Chapter 1 – Reach
September 13, 2014 | 1600 Hours | Cleveland, Ohio, Earth, Sol System
I stood facing Lake Erie, staring deep into the water. Kids behind me pulled their parents along, laughing and shouting. I picked up a small rock and stared at it. I raised my arm and chucked it out into the lake. I turned around as the small splunk resonated from the lake, and started to walk home.
Have you ever thought that life is boring? I have. I always have. I would give anything for something interesting to happen. Something out of the blue, random, yada yada. If only life, specifically my life, was fun.
I walked into my family's apartment, seeing no one there like always. I tossed my keys on the end table, and headed to my room. I threw my coat over a chair and glided my finger across the power button on a game console. As the home page pulled up, I started up Halo Wars. I quickly skipped the splash arts and proceeded to the level I was on, plopping down onto the bed. I stretched and watched the cut scene as my eyelids felt heavy. I powered through two levels and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.
July 12, 2519 | 0630 Hours | Planet Reach, Epsilon Eridani System
I was startled into consciousness by a hand shaking my shoulder. I looked to my side, seeing a girl with short, blonde hair sitting there. "Hey, it's almost time for the drop," she told me.
"Huh?" I asked.
"Jeez, Luke, you've been completely out of it today. Is everything alright?"
"What?" I asked. As the girl opened her mouth, a man in a white military uniform walked through a small door. Everyone snapped to attention, and I quickly followed. Seriously, what was going on?
"Your mission today is to make it to the extraction point. There you will find your return Pelican. There will be room for all of you, besides one." He handed small pieces of a map to a girl and she handed them out to everyone in the ship. As the man who walked through the door, a boy went around, pointing out the window at certain landmarks. As he walked over to me and the girl that woke me up, a name and number was stitched across his chest: Samuel-034. I looked at the girl next to me and saw 023-Daisy across hers, and Luke-100 was on mine. Samuel stood next to me, and I turned around. He pointed at a river and glided his finger down it, upstream, to a lake. I nodded and he continued down the row of seats. As the ship slowed to a hover, the man in white shouted "100, you're up!"
I jumped out of my seat and saluted. I walked to the hangar door as it opened.
"Good luck out there, trainee," he told me. I saluted again before jumping off the ship. As I plummeted toward the ground, I felt around my back. There was a string with a metal ring hanging from my backpack. As the trees below grew closer, I yanked on the string. A parachute shot from the backpack and pulled me upright. I gently landed in the trees, disconnecting the parachute and falling to the ground. I slowly stood up, taking in the surroundings. I heard a small noise and immediately crouched. I pulled the knife attached to my leg and held it in front of me.
The rustling intensified and as it stopped for a brief second, I began to lunge. A figure emerged from the bush and tackled me, pinning my arms to the ground. It was the girl from before, Daisy. She was laughing as I struggled. She relaxed her grip and let me sit up. She sat down cross-legged in front of me. I sheathed my knife and sighed.
"So what was that all about earlier?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You weren't acting right. You were out of it, spacing out constantly. What's up with ya?"
"Well, I'm really not sure why I'm here," I told her. She looked at me quizzically. "I was sitting at home, falling asleep, and the next moment I'm here. I should be at home, waking up soon, not hiking through woods."
"Well, you've been here for two years, Luke," she said. "You've never acted like this for the whole time I've known you. Tell me, what was the date you last remember?"
"September 13, 2014," I replied. She stared at me and chuckled a bit.
"Silly, the year's 2519!" she laughed.
"It's true! It was 2014. A Saturday. I was hanging out by a lake in Cleveland, Ohio and walked home. When I fell asleep, I woke up here!"
She slowly stood up and smiled. "Well, I believe you," she said to me. "You've given me no reason to doubt you before, so, I'll take your word for it." I smiled.
"Thanks," I replied, standing up. "So, tell me about what's happening." We slowly walked through the woods, Daisy explaining everything to me.
"This is Planet Reach. All of the people in that Pelican were brought here at the age of five, including you. We were trained in combat and pushed to the limit. It was all created by Doctor Halsey, and the training was run by Chief Mendez, the man from before. We're part of the SPARTAN-II Project, a project to create a group of soldiers with super-human powers. We will be the protectors of Earth and her colonies, or that's how Halsey put it," she told me with a small smile on her face. I smiled to. Being next to her calmed me somehow.
An hour or two of walking passed and as the sun set, we arrived at the lake. The other children were already there, staring down at a man. The kid from before, Samuel, rushed over to us and asked for our map pieces. We both handed them to him and stood amongst the others.
Samuel-034 took three other trainees to scout out the area as we discussed the rules of this drill. One person was being left behind. Someone suggested to draw straws, but John shot it down immediately.
"No one's being left behind. I'll find a way," he told us, and started pacing. Kelly-087 had finished constructing the map of the pieces Mendez handed out. It was a day's hike to the extraction point, so we set out immediately.
As we neared the extraction point, the sun began to set. The sun was illuminated like fire as we peeked out of the tree line. In the field of green sat a dropship. John and Samuel discussed something as the others, including me, stayed behind. It was a day's hike to the extraction point, so we set out immediately.
As we neared the extraction point, the sun began to set. The sun was illuminated like fire as we peeked out of the tree line. In the field of green sat a dropship. John and Samuel discussed something as the others, including me, stayed behind. A minute later they came back.
John appointed positions for people. Kelly was a distraction, Samuel was our way in. "If they do anything besides help Sam," John said, slamming his fist into his open hand, "remember the wolves and moose." We all nodded and smiled. The wolves and the moose was a lesson that Deja retold a countless number of times. It was to show the way a pack hunts. We all picked up a rock and held it at the read as we neared the edge of the forest. Kelly ran out, luring the men away from the drop ship them running back to us. Next was Samuel. He limped out, his leg bloody, pretending like it was broken. A man walked over with a stun baton, raising it to strike when John launched a rock at him. It flew past his head, but they all turned to face us.
"Who's there?!" One of the men shouted. John nodded and we let the rocks fly. They pelted the six men, and the fell to the ground. Their arms shot over their head, trying to shield them. John and Kelly ran out, finishing off the men and taking their stun batons. He waved for us come to the drop ship, and ran in. A minute later, he out, counting us as we ran it. He nodded when Samuel jumped into the drop ship.
"All right, Deja, get us out of here," John said, and the drop ship rose into the sky. Daisy clapped my on the back.
"Good job out there," she said.
"Ditto," I replied. "Another day of drills done," I sighed.
"Yup," she nodded, smiling.
We flooded out of the drop ship as it landed, and formed a line. In front of us stood Chief Mendez. We saluted and he sighed. "Spartan John-117, please come with me. The rest of you may return to the barracks." We saluted again and walked away as John followed Mendez. I slowly sat down on the cot with 100 written on it. I sighed and laid my head on the pillow. As I closed my eyes, I heard Daisy's voice again.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey," I replied. "What's up?"
She slowly sat next to me. "Will you be okay?" she asked me.
"Of course. I'll be fine. Don't you worry," I told her, giving a thumbs up.
"Still, you say that you're new here, and I'm worried about you with the daily routines," she said.
"I'll get the hang of it," I told her. She smiled and nodded, walking off to her cot.
In the next few years, I grew to enjoy this life, and became accustomed to it.
