Private Journal Entry
Encrypt Halsey 424-3
Delete if tampered
August 17th 2517
Eridanus II seemed to be the eye of the storm. Insurrection stronghold, Black Market centre…and three Spartan candidates all on the same planet. Interesting. Lieutenant Jacob Keyes did not share the same sentiment when he heard about the full details of this mission. It appeared that ONI had told him nothing, yet he was smart enough to figure out the bare minimum.
We arrived at Luxor first.
Name: Dusk Legatarius
Tag: 115
Sex: Male
DOB: August 8th, 2510
Age: 7
Home Planet: Eridanus II, Luxor
Height: 4 feet 2 inches (127cm)
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Violet
Skin: Pale
Known medical conditions: Alexandria's Genesis
Name: Dawn Legatarius
Tag: 116
Sex: Female
DOB: July 3rd, 2511
Age: 6
Home Planet: Eridanus II, Luxor
Height: 3 feet 11 inches (119cm)
Hair Colour: Red
Eye Colour: Violet
Skin: Pale
Known medical conditions: Alexandria's Genesis
Candidate 115 and 116 were siblings born dangerously close to each other, separated by only eleven months. Not only was this supposed to be impossible, it was a miracle that both the mother and 116 survived unscathed. More unusual, was the fact that both were born with Alexandria's Genesis, a genetic disorder last documented in the 1940s. So few have ever been born with such a condition, that for many generations, scientists considered it a myth. It's understandable that many would choose to hide. Their eyes had been desirable to many on the Black Market.
Candidate 141 also had unique colouring, but that will be discussed in another entry.
115 was the eldest of all the Spartan candidates, and he had a very close bond with 116. Both were extremely capable in physical and academic activities, much like many of the other candidates. This is not surprising, considering that their father was an ex-ODST, and their mother a talented polymath. Last time I checked, Dominic Legatarius had been honourably discharged when he lost both his legs in a skirmish, and Diana Legatarius was studying nanotechnology. I wonder, would the children be just as great as their parents? It is highly possible, their DNA is rather extraordinary.
The Legatarius siblings were initially wary of us when we approached them at the local park, but that caution turned into curiosity when I showed them an ancient Earth coin. Getting them to play my little game was easy enough, and the results that Lieutenant Keyes recorded were more than expected. Being able to predict the fall of a coin five times in a row wasn't just luck. It was skill.
Both will be chosen as two of the final seventy-five.
Name: John
Sex: Male
Tag: 117
DOB: March 7th, 2511
Age: 6
Home Planet: Eridanus II, Elysium City
Height: 4 feet 1 inch (125cm)
Hair colour: Brown
Eye colour: Blue
Skin: Pale, freckled
Known medical conditions: None
When we arrived at Elysium City, it wasn't hard to track down Candidate 117. Out of the original one hundred and fifty candidates, I believed that 117 was the best. Even as a child, I could see how special he was, and sensed his unformed potential. I simply needed to carve away everything else to get to it. Shape it. Form him into everything I knew that he would eventually become.
Unlike 115 and 116, he showed no hostility or caution when I approached him, but like any other child, he was curious. What better way than to catch his attention, then to play a game? Like the Legatarius siblings, he managed to predict all five outcomes of the coin falling. This set the standard for the rest of the candidates. 117 was also chosen as one of the final seventy-five.
I am simply curious, that out of the hundreds of colonies, out of the dozens of star systems, was it a coincidence that three of the chosen seventy-five were all on the same planet?
We're headed back to ONI headquarters. There is much to be done.
Exit Private Journal
September 3rd 2517
Catherine Halsey stood in front of a holographic screen, blue eyes darting over the projection. Faces of children were displayed.
Candidate 034 Samuel – ACQUIRED [En route to Reach]
Candidate 058 Linda – ACQUIRED [En route to Reach]
Candidate 087 Kelly – ACQUIRED [En route to Reach]
Candidate 104 Frederic – ACQUIRED [En route to Reach]
Candidate 117 John – ACQUIRED [En route to Reach]
Retrieval Team Alpha – ACTIVE [Deployed to Harvest]
Retrieval Team Beta – ACTIVE [Deployed to Verent]
Retrieval Team Gamma – ACTIVE [Deployed to Imber]
Retrieval Team Delta – ACTIVE [Deployed to Ballast]
Retrieval Team Epsilon – ACTIVE [Deployed to Eridanus II {Elysium City}]
Retrieval Team Zeta – ACTIVE [Deployed to Eridanus II {Luxor}]
Retrieval Team Theta – STANDBY
Retrieval Team Sigma – STANDBY
Retrieval Team Omega – STANDBY
A hologram of a woman dressed in a white toga appeared next to the Doctor.
"Deja, status?" Halsey asked.
"The acquired candidates will arrive within a week," the AI answered serenely. "However, Retrieval Team Zeta has some disturbing news. They've sent us their helmet recordings."
Dr Halsey's eyebrow's furrowed in puzzlement and worry. Retrieval Team Zeta was extracting two candidates in Luxor, a place bustling with Insurrection activity. "Very well," she said. "Play the recordings."
The screen briefly switched to black, before it became a scene of the back of an extraction van.
3 Hours ago (01:30am)
Major Faison sat in the back of the van with two others. He fiddled with his rifle, bored out of his mind. The other two in the van were marines.
"Tell me again, why three marines and an ODST are extracting two kids like they're VIPs?" One groaned.
"Quit your yapping!" The marine driving snapped. "These kids are VIPs! Luxor is filled with so much Innie bullshit that you can't put one foot on the ground before you're involved in a Black Market scheme. We can't get caught."
"Yeah, but why do we need an ODST? Three marines can handle the job," the other whined.
"You don't get how ONI works do you?!" the driver spat irritated. "We're so far down the totem pole we're like dirt beneath those shiny boots of theirs. We don't get a choice. You shut up and do what they ask of you, no questions asked! Then maybe, if you're a good lad, they'll tell you a little bit of info."
"I heard that Gamma Team's target lead them around in circles. Kid was so fast they would never have caught her until she came forward. She thought it was a game," The other soldier contributed.
"Which is why the Major is here," The driver said. "We have to bring in two of these kids. If shit hits the fan, then Major Faison is going to clean up our mess."
The marine grumbled, before settling into a comfortable silence. Faison continued to clean his weapons, making the marine sitting next to him look uneasy. Under his helmet, Faison rolled his eyes. ODSTs were treated like killing machines. Just because they had a weapon in their hands didn't mean they were going to shoot it and kill everyone in sight. The two in the back with him clearly weren't disciplined.
The van came to halt outside an isolated dark house.
"We're here boys!" The driver announced. They opened the back of the van, silently hopping out. Their black clothing blended in with the dark surrounding, moonlight barely lighting the area.
"Do you hear that?" The driver asked.
The other two looked around in confusion, straining their ears. "Hear what? I don't hear anything."
"Exactly," Faison said tensely, gripping his gun tightly. "No crickets, no owls. It's too quiet. Something's not right."
He grabbed the door handle, looking over his shoulder at the driver, the only competent soldier that he could rely on. The driver nodded, holding his rifle at a ready position. Faison slowly turned the handle, making the door gently swing open with a soft creak. He noticed it wasn't locked. The ODST stepped inside.
The first thing that hit him was the stench of iron. It infiltrated his helmet, making him wrinkle his nose. The next thing he noticed was the blood smeared on the floor. He heard a sharp intake of breath from behind him, which he ignored. Faison followed the trail of blood to the body of a red-haired woman. She was laid on her back, mouth open in a frozen scream, face splattered in blood. And her eyes…
"Oh my god," a young marine choked. "What did they do to her?"
Where the woman's eyes used to be, were empty sockets dripping with blood.
"Someone harvested her eyes," the driver noted, disturbed. "Unique eyes are wanted on the Black Market. Apparently people preserve them and keep them as trophies."
"Who?" the marine asked, voiced strained in repulsion.
"Insurrection," Faison answered, pointing to a second body mere feet away. It was a man wearing combat attire with a red fist printed on his chest. His eyes were glazed over, staring blankly at the ceiling, dead. His neck was a mess of flesh and blood. The ODST knelt down to observe the body, finding three bullets imbedded into his windpipe.
"There's another body over here," the driver said, standing over the corpse of a dead man. Faison followed over, stepping over other another body of an insurrectionist. The other man that the driver stood over was faced down in his own blood, with stumps for legs. A wheelchair was overturned nearby, blood coating the seat. Spotting a pair of dog tags around the corpse's neck, Faison flipped them over. Blood boiled in his veins when he recognised the flaming skull of the ODSTs. 'Dominic Legatarius' of the 104th Shock Troops Division would be avenged. Faison turned the body over gently, and closed unseeing eyes before taking the dog tags.
"Check all rooms," he barked. The driver nodded, gently shoving the other marines into action. They carefully treaded down a hallway, following drops of blood to a door slightly ajar. Blood was smeared the door handle, a puddle also leaking from the other side of the door. Faison cautiously pushed open the door, but shoved it harder when it didn't budge. He squeezed through the gap, to find a dead insurrectionists jamming it. Its head had been blown open, brain matter painting the walls of what appeared to be a child's bedroom.
No sooner did he slip completely through the gap, a crack of a gun pierced the ominous atmosphere. Faison's head was thrown back, a bullet lodged into his visor, spreading a web of cracks across his HUD. He grunted when three bullets followed in quick succession, striking him in the chest, his ODST armour protecting him.
Shouts of alarm rose from the other side of the door, before it was kicked down. Four rifles were raised at a M6B Handgun.
"What the–!"
A young pale face of a six year old stared up at them. Purple eyes were narrowed in determination and fear, lips pressed tightly in a frown. Splatters of dried blood decorated her clothes. Small hands held a handgun, steadily trained on the men in the doorway.
"It just a kid," a marine announced, lowering his rifle.
"That's the girl that we were supposed to retrieve," the driver said. "There's supposed to be one more."
Faison put down his rifle, and raised his hands in the air. He slowly approached the tense girl and knelt in front of her. She didn't lower her gun, its barrel aimed directly at his cracked visor.
"We're not going to hurt you," he told her gently. "We're from the UNSC. My name is Faison, can I have yours Miss…?"
"…Dawn," the red headed child replied hesitantly. She still did not lower her gun.
"That's a pretty name. Do you have a sibling?" Faison slowly lowered his hands, purposely keeping them in her sight. Purple eyes darted from his hands to his covered face warily.
"Yes, Dusk is my big brother," she answered.
"Do you know where he is?" The other soldiers in the doorway lowered their weapons, but stayed near the door, content to let the ODST handle the situation.
"No." The barrel of the gun tipped lower. "He told me to hide while he distracted them."
"Distracted who?" Faison asked, playing dumb.
"The bad men." The gun tipped lower. "Mum said that they found out that Dad was an ODST. They took Mum's eyes too."
"How many came?" He questioned.
"Eight." The finger on the trigger faltered. "Three ran after Dusk."
"I only counted three here," Faison said. "Where's the other two?"
The gun was finally lowered, and a small finger was pointed to the left of the room, towards the window, the ODST following her gaze. The glass was smashed, a body slumped half in–half out of the sill.
"He tried to get me through the window, so I shot him. The other one is trying to get into the vault in the basement," She explained. Faison jerked his head at the marines, giving them a silent order. The driver nodded, herding the other two away. The Major removed his helmet, showing his face to the wary child. A sign of trust. He held out his hand to her.
"Would you like to come with me?" He coaxed. The red head hesitated, before placing her hand into his large one.
"It's not like I have anywhere else to go," She whispered bitterly. He tugged her gently, leading her through the house, covering her eyes when they passed the bodies of her parents.
"Who taught you how to shoot?" Faison asked curiously, as he sat her down in the back of the van.
"Dad did," She answered quietly.
A tap on the side of the van brought Faison's attention to the marine knocking.
"There's a live one, Sir."
He stood up and followed the marine out, leaving Dawn by herself. The Major re-entered the house, stalking towards the lone insurrectionist. He was tied up on a chair and gagged, the driver standing beside him with a gun aimed at his head. The ODST leaned down ripped the gag off roughly.
"You are going to tell me why you attacked an ODST and his family, or I am going to stick my knife in places you don't want it to be. Am I understood?" Faison hissed, revenge and anger fresh in his mind. The bound man just smirked.
"You wouldn't dare. The UNSC are weak and soft. They can bluff all they want, but they never go through with their actions," he said smugly.
"Oh? You don't believe me?" In one smooth movement, Faison unsheathed his knife from his leg and plunged it into the man's knee. He screamed in agony, fear evident on his eyes. "Do you believe me now?"
He pulled out the knife, wiping the blade on the man's pants. "You see, I'm very angry right now. One of my brothers in arms was murdered, his wife's eyes were harvested, his son missing and his daughter orphaned and alone. If you won't give me my answers…" He traced the edge of his knife along the man's jugular. "I am quite happy to persuade you," he purred. The previously smug man swallowed thickly as the knife approached his Adam's apple.
"You're crazy!" The insurrectionist gasped. "You're insane! Do you have no honour?! No shame?!"
"More than you, that's for sure," Faison mused.
The two marines hurriedly left the room, the driver staying.
"So," the Major started cheerily. "Why did you attack an honourably discharged ODST?"
The man sealed his mouth, and the knife plunged downwards into bone. Faison impatiently hissed, "Too slow! I wanted my answers yesterday!"
"Charles! Charles wanted to do it!" The man screamed, resolve breaking. "He wanted to send a message to the UNSC!"
"So you were cowardly enough to murder a man that could no longer defend himself?" Faison twisted the knife, making the insurrectionist howl. "That's not good enough to send eight people. Tell me more."
"He also wanted the woman's eyes!" The man groaned. "We didn't know that the brats had AG as well, so Mark, Charles and Greg went after the boy."
The knife was twisted again, and another scream erupted from his throat.
"Tell me something I don't know," Faison drawled. "You're still hiding something from me."
"Colonel Watts," The man panted. "Colonel Watts wanted the research on nanotechnology from the woman. Something about nano-augmentation. I swear, that's all I know."
The ODST pulled out the knife, before slicing the man's neck, ending his life swiftly. "Thank you, for your cooperation." He turned to the driver. "Get back to the van and radio an ONI retrieval team to get here. If the insurrection thinks that this nanotechnology is important, we can't let them have it."
The marine saluted, before hurrying away. Faison didn't follow, having one last task to do. He trekked back to the bodies of the Legatarius couple, slipping off the golden bands on their fourth fingers and adding them to the dog tags in his pocket. The Major saluted his fallen brother, then returned to the van were the little girl and two marines sat. The driver was speaking to a radio in the front.
Faison sat down next to Dawn, who was blankly staring into nothingness with dead eyes. He dug his hand into his pocket taking out the dog tags and the rings, and held them in front of her face, snapping her out of her trance. The ODST dropped it into her palms, before settling in his seat. The last living Legatarius fingered the dog tags, before attaching the golden rings to the chain and slipping it over her head.
"Thank you," she said, purple eyes shiny with unshed tears.
The Major patted her head, and grunted, "No worries."
The screen returned to its original presentation.
Candidate 115 Dusk – MIA
Candidate 116 Dawn – ACQUIRED [En route to Reach]
"So the woman had Alexandria's Genesis too," Halsey muttered. "Interesting. 116 eliminated all four hostiles?"
"No," Deja replied. "Major Faison questioned her. She said that she killed two of them. The other two were killed by Dominic Legatarius before he was shot to death."
"What of 115?"
"Unknown, but the Major believes that he was killed with his eyes harvested. This leaves one more spot open in the SPARTAN-II Program," The AI pointed out. The Doctor opened a new file on the holographic screen, searching for another candidate to fill the vacant void.
"Send Retrieval Team Omega to Earth and collect Candidate 037," She said.
Deja nodded. "Understood. Relaying orders…Orders received. Retrieval Team Omega is deployed."
Halsey sighed, tiredly running a hand through her short hair.
"So, tell me about Diana Legatarius's work on nanotechnology," Halsey inquired.
"ONI Retrieval Team Seven was able to relocate Professor Legatarius's research to Reach. Analysis of data shows she was working on nano-augmentation to replace lost limbs, most likely for her husband Dominic Legatarius. Other notes suggests she was also working on artificial eyes to donate to the blind. The research is incomplete, but ONI has given you authorisation to continue her work, as it would benefit the UNSC greatly. All information has been transferred to your data pad."
Halsey snatched her tablet from her workbench, eagerly skimming through the new text. "...Optical enhancement? Cybernetic limbs? Maximum speed and strength?" She whispered in breathless awe. "Her research is decades ahead of our own! If we could use this, mankind can break our own limitations! Discharged soldiers can fight, the blind can see, there are so many things that we can do! Deja, how far into her research was Professor Legatarius?"
The AI tilted her head, scanning through hundreds of documents in milliseconds. "She spent a little under four years creating the current data found in her lab. It is estimated that she is less than halfway to completing functional limbs, and had only just started on the artificial eyes."
The Doctor hummed thoughtfully. "For the amount of research she's done, four years is pretty impressive. I wonder why ONI didn't recruit her. Deja, how long do think I will take to complete her work?"
"To my calculations, five years if focused solely on nanotechnology. Taking into account of your current workload, other projects and the SPARTAN-II Program, I estimate just over seven years. ONI wants it done by 2525. They can't guarantee the insurrection will stay as tame for much longer."
Halsey clucked her tongue. "A little bit of a squeeze, but doable. I better get started, shouldn't I?"
AN: Just something that popped into my head after smacking my head into the car door. Slight crossover into Dues Ex.