Spartan Royale
A fan fiction By: Preston1022
"This author doesn't own anything of the Halo™ franchise nor its book series. The franchise belongs to the Microsoft/Bungi Corporations, while the Halo book series and characters used here are the property of Author Eric Nylund. Thank you."
-Spartan II candidates-
SPARTAN-003: Holly
SPARTAN-004: Adam
SPARTAN-008: Li
SPARTAN-010: Jane
SPARTAN-015: James
SPARTAN-018: Robert
SPARTAN-019: Shane
SPARTAN-020: Tom
SPARTAN-029: Joshua
SPARTAN-030: Vinh
SPARTAN-034: Samuel
SPARTAN-039: Isaac
SPARTAN-043: William
SPARTAN-044: Anton
SPARTAN-045: Nicole
SPARTAN-051: Kurt
SPARTAN-058: Linda
SPARTAN-059: Malcolm
SPARTAN-062: Maria
SPARTAN-069: Olivia
SPARTAN-071: Mark
SPARTAN-074: Min
SPARTAN-087: Kelly
SPARTAN-088: Dante
SPARTAN-091: Lucy
SPARTAN-093: Grace
SPARTAN-099: Ash
SPARTAN-104: Fredric
SPARTAN-110: Cassandra
SPARTAN-117: John
SPARTAN-118: Randall (KIA) Order 66
SPARTAN-119: Sheila (KIA) ODST
-Chapter 2-
"Pay attention because I'm only going over this once."
On the black board screen was a grid map of the pacific side of Reach. The Satellite imaging zoomed in on one particular icy island near the Arctic Circle. On the bottom, right of the screen was 'Area 52' under a clock indicating the current time.
"Area 52, or as some of the marines called 'the island of red snow', The UNSC mostly uses the island as a top secret weapons training facility, but I have more special plans for it now."
"I bet" Dante muttered. John just leaned back listening.
The Colonel just gave Dante a cold stare and then continued.
"Every Spartan will receive a survival kit; this will include a map, compass, binoculars, and even a medkit. You will find weapons hidden throughout the island; including traps and little goodies I've hidden as well, I've even littered the island with a couple of those MJOLNIR Mark IV armors Halsey was making such a fuss about."
On the map, there were red flashing segments within the grid, swallowing up small quarters of the island.
"The red represent Danger zones. If anyone of you stays within the danger zone too long. Well, the little chip in your head goes boom and well…sucks to be you."
Just then, when the watch under 'Area 52' fast-forwards to an hour, then the red spots on the grid shifted to new parts on the map.
"The Danger zones change hourly, keeping you on your toes. The changes are indicated on your map. Telling where the danger zones will be at what time."
Just then, the clock under the 'Area 52' turned into a timer, set for 48 hours.
"Since this is a small island, no bigger than a couple kilometers in area, I've decided to time this little free for all for no less than 48 hours. If you all fail not to kill each other within the said time, the little strip in your head goes boom, and game over for everyone. Personally, I hope it doesn't come down to that."
"And should you manage to escape the island, swimming in the negative twenty something degree water, we are about several hundred miles in all directions from civilization. Should you even manage to find a block of ice in a pitiful attempt to drift to shore, this ship is equipped with a couple of VTOL Hornet attackers, fully loaded, ready on demand. So double check those hopes of escape now."
John pondered the rules for a few moments. 'The main idea is to kill each other; all this is to keep us focused on that. There has to be a way around the rules.' His thoughts were so loud he bit his own tongue to make sure he did not speak.
'Think damn you, think. Remember the obstacle course. Remember the obstacle course.'
"And in case you were wondering, I can also track your every move via satellite. With the Guadalcanal implants, I can literally see what you see." He lifted his arms almost as if shrugging, laughing "Isn't technology grand?"
John kept thinking of this as a game. It was much easier to dissect the entire information one sentence at a time. He felt that there was a loophole somewhere. Something the good colonel missed. He recalled Mendez once saying 'No plan is without a flaw.' So where was it? Where was the gap in the armor?
It was hard to look at Mendez on the desk, Randall laying headless on the floor, and Sheila lying in the corner in a pool of blood. He looked over to the other Spartans, knowing that they were outraged and just as frustrated as He was.
He wanted to kill Ankerson so badly, but how could he do it without risking the other Spartans?
A blank document screen snapped on the computer table. There was no keyboard to input any letters and no digital pencils to use. John wondered what the purpose was.
Ankerson started writing on the black board screen.
He wrote 'I will kill Spartan 000 before he kills me'
"You will write 'I will kill' fallowed by each and every one of your names. 'I will kill Holly-003' fallowed by 'I will kill Adam-004' and so on ending with 'before he kills me'."
Ankerson clicked a button on the screen. There were 30 individual page screens fallowed by two black screens. The two were suppose to be the fallen Spartans.
"This is so I know what you're writing. And remember, all I have to do is call your names and-" Ankerson clapped his hands "-Boom!"
The Spartans wrote using their fingers knowing they had no choice in the matter.
John began to write 'I will kill' fallowed by 'Holly' and finishing with 'before she kills me'.
He had a hard time writing it, it almost made him cry. However, even in situations like this, the Spartan leader had to show as little emotion as possible.
It took well over an hour before the Spartans wrote the final names in. they sat and waited after finishing.
Ankerson looked over the documents in unison, pointing out every mark and misspelling.
"You should cross your T's Spartan fifty one. This looks like I wiped my ass on a word doc Spartan ten." He continued to insult them, the Spartans just kept quiet.
"Well, I see everyone's got the picture" He muttered, finishing the word docs.
He turned to the class.
Ankerson clasped his hands "I think we've wasted enough time as is. So let's move onto the main event."
John looked over, wondering what was going to happen next.
"At Attention" the Colonel growled.
The Spartans slowly stood at the sides of their desks. Even though they hated the Colonel, they also knew he could kill them if they did not comply.
John just sat, still defiant. Dante tried to reason with him.
He pointed to Dante "It's alright; One-one-seven can stay. I want a word with him anyway. You on the other hand can stand at attention."
Dante stood back at attention. Ankerson looked back at the class.
"You will all leave here one at a time. You will exit this room and down the hall. There are Gun turrets, which will shoot to kill if you stay in the hall for more than three minutes. You will enter the open HEV that will drop you onto the island. The other pods are locked and like in the hall, you have less than three minutes before your shot on sight."
Ankerson finally asked "Any Questions?"
Lucy raised her hand. He pointed over to her.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked, "you have the hardware, if you're going to kill us than just do it. Why all this horse shit?"
Ankerson cracked a smile, and moved on.
"Spartan zero-zero-three, you're up!" Ankerson barked.
William got up, noticing the rifle aimed at his head. He rushed out of the classroom and into the hallway. The doors slid closed.
The colonel waited for ten minutes before the doors slid open again "Spartan Zero-Zero-four, your next."
Adam stumbled down across the empty chairs. Upon crossing paths with Ankerson, Adam gave him a cold glare, "Your gonna get yours" he muttered.
The colonel just brushed the insult off replying, "I'm sure I will" before signaling the trooper to kick Adam out while leaving.
The doors closed, and ten minutes later, they opened again.
Ankerson called them down in numeral order. Holly, Adam, Li, Jane, so on and so fourth. Almost all of them had insults and comments of the Colonel, who brushed them off, replying by using the ODST officers to kick them out, or in some case, fire a few rounds over his head.
John kept an eye on every Spartan that left, mentally bidding them adieu. He wanted to find a way to save them, kept thinking of every logical solution. He found nothing.
It did not take long before John was the only Spartan left.
The two stared at each other, Ankerson broke away to retrieve something in the teachers desk.
"You didn't answer Lucy's question," John pointed out.
Ankerson looked over to John, pulling out a pack of Menthol light Tobacco Gum. He pulled a stick from the carton and chewed.
"So?" Ankerson replied, "What's it to you?"
John sat, slouched in his chair, arms folded, all eyes on him now "I should at least know why my Spartans are forced to kill one another. And why Section III's going along with it."
The Colonel paused for a while, blowing a brown and black bubble. "It's of no matter to you."
John shot up from his seat, slammed both hands into the desk so hard he shattered the surface. "The Fuck it is Colonel!"
All ODST officers now had their rifle sights aimed at John's head.
"Those are MY brothers and sisters you're talking about Colonel! CO Mendez entrusted those lives to me when I was eight, who we have trained and fought everything Mendez and the instructors threw at us."
John's eyes watered, as if he was about to cry. Ankerson still kept his icy, heartless look as he chewed his gum.
"And after all the shit we've been through, not only don't they have the balls to kill us themselves, but they put this bomb in our heads and order us to kill each other?" John Cried, even though he fought the urge, tears fell from his eyes, down on the open machinery of the desk.
"Why don't you just kill me now?" John finished, rubbing the tears from his eyes. His knuckles bloody with shards still in them.
Ankerson burst the bubble with his teeth, sucked in the popped piece "Because I don't want you dead."
John looked up to Ankerson; confused.
Ankerson smiled, blowing another bubble. "In face, I'm hoping that you win. After that, I want to know how it felt to kill your brothers and sisters."
He popped the bubble, showing off his sadistic smile "Detail, after detail, after sweet little detail."
-To be continued-