Floodgate

Keyes and Hocus barely managed to right the Pelican just meters before they could hit the ground, and lifted the drop ship back into the sky.

Hood coughed over the radio. "What did Truth just do? Did he activate the rings?"

Keyes squinted at the black sphere hovering high in the sky. "No sir, but he did do something."

"We've got another contact! Coming out of slipspace!" someone yelled on the radio.

Xander looked and saw another Covenant cruiser appear out of a bright light. Something about it was different. It looked... decayed. Decomposed, even.

"The Flood," Keyes whispered.

"How do we stop it, Commander?" Hood asked.

"Find the crashed Flood ship, overload it's engine core," Keyes replied. "We either destroy this city or risk losing the entire planet."

"Do it," Hood ordered.

"Chief, make your way to the crashed flood ship. You don't have much time."

"Copy that," Chief replied over the radio.

Xander looked towards where the ship had crashed. "Chief, if you can hear me, it looks like it crashed somewhere near where we... I mean, you took down the first AA Wraith."

"Copy that, Xander."

Keyes looked down at Xander. The man was scared, but he did his best to hide it. She decided not to tell Xander what the Flood was. She glanced down at his fingers that were gripping her seat. "What the-" she thought.

Johnson pushed around Xander to get to the back. Xander moved forward, his eyes not leaving the city below. He pointed at something. "What is that thing? Is that the Flood?"

The thing ran across the roof tops, and Keyes pulled the Pelican higher, making sure the thing didn't jump onto the drop ship.

Suddenly, there were many more Covenant cruisers in the sky. Xander touched the MA5 on his back, but he knew that the weapon would be useless against the vessels.

"Hail humans and take heed. This is the carrier Shadow of Intent. Clear this sector while we deal with the Flood."

Xander looked at Keyes for an explanation. Keyes looked down at him. "They're Elites. They broke off from the Covenant, and are now our allies."

"Where were they when we needed them in the orbital battle?" Xander asked.

"Keeping the Flood contained as long as they could. They bought us the time that we needed. We can't fight both the Flood and the Covenant at the same time."

Xander nodded. "So these guys are the Arbiter's people," he thought to himself.

Johnson came back into the cockpit. He leaned around Xander. "I've got everything strapped down back there, Commander, just in case we need to do some quick maneuvering."

"Good work, Johnson."

"Hail Keyes, Commander of the Humans."

"Go ahead, Ship Master."

"There is a presence on the Flood's vessel."

Keyes's eyes grew wide.

"We believe it to be your construct."

"Cortana," Johnson whispered.

Keyes called the Chief.

This was the first time Xander had been on a Covenant ship, let alone a carrier. The Ship Master sat in a chair hovering above the table around which the group was gathered. Chief was standing between the Arbiter and Xander. Keyes stood next to Xander, and Hood next to her.

Elites silently lined the edges of the room, waiting patiently for orders. They looked almost in awe at the device floating around humming to itself.

343 Guilty Spark, the monitor of Installation 04 ("What ever that meant," Xander thought when the floating light bulb had introduced itself), was repeatedly shooting a blue beam at the small device on the table. Keyes had explained to Xander that Spark was a Forerunner AI, a monitor of one of the Halo rings. She also had to explain what a Halo ring was.

"Will it live, Oracle?" asked the Ship Master. "Can it be saved?"

"Oracle?" Xander asked. Keyes gestured that she would explain later.

"It is difficult to tell," Spark replied.

"Perhaps one of our technicians-" Hood began, but the Ship Master waved him down.

"That will not be necessary," the Elite replied.

"Chief!" yelled a miniature blue woman. Xander looked away when he realized that the hologram appeared to be naked. Keyes saw this and suppressed a smile.

"Success!" yelled Spark.

"The Gravemind, it knows I'm in the system."

"It's just a message," Chief explained.

"Let it play," the Ship Master beckoned.

Cortana continued. "But it doesn't know about the portal, where it leads. On the other side, there's a solution to the Flood, a way to-" then the image doubles over in pain. "Chief hurry, there isn't much time." The image disappeared.

"So it's decided. Our fight is through the portal, with the bastard Truth."

The elites roared. Hood looked at them all, then hung his head. "Fine, we'll remain here, hold out as long as we can."

"Did you not hear? Your world is doomed." The Ship Master stood and walked atop the table. "The Flood, a Gravemind has you within its sights."

"And you, Ship Master, just glassed half a continent. Maybe the flood shouldn't be the only thing I should be worried about."

"A single flood spore can destroy an entire species. Were it not for the Arbiter's wise council, I would have glassed your entire planet."

Hood was about to reply and Keyes made to stop the Admiral, but Xander beat them both to the punch. "Enough!" Xander yelled, all the frustrations he had been holding inside himself the days since his fleeing from New Mombasa erupting out. "We've all lost everything we held dear. The Elites lost their faith, we've lost our colonies and our families. Earth may be all that we have left, but if Truth activates the rings, that is bigger news. I have no idea what this Halo business is or what connection they have with the Forerunners, but I bet it spells bad news." All eyes were on him now. "It's either we combine our efforts, or we'll both end up as Flood victims." He looked at Hood. "We can not afford to let our petty differences drive our shaky alliance apart. We need to decide, right here and now, what to do. Together!"

Hood eyed the young man. "Blacksmith, isn't it?"

"Yes, Admiral," Xander replied.

"You sound just like your father," Hood told him. "Stubborn old cuss. I'm glad a part of him lives on in you." Hood looked at the Ship Master. "He's right. You have my apologies."

"And you have mine."

"So," Keyes leaned on the table. "What's the plan?"

"It seems we have a battle on two fronts," the Arbiter replied. "We face total annihilation if we ignore either side, but we can not fight both at the same time."

Hood looked up at the ship master. "I'll use everything in my disposal to slow down the Flood. I suggest you take your fleet and deal after Truth."

The Ship Master nodded. "And we're done with him, we'll bring back the solution to the Flood. We'll rid ourselves of the Parasite once and for all."

"Sir, permission to go with them."

Everyone turned to the Chief. Hood nodded. "Granted, 117. Commander, take Forward Unto Dawn and go with them. Mr. Blacksmith," Hood turned to Xander. "Keep an eye on her for me. She's a bit hasty sometimes."

"Sir!" Keyes objected, but the Admiral waver her down.

"Stick with her like glue. I want her back in one piece."

"Sir, yes sir!" Xander replied.

"And these are the CO's Quarters. I haven't used them much..."

Hood led them into the main room. The quarters were luxurious compared to the rest of the ship, though it still seemed a bit spartan. There was a small bed against the wall, a private bathroom, and a small liquor cabinet.

Keyes nodded. "These will do fine sir."

Hood nodded. Then he wrinkled his nose. "What's that smell?"

Keyes thumbed over her shoulder at Xander. "He hasn't had bath since he escaped the Covenant controlled New Mombasa ruins."

Hood nodded. "I can understand that."

Keyes's eyebrows shot up. "If I recall, Xander," she turned to whom she was addressing, "You promised to bathe at the first opportunity."

Xander raised his eyebrow. "And your point?"

Keyes pointed to the private bathroom. "Go."

"Are you serious?"

"First opportunity, remember?" Keyes said.

"You might want to get in there, Xander, before she pushes you in there," Hood advised.

"March!" Keyes ordered.

Xander sighed in defeat and grudgingly marched into the bathroom. "A simple 'please' would have sufficed."

It wasn't long after he had shut the door before they heard the shower start up. Hood chuckled. "Stubborn, just like his father."

"So you knew the elder Mr. Blacksmith."

"General Blacksmith was a mean cuss. Pity he distanced himself from his sons. I understand that Jack also died," Hood told her.

"His little brother? Yes." Keyes sat on the bed.

"We've confirmed that his mother died during the Covenant bombardment, but I haven't told him yet." Hood sat on the liquor cabinet. "I just don't have the heart to tell him that he's the last Blacksmith."

"Like how I'm the last of the Keyes?" Keyes asked.

"You were different. You're a soldier."

"If you knew all he did, especially during our push to free a path for you, you'd say the same about him." Keyes, lay back on he bed. She sighed. "I had forgotten what a real bed feels like."

"He's real good, huh?"

Keyes spring up. "What?"

"Xander. He's a good fighter?"

Keyes managed to control her blush. "Uh, yes... yes he was. He took down a Scarab tank all by himself."

Hood whistled. "Only the Chief's done that before."

Keyes thought for a moment. "Sir?"

"Eh?"

"What does it mean when a person's fingertips turn blue, but he's still standing?"

Hood looked up at this, worry creasing his brow. "Xander's finger tips turned blue?"

"Only for a moment. I saw them as he gripped for balance in the cockpit of the Pelican."

Hood sighed. "It seems his father's condition was hereditary."

"Sir?"

Hood leaned back. "Old General Alex Blacksmith had a heart condition. It didn't pump well enough to properly oxygenate his body. He took a pill that squeezed natural adrenaline into his system for a day or so, but if he didn't take them on time, his fingers started turning blue. The poor bastard died when the pills stopped taking effect." He chanced a glance at the bathroom door. "Our medical advances in that area have been small since the war started, so I fear our little Xander here is doomed to the same fate."

Keyes sadly bowed her head. "How terrible."

"He's probably accepted his fate. That doesn't mean that he can't have a full life. His father died in his sixties, so he has, what, forty years left?"

"Thirty. Johnson told me Xander was thirty."

"The years go by so fast." Hood stood. "I better find him some new clothes. You want to have him toss his dirty ones out?"

"Yeah, I'll do that."

Hood left. Keyes quietly went to the bathroom door. She knocked. "Xander?" There was no response. "Xander?" She called again. There still was no response.

Keyes risked opening the door a crack. She peeked through to make sure he hadn't collapsed in the shower. What she saw froze her.

Xander's back was to her, and he was washing the dried blood off himself. There was a lot. She saw the poorly healed scars that ran on his back, arms, and legs. She quickly pulled her head back. "Xander?"

She heard him scuffle. "Uh, yes?"

"Sorry, but I knocked and you didn't answer. You all right?"

"Peachy."

"Okay. Hood went to get you some clothes, so I thought you could throw the old ones out here and let us disposes of them."

"Sure, in a minute."

"Okay," she called back, closing the door. The image of Xander's scarred body pushed into her mind, and she quickly pushed it back. Hood soon returned.

"He going to get rid of his clothes?"

"Yeah, he said he'd throw them out in a minute."

The door to the bathroom opened and Xander, clad in a robe, carried his clothes out.

"Sorry about borrowing the robes, but I didn't want to wear the towel."

"Don't worry about it, Xander. I've never used them," Hood told them. He traded Xander the new clothes for the old. "We'll go through the pockets for you and save what's inside."

"Thanks," Xander told him.

When Xander had returned to the bathroom, Hood chuckled. "He probably doesn't remember he used to call me 'Uncle Hoodie.'" He quickly frowned at Keyes's raised eyebrow. "Don't let that get around, Commander."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir."

They went through the old clothes. Keyes looked over the pant legs. "They're saturated with blood!" She looked closer. "Why is it a dark pink?"

"General Blacksmith had a poor red-blood cell ratio, which only worsened his condition. Xander must have inherited that too." He held up the shirt, which was obviously peace-corps issue, judging by the fabric and the multiple pockets. "That is not his blood," he added, gesturing to the stain on the shirt. "He was doing search and rescue?"

"Yeah."

"Takes after his mother in that category, then. She was a surgeon." He went through the pockets of the shirt.

Keyes carefully pulled Xander's wallet out of his pants. She opened it and looked at the pictures.

The first one was a small snapshot of Xander and another man, both wearing the peace-corps volunteer shirts with the many pockets. Both had name tags above the left breast pocket, both reading 'Blacksmith.' "Is that Jack?"

Hood looked at the photo. "Yes, it is. Boy, how they've grown."

She admired the two before flipping to the next picture. "His mother?"

"That's Samantha, all right." Hood smiled. "That's General Blacksmith next to her."

Keyes flipped to the next picture. A baby in a hospital crib, fast asleep. Keyes heard the Admiral sigh. "That's his little sister. She died shortly of unforeseen complications."

"Sounds like Xander's family has known a lot of tragedy," Keyes whispered.

She turned to the last picture, a young woman sitting on a bench, her back to the camera. The girl in the picture was looking over her shoulder, smiling into the camera. Keyes studied it for a while.

"Andrea, my girlfriend in high school," Xander said. The two naval officers looked up at him. He leaned against the door in the marine fatigues. "She died because of a drunk driver." Keyes closed the wallet.

"I'm sorry," she told him. "We shouldn't have pried."

"It's all right," he walked over and removed the belt from the pants and put it on. "I don't mind. It was bound to come out sooner or later how close my family is to tragedy." He took the wallet gingerly out of her hands. He opened to the picture of Andrea. He sighed. "Too close."

Keyes noticed the old-style dog tags around his neck. Xander noticed her gaze and smiled. "My father's dog tags. He gave them to me before he died, the only thing he did to cross the barriers he had put up between us." He put the tags away. He pocketed his wallet and donned the belt. "My father still managed to teach me a few things over those barriers."

"Like?" Keyes asked.

Xander gently looked at her. "You don't know what you've lost until it's gone."