DT 2022: Friends, Enemies

256X. Andra visits with an old friend in Meredith Freeport.
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“You’ve changed, you started wearing glasses.”
Daniele’s lips twisted in a laugh-suppressing smile, pushing the sliding rim of his adaptive circle-lens back up his nose.
“So did you. You started wearing makeup, and don’t think I missed the Insurrection tattoo on your forearm there.”
Andra offered her own smirk, shifting her weight from one hip to the other and adjusting her crossed arms where the old tattoo burned for attention.
“I’ve got another on my back too. You got any of your own?”
“No, unfortunately. I decided sometime ago physical markers would make me easier to track. That’s dangerous when you’re on the run. Remember Rio? Constantly changing clothes so the hostile AI couldn’t track us by the copyrighted micro thread patterns.”
“I remember a lot about Rio actually. You started acting kind of weird when we pulled out from the assignment.”
Daniele leaned back on his desk, putting a pair of fingers to his chin in thought but never taking his eyes off his recent visitor. “I never noticed. What was different about me?”
“You were quieter.”
“You and I were both very quiet children, Andra.”
“No. You were more so. I could tell because we were quiet children.” Andra insisted.
“So then, what else was different about me? I can say you’re different because you’re very talkative compared to back then.”
“Talking to regular kids at the Pax River school helped me grow out of my mutism. We found a Delta Company trainee there; she was never kidnapped but Zach stepped up for her to become a Spartan-IV. He joined a black ops unit after our team dissolved – when you and Roxanne deserted. Thanks again for that.”
Daniele’s smile stilled a little, as if revealing the inner workings of the faux friendliness underneath. “Sorry about that. I did what was best in the moment. You, Zach, Merlin – you were on the other side of the planet and I had an unfortunate timetable to beat the Created occupation and Roxanne was the only one close enough to help me out.”
Andra’s smirk remained but the warmth never reached her eyes. “Six months ahead of schedule, for the record. You almost killed Team Emergence. Broke a rogue ONI officer out of prison. Stole a warship from Jupiter. By the way, where’s Roxanne these days?”
Daniele’s smile finally collapsed into a frown as he too crossed his arms and planted his boots on the tiled floor of the small space.
“I don’t know, she decided to do her own thing on Reach before the Created crisis broke out. She had a similar tone with me, like yours now, when she said she wanted out. My patience is running thin, Andra, but I’m being patient. Like I was with her. By the way, that ‘rogue ONI officer’ was Jefferson Korn – your old training officer. Try to be a little sympathetic. You would’ve done the same thing in my position.”
Andra huffed, taking a moment to acknowledge her own patience for her former team leader. I’m being very patient with you right now too. You’re in my turf. And Commadore Korn is a threat…
Daniele continued, “If you have a reason for visiting me, you should tell me. Otherwise, I recommend you leave. Clearly, you’re not here to arrest or kill me since you came in civilian clothes. I don’t suppose you’re still with the UNSC, are you?”
“I’m still with the UNSC. I don’t see any reason to lie to you. And I’m not here to arrest you or kill you either. I would’ve brought more backup if that was the case.”
“Merlin or Zach aren’t hiding somewhere nearby with some strike team preparing to charge in? Well, you won’t mind if I check for a moment.”
Andra shrugged, gesturing for her fellow Spartan to do his business. The rogue turned to the computers behind him, “Kathy. The perimeter clear?”
A hologram flashed on one of the screens, displaying a pixelated figure of a cyan-haired soldier with an ancient sniper rifle. “I’ve been scanning the local data space but there’s no unusual taps.”
“Thank you, keep an eye out. Let Jeff know Andra turned up.”
The cyan Smart AI saluted the Spartan and winked out of sight as Daniele turned back to Andra. “Can’t be too careful.”
Andra nodded, “Makes sense to me. If you want to know why I’m here, I came to check on a friend when I found out he was on planet. And working with the Far Harvest pirates of all things.”
“We’re a little more dignified than pirates. Far Harvest collects taxes, provides security and freight so we’re government-like, and we handle enough territory – not entire planets but regions on them. I’d say we do a decent job of being the Unified Earth when the UEG isn’t present. I hear Sydney has seen better days.”
“That’s accurate. But that doesn’t give Far Harvest the right to occupy UEG territory, collect taxes from its citizens. Or attack our frontier grain convoys.”
“Last I checked, Margret—”
“—Meredith Freeport.” Andra corrected, butting in.
“I like Margret better,” Daniele grimaced a little. “She’s half the reason why Spartans exist after all. But besides that, the Freeport is not UEG territory. Your people designated it a Pale Zone. Lawless territory.”
“UNSC security laws apply to all human space. Spartans operate on Venezia and other Pale Zones per usual regulations.”
“I don’t recall any of that from training.”
Andra shrugged, “I got introduced them as part of my assignment here.”
“You’re with Naval Intelligence of some sorts then, still?”
Andra nodded.
“And you’re sure you don’t plan to kill me?” Daniele tested, standing up and taking a step towards Andra where his chin floated above Andra’s head.
“I haven’t received an order of such yet. I might be on the hook to take Korn out though.”
“Well, I can’t let you or anyone else do that.” Daniele replied with a dangerous air around him. Andra shivered but maintained her amicable tone.
“We can cross that bridge when we get there. And what is your relationship with our old commander? Or should I just call him Commodore since that’s what he styles himself publicly these days.”
“Commodore is fine. I admit I think of him as a sort of father figure. He has a lot of common life experience with Spartans, so definitely a friend and someone with similar mileage. I owed him my life in San Diego, my desertion was a return of favors.”
“Do you still owe him now?” Andra asked.
“Maybe. Is this an interrogation?” Daniele asked back.
“Just a friendly visit. Like I said, wanted to visit a friend.”
“Well, you’ve visited. You know where to find me now, Andra. If that’s all you came to do – maybe you should also take your leave as I have work to return to.”
“What’s the work?”
“Far Harvest’s security.”
“In this dump?” Andra asked glancing around the small utility closet in the basement of a mega-apartment tower.
“One of my safehouses. I’ll probably have to find another one soon.”
Andra nodded in understanding with a grimace.
Daniele continued, “You’re being rather honest with me, at least assuming what you’re telling me is the truth.”
“Between friends, honesty goes a long way, Dani. Trust goes a long way.”
“Well, I’m glad you still consider me a friend.”
“Same. I’m glad I got to talk to you again.”
Daniele took another step forward, smiling and yet it too didn’t reach the dark shades hiding his eyes. Andra likewise took a step back.
“As a warning between friends then. For old time’s sake. Stay away from the Far Harvest Legion. They’ll have orders to shoot-on-sight.”
Andra nodded, taking an extra step back so she was only two steps away from exiting the tech closet’s threshold.
“That’s threatening, Daniele. I guess there’s not a very good reason to remind you that friends shouldn’t do that to each other.”
Daniele grimaced; smiles left behind. “Then maybe it’s time you left. When you cross that door, we’ll be enemies again. Consider it my last sendoff between friends. Don’t come looking for me unless you change your mind, or on explicitly-friendly terms. Under those circumstances, then maybe. You can look out for my AI; she’ll keep an eye on you.”
“Right… sure thing.” Andra agreed, taking the last two steps out of Daniele’s urban hideaway. Her blue eyes never left the augmentation-consequent blue eyes hiding behind his shades. She glanced down at her sneakers, and his boots. She crossed the threshold; he leaned on the doorframe.
We’re enemies now.
“I’ll see you around then,” Andra muttered just loud enough for her fellow Spartan to hear.
“Right, maybe. Have a good life, Andra. I hope you prosper. And if we run into each other again, I hope it is on better terms. Don’t come looking for me. I mean it.”
Andra finally turned away from her former team leader and made sure to listen for any sounds of footsteps in her direction or the tell-sounds of a weapon. Turning her back to an enemy, even if a friend a few moments ago, was taking a great risk. She followed the metal hallway until a glance over her shoulder confirmed the Spartan she once knew as Daniele-D003 was not present.
The space had no tell-tale shimmer of active camouflage for an unseen foe. There weren’t any apparent cameras in the hall, lined with doors for little rental booths like Daniele’s safehouse. Andra still figured he or his AI were watching her.
Andra reached down into an industrial waste crate next to a vending machine and unfurled her hidden shotgun pistol wrapped in an old trench coat. She wracked the charging handle back and slipped it beneath the coat and over her shoulders. Andra kept walking away from her enemy’s hideaway, offering one more uncertain glance back.
She wondered how many goodbyes Daniele suffered through these years. He chose Korn over his own brothers and sisters. A horrifying thought dawned on Andra - she didn't know him at all; whatever made him so devout to their former training officer ran deep. An old wound maybe. Something before they met. It turned him into an enemy.
Andra shivered. She had yet to step out into the winter air outside.
Category:The Weekly
Category:Short stories