The Shepard and the Lamb

(Jason)
=I picked up Molly, and flung her over the bar=
STAY DOWN!!!


=A team of soldiers rappelled in from the ceiling. They were wearing black armor, and had guns. Their gear was all black-market=

*Leader*
Get the girl!

(Jason)
=I had no gun, but that left me far from harmless. I was still wearing the combat skin, and now was a perfectly good time to test it. There were more guys this time though: at least 10. I ran at the nearest one=

--Rooftop overlooking the industrial zone, and the rave--

=A team of Spartans, no more five, than watched the whole thing through thermal scopes. They were "naked" wearing no MJOLNIR armor. They were also unarmed. Their goal was to observe, and gather intel on Jason, and his new armor=

*Sniper of the team*
Okay guys, the shows starting.

(Jason)
=I was eager to test out the armor. I haven't been in a real fight since I got it, and now was as good a time as any. And would you believe it? Of all things, the music kept playing. New piece too=



**Play, and skip to around 00:14**

=I got to the first guy, and took him down with two swift punches; one to the neck, the other to the chest. His friends opened fire on me, but I was ready. I pulled his body in front of me, and used him as a shield. I grabbed his gun, and while still behind him, opened fire on the next guy, right in the head. He went down=

*Leader*
Take him down!

=they spread out, taking cover where they could=

(Jason)
=I threw the corpse away, and brought up my newest weapon: the built in energy blades. According to Silver, the blades could extend to a foot and a half from my arms (though the armor locked my wrists in place, to prevent accidental removal) and could also be reshaped to form a shield, though that would diminish my shields to nothing. I had an idea then; I turned my left arm into a shield, and my right into the short sword=

--Spartans on the rooftop--

=they saw the blade and shield=

*Leader*
Impressive. Make sure we recorded that.



--Back in the Rave--

(Jason)
=I charged the nearest shooter. He came up, and fired at me, but my shield deflected the rounds. My sword arm swung down, right on top of his head. There was a hiss, and he was split in two, down the middle. I ran to the other guy, ducked as he fired, spinning as I did, and brought my sword through his waist. His lower half fell to the ground, while his top half, still alive, went down to the ground, screaming. Another swipe of the sword ended his pain=


=the other six men began to panic. They opened fire again, all of them concentrating on Jason=

(Jason)
=Time slowed for me. They fired, and I moved, faster then they could aim, or fire. I dropped my arm shield, and my normal shields returned, though my sword remained. To me, it looked like I was simply jogging to the nearest shooter. To them, I must have been a blur. My sword came up, and cut both his arms off, then I grabbed him, and brought him between me and the other bullets. He had a knife on him, and i grabbed it, and threw it at the sixth shooter's head=

(Jason)
Six down, two to go.
=I heard the sounds of rolling objects, and looked down at my feet: two grenades, military issue, were at my feet=

Oh fu--
=They exploded. My shields took the brunt of the explosion, but they dropped to zero. The suits material, whatever the hell it was, took a few dents and scratches, but other than that, I was fine. My vision, not so much. It was all fuzzy, and loud. I heard one clear thing though--Molly=

(Molly)
Jason!

(Jason)
=I turned in her direction. The last two gun men had her, and they were dragging her away. Well, one was. The other laid down suppression fire=

(Jason)
Dammit, Molly!
=I tied to run after them, but the shooter tossed another grenade=

Fuck!
=I ducked to one side, and the grenade exploded=

(Molly)
=I was about to scream again, when the guy holding me put a cloth over my mouth, and I tasted something strange. Everything went black=

=the kidnappers manage to get Molly to their vehicle: a modified warthog. They load her up, and start the engines=

(Jason)
=my shields were up again, and I was already out the door when I saw the warthog high tail it out of there=
Molly!

=I ran after them. I know, it sounds dum. But in my old armor, my speed and strength was increased by a factor of seven. This new armor, increased that by 50%, and I was able to keep pace, though just barely=

**You know the drill**

(Jason)
=I ran after them, through the freaking city. Problem though, was that the warthog had a manned chain-gun, and the gunner was not picky about where the shots went. He sent a stream of gunfire my way, and I had to jump to one side to avoid it. He forced me to the wall of a building, but I kept running. I couldn't even believe what happened next: I ran on the wall, I went up at an angle, and then I jumped off, spinning in the air, and onto the next wall, never losing momentum=
Okay, that's cool.

=I ran down the wall this time, and before I reached the bottom, I jumped forward, and onto the warthog. My plasma blade formed again, and I cut the gunner down=

(Jason)
=I turned, and cut the driver's head off. The warthog swerved, and was about to crash. I grabbed Molly=
Hold on!

(Molly)
=I wrapped my arms around Jason's neck, and made sure my grip was strong=

(Jason)
=I jumped off, Molly clinging to me. I had my arms wrapped around her. A few seconds later, we landed on the ground=

--Back on the rooftop--

*Michael (team leader)*
Alright Garuda Team, let's go.

=the Spartans started packing up. Their mission was done; they had enough data on Jason and his new armor to keep the boys in ONI busy, and it would help in the creation of the countermeasures for their new armor. The mission was a success: ONI knew about Jason's little job here, and figured he'd have some attachments to the family. They convinced the lower members of the other families to stage the coup, and attack the Borden's. Hell they even gave them some gear. All in all, the whole plan worked: Jason had been drawn out, his armor recorded, and they had a group of powerful crime families in their pocket=

--City Streets--

(Jason)
=We ran away from the wreck of the warthog. Had to go through an alley first, to avoid the cops. I hailed a cab (I was not willing to go all the way back for the bike) and told him where to go. The whole time, Molly was crying. Couldn't blame her; after all, she had just been taken by armed gunmen, after she was told her dad was dead=

(Jason)
=The cab took 20 minutes to get to the docks. Molly and I got out=
Molly, are you okay?

(Molly)
=I made a sniffling sound=
I was almost killed, and I found out my family is dead. So no, I'm not okay.

(Jason)
I'm sorry. I really am. But you have to come with me now Molly. Your dad wanted me to keep you safe, and I intend to do that.

(Molly)
I don't want to be safe. I want to kill the bastards that killed my family!
=I was angry, scared, and tired. Not a good combination=

(Jason)
And they will die Molly, just not today. We have to go, and live. That's what your father wanted for you Molly: to live.

(Molly)
=I knew he was right, but I wanted to kill them=

(Jason)
=I walked over to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder=
Molly, your dad named me your godfather, on his deathbed. Now I don't like this anymore than you, but I am telling you right now: get on the ship, now.

(Molly)
=his words hit me. I did as i was told=
You've changed.

(Jason)
It's been a long time since we last met Molly. I'm still me, just a little different. I'll explain later.
=we boarded the Serenity=

(Miranda)
=I was down on the crew deck, sitting at the table. When Jason and a teenage girl I presumed was Borden's daughter, walked off the elevator. I got up=
Jason, are you okay? I heard there was something going on near the Rave?

(Jason)
Yeah, some gunmen came after Molly. I managed to save her.
=I glanced at Molly=

By the way, this is Molly Borden. Molly Borden, Miranda Moreau.

(Molly)
=I walked towards Miranda. She was stunning, though not in that whole model look. It was the way she carried herself: strong and confident. It was something I had been trying to do. I shook her hand=
Nice to meet you. So, are you Jason's wife?

(Miranda)
=I laughed a little=
Not yet. Fiancee.

(Jason)
=That made me feel guilty as hell. I still hadn't married Miranda yet (not that it would ever change anything)=
Okay, so now you've met Miri.

(Molly)
=I snorted=
"Miri?" You gave your fiancee a nic name?

(Jason)
Molly, when you love someone as much as I do her, you'll have a nic name for them too.
=I saw Miri grin=

(Miranda)
I'll take that as a complement Jason.

(Jason)
Okay Molly, we'll have to find a room for you, seeing as how you'll be staying. I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew soon.

(Molly)
Okay. How many rooms are here?

(Jason)
Well, there used to be six rooms here, but they were small, except for mine. We worked on the ship, and now each room is larger than before. Two are taken though, so that leaves you four rooms to pick from.
=I pointed at both my room, and the room Gabby and Kenny were staying in=

(Molly)
Uh, I'll take that one.
=I pointed at the farthest room, and closest to the elevator=

(Jason)
Sure. Make yourself at home.
=I let her walk into the room, while I talked with Miri=

(Miranda)
So, she's staying with us?

(Jason)
Yeah, I forgot to tell you something.
=I walked to the fridge, grabbed a drink, and sat down. I took a sip, and then=

Before he died, Borden named me Molly's godfather.

(Miranda)
=I dropped into my seat, stunned=
Godfather? Wow. Are you sure, that you're up for that kind of thing? I mean, hell, you've never even been a re--

=I stopped right there, and felt my hand go down to my stomach. I could still feel the scar=

(Jason)
=I took a deep breath=
I know. Being a father, is probably the last thing I'm ready for. I doubt I'll even be a good one.

=Hell, I never even had a "real" father to learn from. Just fake memories, and those were gone now=

(Miranda)
Do you care for her?

(Jason)
=I looked up=
Yeah, I do. She's been like the sister I never had. I'd be willing to take a bullet for her.

(Miranda)
Then you're already at a good start. She's your goddaughter now Jason. That means you have to care for her, as if she were your own flesh and blood, and you'll be a good father.

(Jason)
=I turned my hand over, and squeezed hers in mine=
I'm not sure I can do this alone. Care to help?

(Miranda)
=I smiled=
Wouldn't call myself your wife if I refused.

(Jason)
You know, we never did get married. I mean, no wedding, or priest. Hell, not even a simple legal judge.

(Miranda)
Well, did you want a anything like that?
=i kept the tone casual, but it was a loaded question=

(Jason)
I wouldn't have minded it. I mean, it would have been a nice change of things: no violence, death, or running. A happy day, with no reason whatsoever to be miserable. A beautiful day.

(Miranda)
I think I know what you mean. You hate all the darkness from your past, and everything you've been running from. A wedding, especially if it's to someone you love, would be enough to shine light into your life. A moment, for you to forget all your troubles, and be happy.

(Jason)
Yeah. But, I don't want to do it, if you don't? I mean, there is such a thing as eloping.

(Molly)
=I looked around my new room. It wasn't much; there was a bed, queen sized, and it looked comfortable. A desk and a chair was on one side of the room. A closet, empty. No bathroom, which meant I'd have to use the one on the crew deck. All in all, it wasn't great, but hey, a rooms a room. And so long as there weren't any bugs, I was fine=

*a few minutes later*

(Jason)
=I knocked on Molly's door=

(Molly)
=I heard a knock, and opened the door. Jason was standing outside=
Hey Jason. What's up?

(Jason)
Just wanted to talk, see how you were doing.
=I held up the bottle of water I brought=

Wanna drink?

(Molly)
=I grabbed the drink, and drank=
Do you want to come in?

(Jason)
Sure. We need to talk anyway.
=I walked in, and leaned against the wall=

(Molly)
So, what do you want to talk about?

(Jason)
I told you that a lot has happened. I also said that I would explain what happened. That's what I'm here for: filling you in.
=For the next thirty minutes, I explained everything: my friends on the Trophaeum, Olympus, my old team and Vigil's fall. The revelation that I was a genetically engineered clone, and half Forerunner at that. My "inheritance," of Haven, and all that was there. Delta's slaughter of the colonies, and my guardianship over the survivors. Like I said, everything=

--Unknown Sector of Space. Aboard the Silent But Deadly--

=Garuda Team sat at the holo table, awaiting their mission debriefing. They didn't have to wait long; an image appeared from the table-- Col. Hackett, the teams handler=

*Hackett*
Well done Garuda. The intel you've gathered is already being studied, and your new armor will be ready soon. However, from what I've been told, it is too expensive to combine all the necessary abilities into each set of armor. So, they are going to tailor each suit to specialize in a separate area: speed, strength, weapons. You'll get the details later. For now, return to base.

*Michael*
Affirmative.

--Back Aboard the Serenity--

(Jason)
=When I was done, I saw the look on Molly's face: astonishment=

(Molly)
=I recovered fast=
Wow. I guess you weren't kidding.

(Jason)
Nope. So, we're going to be heading back to Haven soon. Do you need anything?

(Molly)
Yeah actually. I was wondering, do you need a pilot?

(Jason)
What?

(Molly)
Do you need a pilot?

(Jason)
=I laughed=
You still want to fly?

(Molly)
=I grinned=
Never stop chasing what makes you happy.

(Jason)
=I grinned back at her=
Well, since you ask, there is a spot open on the crew. We do need a pilot, and while I'm good, you're better.

=A minute later, we were up at the bridge. I showed her the pilots chair, and she sat down, and got acquainted with the controls=
Okay, we're still in the docks. Now, we're free to go, but just take it ea--

(Molly)
=I started the engines, and slowly pulled the ship out of the dock. When we were high enough, I hit the forward engines, and sent us into space, breaking atmo. The ship handled like a dream, and I felt like I had been flying it my whole life=
Okay, where do we go now?

(Jason)
Argo, forward Molly the slip-space coordinates.

(Argo)
=I did as he asked, and sent Molly the coordinates=

(Molly)
=I got the coordinates, and plugged them into the computer. A few minutes later, we entered slip-space=



-End of "The Shepard and the Lamb."-