Marcus slid the last pin into place, securing the remaining parts of his rifle. He gave it a quick, but not completely necessary, look over. With a satisfied nod of his head, he set it down on the table in his room. Over the years he had used every UNSC weapon out there, and none were as symbolic as the MA5. Sure, his was modified, distinguishing it from the standard issue, but nothing made him feel more patriotic than shooting down a Covenant baddie with an MA5 Assault Rifle. What didn't make him feel overly patriotic, however, was working for ONI. Sure he had worked in an ONI reconnaissance team before, but that was completely different from this... task force. He would be working with the Covenant assholes this time. He gave a slow shake of his head.

	When ONI contacted him, he originally thought they were telling him his services were no longer needed. The Covenant had fallen, Earth was stabilizing and her colonies were rebuilding. What he wasn't expecting was an invitation - more like an order, given ONI's involvement - to join an ONI publicity stunt. Working without other humans would be quite the experience. An experience he wasn't sure he wanted to be a part of. It was ONI, however, and they said they would compensate him well. The money could be worth it. He'd find himself a beautiful woman. Settle down on some world with endless beaches and live out his days drinking coconut juice. It was a stretch, but maybe, just maybe he would make it work. 

	With a light sigh, he pushed himself away from his desk, the metal chair making a low screetching sound as it slid over the floor. As he grabbed his canteen his door opened automatically. [i]Oh[/i]. The the speaker sitting in his room turned on, giving an order to meet at the bridge. He took a quick gulp of water before exiting his room. It didn't take long for him to notice all the other doors had opened as well. [i]Here we go, then. Time to meet the alien freaks that would become his team members.[/i]