PROLOGUE
Ethan was running faster than he had ever ran before, or so he thought. The road ahead of him was blocked with debris from fallen trees. He placed his left hand on the tree stub and leaped over it landing smoothly onto each foot. Instead of leaping over the second he tried to keep pace and jumped over it. His foot caught a branch and his chest slammed onto sharp, loose rocks on the ground; dust kicked up in the air. As he rolled onto his side he noticed his hands were covered in dirt, partially coating the blood running down his palms. Behind his hands a black figure came into view. Ethan felt as if he had been hit with impious power; his heart sank. He slowly lowered his hands and pulled himself backward.
The shadowed figure stepped over the broken tree trunk in front of him. A bright blue light shot out from the figure's hand with a sharp screech that pierced Ethan's ears. It was the smell of burning plasma that had caused him to close his eyes. The figure stepped forward with a loud thud that raddled the ground beneath it. The energy blade weaved through the air leaving essence in its trail. The figures body was encompassed by a black smoke which seemed to be emitting from it. The only detail given to the being was the grey light from the morbid clouds that outlined its body.
"Die filthy human" it's voice was as dark and threatening as the very sight of it. Raising its arm high and thrusting the blade into Ethan's stomach, the figure had moved faster than he could comprehend. Sharp, burning pain began in his stomach and slowly coursed throughout his body; Ethan felt as if he was burning alive.
"AHHH!" He screamed leaping from his bed onto the cold hardwood floor. His mother rushed through the door, light flooded the dark room. She wrapped her arms around Ethan and cradled him. His father followed through the door and sat lightly on the bed.
"It's getting worse, isn't it?" he asked his wife, his expression powerless. Giving nothing but a glare, she turned to hide her face in Ethan's dark hair and rocked him.
"It's ok hunny, it was just a dream, you're ok." Her words echoed through Ethan's head and faded. It was getting worse. The dreams were becoming unbearable. The very thought of the Covenant glassing his planet was already frightening but seeing it happen repeatedly, Ethan felt that he was becoming somewhat numb.
PART ONE
Chapter One
Hestia System
Meridian, Moon of Hestia V Gas Giant
Suburb of Virgo City, Sector 6
March 26th, 2548
Approximately 0600 hours
Dawn rose over the city of Virgo. Towers stood tall scrapping against the blue sky, their windows reflecting the morning light. The crisp wind came from the north sweeping against the grasslands and pushing the dew into the city as the gates opened. Surrounding the main infrastructure in a perfect circle were gates that separated the workspace and neighborhoods. The gates opened and closed the same time every day creating a steady lifestyle for the community and supplying other worlds at a steady rate. Sure, there was violence and law breakers but that's what the military was there for. The UNSC had an outpost in every Sector that monitored everything within the block. There weren't as many soldiers walking around these days though, they were fighting the war with the Covenant.
Virgo neighbored several other cities that spread across the southern coast. Uma, a farmer's town, settled east against the morning sun, Gilroy to the west was more of a production town than anything else followed by the hundreds of settlements throughout the super continent known as Torrent. While Uma supplied Virgo with fresh foods, Gilroy handled the manufacturing of almost all vehicles, weapons and top of the line gadgets. Obviously, the city was supervised by the UNSC but no one complained if they were left alone.
The people on Meridian, as whole, didn't like the presence of ONI or the UNSC but they were respected non-the less; the Human-Covenant War was egregious. With the abundance of metals and minerals, the UNSC provided a defense grid that spanned the entire planet. It comprised of Frigates, Anchors and Hyperion Class vessels. If or when the Covenant would decide to attack, the UNSC would be able to hold them off for the most part but the inevitably of planets glassing rested heavy on the people. The citizens of Meridian talk of their opinion about the Covenant and how they're "a bunch of weak aliens that overpower the even more weak UNSC" but humanity, as whole, was terrified that they were considered prey.
Light reached through Ethan's window as he lay against the wall on his bed. He opened his eyes feeling the morning sun on his face. Warmth, he thought. After his episode, last night, it was a nice feeling to know his planet wasn't gone…yet. He lifted the covers off himself and began to get dressed for the day. "Good morning, Ethan." The house AI announced herself. "Morning, Zena." Zena's hologram stood on a pedestal built into the wall next to the bedroom door. Each room in the house had a pedestal for her to present herself if need be but most of the time she only expressed herself in such ways around Ethan. Even though she could feel no real emotion Zena was built with an understanding of children behaviors, insecurities and instability with traumatic situations. This gave her an understanding of how to approach Ethan about his dreams and it kept the two of them close.
"I heard you last night, is there anything you would like to talk about?" Zena asked, her voice sincere. Ethan hesitated for a moment thinking about how real it felt and didn't even know how to explain it to her. "It felt real, Z." He began, quiet. "I felt the pain this time and I was scared. I was living in it, not observing it like I usually do." Zena's expression saddened, knowing she couldn't comfort him as much as she wanted to. "Did you notice any details? Anything that could tell you where you were?"
"Yes." Ethan said. "Virgo was glassed by the Covenant." He turned and met her gaze. "I was running away from the destruction when I noticed I was being followed…" "Glassed" Zena thought. It was true that when the Covenant burned planets the surface would turn to glass but the term was used most often as a finality of some sort so she understood it and decided against any reasoning she was going to propose. "Are you ok?"
"I don't know." Ethan shook his head. "they're getting worse and feeling more real as time goes by and I can't help but be afraid of it happening." He rubbed his head and turned to Zena who then gave him her attention. "What if its real? What if I'm really seeing how this planet will be glassed?" She understood his reasoning. She could explain to him millions of reasons as to why someone would think it possible. Matter of fact, it was a probability; inevitable if humanity didn't find a way to defend themselves. Rather than giving that kind of rationality to a 10-year-old, she toyed with the two percent uncertainty. "Dreams can often seem or feel real, Ethan. It's how you learn to separate reality from fantasy that matters." Zena said.
Ethan stared out his window watching the other kids leave their houses for school. He was frustrated and confused. An AI like Zena would be able to acknowledge how evident an attack on Meridian would be, yet she seems disconnected. It's like she chose to play naive and treat him like a child…I am a child, he thought. Ethan nodded slightly, "You're right Z; dreams are fiction." He grabbed his backpack and casually left the room. Zena kept her hologram still a little longer listening to him leave. She knew she hurt him but it was better than telling him the truth. Though she couldn't say for certain, the likelihood of his dreams coming true and the attack on Meridian, his subconscious is preparing himself for the imminent death. AI's aren't built to be hopeful, they're built to be realistic, above all, accurate. Understanding emotion and being able to experience it are two different things. She knew she needed to find a way to explain that to Ethan not that it would make a difference.
The bus door opened and Ethan walked on, located a seat next to Josh and sat down. Josh was Ethan's closest friend. He lived a few blocks away and they hung out all the time. Their parents worked together and they had family dinners sometimes even barbeques. Ethan loved those. Josh finished his conversation with the person behind him and turned to Ethan. "How's it going, dude?" his voice pitched high for a moment; he covered his mouth. "Sorry about that" he quieted. Ethan smiled deciding on how he was going to bring up his dream for what felt like the millionth time. "I'm good, I just…" he paused for a moment feeling guilty, Josh waited patiently. "I had another dream but it felt real and it was about this planet this time." Ethan tried to explain coherently. Josh dropped his shoulders and lowered his head. "The planet you dreamed of last was glassed a few months ago, right?" he asked quietly that way no one else would hear and intrude.
"Yeah, I think so. It was a while ago" Ethan breathed rubbing his head. "I just have a feeling that what I saw will actually happen."
"Well given your track record with these dreams" He paused a moment. "You have every right to think that." Thinking it will happen and realizing it was going to happen never occurred to Josh until now. The feeling was dreadful, full of despair. "What I'm saying is I feel like I'm experiencing a vision."
"You mean premonition" Sierra said as she forcefully scooted into the seat with Ethan and Josh.
"Don't do that" Josh hissed "You about gave me a heart attack." He finished rubbing his hand through his blonde hair. "What?" Sierra said raising an eyebrow. "Are you afraid that someone is going to hear you? Everyone on this bus knows about Ethan and his dreams."
"Yes, but it doesn't mean we need to exercise that every time I have one." Ethan's tone carried over Sierra. She slouched and folded her arms.
"I'm sorry I just don't understand why we have to keep talking about this." She sat back up and turned toward them. "I looked it up last night, what your experiencing most people would consider to be a premonition. It means you dream or visualize the events of something yet to come." Sierra explained as she pulled up reports on her tablet.
"Every person throughout history that has experienced something like this never said anything until it had already happened leaving most people to believe it a myth or lie." Sierra waved away the reports as the bus monitor walked by.
The three of them smiled diligently up at the woman. She in return smiled back and carried on with her inspection. As Sara turned her head and faced him, Ethan realized how pretty she looked today. Her black hair was straight with red band and a red flower placed just behind her ears. Her blue eyes glistened in the sunlight reflected off the buildings as the bus passed them. "You ok" she asked, blushingly. Ethan realized he was staring at her and pulled his eyes away. "Yeah, daydreaming is all." Josh smiled at the comment knowing full heartedly Ethan had a crush on her. He knew because Ethan had told him a year ago, around the same time he started having the dreams. Josh told him several times to tell Sierra but Ethan knew better than to express any type of affection, his parents would not be happy about it.
"As I was saying," Sierra continued, scrolling through her tablet. "Premonitions have been logged throughout human history, sometimes occurring as instinct when feeling threatened by something and other times pure randomness."
Ethan nodded slightly thinking his fear of the Covenant might have been causing the dreams. "So, what you're suggesting is that I stop thinking about…you know who?" He asked.
"Yeah, or try not to let them get in the way of your everyday life. I mean, we all do have pretty good here. There hasn't been a terrorist attack in years." Sierra confirmed.
Josh leaned against the window as the bus pulled up to the school. Located in Sector 6, and six stories high, Keddler Middle School was one of the few buildings that was build using UNSC architecture. The sleek reflective metal coated the outer walls while the soft lighter metal coursed the hallways and classrooms. Though the coolest part to Josh and his friends were the touchscreen desks that stored all the assignments and homework reports. Every morning they would sit at their desk and swipe their homework from their tablet to the desk and it would save and store all the data and grade it. Teachers still chose to verify the work but Josh thought that just to be them trying to feel useful, not that they weren't. It seemed like every job these days was done by an AI or robot so to think teaching is still a profession was a surprise to him.
"Great, school." Ethan exhaled. Sierra looked at him and patted his back. "If anyone gives you crap today I'll punch them for you, sound good?" she winked. Ethan rolled his eyes. "I don't need you to defend me I can fight just fine."
"Which is why no one ever picks on you. "Josh said as everyone on the bus stood. "Right, because that worked the last time one of my dreams spread across the school." Ethan said sardonically as he stood with Sierra in the hallway; Josh joined. Everyone wore the same type of clothing. Even though they were still uniform, they varied in skirts, shorts, pants, long and short sleeve shirts and jackets. Diversity was still very much supported on Meridian so everyone could wear what they wanted if it had the bar code. Each top-half uniform clothing had a bar code across the left breast that was scanned every time the student entered school, ate at lunchtime and left school. It ensured that he or she were there that day and fed. Those who missed school had to have very good reasons seeing as getting sick wasn't as prominent as it once was.
All the children marched off the bus. One by one each students bar code was scanned and they were escorted into the school by the bus monitor. Ethan and his friends entered the school where they headed straight for the cafeteria. Six large rows of benches stretched across the southern side and a small cement wall separated the line for food and the benches. There wasn't much color to anything in the school. Everything was "I hope they have something good today, I'm starving." Josh said rushing past Ethan and Sara. Ethan sluggishly walked up to the plates, got in line and looked behind him. Sierra was few spots down waiting patiently and Josh was one of the first in line. Ethan was comfortable where he was. He didn't want to be at school but the food sounded just fine. All he could think about was the dream and how every time he had one it felt like he was being rebooted, like the real world wasn't familiar anymore and he was learning everything over again. This time, obviously, affected him more. He usually played it off like nothing happened and brought it up with his friends when he found the time but now he literally couldn't even concentrate on the smallest of things.
"Move, Foster" A voice came from behind Ethan as he was shoved to the side. The boy was tall and large with brown hair. It wasn't a social norm to be fat, or heavy set. Most adults would just turn a blind eye or pretend you didn't exist but kids were horrendous. Most would call you names, others would throw things at you and some even would beat you up, depending on how fat you were; those kids would look at you like a bunching bag and think nothing of it. No one picked on Kevin, though. Yes, he was large but when he knocked out a 6th grader the year before he was left alone. Since then, he picked on kids, and not even the fat ones. He just picked on other kids for the sake of it. This year, Ethan was his favorite.
"Hey Kev." Ethan said, brushing off his shoulder as if he was getting rid of any germs Kevin might have put there. Kevin's expression soured. "We're not friends, you don't address me." He yelled as he turned around to confront Ethan, who stood in place unintimidated. Ethan didn't make contact, he refused. If Kevin tried anything it would be fight, whether Ethan would win was up in the air but he would make sure Kevin or any of his accomplices wouldn't mess with him again.
"Get out of my face, Kevin." Ethan said calmly. "What's that!?" Kevin yelled again, the line began to surround the two. "You want me to move?." He breathed. Ethan held his breath and took a step back and looked at Kevin. "I'm hungry and your holding up the line, can you please just get your food."
"Yeah, I think I will" Kevin said, broadening is shoulders as he turned around. Everyone was staring at Ethan and he could feel it. When he looked up he saw Sierra in the back of the crowd frowning. Josh was in the front staring at Kevin as if he were a parasite. Ethan walked up behind Kevin as if nothing happened. The line moved forward and he noticed there were breakfast sandwiches with eggs and bacon. He grabbed two and put them on his plate and continued down the line. Once he gathered all the food he wanted and looked around for Josh then sat next to him.
"I swear if Kevin hits you again, I'm going all out." Josh said, aggressively biting into his sandwich. Kevin had sat on another table adjacent to theirs and was staring intently at the two of boys as Sierra sat down. Ethan sighed and began to eat his food. "Does anyone know about my dream?" He asked.
"I'm certain someone on the bus heard me talking to you guys. Sorry I can't keep my mouth shut." Ethan's eyebrows raised. "Are you ok?" he asked setting his sandwich down. Sierra shook her head and immediately blew up on him. "I just don't understand why you don't stand up for yourself." Ethan slouched in his seat and Josh smiled at him. "Don't laugh!" She hissed at Josh. "I'm serious, if you keep letting him push you around he's eventually going to fight you. Your antagonizing the inevitable."
"In other words," Josh smirked "I like you and don't want you to be pushed around like that, Ethan." He mocked her. Sierra glared at him and turned to eat her food. Ethan ate his food thinking of what to say. It's not like he going to stand there and do nothing, if Kevin had struck him he would have regretted it. Still, Sierra was right. Ethan told her he would stand up to Kevin the last time he crossed the line and instead he took a punch and told his parents that he fell. Obviously, he lied and he was grounded for that.
Schools didn't tolerate violence. Sure, bullying was around and very common, especially in the Outer Colonies, but violence was left with the UNSC. Meridian considered itself different from the other colonies and that meant laws were a little harsh. So, when Kevin's parents were approached the District they threatened to expel him if his behavior didn't change. He's done well in the last few weeks but Ethan knew if Kevin started the fight rather than the other way around, he would be expelled for certain. "If you touched the burner and it burned you, its ok, you didn't know it was hot. But the second time? You knew." Kevin was a time bomb and Ethan knew it.
"I didn't back down, did I?" He said. Sierra rolled her eyes and looked at him as if he were contagious. "And you didn't stand up to him either. You were standing there looking like you were ready to take another beating—I'm sorry, I can't stand by and watch my friend get his butt kicked because he won't fight back."
"I would have fought back, I won't throw the first punch though." Ethan butted in. "You said that last time." Sierra finished before she grabbed her sandwich and took a bite out of it, continuing to look forward. Ethan noticed she was staring and turned to see what at when Kevin abruptly sat across from him. Josh put his sandwich down and wiped off his hands. Kevin shot him a glanced and smirked then turned his attention to Ethan. "Liam tells me you had another dream." He said. Ethan looked at Sierra who concentrated on Kevin; Josh sniffed. "Dreams normal people have." Ethan said.
"What are you saying, I'm not normal? Ha!" Kevin slammed his hand on the table. "Your right I don't dream about my planet being glassed by the Covenant and go around telling everyone about it. I dream about breaking your face it for doing it." He quietened.
"Go away, Kevin." Ethan said. A punch came across the table and hit him in the face, knocking him to the floor. Ethan's eyes watered. He couldn't see anything for a moment and then suddenly everything was clear. He looked around realizing he was on the floor. When he looked up at his friends, Kevin was standing there. He lifted his foot and stepped on Ethan's chest. The pain was so intense he was sure a rib might have cracked or even broke. He rolled to his side and tried getting up when another kick to the stomach sent him flying into the cement wall divider. Kevin gloated in the glory as other kids gathered around. Josh attempted to strike Kevin from behind when Liam and Michael grabbed him and held him back. Feeling the most intense pain ever, Ethan managed to stand and noticed Sierra still sitting at the table facing away from the fight. He raised his hands and stood his ground. Kevin smiled and went to run at him when he was shot in the chest by a beanbag gun. Ethan watched as Kevin rolled on the floor and the school police gathered around him. Suddenly, Ethan felt strange and his vision narrowed. He looked around manically as everything he could see faded away.
"I dream about breaking your face in for it." Kevin said. Ethan looked at him intently realizing he knew Kevin would hit him. "Go away, Kevin." Ethan said as he raised his hand and caught Kevin's fist. Everyone around him including Kevin looked astonished. Ethan twisted Kevin's hand and he squealed and stood up trying to swing at Ethan but miraculously he could see it coming before it happened. He stopped the incoming blow with his other hand, leaped on the table and kicked Kevin to the floor. "I said leave, now." Ethan said, looking around to see everyone was watching. Kevin stood rubbing his wrist and tackled Ethan off the table and on the floor. When he lifted his arm to punch him, Ethan's sense of time slowed and he was aware of where the punch was going to land. He raised his hand again catching another fist and punched Kevin as hard as he could, sending him to the floor.
Ethan jumped to his feet and was startled when he realized he wasn't in the cafeteria anymore. Frigid air reached his lungs and he grabbed his chest feeling dizzy. He leaned on a metallic panel that had intricate designs. It was cold at the touch. The grey metal was unlike anything he had ever seen. It reflected almost naturally but seemed artificial. He looked around and found himself standing in the center of a platform which displayed a hologram of the entire known galaxy. The hologram was suspended over twenty feet and it was projected from the center floor which was translucent to the naked eye. Only the center platform was lit up Footsteps came from his left loud and heavy just like in his dream. Ethan froze feeling the same gut wrenching fear he had in his dream. Slowly he turned around to find what was surely an Elite walking past him. It didn't notice me. He thought, confused. The Elite must have been almost ten feet tall and as thick as a large couch. His armor was a dark reflective metal contrast to the metal throughout the room. Its armor was unique from what Ethan knew about Elites. This Elite was dressed in what seemed like exotic attire. Each separate plate had markings that didn't resemble anything Ethan recognized. Its elegance was in the shape which ran along his elongated arms and legs. It was truly astonishing to Ethan.
The armor clanked together with each step the Elite took until he stopped in front of panel that lit up upon his arrival. It turned around to face another being passing Ethan. This one was lanky in size and wrinkly like a raisin. Its ears were covered by long appendages that dangled when It looked up the Elite. Its head was oval shaped and on it sat a golden crown. In the center was small hologram of a ring. Beneath the being was a thrown or chair that hovered. Its thrusters emitted energy that moved the air in waves creating a mirage underneath it. The being began to speak and Ethan noticed immediately that it was foreign but as it spoke the language was translated and he could understand it.
"So, this is the Luminary." Its voice was defiantly masculine, vigorous, but also soft on tone.
"Yes, Holy One." Said the Elite. Its voice rattled Ethan's insides, heavy, deep and carried such malign emotion. Ethan identified them both as male.
"Can we active it?" the Holy one asked, his arms raised off the chair almost as if he was praising it.
The Elite lifted his hand, in it was a bloody human arm. "Yes, we can." His voice reverberated throughout the room.
He placed the hand on the panel and the hologram grew ten times in scale engrossing the circumference of the room. At the center was large circular construct with several extended platforms—seven by Ethan's count. Surrounding the immense object were smaller planet like objects. He stared intently noticing intricate design reminiscent of the room he was in. they're artificial, He thought. Most noticeable were large rings that varied in size. Each one had a surface like a planet and rotated around a single gas giant. Ethan was stunned and overwhelmed at the same time. He couldn't comprehend everything he was seeing.
Lights fluttered around him and he was slowly coming back to reality. Desperate, he fought the urge and focused on what he was witnessing. The Holy One clenched his hands and the hologram moved and rotated to his command until it settled on a planet. This one Ethan could tell was real due to the oceans that surrounded continents. Near the ocean on one of the mid-sized continents was an immense structure buried beneath the ground. The Holy One gasped and enlarged the image until you could see every detail of the structure.
"This is it," He said, exhausted. "This is the Portal." The Elite looked up at the image bemused, mystified.
The half circular structure sat in the ground. Panels spread around it with hinges at the base of each one indicating that they opened outward. In the center beneath the panel was hollow—a casting for a ship. It shaped a ship the Elite was familiar with; the Dreadnaught. He opened his mandibles several times as if he were to say something but then cocked his head to the side; he didn't know what to say. Suddenly the hologram faded and the Luminary closed. The Holy One, distraught, dropped his arms. "You received the information, yes?" he asked the Elite who was holding a purple devise. The front of it displayed several coordinates and images of planets until it stopped on one. The device made a noise and highlighted the coordinates. "Coordinates are set, sire."
The Holy One sat there for a moment looking around sporadically and then made way for the exit.
"Destroy it, that way the humans never learn of it." He said, slightly sounding afraid.
The Arbiter ordered other smaller creatures to set the charges. They were about the height of Ethan and had a hard like shell on their backs. They resembled a walking turtle. The Holy One hovered by Ethan, the craft hummed loudly. his hands were clasped together with a depraved smile. "We're leaving, Arbiter" He said rotating around. "And bring your armada with, we have much to do." He finished with almost a whisper. The Arbiter nodded "As you wish". His back straightened and he made a grunt that hurried the smaller ones.
Ethan hadn't thought of walking until now; he moved his right foot to take a step. The sensation was odd, he felt as if he was submerged under water yet he could breathe. He turned to follow the Holy One and looked back double checking to see if the others had notice him move then proceeded. At the end of the room was a huge door, light shinned through reflecting off all surfaces. He wondered where he was and what he was going to find when we reached outside. The light dimmed and objects came into view; The sky was dark. The city off in the distance wasn't familiar due to its state but he noticed just outside of it was a UNSC base unlike anything he had ever seen. It was destroyed beyond recognition except the large lettering on the side. Four Covenant Cruisers were stationed in the sky, each one was slightly closer to the ground then the last. The closest one nearly covered the entire sky. It was enormous. The white body extended further than he could see and the bow was almost unnoticeable due to the smoke from the city. A large maroon craft descended from the sky and hovered above the Holy One.
A translucent curtain of light with a tint of purple beamed down enclosing him. A light appeared from the center of the lifted and pulled The Holy One upward. Ethan heard the stories of the Covenant technology but seeing it in person, or something of the like, was nothing less of astonishing. The craftsonto the craft. Its crescent shape was distinct and he Ethan knew he recognized it but couldn't put at name to it. As the craft began its accent, The craft kicked up dirt picked up and swirled around the antigravity boosters and then dropped when it it began its accent up to the Cruiser. Behind Ethan came the Arbiter and his squad. The Luminary exploded and the hill it was located under collapsed. Another craft, likethe exact same as the one that picked up the Holy One, arrived. The Arbiter stopped briefly, clenched his hands and smelled the air as his squad lifted into the craft.. He turned and looked in Ethan's at Ethan. Ethan froze, confused how the Elite could smell him at all.
The Arbiter's glare was interrupted by a loud crack that stretched across the sky followed by a deep, loud hum. They both looked upward to see lights at the bottom of a Carrier. Located near the belly was a bright light. It traveled along the belly until it reached a channeling point just below the bow; it was preparing to fire. Ethan didn't notice the Arbiter had rushed to the craft and flew away, he was caught in a trance. Particles in the air weaved together almost like a mist, circulating the opening, increasing intensity. The hum grew louder, purple and blue lights flickered like lightning as it became a dense cloud. It looked like a storm was taking place beneath the Carrier.
Brusquely, the hum was silenced as the blue beam struck the earth, shaking and cracking the crust for miles. Ethan felt the shockwaves and fell to his hands. He watched as a wave of dirt and plasma consumed everything in its path. Before it reached him, he felt pain. A sharp jab to the chest shot more pain that coursed throughout his body and his vision faded.
"Ethan wake up, honey. Stay with me." A woman's voice pulsated throughout Ethan's skull. Her blurry image was backed up by another painful burst running threw his body. HisHis head began to throb erratically, everything was becoming unbearable and then he felt like he was relaxing. Slowly, second by second he was feeling more and more relaxed and then he opened his eyes.
Chapter Two
City of Virgo,
Meridian
March 26th, 2548, 1800 hours
Ethan's eyes were blurry, he felt tears stream down his face as he began to panic and sit up. "It's ok son." His father voice came from his side followed by a hand placed on his chest. He relaxed, blinked a few times, each time he was seeing more clearly until he eventually could see almost perfectly. To his right was his parents, their faces lit up as Ethan recognized them. "Where am I" He asked but only groans came out.
"You're at the Virgo Insta-care Research Hospital in Virgo. My name is Dr. Green." The doctor said to his right.
"You had a traumatic experience today, Ethan. Are you aware of what a seizure is?" he asked. Ethan nodded, knowing he couldn't speak correctly. The doctor pulled up a chair and sat down. "Ok. Can you speak for me? Slowly, don't hurt strain yourself" Ethan opened his mouth, nothing came out. He cleared his throat feeling the oxygen tube air reach his lungs better. "Yes, I can talk" His voice was jagged and sounded aged. The doctor nodded and looked up at his parents, hopeful. "Ok. Thank you bud." He said as he patted Ethan's foot. "One more question, though. During your episode, you were speaking." He cleared his throat. "You kept repeating the same phrase over again. Are you able to recall anything?" Ethan was confused, sore, and exhausted. When he tried to think he got snip bits of light and metal but nothing coherent. Immediately his thoughts were followed by a sharp pain in his head as if he had been penetrated. "AAAH" He screamed and grabbed his head. "That's enough." His father said panicky, holding Ethan as he did so. "Doctor." He said nodding to him. The doctor nodded back and left the room. Ethan's father loosened his arms and sat back down. "Are you hurt?" His mother asked, her eyes swollen like she had been crying for hours. Ethan looked around and noticed the time. He had been out for over six hours. What happened? He asked himself but couldn't think without it hurting. Then a name popped in his head. At first it was clear as day and then it started to fade.
"Luminary." He said softly, remembering hearing the name not from his voice but someone else, someone foreign, alien.
"What?" His parents asked simultaneously.
"What is Luminary?" Said his father.
The door shut loudly. A man, dressed in all black and grey attire stood in front of the door. His face was pale and stern, no wrinkles but seemed old enough to be Ethan's father. His hair was slicked back and his glasses were tinted. On his left breast bore a symbol of triangle with a sphere settling at its center. His father seemed to recognize it by the way he stood next to Ethan. "What is this about?" He asked grasping Ethan's arm. The man touched his glasses and the tint retracted. He sighed and walked to the doctor's chair then sat down. Opening his bag and pulling out a few papers, he gathered together incidents that looked like something Sara had on the bus earlier in the day. "Do you recognize these?" He asked calmly handing them to Ethan.
"Don't touch them." His father ordered. The man sighed and stood formally introducing himself. "My name is Kyle Mathew Toland, I work for the Director of Observations throughout all of Meridian."
"Director of Operations, you're an Agent?" Ethan's father replied. "the Office of Naval Intelligence has no need of my son. Now if you'll leave us be that would be great." He said gesturing toward the door.
"Actually, we do" Agent Toland stated firmly. "Allen Foster, your child has been experiencing premonitions for quite some time. Now if you will let me continue." He turned his attention toward Ethan. "How long have you had these dreams?" Agent Toland asked him, sitting down. Ethan swallowed. "About a year now." His voice still broken up.
Toland nodded. "And these dreams are consistent with catastrophes—that have yet come to past."
"What is this?" Allen stood up. "He has nightmares."
"2530, a child dreams of her planet being "taken away by the Aliens"." Toland began. Allen stood still. "She tells her parents and they report it to her school district, concerned. After a few weeks, it circulates and the UNSC eventually catch wind of it. Its documented but of course a lot of people were worried their planet was next so it would only seem natural people would dream about it. Four days later, Groombridge was assaulted by the Covenant and glassed within a few days."
This hovered heavily over Ethan's parents, primarily his mother who was beginning to shake. Ethan listened intently.
"2531, another child is reported having dreams of their planet being glassed. The dreams get so bad she starts sleep waking and speaking. She ends up in the ICU, experiencing seizures and is put into an induced coma. When she wakes several weeks later she speaks of planets-plural, being glassed by the Covenant." Toland lifted a picture off his lap, the same one Sara had showed him earlier. The photo was of a girl in a hospital drawing pictures of her dreams. Each one was of a planet with distinct planetary terrain being glassed by the Covenant. Listed beneath it was "Luminary".
Allen sat down as Toland continued. "A week later, Victoria fell followed by Verent and New Harmony. While those colonies were never actually listed "glassed" one could only imagine. The dreams continued until New Llanelli was glassed in 2546; two years ago." Toland wiped his forehead. "I shouldn't be telling you any of this, its classified but, Ethan dreamed about a planet being glassed last year, you never took him to get looked at or studied even when Skopje was glassed no more than 2 months later. It was documented by his teacher Mrs. Lambridge. I found this out when it came through." The family just stared at Toland. "And here we are; Ethan is having these dreams again and now has experienced seizures which I believe are linked so yes, Mr. Foster, ONI is very interested in what your child has to say." His voiced seemed to echo. Ethan moved his head to look at his parents. His father made eye contact for a moment and looked away in shame. He stepped past his wife and leaned against the window seal.
"How was I supposed to know this was real."
"You weren't, but turning me down could possibly be the end of Meridian."
Allen looked back angrily. "So, you think you can stop them if we know ahead of time?"
"Not necessarily but we can hold them off. Plenty time for you and many other families, if not everyone on this planet to make it off alive."
"Why? They'll just follow us and kill everyone there." Allen yelled. The room was silent for a moment. Toland just stared at Allen tapping his fingers on his boot. "Your son might just hold the key to ending this war."
"How?"
"I'm not at liberty to discuss that"
"Really?" Allen moved away from the window. "You just gave us all a history lesson about how we're losing this war because we're not listening to the children who can see it happen before it does."
"One of those children is in this room, he is your son." Toland stood. "Mr. Foster." Allen looked back at Ethan. He sighed and rubbed his face. He turned to face his wife and knelt.
"Emily, what do you want to do?" he whispered. She looked at Toland and then Ethan, which she smiled at and finally back to Allen.
"Let him do his job and we can go home." She spoke softly, seeming like she had given up. Allen bobbed his head thinking hard about his next words. After a few moments he stood, nodded at Toland and sat down. "Proceed, Agent Toland."
Toland sighed. "I very much appreciate this visit." He sat down. "These photos are classified but necessary for this study. They may be disturbing but by knowing what dreams you have I'd imagine it's not a problem." He said as he handed the photos and reports to Ethan.
He looked through the reports and then the photos seeing planets and the children corresponding with the planet that perished soon after their dream. Each planet was glassed with intricate design, a symbol. The drawings the girl had were detailed describing a certain area of which she must have seen in the dream. The image was at the base of a cliff and just below it, reaching out to the horizons was large curve identical to same arch of a symbol found on Jericho VII. Toland interrupted him by giving him other pictures of planets. Ethan scrolled through them, each one of a city or land mark. His head began to sweat and he blinked several times. He used his blanket to wipe the sweat but his eyes had begun to water which made it useless. At last Ethan noticed something, a city. It was at the edge of a lake much like Virgo but was sitting next to a range of mountains as well. Ethan pictured the structures destroyed and noticed near the city was a UNSC base. He recognized it but couldn't pin it. He focused as hard as he could as he began seeing flashes of the city destroyed and then a Covenant Cruiser glassing the plains just outside the city. Blood rushed down from his nose and he began to scream. His heart rate rose erratically and the alarm sounded. Allen and Toland reached for Ethan and attempted to tear the pictures away. "Luminary, this is where the Luminary is." He shouted grinding his teeth. Blood began to rush from both nostrils and his head whipped backward. Ethan screamed again. "Arbiter, Holy One, Luminary" Toland slowly moved away from Ethan. He rolled up his sleeve revealing a device strapped on his arm. "Record" He said. The display opened to a series of bars representing sound volumes that raised and lowered in sync with Ethan's words. The doctor and nurse rushed through the door, moving Toland aside who wasn't bothered; he received exactly what he needed to. Ethan's screams turned to deep growls as his body began to shake vigorously. Blood whipped from his face onto the sheets and wall. Security rushed through the door and removed Toland and Ethan's family. The door closed behind them and the hallway was left silent. Toland rolled down his sleeve and threw his bag over his shoulder. He went to leave but realized Allen and Emily were obviously in shock.
"I apologize-"He began but was interrupted. "You will pay for this, Agent." Allen turned toward Toland, a tear streamed down his face. "You and every one of your accomplices. ONI will fall, I swear." Toland nodded and walked away. He knew what he did was wrong and that the Colonel won't be happy to hear about the current situation but everything that Ethan just said told Toland one thing; The Covenant were headed to Meridian. Finally. He thought to himself. We have a head start.