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Chapter 24

1200 Hours, July 19th, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
UNSC Carrier Fair Weather, Slipspace
Destination Reach

      Sarah McCain didn't know what she felt. Was it anger? Was it hate? She knew for certain that one of the emotions flowing through her was pain, unbelievable pain. When she had reached Harland's office and received the news about Harris and Manny she almost collapsed. The thought of Manny being dead was something she could not bare thinking, and the fact that Harris was dead made the reality that her love had fallen all that more real. Harland had comforted her, telling her that although it was going to be hard, she would fight through it. He told her she was a tough person and would pull through. She knew it was all bullshit.
      She now sat at Cochran's bedside, holding his hand. He looked dead. His side was bandaged heavily and his breathing was irregular, but the doctors said he was going to make a full recovery in the next few weeks. His smile, although weak, was full of strength. Harris' death had hit him hard, but he said that Manny being listed as MIA meant he was alive, and that eased the pain. But only a little.
      Sarah couldn't agree with him. If Manny was on Sigma Octanus still, he would have been found. But if he had been found, she wouldn't know until they exited slipspace, and that wouldn't be for a while yet. So she hung in limbo, hoping for something that she felt would not come.
      "He'll turn up," Cochran whispered, again raising the subject. "He's alive, I can feel it." His eye lids sunk and opened again, his face drowsy from the drugs he was on.
      Sarah didn't reply, she just squeezed harder on his hand. Fincher and Walker sat the other side of him, both fast asleep in the chairs in which they sat. Both had been through hell, Harland had told her, and it showed. Fincher was paler than usual, and Walker just wasn't himself anymore.
      Harland's story of them being chased by Banshee's, seeing the decimated bases and then finally meeting a group of Spartans made what happened to her sound pathetic. After all hell had broken loose she had dived for the nearest bush, and after feeling the coast was clear she had high-tailed it out of there, jumped in a Warthog and driven as fast as she could in the opposite direction. It was just blind luck that a fighter jet spotted her and called in her position.
      The door behind her whooshed open and she heard footsteps quietly move up behind her. A heavy hand rested on her shoulder, a hand that she hoped was Manny's, but knew it wasn't. She turned and looked up at Harland, his eyes dull and face exhausted of all emotion.
      "We've been put on two weeks R n' R until we can get replacements for the soldiers we lost down on Sigma Octanus." There was pain in his voice and he avoided contact with both her and Cochran. "We'll be at Reach in a few days, so get your rest."
      And with that he turned and left. It would be a long time until all of them came back to being themselves, and Sarah had a feeling that it wouldn't be until this war was over, whether they won or lost it.




      Manny awoke with a start, wondering where he was. He shook the disorientation off and reached for the light next to his bed, but couldn't find it. A sadness took hold of him as his pleasurable dream faded into non-existence. The thought of not seeing his comrades again wrenching at his heart and stomach. The thought of them thinking him dead, getting passed it all and moving on was unbearable. Whilst he had to continue on, knowing he could never see them again. After his meeting with "them" he had cried in his room for two hours, curled up in a ball as it hit home about what he was giving up. Yet despite the pain and heart-ache, he also felt pride at having this honour bestowed on him.
      There were no tears to come from him today. Today is a different day, and today he would start a new life. He blinked a few times, trying to clear the dark, allowing his eyes adjust to it.
      But the blackness didn't fade out of view either, and he found that he couldn't see anything. Fear took hold of him, and an eerie awareness that he was not alone took hold of him. Trying to make sense of what was going on, he pulled back the light sheet covering him and placed his feet on the floor. His hands outstretched, he stood and felt his way to where he thought the door was.
      But before he got to where he wanted to be the lights flashed on, the glare blinding him. He made out a figure standing in the corner, black on the sudden blur of white in his vision.
      And then he felt a sharp pain in his stomach as he flew backwards against the wall. He crumpled into a heap on the floor and felt his breath quicken.
      What the fuck is going on here?! He tried to stand but felt something press down on his back, forcing him to the ground. He reached behind his back and tried to grab whatever it was, but it was in a position that neither of his arms could reach. Placing his hands on the floor he tried to force himself back up, or try and flip himself over, but to no avail.
      He finally gave up and went limp, letting his arms fall to his side, his face and bare chest pressing against the cold floor.
      "Alright, you win."
      "Since when." A familiar voice said "do you tell the enemy that you have won?" Manny tried to look up at his attacker but the light only cast a dull silhouette into his eyes.
      "Bradley?" he said, feeling himself being overcome with surprise. "Brad, you bastard, is that you?" he felt a smile cross his lips as the fear he had felt melted away. "Get off me, before I kick your ass." He said in jest. But the pressure only increased, pushing him into the floor and forcing all the air out of him, pain stabbing at his spine and chest.
      "ALRIGHT DAMMIT!!" he squealed with his last ounce of breath, "Get off me!"
      And then the pain was gone and he could breath again. The figure, he couldn't tell if it was Bradley or not, moved away. Manny rolled over onto his back and took in gulps of air, closing his eyes against the glare of the lights. A few moments passed, the attacker not doing anything more.
      He finally opened his eyes, and looked up at the figure above him. Bradley hadn't changed much since he saw him last, apart from a small amount of stubble around his chin and neck. His face was blank; no joy for seeing his brother, no love behind his eyes, just blankness as if he had never laid eyes upon him.
      "Bradley?" Manny asked, trying to get a response. "What are you doing here?"
      Nothing.
      "Will you answer me, damn it? Was it you that arranged this?"
      Still nothing.
      Manny stood slowly, wincing at the pain in his sides. He leaned against the wall and stared back at his brother, feeling a sense of loathing towards him.
      "What is this?" Manny finally said. "Is this a test or something? Or are you just pissed that I've become an agent of ONI? Have you come here to give me a good kicking, to teach me a lesson? To tell me not to do it? That I should go back to the Corps? Go back to being a worthless Grunt?"
      He didn't know where this rage inside him was coming from, or why he was directing it at his brother, the brother he loved as much as his mother, his father, his lover. It was a rage created from the sense of loneliness he felt, an aggression that he was aiming at the nearest person to him, which at this moment was Bradley.
      He wanted to reach out, grab Bradley round the throat and throttle him. Not kill him, but inflict the pain on him that Manny felt. No, he would not strike out. This was his brother, he has his reasons for doing what he just did.
      Manny stared into his brother's eyes, and knew that Bradley could see all this playing over his face, behind his eyes, in his hands as they clenched then unfolded again, releasing his anger. And for a moment Manny thought he saw pity as Bradley took a step towards him, his hand outstretched. Manny gave up and went to him, closing his eyes and feeling the embrace of his brother as they enfolded one another, releasing their emotions.
      But the embrace never came. Instead, Manny found himself on the floor again, his hand twisted behind his back and a searing pain in his neck.
      "I surprised you once, Jon. Why didn't you destroy me immediately afterwards? I saw it in your eyes, saw the spark that you needed to do so. But why didn't you? Is it because I stood back, retreated? It was you, in fact, that retreated, gave yourself up. You expected something and got something else."
      Manny breathed through the pain, trying to make sense of what was going on. It was obvious that Bradley's knee was pressing down on his neck.
      "You're....you're my brother..." he gasped out.
      "So?" Bradley snapped. "Does that not mean one can be an enemy because of kinship?"
      "Bradley...." Manny rasped "please, you're hurting me....get off of me, I can't breath." But the pain only increased as his chest was almost completely flattened against the floor, his arm bent back further and his neck pressed against harder. Black spots filled his vision and he felt his breathing become shallower with each breath.
      "Not until you understand what I am saying."
      Manny didn't know what to say. That his brother was now his enemy? That he shouldn't take things as they are? That anything could happen? He knew one thing, and that was that he would pass out soon if Bradley didn't get off of him.
      "You are an enemy," he said frantically. He felt the pressure ease up, his arm given back to him. Bradley stood and walked towards the door. He went for the switch, but never made it as Manny's foot came crashing round into his head, smashing him against the door.       Before Bradley could counter, Manny was up close, twisting his arm behind him and forcing him to the floor. He watched as pain contorted his brothers face into all shapes. His eyes clenched shut, his teeth bared, trying to get out of a hold that he had previously had on his brother.
      "Now are you going to tell me what the hell is going on here, and why you just tried to kill me?" Manny spat. He put his head down to his brothers. "You are my blood, my family. Why are you doing this?"
      Bradley didn't speak, he just closed up, trying to fight the pain. Manny held the hold for a few more moments then released him and stood. But as he did so, he felt his legs fly out from underneath him and saw Bradley's open hand slap down on his chest. He hit the floor with a thud, his head impacting on the steel surface. Pain spiked through his brain and he groaned out loud. Through half-closed eyes he saw Bradley stand and move towards the door, wiping a trace of blood from his lip, unphased by the whole debacle.
      "Why did you do this, Bradley?" Manny groaned. "You're my brother."
      "No, Jon." He replied. "I am not your brother. Not now. Now I am your teacher." And with that he was gone.




      The next week was tough for Manny. When they met the day after their little fight, neither Manny nor Bradley spoke of it and Bradley wasn't as harsh on him after that, but he was tough. They started out with basic training, which involved armed and unarmed combat, both to an advanced level that Manny never thought possible, as well as pilot training. He was up at six every morning, and wouldn't sleep until midnight, exhausted from the day. He ate three meals a day, all high-complex proteins or carbohydrates, but still felt hungry after the day was out.
      The only person he saw was Bradley, who was in his room every morning, and was either laconic or completely silent throughout the day. He'd tell him what he would be doing, and how he would be doing it. Bradley was right; he wasn't his brother. Not at this moment in time. He was a teacher. And he was the best damned teacher Manny had ever had. Manny learnt new things every day; a new way to get out of a hold, a different way of shooting, how to pilot the ONI Prowlers through simulations.
      The training was different everyday, and Manny felt like he was back in school again, his mind awash with information that he was sure he could never soak up. But he did. At the end of the first week Bradley had attacked him in his room again, but this time Manny was ready for it and almost defeated him. The best thing was that the things he had thought he'd never remember came back to him like he had never forgotten them.
      On the twelfth day Bradley wasn't in his room, waiting for him. He wasn't outside it either. Manny stumbled down the corridor, his arms week from the blocking techniques he had learned yesterday. He made his way down the long corridor and into the mess hall.
      There at one of the tables sat Bradley, a bowl of noodles sitting in front of him. He looked up at Manny and smiled for the first time since they had been reunited. Manny felt confusion run through him. He walked over to his brother, taking a seat opposite him.
      "Why are you smiling?" he asked, feeling himself automatically tense for any sign of an attack from him.
      "Because today you are my brother. Today you are not my pupil. I am not your student. Today we will be brothers, as we were seven years ago."
      "I don't think we'll ever be the brothers we were seven years ago." Manny replied, a sly smile spreading on his face. "This isn't a test is it?"
      Bradley shook his head, his face genuine. "No, this is not a test. Today is your R n' R. Make the most of it, because we've reached our destination and you won't be getting another day like this for a month." It suddenly occurred to Manny that the whole time he had been here that he never knew where here was. It had been one of the main questions on his mind when he had awoke that fateful day and had his life change in a split second. The rigours of training had kept everything else out of his mind. Sarah. His parents. Harland. The rest of his comrades.
      "Ship?" Manny finally said. "So we are on a ship." Bradley looked up at him, a slight look of disbelief on his face.
      "You've been here nearly two weeks and you didn't know this was a ship?" he said chewing round a mouthful of noodles.
      "I never thought to ask." Manny replied quickly. "I thought I'd probably get fobbed off with some answer like 'that's classified' or some bullshit like that."
      "You're part of ONI now, little brother." Bradley remarked "There ain't much that will be classified any more."
      Manny sat in silence for a moment. Then felt hunger envelop him. He jumped up, startling Bradley slightly, and grabbed a bowl-full of noodles, scoffing them down as fast as his throat could manage it. Once he had finished the bowl he went and got another, then sat and slowly ate it, contemplating his next set of questions.
      "I've had little chance to think since I was brought aboard here. I've had things hammered into me for twelve solid days, with little chance to reflect on any of it, or think about what happened to me before hand."
Bradley set his fork down and folded his arms over his chest.
      "I'm never going to get to see them again am I." Manny simply said. "Sarah, mum, dad. None of them. As far as they are concerned I'm dead, right? They'll get over it and move on. Whereas I have to live with the thought that I know I can see them at any moment I want, but in doing so could cost me my position."
      "That and you'll probably be executed for disobeying a direct order from UNSC High Com." Bradley interjected. "It's tough, Jon but it's life. And besides, after that Sigma Octanus fuck up how do you know any of them are alive still?"
      Bradley's words stung him deep, but in his heart he knew that it could be true. How did he know that they were alive still? As far as he knew it was only him and Harris that made it out. And Harris had died in his arms.
Manny felt his eyes well-up, but he forced the tears back, telling himself that it wouldn't solve anything. Bradley averted his gaze, knowing what his brother was going through.
      "No," Manny finally said. "They aren't dead, I know they're not. They made it out alive/"
      "Maybe." His brother said "you'll see them again, like I saw you on Derius. Maybe you'll run into them."
      That thought gave hope to Manny.
      "And maybe," Bradley continued "when this whole thing is over, if we're still alive, we'll see mum and dad again."
      The image of his parents flashed in his mind and pride welled up inside of him.
      "Would that be allowed?" Manny asked.
      "Who cares," Bradley announced. "After this war is over I'm quitting the military and going back home. And I'm dragging you with me. You and that girlfriend of yours."
      Manny laughed at the comment, but sadness washed over him at the thought of not seeing Sarah. Not smelling her, being with her, touching her, loving her. He forced himself to think about something else.
      "So where are we heading? Where are we at this point in time?" Manny jested "Have we been taken to the ONI training facility? Is it in the ass-end of nowhere? Hell has the system or planet even got a name?"
      "Yeah," Bradley replied. "It's called Earth."

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