#picks up a stick off the ground and starts whittling a pen out of it | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

imrvbtrashdealwithit · 6 years

Text

Survival and Perseverance: The Great War, Part Four

Someone on the team get’s injured, leaving two unlikely ones to fill the silence.

Part One Part Two Part Three

I’ve got the whole thing *cough* majority of it written, so I’m just going to post as soon as I like. I was going to try to do a schedule but I’m excited!

In the field, they were exchanging fire with an enemy. Elizabeth’s shouts rang dull in his ears but he still followed the orders she gave.

“Locus! With me, we’re flanking!” Elizabeth ordered, jumping up quickly to provide cover fire as he rolled between the barricades. He came up by her side and she gazed at him, seeming to give him a look over and then she ducked down, he joined her. Despite his size, Locus was the best at stealth on her squad, other than Elizabeth herself.

“What’s the plan, Elizabeth?” He asked her as they set off, slowly, basically crawling across the ground to stay behind her barricades.

“Get up higher and take them out with sniper rifles. That building over there has windows and good cover.” She told him. If there had been someone else there listening to them, that person wouldn’t have had a single clue that the two were in a relationship. She was cold and calculated, an even voice that gave steady orders to a subordinate. Elizabeth and Locus weren’t sure if anyone on their team were aware of the relations.

They paused at the edge of the barricade. She cautiously stepped forward, every nerve in his body firing, a muted worry buzzing through his veins.

He heard Felix’s shout and then a prompt explosion and Elizabeth zipped forward diving through the crumbling wall of the building they had been hunkering next to. Locus followed, and she trotted forward, hands clutching the SAW in her hands. It the dull light of the evening in the building, Locus could see an etching on the barrel. Someone had taken the tip of a knife to the paint job, perhaps in a bored spell, and scratched off the paint off the barrel, in the crude design of flowers.

He imagined the bored Elizabeth Summers, holed up in her first base with her husband at her side, using her combat knife to whittle away at little bits of metal and paint. How did she feel when she was doing it? Was she bored? Or was she panicked, trying her best to calm herself in the midst of an onslaught?

They got into position on the third story, both pulling the rifles off their backs and kneeling. She took aim and fired, Locus followed, picking off the enemy one by one.

“Hey guys, I think one got away, keep your guard up.” Felix warned over comms.

“Noted, start falling back. Locus and me will follow.” Elizabeth ordered, scanning the area for the straggler. She found it when Locus let out a scream, crumpling to the ground, a plasma shot to the back, another to the leg. The SAW was in her hand before she realized it and she was unloading the barrel into the enemy. The Covenant fell to the ground in a heap, squirming and she stepped forward, taking her pistol from her hip, the SAW now empty. The Covenant moaned, rolling over and Elizabeth placed her boot on the alien’s neck and unloaded the clip into the back if its head.

Her sudden, professional, if not predatory state, slipped away and panic ebbed its way into her system as she turned to Sam. She rushed over to him, taking off his helmet. Her breathing came in rapid, terrified breaths. She saw his eyes swimming in their sockets, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth. He gave a cough, more blood spurting. He groaned, head rolling on his neck.

“Gates! Sam’s been shot! Get back here and help me.” She nearly screamed over the comms. Elizabeth turned Sam onto his stomach, taking a pen of biofoam and plunging it into the hole in his back. She repeated this with his leg.

“God, Sam, I’m so sorry.” She said, turning him back over and sliding her arm under his and heaved him up from the ground. She heard rushing feet up stairs and Elizabeth stood up, Sam clearly tried to hold himself up only managed to crumple again, nearly taking her to the ground as well.

“What are you apologizing for, you didn’t shoot me.” Sam said, wavering against her. She was vibrating, he wondered if her eyes were glassy. She wasn’t panicking, but she definitely wasn’t as calm as she should be.

Gates appeared, coming over to them and taking Sam’s other arm and shouldering half of Sam’s rather impressive weight. She had once pulled Ethan off the battlefield by herself, sprained her shoulder, but she got that damn lug to safety damn it. If she had to do it again, she would.

“How the hell did it get in here without us seeing, you were supposed to watch their backs, Jackson!” Gates demanded.

“I- I- I did. It must have went inside after we turned around! Sergeant Ortez, I’m so sorry! Lieutenant Summers, I-” “It’s okay, Miles. Get his helmet.” Elizabeth said, nodding back towards the abandoned piece of armor by the window as she and Gates started towards the stairs.

“No the fuck it’s not, Sam could die.” Gates hissed. Elizabeth looked at him, opening her mouth to reply.

“I’m not going to die, Felix. Stop worrying the privates.” Sam cut her off. Elizabeth gave a shuddery sigh and carefully picked her way over the crumbling steps.

“Go get the Warthog and bring it here, hurry.” Elizabeth told Courts, the soldier in purple nodded and ran off ahead of the group.

“Jackson, cover her.” Elizabeth ordered, Miles hesitated for a moment but brought his rifle up to eye level and hurried after the other private.

“You doing okay, Sam?” She asked him, almost directly into his ear. He looked at her and nodded, wincing. She placed a hand over the plasma hole on Sam’s back, making sure the biofoam was doing its job She heaved a sigh, wanting to tuck her head against his shoulder as they walked, it would be so easy to. She fought the urge, Sam had told her he hadn’t informed Gates of the fact that their relationship had taken a bit more of an intimate turn, they wanted to keep it under wraps. Sam definitely wasn’t getting any special treatment because of the turn in their relationship, but she knew she would get shit for it regardless. Especially from Gates, who already didn’t like her all that much.

Sam passed out about halfway down the stairs, nearly taking Gates and Elizabeth with him, with a few grunts and readjustments, they got Sam out to the Warthog and Elizabeth floored it back to base, Gates following suit on a Mongoose.

She sat by his bedside as he slept on in the medical tent. Gates didn’t really stick around after they said he was stable but he came every now and then to check on him. Elizabeth was known for sitting with wounded soldiers in the medical tent on her days off, so it wouldn’t raise any red flags. She was increasingly empathetic, it made the soldiers comfortable with her, but she still didn’t get close to any of them. Not after her last brigade.

It was dark when he woke, soft breathing on the mattress next to him made Sam look down, Elizabeth had her head resting on the very edge of the mattress. She must have snuck back in after the medics went to sleep. Locus looked around, checking for anyone in the general vicinity before gently placing a hand on the back of her head. Despite being in a war zone with limited hair products, her hair was soft and silky, perhaps even soothing against the rough calloused skin of Locus’s palm. He gave a sigh. She really shouldn't be in here though. Elizabeth could get in trouble.

She was a heavy sleeper apparently, not waking at the touch to the back of her head, where he would have woke with a start at the simplest of touches. Locus moved his hand to her shoulder and gave her a gentle shake. She roused peacefully, blinking her eyes as she looked up. Elizabeth looked at him and grinned.

“You're awake! Wonderful!” She spoke softly and reached up, laying a hand atop his. Her fingers wrapped around his. Locus gave a deep sigh, wincing as pain shot through him.

“Elizabeth you need to be in your quarters. If someone finds you you��ll get in trouble. I'm fine.” He told her, she gave a slight pout of her lips. Suddenly her true age showed though, big eyes gazing at him in the dark, long wavy hair falling over her shoulders and in front of her.

“I know.” She said. “I should've heard the alien. I should've known it was there.” Elizabeth said, bringing his palm to her hands and gently placing her lips to his skin.

“I didn't know it was there either, Elizabeth. I've survived worse. Now go back to your quarters before someone finds you.” He told her. She pouted again, then stood, a quick rub up his arm and she slunk away with the air off an offended cat. The corners of his mouth quirked, a twinge of amusement passing through him. Despite it he found himself wondering if they really should be doing this? Was it going to lead to anything really? Or was it just two people grasping for some semblance of affection in the midst of a war?

“So what, you banging the Lieutenant?” Locus’s blood ran cold as Felix slunk around the corner of a curtain. He stared at him for a moment, wide eyed.

“No I am not sleeping with her, Felix. She's just-”

“Then the two of you are in the process of getting to banging.” Isaac cut him off, there was a certain darkness in his eyes. Locus looked at him, speechlessness overcoming him.

“Don't report her, please. She's being incredibly objective, a little risky off the battlefield, but she's not doing anything wrong.” Locus told him.

“I'm not going to report your play thing, Sam. You owe me one.” Felix said, that wasn't good. He stared at Locus for a few moments, then with a roll of his eyes he left the medical tent.

Anxiety welled in his chest as he gave a stressful sigh. Felix didn't really mean harm. If he did anything to Elizabeth he’d be risking his partnership with Locus. He settled back down in the bed and tried to dose back off. But the plaguing thoughts of what Felix could want to go as far as potentially blackmailing him kept Locus awake. He stared at the ceiling, wide awake. It was fine. Felix really didn’t mean any harm. It was just a phrase, ‘you own me one.’ People said it all the time.

Isaac stalked silently through the base. He had decided to drop in and check on Sam, upon seeing Summers sleeping at Sam’s bedside like a dutiful housewife he had not only wanted to barf but he also hid, ducking behind a bed curtain to listen in for a few moments. Sam had woken up.

The whole exchange between the two of them was sickening. They were soldiers, this was war not a damn romance novel. She was fucking married. How was Sam okay with this? Isaac had overheard her and Sam talking on other occasions, her husband, David, was apparently fine with it, supposedly he started it. Those two were kids, he half expected that kind of stupidity from them but Sam was older, he should know better. War affairs only caused more hurt in the end. Seeing as David’s war affair got killed and it apparently affected them both.

He slipped back to his quarters, telling Miles to shut up and go back to sleep when the kid asked him where he had been. He all but yelped, however he went quiet and didn’t say anything else as Isaac stretched out on his bed, running Sam and Summers’s conversation through his head, sneering at the sound of the absolute joy in her voice when she first woke up to Sam being conscious.

If things kept going the way they were, she was going to get in the way. He and Sam had a plan. They were going to stick together. Them against whatever the hell the world had to throw at them. She had a husband, even if he wanted her to join them, what the hell were they supposed to do? No! She was fucking it up!

Isaac took in a deep, soothing breath. Something would happen, things always went his way. That’s why he was Felix. Shit’s always just worked out for him. She’d grow tired of Sam, just like Isaac kept telling him, or, well he didn’t want the kid to get killed, but that was always a possibility. He liked her plenty, but she was still a problem.

“You check on Sam today?” Isaac asked Summers as he sat down next to her in the mess hall. Her half lidded eyes widened with surprise. Neither one had been outright aggressive to the other for a few months now. Isaac had sensed how close Sam was getting to the Lieutenant and he figured as long as she didn’t cause any problems, being nice to her was fine. He sent a glance to her hair as the sleep bogged cogs in her head turned. It was brushed and woven into a tight braid.

“Hair’s getting long, you might want to cut it.” He commented before taking a drink of coffee.

“It’s fine, it’s braided, how much trouble can it be? And no, I haven’t checked on Sam today, I just

woke up.” She said, sounding every bit like the cranky teenager she was. He smirked.

“The hell is a braid supposed to do? If anything it’ll give the covenants a nice handle to grab you from a distance.” Gates told her. She smiled a little, drinking from her cup.

“Nah.” Elizabeth said simply. Isaac actually laughed.

“Denial won’t get you very far.” He told her.

“It’s not denial, it’s nihilism.” Summers said flatly. He snorted, poking at the rubbery looking sausage patty on his plate. It oozed a clear liquid, making his stomach churn.

“Tell you one thing, I sure as hell can’t wait to get home and get some decent fucking food.” He told her, steeling his nerves and cutting into the patty with his fork. Elizabeth smiled, laughing a little.

“Me and David used to talk about the food we’d pig out on when we got away from Lucaine. What’s something you miss?” She asked him. As previously stated, Isaac liked her plenty. She was a sweet kid, but that was also why she was such a problem.

“French fries. The ones that are salty as all hell.” He told her. She smiled.

“Oh damn, same.” Elizabeth told him with a final grin, she stuffed the remnants of her canned fruit in her mouth and picked up her tray.

“See ya, Isaac.” Summers mumbled around her food, then dropped off her tray and went slipped out of the mess hall.

“Sergeant Gates?” Miles’s voice asked and Isaac looked up, seeing the skittish kid in front of him, fingers tight around the edges of his tray. Wire framed glasses were perched precariously on the tip of his nose.

“Yeah?” He asked, eyebrows raising in inquisition, unspoken as to why his breakfast was being interrupted. Summers had previously suggested Isaac go easier on the poor kid; he was scared on his first deployment. Well Gates wasn’t coddled by his superiors on his first deployment, why should he be any different?

“I-I heard Sergeant Ortez woke up today. Medics say he’ll be fine.” Isaac stared deadpan at the kid.

“Does it change the fact that an enemy combatant got the drop on him because you neglected your duties?” Isaac said. Poor Miles looked like Gates just straight up stabbed him.

“N-no.” He mumbled.

“Well then… “ Isaac said icily. Miles swallowed hard and scampered away.

“God you’re such a dick.” Summers’ voice reappeared, he turned looking over his shoulder at her. She had a couple of packages in her arms.

“Drones got here today. I grabbed the care package your brother made for you.” She said, shuffling the boxes and handing him one. Isaac took it, reading over the lettering, then set the box down next to his tray.

“Thanks, Summers.” He told her. He was sure it was full of handmade knick-knacks and homemade beef jerky. The usual.

“Who sends you stuff? Isn’t your husband on deployment, too?” Isaac asked her, nodding at the remaining box in her arms.

“Yeah, but I have more family than David. My mother, for instance. She sends me the care packages. Alright, well, see you later, for real this time.” Elizabeth said, sauntering off to whatever she was stationed for the day.

Isaac found himself hoping things would peter out; because he really did like the kid.

#Locus rvb #Felix rvb #original character rvb #Survival and Perseverance

5 notes · View notes