CHAPTER 20
3RD APRIL 2526, 20:00 HOURS (MILITARY CALENDAR) UNSC PROWLER, SIRENS SONG
Otto woke up, and his eyes were closed and his entire body felt stiff, and swollen. He couldn't move his legs as well as his right arm. He slowly peeled open his eyelids back and his vision blurred to a brightened white light inside a small, near claustrophobic room, it had taken a full minute and a half to figure out this was a medical room, and someone was next to him.
"Easy" the someone said, who was clearly a woman. "You've knocked yourself up bad"
Otto gave a short grunt unable to roll over, he fell back and stared into the ceiling
"Three?"
Otto doubted it, then turned to meet the woman, and it was her
"Maggie!" he whispered with as much shock and happiness he could muster, he gave a slight cough," where am I? Am I dead?"
Her lips were lined with a playful smile. "Maybe, you look pretty dead to me"
"Or could I be dreaming?" Otto's poor attempt at flirting gave him a small chuckle and a tired smile.
"Then you wouldn't feel this" she gave him a small nudge in his right arm and he grunted. "Ow" he said "You had to do that?"
"Yeah, had to, for cutting the fuse too short!" she giggled, "how are you feeling, Otto?"
"I feel like I was messed up pretty bad, the explosion oughta have done a good number on me" he smiled, "doesn't matter though, because your here"
She gave a slight giggle from his awful flirting and gave him a tender kiss on the forehead, "all better, Three?"
"Never Better"
The banter stopped when The familiar figures of Stanforth and Halsey came in, Halsey seemed somewhat bitter, Stanforth seemed impressed
"Welcome back, Petty Officer" he said
Margaret stood fast, Otto tried what he could to match a salute with his left arm.
"Thank you, sir. Did my team make it out?"
"All of them accounted for, yes. That was a helluva ballsy move with the Warhead, Spartan.
"Just doing what I was made for, Sir"
Stanforth rose an eyebrow and stiffened his lip, "clearly" he said, as he nodded to Halsey.
"SPARTAN 31, as of March 30th 2526, 18:00 Hours, you are hereby reassigned to SPARTAN BLACK Team and my own division, the Office of Naval Intelligence, Section Three"
Otto had missed his team he had grown and fought alongside, and they were now here, but his spine chilled and his hair stood on edge for what came next, "what about the others, sir?"
"Your now officially listed as MIA on NAVSPECWEPs roster, Petty Officer, It would be hard to pull you out otherwise. Get cleared up. All of you.
Margaret placed a set of gray fatigues overhead the foot of the medical bed. "Your alright, Three, nothin' serious, just a long nap in cryo" she smirked
"Yeah it's coming to me now" he groaned, cryogenic transport within most FTL equipped ships was commonplace, preserving the body under ice, not even aging. He climbed out of bed and into the slacks, then gave a low grunt. He hadn't a chance to say goodbye and he'd promised he'd make it out, but at least he knew they were alive, and some promises had to be broken.
"So I'm "dead"?" Otto asked
"Pretty Much" Victor said, he was still the silent softie he knew from training
"Damn, I'm gonna miss 'em" he grunted
"We do too, except we actually died" Roma kidded around
"Yeah, you look ever a much as a ghost to me, Two" Otto laughed
"He turned back to Margaret, "When am I outta bed?" Otto groaned
"I'd give it two days before your out of bed, but your looking healthy, really well. Maybe even sooner."
Margaret gave him a hard thump, then walked out with Roma and Victor. Most likely to get introduced to MJOLNIR.
Otto leaned back and smiled, somehow, everything felt normal again. Even though things were clearly different, and he wouldn't have things be any other way.