Chapter 8: Aftershocks
UNSC Infinity Recreation deck
October 3rd 2728

(Pony rock anthem- Youtube)

Neon lights. A crowd of people dancing. Loud music. Yep it was a party.

Fernando dragged Hicks and let him go in the crowd of people.

"Come on you've been cooped up in that office far too long!" Fernando started dancing.

"Ok but only this time."

Hicks began to awkwardly dance.

"No like this express yourself! Let the music flow through your body!"

Fernando began to move his legs, arms, head, and body in ways Hicks couldn't compute.

Hicks shrugged. Fernando face palmed.

"Well I can tell your not a party type of guy."

Hicks waded through the crowd and walked over to the bar.

"What can I get you, sir?"

"1 Nuka-Cola Quantum."

"Sorry fresh out got normal Nuka or Rum and Nuka."

"I'll just have a Pepsi."

The bartender slid over a plastic bottle of Pepsi.

"That'll be 2 credits."

"Put it on my tab."

"You don't have a tab."

"Put it on Anthony's tab."

"Ok."

Hicks popped the plastic cap off and drank the fluid.

Fernando emerged from the crowd.

"Why don't you have a drink?"

"Alcohol tastes like Anthony's ass."

"And you know how Anthony's ass tastes how?"

"Shut up."

"I'm just fucking with you jeez."

Suddenly a window broke and Hicks heard the alarms go off. Anthony fell from the ceiling with a BR55HB battle rifle. He discharged it into the nearest crewman. The man fell to the floor covered in his own blood.

Fernando quickly reaching for his sidearm.

His desert eagle was missing.

"Huh?"

He looked over to Hicks who was holding the weapon pointed at Anthony. Without armor Anthony would be unshielded and even with the enhanced bone structure a bullet could tear through his skull and kill him.

With such precision Hicks aimed the gun and slowly pulled the trigger.

Everything went into slow motion. The bullet traveled inches from about 20 fleeing party goers. Anthony turned his eyes widened as the bullet struck him in the forehead.

Anthony fell to the floor. No pain. But he was dead.

Hicks tossed Fernando his gun back and fell on his knees.

UNSC Memorial field Planet Reach
October 5th 2728

(Boulevard of Broken dreams- Green day)

Everyone was once again gathered in memorial field. Even though Anthony's end was caused by his betrayal he was still a Spartan.

"We are gathered here today to say goodbye to a man although he betrayed us in the end he was still a Spartan and a friend. He fought the Covenant. He fought the Flood. He fought the Innies. He helped us fight Discord. He saved lives by taking them. He kept secrets by stealing them. He drank, he smoked, he did drugs. He was Anthony Brown. Spartan 996. And the Vice admiral. In the end he chose illegal substances over his friends, family, and career. Would anybody like to say a few words?"

"I would sir." Fernando said.

He walked up onto the platform in front of the crowd.

"Hello? Yes? Okay. Anthony. He was my team member, my friend, and as close as a brother ever came for me. But in the end it was this weapon that killed him." He pulled out his desert eagle and showed it to everyone. "This weapon I found on one of our first missions back on Harvest. Our ship had been attacked by the Covenant and I picked this up on his dead body. It's had a lot of upkeep. But back to Anthony we were rivals like brothers should be. We joked a lot we screwed with Derek it was fun! But those days are over now. Thank you for letting me tell you."

Next was Nacho.

"He was my brother. The war kept us apart. While he fought on Harvest I fought on Madrigal. He started drinking back in training. He found a way to escape the compound every night to go out in the woods and make moonshine. One night I followed him and had a drink with him. My team died during the augmentations so I never had the benefit of a team during the war. After it was over I went home and ate a pizza with Anthony. When we were young back before we were Spartans Anthony and Derek always picked on me but it was all just for fun and then we would go play video games. That's all I have to say."

Jeff had a few words to say.

"I always thought that boy was trouble. I thought he was the one who killed my boy. The clone of Derek died at the age of 15 from what the doctors thought was food poisoning. Anthony's died at 17 from leukemia. I had always thought that Anthony had poisoned my son's food. It wasn't until 2553 that I learned about the Spartans. Damn proud of my boy for making it this far and I approve of what Halsey did even though she took my son away. But I still thought Anthony was a trouble maker. And I was right. But before the drugs and alcohol he was a pretty good man. I'm done here."

Then Samborn.

"I barely knew Anthony. The only time I saw him was when he was with Derek. He had a crush on me back during training. I was with Aqua in the Harvest Campaign. Anthony was there as we retreated from the city and the tower fell on me. But what he did to me on the Pure of Heart was inexcusable. I'm glad he's gone."

She stormed off the stage.

"Does anybody have anything else to say? No? Okay. We have said our goodbyes to this man."

The casket stood up and entered the stone monument. The doors sealed behind it and it had his name on it. His epitaph read: 'Anthony Brown, Spartan-996. Survivor of the Great War. One whose vices consumed him and destroyed all he served.'

(Halo 4 theme- Martin O'Donnell)

Derek Hicks as himself
Anthony Brown as himself
Fernando Mata-Alan as himself
Ignacio Brown as Himself

Jeff Hicks as Himself

Royce Braman as Royce O'Brian

Alyssa Morse as Elizebeth Johnson

Morgan Freeman as Shar de Yeh

Karen Hicks as Athena
Miranda Samborn as him err herself

Ashleigh Ball as Rainbow Dash and Applejack

Tara strong as Twilight Sparkle

Tabitha St. Germain as Rarity

Andrea Libman as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie

And

Nicole Oliver as Princess Celestia

Master Derek would like to thank:

Sierra Strike

Kavi the Dimension jumper

Ted Wakeman

Dashing Loyalty Productions

Rooster Teeth productions

343 Industries

Bungie

Fimfiction

Hasbro

The Belding Middle School news crew of the first trimester of 2012-2013

And of course

A/N I was thinking and... Do you think I should end the Derek Hicks chronicles series? If yes then what should I work on? If no then what should happen in my next TDHC story? PM and review your suggestions. Until then this is Master Derek signing off.

PS: Cover image will be added soon. My computer is broken I'm using my Granny's.