1200 HOURS, NOVEMBER 15, 2554 (UNSC MILITARY CALENDAR)
HALO INSTALLATION: SIRCA--QOPPA--FREELANCER HEADQUARTERS

He had to leave him behind. Because of Beth, Tysiac had to leave the Director behind.

After a final conversation with the Director, discussing Halo Installations, Sirca's true nature, and what little Tysiac could declassify; He knew he had to leave. Tysiac had to stop her.

She was angry. She was justified in being angry, Bethany had every right to be. But if Tysiac allowed Bethany to go, if he let her out of his sight; Her chances of reaching Omega were slim; She'd be dead long before she got close.

Part of him wonders if she planned on dying.

The Director let him leave. With a parting gift comprising a few passcodes to access his office and the files within his personal computer. With the passcodes, the Director seemed adamant, knowing the Spartan would give them to the Movement rather than keep it from them, and Tysiac couldn't bring himself to argue against it. The Spartan didn't see the need to hide whatever was there from the rest of the Movement and Freelancers, especially as the Freelancer program on Sirca had effectively ended and Tysiac still needed allies.

The Spartan's thoughts drifted to his last, remaining sedative... He had hoped he wouldn't need to use his last remaining dose. Two were already spent on York and Church, keeping them from the Director. Now, only one remained and right now... The Spartan sprinted down the corridors and rode the elevator back to Director Lionel's office, shoving aside his thoughts as he readied the vial into the syringe gun. He needed to stop Bethany before she was gone forever.

He couldn't afford to lose her. She was becoming more than being a living echo of Allison, and more than Bethany being the 'top girl' of the Movement. As much as it was against his training by ONI, and as much as she was an alien, Tysiac had to admit to himself that he was starting to care. He was beginning to care about these aliens. And if she was gone, then the Spartan felt he would tear across Sirca to find her and drag her back.

His chase led him back to the Director's office, where a new item sat waiting on the desk. It was the same item what Bethany had back when Tysiac spied on her preparations for leaving back at L-Base, just as Church had barged in. He couldn't identify it, but its newness offered a chance for the Spartan to still catch Bethany.

He looked towards the door that led to the balcony of the small arena they first encountered the Director and didn't hesitate. Entering the balcony, Tysiac found her. By his twisted luck, she was already halfway to the elevator.

He took a deep breath, gave a running start, and then leaped from the balcony. The heavy impact of Tysiac hitting the metal flooring was like a thunderclap, leaving a small crater and fragments of metal scattered across the room. The jarring surprise of his arrival, coupled with the unsettling manner of his landing in front of her, sent a jolt through Bethany.

"Beth." Tysiac stated, keeping his tone even and gentle. He couldn't afford to let her leave or push her away.

She refused to look at him. The Spartan could see her claws formed into tight fists and her shoulders shaking as her red hair kept her eyes from being visible to him.

Tysiac repeated, this time a little firmer, "Bethany." The Chupadore gave a growl in response, but it didn't make him shy away.

"You have every right, to be angry." Tysiac began.

Her shoulders and red tassel bristled as she growled again, this time with words following with it, "Don't start, Tys... I've made up my mind."

"On committing suicide? Alone, and away from everyone who still cares and still tries to help you?" Tysiac countered.

With a sharp intake of breath, Bethany looked up at him, her face contorted in anger. Her golden amber eyes radiated with anger, "I don't need your fucking snark! This is my fight! I'll handle that bastard myself! The Movement doesn't need me, they'll be fine without me! Just..!" Her rage simmered enough as she looked away from him, "... get out of my way."

"Beth." Tysiac repeated, "You're not invincible. You don't need to carry the entire rebellion by yourself."

Her teeth bared as she hissed at him, "I've survived worse!"

"That is hardly the same, and you know it." Her claws flexed as one of them scraped against one of her pistol's side holster. Her tail flicked and lashed about as Tysiac continued, "You're not going after him alone."

Bethany looked back up and her anger returned like a blaze of fire, "And why the fuck not?! This is my fight, my life! I don't need you, or anyone, to tell me what the fuck I can and can't do!!"

"And you're right," Tysiac replied. The Spartan slowly stepped closer to her as he kept his voice calm but firm, "It is your life. But if you leave now, it'll be the last time you get to live it without anyone dictating anything. You can't fight him alone. You will die, before you get a scratch on him."

Her claws twitched again as her voice trembled in fury, "Then maybe that's what it'll fucking take! Maybe that'll be the only way to fucking end that motherfucker!!"

Tysiac shook his head, his helmet's visor catching the light as he stopped just before the Chupadore woman, "That's not what it will take. What about those who still depend on you? How do you think Church will handle himself, losing you?"

She raised her voice, "I don't care! They'll find a way without me! They've done so already!"

"No, they won't!" Tysiac raised his own voice, the room causing the echo as his frustration boiled, "Your friend left the safety of his base the moment he heard your codename! Wash and York left L-Base the moment I told them you planned to come here without them, with Church stowing away onboard without another thought!"

"They fucking shouldn't have!" Bethany yelled as her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes narrowed, "And neither should you!"

"I've had enough dead heroes!" His voice boomed, amplified by the MJOLNIR speakers, creating a deafening roar that reverberated through the room, his fists clenched tight. His emotions slipped as he reigned in his mouth from speaking Alison's name on impulse, forcing himself to remember that this was Bethany, "Twenty years of it! I'm not standing by and let you be another!"

His sudden bellow was like a blow, making Bethany stumble backward as if physically struck. However, her recoil didn't last long as the Chupadore's eyes seemed to ignite in her rage. She screamed at him as her fist lashed out, "You don't get to decide that for me!"

With a hum of energy, Tysiac's shield absorbed her blow, and then he shoved her hard in the chest, the force knocking the wind from her lungs. The force of the push knocked her off her feet, and she landed hard on the floor, the holographic Freelancer logo shimmering beneath her as she growled at him.

She lashed out with a fast kick, however Tysiac's confidence in the shields and armor of the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor made him endure the hit easily. She wasn't as lucky, as her wince was barely hidden as she threw another kick.

The shield status in Tysiac's HUD flashed again. This time, a fifth of the remaining energy disappeared as he prioritized in enduring her attacks. So long as he could keep her away from the elevator and on him, he could exhaust the Chupadore woman.

A series of ferocious attacks overwhelmed his energy shields, the incessant warnings of his HUD a constant reminder. Despite the auditory warnings, Tysiac pressed on, relying on instinct. Bethany unleashed a relentless barrage; Kicks, punches, and claws tearing toward him. Tysiac sidestepped, deflected, and blocked with practiced ease, her blows bouncing harmlessly off MJOLNIR's plating.

Bethany recoiled, her slate-black fur masking the bruises forming beneath. Gritting her teeth, she adjusted her aim for the weaker gaps in his armor. Bethany brought another claw down and had nearly found out just how good his skinsuit's resiliency was before Tysiac grabbed her wrist mid-swing, twisting it around to disarm her without injuring her.

"Enough, Beth!" Tysiac growled at her.

She didn't answer. Her eyes held a wild fury as she leveraged herself out from the Spartan. Bethany began using her agility, aided by her species' legs, as she darted around him. With the fact she wasn't aiming for the elevators anymore was a cold comfort to the Spartan. Her rage honed in on him like a laser, and his strategy was to wear her down.

He lost track of how long the fight went on. All that was there in the moment was a cycle of attacks and counters, with Tysiac remaining on the defensive and trying to not hurt her. But Bethany's anger pushed again and again, disregarding the injuries she collected from her attempts. The MJOLNIR armor again and again defied her strength, while Tysiac's own skill and adaptive memory negated her fast and accurate strikes to slip past the thick armor.

Finally, Tysiac could see the exhaustion growing from Bethany. Her chest was heaving, her legs were shaking in exhaustion, her stance was becoming loose, yet her emotions kept fueling her and pushing her onwards.

He made his move. Now the Spartan turned from the defensive and onto the offense. He caught her next attempt of stabbing into his leg mid-strike and kept a firm hold over her wrist as he made a low sweep. Bethany tried to leap over his leg, however, Tysiac aimed higher than she expected and brought her to spin in the air. Her eyes widened as she realized he had tricked her.

The Spartan grabbed her other wrist as she hit the ground hard. Before Bethany could fight back, Tysiac pinned his left knee against her right knee, slammed her wrists above her head and placed his right leg above her remaining free left leg. There, he leaned forward and used the combined weight of MJOLNIR and his body to keep her in place.

"GET OFF OF ME!!" Bethany screamed, thrashing against his pin, her voice raw with emotion. Her tail thrashed as she brought her free leg to kick him. But her position didn't give any power to her attempts as Tysiac winced as her foot reached to hit his helmet.

She thrashed again, with him ignoring the attempted kicks and still keeping his weight in pinning her down. Bethany screamed again, "GET OFF!! I fucking hate you!"

"No, you don't." He whispered, ignoring the spittle that flew to his visor as she still refused to calm down. It hurt seeing the Chupadore he had only a few days to know end up like this. It definitely hurt hearing her voice breaking down as Bethany's screams slowly turned to sobs. Seeing the fire and anger in her eyes sputter and fade as pain and sorrow started taking place caused his heart to ache. Bethany didn't deserve to have everything unravel under the weight of everything she had been through.

She still struggled, despite her situation, and despite her breathing becoming ragged. Tysiac realized that until he had Bethany sit somewhere to grieve, she would never stop. And with his gut reminding him of HADES soon to come, the Spartan couldn't stay with her or on top of her forever...

"Bethany," he said quietly, his tone filled with regret, "I'm sorry."

Tysiac shifted his hands around to where he pinned her wrists with one arm as he fetched the syringe gun. Taking a quick look, he could only thank his twisted luck it survived the fight. The needle didn't look bent or damaged.

Bethany struggled again. Her eyes had caught sight of the syringe and she began to panic. She began thrashing again, "N-No! T-Tys, don't you dare!! Tys!!"

Tysiac had no time to debate or consider whether this was a sedative or something that made his situation worse. He hated placing such trust into the Director that had done enough damage to even his own children.

Tysiac brought the syringe up. For a brief moment, he hesitated. The look in her eyes, the raw betrayal, fear... It made his stomach twist. Then, he pushed the needle into her arm. Bethany froze as her eyes locked towards Tysiac's visor. Her mouth gaped open as she realized there was nothing she could do. Her struggling stopped completely; a choked whisper escaped her lips as tears welled in her eyes, "You fucking bastard... I fucking hate you doing this..."

"You don't mean that, Beth." Tysiac countered softly, hating how his helmet's visor was hiding his emotions from her, "I don't mind you being angry. But I can't lose you."

Bethany's consciousness faded, her movements slowed and her breathing deepened as she tried to keep that hurt and angry glare at him. She fell limp as Tysiac let go. He sat back and stared down at the now asleep Bethany, an empty feeling consuming him. The fighting had left marks on his armor, but that barely mattered to how he felt.

He knew she didn't hate him. Tysiac knew she was angry at him for getting in her way, but that hardly phased him. Her words had less of an impact as he knew that her rage was more towards Omega. Everything that she learned simply overwhelmed her. Even Tysiac had to take a moment to breathe and reflect with just how much Omega had done just to Bethany and her friend. Most certainly, it hardly had the same impact as what Halsey had done. But what was Omega's excuse?

The now unconscious Chupadore in front of him had been trying to be strong for too long and by herself. And now all he could do was simply let her sleep and grieve while he did what he could. With a heavy heart, Tysiac gently scooped her up and made his way towards the elevator, aiming for the brig.

Silence reigned during the ride and in the cells, except for York and Church's soft breathing; still sedated by Tysiac's intervention. As Tysiac placed Bethany in an empty cell and in the cot, his eyes seemed to have tricked him into something. Seeing her asleep seemed to make her look smaller, fragile than before.

Having noticed a few additional items left nearby a chair where someone would monitor over the cell block, Tysiac collected two pairs of cuffs. He gave a close inspection over them, and seeing as they seemed of sturdy make, the Spartan used them to secure her wrists and ankles. That way, he ensured she couldn't hurt herself or escape once she woke up.

He hated to leave her, but he couldn't leave the base's defense to the Freelancers alone. Tysiac moved and activated the energy bars of the cell and stepped back. His eyes refused to leave the Chupadore as she slumbered peacefully.

Tysiac said nothing. He had already given a last few words to her and he knew he couldn't stay much longer. Tysiac lingered for a moment, staring at Bethany's sleeping form. She looked so small, fragile even. Then, with a heavy heart, he turned and left. He had done what he needed to do... Even if he hated himself for it. But for now, he had to focus. HADES may as well have arrived at the facility's doorstep and the Freelancers would need his abilities. Both here, and later on when they take the fight to Omega.

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