Chapter 27
Location: Veridian - Ashton Ridge, Outer Perimeter
Date: February 5, 2533
Time: 1015 Hours
The city was a maze of destruction and chaos. Every corner we turned revealed more devastation—collapsed buildings, burning wreckage, and the scattered remains of UNSC and Covenant forces locked in deadly combat. The sounds of plasma fire and explosions never seemed to stop, echoing through the streets as we pushed deeper into Ashton Ridge, trying to secure the evacuation routes for the civilians.
"Bravo, move up!" I shouted into the comms, motioning for my fireteam to advance. "We need to clear that intersection!"
Silva and Barnes sprinted ahead, their rifles trained on the Covenant forces clustered around the remains of a wrecked Warthog. Plasma bolts rained down from a nearby rooftop, and I dropped to one knee, firing a burst from my M392, trying to suppress the Jackals that had taken up position there.
"Get those shields down!" I barked, adrenaline surging through me as the firefight intensified. "Alice, how's the left flank?"
"We're holding," she replied over the comms, her voice strained but steady. "But they're sending in more Elites. We're going to need backup."
I clenched my jaw, glancing at Sam, who was kneeling behind a piece of rubble, keeping a close watch on our six. She looked focused, as always, her medkit slung over her shoulder as she scanned the area for wounded. But something was off. She wasn't moving as smoothly as usual, and there was a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead that I hadn't noticed before.
"Sam, you good?" I asked, my voice cutting through the comms as I fired off another burst toward the Jackals.
She nodded, but I could tell she was holding something back. "Yeah," she muttered, her voice tight. "I'm fine."
But a moment later, I saw her body tense, her hand flying to her stomach. Her face twisted in discomfort, and she suddenly lurched forward, her helmeted head dipping as she fought to hold back a wave of nausea. Without warning, she pulled her helmet off, turned to the side, and vomited behind the rubble.
I froze for a second, my mind racing. This wasn't just combat fatigue—Sam never showed weakness, not like this. But before I could ask her again, a plasma bolt slammed into the debris next to me, showering us with sparks and dirt.
"Focus, Cass," I muttered to myself, forcing my attention back to the battle. "We've got work to do."
I didn't push her further right then, knowing we had to survive the moment. But the image of Sam hunched over, her face pale with nausea, stuck in the back of my mind. Something was wrong, and I needed to find out what.
Location: Veridian - Ashton Ridge, Civilian Evacuation Route
Date: February 5, 2533
Time: 1030 Hours
We had managed to clear the intersection, pushing the Covenant forces back long enough to get a group of civilians moving toward the evacuation point. The air was thick with smoke and dust, and I could hear the distant roar of Warthogs and Scorpion tanks as they rumbled toward the battle lines, adding to the chaos of the city.
I jogged up beside Sam, who had fallen back to check on one of the wounded soldiers we had picked up along the way. She looked better now, but the memory of her getting sick just minutes earlier was still fresh in my mind.
"You sure you're okay?" I asked, keeping my voice low so the others wouldn't overhear.
She wiped a hand across her mouth, avoiding my gaze for a moment before finally looking up at me. "Yeah," she said softly, though I could hear the uncertainty in her voice. "I don't know what that was. Just felt… off for a second."
I frowned, watching her carefully. "It's not like you to get sick during a mission. Are you sure it's just nerves?"
Sam shrugged, but the motion seemed more like a cover than an answer. "Maybe. Could be something I ate. It's nothing."
But I wasn't so sure. Something gnawed at the back of my mind—a feeling that this was more than just combat stress or bad food. The way she had been acting recently, the small changes in her mood and energy levels, it was all starting to add up in a way that made me uneasy.
I didn't press her any further. Not here. Not in the middle of a battle. But I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something she wasn't telling me—something that neither of us had considered yet.
"Just stay sharp," I said, trying to keep the concern out of my voice. "We need you at your best out here."
Sam nodded, giving me a small, tired smile. "Always."
Location: Veridian - Ashton Ridge, Defensive Line
Date: February 5, 2533
Time: 1045 Hours
We pushed forward, the battle raging around us as we cleared another street and set up a defensive line to hold the Covenant at bay. The civilians had made it through to the evacuation point, but the Covenant wasn't done yet. More reinforcements were arriving, and the fight was far from over.
I glanced at Sam again as she moved through the squad, checking on Alice and some of the rookies who had taken minor hits in the firefight. She seemed steady enough now, but I could see the fatigue weighing on her.
I made a mental note to check in with her later—once we were out of this mess. But for now, there was a war to fight.