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Chapter 16: The Village
May 19th, 3239, 1100 hours
Installation 05, Substance System
The Library
"Oh man, you just pissed those guys off." Jackson said with a bit of a laugh as they ran down the corridor.
Chris was a bit frightened that he did just that. He was so close; so close to figuring out what was in his head exactly. He had to take any avenue to his objective. His military mind was now processing what he needed to do. He was operating on instinct now. When a runner sees that he or she is in close proximity to the finish line, they draw on reserve strength to get their bodies moving a slight percentage faster than they are physically capable to. It was kind of similar in this position: the end was in sight. He just needed a bit more time to get to where he needed to go.
2401 Penitent Tangent was hovering alongside them, humming to himself. The monitor twirled 180 degrees for a second and said, "Reclaimer, do you believe that it was the correct course of action to leave that fellow Reclaimer standing behind one of my energy shields?"
"I think I did what I needed to do." The Captain simply said.
"You don't know how many kinds of hell we went through over the past couple months, buddy." Roan said with a chuckle. "I think locking the Spartan out was small-time compared to stuff these two have been doing!"
"Interpreting. Does this suggest a sexual relationship?"
Hera said in a loud voice, "NO! Why would you even suggest such a thing?"
"Alright, calm down Major." Chris said, a little shaky from her outburst.
"I apologise." The AI said. "I did not intend to offend."
Abigail nodded. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just a little shaky over everything that's happened lately."
They were silent as they slowed to a walk. This place was amazing. It was huge, easily one of the largest Forerunner buildings they had ever walked in to. Jackson and Hera were especially impressed because such ruins did not exist on Mobius or anywhere in the solar system.
"How long do you think it took them to make all this?" Samantha asked. "Certainly a couple hundred years maybe?"
"Maybe thousands." Chris offered. "Forerunners had extremely long lifespans, measuring in the tens of thousands. They were also amazingly advanced. Although a couple thousand years to one of these aliens must have been nothing. Odd because we never really discovered what they looked like at all."
"Never? Even after 700 years?" Abigail asked.
2401 chimed. "My creators' absence of physical representation is perplexing actually. It has been looping in my matrix for many cycles now. I too am curious as to why my makers decided to shield their appearances. Was it intentional, or were they removed?"
"So, no Forerunner ever returned following the Standby order?" Chris asked.
"No." The AI responded.
NICOLE offered her opinion, "Well, some scientists speculate that the Forerunners may have left the galaxy to go seek out a new home. All things considered, things were going to hell here. It might not have been a bad thing to just start all over."
"A sound hypothesis, lesser AI." 2401 said. "However, my knowledge is limited to the confinement of this Installation. Compartmentalization, I'm sure you understand."
"I get it." Jackson joked. "'Need to Know' basis."
John-117 was a man back from the dead. The man who used to be the Master Chief had been whisked into a new era though the use of Forerunner quantum trickery. He was found crashed in the underlevels of a massive city planet that was most certainly not Earth, rescued by a group of Humans and these other people, who then brought him back to the world he had left, though he always thought something was off in some way that he could not put his finger on; more like a subliminal feeling.
John had missed a lot in his sleep. Upon arriving back in Human space, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and set out training new Spartans. It made him proud to know that the work of Doctor Halsey was still running strong. Spartans were less of a military myth and now more of a Special Forces branch that one needed to commit to. John didn't care that the men and women he was training weren't stolen from his parents as he was. Soldiers were soldiers. That was all he cared about at the end of the day.
ONI had been up in arms about his target. He had to admit to himself that the assignment didn't give him good feelings at first. He had known the young man for a month or so before returning to duty. The man, Tudyk, called John into his office days prior.
"We are under the gun, Liutenant. This man is a mass murderer! He slaughtered an entire ship full of UNSC personnel to cover his escape, and he's a traitor! We need the SPARTANs to take him down!"
"Sir, with respect, shouldn't my orders be coming from the military administration of ONI, and not the civilian board?"
"This is different, John. President Marshall signed my request to put you on the case, and your commanding officer, Admiral Neilsen also approved. You're under my jurisdiction now."
"Yes sir. What are the mission parameters?"
"We caught whiff of a signal transmission penetrating the Warpgate communication antennae. From the looks of it, the Captain was sending a love letter to his fiancée."
"Are your orders to take care of said partner?"
"You do know who I'm talking about, right?"
"Yes, the princess. Sally Alicia Acorn. Are your orders to neutralize her? That would be political assassination!"
"Calm yourself, John! We don't want to involve the princess in any way with our investigation. He was a UNSC Marine. He is our property to do with as we please."
Was? Once a Marine, always a Marine. Nobody ever referred to anyone as a former Marine without good reason.
"Sir? Was?"
"The Elijah Jones was the last straw. I would have been willing to forgive up to that point, but it's clear that he's gone over the deep end. He's lucky we didn't catch him. A dishonourable discharge was the least of his worries! He was lucky he wasn't thrown out an airlock!"
"He was an honourable serviceman."
"Well he's also a mass murderer and we have witness testimony to prove it. Are you going to argue with me about this, John?"
"No sir. What are the specifics?"
"The ship that he stole, a small stock A/X freighter designated the Emerald Fox, registration unknown, jumped somewhere into the vicinity of the Eta Cassiopeia system, staying for a few days before heaving outward. The Hunter Killer teams we sent to intercept him were destroyed."
"One man did this?"
"Crafty son of a bitch, isn't he now? We know that conventional tactics may not work. We don't want to send a large ship after him because that would be a waste of resources. We need to send you in quick and quiet."
"Will I have backup?"
"You will. Two Spartan NCOs, Petty Officers Kim-M223, and Armand-0342."
"M-class Spartans; you're assigning these... new people to me?" he had said, unable to become comfortable with their homeworld.
"Don't doubt them, John. They're soldiers now, just like you. You can respect that, can't you?"
He could. They were soldiers. It didn't matter who they were, what planet they were from, or if their bodies were covered with fur, scales or skin.
"Yes sir. I can."
"Excellent. You'll have advanced briefing forwarded to you at 1300 hours tomorrow. Get some sleep. You Spartans have a long flight ahead of you.
Here he was now, on the ring world he once fought. 700 years ago. It felt like yesterday for him. Being in that cryo chamber removed him from the events of the world around him. He felt out of place; anachronistic; old. He could barely accept the fact that some of the old races of the Covenant were allied with Humanity now. He had to urge himself not to kick an Unggoy into low orbit at his military base when it was only asking if he needed some armor polished. The squat alien had to be sent to the clinic for shock treatment.
The energy field in front of him was impenetrable, even with his new armor. He scanned it, but his efforts were in vain. "Spartans, assessment of situation!" He ordered.
Kim, the Mobian – a border Collie actually, put her hands on her hips and tilted her helmet upwards, regarding the barrier. "Lieutenant, this is a pretty sturdy Forerunner shield. I don't think that there's any way around it. My assessment is that we simply find another way in."
John nodded. "Armand, your thoughts?"
"I agree with Kim. This door is a dead end. I'm sure there might be a service door, or a vent or something."
"I find the former likely." John said. He activated his COM. "Vulture, this is Scorpion. You have eyes on an alternate entrance into the facility?"
The Hunter Killer ship that brought them here, code-named Vulture responded. "Affirmative. Secondary access route located roughly three hundred meters above your position and fifteen meters to the left. Accessing scaffold present. I will move in."
"That's a negative, Vulture! We were ordered to go in there and retrieve the traitor! Your prerogative is to hang back in case we are not able to retrieve him."
"This is not agreeable."
"Well that's not my call. Scorpion out." He turned to his team-mates. "Kim, Armand, secure your Rope Darts. We need to get up there as soon as possible."
Amir looked over his shoulder. "I don't like those guys. They give me the creeps."
Kim said, "You know, I heard that they might replace us. What do you think, Lieutenant?"
"Stow it, Spartans." John simply said. He shared their fears though. He too heard the rumors flying around space that the Hunter Killer teams were getting the jobs done in the year they've been around. It was sickening. They were not soldiers, they were barbarians. The Hunters were ex-cons that had been injected with so many chemicals they didn't even appear to be Human. The Stalkers were the worst though. Altered mental patients that had parts of their body replaced by mechanical prosthetics, and their minds were perverted so that they existed in a constant state between reality and delusion.
The Spartans readied their darts. Their target was the scaffolding well above their position. John's armor computer analyzed the shot and predicted the best trajectory. The Lieutenant decided to trust the suit and fired, the casing used to contain the shot barking loudly. His launcher shot the darts into the air and after five seconds of flight caught on to the alien metal. They tested their ropes to see if they were tight and began their climb.
300 meters was no joke, and lifting half a ton of armor was not an easy job. It was a good thing then that the MJOLNIR armor they were sporting had enhancing effects. Come to think of it, it amazed him how these new generation Spartans reacted under pressure. It was commendable. He also had the opportunity to see Kim with her armor off. He may not be welcome of the anthros, but he liked his help. Her seemingly thin arms were bristling with muscles that helped her move fast. Her biceps were nearly the size of his, and she was only 27. Armand had tanned olive skin, courtesy of his Mediterranean heritage, but he was starting to get the bleached effect of being in the suit.
Their climb was boring. Amir decided to break the silence. On private COMS. "Hey Kim, I have to ask, where does your tail go?"
"Climbing up the side of a building, and you're asking questions relating to my ass?"
"Not your ass, just what's connected to your ass. I know you have a tail, you're a Collie. Where do you put it so you don't trip over it?"
"You see what looks like a large ammo container just below my fusion pack?"
"Yeah."
"Well there's your answer. Whenever I go into combat, I just stuff my tail in there. Mind you it does get a bit itchy from time to time."
"You look awfully Human that way."
"Is that a compliment or an insult?"
"No, I just mean that it's tough to tell you're a Mobian."
"I thought that was the point with this armor."
"Can we quiet it down, people?" John fired quickly. There was no way to tell who was listening in on them.
"Sorry sir." Amir and Kim said. Suddenly Kim asked, "Hey sir, you ever been to Mobius?"
John sighed. They did still have ways to go. He supposed that he could burn some time. "No. I've never been to Mobius. That's your homeworld, right?"
"You got it! Think of it as Earth except with less buildings and cleaner atmosphere. That's your home-planet, right?"
"No, it wasn't. I don't like talking about it."
"Aw, why not?" Kim asked.
"Because I said so, Petty Officer."
"Okay, sorry." Kim apologised.
John took a deep breath. "So, Mobius. It's green, right?"
"Yeah, beautiful!" she said brightly. "I mean, I've seen Earth. It's nice and all, but you know, you need some fresh air too!"
"What's the military compliment?"
"Compared to you Humans? Piss poor. A few ships, including the handful the UEG gave us. We have people to fly them, but that's about it. Remember, it's because we didn't have very many enemies besides Robotnik in the first place."
"Right, Robotnik." John said. He couldn't really take this guy seriously because he just looked so hilarious. Julian Kintobor had a far more sinister story however given the documents that he had been allowed access to. Conspiracy, Murder, Attempted Genocide, and declaring open war against the UEG despite the fact that there was not a single person that recognized his authority. Since he was in a triple max penitentiary 10,000 lightyears away, it was clear the UNSC wasn't taking any chances with him either. John cleared his mind. The only thing he needed to worry about was how much closer he was to his destination.
"Pen, slow it down. You're getting ahead of us." Abigail said. "Us mere mortals can only run so far."
"Try going on a jog with Sonic some time." Chris breathed. "It's not pretty."
"That's right, you know him! The Hero of Mobius! What's he like?"
"Recently? Not so cocky. I think Sonic's realized that some things are bigger than him, like the Covenant, the Shi'Kri'Lash, the Xorda, and the Galaxy Bomb. Robotnik's locked away, so his main source of competition was taken away by our hand.
"I think you may have disturbed the natural order of things, Human."
They turned right and found themselves on a transparent floor.
"Nice drop." Allen said. What's down there?"
"Mainly specimen holding cells, but as of late, systems report that there are no longer any living specimens within the Installation. How disappointing."
"I can give you a hug if it makes you feel better." Allen suggested.
2401 made no comment and continued floating. "Oh! I apologise, Plasma conduit 6-Delta has ruptured! Subsystems are down! I must go to administer the problem. I will return shortly. Please continue down this route until you reach the large portal." At that, he flew off.
"Did... did that little bastard just leave us to fend for ourselves?" Samantha asked in outrage.
"I wouldn't call it that." Chris quipped. Suddenly he heard something. "Weapons up, guys. I hear something."
Guns came up. Samantha hobbled into position.
"Jackson, I want you near the back. Your broken foot makes you a target."
"Yeah, about that, maybe I should have stayed on the ship instead of TORTURING me with WALKING?"
"The Spartans may have found you." Abigail said. "Then again, how do we know that the Spartans aren't in here right now? Just... watching us."
A shiver ran through everyone's bodies. "Please don't say that." Allen said.
"Put your hands up!" A voice in the distance said. It sounded Human, but the profile didn't match a Spartan.
"Put yours up! UNSC!" Chris called out.
"Military huh? What military sends four people into a deserted alien artifact? Where are your guns?"
"We got 'em!" Samantha yelled. "You want to see them up close or at a distance of a hundred yards?"
There was silence, and then they slowly moved towards the group.
"Come on." Chris said. His group moved forward too. The gap closed between them and their features became visible. Only two of the strange people were Human. One was Gallvente and the other was Sangheili.
"Now, can you tell us who you are?" Chris asked, beating them to the punch.
"We are the simple inhabitants of the Library." One of the Humans said. "We've been living in here for the past hundred years in a community."
"A hundred years? In this place? Samantha asked, a bit uncertain, but then the wheels turned in her head. "You put the barrier in place."
"Well, not us." The other Human said. "Our grandfathers did when they hid here."
"Hid? Were they criminals?"
The Gallvente spoke now. "Some of us were. My grandfather was a wealthy man who wanted to get away from it all. He sought refuge on this ring and lived here his whole life, as my father did, and as I will. We are brothers on this ring."
"Funny. You guys don't look like you're related." Allen noted.
"We are not brothers in blood." The Sangheili muttered, "We are brothers in mind and spirit. We live to see the next day, and continue to serve our gods. I arrived to pray in this holy place. The gods hear my call." He looked into space, probably saying a silent prayer.
"Who are these aliens?" The Gallvente asked. "What are they?"
"We are Mobians." Abigail said. "We come in peace. We were found five years ago. You never leave this place?"
The taller Human shook his head. "We never have, and probably never will. You're the first people to arrive in... a very long time."
"Your skin is pale." Abigail noted. "You haven't been getting any sun."
"There are places where we can get sun, but they are far away from here. It would take a full day's journey to bring us there. Why bother?"
"Health, for one?" Chris reasoned. "If you don't have your health, you have nothing."
"Wise words, maybe, but you'll grow to like it here. Our grandfathers were thoughtful enough to provide us with aeroponics equipment and water generation equipment. We live here peacefully. What is your purpose in the Library?"
"Honestly, I would love to chat, but we have to get going. We have Spartans right behind us and they're chasing me."
"Spartans?" The shorter Human asked. "So you are criminals. If they're sending the armoured soldiers after you, I think you're more trouble than you seem."
Chris gripped Rouge's pistol in his holster.
"So, what are you going to do about it?"
The Sangheili cocked his head. "The Monitor returns!"
Ruby beams of light shot out of the darkness, cutting into the ancient metal floor. The unlikely residents ran for it, firing their weapons over their shoulders.
"Unacceptable! Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!" 2401 Penitent Tangent cried out. "Defiler! Meddler! You have unauthorized access of this facility! Protocol dictates immediate termination!"
2401 was flanked by a dozen Sentinels firing their beams.
"What are you doing?" Chris asked, absolutely horrified.
"These indignations have no access rights to this Installation! My recent diagnostic has made me aware of them! The Sentinels must do their part to eliminate all that stand in the way of contaminating this facility!"
"You're going to kill them all?" Allen said.
"Protocol dictates that as the correct source of action, Reclaimer. There is an infestation in this facility and I must purge them! "
"We have to stop them!" Abigail said. "We can't let those people die!"
Allen offered an alternative, "Yeah, well we don't want to be caught by those Spartans either!"
Tracers began to fly towards the ceiling of the Library. The residents had begun to fight back. The staccato crackle of weapons fire made its way across the metal landscape.
He was the team leader. Chris needed to make a choice. What would happen to these people? He glances over his shoulder though. It was possible the Spartans were right behind him. He needed to act.
He took a deep breath. "Move it out, people. That's an order."
"What?" Abigail asked, incredulous.
"You heard me, Major. We need to get to that extraction chamber."
"Are you kidding? There's people back there that need our help! They've never faced Sentinels like this now that 2401's come to his senses!"
"Major Hera is correct. It's the right thing to do." NICOLE said with a chiding tone. "The Freedom Fighters would have assisted as soon as they could."
"I am NOT a Freedom Fighter, NICOLE." Chris growled. "I'm a Marine. I ascertain a situation and judge based on the level of risk."
"You really have changed, Chris." NICOLE said sadly. "What happened to your innocence? What happened to your judgement? Everything's been replaced by 'procedure, protocol, what-have-you'. I'm worried about you."
"Innocence? Did you just use that word? We are THIS close to finding out what's in my head! THIS CLOSE!"
"I don't care if we were an inch to ending this entire thing. We need to protect those people!"
"NICOLE. We can't-"
"Then I am afraid that I will not be of use to you. I am ashamed of you, Christopher." With that, she ceased communications.
"NICOLE, can we talk about this? NICOLE?"
"She's right, Captain. As your ranking officer, I am now ordering you to come assist." Hera said with the most military voice that she had ever uttered.
But still he hesitated. "You hold no rank or authority here."
"Neither do you, Human."
"Reclaimer, we must continue on our route if we are to reach the extraction facility."
He looked at the AI and then looked at Hera with a look of deep sorrow.
Abigail twitched her nose and puffed her cheeks in anger. "Roan, Jackson. Are you coming?"
Major, our assignment was to ensure the Captain gets out of here safely.
Abigail took one last look at Vennettilli. "My father would be ashamed of you too." She ran off towards the sound of gunfire, not once looking back.
"Oh yeah? Well FUCK YOUR FATHER! Guess the guy was a real prick anyway!" Chris suddenly bellowed. "Come on. Let's get moving. Sooner or later those Spartans will be on our asses, and I do not want to get MJOLNIR on my ass today."
Abigail ran down the corridor towards the sound of screaming people. She held her assault rifle in a white-knuckle grip. Using her keen sense of hearing, she pin-pointed where she needed to go. Ruby red lasers cut through the air, leaving a scent of ozone lingering around her. Soon, a lady wearing rags ran past her, screaming. The poor woman didn't even notice Abigail as she ran into the Library's depths.
She turned the corner and saw the village. It was a mess of prefabricated structures and jury-rigged shanties formed from Forerunner consoles. These were just people who wanted to start a new life. Criminals, the poor, and the adventurous resided in this dark place, unable to leave without their ships, and unable to show their faces to the outside world. It was a whole new society that she was vastly unprepared for.
A woman and children were backed into a corner. A duo of Sentinels were parading towards them charging their lasers. Abigail let loose a five-round burst towards the drones. The robots shuddered as the bullets pinged off an energy shield. They turned for a second, but then went back to the shuddering citizens. She then flicked on full auto and fired. The shield broke after a few seconds and then the armor took hits. One Sentinel fell sputtering to the ground and the other lost a portion of its body. It got off a laser that missed the little girl by seven centimetres before Hera blew it up. The little girl cried for a second, but then the Major was at her side.
"Don't cry. Everything's going to be alright! Look at the funny bunny!" She made a funny face and wiggled her nose. The child laughed repeating 'funny bunny!'
"Thank you so much!" The mother said.
"Just doing my job. What's going on here?"
"The Sentinels just attacked us! I've never seen them do anything like this before!"
"The Sentinels were never a problem before?"
"Not unless they were provoked! These things just snapped!"
"Who's doing the fighting?"
"The men and boys mostly! The women and children are trying to get away."
"And how many have managed to flee?"
"Some of us. You saw Julienne run around the corner. She was one of the lucky ones."
"It's alright. I'm here to help."
"W... what are you, by the way?"
Abigail smiled. "Long story. I'd head for an exit if I were you."
"Thank you! Bless you!"
The mother and children ran away for the village hopefully for safer parts.
"Bye, Funny Bunny!" the little girl said just before she disappeared into the darkness.
Abigail decided she needed to get into the fighting. She checked her magazine and was satisfied. She still had around fifty rounds left in her weapon. She took off at a brisk pace thanks to her genetic speed advantage. She passed a burning building and saw a Sentinel on high. She blasted it and looked for another target. Soon, a hand was at her throat. She cried out and dropped her gun. She was forced into the ground. She gasped as she saw her attacker. It was a Sangheili female armed with an energy sword.
"Why are you here?" She asked.
"Take the hand off my throat and we'll talk!" Hera said.
The female was surprised. "You speak the language of the Humans, yet you are not one of them."
"Let go of me and we'll talk more!" She hissed.
The female lifted her hand. "I apologize. You have a weapon. We require your assistance in this matter."
"Why do you have a sword?" The Major asked, rubbing her neck and glaring at the alien. "I thought only Zealots and Ultras carried swords."
"In regular Sangheili society perhaps." The female said. "If we followed traditional values. I am Har, Wife of Joro."
"I'm Abigail. Single for the moment."
"Come, Abigail! The fight awaits us!"
The pair charged into the village. Hera blew up another Sentinel before stopping to reload. A couple of men hid behind a building. "How are you holding up?" She asked.
"We're fine for the moment. Have some ammo to keep things interesting. Thanks for helping."
"Well, some people need the decency to help out."
"Amen to that. Ricky, I think there's another one coming over Doc's take the shot whenever you're ready."
Abigail saw a young boy, no more than 10 years old heft a sniper rifle and sight it.
"You have the shot, boy?"
"I do, dad."
"Let the bastard have it!"
Ricky pulled the trigger and the Sentinel fell from the sky. The father patted his boy on the back before seeing another pair coming to replace the destroyed one.
"Uh oh. Let me handle this, son. Give me the gun." The father took the sniper rifle and blew the other two out of the sky. "I think they're going to need some help over at the Aeroponics farm! Just follow the gunshots... whoever you are."
Abigail left the men and tried to find the aeroponics farm, which was easier said than done. Most of the buildings were identical in design, so it was tough to figure out where she was. So, she took the man's advice and followed the gunshots, leading to a fortified building with people at the front firing weapons at the Sentinels.
Abigail thought she could help here. She ran over to them and had a clear run thanks to their covering fire.
One of the villagers saw her. "Hey! Someone's coming to help!" They called. "Who are you?"
"I'm a friend! Major Abigail Hera!"
"She's military!" Another called. "You'll need to speak with Dyke! He's inside!"
A laser blast cut a man down. He cried out, grasping at his wound as a friend tried to help him out. Hera took the hint and went inside. It was an aeroponics farm, meaning that plants were grown with humid air. It seemed like a greenhouse. UV lights in the ceiling provided needed radiation, and pipes carried saturated air for the plants to take in. Among the food and plants though, there was the copper tinge of blood.
The wounded had been moved in here, and the closest thing to doctors helped casualties. Hera's heart sank as she saw bodies with white sheets over them, and a couple of the dead were small.
"Dyke?"
"Yeah, who's asking? Can't you see things are going to hell?" a gruff man with mutton chops responded.
"I want to help." Hera said.
"What are you?"
"Mobian. A long story." Hera said, silencing him before he could ask.
"You want to help, huh? Well, I'm the mayor of this village. You're just one lady though. What are you doing in the big bad Library all by yourself?"
"I was helping an 'associate' with a task. You know about an Extraction Room?"
Dyke shook his head. "No. Never heard anything about that. Tell you what though, you help us back those things off, and we'll provide whatever we can in return."
"Thank you."
"What happened to your 'associate'?" the mayor asked.
"Stupidity."
"He dead?"
"No, alive. But I hope he regrets not coming back to help us."
Hera was right. Chris leaned up against a wall in silent thought.
"You OK? That's the third time you've stopped." Allen asked.
"I'm fine. I'm just thinking." Chris answered. "I think I made a real stupid mistake back there."
"You mean not helping the Major." Samantha said.
A distant string of gunshots made Chris flinch slightly. "Yes."
Samantha hobbled over. "Would you like me to speak freely?"
"You mean outside of your contract? Go for it."
"I think that was the stupidest thing that you have done on this whole trip."
"But we are so close to ending this whole thing."
"Captain." Allen said. "Do you know all the jobs that we have been through where we have had the opportunity to end a mission right there and then?"
"I don't know. Dozens?"
"Probably." Roan said. "You know on every single one of those missions I was motivated by nothing but money?"
"I would have guessed. You're PMC; doing people's dirty work for a pay check."
"Yes." Roan said. "And I regretted every single situation where I could have done a bit extra but instead was motivated by instant gratification. I'm asking you not to make the same mistake."
the Captain had to think about what Roan was saying. It wasn't just a job where he got paid at the end, people seriously wanted him for information locked in his head. He had the highest form of military espionage after him, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Another round of gunshots. Chris closed his eyes.
"Reclaimer. The Extraction Facility is not far."
"I know! Shut up!" The Captain commanded. "Roan, Jackson, go with Penitent Tangent. Locate the Extraction room and radio its position to me. I'm going back there to help."
Both the hired guns nodded and smiled. "We'll be waiting for you." Samantha looked at 2401. "Let's go, Pen."
"Of course, Reclaimer." The AI said cheerfully.
"2401!" Chris called. The floating sphere rotated.
"Is there something I can assist you with?"
"Yes. No more future attacks on these citizens. They are under our protection."
2401 looked as if it were confused. "But there are non-Reclaimers among them!"
"I am explicitly ordering you to cease and desist any unprovoked attacks on the citizens here. Is that command accepted?"
"Command accepted. It will be adhered to, Reclaimer."
"Good. Now show these fine people to the extraction room." With that, he turned on his heel and ran for the village.
Dyke's forces were spread pretty thin. In the last twenty minutes, seven waves of Sentinels had come to replace those that were destroyed. The villagers were almost out of ammunition, but they did start to take the destroyed beam weapons that the Sentinels had and used it against them. These were weapons that could hit instantly because they were powerful particle beams. The funny thing was that they were insanely useful against the drones.
Abigail had dropped her rifle in favour of the Sentinel Beams long ago. She hefted the heavy device to hip height and began blasting whatever she could, careful not to hit any villagers.
The town was in ruins thanks to the robots constantly firing at them. Buildings were charred and gouged with lasers. Bodies lay on the ground smouldering. The stench of burnt meat hung in the air. It was so much, and yet it barely made her flinch.
"Burnes, Wylde! Move around to the secondary barricade and let loose!"
Two men with goggles nodded and slipped away into a mess of buildings. Soon, two ruby beams shot from the structures and a few more Sentinels fell. Upon the robots' destruction, two more people rushed onto the battlefield and grabbed them for future use.
Then a big one came from nowhere. It was large, had an energy shield in front of it, and a set of grappling claws.
"What is this?" Hera asked in desperation.
"Enforcer." Dyke said with a hint of bitterness. "Only dispatched when a situation becomes dire. My grandfather was killed by one when he accidently pissed it off.
"Tactics?" Hera asked.
"Pray. Nobody I know has ever taken one of these things down." He stroked his mutton chops and loosened his collar. "I think we should get everyone inside and plan an escape. This place is toast."
"You've been here for generations." Abigail said.
"Yeah, well the monitor has finally decided that we've pissed him off enough. We're pulling up stakes. I think we can find a few towns nearby that can give us some help. Besides, this is no place to raise kids." He gave a nervous smile.
Suddenly a new chorus of gunfire joined the rest. It was the Human. Abigail was surprised to see him. The Marine sprinted into the area firing off his weapon in short controlled bursts, dropping Sentinels like game birds. The Enforcer decided to take notice and moved towards him. It was then that Abigail saw it.
"Look! The rear is unshielded! If we can hit that area, we can drop the Enforcer."
"So simple it's brilliant." Dyke said. "Guess the Forerunners never learned how to cover their asses. Listen up, boys!" He called to the surviving defenders. "Enforcer's showing its rear and it turns out there's no shielding in the nether regions! Now that fine man over there has provided us with a window of opportunity! Hit it with everything you got!
The villagers fired. Their bullets made small pings in the hull of the Enforcer. The massive machine took notice and looked straight at Abigail, as if it personally wanted her dead. Missiles shot out of its back.
"Scatter!" she cried out. The militia broke rank and dove for cover. The missiles landed and blew the structures apart. The mayor was tossed ten feet against a wall and stopped moving. "DYKE!" Hera cried.
Chris knew he was at the party late, but as the old adage went, "Better late than never". He had a feeling of self-resentment for leaving these people to their fate. He saw a glimpse of a person he didn't want to know, and he had to make up for it.
But what was going on? 2401 gave his personal assurance that the people wouldn't be harmed. An Enforcer was blasting away at buildings! He would need answers. He saw a female Sangheili armed with an energy sword absorbed needle-like rounds and fall to the ground with the deactivated hilt rolling from her fingers.
He needed to grab that thing's attention. "HEY! LOOK AT ME!" He shouted and fired a single shot. It pinged off the robot's shield and it gave no attention. He then blasted the rest of his magazine before picking up a Sentinel Beam.
The device was heavy in his hands, more than the rifle. He fired a long beam of energy so that it cut through one of the claws. The appendage slammed into the ground. Needless to say, the Forerunner machine took notice.
As soon as the Enforcer turned to face the Captain, Hera and the survivors shot at the exposed part of the Enforcer, taking advantage of the surprisingly simple combat programs. Chris was about to take a shot when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He gasped out of shock and turned his head. Before he could recognize his attacker, he was flung into a wall. Before he knew it, he was staring into three reflective visors.
"Oh shit."
"You led us on a bit of a chase." John-117 said in an even voice.
"Looks like we caught you." The female said. "Never try to outsmart a Spartan. It doesn't end well."
"Let me go. I'm trying to help these people!"
"The only thing you'll be doing is coming with us nice and slowly." John growled. "You've been enough trouble."
"Lieutenant, I am ordering you to let me go!"
The male Spartan said, "You have no rank. You were stripped of your commission and your honours as soon as you fled from Earth. You're just a punk terrorist."
"John! Please! These people need help!"
The Spartan looked behind him to see the Enforcers and the Sentinels attacking the village. His grasp loosened and he turned back to the prisoner.
"What's going on here? Why are you in the Library?"
Chris fired back, "How did you get through the shield?"
"ONI disruption torpedoes launched from our ship. That barrier has been offline for the last two hours. It's not coming back up." The female said.
"I'll ask again. What's going on?" The Spartan asked, once again grasping at the young man's collar.
"I'm just trying to figure out WHAT'S IN MY FUCKING HEAD!" He screamed. Spittle flew from his mouth and hit the Spartans' visors.
"Swell." The female said.
"Making a little side trip then?" The male Spartan asked. "Not exactly finding out what's in your head, is it?"
"Listen, PEOPLE ARE DYING! Help me out and then you can decide what to do with me!"
"Do you promise to give yourself up?"
"JUST HELP ME FIRST!"
John nodded to his men. "Alright Spartans. Let's save these people."
They started firing once more on the Enforcer, who was blasting at the defenders. When the Spartans shot, they drew attention away from the survivors. After about ten minutes of shooting, the beast finally gave up and fell from the sky with a thud. Soon, the last of the machines were shot down. The village was safe.
Chris ran to find Hera. She was over the body of Dyke who was killed when he hit the wall.
"His spine broke on impact." The doctor said. "Probably died instantly. I'm sorry, Major."
"What a waste." Abigail said shaking her head. She saw Chris flanked by the Spartans. "Oh Jesus!" she said grabbing her chest. "You scared me!" She looked at the supersoldiers and frowned. "I guess we're done, huh? We lost."
"Who is this?" John asked.
"Major Abigail Hera. Royal Air Force."
"Hmm, never expected to see another race member this far out." The female said. She unhooked her helmet to reveal a Collie with chin-length hair. "Sir, there was nothing in the mission briefing that suggested any accomplices. When did you join this man after you left Mobius?"
"From the start." Hera said truthfully.
"You think Command's leaving us out of the loop, LT?" The Mobian Spartan asked.
"We do not question orders, Kim." John said solemnly. "We should be arresting them on sight."
"We would anger the citizens." The male said. "Would we be forced to attack civilians?"
It was a contradiction to everything that John was taught as a soldier. If the civilians got rowdy, he would be forced to harm them. He could not allow himself to stoop to a lower level.
"Kim. Keep an eye on Vennettilli. If he makes any move that might suggest escape, detain him."
"With pleasure." Kim said with a look of pleasure in her eyes. She whispered in his ear, "You make one false move, and I will rip your cock off and shove it down your throat."
Chris shuddered. "Well. Some like it rough, I guess."
"For what it's worth, I would like to reveal myself too."
"Who said that?" Amir asked.
"Chief, it's me, NICOLE. Or should I say 'Lieutenant'?"
"NICOLE. It's been some time."
"Sure has. How's Cortana?"
"Fine." The Spartan said.
"Chris, project me."
He pulled the fold-out computer from his belt and let the lynx project herself.
Kim blinked. "You're the Princess' personal AI unit!"
"You would be correct." NICOLE said. "Anxious to hear how I got here?"
"He's a thief!" Kim accused.
"No. I came of my own free will. Sally gave me to him before he left."
Chris could tell that NICOLE was trying to use all the evidence she could to get the Spartans on their side.
"She gave you to him? Voluntarily? But my brother's a guard at the palace! The only way she would trust a Human like that would be if... oh Christ..."
"On the money. I have recordings if you don't believe me!"
"You have WHAT?" The Captain gasped.
"No! I'm fine actually..." Kim said a bit embarrassed.
As if to make everything even more interesting, a radio call came in.
"Captain. Are you reading me?" It was Jackson.
"Go ahead." Chris said tapping his COM set.
"We found the lift that will take us to the Data Extraction Center. 2401's getting giddy at the prospect of seeing this beast at work." She said. "Where are you guys? Did you win?"
"Yeah we won." Chris said. "Stand by. We'll be at your position soon."
John had to ask. "Who was that?"
"Private military corporation officers assigned to protect me."
"They were hired to protect you?" Kim asked. "Sir, that means that somebody had knowledge of the bounty put on him beforehand! This changes everything!"
John nodded. Even he couldn't ignore this. "Looks like someone's been making some back-room deals. I don't like what's going on here."
Amir was puzzled. "So... what do we do then?"
"Our duty, Petty Officer. But first, we discover what exactly President Marshall wants in his head. We'll make our way towards the PMC officers. Vennettilli, Major, you will take point. If any Sentinels attack us, I want you to take them out."
Abigail took a minute to talk to the survivors of the attack. 30 people had been killed including women and children. The survivors were huddled near the aeroponics farm which had held up during the attack. Dyke's brother, Geoff was declared mayor on his stead.
"Are you all going to be OK?"
Geoff nodded. "I think so. But things changed today. We've lived here 100 years and nothing had ever given us trouble. But today, the machines just went crazy. I don't think we ever could have anticipated something like this. I guess it turns out we really weren't meant to live in a place like this."
John gave a silent laugh. No kidding. Tell that to me when I was on this ring last time.
"We'll just have to make our way to another town. Maybe they'll take us in. I just want to leave this place though. Anywhere but here." Geoff said.
Abigail smiled. "I guess you'll be a community on the move."
"Yeah, modern nomads."
The Mobian then sighed. "Geoff, I'm sorry about your brother."
"I know. I know it wasn't the way he wanted to go, but he helped save the village. Thank you Major. Thank you for helping us."
Abigail blushed, she was a hero, and she knew it!
"I have to leave now. I wish you all luck wherever you're headed."
"Bye Funny Bunny!" The little girl from before said.
"Bye bye!" Abigail said back. Then she left to join the Spartans and her comrades.
"Ready to go?" John asked.
"Yeah. Let's find that room. Interesting side trip."
"I'll say." Chris commented. "A village in the Library. What a thought that is." He then chuckled and asked, "Hey, I wonder if your father would forgive me if I told him I was sorry."
Abigail smiled. "I'm pretty sure he would. Thank you for coming back."
"I turned into someone that scared me. I had to do the right thing. Regulations be damned."
"That's why I know you love Sally. You're a real person inside of that tough exterior and military bravado."
"Thanks." he said chuckling.
"For what it's worth Captain, I'm glad you made the right choice too." NICOLE said.
"Thanks for giving me a kick in the ass to speed things along."
"I knew you'd do well. You just needed some persuasion."
"Thanks again. We'll talk about these 'recordings' later, NICOLE."
May 19th, 3239, 1100 hours
Installation 05, Substance System
The Library
"Oh man, you just pissed those guys off." Jackson said with a bit of a laugh as they ran down the corridor.
Chris was a bit frightened that he did just that. He was so close; so close to figuring out what was in his head exactly. He had to take any avenue to his objective. His military mind was now processing what he needed to do. He was operating on instinct now. When a runner sees that he or she is in close proximity to the finish line, they draw on reserve strength to get their bodies moving a slight percentage faster than they are physically capable to. It was kind of similar in this position: the end was in sight. He just needed a bit more time to get to where he needed to go.
2401 Penitent Tangent was hovering alongside them, humming to himself. The monitor twirled 180 degrees for a second and said, "Reclaimer, do you believe that it was the correct course of action to leave that fellow Reclaimer standing behind one of my energy shields?"
"I think I did what I needed to do." The Captain simply said.
"You don't know how many kinds of hell we went through over the past couple months, buddy." Roan said with a chuckle. "I think locking the Spartan out was small-time compared to stuff these two have been doing!"
"Interpreting. Does this suggest a sexual relationship?"
Hera said in a loud voice, "NO! Why would you even suggest such a thing?"
"Alright, calm down Major." Chris said, a little shaky from her outburst.
"I apologise." The AI said. "I did not intend to offend."
Abigail nodded. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just a little shaky over everything that's happened lately."
They were silent as they slowed to a walk. This place was amazing. It was huge, easily one of the largest Forerunner buildings they had ever walked in to. Jackson and Hera were especially impressed because such ruins did not exist on Mobius or anywhere in the solar system.
"How long do you think it took them to make all this?" Samantha asked. "Certainly a couple hundred years maybe?"
"Maybe thousands." Chris offered. "Forerunners had extremely long lifespans, measuring in the tens of thousands. They were also amazingly advanced. Although a couple thousand years to one of these aliens must have been nothing. Odd because we never really discovered what they looked like at all."
"Never? Even after 700 years?" Abigail asked.
2401 chimed. "My creators' absence of physical representation is perplexing actually. It has been looping in my matrix for many cycles now. I too am curious as to why my makers decided to shield their appearances. Was it intentional, or were they removed?"
"So, no Forerunner ever returned following the Standby order?" Chris asked.
"No." The AI responded.
NICOLE offered her opinion, "Well, some scientists speculate that the Forerunners may have left the galaxy to go seek out a new home. All things considered, things were going to hell here. It might not have been a bad thing to just start all over."
"A sound hypothesis, lesser AI." 2401 said. "However, my knowledge is limited to the confinement of this Installation. Compartmentalization, I'm sure you understand."
"I get it." Jackson joked. "'Need to Know' basis."
John-117 was a man back from the dead. The man who used to be the Master Chief had been whisked into a new era though the use of Forerunner quantum trickery. He was found crashed in the underlevels of a massive city planet that was most certainly not Earth, rescued by a group of Humans and these other people, who then brought him back to the world he had left, though he always thought something was off in some way that he could not put his finger on; more like a subliminal feeling.
John had missed a lot in his sleep. Upon arriving back in Human space, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and set out training new Spartans. It made him proud to know that the work of Doctor Halsey was still running strong. Spartans were less of a military myth and now more of a Special Forces branch that one needed to commit to. John didn't care that the men and women he was training weren't stolen from his parents as he was. Soldiers were soldiers. That was all he cared about at the end of the day.
ONI had been up in arms about his target. He had to admit to himself that the assignment didn't give him good feelings at first. He had known the young man for a month or so before returning to duty. The man, Tudyk, called John into his office days prior.
"We are under the gun, Liutenant. This man is a mass murderer! He slaughtered an entire ship full of UNSC personnel to cover his escape, and he's a traitor! We need the SPARTANs to take him down!"
"Sir, with respect, shouldn't my orders be coming from the military administration of ONI, and not the civilian board?"
"This is different, John. President Marshall signed my request to put you on the case, and your commanding officer, Admiral Neilsen also approved. You're under my jurisdiction now."
"Yes sir. What are the mission parameters?"
"We caught whiff of a signal transmission penetrating the Warpgate communication antennae. From the looks of it, the Captain was sending a love letter to his fiancée."
"Are your orders to take care of said partner?"
"You do know who I'm talking about, right?"
"Yes, the princess. Sally Alicia Acorn. Are your orders to neutralize her? That would be political assassination!"
"Calm yourself, John! We don't want to involve the princess in any way with our investigation. He was a UNSC Marine. He is our property to do with as we please."
Was? Once a Marine, always a Marine. Nobody ever referred to anyone as a former Marine without good reason.
"Sir? Was?"
"The Elijah Jones was the last straw. I would have been willing to forgive up to that point, but it's clear that he's gone over the deep end. He's lucky we didn't catch him. A dishonourable discharge was the least of his worries! He was lucky he wasn't thrown out an airlock!"
"He was an honourable serviceman."
"Well he's also a mass murderer and we have witness testimony to prove it. Are you going to argue with me about this, John?"
"No sir. What are the specifics?"
"The ship that he stole, a small stock A/X freighter designated the Emerald Fox, registration unknown, jumped somewhere into the vicinity of the Eta Cassiopeia system, staying for a few days before heaving outward. The Hunter Killer teams we sent to intercept him were destroyed."
"One man did this?"
"Crafty son of a bitch, isn't he now? We know that conventional tactics may not work. We don't want to send a large ship after him because that would be a waste of resources. We need to send you in quick and quiet."
"Will I have backup?"
"You will. Two Spartan NCOs, Petty Officers Kim-M223, and Armand-0342."
"M-class Spartans; you're assigning these... new people to me?" he had said, unable to become comfortable with their homeworld.
"Don't doubt them, John. They're soldiers now, just like you. You can respect that, can't you?"
He could. They were soldiers. It didn't matter who they were, what planet they were from, or if their bodies were covered with fur, scales or skin.
"Yes sir. I can."
"Excellent. You'll have advanced briefing forwarded to you at 1300 hours tomorrow. Get some sleep. You Spartans have a long flight ahead of you.
Here he was now, on the ring world he once fought. 700 years ago. It felt like yesterday for him. Being in that cryo chamber removed him from the events of the world around him. He felt out of place; anachronistic; old. He could barely accept the fact that some of the old races of the Covenant were allied with Humanity now. He had to urge himself not to kick an Unggoy into low orbit at his military base when it was only asking if he needed some armor polished. The squat alien had to be sent to the clinic for shock treatment.
The energy field in front of him was impenetrable, even with his new armor. He scanned it, but his efforts were in vain. "Spartans, assessment of situation!" He ordered.
Kim, the Mobian – a border Collie actually, put her hands on her hips and tilted her helmet upwards, regarding the barrier. "Lieutenant, this is a pretty sturdy Forerunner shield. I don't think that there's any way around it. My assessment is that we simply find another way in."
John nodded. "Armand, your thoughts?"
"I agree with Kim. This door is a dead end. I'm sure there might be a service door, or a vent or something."
"I find the former likely." John said. He activated his COM. "Vulture, this is Scorpion. You have eyes on an alternate entrance into the facility?"
The Hunter Killer ship that brought them here, code-named Vulture responded. "Affirmative. Secondary access route located roughly three hundred meters above your position and fifteen meters to the left. Accessing scaffold present. I will move in."
"That's a negative, Vulture! We were ordered to go in there and retrieve the traitor! Your prerogative is to hang back in case we are not able to retrieve him."
"This is not agreeable."
"Well that's not my call. Scorpion out." He turned to his team-mates. "Kim, Armand, secure your Rope Darts. We need to get up there as soon as possible."
Amir looked over his shoulder. "I don't like those guys. They give me the creeps."
Kim said, "You know, I heard that they might replace us. What do you think, Lieutenant?"
"Stow it, Spartans." John simply said. He shared their fears though. He too heard the rumors flying around space that the Hunter Killer teams were getting the jobs done in the year they've been around. It was sickening. They were not soldiers, they were barbarians. The Hunters were ex-cons that had been injected with so many chemicals they didn't even appear to be Human. The Stalkers were the worst though. Altered mental patients that had parts of their body replaced by mechanical prosthetics, and their minds were perverted so that they existed in a constant state between reality and delusion.
The Spartans readied their darts. Their target was the scaffolding well above their position. John's armor computer analyzed the shot and predicted the best trajectory. The Lieutenant decided to trust the suit and fired, the casing used to contain the shot barking loudly. His launcher shot the darts into the air and after five seconds of flight caught on to the alien metal. They tested their ropes to see if they were tight and began their climb.
300 meters was no joke, and lifting half a ton of armor was not an easy job. It was a good thing then that the MJOLNIR armor they were sporting had enhancing effects. Come to think of it, it amazed him how these new generation Spartans reacted under pressure. It was commendable. He also had the opportunity to see Kim with her armor off. He may not be welcome of the anthros, but he liked his help. Her seemingly thin arms were bristling with muscles that helped her move fast. Her biceps were nearly the size of his, and she was only 27. Armand had tanned olive skin, courtesy of his Mediterranean heritage, but he was starting to get the bleached effect of being in the suit.
Their climb was boring. Amir decided to break the silence. On private COMS. "Hey Kim, I have to ask, where does your tail go?"
"Climbing up the side of a building, and you're asking questions relating to my ass?"
"Not your ass, just what's connected to your ass. I know you have a tail, you're a Collie. Where do you put it so you don't trip over it?"
"You see what looks like a large ammo container just below my fusion pack?"
"Yeah."
"Well there's your answer. Whenever I go into combat, I just stuff my tail in there. Mind you it does get a bit itchy from time to time."
"You look awfully Human that way."
"Is that a compliment or an insult?"
"No, I just mean that it's tough to tell you're a Mobian."
"I thought that was the point with this armor."
"Can we quiet it down, people?" John fired quickly. There was no way to tell who was listening in on them.
"Sorry sir." Amir and Kim said. Suddenly Kim asked, "Hey sir, you ever been to Mobius?"
John sighed. They did still have ways to go. He supposed that he could burn some time. "No. I've never been to Mobius. That's your homeworld, right?"
"You got it! Think of it as Earth except with less buildings and cleaner atmosphere. That's your home-planet, right?"
"No, it wasn't. I don't like talking about it."
"Aw, why not?" Kim asked.
"Because I said so, Petty Officer."
"Okay, sorry." Kim apologised.
John took a deep breath. "So, Mobius. It's green, right?"
"Yeah, beautiful!" she said brightly. "I mean, I've seen Earth. It's nice and all, but you know, you need some fresh air too!"
"What's the military compliment?"
"Compared to you Humans? Piss poor. A few ships, including the handful the UEG gave us. We have people to fly them, but that's about it. Remember, it's because we didn't have very many enemies besides Robotnik in the first place."
"Right, Robotnik." John said. He couldn't really take this guy seriously because he just looked so hilarious. Julian Kintobor had a far more sinister story however given the documents that he had been allowed access to. Conspiracy, Murder, Attempted Genocide, and declaring open war against the UEG despite the fact that there was not a single person that recognized his authority. Since he was in a triple max penitentiary 10,000 lightyears away, it was clear the UNSC wasn't taking any chances with him either. John cleared his mind. The only thing he needed to worry about was how much closer he was to his destination.
"Pen, slow it down. You're getting ahead of us." Abigail said. "Us mere mortals can only run so far."
"Try going on a jog with Sonic some time." Chris breathed. "It's not pretty."
"That's right, you know him! The Hero of Mobius! What's he like?"
"Recently? Not so cocky. I think Sonic's realized that some things are bigger than him, like the Covenant, the Shi'Kri'Lash, the Xorda, and the Galaxy Bomb. Robotnik's locked away, so his main source of competition was taken away by our hand.
"I think you may have disturbed the natural order of things, Human."
They turned right and found themselves on a transparent floor.
"Nice drop." Allen said. What's down there?"
"Mainly specimen holding cells, but as of late, systems report that there are no longer any living specimens within the Installation. How disappointing."
"I can give you a hug if it makes you feel better." Allen suggested.
2401 made no comment and continued floating. "Oh! I apologise, Plasma conduit 6-Delta has ruptured! Subsystems are down! I must go to administer the problem. I will return shortly. Please continue down this route until you reach the large portal." At that, he flew off.
"Did... did that little bastard just leave us to fend for ourselves?" Samantha asked in outrage.
"I wouldn't call it that." Chris quipped. Suddenly he heard something. "Weapons up, guys. I hear something."
Guns came up. Samantha hobbled into position.
"Jackson, I want you near the back. Your broken foot makes you a target."
"Yeah, about that, maybe I should have stayed on the ship instead of TORTURING me with WALKING?"
"The Spartans may have found you." Abigail said. "Then again, how do we know that the Spartans aren't in here right now? Just... watching us."
A shiver ran through everyone's bodies. "Please don't say that." Allen said.
"Put your hands up!" A voice in the distance said. It sounded Human, but the profile didn't match a Spartan.
"Put yours up! UNSC!" Chris called out.
"Military huh? What military sends four people into a deserted alien artifact? Where are your guns?"
"We got 'em!" Samantha yelled. "You want to see them up close or at a distance of a hundred yards?"
There was silence, and then they slowly moved towards the group.
"Come on." Chris said. His group moved forward too. The gap closed between them and their features became visible. Only two of the strange people were Human. One was Gallvente and the other was Sangheili.
"Now, can you tell us who you are?" Chris asked, beating them to the punch.
"We are the simple inhabitants of the Library." One of the Humans said. "We've been living in here for the past hundred years in a community."
"A hundred years? In this place? Samantha asked, a bit uncertain, but then the wheels turned in her head. "You put the barrier in place."
"Well, not us." The other Human said. "Our grandfathers did when they hid here."
"Hid? Were they criminals?"
The Gallvente spoke now. "Some of us were. My grandfather was a wealthy man who wanted to get away from it all. He sought refuge on this ring and lived here his whole life, as my father did, and as I will. We are brothers on this ring."
"Funny. You guys don't look like you're related." Allen noted.
"We are not brothers in blood." The Sangheili muttered, "We are brothers in mind and spirit. We live to see the next day, and continue to serve our gods. I arrived to pray in this holy place. The gods hear my call." He looked into space, probably saying a silent prayer.
"Who are these aliens?" The Gallvente asked. "What are they?"
"We are Mobians." Abigail said. "We come in peace. We were found five years ago. You never leave this place?"
The taller Human shook his head. "We never have, and probably never will. You're the first people to arrive in... a very long time."
"Your skin is pale." Abigail noted. "You haven't been getting any sun."
"There are places where we can get sun, but they are far away from here. It would take a full day's journey to bring us there. Why bother?"
"Health, for one?" Chris reasoned. "If you don't have your health, you have nothing."
"Wise words, maybe, but you'll grow to like it here. Our grandfathers were thoughtful enough to provide us with aeroponics equipment and water generation equipment. We live here peacefully. What is your purpose in the Library?"
"Honestly, I would love to chat, but we have to get going. We have Spartans right behind us and they're chasing me."
"Spartans?" The shorter Human asked. "So you are criminals. If they're sending the armoured soldiers after you, I think you're more trouble than you seem."
Chris gripped Rouge's pistol in his holster.
"So, what are you going to do about it?"
The Sangheili cocked his head. "The Monitor returns!"
Ruby beams of light shot out of the darkness, cutting into the ancient metal floor. The unlikely residents ran for it, firing their weapons over their shoulders.
"Unacceptable! Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!" 2401 Penitent Tangent cried out. "Defiler! Meddler! You have unauthorized access of this facility! Protocol dictates immediate termination!"
2401 was flanked by a dozen Sentinels firing their beams.
"What are you doing?" Chris asked, absolutely horrified.
"These indignations have no access rights to this Installation! My recent diagnostic has made me aware of them! The Sentinels must do their part to eliminate all that stand in the way of contaminating this facility!"
"You're going to kill them all?" Allen said.
"Protocol dictates that as the correct source of action, Reclaimer. There is an infestation in this facility and I must purge them! "
"We have to stop them!" Abigail said. "We can't let those people die!"
Allen offered an alternative, "Yeah, well we don't want to be caught by those Spartans either!"
Tracers began to fly towards the ceiling of the Library. The residents had begun to fight back. The staccato crackle of weapons fire made its way across the metal landscape.
He was the team leader. Chris needed to make a choice. What would happen to these people? He glances over his shoulder though. It was possible the Spartans were right behind him. He needed to act.
He took a deep breath. "Move it out, people. That's an order."
"What?" Abigail asked, incredulous.
"You heard me, Major. We need to get to that extraction chamber."
"Are you kidding? There's people back there that need our help! They've never faced Sentinels like this now that 2401's come to his senses!"
"Major Hera is correct. It's the right thing to do." NICOLE said with a chiding tone. "The Freedom Fighters would have assisted as soon as they could."
"I am NOT a Freedom Fighter, NICOLE." Chris growled. "I'm a Marine. I ascertain a situation and judge based on the level of risk."
"You really have changed, Chris." NICOLE said sadly. "What happened to your innocence? What happened to your judgement? Everything's been replaced by 'procedure, protocol, what-have-you'. I'm worried about you."
"Innocence? Did you just use that word? We are THIS close to finding out what's in my head! THIS CLOSE!"
"I don't care if we were an inch to ending this entire thing. We need to protect those people!"
"NICOLE. We can't-"
"Then I am afraid that I will not be of use to you. I am ashamed of you, Christopher." With that, she ceased communications.
"NICOLE, can we talk about this? NICOLE?"
"She's right, Captain. As your ranking officer, I am now ordering you to come assist." Hera said with the most military voice that she had ever uttered.
But still he hesitated. "You hold no rank or authority here."
"Neither do you, Human."
"Reclaimer, we must continue on our route if we are to reach the extraction facility."
He looked at the AI and then looked at Hera with a look of deep sorrow.
Abigail twitched her nose and puffed her cheeks in anger. "Roan, Jackson. Are you coming?"
Major, our assignment was to ensure the Captain gets out of here safely.
Abigail took one last look at Vennettilli. "My father would be ashamed of you too." She ran off towards the sound of gunfire, not once looking back.
"Oh yeah? Well FUCK YOUR FATHER! Guess the guy was a real prick anyway!" Chris suddenly bellowed. "Come on. Let's get moving. Sooner or later those Spartans will be on our asses, and I do not want to get MJOLNIR on my ass today."
Abigail ran down the corridor towards the sound of screaming people. She held her assault rifle in a white-knuckle grip. Using her keen sense of hearing, she pin-pointed where she needed to go. Ruby red lasers cut through the air, leaving a scent of ozone lingering around her. Soon, a lady wearing rags ran past her, screaming. The poor woman didn't even notice Abigail as she ran into the Library's depths.
She turned the corner and saw the village. It was a mess of prefabricated structures and jury-rigged shanties formed from Forerunner consoles. These were just people who wanted to start a new life. Criminals, the poor, and the adventurous resided in this dark place, unable to leave without their ships, and unable to show their faces to the outside world. It was a whole new society that she was vastly unprepared for.
A woman and children were backed into a corner. A duo of Sentinels were parading towards them charging their lasers. Abigail let loose a five-round burst towards the drones. The robots shuddered as the bullets pinged off an energy shield. They turned for a second, but then went back to the shuddering citizens. She then flicked on full auto and fired. The shield broke after a few seconds and then the armor took hits. One Sentinel fell sputtering to the ground and the other lost a portion of its body. It got off a laser that missed the little girl by seven centimetres before Hera blew it up. The little girl cried for a second, but then the Major was at her side.
"Don't cry. Everything's going to be alright! Look at the funny bunny!" She made a funny face and wiggled her nose. The child laughed repeating 'funny bunny!'
"Thank you so much!" The mother said.
"Just doing my job. What's going on here?"
"The Sentinels just attacked us! I've never seen them do anything like this before!"
"The Sentinels were never a problem before?"
"Not unless they were provoked! These things just snapped!"
"Who's doing the fighting?"
"The men and boys mostly! The women and children are trying to get away."
"And how many have managed to flee?"
"Some of us. You saw Julienne run around the corner. She was one of the lucky ones."
"It's alright. I'm here to help."
"W... what are you, by the way?"
Abigail smiled. "Long story. I'd head for an exit if I were you."
"Thank you! Bless you!"
The mother and children ran away for the village hopefully for safer parts.
"Bye, Funny Bunny!" the little girl said just before she disappeared into the darkness.
Abigail decided she needed to get into the fighting. She checked her magazine and was satisfied. She still had around fifty rounds left in her weapon. She took off at a brisk pace thanks to her genetic speed advantage. She passed a burning building and saw a Sentinel on high. She blasted it and looked for another target. Soon, a hand was at her throat. She cried out and dropped her gun. She was forced into the ground. She gasped as she saw her attacker. It was a Sangheili female armed with an energy sword.
"Why are you here?" She asked.
"Take the hand off my throat and we'll talk!" Hera said.
The female was surprised. "You speak the language of the Humans, yet you are not one of them."
"Let go of me and we'll talk more!" She hissed.
The female lifted her hand. "I apologize. You have a weapon. We require your assistance in this matter."
"Why do you have a sword?" The Major asked, rubbing her neck and glaring at the alien. "I thought only Zealots and Ultras carried swords."
"In regular Sangheili society perhaps." The female said. "If we followed traditional values. I am Har, Wife of Joro."
"I'm Abigail. Single for the moment."
"Come, Abigail! The fight awaits us!"
The pair charged into the village. Hera blew up another Sentinel before stopping to reload. A couple of men hid behind a building. "How are you holding up?" She asked.
"We're fine for the moment. Have some ammo to keep things interesting. Thanks for helping."
"Well, some people need the decency to help out."
"Amen to that. Ricky, I think there's another one coming over Doc's take the shot whenever you're ready."
Abigail saw a young boy, no more than 10 years old heft a sniper rifle and sight it.
"You have the shot, boy?"
"I do, dad."
"Let the bastard have it!"
Ricky pulled the trigger and the Sentinel fell from the sky. The father patted his boy on the back before seeing another pair coming to replace the destroyed one.
"Uh oh. Let me handle this, son. Give me the gun." The father took the sniper rifle and blew the other two out of the sky. "I think they're going to need some help over at the Aeroponics farm! Just follow the gunshots... whoever you are."
Abigail left the men and tried to find the aeroponics farm, which was easier said than done. Most of the buildings were identical in design, so it was tough to figure out where she was. So, she took the man's advice and followed the gunshots, leading to a fortified building with people at the front firing weapons at the Sentinels.
Abigail thought she could help here. She ran over to them and had a clear run thanks to their covering fire.
One of the villagers saw her. "Hey! Someone's coming to help!" They called. "Who are you?"
"I'm a friend! Major Abigail Hera!"
"She's military!" Another called. "You'll need to speak with Dyke! He's inside!"
A laser blast cut a man down. He cried out, grasping at his wound as a friend tried to help him out. Hera took the hint and went inside. It was an aeroponics farm, meaning that plants were grown with humid air. It seemed like a greenhouse. UV lights in the ceiling provided needed radiation, and pipes carried saturated air for the plants to take in. Among the food and plants though, there was the copper tinge of blood.
The wounded had been moved in here, and the closest thing to doctors helped casualties. Hera's heart sank as she saw bodies with white sheets over them, and a couple of the dead were small.
"Dyke?"
"Yeah, who's asking? Can't you see things are going to hell?" a gruff man with mutton chops responded.
"I want to help." Hera said.
"What are you?"
"Mobian. A long story." Hera said, silencing him before he could ask.
"You want to help, huh? Well, I'm the mayor of this village. You're just one lady though. What are you doing in the big bad Library all by yourself?"
"I was helping an 'associate' with a task. You know about an Extraction Room?"
Dyke shook his head. "No. Never heard anything about that. Tell you what though, you help us back those things off, and we'll provide whatever we can in return."
"Thank you."
"What happened to your 'associate'?" the mayor asked.
"Stupidity."
"He dead?"
"No, alive. But I hope he regrets not coming back to help us."
Hera was right. Chris leaned up against a wall in silent thought.
"You OK? That's the third time you've stopped." Allen asked.
"I'm fine. I'm just thinking." Chris answered. "I think I made a real stupid mistake back there."
"You mean not helping the Major." Samantha said.
A distant string of gunshots made Chris flinch slightly. "Yes."
Samantha hobbled over. "Would you like me to speak freely?"
"You mean outside of your contract? Go for it."
"I think that was the stupidest thing that you have done on this whole trip."
"But we are so close to ending this whole thing."
"Captain." Allen said. "Do you know all the jobs that we have been through where we have had the opportunity to end a mission right there and then?"
"I don't know. Dozens?"
"Probably." Roan said. "You know on every single one of those missions I was motivated by nothing but money?"
"I would have guessed. You're PMC; doing people's dirty work for a pay check."
"Yes." Roan said. "And I regretted every single situation where I could have done a bit extra but instead was motivated by instant gratification. I'm asking you not to make the same mistake."
the Captain had to think about what Roan was saying. It wasn't just a job where he got paid at the end, people seriously wanted him for information locked in his head. He had the highest form of military espionage after him, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Another round of gunshots. Chris closed his eyes.
"Reclaimer. The Extraction Facility is not far."
"I know! Shut up!" The Captain commanded. "Roan, Jackson, go with Penitent Tangent. Locate the Extraction room and radio its position to me. I'm going back there to help."
Both the hired guns nodded and smiled. "We'll be waiting for you." Samantha looked at 2401. "Let's go, Pen."
"Of course, Reclaimer." The AI said cheerfully.
"2401!" Chris called. The floating sphere rotated.
"Is there something I can assist you with?"
"Yes. No more future attacks on these citizens. They are under our protection."
2401 looked as if it were confused. "But there are non-Reclaimers among them!"
"I am explicitly ordering you to cease and desist any unprovoked attacks on the citizens here. Is that command accepted?"
"Command accepted. It will be adhered to, Reclaimer."
"Good. Now show these fine people to the extraction room." With that, he turned on his heel and ran for the village.
Dyke's forces were spread pretty thin. In the last twenty minutes, seven waves of Sentinels had come to replace those that were destroyed. The villagers were almost out of ammunition, but they did start to take the destroyed beam weapons that the Sentinels had and used it against them. These were weapons that could hit instantly because they were powerful particle beams. The funny thing was that they were insanely useful against the drones.
Abigail had dropped her rifle in favour of the Sentinel Beams long ago. She hefted the heavy device to hip height and began blasting whatever she could, careful not to hit any villagers.
The town was in ruins thanks to the robots constantly firing at them. Buildings were charred and gouged with lasers. Bodies lay on the ground smouldering. The stench of burnt meat hung in the air. It was so much, and yet it barely made her flinch.
"Burnes, Wylde! Move around to the secondary barricade and let loose!"
Two men with goggles nodded and slipped away into a mess of buildings. Soon, two ruby beams shot from the structures and a few more Sentinels fell. Upon the robots' destruction, two more people rushed onto the battlefield and grabbed them for future use.
Then a big one came from nowhere. It was large, had an energy shield in front of it, and a set of grappling claws.
"What is this?" Hera asked in desperation.
"Enforcer." Dyke said with a hint of bitterness. "Only dispatched when a situation becomes dire. My grandfather was killed by one when he accidently pissed it off.
"Tactics?" Hera asked.
"Pray. Nobody I know has ever taken one of these things down." He stroked his mutton chops and loosened his collar. "I think we should get everyone inside and plan an escape. This place is toast."
"You've been here for generations." Abigail said.
"Yeah, well the monitor has finally decided that we've pissed him off enough. We're pulling up stakes. I think we can find a few towns nearby that can give us some help. Besides, this is no place to raise kids." He gave a nervous smile.
Suddenly a new chorus of gunfire joined the rest. It was the Human. Abigail was surprised to see him. The Marine sprinted into the area firing off his weapon in short controlled bursts, dropping Sentinels like game birds. The Enforcer decided to take notice and moved towards him. It was then that Abigail saw it.
"Look! The rear is unshielded! If we can hit that area, we can drop the Enforcer."
"So simple it's brilliant." Dyke said. "Guess the Forerunners never learned how to cover their asses. Listen up, boys!" He called to the surviving defenders. "Enforcer's showing its rear and it turns out there's no shielding in the nether regions! Now that fine man over there has provided us with a window of opportunity! Hit it with everything you got!
The villagers fired. Their bullets made small pings in the hull of the Enforcer. The massive machine took notice and looked straight at Abigail, as if it personally wanted her dead. Missiles shot out of its back.
"Scatter!" she cried out. The militia broke rank and dove for cover. The missiles landed and blew the structures apart. The mayor was tossed ten feet against a wall and stopped moving. "DYKE!" Hera cried.
Chris knew he was at the party late, but as the old adage went, "Better late than never". He had a feeling of self-resentment for leaving these people to their fate. He saw a glimpse of a person he didn't want to know, and he had to make up for it.
But what was going on? 2401 gave his personal assurance that the people wouldn't be harmed. An Enforcer was blasting away at buildings! He would need answers. He saw a female Sangheili armed with an energy sword absorbed needle-like rounds and fall to the ground with the deactivated hilt rolling from her fingers.
He needed to grab that thing's attention. "HEY! LOOK AT ME!" He shouted and fired a single shot. It pinged off the robot's shield and it gave no attention. He then blasted the rest of his magazine before picking up a Sentinel Beam.
The device was heavy in his hands, more than the rifle. He fired a long beam of energy so that it cut through one of the claws. The appendage slammed into the ground. Needless to say, the Forerunner machine took notice.
As soon as the Enforcer turned to face the Captain, Hera and the survivors shot at the exposed part of the Enforcer, taking advantage of the surprisingly simple combat programs. Chris was about to take a shot when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He gasped out of shock and turned his head. Before he could recognize his attacker, he was flung into a wall. Before he knew it, he was staring into three reflective visors.
"Oh shit."
"You led us on a bit of a chase." John-117 said in an even voice.
"Looks like we caught you." The female said. "Never try to outsmart a Spartan. It doesn't end well."
"Let me go. I'm trying to help these people!"
"The only thing you'll be doing is coming with us nice and slowly." John growled. "You've been enough trouble."
"Lieutenant, I am ordering you to let me go!"
The male Spartan said, "You have no rank. You were stripped of your commission and your honours as soon as you fled from Earth. You're just a punk terrorist."
"John! Please! These people need help!"
The Spartan looked behind him to see the Enforcers and the Sentinels attacking the village. His grasp loosened and he turned back to the prisoner.
"What's going on here? Why are you in the Library?"
Chris fired back, "How did you get through the shield?"
"ONI disruption torpedoes launched from our ship. That barrier has been offline for the last two hours. It's not coming back up." The female said.
"I'll ask again. What's going on?" The Spartan asked, once again grasping at the young man's collar.
"I'm just trying to figure out WHAT'S IN MY FUCKING HEAD!" He screamed. Spittle flew from his mouth and hit the Spartans' visors.
"Swell." The female said.
"Making a little side trip then?" The male Spartan asked. "Not exactly finding out what's in your head, is it?"
"Listen, PEOPLE ARE DYING! Help me out and then you can decide what to do with me!"
"Do you promise to give yourself up?"
"JUST HELP ME FIRST!"
John nodded to his men. "Alright Spartans. Let's save these people."
They started firing once more on the Enforcer, who was blasting at the defenders. When the Spartans shot, they drew attention away from the survivors. After about ten minutes of shooting, the beast finally gave up and fell from the sky with a thud. Soon, the last of the machines were shot down. The village was safe.
Chris ran to find Hera. She was over the body of Dyke who was killed when he hit the wall.
"His spine broke on impact." The doctor said. "Probably died instantly. I'm sorry, Major."
"What a waste." Abigail said shaking her head. She saw Chris flanked by the Spartans. "Oh Jesus!" she said grabbing her chest. "You scared me!" She looked at the supersoldiers and frowned. "I guess we're done, huh? We lost."
"Who is this?" John asked.
"Major Abigail Hera. Royal Air Force."
"Hmm, never expected to see another race member this far out." The female said. She unhooked her helmet to reveal a Collie with chin-length hair. "Sir, there was nothing in the mission briefing that suggested any accomplices. When did you join this man after you left Mobius?"
"From the start." Hera said truthfully.
"You think Command's leaving us out of the loop, LT?" The Mobian Spartan asked.
"We do not question orders, Kim." John said solemnly. "We should be arresting them on sight."
"We would anger the citizens." The male said. "Would we be forced to attack civilians?"
It was a contradiction to everything that John was taught as a soldier. If the civilians got rowdy, he would be forced to harm them. He could not allow himself to stoop to a lower level.
"Kim. Keep an eye on Vennettilli. If he makes any move that might suggest escape, detain him."
"With pleasure." Kim said with a look of pleasure in her eyes. She whispered in his ear, "You make one false move, and I will rip your cock off and shove it down your throat."
Chris shuddered. "Well. Some like it rough, I guess."
"For what it's worth, I would like to reveal myself too."
"Who said that?" Amir asked.
"Chief, it's me, NICOLE. Or should I say 'Lieutenant'?"
"NICOLE. It's been some time."
"Sure has. How's Cortana?"
"Fine." The Spartan said.
"Chris, project me."
He pulled the fold-out computer from his belt and let the lynx project herself.
Kim blinked. "You're the Princess' personal AI unit!"
"You would be correct." NICOLE said. "Anxious to hear how I got here?"
"He's a thief!" Kim accused.
"No. I came of my own free will. Sally gave me to him before he left."
Chris could tell that NICOLE was trying to use all the evidence she could to get the Spartans on their side.
"She gave you to him? Voluntarily? But my brother's a guard at the palace! The only way she would trust a Human like that would be if... oh Christ..."
"On the money. I have recordings if you don't believe me!"
"You have WHAT?" The Captain gasped.
"No! I'm fine actually..." Kim said a bit embarrassed.
As if to make everything even more interesting, a radio call came in.
"Captain. Are you reading me?" It was Jackson.
"Go ahead." Chris said tapping his COM set.
"We found the lift that will take us to the Data Extraction Center. 2401's getting giddy at the prospect of seeing this beast at work." She said. "Where are you guys? Did you win?"
"Yeah we won." Chris said. "Stand by. We'll be at your position soon."
John had to ask. "Who was that?"
"Private military corporation officers assigned to protect me."
"They were hired to protect you?" Kim asked. "Sir, that means that somebody had knowledge of the bounty put on him beforehand! This changes everything!"
John nodded. Even he couldn't ignore this. "Looks like someone's been making some back-room deals. I don't like what's going on here."
Amir was puzzled. "So... what do we do then?"
"Our duty, Petty Officer. But first, we discover what exactly President Marshall wants in his head. We'll make our way towards the PMC officers. Vennettilli, Major, you will take point. If any Sentinels attack us, I want you to take them out."
Abigail took a minute to talk to the survivors of the attack. 30 people had been killed including women and children. The survivors were huddled near the aeroponics farm which had held up during the attack. Dyke's brother, Geoff was declared mayor on his stead.
"Are you all going to be OK?"
Geoff nodded. "I think so. But things changed today. We've lived here 100 years and nothing had ever given us trouble. But today, the machines just went crazy. I don't think we ever could have anticipated something like this. I guess it turns out we really weren't meant to live in a place like this."
John gave a silent laugh. No kidding. Tell that to me when I was on this ring last time.
"We'll just have to make our way to another town. Maybe they'll take us in. I just want to leave this place though. Anywhere but here." Geoff said.
Abigail smiled. "I guess you'll be a community on the move."
"Yeah, modern nomads."
The Mobian then sighed. "Geoff, I'm sorry about your brother."
"I know. I know it wasn't the way he wanted to go, but he helped save the village. Thank you Major. Thank you for helping us."
Abigail blushed, she was a hero, and she knew it!
"I have to leave now. I wish you all luck wherever you're headed."
"Bye Funny Bunny!" The little girl from before said.
"Bye bye!" Abigail said back. Then she left to join the Spartans and her comrades.
"Ready to go?" John asked.
"Yeah. Let's find that room. Interesting side trip."
"I'll say." Chris commented. "A village in the Library. What a thought that is." He then chuckled and asked, "Hey, I wonder if your father would forgive me if I told him I was sorry."
Abigail smiled. "I'm pretty sure he would. Thank you for coming back."
"I turned into someone that scared me. I had to do the right thing. Regulations be damned."
"That's why I know you love Sally. You're a real person inside of that tough exterior and military bravado."
"Thanks." he said chuckling.
"For what it's worth Captain, I'm glad you made the right choice too." NICOLE said.
"Thanks for giving me a kick in the ass to speed things along."
"I knew you'd do well. You just needed some persuasion."
"Thanks again. We'll talk about these 'recordings' later, NICOLE."
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