Chapter 17

A hand gently working through my mane roused me from sleep, I kept my eyes closed and nuzzled into it.

"Mm, Aries," I mumbled.

Jersey sighed, "Sorry, it's just me."

I opened my eyes and lifted my chin up and rested it against the chest of Jersey's tank top, she looked down at me with apologetic eyes. I hid my frown in the folds of her shirt. It's not that I didn't love being with Jersey, but I hadn't seen Aries since he was taken from me by Tex, and now I want to know what was up. I couldn't understand why she even needed to talk to him, especially when he looked so paralyzed to see her.

"You're a really warm pillow, Grease."

"You find out what Andee did with Milo's info."

"Yeah. Andee was lookin' for another way to make some money- Animal skins and leather."

"Really?"

"No bullshit. Leather is good for a lotta shit, and people really love their animal skins. At least that's what he said to me. He could be collecting all that shit for his secret BDSM dungeon for all I care."

I chuckled lightly.

"We should get up before Wash comes around and nags us for resting, we ain't all machines like him."

I unwrapped my arms from Jersey's waist and sat up, my brain still stuck on one thing.

Where's Aries?

It wasn't like him to not be there when we got back, and it really wasn't like him to not check in on us. I could only wonder what exactly this Tex woman said to him, or who she was to him. Jersey stood up and rolled her shoulders, popping a few joints. I put on my armor and Jersey put on hers, I grabbed my weapons and Jersey grabber her SMGs. We walked out into the base, Jersey began to talk to me, but I was busy looking around. Ten minutes later, the chupa I was looking for walked out of another hall with a red maned shadow. They approached us and the shaken up look on Aries' face was gone, but there was a nervousness in his eyes.

Tex glanced at the two of us, "You Icarus?"

"All day," I answered cautiously, "You Tex?"

"All day."

I turned my nose up at her repeating my response.

"Jersey's here too."

"I noticed."

"Did you really? Normally, people say hello to one another."

I glared her in the eyes.

I ain't afraid of you.

"Jersey," Tex acknowledged Jersey flatly.

Jersey crossed her arms and maintained a cold stare, "Texas."

"You seemed to be looking for us, Tex," I couldn't help but look at Aries. "Whaddya want from us?"

Aries, for lack of a better term, looked shell-shocked. He wouldn't even look at me. The swords and throwing knives I'd come to know and love him for were nowhere to be found, but he had a second holster on his opposite thigh to dual wield handguns, just like the red maned chupa next to him. As well as, a worn Battle Rifle hung on a sling over his shoulder.

What did she do to you? You don't use rifles.

"It's need-to-know, and all you need to know is to get your ass in gear to the pelican. The smiling weirdo is there with your pilot."

Tex began to walk and Aries began to follow, but I caught him by the wrist and held him until she walked out of sight. Something was very wrong, "Aries. What the fuck's going on? Why's she talking like she's in charge?"

"Agent Texas is in charge. She's always in charge," he muttered, still not looking at me. "Always. She's the leader."

It was like he was in a trance.

"Aries..."

He looked at me with contemplative eyes.

"I need to hear it from you. I don't give a fuck what she says, whoever she is, she's not the boss of us. We take orders from you. Are we really doing this?"

"...Yes," He stated almost hesitantly, "I owe Agent Texas my life, this is the only time she's ever asked me for help."

"You can always say 'no'," Jersey hissed with hostility, standing next to me with her arms crossed.

"I... Can't. I have to do this."

"Working with Tex is bad fucking news, Aries. She don't play well with others and someone always gets killed, or worse. She only acts tough because she's survived so many of these train wreck operations."

"Astrid... Icarus... I understand if you don't want to do this. This is my debt, not yours."

"We never said we would let you do this alone."

For the first time during that whole conversation, Aries almost looked at ease.

---

I winced at the roar of the pelican's engines and put my helmet on, Tex and Aries stood near the pilot cabin near the front while I cradled Snowpiercer near the opening in the back. Across from me, Joy fiddled with what looked like a launcher of some sort. He tapped the trigger lightly, and it hissed for a moment before winding up then down.

"For the record," Jersey came in over radio, warthog engines roaring in the background. "I have a bad fucking feeling about this."

"I know," I whispered, adjusting my field bag. "But I'm not leaving him with her."

"See you soon, Icarus."

"Same to you, Astrid. Out."

This mission felt fishy. We arrived to the target location, grabbed a mystery package. It was all too easy, no hitches, barely any resistance. Maybe it was my distrust of Tex, but this plan was full of bullet holes. Said mystery package was being tinkered with by the native across from me. I didn't like that it had weird moving parts and hissed like a serpent. Joy then hefted it onto his shoulder, giggling like a child with a new toy.

"What does it do?"

Joy turned his head toward me, eyes closed as usual. It made me wonder how he could see, "It is the hand of the elder gods. It spits a red beam of fire. Such power does not belong in mortal hands... Yet, I have been graced with the gods' gift. I am forever grateful."

"I can tell," I added with a smirk as he gently stroked the weapon with his long claws. I thought for a moment, I wasn't a religious guy, but I figured I'd ask. "What did these... gods tell you about this mission? I imagine you... read some tea leaves or something to tell your fortune."

"The gods give... And they take. Nobody is free to choose when they stay or go."

That's... Grim.

"Why do you ask? Are you interested in learning of-"

"Eyes up, we got a tail," Tex shouted.

I raised up Snowpiercer and aimed down the sight at the pursuing vehicle, another pelican that was unmarked.

Spec ops.

I fired at the cockpit and the glass splintered but didn't shatter. "Dammit!"

The nose gun whirled around to face us, I shoved Joy to the floor, and gunfire lit up our ride. Muffled alarms blared from behind the cockpit door.

"Icarus," Foehammer shouted, "Do something about that fuckin' bird!"

"I'm workin' on it!"

I ripped my helmet off, clipping it onto my hip. I kneeled and took aim, eye lined up perfectly in the iron sights, while my off eye watched the impact point of my first shot. The auto cannon began to spin up. I took a deep breath in. My finger squeezed the trigger and the pilot's head jerked back, painting his short-sighted plans on the metal wall before he went face down on the sticks.

"I can see why you keep him around," I heard Tex comment, and my blood boiled.

How dare she imply I'm only 'kept around'?

I stood up to give her a piece of my mind, and a bullet ricocheted off my shoulder pad. With a glance over my shoulder, I watched as another soldier shoved the dead pilot out of the seat to continue the pursuit. I worked Snowpiercer 's action to put another bullet through the cockpit, but Joy had readied his 'weapon'.

"Witness the hand of the gods, Snow-kin," the jam-colored chupa shouldered the weapon and held the trigger. A blinking red beam flickered out of the rotating pieces in the barrel as the thing hissed, and the barrel grew red, it roared in defiance before the end was blindingly bright.

"Joy-"

That was all I was able to get out before it fired a bright red laser beam with a deafening scream, sliding the small chupa back several feet and searing a hole clear through the other drop-ship.

What the fuck did we steal?

Joy turned his head away from the aircraft before it barreled into us, sending everyone slamming against a wall and knocking him out cold as we began to free-fall.

"Foehammer!"

"Come on, you bitch! Gimme some power- Gimme the sticks back," she shouted.

Joy and I hovered in the air while Tex braced herself, I caught a glimpse of Aries' tail vanishing into the cockpit. I grabbed Joy by the collar and threw him toward Tex before kicking the still sizzling weapon over toward them, I found a decent place to hunker down and braced with Snowpiercer.

"Jersey, this is Foehammer! We're going down in the- You won't be able to miss it. Coordinates: Foxtrot Omega Rho Echo Sigma Theta-"

My head hit something hard and everything went dark.

When my eyes opened, my ears were met with percussive claps of gunfire, rifles from what I could tell, and fire was returned by handguns. A piercing headache stabbed at my skull. The inside of the cabin was completely upside down, Snowpiercer still clutched in my hands. Joy was laid out net to me with a metal panel that must have fell on him and his weapon nowhere to be found, the smell of blood filled my senses. I pushed myself up and scrabbled over to him, I didn't much like him, but I wasn't about to let him die here. Pushing the panel away immediately revealed a piece of shrapnel that pierced his midsection, I hit Joy's face a light slap. He stirred but didn't wake.

Okay, he's alive.

I put Snowpiercer over my shoulder before picking up and throwing the unconscious chupa's arm over my shoulder, holding him up and walking him up towards the outcast sky out the crashed vehicle. I stepped out under the stormy sky and the ground shifted under my feet, I grabbed Joy and protected him with my body as we slid down the dirt incline. My face splashed into some liquid on the ground, I spat out the foul liquid and used my hand to push myself up from it. His face didn't look right, void of that creepy smile. I gently laid him on the ground, then staggered to my feet. A shot whizzed over the hill and I dropped low. A slow fire was spreading around, that was when the smell hit me.

Gasoline.

Aries bolted past me, cartwheeling and returning fire on whoever was shooting at us. The fire began to grow, burning in a wild pattern, and I began to feel the heat.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I heard Foehammer shout somewhere nearby, possibly from one of the dirt mounds. "This is FUBAR as fuck."

"Shut up and shoot back," Texas barked at her.

My ringtail darted past a partially decimated house we must have hit when we crashed, I hoped nobody was inside when we went down. I needed cover so I could return fire.

Quickly sitting Joy up against the dirt pile, I crossed the line of fire and dove behind a still standing stone half-wall. From the new cover, my enemies could be seen popping in and out to return fire at Aries and I assumed Tex. I raised my rifle and cranked off a shot, taking the helmet off of one guy before rechambering. Aries ran back toward where I assumed Tex was, tossing away empty magazines, spinning his pistols while he reloaded before standing atop the hill. In his own heroic way, he held back the enemy with assisted suppressing fire. Poking out once more, I popped a shot and hit a soldier in the chest. The shot tore a hole through his vest, dropping them like a sack of bricks.

Two warthogs pulled up loaded with soldiers. I muttered a curse and sighted the one with the most different looking armor config and popped off two rapid fire shots, dropping him. The smell of fuel lit up my senses and was almost overwhelming. I looked over, the fuel that had been leaking must have started pooling near my cover. I stood up, saw barrels pointed my direction, and ducked back down.

Fuck!

Pieces of the rock wall blasted away above my head. I looked back toward the pelican, the line of fuel was ignited and Aries still stood on his perch raining down fire.

"Contra," Tex shouted.

She wouldn't dare.

"Toraedor, Roulette, Lattice!"

I tried to break cover, slipping into the foul smelling liquid. The flame reached me and I couldn't separate myself from the flame as it ate away at my fur. It hurt worse than being shot, and my drenched fur only fed it, my face felt the searing heat and I tried to pat out the flames. The screams that escaped my mouth made my throat sting, but I couldn't stop. I looked up from my hand that was engulfed in flame to see 'Hope' with his claws outstretched for a solder who aimed a shoulder mounted tube at me, the rocket darted for me out the tube.

It hit the ground and a deafening boom knocked me into the void once more.

The roar of rainfall woke me from my slumber, there was no more gunfire. I opened my eyes and tried to move, something must have been laying on top of me because I couldn't roll over onto my back. Lining up my hands right under me, I pushed up as hard as I could. Whatever was there gave way and fell off of my back, firelight greeted me. The pelican's shape faintly outlined by the dying flame as it danced in the darkness, the silence only broken by the weak cracking of the flame in the rain. The shadows of rifles and bodies scattered around what had been our crash site, evidence of a battle long passed.

My eyes burned, and as sensation returned to my body so did my hand, face and tail. I stepped out of the wreckage of the house and around the divot that was created by the rocket, which was now filling with rainwater. Snowpiercer quietly clattered against my armor as I walked until I stopped in front of the dying light. I tried to say something but the noise only a hoarse whisper came out, calling for help was out of the question. I began searching the bodies, looking for Aries.

He can't be dead.

To my relief, none of the bodies belonged to him. Unfortunately, none of the bodies were Tex either.

I could walk back to base from here, I knew this area. I unclipped my scuffed up helmet from my hip and placed it on, located the pelican and began to walk in the direction it was facing.

"Icarus..."

A voice called out to me. I knew that voice. I ran back over to the mound near the pelican, still sitting where I left him, was Joy. The chupa was soaked, teeth clenched and eyes forced shut. I ran over, threw his arm over my shoulder and picked him up. His grimace changed to surprise and for the first time he really opened his eyes, the amber just as bright as the flame.

"Th-thank you Snow-kin, I prayed you would not forget about me. It was quiet when I awoken. I feared everyone had... perished. I heard movement, figured it were you... or someone coming to finish the job. We should go."

We began a slow hobble into the foliage, away from the carnage. For the most part, Joy was silent. Only occasionally huffing in exertion or grunting in pain, hopefully he could hold together until we could get someone to look at him. The rain showed no signs of letting up, and it was nigh impossible to see in the darkness. I took another step and something cylindrical grazed my foot, my night vision activated on my helmet. Rifle caliber and pistol caliber shells littered the matted down grass.

Not a good sign.

Besides the trails of shell casings in the underbrush and trees riddled with bullet holes, the woods were a ghost town. Void of even the call of nighttime insects, it was unnatural. I continued, not wanting to concern Joy. Right now, he needed to-

Gunfire erupted somewhere on my left, but I ignored it. I had an injured man, priorities.

"This is Jersey, transmitting in the blind!"

Astrid?!

"We're pinned down and need a hand, someone, anyone, we need help ASAP! Keep your head down!"

I'm on my way.

I shifted, picking up Joy in a fireman carry, and rushed toward the gunfire. The distant pops became thunderous claps, we came through some bushes and at the bottom of a steep hill was a horizontally turned transport warthog. Chupas sat behind it for cover while under fire from a warthog with a minigun on top. There was a figure by the transport hog with an ornate helmet and holding two weapons.

Astrid.

I set Joy down gently against a tree, reloaded Snowpiercer, and got down to a low crouch. I pulled the trigger, catching the gunner off guard and slumping them over the passenger seat. Working the bolt, I put another shot downrange, and the shot instantly put down the soldier who tried to take his place. I slid the bolt back and forth before downing a third, then a fourth, and then hitting two with one bullet. I watched Astrid charge across the distance before hopping over the hood of the warthog and killing the remaining soldiers that tried to hide from my line of sight, the armored chupa turned toward my general direction and gave a tentative wave.

"Thanks, stranger. If that was you, Icarus, I owe you one."

I carefully backed away from the ledge and went back, picked up Joy and continued the walk. Hopefully I could save two lives tonight.

Just like I had practiced many times since I'd been at this base, I began to walk inside away from the rain. I knew at least thirty ways to get into this place that even Wash didn't know. I turned the corner and everyone froze, many sets of eyes rested on me, but only one pair mattered. Jersey and York rushed over to take Joy from me, leaving me free to stare him down. He was still next to Tex, she looked uninterested. Aries stepped forward away from her and I walked toward him until we were only steps apart, he looked happy to see me. I grit my teeth and clenched both my fists.

"Icarus, I thought-" He removed my helmet and pulled away, dropping my helmet. My facial burns exposed to the open air.

He reached in for an embrace and I shoved him away with all my might.

How dare he?

I dug deep and shouted in his face, "You left me behind!"

"I-"

It took every ounce of strength not to punch him straight in his confused face.

"What fucking sorry ass excuse could you possibly have?"

"Well-"

"What? You were wolfed out? What stopped you from coming back to find me?"

"Icarus, listen-"

"Nothing was stopping you. I coulda been fuckin' dead 'n here you are, I wa'n't even a thought in your mind 'til I walked in here. You know what? Tex is right. You only kept me around 'cause I was useful, I'm a good shot, 's all I ever was to you. A tool." I jabbed a finger into his chest.

"I would never say anything like that," Aries shot back, stomping a foot. Before today, I might've flinched. But it just looked childish now.

"Ya' didn't have to. You showed me just how important I am. I can't believe I fucking trusted you, threw me away the first chance ya got- But you know what, I'll give you the chance to explain. Tell me exactly what stopped you from coming to help me. To even look for me. To even make sure I was fucking alive. Go ahead, Hope. Tell me!"

His yellow eyes looked panicked as he took a half-step back away from me, his jaw worked, but no words came out. My eyes burned.

Somehow it hurt more that he had nothing to say.

I quietly picked up my helmet, turned away from him and cradled Snowpiercer.

"I think we're done here, Rogue Leader. Tell Wash I'm not coming back."

I hesitated, waiting for something. But nothing happened. I put on the helmet and walked out into the monsoon. There must have been a leak in my helmet, though, because it somehow kept raining inside it.

Red vs Blue © Rooster Teeth. Halo © 343 Industries. Concept by Myshu, assisted by The Department of Chupapology.