Author's Note: Sorry. I know this update has been a long time coming, but it's finally here! I plan on writing the next chapter much sooner than this one, and rest assured that it will be full of action. Now that I'm done setting everything up, we can move on to the good stuff. ;-) Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and please leave feedback! Reviews are appreciated and very helpful. Peace!

One Week Later. 2103 Hours, September 29, 2550. Fort Washington, Planet Koda X.

Lieutenant Phillip Davis sat across from the MP, inhaling deeply as he took a long drag from his cigarette. The two men were currently alone in Isaiah’s regimental commander’s office, as Colonel Rex Slater had one of the most secure spaces one could find on base. And in order to discuss the top secret details of Operation Lockdown, the ONI officer and Marshall had been in need of just such a private--and bug-free--location. After thoroughly checking every square centimeter of Slater’s office for listening devices, Lieutenant Davis and Sergeant Marshall were finally able to speak openly about how the important operation was to be carried out.

Presently, Davis flicked the end of his cigarette against the ashtray on the table, then looked back up at the military policeman. “Colonel Slater told me that your squad was briefed on the operation today, Sergeant. How did they take the news of the assignment?”

Isaiah sighed and ran a hand over his red hair before attempting an answer. He’d found it was always best to chose one’s words very carefully when conversing with a spook. “Well, sir, to tell you the truth, they were just as shocked as I was at first. I honestly never thought there were people out there who were capable of turning against their own species, but after I saw the packet you uploaded to my datapad...Damn, was I wrong, El-Tee.” The MP shook his head before suddenly flashing a small grin at the naval intelligence officer. “Guess I don’t have to tell you just how willing my squadmates are to use force on these creeps, Lieutenant.”

The officer gave his subordinate a stern look. “No, Sergeant, you don’t. It’s the reaction everyone should have automatically, in my opinion.”

Slightly taken aback, Isaiah resisted the urge to shrink away. “Yes, sir. Of course.”

Sergeant Marshall wondered briefly why the normally enthusiastic and talkative lieutenant was being so restrained at the moment. Though hard to believe, the ONI operative was actually acting…well, serious about his job for once. There had never been any doubt in Isaiah’s mind that Davis was a good intelligence officer, but it certainly wasn’t the lieutenant’s style not to throw in an element of humor in everything he did. Tonight, however, had been different so far. Something was causing Lieutenant Davis to keep himself under check, and Sergeant Marshall hypothesized that perhaps they were being watched by one of the officer’s superiors. Despite the fact that the idea bothered him a bit, the noncom tried not to let his discomfort show. Instead, he listened as Davis continued speaking.

“I realize how much information Colonel Slater revealed in such a short span of time, Sergeant. It’s a lot to take in all at once, so here’s your chance to ask any questions before the mission is a go. Any inquiries your subordinates may have had are fair game, as well.” The blonde lieutenant finally grinned for the first time all night, as was more his custom, and he gestured grandly with his arms. “This is the one time in your life where you’ll get a spook who’s an open book, Marshall. I suggest you take the chance.”

The sergeant had to work to keep from snorting in disbelief; Lieutenant Davis must’ve been one of the craziest and most ridiculous members of the Office of Naval Intelligence he’d ever met, and he’d seen a few loonies in his day. The only difference with Phillip Davis was that his feigned mental instability stemmed from his desire to lighten up otherwise bland situations, whereas the others Marshall had met were quite simply insane.

On the plus side, though, it seems like maybe we’re not being watched after all, Isaiah thought to himself. Maybe there just really are moments where he means business.

Forcing himself to focus on the task at hand, Sergeant Isaiah Marshall leaned forward in his chair as he spoke. “I do have one question in particular that’s been nagging me for a while, sir. Colonel Slater mentioned that this mission was to consist only of my eight-man squad and I, plus you as our information source. But he also told all of us that these Innie sympathizers we’re supposed to capture are hiding out in a heavily fortified Covenant base.” The MP furrowed his brow, his expression thoughtful as he mulled over his question yet again. “What I don’t understand is how a single squad can just charge into an enemy encampment and take their informants. I’m sure the Covies are expecting the UNSC to go after this particular band of convicts, so the aliens are probably guarding them. Is that correct, Lieutenant?”

Now it was Davis’s turn to sigh. “Based on our limited information regarding the suspects’ status within the Covenant, yes, Sergeant, that’s correct.” The ONI operative took another drag from his cigarette and blew out the smoke slowly before glancing back at Isaiah. “That’s the whole reason why your squad was chosen for this mission, Marshall: it’s risky, difficult, and full of unknowns. They chose the best to infiltrate the Covenant base, and so it’s up to you to figure out how to do it. I can provide your squad with the intel your Marines need, but for the most part, the command is pretty much unofficially yours.”

Sergeant Marshall fixed his superior with a determined look in his blue eyes. “Understood, sir. I’ve actually thought of a few possibilities, and one sticks out in my mind the most. First, we’ll use the stealth techniques and equipment at our disposal to find a way into the Covie base unnoticed. Then once we’re inside, we’ll continue to quietly search the compound until we find the men and women we’re looking for. After that, it’s only a matter of getting out with the prisoners and meeting the Warthog at the rendezvous point for transport back to base.”

Lieutenant Davis stared at the young Marine sergeant, clearly amused by Marshall’s response. “Maybe you MPs don’t know how operations this large work, Sergeant, but everything isn’t going to happen the way you plan it to. And just so you know, getting out with the suspects at all--not to mention unnoticed and alive--is going to be the hardest part of this whole mission. I’d think about all that before you dismiss the ending as a walk in the park.”

“Yes, sir,” the military policeman replied, his voice suddenly tight. Sergeant Isaiah Marshall was a many-years veteran of the Human-Covenant War, and he had many successful, high-profile cases under his belt; he didn’t appreciate the lieutenant’s condescending tone when Davis was barely a year older than Marshall himself.

If the ONI operative noticed Isaiah Marshall’s discontent, however, he didn’t show it. “Good, Marshall. I’m glad we’re both on the same page. Now, there is one thing that probably wasn’t mentioned at your squad briefing, and that is because no one else--not even Colonel Slater--knows about this: ONI has an informant of its own disguised amongst the criminals. He’s a Naval lieutenant like me, a few years older, and he goes by the alias Rick Greene. He’s going to be my partner on the inside for this operation, and he’ll give us intel on the suspects’ movements while we’re on the mission. That way, if the Covenant so much as sneeze in the opposite direction from the day before, we’ll know about it first and adjust to the new conditions. The only reason I’m telling you this, Marshall--and you alone--is because if I’m killed or incapacitated, you’ll have to arrange to get into contact with him. Is all of that clear, Marshall?”

The red-haired sergeant nodded slowly, trying to digest the information quickly so he could make sense of it all in his mind. “Yes, sir. I think so.”

Lieutenant Davis grinned, his bright green eyes shining in the artificial lights of the room. “Great, Sergeant. Then that means we’re finally ready to move out. Gather your squad and meet me out by the south entrance in fifteen minutes, Marshall. We’re going to find these bastards and bring ‘em down.”