Chapter One: Disappear
1800 HOURS JUNE 6, 2535
COVENANT BASE, OUTER COLONIES
"Status." I whispered over the radio getting into my position. "Two dozen Covenant headed your way, Main Hall." S2 responded. "I'll track this group, you link up with S4 and S5 and check the east side." I said shifting into the shadows. "Roger, linked up and headed east. "S2 said. "Good, remember our orders; 'Do not fire unless fired upon first'." I reminded. "I know. Do they really think we would start shooting when there is a whole colony worth of Covenant." S2 said, "I think it is because they think we're too good that they have to remind us to make themselves feel better. I laughed at S2's comment shaking my head. Just then there was the noise of footsteps. "My groups coming, I'll radio soon for a check up." I said clicking off my COM.
Two dozen Covenant rounded the corner either walking or riding some vehicle thing that I've never seen before. I moved into a position so that my helmet camera would record the Elites and Grunts in the main hall. "Why would ONI send us." I thought to myself as some of the first group passed me. "They could have just sent some Marine Black Ops for this sort of stuff." Then I saw my answer, a fellow Spartan riding in one of the vehicles.
"That's what must of happened to the lone Spartan spy they sent." I thought, "So they send a bigger group to find her." Suddenly the Spartan disappeared. I double and triple checked the crowd to see if she just made a break or was taken somewhere else but I found no hint. Five minutes ticked by as I watched and waited for the Covenant to round the next corner. As soon as they were gone I clicked my radio on and told the other Spartans what I found.
"Why didn't they tell us." S4 said over the radio. "They probably didn't want us too involved in the search." I assured them. "Well ONI always has their secrets." S2 said. "Now that we know what to find," I said getting back on track, "S2 and S3 follow the main hall to my location; S4 and..." Suddenly something hit me hard right in the front of my helmet, blurring my focus. I moved back trying to locate my attacker but saw nothing. I head my team's voices over the radio but just as I tried to answer them something had me around my throat. Before I would fight back I slipped into darkness.
I awoke suddenly to a loud thud that echoed off in the distance. The first thing I noticed was that someone had stripped me of my suit, which now lay lifeless next to me. The second thing I noticed is that someone or something had bothered to dress me in some hastily thrown together pair of rags. I looked around at my location, a cell. It was quite a big cell which had probably been sculpted out of the planets hard bedrock. I crinkled my nose at the foul smell that seemed to hang in the air.
Then there was another thud and some Elites walked forward into my dim-lit prison. They were two of them in light armor carrying a staff of sorts. The Elites approached me carefully and lowered their staffs. Suddenly the shorter Elite growled something and a Grunt, waring the some fashion of clothing, came in. It carried some sort of shackle and started to bind my wrists and legs. I would of fought back but I felt dulled, probably drugged. "Well doesn't look like they're going to let me walk. I thought looking at myself, bound in as many shackles as the little Grunt could probably find. The Elites came forward and propped me up onto my feet then they signaled for the Grunt to leave then they dragged me out of my cell.
Outside of my cell the Elites dragged me down a hallway lined with more cells like mine. Some of them had occupants and some of them were empty. By the time we rounded the corner I had counted ten humans, three Jackles, seven Grunts and one Elite. My captors dragged me down another hallway and through a door that emptied out into a circular room. The perimeter of the room had six rows of seats set up as in an auditorium. In the center of the room there was two chairs and a desk.
Again a loud thump echoed in the room as a door closed on the opposite side that I entered. In entered the Spartan I had seen earlier. She calmly strode across the room and took a seat in the less menacing looking chair. The Elites pushed me into the one on the other side of a table covered with wires and a box. It was weird to see the Covenant with such a low tech sort of device. Deja showed us a picture something like what I saw on the table. It was a very, very, old design.
After strapping me in and leaving the room the Spartan leaned forward and took her helmet off, well it was supposed to be a she. It was human but not the one I remembered owning that suit. "Surprised," It mocked in a growl like voice. "expecting someone else weren't you." It took a lengthy hand and reached to the counsel on the table. "We knew they would send someone else but even better they send two. I know I saw another one I just can't seem to locate it." I knew what was coming next as the "Spartan" pressed a button on the box. A sharp, very painful, shock erupted from my binds and straps pushing me to the edge of concensness. Suddenly the shock dissipated and I took in a painful gasp of air.
"This will get easier if you tell me where the other is." It said raising its eyebrow and giving a smirk. This thing must of only seen S2 when he was keeping a look out on the lower main hall. Well that was a good thing. Everyone now must have been hiding. "Good they're safe." I thought "I would Never trade any of my teams life's for mine or get them stuck in my position." I managed to shake my head to deliver my answer. Suddenly the unbearable pain was back and this time it didn't stop.