Nightmare: "I dread even trying to tell this without completely breaking down."

Ruby puts a hand on his shoulder as a symbol of comfort.

Ruby: "It's okay. You don't have to tell if you don't want."

Nightmare: "Aren't you curious? I'll try to power through this."

-=August 22nd, 2252, 21:34 hours=-

Team Zeta was sent to investigate a mining facility that the Covenant are using as an outpost. Word is that they're holding hostages which used to be the workers there. Reach was pretty much destroyed, and they were having doubts weather to finish this war until Reach's fall.

Hardcase: "Nightflash has a point. Why defend a planet that's already dead? We we screwed from the beginning."

Shadow: "Look, we're here for a reason. We haven't outlived our purpose yet."

Nightmare looked at the building through the scope of his Sniper. The slightest movement could get the smallest piece of intel.

Nightmare: "Hey, it's not over yet. I got contacts. Covenant and the workers."

They were being pushed outside with their hands cuffed behind their backs. An entire firing squad of elites with needle rifles at the ready. One by one, the hostages fell to the ground with pink crystals in their heads.

Shadow: "My god... those monsters."

Nightmare: "At least we have an idea of what their defenses are like. Nothing we can do about the hostages now. We need to get down their. Shadow, take the rocks to the right, Hardcase, you and me will go on the bridge to the left. The concrete barriers will give us the cover we need."

Shadow sprinted toward the rocks that can get her there with minimal detection. Nightmare and Hardcase went on the bridge and were nearly spotted a few times. Shadow came up behind the elite and snapped his neck and flung his body off the platform into the ravine below.

Shadow: "Hey, we might have brutes here too. Crate full of Spikers."

Nightmare suddenly had a fascination with the double barrel and double bladed weapon.

Nightmare: "Hmm, this'll work. Why use a pistol when I can drill a spike between their eyes? Or better yet slit their throats with the blades?"

Hardcase: "Jesus man we need to keep you away from the knives."

Shadow: "Yeah, you're starting to creep me out."

Nightmare: "What? It's true. Come on, we're wasting night light."

The team slowly walked into the facility watching their backs. No guards were present. It felt empty, and was too silent.

Hardcase: "I don't like this. Where were the elites that executed the workers here?"

Shadow: "They were dressed in spec ops armor. They might know we're coming."

Nightmare: "They're cloaked, my motion tracker is fucking up. Keep your eyes open."

They entered a large open room with a second floor on two sides with a catwalk that connects the two sides. The entire room starts to fill up with elites, grunts, jackals, and even brutes as they uncloak.

Hardcase: "Ahh bloody hell."

As they start to attack Nightmare grabs one by the throat and throws him to Hardcase who then punched him in the face. Two elites jumped down with energy swords and rushed Shadow. She left a hologram of herself and jumped up letting the elites hit it. She tackled one to the ground, ripped the sword from his hand and stabs him in the back. The other is about to stab her when Nightmare unloads the spiker he picked up into the elites stomach and he fell to the floor. The leader dropped a flash bang into the middle of them. He jumped down and knocked them all out. The entire team went unconscious.

-=A few hours later=-

Nightmare woke up from a terrible headache. He was binded to a pole behind him. His other two teammates woke up way before him.

Nightmare: "Ugh... what happened?"

Hardcase: "We got knocked the fuck out that's what. And we get to thank this asshole for our headaches."

The elite stood tall at 7 feet. A 1 foot difference then the three Spartans.

Elite: "Vermin. The one you shot with the Spiker was my kin. My blood. And now you will suffer as I did. And what better way than to do that then to take away your only family."

Nightmare: "Don't you dare touch them..."

Hardcase: "You should be worried, you mess with us, you're gonna end up dead like your brother."

The elite only got angered. He ignited his sword and stabbed him in the back.

Shadow: "NOOOO! DAVID!"

Tears began to fill both their eyes. Shadow tried desperately to break free of her bindings but had no success. Nightmare was awestruck and didn't know how to react. His body fell to the floor, motionless, cold.

Shadow: "YOU SON OF A BITCH I'LL KILL YOU!"

She manged to headbutt the executioner in the face and this caused blood to leak from his face. He wiped it off with his wrist and immediately stabbed her in the stomach killing her instantly. Her body slumped over and lied motionless. Nightmare couldn't help but cry his eyes out. He lost the closet people in his life and now that they're gone, his will to live shattered in an instant.

Nightmare: "Just get it over with you monster..."

Elite: "No, I wish to see you suffer. You killed my family, I killed yours. You two, dispose of their bodies."

The two grunts dragged them out and flung their bodies off the cliff as if they were trash.

He left the room only to leave Nightmare alone with his grief. He could only blame himself.

Nightmare: "I... I am so sorry... I have only myself to blame..."

He managed to undo his shackles and break out of his prison. He scared a grunt into a corner and what he did was horrific. He took out his knife and cut his head off and tossed it aside. He was a different person. He was not a emotionless killing machine, rather had the actions of a monster.

Once the leader found out of his escape, he rushed Nightmare with a sword in hand. Not knowing of the immediate danger he cut off Nightmare's arm off like a hot knife through butter. With immediate retaliation he took his knife and stabbed the elite in his throat and when he pulled it out blood shot out of his neck.

When reinforcements arrived to kill the spartans he dodged their plasma bolts. But the resulting fire hit a gas tank that was piped through the entire building. It was engulfed in flames and Nightmare with it.

-=Minutes prior=-

Two more Spartans arrived at the facility to investigate Fireteam Zeta's disapperence. The two were apart of Fireteam Kilo. The two that were sent were Swift and Whisper.

Swift: "Do you see anything?"

Whisper: "Not as of yet... wait... oh my God..."

Swift: "What is it?"

Whisper: "Hardcase and Shadow... they're dead...

Swift grabbed the sniper from her hands and looked through the scope only to see that they were disposing of their bodies.

Swift: "No... where's Nightmare?"

A couple minutes went by and they heard gunfire and a massive explosion tearing apart the entire building. The two rushed to the facility, what was left of it to see if he survived. He did, limping out of the flames with a missing arm, and an elites head in the other.

Swift: "Nightmare!"

Nightmare: "They're dead... they're dead because of me... I failed, Clide. I failed them... I'm gonna make the Covenant pay... every single one of them!"

Whisper held him in an embrace and they just stood near the flames.

-=Present day=-

Ruby: "I don't know what to say."

Nightmare: "It's okay. I'm over it..."

She wraps her arms around his neck holding him in an embrace.

Ruby: "It's okay to let it out."

Nightmare: "I'm okay. I promise."

The moment passed until David came along after searching for them.

David: "She will alway live on in out hearts. Forever and always."

Ruby: "Wise words David. Wise words."