SpoilersReach: Bonds

Six didn't see the shot, only heard it. He turned his gaze from the members of Noble who stood in the shelter's doorway. He was instantly aware that she was falling and he reacted. His arms slipped around her to catch the Lieutenant Commander. Her body was limp in his arms.

He knelt down looking down at her visor. It took only a fraction of a second for him to realize what had happened.

Anger spread through his veins at the realization. Without a second thought he grabbed the pistol from her hip, the one she always used. He turned the gun skyward to the hovering phantom. Six spotted the sniper perched on its side. In his fury he couldn't identify species or rank, only that it carried a needler rifle.

Six fired, slightly aware of the battle rifle fire from the rest of the team. The phantom rose and started to turn away. The figure slipped back into the protection of the ship. Six's pistol clicked empty and he cursed.

The shouts of the civilians for them to hurry filled his ears. Did none of them understand what had happened? Carter's voice broke through his reverie and Six snapped out of his rage. He slipped his arms under Kat's elbows and pulled her toward the doorway. The other Spartans were still watching the sky.

Why couldn't they have been watching the skies earlier? They could have saved her.

The thud of the doors closing echoed in Six's head. He stared down at the shattered face plate. He felt helpless, just like he had with Jorge. It was different this time. She hadn't died in a selfless act to try to save the planet. She'd been taken by a coward sniper. On top of all of that, Six had failed to kill Kat's killer.

Six hung his head in shame and pain. He'd grown close to Kat in the last week. She'd proven to be brilliant with tech and strong support in combat. She'd stood by him through SWORD base and had his back when the invasion began.

Carter had told Six that Kat would likely be the last person to warm up to him. She was the most reluctant about a replacement. It had taken time. Carter had seemed happy with him and Emile was neutral toward him. Jorge had been friendly and seemed to want him around. After their assault on the power house Jun was pleasant toward him. It wasn't until they'd taken down the spire that Kat accept him. At the time, when she'd seemed to warm up to him, he'd been so relieved. He liked Kat, and felt a bond with her that he'd never had with anyone else. He guessed that was why her death hurt so much. It hurt like he'd lost a lifelong friend.

He knew that he would never hear her voice again or see her smirk. Something was just depressing about those facts. It hit him like a wraith tank. There had been a deeper bond that he'd felt for her. In the short time he'd known her he'd fallen for the female Spartan.

A hand settled on Six's shoulder and he looked up to see Carter. "There was nothing you could have done."

Six stood and looked down at Kat. "It isn't fair. It shouldn't have happened."

Carter removed his helmet and moved to Kat's side. "It may have been unfair, but it happened." The words were barely audible. Six examined his Commander and frowned. Hazel eyes gazed unfocused at the body before him.

"You and she were close?" Six wanted to look away. He felt like he was intruding on a very private moment. One he had no right to witness.

"She and I were the only surviving members of the original Noble. We were very close." Something in Carter's tone made Six aware that they had been more than just teammates or even friends.

Six felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Here he had only been a member of the team for a short while and he was falling for the woman who belonged to his CO. He couldn't help his attraction to Kat. He supposed it didn't matter anymore. In less than a second the Covenant had taken her from them. Oddly, Six felt a new bond with Carter. They had both just lost the woman that they loved.

"Could you… could you leave me alone to say goodbye?" Carter didn't look up from the body as he spoke.

Six nodded. He didn't say another word before he walked over to the others. Jun and Emile looked at him then over to Carter and Kat. "I always knew there was something there." Jun looked down toward the floor.

Emile didn't say a word. He just turned away from the private scene. Six remained silent as well. He moved over to the wall and slid down to sit with his back resting on it. He stared down at the ground trying not to look at Carter and Kat. He didn't want to be reminded that she was dead, or that he never really had a chance from the start.