*hello again I got good news I finished halo The Master chief collection*

"Six! Six, wake up!" Kat said with alarm. She shook him by the shoulder, peering into his helmet.

Noble Six sucked in a rapid, big breath, eyes shooting open from behind the visor. He was instantly aware, alert, and the muscles of his body primed for immediate action. The air smelt like burnt plasma.

"What? Is something wrong?" Six said, looking around. Clearly, it was still night. He hadn't slept for that long, but it was enough to feel rejuvenated given the SPARTAN program's severe augmentations. He suddenly realized that the sound of explosions and plasma bombardment had grown from a distant boom into a much nearer and much more threatening roar.

Kat nodded. "Yes! The glassing's gotten closer. We need to move."

"Bit of a rude awakening," Six said flatly.

Disgruntled, but not needing to be told twice, Six clambered into the driver's seat of the Warthog and Kat joined him in the passenger's side. Starting the engine, he heard it sputter and roar to life, and then they sped off.

"Sorry to disturb your beauty sleep," Kat said between the bumps and dips in the forest terrain.

Six glanced at her for directions. "So... Where to?"

"About 500 klicks north," Kat said.

"The Sabre launch site?"

"Yep," Kat confirmed. "It's a different site from the one you and Jorge used. I can guide you there. Just find the nearest road."

"500 klicks north..." Six mulled on. "That's away from the direction of the glassing." He checked the gauges for the level of fuel in the hydrogen tanks that powered the Warthog. After eyeballing the indicator, he tapped on the fuel gauge and said, "Should take us most of the way there but we'll have to walk the last few."

"That's fine. In the meantime, we can put some time on the clock by driving away," Kat said.

"How are you feeling?" Six made sure to ask.

"Fine, actually..." Kat said. "I'm a light sleeper so I didn't sleep much, but I think I needed that more than I'd like to admit. Headache's gone."

"Nothing like a Kat nap," Six joked. "Gonna need you at full capacity."

Kat sighed and shook her head at his corny remark. "You and your puns," she said, a smirk lining her voice. "I should punch you. You sleep like a rock by the way."

"All the more reason..." Six added.

The night was uneventful as they travelled, the hissing and roaring of the glassing growing into a dull, fading boom before disappearing beyond the horizon. Nothing but an orange glow could be seen and a dull hum heard now. The Warthog tore through Reach's dirt with ease, kicking it up behind them. They were making good distance but even at max speed on the open road, it was still several hours to their destination. Needless to say, Kat decided to get comfortable, take her helmet off, and kick her feet up against the dashboard as the mountainous scenery rolled on by. Eventually, day began to break, and the sun kissed Kat's face. Feeling the warmth, she felt her heart too, and was implored to speak.

"Can I see it again?" Kat asked.

"What?" Six spoke up. For the most part, their journey had been relatively silent, with Kat staring off into the distance, probably contemplating what could be her last thoughts. There were a few small conversations and words of direction, but by the tone of her voice, this seemed more serious though.

"Your face..." Kat specified. "It was the only thing not on your file."

Six froze. "Is that an order or a request?"

"I wouldn't order you to do that."

"My helmet isn't good enough?"

"Just thought I should know the identity of the man I'm working with," Kat said, feeling a bit spurned. "Sorry for asking."

Six didn't say anything. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, thinking about it for a few moments. There was some innate part of him—the black ops in his blood—that didn't want to and never had wanted to do it. It wasn't in him to trust. Not easily at least. After being pulled out from his regular unit and put through a special SPARTAN training program to become ONI's personal grim reaper, he could hardly comprehend the idea. But for some reason, he felt his fingers relax and took a chance on opening up. Then, without a single word, he took off his helmet and placed it on the dashboard.

Kat smiled, pleased by his silent acquiescence. "Handsome..." she said in no particular tone. "Don't understand why you hide it so much."

"It's on principle," Six said, putting the helmet back on.

Kat hummed back an acknowledgement. "Some principles are meant to broken."

Six didn't say anything in response. Though he was quiet, he did run the short conversation over and over again through his head, lingering on a few parts. They continued to drive in silence until the engine began to choke and the fuel pump whine. At this point, the fuel gauge had been in the red for over half an hour now and things weren't sounding good.

"Shit!" Kat said, sitting up straight. She threw her helmet back on. "That isn't what it sounds like, is it?"

"Yep," Six muttered. "No fuel. Looks like we're walking."

Kat groaned. "And I was just starting to get comfortable. All right... Let's keep following the road."

"Shouldn't be too far," Six said. "Maybe 10 klicks or so."

"It's not the distance that concerns me," Kat said. "It's being out in the open."

"I can see why you have an aversion to that now," Six replied.

"Yeah..." Kat agreed. "I hate to say it but your eyes are sharper than mine. I'll need you with me. Stay on my six... Six," she said amusingly. "Heh."

"Consider it covered."

Disembarking, Noble Two and Noble Six made their way through the rugged, weather-beaten Reach terrain. The forest was thick, covering the hilly landscape in a great lush of cover and concealment but they couldn't use any of it without compromising their navigation—the road being the only guide to their destination. Six had no idea where they were but Kat had told him to take an unmarked path hidden well and branching off the main road they'd been on. 10 kilometers was no small distance on foot and Kat knew the way so she took point. It was at this moment that Six felt a pang of appreciation for the skillset that Kat brought and the value of good teamwork. He had to admit, her extensive access to and knowledge of UNSC secrets frequently came in handy. He could never have figured this out by himself.

They were still far so there wasn't much to do except march. In the meanwhile, Six found his eyes tracing lines over Kat's back, something that the marching soldier was no stranger to when in formation, but this was a little different. Noble Six's eyes fell down a bit lower to the alluring arch of her spine, and then a little further to a more interesting region. It was perky. And feminine. Distinctly. With all the armor they wore as Spartans, the form of the human body was somewhat obscured, but there was enough of an outline that...

Well...

It was shapely enough to catch Six's attention and hold it for more than a few seconds. Needless to say, the SPARTAN program's augmentations didn't entirely get rid of everything about human nature. As Six was looking, he could almost imagine what it would actually-

Kat glanced back. "Six!" she exclaimed.

"Commander?" Six said, snapping out of his trance. How far had they even walked?

"Are you...?" Kat raised a scandalous eyebrow underneath that helmet of hers, a particular tone of suspicion hiding not so secretively in her inquiry. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah..." Six said, marching behind her. "Zoned out. I was just thinking."

"About...?"

"Nothing, really. I was watching your six like you asked."

Kat snorted. "Maybe a little too much," she said with a hunch in her voice. "Did my little comment about your face get to your head?"

"What are you accusing me of?" Six asked defensively.

"Curious," Kat said as they continued to walk. "Were you staring at me or were you just lost inside that helmet?"

"I didn't know you could see where my eyes were through my visor," Six shot back.

"Lieutenant..." Kat stopped in her tracks. Turning around, she planted a hand on her hip, magnum lowered in the other, and said, "Is there a problem? If you have an issue with your commanding officer or something you would like to say, just say that."

Six blinked.

"No, ma'am," he said respectfully. "The objective is up ahead and I was just thinking we should take the scenic route."

"Scenic route..." Kat mused. She brought her visor dangerously close to his. "I know what you're thinking... and it's a very bad idea."

"Didn't stop you with that Covenant carrier we destroyed."

Kat chuckled. She placed a playful finger on Six's chest, running it along the armor before sliding it off. "That... was different. This could have personal consequences. Besides, are you going to take off your helmet when I ask?"

"Maybe," Six said. "If you give me a good reason."

Kat rolled her head to the side, towards the bushes. Her finger fidgeted over the trigger guard of her pistol. "I could give you a few..."

"Shoot," Six encouraged.

Kat met his gaze full force. "Well, you're the last person left on NOBLE team aside from me. I don't have anyone else anymore. Is that good enough for you?"

"That's one," Six said.

"Two," Kat said, holding up the proper amount of fingers. "You already know what my face looks like. Let's not be strangers."

"That's two."

"Three, and this one's very simple," Kat announced once more in a smug voice. "I outrank you, Lieutenant."

"Those are good reasons..." Six said. He shifted in his boots, the MJOLNIR titanium digging into the dirt. "But we're off the books right now, Kat. If I'm going to show you my face, I don't want to see just yours."

"Without being vague," Kat ordered.

"I could throw you into the nearest ditch for a little while and we can see who comes out on top."

"Nuh-uh" Kat shook her head. "That's where I draw the line. You wouldn't win anyway."

"You think? Humor me," Six said.

"Okay," Kat challenged him. "Now, it's your turn to talk. Give me a few good reasons."

"What happens on Reach, stays on Reach," Six assured her.

"Can you guarantee that? If we get back to humanity and someone finds out, we'll be court-martialed for fraternization."

"You're talking to the best covert operative there is. Officially, I don't even exist."

"Okay," Kat relinquished. "One..."

"I'm not just a soldier, Kat. You know that. There are things I want to experience too. Just like you."

"Two..." Kat said. "You still need one more."

"We could die here," Six said. "And I want to feel at least one good thing in my life."

"That's three," Kat scoffed, turning away angrily. She crossed her arms and put her back towards him, conflicted. "Damn you..."

"Kat..." Six murmured. Holstering his rifle, he put a hand on her shoulder and moved to take her helmet off with the other.

"No," Kat said, brushing him off, annoyed. "I don't want to watch you die with a memory in my hand."

"Well, when I die, I do..." Six pleaded softly.

Kat paused. That was the most vulnerability he had ever shown her. It was just enough to make her heart flutter.

"Don't talk like that. If we get off this planet," Kat reassured him. "Until then, I don't want you to make things worse for me." Kat nodded in the direction of the objective. "C'mon, lone wolf. Let's keep moving."

"I hope you don't mind if I stare then," Six said. "My eyes are tired and there's nothing else to look at."

"Stare all you like. I'm used to it."

"Prosthetic arm?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately."

Six kept an eye out for any threats but it was difficult. This time she had put an extra bounce in her step and a sway in her hips. And her strides seemed a little slower too. More deliberate. In the process, Six felt himself gripping the handle of his MA37 rifle harder than usual. He found it hard to reconcile what she was saying with her actions.

"You don't have to do that, you know?" Six commented.

"Do what?" Kat asked.

"Nevermind."

"Speak up, Noble Six," Kat urged firmly.

"Just keep walking please."

"Oh, that?" Kat smirked. "I intend to."