All material from Halo belongs to 343 Industries.

Hey guys! I was thinking about the craziest, maybe most original thing I could put into a Halo fanfiction. Why not do something bizarre like mutated insects trying to survive the Human-Covenant war? It's gonna be a weird ride; might get serious, might get silly, who knows? Just prepare for the most unprecedented story. If you have ideas, drop them in the review! This idea did formulate from a lack of sleep, so there isn't much I have planned so far.

Prologue

It was dark. The lights of the lab were out, which was unusual at this time of day. Perhaps the humans in white were resting later than they normally did. The mist still rained from the seemingly endless air and the sun's tendrils of light was reaching over the horizon. The humans kept him, along with others like him, enclosed within what seemed to be an invisible barrier inside a monstrous environment. There was plenty of food that crawled and leaped through their territory. There was a pond that housed water for them to drink. Even the Elders enjoyed this luxury, never questioning it. He was the black sheep. He was the one who questioned the ongoing events that occurred.

He remembered what the humans in metal suits, ones who would feed and clean their environment, called him and his kin; crickets, grasshoppers, bugs. He looked as his black, clawed hands. He could grasp things with them, whether it was prey, some grass, or even a stick. He looked at his sleeping peers. They never questioned existence as he would. They would tell him, 'If the elders do not worry, you should not as well.'

That never did calm him.

He would always end up approaching the glass, hiding within some ferns and brush. he would stare at the humans, entranced by their glowing pads and their 'skin.' He had only seen the actual skin of humans only but a few times. On occasion, there would be one who would wear the strange cloths up to their elbows or knees. 'Very informal' would be what the persnickety humans say. They looked so soft, yet they were large and sometimes even menacing. Jedrek always wondered what it was like inside the human's enclosure beyond the glass. These creatures were obviously far advanced, considering that they were watching them instead of him watching them. Although, Jedrek was gaining his own information from his viewings.

No one else seemed to care as much as he did. They would sometimes watch with him, but they would not stay for long. Again they would tell him not to worry over such trivial things; that he should enjoy his life instead of wearing his skeleton down.

Jedrek stared at his reflection. He stared at his black eyes, his dark head, even at the antennae protruding from between his eyes. He felt natural, but at the same time, unnatural. He rose up from front pair of legs, using his rear two to hoist himself up. He flexed his claws and then reached for the stick on the ground. Soft and vulnerable, yet tough padding allowed him to have a grip and to feel the texture. To him, it just didn't feel normal. As though he should not be able to perform that task alone. He turned the stick vertical and slowly stabbed it into the soft, wet dirt underneath him. He was truly fascinated.

Yet this was almost every day for him. He hoped for change, a change to his menial life. Something challenging.

The lights flashed on in the room beyond the glass, which caught his attention. He slowly crawled towards the giant wall of glass, hiding within the ferns and bushes to observe. Two humans walked upon the stage, appearing to be deeply communicating. One was tall and appeared strong, despite what may be his profession. The other was shorter and lanky. So much so that even Jedrek felt, despite being a juvenile, that he could take him on. He looked at their faces, queuing in on their expressions. The large one seemed to frown through much of the conversation. Perhaps it was at the energy of the lanky one. The lanky human seemed frantic, displaying gestures that seemed to express distress. He deduced that the bulky human was the cause of it.

Suddenly there was a series of taps and then a voice that droned, "Bay door opening, proceed with feeding operations." Jedrek having heard this dialogue as well as the banter of the humans in metal suits, was able to piece together parts of the human's language. He liked to understand what was happening. Surely enough, the large door adjacent to the glass barrier hissed and opened. There they were, the humans in hulking metal suits. One carried a large cage, presumably filled with rats or some other prey. The other carried two boxes. One box was usually filled with a nutritious meal that usually consisted of gelatin and fruits, and the other was filled with devices they used to check the surroundings.

The humans in white clothes walked off through another door after the entrance doors closed with a hiss and click. He turned his attentions to the metal walking bipeds. His antennae twitched with interest and he weaved through the bushes to have a better look. He recognized one human, the female. She frequented his kin's territory, often leaving great amounts of food. 'Veronica,' he remembered her name. Jedrek looked at the other, but did not recognize this one. This one must have been a new human. The last one was also female, often bantering with the humans she brought along. This one was undoubtedly male. The facial structure and hair along his jaw expressed that.

"Think Doctor Price is worried about them finding this place?" This human, the one carrying the mice, had a light and soothing voice. He had no doubt that this was Veronica.

"Probably, with all the commotion in the outer colonies... I'd be pretty worried too. Heard he's been trying to move his operations closer to Earth. Says it would be safer." This one was definitely male, but his voice was not too heavy. Jedrek realized how experienced this human may be, perhaps he was only new to his territory.

Jedrek remained hidden, he was absolutely fascinated in their talks. In fact he was so fascinated he didn't even notice any of the large rats scurrying past him. Or that the human even released them. Or that he was not even hiding anymore.

"Hey Ron, this is the one I like." The soft spoken human pointed, bringing over what they called 'pineapple.'

"This that special one you talk about?" Jedrek watched her nod behind the glass shield of the pilot compartment.

The machine suit woman knelt and he could see her face clearly. She looked friendly as always, and Jedrek had enough experiences with her to know she was absolutely no threat. After he took the pineapple from her metal palm, she patted his head. He felt some sort of comfort in that patting, and most definitely in the sweetness of the pineapple.

"Jedrek's the nice one. I can't wait until he's an adult. He'll be a big beautiful bugger, probably four and half, maybe even five feet long." She smiled.

"Sign any of the pet adoption forms yet? Gonna put a leash on him and give him walks?"

She made a blank, mostly annoyed face, "Totally."

"Shit, I would say he'll be five feet long. That usually the average now, but man you see that one big boy though? Six feet man," Jedrek was reminded of his gargantuan friend, Bergir, "It's terrifying what the doc is breeding here. Why would he even want bugs this big?"

"It not that he wants the bugs to be big. There a bigger picture regarding longevity, strength, and the such. Something about improving classified programs. This was just an interesting side effect that he wanted further explore."

"I feel like we've had this conversation before."

"We have." She deadpanned.

"Probably didn't care too much then. With all that alien stuff happening now, it's starting to dawn on me about how important this might be. Don't understand it too well yet, but I really want to try."

"I gotcha... just got a notification from Dr. Price. He wants us to meet him by the bee lab. Apparently they managed to produce a big queen."

They were leaving, but Jedrek was able to make out what 'Ron' said before the big door closed and locked. It was a joke about big bees making obscene amounts of honey. He thought about the sweet nectar of life, honey. Surely, he hoped that the next feeding would involve it.

There was one thing that Jedrek could not help but stress upon. They spoke of programs, moving, colonies, and aliens. Those words alone troubled his young mind. What were the programs for? Moving? Are they relocating because of the aliens they speak of? And colonies? How big was this empire the humans had? To him, fathoming the size of it was stressful. Did they rule this whole planet? Do they not enjoy an alien presence? What were the aliens doing? There were so many questions running through his mind.

He found himself staring at the glass. He had mindlessly wandered to it and appearing to have been staring at himself. He noted his ridiculous appearance, having a chunk of pineapple dangling from mandible. He corrected himself by manipulating the chunk of pineapple into his mouth with his palps. They were best described as four little fingers attached just before his mandibles. This was something that the humans also lacked. He saw their hands and how well they could manipulate things. They would never have needed them. Jedrek had even attempted imagining a human with palps. It was a disturbing image.

He made his way back to his colony, where huts, tents, and a fire rested within a clearing under the trees. The others were just awakening for, some meeting to prepare a morning hunt. He informed a few that the metal suits had dropped off prey and a cornucopia of fruits. He clambered and climbed a tree, reaching the tallest branch that could hold him. He rested his body against the limb and stared at the horizon. One day he would be able to experience the world beyond the barriers. He hoped for it.

Thanks for even bothering to give this a read! Where do you think this lab should be located? Put some names in the review and I'll select one for the planet!