MISS ISABELLA
By Deception Cobra
UNSC St. Anthony of Padua Tuesday, February 21st, 2539 En-route via Slipspace departing from Planet Adamo V
[I am Dr. Hou Tou Tzu, one of many psychologists stationed here on the UNSC St. Anthony of Padua, a medical frigate formerly docked at the luxury world of Adamo V. Recently, I have been assigned to give psychiatric care to an orphaned 5-year old girl named Sophia Santiago under the orders of the Office of Naval Intelligence operatives stationed on the ship. She was found wandering into the base camp of a squad of Marines during the second day of battle on Adamo V against the Covenant. During the evacuation of the planet the following day, she was transferred to the St. Anthony. As of now, Adamo V has been glassed by the Covenant. This child has no home, no family, and is in a traumatized state due to her ordeal. I will do my best to give her the help she needs, but I fear I may be too late.]
Sophia, can you describe to me what happened to you back on Adamo?
Me and my mommy and daddy lived in a town called Deco[1]. I woke up and got out of bed. It was Monday and it was a holiday with no school and my parent's didn't have to work. That made me happy. Mommy brushed my hair in the living room and daddy made breakfast for us. After breakfast, mommy told me she would take me shopping and the park. Daddy said he would have to go to work really quickly to get something important, but would join us at the park near the big garden[2].
Then everything went bad. Me and mommy were walking to the place where the stores were, but I heard people screaming. Everyone was looking into the sky, so I did too. I saw things that looked like a big silver fish[3] hovering everywhere. Mommy picked me up and she started to run, I asked her what was happening, but she didn't say anything. Something dropped from one of those fishy ships and it made a sound like
[Sophia imitates the descending WHOOSHING sound of a Covenant Orbital Insertion Pod, the Covenant's answer to UNSC HEV Pods.]
It landed in front of my mommy and we stared at it. It opened up and out came this monster that had a big mouth that opened into four parts[4]. It was colored red and was bigger than my mommy. The monster roared and grabbed something metal on its leg. When it shook it's hand down a white, glowing sword[5] came out of the thing. My mommy screamed and tried to run away, but the monster got her. She dropped me and told me to run away as fast as I could...
[Sophia begins to cry]
30Sophia, I think that is enough for today, we can talk again tomorrow if that's okay.
No, I'm okay *sniffles* I just don't like to remember mommy...
[struggles to say the word]
...die. When I was running away, I could hear many more people screaming and crying and more monsters roar. I wanted to go home, but I was lost. In the sky I could see the spaceships shoot purple light at the buildings. Everything started to blow up around me. I was so scared and didn't know what to do, so I hid in a trash can and closed my eyes.
Do you remember anything while in the trash can?
Just people screaming and the monsters talking to each other. I didn't look because they were so close. They spoke in weird languages, some sounded like little dogs barking, birds chirping, and some even went "Wort, wort, wort!"[6]
How long were you in the trash for?
I don't know, I always asked an adult for time since we didn't learn how to tell time in kindergarten yet.
When you got out, what did you see?
Everything was blown up and dirty. A lot of buildings were on fire or gone, it was hard to breathe with all the smoke in the air. When I saw that the monsters were gone, I got out of the trash and saw that it was dark. I walked in the streets by myself afraid that the monsters would get me. I didn't know how to get home, I couldn't find any adults, and I was hearing all the monsters guns make weird noises. My daddy had a gun at home; it didn't sound anything like what I heard.
Where did you end up going?
I saw a toy store that wasn't ruined, so I went in it. The door was gone and that made it easy to get in. A big pile of stuffed animals looked comfy, so I went to sleep in them.
You slept in the stuffed animals?
I put them on me so the monsters couldn't see me if they came by. They were so warm and fuzzy and made me feel safe. But it was hard to go to bed because of the noise outside, but I closed my eyes and I fell asleep. I had a nightmare, I dreamed the monster that killed my mommy, the Big Mouth, pulled me out from the dolls and started to eat me. I woke up after that.
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What happened to you after you woke up?
I heard shooting outside the toy store; it was the aliens shooting at the army soldiers. The Big Mouths were now being followed by aliens who looked like monkeys with giant backpacks[7], big birds with blue and yellow shields[8], and giant wormy aliens[9]. They all shot blue and green blobs at the soldiers who used guns like my daddy had. I didn't want to get hurt, so I stayed in the store and laid down on my belly. I could hear the soldiers and aliens die as they were fighting each other. The fighting stopped when the soldiers had to run away. I could see then run from the aliens while the wormy aliens shot big green lasers at the soldiers
How did you get out of the store?
When I saw the last alien go away, I ran out of the toy store. I still didn't know where to go and I only went in any direction I could. Everything I remembered was gone, all the stores and restaurants and parks, they weren't there anymore. After awhile, I just stopped running and fell down. I started to cry and yell for my mommy and daddy. I yelled and kicked and screamed for everything to be better again. Then, I saw it. It was a big, hairy, ugly monster that looked like a gorilla[10]. The new monster was sniffing around when it saw me and ran towards me roaring like a lion. I wanted to run, but couldn't, so I screamed for help.
Who helped you?
Out of nowhere I saw a green person[11] jump over me and towards the monster. I'd never seen something like that before, it looked like a knight my daddy read about in my bedtime stories. The green knight got in front of the monster, jumped up and kicked the monster in the face. The Gorilla moved back, but roared again and ran towards the knight. The knight raised up his gun, it looked like my daddies "AR".[12]. The Gorilla fell on its knees and laid down. It didn't get up. I knew I was safe, but I was still crying. The knight came up to me and he picked me up, but I heard a woman's voice tell me,
"Everything is fine now, you're safe."
Did you know who she was?
[Sophia shakes her head]
I didn't know what she was, but she told me her name was Isabella zero-four-nine, but I could call her Miss Isabella. Miss Isabella was so big in her green armor that she looked like one of those wrestlers my daddy watched on TV. But she had a voice that reminded me of my mommy's and that made me feel safe.
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What did Miss Isabella do after telling you that you were safe?
She carried me all around the city. I could still hear the soldiers and aliens fighting each other, but in Miss Isabella's arms it was alright. For awhile, everything was quiet. I think I fell asleep again, but Miss Isabella woke me up when I couldn't feel her holding me anymore. Now I was on the ground and she was walking to a jeep with a big gun on it[13] that was turned over.
What she did next was amazing. Miss Isabella picked up the jeep and flipped it over. I didn't know she was that strong. When the jeep turned on Miss Isabella told me to get in. I didn't want to because it didn't have a seatbelt, but she said it would be okay and I wouldn't get in trouble. She had to help me get in the jeep because it was so big and there weren't any doors for me to climb on.
Where were you going?
Miss Isabella said that she was going to take me to a place where I would be safe and could get off of the planet. We were heading towards the mountains when a purple alien airplane[14] started to shoot at the jeep. Miss Isabella started to go faster and faster and was telling me we would be okay, but I was so scared. The jeep was starting to wobble now and Miss Isabella told me to crawl over to her. I did and she grabbed me and jumped out of the jeep. After she did that, the alien airplane fired a big green laser that destroyed the jeep and flew away.
I was happy Miss Isabella didn't fall because if she did I think she would have squished me like a bug. Miss Isabella looked at the jeep and said a bad word. She then asked me if I didn't mind walking for awhile, I told her I didn't. We walked along the dirt road and I started to skip and pick up rocks to throw, Miss Isabella just walked with her gun in her hands.
I was bored, so I asked her some things. I asked her where her home was, where her mommy and daddy were, if she had any brothers and sisters, what was her favorite food and so many questions. She said "I don't remember"; for everything. That was weird. I asked her why. She told me...
"I was told that I was called to serve and protect Earth and all her colonies and that was my only purpose. Everything else isn't important."
I didn't understand, so I kept skipping along to wherever Miss Isabella was taking me.
Did anything happen along the way to where you were going? [Sophia is hesitant to talk and looks down to the floor]
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I heard a humming noise coming from behind us and saw that Miss Isabella was watching it. She started to run and picked me up when she got near me. I looked up to the sky and saw a big purple horseshoe[15] coming towards us. Miss Isabella started to run faster and faster, but the horseshoe ship was catching up. Suddenly, it started to shoot at us. It fired the same lasers as the purple airplane, but Miss Isabella was able to dodge it. She fired her gun at the horseshoe, but it didn't do anything.
Miss Isabella spotted a small farm, so we ran inside while the aliens ship followed us. She told me to hide inside while she took care of the aliens. I ran inside the barn, but I peeked outside through the doors.
The ship landed and I saw two red and one golden Big Mouths come out with the Monkey aliens with backpacks. They shot first with their green and blue lasers while Miss Isabella ran everywhere and shot them with her gun. One of the monkeys threw a blue ball at her[16], but she rolled away and killed it. The other Monkeys started to run away, but the Big Mouths killed them before they could run off. Now it was three Big Mouths and Miss Isabella. One pulled out a shiny sword and tried to stab Miss Isabella, but she moved away and punched it in the face. It moved back, but she grabbed its throat and did something to it to make the Big Mouth fall down. The gold Big Mouth pointed at Miss Isabella and the only other red Big Mouth ran at her with a gun that shot pink needles[17].
A lot of needles hit Miss Isabella's leg and it blew up. When the Big Mouth got closer, she kept shooting at it until a blue light came off[18] of it and it died. The gold Big Mouth started to walk over to her and pulled out its white sword. I saw Miss Isabella point her gun at the Big Mouth, but no bullets came out. I don't know why, but I ran out of the barn and said,
"LEAVE MISS ISABELLA ALONE!"
The Big Mouth now looked at me and walked to me now. I couldn't move. It got closer and closer, until I saw it stop. It stood over me and looked at me with its yellow eyes. The Big Mouth raised its sword, but I heard popping noises. The monster fell down and I saw Miss Isabella on her stomach with the needle gun in her hands pointed at the Big Mouth. I ran over to her hoping she was okay, but she wasn't. Her leg was gone and she was bleeding a lot. I cried as she lay down on the ground. Suddenly, I felt her hand grab my arm. I looked at her and saw that she was taking off her helmet.
Miss Isabella was pretty. She didn't have any hair, she must have gotten a bad haircut, but her face reminded me of my mommy's. Her skin was as white as the paper I use at school and she had with brown eyes. I was still crying when she smiled and said,
"Don't worry, everything will be fine". Miss Isabella took something off her helmet and gave it to me. It was a little disc that she
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said was very important. She told me that when I find help, I had to give it to someone who knows Dr. Halsey. I didn't want to leave her, but she made me leave. I asked her where I had to go so she told me to just go towards the mountains and I'll find soldiers who can help me. After she said that, she closed her eyes.
When you met the Marines, how did they react to your presence?
I just walked into the tents and asked for help. Some of the soldiers ran towards me and asked me if I was okay or if I wanted water or food. They then asked me a lot of questions about who I was and how I got here, so I told them everything. One of the soldiers in a black suit[19] who said his name was Scott asked for the disc Miss Isabella gave me and I gave it to him. He said he would get this to Doctor Halsey and let me stay in their camp and told me that they would put me on the next evacuation ship they could. Now I'm here.
How do you feel now that you're safe and sound?
I don't know, happy I guess, but still sad. I'm also mad at the monsters, why did they do everything they did? It isn't fair; we never did anything to them, so why do they hurt us?
Do you have anything else you want to share Sophia?
No, can I go now?
Yes, thank you Sophia. But remember, you can come talk to me if you have anything on your mind; you know where to find me.
POST-SESSION EVALUATION
[After my session with Sophia, I have determined that her mind is stable mentally, but I don't think she will be the same little girl that she once was. How she will develop later on in life is a mystery. I can only recommend that she be put into good hands when she is put up for adoption. What Sophia needs now is a family, a family of people who can provide her with safety and love. This case has also raised emotions in myself. I've interviewed civilians and soldiers who have given me equally startling recollections of their encounters with the Covenant, but something about hearing the same events play out from a child's perspective breaks my heart. I can only wish her the best.]
UPDATE: Since my last session with Sophia, she and the ten other children evacuated from Oasis V have been reported missing throughout the St. Anthony. Curiously, the ONI agents who ordered me to interview Sophia have also disappeared. This occurred three weeks ago and at that time we had broken Slipspace near the gas giant Blish in the Epsilon Eridani System. Common sense tells me that the ONI agents have taken the children for a specific reason, however, I do not know what it is. Allegedly, one of the agents said that homes for the children have been found and they are being transferred over to them. Something doesn't feel right though, I have a feeling it's far deeper than that.
Description Key
[1] Deco was the capitol city of Adamo V.
[2] Deco was famous for its large botanical garden's in the city's resort district.
[3] Covenant Assault Carriers, often compared as sharks or fish by UNSC and civilian survivors of the war.
[4] Covenant Sangheili, or Elite, referred to as Big Mouths by Sophia.
[5] Covenant Type-1 Energy Sword
[6] "Wort, wort, wort", a common phrase uttered by Covenant Elites in combat, it is unknown what it means.
[7] Covenant Unggoy, or Grunt, referred to as Monkeys by Sophia. [8] Covenant Kig-Yar, or Jackal, Isabella does not encounter them except for once in her account.
[9] Covenant Lekgolo, or Hunter, referred to as Worms by Sophia. [10] Covenant Jiralhanae, or Brute, referred to as Gorillas by Sophia. [11] Spartan-II Commando, a genetically modified super-solider initially used to combat the Insurrectionist movement, but effectively combated the Covenant during the war.
[12] AR refers to any form of the MA assault rifle series both used by civilian or the UNSC. It's possible Isabella-049 was using an MA5B Assault Rifle. [13] M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle or Warthog. [14] Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft or Banshee.
[15] Type-52 Troop Transport or Spirit.
[16] Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenade or Plasma Grenade
[17]Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher or Needler.
[18] Covenant Energy Shielding
[19] Orbital Drop Shock Trooper