warren Henry walk brisquely down the hall.

"Sir! Master Sergeant, sir! The Lieutenant would like to take us to the briefing room, sir!" The man could not hear him yet, even though the near-empty halls reflected most of the sound into an annoying din. Whatsmore, he was drawing strange glances from the passing Marines who weren't shouting their heads off like idiots. Ah, dammit. Way to make a first impression, Dansmith! He thought to himself.

Catching up to the obviously scheming Sergeant, Ashton tapped the man on the shoulder once.

The Lieutenant and the First Sergeant made their way up to Corridor C-3i, the breifing room was 3 doors to the left of the Weapon cashe if what he remembered right was true.

Following the wall of the corridor Karr's mind seemed to slip away into-

"-Try and get you safe... and get that wound cleared..." The Lieutenant said.

Karr's feelings were a cocktail of anger and regret. He was so flusteder, he didn't realize the gash across his neck. In his pocket, the names of his commrades, covered in blood, weighed his soul. Their weight was unbearable... and when he could finally get rid of them, he could be free of their souls and the burden of delivering them.
He felt like the messanger of death in a way. His pocket his bag of souls he had to carry across the River of Life, and the ship and his CO were their final resting place... if he could ever get there...

... Karr, like a zombie, stopped. His eyes fogged, and his gaze straight as an arrow as it peered down the corridor as if something was there, unaware that his fellow marines were leaving him behind.

Seth, a bit lost in thought kept on walking for a bit, until his ears gave him a heads up. That patter feet made when walking was significantly less than moments before. Someone had stopped.

Stopping and turning Seth looked back to see his XO standing there, a blank expression on his face. No, not blank. Haunted.
Karr's eyes stared right through Seth and seemed to travel an infinite distance. His body seemed lifeless.

"Karr!" Seth barked not with angry intent, but in a sudden tone to try and jolt the man's senses. "You still with me Karr?"

"Sir?" Ashton asked again; he seemed to have passed undetected by the Sergeant, "under his radar", so to speak. "Sir, Master Sergeant?"
Ashton waited until he had his superior's attention. "Sir, the Lieutenant there would like us to accompany him to the Briefing room. He says we're going to find out what's going on with this whole 'distess beacon' business. I take it you'd rather do that, versus sneak around the ship some more? Though, I'm always for a good impromptu covert mission, sir, though not always against our own guys, in our own ship."

Warren lowered his hand and looked at the Lance corporal. He frowned at the Lance Corporal. "I don't like pulling rank since I'm new here, but please give me some more respect" Warren said. He looked at the corporals tags and saw his name was Ashton. "Ashton is it, well lets get going to the briefing room then" Warren said. He waved his hand signaling the Ashton to lead.

Seth looked the man over, speculative. He let out a breath and gave a small nod. "None of us have." He said in the closest to an understanding tone he could muster at the time. He was sympathetic to Karr's trouble, it wasn't dishonesty that kept Seth from total concern for the man. But it was the worry.
If Karr was put back in the field, could he handle himself?

Koles approached, asking if Karr was okay. But Seth didn't listen in, he was disturbed.
Our doc's got some trauma, and now Karr's head is on the fritz. God knows I've seen my fair share. Able's shaping up to be one piece of work.

Seth gestured for the two to keep walking, and moved closer to Karr, asking him in an undertone, "We've all seen things we'd soon as forget. You've obviously been through the pit and back. There's no harm in seeking some help. You had a chance to get checked out by a shrink son?"
It was direct, but if Karr was going to be a vital part of this team, he had to be able to handle it.