Halo_ The Fall of Reach - Eric Nylund [26]
hand, and clamped it to the bar. He twisted the bar and crushed the bones of his attacker’s wrist. John snapped a side kick toward the second man, caught him in the groin, crushing the soft organs and breaking his target’s pelvis.
John pulled the bar free—whipped around and caught the third man in the neck, hitting him so hard the ODST was propelled over the ropes. “At ease, Number 117,” Chief Petty Officer Mendez barked.
John obeyed and dropped the bar. Like the pin, it seemed to take too long for the impromptu weapon to hit the deck. The ODSTs lay crumpled on the ground, either unconscious or dead.
Mendez, at the far end of the gym, strode toward the boxing ring. The Sergeant stood with his mouth open. “Chief Mendez, sir!” He snapped a crisp salute. “What are you —” He turned to John, his eyes widened, and he murmured, “He’s one ofthem , isn’t he?”
“Medics are on their way,” Mendez said calmly. He stepped closer to the Sergeant. “There are two intel officers waiting for you in Ops. They’ll debrief you . . .” He stepped back. “I suggest you report to them immediately.”
“Yes, sir,” the Sergeant said. He almost ran out of the gym. He looked once over his shoulder at John; then he moved even faster. “Your workout is over for today,” Mendez told John. John saluted and left the ring. A team of medics entered with stretchers and rushed toward the boxing ring. “Permission to speak, sir?” John said. Mendez nodded.
“Were those men part of a mission? Were they targets or teammates?” John knew that thishad to be some sort of mission. The Chief had been too close for it to be a coincidence.
“You engaged and neutralized a threat,” Mendez replied. “That action seems to have answered your
question, Squad Leader.” John wrinkled his forehead as he thought it through. “I followed the chain of command,” he said. “The Sergeant told me to fight. I was threatened and in imminent danger. But they were still UNSC Special Forces. Fellow soldiers.”
Mendez lowered his voice. “Not every mission has simple objectives or comes to a logical conclusion. Your priorities are to follow the orders in your chain of command, and then to preserve your life and the lives of your team. Is that clear?”
“Sir,” John said. “Yes, sir.” He glanced back at the ring. Blood was seeping into the canvas mat. John had an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach.
He hit the showers and let the blood rinse off him. He felt strangely sorry for the men he had killed.
But he knew his duty—the Chief had even been unusually verbose in order to clarify the matter. Follow orders and keep himself and his team safe. That’s all he had to focus on. John didn’t give the incident in the gym another thought.
CHAPTER EIGHT
0930 Hours, September 11, 2525 (Military Calendar) / Epsilon Eridani System, Reach UNSC Military Complex, planet Reach
Dr. Halsey reclined in Mendez’s padded chair. She considered pilfering one of the Sweet William cigars from the box on his desk—see why he considered them such a treat. The stench wafting from the box, however, was too overwhelming. How did he stand them?
The door opened and CPO Mendez halted in the doorway. “Ma’am,” he said, and stood straighter. “I wasn’t informed that you would be visiting today. In fact, I had understood that you were out of the system for another week. I would have made arrangements.”
“I’m sure you would have.” She folded her hands in her lap. “Our situation has changed. Where are my Spartans? They are not in their barracks, nor on any of the ranges.”
Mendez hesitated. “They can no longer train here, ma’am. We had to find them . . . other facilities.”
Dr. Halsey stood and smoothed the pleats in her gray skirt. “Maybe you should explain that statement, Chief.”
“I could,” he replied, “but it will be easier to show you.”
“Very well,” Dr. Halsey said, her curiosity piqued. Mendez escorted her to his personal Warthog parked outside his office. The all-terrain combat vehicle had been refitted; the heavy chain-gun on the back had been removed and replaced with a rack of Argent V missiles.
Mendez drove them off the base