Noble 7

How could you be so careless? Seven scolded himself, getting angry. These guys all look up to you and depend on you. It's your job to protect them and here you let two of them die.

No more slip-ups.

Seven was taking a walk around the perimeter of the courtyard, carefully scanning for any signs of movement, unnatural shifts in the sunlight, the like. It was something he planned to do sooner but had never gotten the chance. He was thrust right into a conflict without any time to complete his preliminaries. He supposed that a window of opportunity had been there, but he'd wasted that small and crucial amount of time talking with Jorge and Warren and Burke. And now two people were dead.

Not again, he vowed to himself as he continued on his patrol, slow, focused, and cautious.

There was nothing in sight, but then again that didn't mean much these days.

Next time, and there will be a next time, take more control of the situation. And for the love of God, stop talking. You're not here to make friends, you're here to save lives.

Major Burke and the ODSTs of Whiskey-One had gone into the bunker to the elevator. Seven told them he'd catch up in a moment before taking the liberty of storing all of the dead Elites' energy swords inside a UNSC weapons crate. After this and a quick perimeter check, Seven decided the courtyard was clear and started heading back to the others when he stopped and tilted his head.

What was that?

A heavy clank like metal on metal. Perhaps his M6 had somehow knocked against his DMR. No, he knew that wasn't it. The Mjolnir powered assault armor's main weapon holster was located on middle of the backside and was entirely magnetic. Neither gun that was attached to it would slide or budge an inch.

Did I kick something then?

The Spartan looked down at his feet to check and heard the noise again. He froze. Yes, someone was definitely behind him. Given that he had just checked this area himself, it was safe to assume they were using light bending, active camouflage modules to make themselves appear invisible.

Okay. DMR's on the right hand side. Grab it, spin around, fire. Do it fast. Go!

Seven sprang into action. He hoped the sudden jump from statue-still to lightning-fast would throw off his stalker's aim for just long enough for him to squeeze off a fatal round. His hand shot up and over his shoulder. The instant the gun was in his grip, he pivoted and fired.