Chapter 3-A: Calm before the Storm Part 3

(He sits down beside her)
@Ash
I know.
I know what you are going through.

=i start doing actual combat patterns. i swing the hook, catching an invisible target in the neck and pulling him towards me. i swing the blade, impaling the target where the neck would be=

Like they understand you in the back of the jet
When you can't put gas in your tank

These fuckers are laughing their way to the bank and cashing the check
Asking you to have compassion and have some respect

For a leader so nervous in an obvious way
Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay

And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day
In their living room laughing like "what did he say?"

Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen

=She looks back at him=
So you know that you can't say anything... I will never be the same, I can't think about what other people well think about it...

=She lied down on the sand=

=i pause as Zeru asks me the question= My religion simply states that your name defines who you are. As for Latin, your name isn't in there. If you can figure out what it means, then maybe you can find out who you are.

@Ash
I know that all I can say is it will get better.
All I can do is help you to learn to walk with it.

(He lays down with her)
(Looking at the sky)

=She began to cry=
You don't know, the pain... It was ripped from my body... I couldn't even breath

=She turns to him=
All I can remember is the pain, the screams... I was just lying there...

I was so scared! I almost died...

(He wipes a tear from her cheek)
(He skakes his head)
@Ash
And that is why.
Why, I feel so terrible.
It is my fault.
We should have been in the cave.

=She crawls closer to him=
I... can't tell you this wouldn't of happened if we didn't go to the caves, but no one could of know...

=She hugs him=
I'm just so scared... Thought we where here to escape war... But we just brought it here

(He hugs her back)
(He begins to tear up)
@Ash
I know that feeling of being scared.
So affraid.
Unknowing of what to do.

(He kisses her)

=She looks back out to the sea=
I don't feel to good Draco...

=The tide starts to move in shore=

@Ash
Rest is what you need

=i resume training. I block phantom blows with the forearm plate, i stab and slice with the hook-cable-blade and my knife, i maneuver invisible enemies with my hook=

In my living room watching but I am not laughing
Cause when it gets tense I know what might happen

World is cold the bold men take action
Have to react or get blown into fractions

Ten years old it's something to see
Another kid my age drugged under a jeep

Taken and bound and found later under a tree
I wonder if he had thought the next one could be me

Do you see the soldiers they're out today
They brush the dust from bullet proof vests away

It's ironic at times like this you pray
But a bomb blew the mosque up yesterday

=She looks back at the base=
I don't want to go back there... I don't want anyone to see this, I don't want you to see it..

@Ash
When I see you
I dont see your leg
I see you
as a person
as my love.
If they truly care
They will not see your leg
But you as a person

There's bombs in the buses, bikes, roads
Inside your market, your shops, your clothes

My dad he's got a lot of fear I know
But enough pride inside not to let that show

My brother had a book he would hold with pride
A little red cover with a broken spine

On the back, he hand-wrote a quote inside
When the rich wage war it's the poor who die

Meanwhile, the leader just talks away
Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay

And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day
both scared and angry like "what did he say?"

=i keep going, singing louder and louder. my moves become more fluid and devestating. i rake the knife across the eyes of an imaginary enemy, only to impale him in the forehead. i spin the cable along my arm to eviscerate phantom enemies behind me with the hook and blade=

@Ash
We do not need to go back.

=whatches him and realizes he is open=

I can't sit here forever...

=She looks back at the sea=
My life will never be the same...

=She cover her face with her hands, and cries=
I can't even walk... Why? Why does this always happen? Why can't we escape fighting?

@Ash
I cant answer that.
The way I was raised
It said everything happens for a reason
But, I left that.
All of that.

Oni will not let up until they think we are dead

Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen

With hands held high into the sky so blue,
As the ocean opens up to swallow you.

With hands held high into the sky so blue,
As the ocean opens up to swallow you.

With hands held high into the sky so blue,
As the ocean opens up to swallow you.

With hands held high into the sky so blue,
As the ocean opens up to swallow you.

With hands held high into the sky so blue,
As the ocean opens up to swallow you.

With hands held high into the sky so blue,
As the ocean opens up to swallow you.

=i finish, moving my arm so the cable wraps itself along my arm, the hook ending at my shoulder, the prongs on either side of it=

Why don't we just give up...? I'm to tired to fight any more

=She turns around=
I really don't feel well Draco..

=her skin turns pale=

(He notices her skin turn pale)
Oh crap
Cmon
We have to go

(He lifts her up and runs to the base)

=i see Draco carrying Ash. Ash is pale. I jog over and run with him= Cmon. Let's get her feeling better.

=i call out= ZERU!

=on comms=

already heading to med bay

What's wrong...?

=her heart beat races, her skins becomes cold=

(They continue to the Medbay)
(He lays Ash down)
(He kisses her, her skin feeling cold)

Draco..? What's happening? I feel real dizzy

=She closes her eyes=

(He kisses her again)
@Ash
Stay with me.
Cmon.

=i put as much force into my words as i can. i whisper to her= Ashlie Cole. This should not be your time. Do not let it be your time to walk the Road of Return. Stay here, with Draco. He needs you.

=Immer returns to the Spirit and sees Voutan playing video games in the Rec Room=

Voutan- Hey Immer. What's up?

Immer- I feel horrible. That poor girl, Ash i think her name is, She's so upset. Earlier i overheard them talking about not wanting to fight anymore, and their hatred towards ONI. i think we shoud do something about that.

Voutan- Oh?

=Immer goes to the bridge and gets on Comms with ONI=

=i try another tactic to keep her awake= Ash, tell us about who you are. Who you want to be. Where you want to go and where you have been. Who you have seen and who you want to see.

Tell us, please.

Who am I...?

=She opened her eyes=
I don't know... Where am I?

(He looks at her)
@Ash
Ash.
You are at the Medbay

Why what happened...? Draco I had the worst dream..

=She reaches her hand out to his=

(He grabs her hand)
@Ash
Tell me
(He tears up)
Tell me about it
(He manages a smile)

Immer- =On comms with ONI= This is Immer Reist to ONI, respond.

ONI- We read you. Whats your status?

Immer- Mission complete, but there were some complications.

ONI- Elaborate.

Immer- We lost one of ours, and the situation got out of hand. We had to kill them all.

ONI- Them all?

Immer- Yes, as it turned out, the wanted refugees were here too. We had no choice but to kill them. Sending you a status report now.

Code:

STATUS REPORT/ UNSC REFUGEES

...PASSWORD:
*****
ACCESS GRANTED

NAME__________STATUS
Aslie Cole_______Terminated
Dormii Fortuni___Terminated
Zeru___________Terminated
Snow__________Terminated
Jay____________Terminated
David Clark______Terminated
Vas Hilld________Termianted
UNIDNTIFIED SPARTAN____Terminated
End report/

=She ends comms with ONI and heads back to the compound with Voutan. They head to the Rec Room and begin to play pool=

=She smiles at him=
Why are you crying? It was just a dream... Its all over now..

Ash, you were pale. You didn't know what was going on.

(He holds her hand tighter)
@Ash
Just..........tell me about it

=She grips his hand tighter=
It was nice for awhile... You and me where on the beach...

=she spots more tears running down his face=
What's wrong Draco? What happened?

I continue scanning for David, my anger rising everytime i catch a glimpse of Ash.

Just you wait you bastard. You'll pay.

David, now currently on the Spirit, configures a custom suit of MJOLNIR. The CQB helmet's silver visor shone brightly in the lights of the ship, but would do nicely for stealth-ops with little light. He fitted the left shoulder with the Recon plate, and, after foraging around, found a spare CQC shoulder for his right arm, which would do well as a blunt weapon. He strapped on three universal magazine-pouches to the front torso, a spare med-kit on his left thigh, and a bracer -which would also do nicely for combat, on his left arm. He completed the suit with a steel and cobalt blue finish.

After configuring the suit, he left it on the ship, as it would be too heavy to carry and he didn't have time to test it out at the moment. He headed back to the rec-room.

=Immer heads down to medical with Voutan. They walk in, and Immer goes and sits on the bed next to hers=

Immer- So how you holdin up?

=Draco can't talk, so i do it for him= Ash, it seemed like you were about to die.

An idea comes to mind as i set my Sniper facing the forest edge and hit my comms on

David, you up for that run now?

I smile to myself

=Her heart beat slowed, and her skin became even colder=
Who are you...? What happened...?

=She looks over to Dormii=
What do you mean? I can't remember...

David looks to his comms, "Sure. I'll meet you where the jungle starts." David jogs over to the edge, looking around for Jay.