UNSCDF2 Chapter 3- Restless Passion

San Francisco, California, USA

UNSC San Francisco Outpost

April 2, 2001

1300 Local Time

            Captain Zyrok looked out of the rear of the Pelican as it descended onto a platform. Beside the platform were seven marines lined up in an organized fashion to greet them. As the Pelican shut off its engines, Zyrok waved at his marines to exit out first. He stood up slowly and examined his new body armor. High Command had issued him a special type of armor called the “Exterminator Mesh GT”. The armor was lightweight and durable. On top of that, the armor covered the body from the neck to the shins.

            “All set sir.” a young marine with stubble exited out the cockpit followed by another young marine.

            “Foo, get Pruett and line up outside with the others.” Zyrok spoke to his marines.

            “Understood. Pruett, let’s go.” Foo turned around and waved at the marine behind him.

            Zyrok watched as Echo Squad formed a single file directly adjacent to the other marines.

            “Ready Zyrok?” a woman exited the cockpit wearing the same armor as Zyrok greeted him.

            “I’m always ready Forester.” Zyrok joked.

            “Nice to see your enthusiasm.” Forester laughed.

            Zyrok watched as Forester removed her helmet and decided to do the same as well. Zyrok walked out of the Pelican and was greeted by a female lieutenant.

            “Second Lieutenant Jenny Frederick reporting in with Jackal Squadron, sir.” the Lieutenant saluted.

            “At ease Lieutenant.” Zyrok smiled.

            Forester stood behind Zyrok as he looked at Jackal Squadron. Zyrok looked shyly at Frederick as he was drawn by her appearance. He wished he had his helmet on to hide his face.

            “Meet Echo Squad.” Zyrok pointed at his men.

            Frederick turned to look at his men and face Forester.

            “Ma’am, Jackal Squadron welcomes High Command.” Frederick saluted crisply.

            “19^th Battalion transferred from Australia. I’ve heard you’re the best reconnaissance team.” Forester saluted back.

            “That’s correct ma’am.” Frederick replied smoothly.

            “Australia…” Zyrok overheard the country being mentioned and thought to himself quietly.

            Zyrok zoned out into thought as he remembered Sarah and his pursuit to find her. This was probably the closest encounter with Australians in his UNSC career. He knew one thing was certain. This was a military battalion and Sarah would not be here. She would still be in some UNSC Outpost in New South Wales, Australia.

            “Sir?” Frederick interrupted Zyrok’s deep thought.

            “Huh?” Zyrok snapped to reality.

            “Let’s head inside.” Frederick pointed at the marines disassembling and heading towards a building with Forester trailing behind.

            “Oh.” Zyrok looked around and only saw Frederick standing beside him.

            “You alright sir?” Frederick asked with concern.

            “I’m fine, thanks. Oh, there’s no need to address me with a sir. Just call me Zyrok.” Zyrok smiled.

            “Okay.” Frederick nodded and waved at Zyrok to follow.

            “So, how long have you been here?” Zyrok asked.

            “Do you mean in the UNSC or here as in the USA?” Frederick looked at Zyrok.

            “USA.” Zyrok specified.

            “Since 1999, why do you ask?” Frederick responded.

            “I’m just interested. So you’ve been assisting with the American battalion?” Zyrok concluded.

            “Pretty much.” Frederick nodded.

            “I head the Aussies are tough.” Zyrok commented.

            “You bet.” Frederick laughed.

            “Guess my assumptions were correct.” Zyrok rubbed his chin.

            “Do you come from an Australian background?” Frederick asked.

            “Um…no.” Zyrok thought about Sarah for a brief moment.

            “It’s just that you seem to be particularly interested with our culture. The Americans here think they own everything.” Frederick explained.

            “Well it’s safe to say I’m Canadian eh?” Zyrok joked.

            “Hahaha.” Frederick laughed at Zyrok’s joke.

            “No joke, I’m a Canadian.” Zyrok smiled.

            “Oh Zyrok, you’re funny. I haven’t seen an officer with a sense of humor these days.” Frederick grinned at Zyrok.

            “When we get the time, I’ll you about how my UNSC career began.” Zyrok opened the doors to the building.

            “Oh, we’ve got plenty of time to talk in Afghanistan.” Frederick smiled as she walked inside.

            “I see our men are interacting well.” Zyrok watched as his marines joked around with Jackal Squadron.

            “Let me tell you my squad. That’s Staff Sergeant Hank Williams sitting at the end of the table next to Sergeant Elizabeth May. Oh, the big looking fellow, that’s Lance Corporal Charles Robertson sitting adjacent to Private Steve Christopher. The other two sitting beside your marines are Corporal Michael Cookson and Lance Corporal Jonathan Green.” Frederick pointed.

            “Ok, my turn. Funny thing is, there’s always a big fellow in a team. Anyways, the big guy there is Sergeant Major Fred Casey sitting beside my two pilots, Lance Corporal Brandon Foo and Lance Corporal Brandon Pruett. The marine with a rifle slung to his back, that’s Corporal Mark Taylor, he’s a great marksman. Sitting beside your marines and talking to Cookson is Private Aaron Nevarez and Lance Corporal Joshua Schmidt. And I’m Captain Zyrok.” Zyrok pointed at his men and then pointed at his chest.

            Frederick laughed at the last comment Zyrok made and pointed at a table to sit.

            “Everything fine?” Forester walked up to Zyrok and grabbed a seat beside him.

            “Yup.” Zyrok nodded with a smile.

            “Zyrok, we’ll need to eat quickly. We’ll be departing in less than fifteen minutes.” Frederick looked at her watch.

            The three officers sat together at the table munching away their meal quickly.

            “So how are we getting there?” Frederick interrupted as she looked at Zyrok eating.

            “Oh, we’re going to attach a troop pod to our Pelican.” Zyrok spoke after he swallowed.

            “Speaking of which…” Forester stood up.

            “Yeah, let Foo and Pruett get the aircraft prepped.” Zyrok nodded.

            “I’ll go let them know.” Forester nodded and walked off.

            Zyrok watched as Forester approached his pilots and then watched Foo and Pruett rushed out of the building. Forester walked back swiftly and sat down.

            “All set.” Forester smiled.

            Zyrok watched as a marine bearing the rank of Corporal approached his table of marines. Casey pointed the marine towards them and the marine jogged towards them.

            “Excuse me sir, ma’am.” the Corporal saluted.

            “What can I do for you Corporal…Milo?” Zyrok looked at his name stenciled on his shirt.

            Frederick looked at Zyrok coolly as he interacted with the marine. Usually, officers don’t like to be bothered during their personal time, but Zyrok didn’t seem to mind at all.

            “Sir, Sergeant Major Casey over there said that you folks worked alongside my brother?” Milo asked.

            “Hmm, you name rings a bell.” Zyrok scratched his head.

            “Oh, Corporal Jason Milo.” Forester pitched in.

            “Where is he?” Milo asked.

            “Look Corporal, Jason was a great man. I don’t know how to tell you this.” Forester spoke solemnly.

            “What? What do you mean by that?” Milo’s expression turned to sadness.

            “I could say that his sacrifice saved the team.” Forester replied.

            Zyrok stood up from his seat and offered it to Milo.

            “Take a seat son. Lieutenant Forester was there when all hell broke loose down at Fort Calhoun.” Zyrok patted Milo.

            Frederick watched as Zyrok stood beside Forester as she detailed the events prior to Jason’s sacrifice. Milo wiped his wet eyes and looked at Forester.

            “I’m sorry.” Zyrok spoke apologetically.

            “His death was not in vain. In fact, he inspired us all with his last words.” Forester replied.

            “What did he say?” Milo spoke quietly.

            “UNSC.” Forester looked at Milo.

            “Thank you for this news.” Milo stood up.

            “If there’s anything we could do for you, let us know.” Zyrok added.

            “Thank you sir, ma’am. That would be all.” Milo saluted and walked off.

            Zyrok looked at his watch and widened his eyes.

            “Oh, we have to go now.” Zyrok exclaimed.

            The officers stood up and exited the building. Zyrok watched as Echo Squad and Jackal Squadron got on the Pelican.

            “Come on Zyrok.” Casey waved at the officers.

            “Saved you a seat.” Taylor patted a seat beside him next to the opening.

            “Thanks.” Zyrok sat down.

            “I know you like to look out.” Taylor smiled.

            “I’ll take the cockpit seats.” Forester walked past Zyrok.

            Zyrok watched as Forester entered the cockpit and then turned to look at Frederick.

            “Over here Lieutenant.” Williams called from the rear.

            Frederick walked past Zyrok and nodded her head slightly. Zyrok nodded back with a grin and watched Frederick settled down on her seat.

            “Alright marines, fasten your seatbelts, we’re dusting off.” Pruett called out from the cockpit.

            As the Pelican slowly ascended into the air, Zyrok looked outwards at the people walking by. There were civilians walking about and marines patrolling. What caught Zyrok’s eye was a gorgeous looking blonde that stood motionless looking at their Pelican. As the Pelican blew gusts of hot air to the ground, the girl’s hair fluttered so beautifully. Suddenly it dawned on Zyrok, that girl looked a lot like Sarah. As Zyrok rummaged around his armor to find the photo of Sarah he had kept with him all those years looking for her, the Pelican had reached sufficient altitude and the girl was no longer in view. He sighed with disappointment as the Pelican hatch closed.

            “It can’t be…she’s in Australia.” Zyrok closed his eyes as he reassured himself.

            For now, Zyrok would need his rest. He will ask members from Jackal Squadron later in Afghanistan if they had seen Sarah during the time they were deployed in Australia.

UNSCDF2 Chapter 2- Australians' Pride

San Francisco, California, USA

UNSC San Francisco Outpost

April 2, 2001

1015 Local Time

            Corporal Michael Cookson woke up from his bed next to a beautiful girl sleeping soundly beside him. He got off the bead and put on his clothes.

            “Don’t go.” the girl mumbled half awake as Cookson walked up beside her.

            “Sarah, it’s time.” Cookson knelt beside her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

            “Already?” Sarah opened her eyes and rubbed them with her soft hands.

            “Yeah, Jackal Squadron is going to team up with another squad and head over to Afghanistan.” Cookson spoke with disappointment.

            “I know.” Sarah pulled herself up and hugged the bed sheets.

            “There’s nothing in Afghanistan, so there’s no need to worry about me.” Cookson smiled as he brushed Sarah’s smooth velvety hair.

            “Still…I’ll miss you.” Sarah looked at Cookson with soft eyes.

            “I’ll miss you too.” Cookson hugged Sarah.

            The couple’s moment was interrupted by a knock on the door.

            “Corporal Cookson!” a woman’s voice called out from behind the door.

            Cookson released his embrace and rushed to the door.

            “Ma’am.” Cookson opened the door and saluted a tall woman dressed in full military gear bearing the rank of Sergeant.

            “Get packing Corporal. Lieutenant Frederick doesn’t like to wait for her men to get ready.” the Sergeant ordered.

            “Yes Sergeant May.” Cookson saluted.

            “Very well, the team’s meeting up at the briefing room at 1200.” May replied and walked off.

            “Mike?” Sarah called out from the bed.

            “Yes dear?” Cookson closed the door and turned to look at Sarah.

            “Is it time to go?” Sarah asked.

            “Yeah.” Cookson walked beside his bed and pulled out a military backpack.

            “I’m going to feel lonely here.” Sarah voiced her thoughts.

            “Don’t be. Whenever you feel lonely, I will be here.” Cookson touched Sarah’s chest.

            “Thanks.” Sarah smiled and touched Cookson’s hand.

            “Besides, these few years here, you’ve made a lot of police buddies. Go see if you can upgrade to SWAT.” Cookson smiled.

            “I’ll try…” Sarah thought for a moment.

            Cookson shouldered his backpack and walked to the door. He slowly turned on the handle and pulled it open. Cookson turned his head to look at Sarah one more time.

            “I love you.” Cookson smiled warmly.

            “I love you too. Come home soon.” Sarah waved.

            “I will.” Cookson walked out and closed the door.

            A marine who appeared to be in his mid twenties ran up beside Cookson.

            “Must be hard, isn’t it?” the marine asked.

            “Well, look who we have here. Lance Corporal Jonathan Green.” Cookson stuck his hand out at the marine.

            “Cookson.” Green shook Cookson’s hand firmly.

            “So, you were saying?” Cookson asked.

            “Oh, I said that it must be hard leaving your wife here.” Green repeated.

            “Yes it is. On the bright side, there’s nothing in Afghanistan so it will be a quick tour.” Cookson replied as he walked towards the elevator.

            “My thoughts exactly. Oh well, since we’re a good reconnaissance squad, let’s get the job done and head home fast.” Green patted Cookson’s shoulder.

            “After you.” Cookson pointed at the opened elevator.

            “Thanks.” Green smiled.

            Cookson followed Green and went to look at the elevator panel.

            “Wait up guys!” a young marine ran towards the closing elevator doors down the hall.

            Suddenly, a boot stuck between the doors as a tough looking marine wielding a Washington 1100 prevented the doors from closing.

            “Robertson!” Green said with surprise.

            “Hello folks.” Robertson spoke in a deep tone as he stepped inside the elevator.

            “Let’s wait for the rookie.” Green pointed at the marine jogging towards them.

            “Hustle Private!” Robertson hollered.

            The marine ran inside the elevator and Cookson closed the door shut.

            “Glad to see most of the team here.” Cookson exclaimed.

            “Corporal Cookson, Lance Corporal Green, and Lance Corporal Robertson.” the Private saluted.

            “You got to move faster Christopher. In a firefight, that few seconds waiting for you could have jeopardized the whole team.” Robertson cautioned.

            “Yes sir.” Christopher looked at his feet.

            “Don’t be hard on him.” Cookson stared at Robertson.

            “Well it’s true Cookson.” Robertson patted Christopher’s back.

            “Just don’t stress it Christopher.” Cookson reassured with a smile.

            “Look Private, I’ll watch your back. Hell, we’re a team!” Robertson spoke with enthusiasm.

            “Hell yeah!” Green laughed.

            “Don’t mess with the Aussies!” Robertson patted his chest proudly.

            “Thanks guys.” Christopher smiled lightly.

            The elevator reached the ground level and the marines briskly exited the elevator in an organized manner. They walked down a corridor and saw Sergeant May standing by the door.

            “Not bad, looks like everyone is here.” May looked at the group.

            “Where’s Staff Sergeant Williams?” Green asked.

            “He’s already inside with Lieutenant Frederick.” May opened the briefing room door.

            In the center of the room stood a tall good looking female lieutenant who appeared to be in her early twenties. Beside the lieutenant was a bald man with a beard looking at a grid map.

            “Gentlemen.” Frederick nodded at the men entering the room.

            “Oh, great, you’re here.” Williams walked towards May.

            “All here ma’am.” May reported to Frederick.

            “Take a seat marines.” Frederick pointed at the chairs.

            All of the marines except Williams grabbed a seat. Williams grabbed a couple folders from Frederick’s table and distributed to the marines.

            “You are all aware that we’re going to Afghanistan with another squad as of yesterday. Here’s what you don’t know.” Frederick grabbed a folder from her table and opened it.

            The marines opened their folders and saw the word “High Command” typed on top of the page.

            “High Command?” Green asked out of curiosity.

            “Yes, High Command wants us to locate a covert research facility belonging to Secronom Inc.” Frederick pointed at a map of Afghanistan on the wall.

            The silence in the room was replaced by whispers and side conversations.

            “Marines!” Williams shouted to get their attention.

            “Thank you Staff Sergeant.” Frederick nodded.

            “Continuing on, Echo Squad from the 701^st Battalion will be accompanied by a High Command officer. Captain Zyrok will be leading Echo Squad accompanied by First Lieutenant Jane Forester. Questions?” Frederick closed the folder.

            Robertson raised his hand into the air as Frederick finished.

            “Robertson?” Frederick looked at him.

            “What are we looking or doing in the facility?” Robertson asked.

            “That’s classified. Our job is to locate the facility and follow whatever Forester wants us to do for the High Command.” Frederick replied.

            “Great, it’s like a needle in a hay stack. Wait, a needle in a sandbox.” Green laughed.

            “Sounds about right.” May laughed at Green’s joke.

            “Alright then, Echo Squad and Forester will be arriving in less than an hour. Head to the armory and get geared up.” Frederick looked at her watch.

            “We’ll regroup at platform Alpha for our ride.” Williams added.

            “Let’s make a good impression and show that the Australians are better than the Americans. Dismissed.” Frederick concluded and turned to her table.

UNSCDF Chapter 47- A New Life

Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia

UNSC Relief Center

August 9, 1999

1300 Local Time

            Over the past few days after the conversation with Charlie, Sarah wasn’t sure if she had said the right words. She didn’t want to dwell upon it too much because she loved Cookson. Even though she knew Charlie loved her, there was nothing she could do. She was married and she was happy. Australia was slowly liberated bit by bit as the Australian Army and the UNSC forces fought tooth and nail at the major cities. Sydney was on the verge of becoming free of the infected and almost ready for civilization. Sarah sat on the bench where Cookson proposed to her and looked at the bright skies.

            “Sarah!” Cookson called out from behind with an enormous military backpack.

            “Mike.” Sarah greeted.

            Sarah had begun to call Cookson, Mike, instead of Michael or Cookson. There was no need for her anymore to address her husband by his last name.

            “What are you doing with that?” Sarah pointed at the backpack.

            “Oh, it’s a long story.” Cookson sat down beside Sarah and dropped his backpack on the ground.

            “Tell me Mike.” Sarah stared.

         “Long story short, our battalion is getting redeployed at the United States of America.” Cookson replied.

            “What? What?” Sarah complained.

            “Australia is slowly heading towards recovery and can survive with one less battalion. On the other hand, the US is in very bad shape. They need all the assistance they can get.” Cookson answered.

            “What about our life? Life here is slowly getting better and now you’re going?” Sarah whined.

            “I know dear, but this is our life. We can’t fully have a peaceful life until all the zombies are exterminated.” Cookson waved his hands around.

            “Why do you have to go Mike?” Sarah looked at Cookson with soft eyes.

            “I have to fight to ensure the future of mankind. Also, it’s not just that. It’s our future together that I’m fighting for.” Cookson reasoned.

            “I don’t want to lose you.” Sarah hugged Cookson.

            “You won’t. You’re coming with me. I’ve already spoke with my commanding officer and he has agreed to let you come with me.” Cookson whispered into Sarah’s ear.

            “Really?” Sarah's eyes widened with joy.

            “Yes, really. We will take the journey together. I’m not going to leave you behind here.” Cookson kissed Sarah’s lips.

            “I love you Mike.” Sarah kissed Cookson passionately.

            “I love you too.” Cookson brushed Sarah’s hair as they kissed.

            The couple made out for a few minutes before Cookson realized the time.

            “Oh, Sarah.” Cookson called out.

            “Yes?” Sarah smiled.

            “We’re departing in less than two hours. You may want to start packing.” Cookson glanced at his watch.

            “Okay.” Sarah stood up.

            “We’ll meet up in an hour’s time here.” Cookson pointed at the bench.

            Sarah nodded and watched Cookson hurry off towards a group of marines. Sarah quickly ran to her room and grabbed the largest backpack she could find. There wasn’t really much she could take with her except the memories she had at the Relief Center. She opened up her drawers and took out all her clothes. At the bottom of the drawer was a police badge. It was Taylor’s police badge which he had given to her before he died. Sarah sniffed as she felt sorrow and picked up the badge.

            “Oh, Taylor.” Sarah examined the badge as a tear trickled down her face.

            Sarah was going to honor his death and continue her duties as a police officer. With that, she clipped the badge onto her belt. Sarah continued to search her room for whatever she could stuff in her backpack. After a period of searching, she was done. Her backpack was nearly full and she was satisfied with what she packed. She walked to the door and took one last glance at her room. All the memories she had in that room won’t be forgotten. She smiled and closed the door. Sarah slung the backpack over her shoulder and walked out of the building. In the distant, Sarah could see Cookson sitting patiently at the bench waiting for her.

            “Mike!” Sarah called out.

            Cookson stood up and walked towards Sarah.

            “Here, let me take that.” Cookson took Sarah’s backpack and slung it to his back.

            “You don’t have to. You already got a backpack.” Sarah pointed.

            “It’s fine. I can manage.” Cookson smiled.

            “Thanks.” Sarah grinned.

            “You packed everything you need?” Cookson asked.

            “Yup.” Sarah nodded.

            “Heard the States are colder than here.” Cookson commented.

            “Oh…” Sarah scratched her head.

            “Don’t worry. The UNSC over there can accommodate us.” Cookson assured.

            “Okay.” Sarah smiled.

            “Come on, let’s go.” Cookson pointed towards the landing pads.

            Sarah took a glance at the park bench and cherished the moment. It was such a magical day when Cookson proposed to her. She hoped that one day she’ll see the day Cookson described. Sarah spun around and quickly followed behind Cookson as he saluted to a marine with markings of a Colonel. Sarah smiled as she walked past the Colonel and saw a Pelican equipped with a troop pod.

            “Hop on.” Cookson waved at Sarah to get on first.

            Most of the seats were already filled at the back so Sarah decided to sit near the entrance. She wanted to see a last look at Bankstown before they lifted off. Cookson quickly grabbed a seat beside Sarah and placed his arm around her. As the final marines settled down on their seats and strapped in, the Colonel walked into the Pelican.

            “Good luck gentlemen! Let’s show the Americans what the Aussies are made out of!” the Colonel saluted and stepped off the Pelican.

            “Hoorah!” the marines shouted excitedly as the Colonel waved at the Pelican pilot to lift off.

            Sarah watched as the Pelican lifted off and the whole Relief Center came into view. From the edge of her seat, she could make out the places she trained with Taylor and the park where Cookson proposed. The Pelican continued to lift as she saw the Bankstown Memorial Park and the building where Taylor and her fought for their lives. Next, the Pelican flew over the battle-torn city of Sydney. Sarah saw a lot of aircraft flying over the city before the Pelican lifted up into the fluffy clouds. Somewhere in Sydney, Azrie al-Rahman was still out there, but she will never know what exactly happened to him. The Pelican hatch closed and locked shut as the pressurization began. The interior lights lit a gloomy faint red and the chatter of the marines died down. It was going to be a long way to North America from Australia. Sarah closed her eyed and leaned her head against Cookson’s shoulder.

UNSCDF Chapter 2- The Tour

Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

UNSC Richmond Outpost

March 15^th, 2001

0800 Local Time

          “This is Foxtrot 515 requesting permission to land, over.” Corporal Mike Stewart spoke on the RaidCall while leveling the Pelican for the landing approach.

         “This is base, you are cleared for landing on platform Bravo, over.” a man replied back on the RaidCall.

            “Copy that base, landing on platform Bravo.” Stewart acknowledged as he adjusted the heading of the Pelican towards platform Bravo.

            The Pelican flew past a heavily fortified concrete wall and then slowly descended on the platform.

            Stewart pressed some buttons and flipped some switches off before exiting the cockpit. He walked out the back of the Pelican and was greeted by two marines dressed in officer uniform.

            “Sir, ma’am.” Stewart saluted the officers and held a firm stance.

            “At ease Corporal.” a middle aged man roughly in his mid thirties bearing the insignia of a Captain approached Stewart.

            “What can I do for you Captain Friedsam?” Stewart asked as he eyed the female officer.

            “Stewart, I would like to introduce Lieutenant Jane Forester from the Seattle Outpost. She’s here to evaluate how we are doing and to contact High Command of our zombie eradication progress of Vancouver.” Friedsam introduced Forester to Stewart.

            “Nice to meet you Lieutenant Forester.” Stewart offered his hand.

            “Nice to meet you too Corporal Stewart.” Forester took his hand and shook it.

          “Stewart, I’ll let you show Forester around. I’ve got to head to the command post to get updates about our deployment of our forces in the Surrey sector.” Friedsam saluted Forester and Stewart before taking off.

             “What’s this deployment in Surrey all about?” Forester asked out of curiosity.

           “It’s an extermination operation as we attempt to regain control of the city of Surrey, ma’am.” Stewart explained.

           “Ah, I see. How much forces are stationed here?” Forester asked as she looked at some marines patrolling the concrete wall.

          “A significant amount of troops. We have the 10^th and 12^th Company deployed from the 701^st Battalion.” Stewart pointed to his 12^th Company badge sewed on his shirt sleeves.

            “So are you a pilot?” Forester pointed at the Pelican Stewart landed.

            “Yes ma’am I am.” Stewart nodded, “I am Lieutenant Zyrok’s pilot.”

            “Zyrok, that name sounds uncommon.” Forester repeated the name, “Is that his real name?”

            “I only know that everyone calls him Zyrok and that his first name is Charlie.” Stewart answered to the best of his ability.

            “Let me take you to our War Room.” Stewart motioned Forester to follow him.

            Stewart led Forester past an open field and came across a small concrete building. At the entrance stood two marines holding M16s. When Forester appeared at the entrance, both the marines saluted and opened the door for her. Stewart walked to another door and looked into a retinal scanner. The door slid open and Stewart waved her to come inside.

            “Welcome to the War Room.” Stewart opened his arms in front of a big screen showing video footage of an ongoing zombie extermination.”

            Behind Stewart were ten marines sitting on their computers and talking to their headsets. A marine entered the room and approached Forester.

            “This is Sergeant Major Thomas Shields from the War Room. How can I help you Lieutenant…” a middle aged man in his late thirties greeted Forester and looked at her name tag.

            “Forester, Jane Forester from the Seattle Outpost. Are you in charge here?” Forester asked Shields.

            “Yes ma’am, I am. You’ve come a long way. What can I do for you?” Shields offered her help.

            “What kind of operations are currently going on?” Forester asked as she took out a notepad from her pocket on her right thigh.

            “Well, currently we’re doing an extermination at Surrey as you can see there.” Shields pointed at the big screen map indicating all ground and air units.

            “Okay, how’s that going so far?” Forester jotted down some notes.

            “We’ve managed to gain ground of the northeast and southeast of Surrey. The dense population in the center makes it hard for us to easily walk in and take it back.” Shields reported as he waved his hand on the map indicating where the infected were.

            “Okay, any other ongoing operations?” Forester asked after taking down notes of the extermination operation.

            “We have Echo Squad doing a search and rescue at downtown Vancouver.” Shield looked at a monitor beside him.

            “Echo Squad?” Forester asked out of curiosity.

            “Oh, that’s Lieutenant Zyrok and his men.” Shields enthusiastically answered.

        “Speaking of that…Stewart, can you get the Pelican ready to pick them up in two hours at the extraction point?” Shields requested.

            “You got it SM. I’ll go do maintenance checks on it then.” Stewart replied and turned around.

            “Stewart, wait for me before you takeoff in two hours. I want to assess the downtown area.” Forester grabbed Stewart’s shoulders.

            “Sure, no problem Lieutenant. See you later.” Stewart saluted and headed out the War Room.

            “Any more operations Sergeant Major?” Forester asked as she looked around.

            “Fire Team Kilo is coming back from their loot run in Burnaby in half an hour. That’s pretty much it.” Shields replied as he typed something on one of the empty computer stations.

            “Okay, thank you for your help.” Forester thanked and put her notepad away.

         “Anytime Lieutenant. Let me know if you have any more questions.” Shields walked her to the entrance of the War Room and saluted goodbye as the doors slid closed.

            Forester walked down an empty hallway and came across a room with stairs leading up. She thought for a moment and decided to go upstairs and look around. She approached the second level and opened the door. She noticed a lot of marines crowding around an entrance and wanted to see what the commotion was all about.

         “Officer on deck!” a man standing outside the entrance who appeared to be a Sergeant noticed Forester approaching.

            All the men in the room stood up and shut their mouths as Forester entered.

            “At ease soldiers.” Forester spoke out loud.

            “What brings you here Lieutenant?” the Sergeant asked.

        “I’m just touring the facilities. I’m assuming this is the Mess Hall?” Forester asked as the marines around her resumed back to chatting and playing cards.

            “That’s correct ma’am. I haven’t seen you here before. Are you new here?” the Sergeant asked politely.

            “Yeah, I’ve come from the Seattle Outpost to take a look here at this outpost and to report back to High Command.” Forester responded swiftly.

            “Well then. Welcome, I’m Sergeant Jonathan Stokes from Fire Team Tango.” Stokes offered his hand.

            “I’m Lieutenant Jane Forester.” Forester shook his hand.

         “To be honest Lieutenant, the Mess Hall isn’t a good place to start your report of the outpost.” Stokes smiled as he pointed at the garbage lying on the ground.

            “Oh that’s fine, I’ve seen worse.” Forester laughed lightly.

          “You should go check out the Command Center and the War Room. Cool stuff there ma’am.” Stokes suggested.

            “I’ve seen it already, it’s not that bad. Do you have an armory?” Forester asked.

            “We have it in the building next to us.” Stokes pointed at the window in the Mess Hall.

            “That one?” Forester asked as the looked at the building adjacent to it.

            “Yup, I’ll get someone to take you there if you like Lieutenant.” Stokes offered her assistance.

            “That would be appreciated.” Forester smiled warmly.

            “Hey Stanley!” Stokes shouted across the room.

            “Yeah Sarge?” a young short man stood up and approached Stokes.

            “This is Lance Corporal Neil Stanley from my Fire Team.” Stokes introduced Stanley to Forester.

            “Greetings ma’am.” Stanley saluted.

            “Nice to meet you, I’m Lieutenant Forester.” Forester saluted back.

            “Take the Lieutenant to the armory next door Stanley.” Stokes ordered.

            “Got it Sarge.” Stanley acknowledged as he stood beside Forester.

            “I’ll leave you two folks to it then.” Stokes saluted to Forester and walked into a group of marines playing cards to tell them to pick up their garbage.

            Stokes watched Stanley lead Forester out the Mess Hall and walked around to two marines sitting on a couch.

            “Who’s your new girlfriend Sarge?” a middle aged man with a chubby look blurted it out as Stokes approached them.

            “None of your business Corporal Michaels. She’s not your league.” Stokes eyed an evil stare.

            “Hell, it’s pretty damn hard to find a female in the UNSC.” Michaels complained.

            “Guess you’ll just need your hand and some magazines.” the other marine who appeared to be a bit older than Michaels sat on the couch and sipped his lemonade.

            “Why you little…” Michaels stood up with an angry face.

        “You want to go? I’ll take you on anytime.” the marine stood and put his lemonade down on the ground.

            “Corporal Michaels and Corporal Wilson, take a seat and cool your jets!” Stokes intervened with an angry voice.

            “Yes sir!” Wilson responded and sat down.

            “Yes sir, but he asked for it.” Michaels replied and sat down with an upset face.

          “That’s true, but did I get upset and all rowdy when you made the comment about the female lieutenant as my girlfriend?” Stokes asked.

            “Fine, you win Sarge.” Michaels gave up.

            “Sarge always wins.” Wilson smiled as he took a sip from his lemonade.

            A young man ran into the Mess Hall and approached Stokes.

           “Sir, Captain Yashin requests your presence at his office.” the young man saluted him as he passed the message.

            “Thank you Private Hemmings. I’ll be on my way in just a minute.” Stokes looked at Michaels and then Hemmings.

           “Better not be a complained from the LT joke you made or you’re screwed man.” Wilson joked at Michaels.

            “I’ll be back gentlemen.” Stokes laughed and walked out with Hemmings.