[url=http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=10819509]Chapter 7[/url] Yoozel cupped his hand over his eyes as he watched the helicopter land behind the "Welcome" thread. He walked forward and smiled when he saw Texas Ben in the -blam!- pit. "What have you brought me today?" He asked when the engine stopped and Ben hopped out. Ben smiled, "Something I think you'll like." Fastmatt came around the other side of the helicopter, dragging a still body. When he saw the face of the body, Yoozel's smile widened. "Kritz." He looked at Ben and said quietly, "So you want to be Mod?" Ben shook his head, "I didn't catch him." Fastmatt stood up straight and said proudly, "I did." ------------------ Banshee Barron stood quietly, staring out the window of his small apartment. Caspian was sitting on the bed behind him, tapping his foot impatiently. The phone rang and Banshee quickly snatched it up. "Who is it?" He asked abruptly. "It's me Banshee. I'm in." Banshee smiled, "Good, Fastmatt. Now it's time to gain their trust." ------------------ An hour later, Halifax and Dragon walked through the boundaries of the Flood. "Where do we go now?" Dragon asked. "We need to find Obbi." "But what about Kritz?" Dragon demanded. "We can't get him." Halifax said quietly. "What? We have to! He's my friend! He's--" "He's a dead man if we do!" Halifax shouted. "The only reason we would get close to Kritz this time is because the Mods let us. We've been lucky Dragon, but Kritz nearly killed himself when he tried to rescue you. I won't make the same mistake." "Well I'm not like you." Dragon said, turning away. Halifax grabbed her arm and pulled her back, "Don't. I can't do this alone." He took on a gentler tone and said, "I know you love him. But if you let blind love guide your actions, you and Kritz will both be killed. And Obbi and I will soon follow." Dragon glared at him and started to struggle but Halifax held her fast. Finally she subsided and said quietly, "Alright. I'll stay with you...but if I get the chance to save Kritz or kill a Mod, I'm taking it." Halifax sighed, "Okay, but tell me first...I don't want you going in alone." They stopped when they heard laughter and shouts coming up ahead. Halifax nearly laughed himself when he saw Obbi. The man--dressed as a woman--had an entire entourage of men following him, ogling his butt and fake chest. Occasionally, Obbi would have to slap his hand back to ward away anyone who got too close. "He is good." Dragon said with grudging respect. Halifax just chuckled and approached Obbi. "Excuse me miss, I don't think we've met." Obbi looked at him haughtily, "And there's probably a reason. What are you doing standing in my way? It looks like you've already got yourself a girl...although I pity any fool who's willing to fall for a tramp like that." Halifax laughed easily. He'd played the acting game before. "Nah, she's just tagging along." Dragon scoffed, "I beg your pardon--" "Quiet woman." Halifax snapped. He glanced at the other men. "It looks like these boys are having a hard time catching you." "I don't fall for any man." Obbi said with a smile. Halifax smiled back, "Well, maybe I could trip you up." He pointed at the others, "You fellas. This girl behind me is offering a kiss to any man who can catch her, and trust me, she's much easier to catch then this lady here." The men looked at each other uneasily, as if they were unsure as to whether Halifax was telling the truth or not. Halifax glanced back at Dragon and winked, "Isn't that right girl?" Dragon glared at him for a moment and then gave a short curtsy, "Whatever my master pleases." The men whooped and hollered and started to chase after Dragon who squealed and turned to run. Halifax laughed and then grabbed Obbi by the shoulder, pulling him into an adjacent building. Immediately the facade disappeared and Obbi asked, "Where's Kritz? What happened?" Halifax shook his head, "Banshee got him. He's gonna give Kritz to the Mods...perhaps to make them trust him." Obbi groaned, "But he could give them information about me...about us! The reason I wore this disguise is so I'd be able to slip away if things got out of hand." "I know." Halifax said with a nod. "I need to know right now...are you with us?" Obbi shook his head, "The minute they find out I'm back, I'm leaving." They heard shouting outside, but it wasn't the shouts of men chasing after a woman. "Come quick! There's going to be an execution!" Halifax and Obbi took one look at each other and then rushed outside. "Who's being executed?" They both asked. The man who was shouting looked at them with surprise and then said, "It's Kritz. They say he's the one that bombed the Mod's group!" They heard a loud smack and Dragon came storming around the building. "If one more guy tries to put his slimy lips on me I'm gonna knife him!" When she saw the grim looks of Halifax and Obbi she stopped short. "What is it?" "Follow me." Halifax said quietly. ------------------------- The three, followed by the numerous men still trying to woo both Dragon and Obbi, approached the plaza in the center of the Flood. The Mods were standing in front of the "Welcome" thread and shouting out to the crowd. "We have here, the man responsible for the destruction of HFCS." Recon shouted. "And now we are bringing him to justice." He glanced back at the Mods and then said, "And the one who will bring this justice is our newest Mod." He stepped aside and gestured to the newcomer, "Meet Fastmatt. The man who brought down a Spammer!" Fastmatt took a bow and then pulled his gun out. "For the Flood!" He shouted. "And the safety of all those who inhabit it!" With that, he lowered his gun and fired. A shrill, feral scream rose out above the cheering crowd. Halifax and Obbi struggled to hold Dragon back as she tried to charge the Mods. "Such a terrible death." Dragon froze when she heard the voice and all three of them turned to see Banshee standing there with a sincerely sad look on his face. "I always liked Kritz...I'm sorry this had to happen." "Sorry?" Halifax asked. "How many times are you going to be sorry before you realize you are just as bad as the Mods?" "I wouldn't be pointing fingers if I were you, Halifax." Banshee said quietly. "We all know who is the real culprit behind those Mod's deaths." "I killed them because they forced me to!" Halifax shouted. Now, several Flood members had turned to look at them. "You're killing people to further your own goals!" "We all have our flaws." Banshee said coldly. "While mine may be a ruthless attempt to renew the Flood to it's former glory, yours is the inability to see that you and I are both killers. You can't escape it Halifax. You'll kill again because you know it's necessary." "Was Kritz's death necessary?" Halifax asked with scorn. "Yes." Banshee said sadly. "We needed a way to make the Mods trust us, or at least, trust Fastmatt. Kritz was the perfect choice." "I'll kill you!" Dragon shouted and charged forward. Again, Halifax and Obbi had to grab her and hold her fast to keep her from attacking Banshee. "We'll meet again." Banshee assured them. He glanced at Obbi, "I see you've firmly entrenched yourself in female company. I'm not surprised." Obbi just snorted and pulled Dragon back further. "And I've noticed you've got yourself surrounded by a bunch of men in tight pants. No surprise there either." Banshee just laughed and disappeared into the crowd. Halifax and Obbi pulled the sobbing Dragon back around the corner. "Well," Halifax said quietly, "I don't think you need to worry about the Mods finding out your identity." Obbi was staring thoughtfully up at the sky, "I don't like that Banshee very much." He dropped his head down to stare at Halifax, "I'm in.