A Spartan and His Twin
Chapter 4
*note*
Sorry it's taken me so long to get this next chapter up, but here is the next chapter at least! Thanks for reading and those who have faved me, thank you!
Chapter 4
Dr. Halsey sat at her desk the day before the Spartans were to have their "surgery" , she knew what may happen, but still she had chosen to continue on. Still it was a weight on her shoulders, that what she in fact was doing was wrong, all of it. Kidnapping children, altering them in so many ways, forcing them into such training and eventually fighting, if not now, when would it all stop?
Emma would sleep today and get up tonight to start the preparations for tomorrow. Emma knew what was going on, she knew what could happen to the Spartans if this went wrong, but what will happen when it does go right. How could Dr. Halsey sleep at night, knowing what was happening to these children?
Dr. Halsey wandered that herself….
Emma had grown studying in the medical field and had become almost brilliant. She was not only a fast learner, but wanting to know more. She reminded Dr. Halsey of herself when she was younger. Bright and wanting to know EVERYTHING. Knowing everything wasn't always a good thing though… Still Dr. Halsey was very impressed with her assistant. Not only was she brilliant though, she was also growing to be a very beautiful young woman.
Deja's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"The Spartans have all finished their pre op and all tests have cleared them for tomorrow."
"Thank you, Deja." She replied.
She went over the details of tomorrow's procedures once more. It wouldn't go as smoothly as she hoped it to be and she already knew that. Some of the Spartans will be horribly disabled and some will even die, but still she just hoped that there will be enough that will survive, heal and continue their training to ensure that the human race will survive the onslaught from the strange alien enemies. If not, mankind will become extinct.
"Dr. Halsey." Deja's disembodied voice said. "At what time should I wake Emma?"
"Let her sleep a little late." Dr. Halsey looked at the clock. "Wake her say, 20:30. That should be enough time to get all the supplies ready for tomorrow."
"20:30." Deja confirmed.
In the next room, Emma slept on the same little cot, in the same room that she had found herself when she had first arrived on Reach, this time, she will be waking up in that room as Dr. Halsey's assistant. It had been many years since she had slept in this room.
The digital clock soon read 20:30 and Deja's voice could be heard in the small room.
"Time to wake up, Emma." She said. "The time is currently 20:30."
Yawning, Emma rolled over and pulled the blankets over her head.
"You need to get started. There is still so much you need to get done before the Spartans arrive in the morning."
"Alright already." Emma muttered. "I'm up already…"
Slowly she stretched climbed off the cot and stretched once more. She didn't feel right about this, and even in slumber, it had bothered her. Then walking into the next room which was Dr. Halsey's main office, she began to make herself a pot of coffee.
"Well then Deja, let's get started." Emma said once she drained her first cup of coffee and began to pour herself a second cupful. "What's first on the to-do list?"
"Go to the storage and get all IVs and medical supply for each Spartan."
"Alright."
The night had just begun and already she felt tired. She gathered all the supplies and readied the room the procedure will take place in. She scrubbed the room, completely disinfecting it and putting clean white sheets on each of the beds. Beside each bed, a metal table on wheels, and on each table, a new IV bag, needles, gloves and any other medical tool and supply that would be needed for each Spartan.
The night had gone by way too fast, and it was almost time for the Spartans to be prepped for being put under. She stood in the door way, wearing special clothing that would keep any germs from being transferred into the room and looked over to make sure that there wasn't anything that she might have missed.
Dr. Halsey walked into the observation room with a large cup of extra hot coffee. She blew on it and took a long sip. From the monitors she could see Emma making sure that everything was ready. Everything looked as it should be, now all the Spartans had to arrive and be prepped.
"Good morning, Doctor." Deja greeted.
"Good morning, Deja." Dr. Halsey pressed a button that would access the speakers in the small room where Emma stood. "Good morning, Emma."
Emma looked up at the camera, smiled and gave a little wave.
Good, that means it would soon be time for her to leave and the doctor to get to work on getting the Spartans situated. She walked through the doors into a small room adjacent to the room she just stood and the air cycled and let her out. She went to the observation room to find Dr. Halsey waiting for her.
"Everything is perfect. Go get some breakfast. I'll take it from here."
"Yes, ma'am."
She left Dr. Halsey to get to work, but really didn't feel like breakfast right now. For a little while, she just wondered, not feeling to stay in one particular place. Her head was racing, and her heart pounding, Emma found herself in Dr. Halsey's office. It was quite, a little too quite in there. Deja wasn't in there to bug her with her annoying chatter. Emma thought of her as quite the dumb AI normally, but right now, she would give anything to have her distracting her from what was going to happen. She crossed the room to the large window that overlooked Reach's city below.
As always, the streets were crowded with people on their way to work. Reach looked the same as it always has every morning. The same crowded walkways with the same people every morning and every evening. Like clockwork every day.
There was a sound of an AI hologram appearing and Emma turned around to see Deja standing there on Dr. Halsey's desk, looking up at her.
"Deja?"
"Dr. Halsey would like to see you."
Before Emma could even reply, the AI disappeared.
'Weird.' She thought. 'I thought the augmentation should be starting soon. Why would she want to talk to me now?'
She walked through the maze of hallways which made up the medical wing of the building, up a few floors and down through several more hallways before she returned to where she had once been only a few hours ago. It was inside the little observation room that she found Dr. Halsey standing there looking at a monitor. She turned to look at Emma, syringe in hand.
"All but one Spartan is asleep and ready to go." Dr. Halsey didn't have to tell her which one for her to know. "Scrub up, put on a gown and take this. Make it quick."
She hurried to get ready to enter the sterile room, then took the syringe and stepped into the little side room which would cycle her in. She waited for the several seconds before the door opened and she hurried inside.
The larger room that she had cleaned now had rows and rows of sleeping Spartan, hooked up to IV's and ready to go. They slept peacefully on clean why sheets that she had placed on the beds. They all looked the same with their shaved heads all about the same size. They were all the same age.
They were all asleep, but one.
Sam sat up in bed, hooked up to an IV, and he looked as if he was waiting for her. He was watching his brothers and sisters sleep. Right across from him slept John.
She slowly crossed the room, stopping a bed length away from his. After several seconds, he turned his head and their eyes met. He grinned.
"You came." Sam said softly.
"Why wouldn't I?"
She moved to the side of his bed and Sam cradled the side of her face, his thumb gently caressing her cheek. Emma leaned into his touch. For a Spartan, he was so gentle, something uncommon.
"I'm glad you came. Now I'm ready…"
He had been waiting for her all this time?
She laughed. "Oh, so all I had to do is show up and *now* you're ready?" She gently poked his chest. "Slow poke."
"Me, slow?! So how long did it take you to get here?"
Emma laughed and leaned forward to rest her forehead against Sam's. She prayed with all her heart that he would make it through this stupid thing alive and unharmed. She would give anything to make it happen.
"Emily?"
"Hmm?"
"Will you be there when I wake up?"
"If Dr. Halsey lets me."
"Make sure she does."
Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt like her palms were slippery with sweat. She had never felt this way before.
"Sam." She whispered, not that any of the other Spartans would be able to hear her.
Then leaning forward, their lips met in a shy kiss that had both of their hearts pounding wildly in their chests. Their first kiss and hopefully not their last.
They parted and stared silently into each other's eyes.
"You ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"You better come back to me, Sam."
"He grinned. "Of course!"
Emma moved to where his IV hung on a cold metal pole and took hold of the clear tubing that was attached to his arm. She inserted the needle and looked at Sam once more as she slowly pushed the plunger down till there was nothing left.
To Sam, it felt like ice cold water had been injected directly into his veins and he winced, then a numbness began to take over. Suddenly he didn't want to go to sleep just yet.
His muscles were beginning to relax and within seconds he felt really tired. Emma said something, but he couldn't make out her words. Her warm hands helped him lay back and she put an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. He was just barely conscious now.
"Just relax. Take slow deep breaths."
Sam reached out for her and she took it and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Then leaning forward, she whispered something in his ear, her breath tickling his skin.
"I love you, Sam."
Then everything went black.
Time seemed to move so slowly. It is said that when you are happy, time seems to fly right past you, but when things don't seem that great, the time seems to slow to a crawl. That's how it felt right now.
Emma really wasn't one for waiting. She had always been kept busy being Dr. Halsey's assistant, so having to wait wasn't her specialty. She already knew that the augmentation surgeries for ALL the Spartans will take all day, but still it didn't help any.
How many of the Spartans will die? How many will be unable to continue with their training? And how many will be left to continue with their training, knowing all this? Not even Dr. Halsey knew the answer to this. There was no way to predict how all this will turn out.
Lunch time came and went, but she really didn't feel too hungry. Where was Jacob Keyes right now? She really wished she could talk to him right now about what is going on. Somehow, he knew what to say to make her feel better.
Soon dinner came and went as well, but she didn't feel like eating then either. Still nothing from Dr. Halsey. She hoped everything was going well.
By late evening, Emma decided to go to Dr. Halsey's office to try and get some work done. It was easier said than done. She took a seat at Dr. Halsey's desk, turned on the computer and began to type up the report about the preparation of the Spartans for their surgery. After a while of typing though… her eyes became heavy and soon she fell asleep with her head resting on her arm.
The sound of the door opening startled Emma and she awoke with a start. Looking toward the door, she found Dr. Halsey walking through the door and she stood quickly, knocking over the chair. She wanted to speak, but could not find the words.
Dr. Halsey spoke first.
TBC
*note*
Thanks everybody for reading! Sorry this took too long to post. Normally I try to get a chapter a week, but I have been really tired and getting accustomed to working at night now. Hopefully I can go back to getting the chapters up like I use to. My days off always change, so I can't always post it like I want. Sorry.
Hope you enjoyed
EM