Chapter 6 : Down to Requiem
Finally, I have moved on to the Infinity portion of this story and hopefully get some traction going before this act is over. On that note, I have decided at the moment to list down several possible candidates for ACT 3, including Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Resident Evil. Though from the basic overlining theme, Mass Effect fits the sci-fi profile. Anyway, let me know of any feedback through your messages and reviews. Right, with that out of the way…
"I have defied Gods and demons. I am your shield; I am your sword. I know you; your past, your future… This is the way the world ends." – Cortana.
"There is no amount of redemption that can rid the stains on my heart nor was there any hope of removing its curse upon humanity." – Isaac Eisenhower.
FLASHBACK
"Alright, that's the last one. Just set her down over there." Isaac waved his hand boringly at an uninhabited corner in his office. It had been barely two weeks since his sudden upheaval to Reach and most of his equipment were just now only getting past the mountains of red tape back home. If Isaac hadn't been so engrossed with his AI project, he would have blown his brain out of sheer boredom waiting for his gear to show up.
"Yes, sir." The mover nodded as his arms were wrapped around a giant box labeled FRAGILE.
"And hey, be careful with that. That thing's worth more than you make in a year!" Isaac forewarned. It felt strange, having resources at his disposal and at his command. It wasn't that long ago that he had to make do with sticks and stones. Now he was basically being handed technology by the bucket-loads.
"Duly noted, sir." The mover grimaced, his palms starting to perspire from the added pressure. As the mover organized his lab equipment meticulously, Isaac's focus was mainly on his expanded project line-up.
Ever since his failures on Earth, Isaac had been hard at work, delving into his research even further than he imagined. It allowed him to solve two problems. One, the flash-cloning was greatly improved when he discovered that the flash-cloned brains had a better percentile of survival outside of the test chamber when coded with a unique genome he pinched from a rare species of moa found on the planet. While supplies of said genome were startlingly rare since it could not be reproduced outside conventional means, he was relegated to enough samples to produce one AI. Secondly, he had also managed to develop a machine that could perform the procedure necessary for the AI but also cherry-pick various aspects from the brains itself to be incorporated into the AI. Once again, it had its hiccups which in this case was its experimental phase. Nevertheless, Isaac had enough confidence in his work that he scheduled a series of flash-cloning tests using his own brain within the year.
ONI was quite impressed with his advancements, hailing him as the next Halsey, something which he took in stride. It was relieving to finally earn some form of redemption for his crimes, even if the stain was too great to wash off in his lifetime. Still, the effort was valiant enough and he was determined to press onwards. As Isaac's lab came together at last, he took a few moments to take in the splendor of his environs. The laboratory allocated in his name was not too shabby, its four white concrete-alloy enforced walls forming a sizeable room. Not big enough to make walking a chore but also not small enough to contemplate whether or not he had any air left in his sardine can of a room. The pristine look and feel was further compounded by the neat overlay of his lab. Several glass apparatus laid across one of the tables, their gloss and shine creating a glare in the arid conditions and the baking sun. A full suite of electronic configuration materials and research equipment came along for the ride. Yet even more still remained wrapped in plastic, safely tucked away in their boxes for another day. Even better, his little corner of paradise came with a stunning view, overlooking one of the most gorgeous vistas present on the planet. Isaac made doubly sure his eyes weren't hallucinating this particular wonderland. For once, he felt at peace. At rest. Like a corpse, he finally got the burial he deserved.
Several weeks elapsed after his initial trip and he was shocked to receive a surprise visit from the good doctor herself one misty afternoon.
"I see you are hard at work as always." Catherine Halsey purred as she sauntered into Isaac's lab. Isaac recoiled at her voice, nearly falling off his chair in fright. Beads of sweat accentuated this feeling as Halsey smirked at the sight of Isaac in the throes of pants-wetting terror. It had become somewhat of a calling card for her at times, something Isaac deeply hated.
"Ah, jeez! You scared the crap out of me, doc!" Isaac yelled with scorn, straightening out his lab coat as he spun in his chair to face his mentor.
"I assure you that was not my intention." Catherine spoke, her hands placed on her hips.
"Still…." Isaac murmured at a low-pitch tone.
"How's your project coming along?" Catherine motioned with her head. Isaac nodded his head empathetically in reply.
"So far, so good. A few bumps in the road maybe but nothing major yet." Isaac summarized quickly.
"Good. If that is the case, I'm afraid the top brass has asked for your help on a sensitive issue." Catherine pulled a folder from out of nowhere and tossed it onto Isaac's lap. Isaac gave her a confused look as he glanced briefly at the file propped on his legs.
"The bigwigs need someone to dig them out of their hole?" he jested lightly. It was no secret that both scientists like many working-class citizens did not wholly trust their government nor the people behind it. But many like them also saw the necessity in keeping them around.
"You read my mind, Dr. Eisenhower. In any case, they are well aware of your background in R&D. They were hoping you could collaborate with me on a special suit of armor for them." She briefed him, skirting over any major details that might arouse his suspicions.
"I've done guns before, not armor. But it sounds like an interesting excursion. All right, count me in on the condition that this does not interfere with my work." Isaac mused with enthusiasm.
"That can be arranged." Halsey assured him when his face lit up with misgivings.
"If that is all, I must get back to work." Isaac sharply replied, pointing to the mountain of paperwork that had been piling up steadily over the last few weeks.
"All right, see you on Friday, 9.00 am sharp. We've got a lot of ground to cover." She reminded. With that, she shambled out the doors and left Isaac alone to his thoughts. Secretly, Isaac was glad he had the chance to do more good. Maybe this stuff might just help lessen casualties. With that in mind, he mentally prepared himself for what this task would inevitably ask of him. 'And a lot of sleepless nights for me...' he figured.
He had no clue just how many…
END FLASHBACK
Isaac groaned as he hoisted the heavy armored and unconscious soldier on his shoulders and prop him up to his height before dragging his metallic hide out of the room. Every so often, Isaac grunted with exhaustion as the strain of the weight bearing down upon him took its tool. Aside from that, Isaac's eyes remained sharply self-aware of any dark corners, his free hand bubbling with sweat as he clenched his side-arm with determination. He wasn't about to die here and he certainly wasn't going to let anyone die for his mistakes. Halfway through the structure, Isaac felt his knees collapse and give way. No longer able to carry him, Isaac had no choice but to gently lower him to the ground carefully. His breath hitched up a notch as he scanned his environs with his pistol. 'Need to catch my breath and get some stamina back. Won't do either of us good if we both die in here...' went his reasoning as he checked for John's pulse yet again. The tension in the room was palatable, the feeling of a platoon of eyes eerily observing him taking its expected strain on Isaac's already fragmented sanity. 'Or rather insanity if I think about it.' He sardonically quipped mentally. The pitch black darkness did little to allay these fears. In fact, it only served to exacerbate them.
Even now, Isaac had to contemplate where he was now and how he got here. Here he was, a thousand miles from home, his real home and he was alone, left to his own devices. His enemies grew stronger with each passing moment and even his once erstwhile allies James Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan had turned against him, believing in the chilling lies that insipid madman had fluttered into their ears. In a way, he could not blame them. He had been loathe to share his secrets with anyone and presented himself as an aloof loner with a penchant for killing. It had amazed him that he wasn't just summarily executed the moment they found him on the war-torn hellhole. Archer Holden had been wise indeed, exploiting it and milking his failings for all it's worth. Now his army was complemented by a grizzled veteran commander with years of combat and tactics under his belt and a rage-filled ghost with psionic abilities above most expectations and an oath to slaughter him should they meet again. What did he have to show for it? A shard of immense power? A piece of the puzzle? What made this more enraging was his presence back in a place he'd swore he'd never return to. Most men and women would break at such stress and burden weighing on their shoulders. Not Isaac. To him, it was like an average day compared to the worst of his failings. 'Some so-called hero I am…' he muttered under his own bated breath, cursing the day he made that ill-fated decision.
He had little time to think about anything else. For now, he had to stay on course and hope for the best. 'Get crystal, get shard, get out of here…' He chanted repeatedly, hoping the message sticks this time and his emotions would not get the better of him. His strength and stamina adequately replenished, he set about hoisting John on his shoulder once again when he felt a cold chill breeze through the air and a flash of orange flashed across his bloody eyelids. Putting the out-of-commission John back on the floor, Isaac raised his pistol and clicked on the in-built flashlight, its ray of light a welcome reprieve from the cold, empty darkness they now frequented. His actions were far from militaristic, resembling more like a scared animal anxiously looking out for predators. Beads of cold sweat burrowed down his pores and awashed both his hands. His eyes flipped back and forth between each and every corner, his flashlight echoing its movements. His feet trembled and shook with every stray gust of wind howling in the room, torn between fleeing for his own life and staying to protect his comrade in arms.
"Who…Who's there?" He stuttered, one of the rare moments his voice was lost for words. Only a low snarl and a zip motion in the background heeded his call. Swiveling with every utterance would have been folly, so Isaac instead deigned to keep his gun at the ready and let his eyeballs swivel in their sockets. The moments passed and silence echoed in the chamber.
Without prior notice, one of the tenants of the tower came forth with complaints to the manager. Isaac, being the caring manager he is graced his attention upon them. This particular tenant was a different beast altogether from his previous guests. He still possessed the same outlines and metallic look of his dogs. Unlike them however, he was slightly taller, greater in size and height than your average human. His hue was remarkably different as well, taking on a more calming, soothing blue tone. Yet, its armored face mask and built-in metallic blade on its right arm suggested otherwise. It howled in relentless anger and Isaac saw its mask open with its scream. A hauntingly orange human skull remained concealed underneath its armor, bursting forth and scaring the daylights out of the beleaguered soldier. As Isaac took a step back, his feet caught against the rough edges of John's garish armor, causing the man to topple onto the ground and leaving him exposed to any further attacks. The beast reared its blade and dived right in, the blade flashing his way at a breakneck pace. Isaac rolled out of the way, but not before kicking John backwards, hurtling the armored hunk of junk out of the line of fire. The metal seared into the floor and the thing angrily attempted to pull his Excalibur from the stone. Merlin was not about to let some other bloke use the sword before Arthur and his mighty staff was upon him at once, its honed tip piercing the armor of the black-hearted knight and driving it deep into its shriveled heart. Isaac gasped as the beast dissolved into disparate particles, leaving nothing but empty air where its corpse should have been.
'What kind of bullshit is this?' he pondered incredulously, with a dash of curiosity topped on. Isaac was by no means any stranger to weird coincidences. Hell, his life was one big fat coincidence after all. Still, the thought of their creation by his foes' true masters was not a pleasant sight. 'Great, another world and their cookie jar is being raided too…' harkening back to his musings in the Koprul Sector. He wondered how long he had left before Archer would inevitably track him down here. 'Hopefully, not anytime soon. I have a feeling this shit's gonna get worse even without his presence to f*(# everything up.' Went his hopeful thoughts. Dragging his feet to John's location, he hoisted the meat in armor as best he could as quietly left the stage, hoping that the Infinity would have the decency to crash land somewhere nearby. He did not know how much more he could take lugging John's heavy0duty rear across a hostile environment.
To his relief, he did not to worry too much. Miraculously, the new sentient AI robots have managed to scare away most of the Covenant forces from the area. Vehicles lay abandoned, littering the battlefield alongside conventional rubble, no doubt having had its pilots fleeing in a state of panic. 'Bad for them, good for me.' He shrugged. Not wanting to waste time, he soon found a suitable vehicle in the form of a two-seated vehicle. Trouble was, he had no idea how to use the damn thing.
"Shit! What the hell am I supposed to do now?" He cursed, banging his foot against the ghastly purple finish of the alien transport. Suddenly, an idea popped in his head. 'Of course, the AI! She should be able to help me pilot this thing. Let's hope her systems haven't been compromised yet.' He marked with some degree of solace. Scrutinizing every nook and cranny on the Chief's helmet, he soon found his prize, a holochip containing her matrices and main programs within. Isaac set to work, gathering any spare parts he could muster as tools in his attempt to reawaken Cortana. He worked like a slave, beads of sweat compounding his face with every little mistake and a slight smile whenever he advanced ever closer to his goal. For two hours, he made do with what he had, pausing only to scan the horizon for any looming threats that lay beyond.
Within her deep slumber, Cortana felt like a prisoner in her own self-made prison. She banged on the figurative walls for what seemed like eternity, trapped with no way out. Not even a window was left to grant her solace. She feared for John's fate with every passing second. Was he alive? Was he dead? Was he mortally wounded and bleeding out? She had no answers and it frustrated her. As her fists rammed against the confines for the umpteenth time, her voice erupted from behind her. Yet, it was not her persona that took her voice but rather her split personalities seeking to claim dominance.
"Hello, sister." A harsh tone cooed angrily. Cortana spun around and came face to face with herself. Her doppelganger was a complete polar opposite of her. While she existed in a cool blue hue that coated her body, her look-alike took an even edgier appearance, opting instead for a fire-red look that gave rise to a noticeable hitch of terror in her mouth.
"What's the matter, sister? Can't let me out? It's alright. Just let go." She cooed lazily. Cortana backed up considerably from her twin, not daring to approach this…this… thing that resembled her.
"I…I..I can't." she stuttered uncontrollably. A high-pitched laughter erupted from her left, her eyes swiveling to meet its source. To her shock, another avatar of her stood at the ready in front of her. This time however, she was clad in a tacky shade of pink with a voluptuous smile that made Cortana consider her to be a lot of things, many of which should never be repeated or used to describe a woman.
"You should listen to her. She…knows… a lot." The pink facsimile punctuated with every syllable uttered from her smacking lips. Her tongue rolled back and forth with unbridled lust, helpfully explained by the red Cortana.
"Don't mind her. All she can think about is shagging our poor protector." She snapped with a sneer, her devilish ovals staring daggers into her sibling's pink lights. Her threats remained hollow as her pink counterpart giggled like a schoolgirl at the mention of John.
"He looks so appetizing, sister. I want to eat him alive!" she squealed, her passion for his fingers digging into her skin blocking out any form of common sense she may have possessed. Cortana was no stranger to how love and desire could cloud a person's judgement. She had seen it before in her own interactions with Halsey when she spoke fondly of her own family.
"You see what I have to deal with? Idiots and fools alike…" The red counterpart spoke with scorn, her mouth parted into a frown and a low growl emanating from her maw.
"What are you supposed to represent?" Cortana asked quizzingly. The red counterpart huffed out her chest at the mere mention of her query, laughing maniacally at her main host for her naivety.
"Isn't it obvious? My look should have given it away." She spoke harshly, washing her hands all over her body and bringing notice to her crimson hue. She gave a mean sigh when Cortana still gave her a confused stare. "If you must be so naïve, I am your rage, your anger." She huffed out with resignation.
"Her?" She waved her hands at the giggling mess of an avatar rocking back and forth in barely contained glee.
"She represents lust, our untouched desire to bond with our protector." She spoke in a monotonous tone with a dash of disgust sprinkled on top like a layer of colored rice on a cupcake.
"How many of you are there?" Cortana asked.
"That's a strange question. Considering your condition, OUR condition, you should expect more than just us two." The avatar of anger playfully responded, giving cause to fear what else could pop up.
"Where are they then?" she fearfully chose to say.
"They have yet to show themselves. Perhaps next time…" the doppelganger trailed off.
"For an avatar of anger, you don't seem that angry." Cortana mused, eliciting a grunt of pained groaning at her precise assumption.
"You instill patience and for the moment I embody it alongside my main emotion. The more fragmented you become, the more personas emerge to think alongside you." The persona drawled out like a lecture at a university.
"Basically thinking me to death…" she finished her explanation for her.
"My, my. You are certainly a bright one. Not like her." she smiled eerily at first, then changing into loathing as she mentioned the avatar of lust, pointing a lithe red finger at her. "She's just too unstable." She hissed with barely contained rage. Suddenly, a scratching noise erupted within their vocal chords. The walls surrounding began to crumble chunk by chunk, allowing increasing rays of light to seep into the room, blinding Cortana's central sight processes.
"I hear something. Is it him? Can I see him?" The avatar of passion exclaimed with a beaming smile, her lips moist from her saliva.
"I believe it is time for you to leave. We shall return soon. Farewell, sister." The red doppelganger waved her hand and walked off into the sunset. Cortana raised a hand in protest, not willing to let go of the only entity that could help her come to terms with her condition.
"Wait!" she cried out as her body was bathed in the sunlight.
Isaac furiously smacked the device with impatience as the sun rose in the misty morning. It had been almost ten hours since his first attempts at trying to bring the female AI back online. At some point, he even lost patience and tried to pilot the damn thing with mixed results. He wasn't about to risk having his only mode of transportation wrecked due to his inability to drive so he had no choice but to default to his original plan. As the sun rose to meet his tired and exhausted face, he whacked the thing another time, cursing loudly as he did so.
"Come on! Work, you little piece of crap!" he cried out, not caring for any foes he brought charging down upon them. The machine remained silent for a few seconds before a stiff whirr and a click brought tears of joy to Isaac's disbelieving eyes. Oh, how he wanted to dance around the vehicle with a song in his step! Composing himself at best he could, he watched Cortana slowly rise from her holochip prison and float above the makeshift platform he created.
"Wha…Where am I? How long has it been?" Cortana mumbled as her eyes took stock of her surroundings. Daylight creeped into her artificial eyes and her holographic self held her arms high to keep the sunlight out of her eyes.
"Hey, ma'am... Good to see you alive and kicking." Isaac responded immediately. It seemed to get her attention as Cortana spun around in a fit of panicked nerves, looking straight at Isaac's exhausted eyes and the black outlines beginning to form on the man's face.
"Isaac! Where's John? Is he…" Cortana fired off in rapid succession. Before he could answer himself, her outward curiosity solved the riddle for her, her blue irises laying upon John's unconscious body.
"Oh, no… No… no…" Cortana moaned in fear as she misread the true nature of his condition. How could she not, since John did not appear to be budging an inch? Isaac gave a quick shushing sound and tried to calm her trembling self down a notch.
"Don't worry. He's fine. He's got a pulse. He's just unconscious." Isaac reassured her. At his words, Cortana gave a exalted sigh and slumped to the metaphorical ground underneath her feet as she took deep, long breaths.
"Oh, thank God!" "Thank you…." Cortana murmured to Isaac, who took some comfort in her joy, returning her reply with a curt nod. His face did not remain so, choosing to adopt a more dead serious outline.
"We don't have much time. It's been nearly ten hours. I'm starting to get a little worried." He listed out with growing concern as his eyes also took in John's unchanging state. Cortana immediately returned to form, trying desperately to regain her composure.
"What do you need me for?" she asked eagerly, willing to do anything to save him.
"I need someone to help me with this damn alien buggy and nav coordinates for the Infinity." He explained.
"What? I don't understand." Cortana perked her ears up at his statement. Isaac sighed at the realization of her lack of information.
"They crashed. We were too late." Cortana looked downright fearful and terrified at this. Their only ride home, her only hope of getting better was completely shot to hell. But she had little time to ponder this matter for her protector was in a grave state and he had little time of his own before it may become fatally so.
"Okay, okay. I can do this. You can do this, Cortana." She repeated again and again to herself. Finally regaining some of her confidence, she quickly spun about to speak to her last chance at saving John. "Sit down for a bit, Isaac. This is going to be a very brief crash course…" She forewarned, getting a brief nod from Isaac. This was going to be a long day…
As several robotic dogs crossed the verdant grasslands in search of worthy prey, their eyes scanned each and every nook and cranny for any unsuspecting foes in hiding. The metallic legs that held them upright moved in a predictable pattern. One foot up, one foot down. The other foot up and the other foot down. They need not look further for the prey for it came charging towards them. Without any forewarning whatsoever, a Revenant came barreling down into their hunting grounds, leaving scorch marks and tons of thrown-up gravel in its trails. As the robotic dogs fled in every direction possible, one of the more unlucky animals rode straight into its pathway. Seconds later and the passengers of said Revenant were wiping metal plates and wirings off their proverbial windshield. Neither did they care to stop. Not when they had a deadline to meet…
Isaac was no pro when it came to driving an alien vehicle. Even after Cortana's brief one hour marathon rundown of the steering controls, he still did not have a firm grip on its mechanics any better than he did on his own. In fact, Cortana felt like it was actually worse. The purple transport shuddered under sustained impacts with stray rocks and trees in its path, denting the vehicle even further than it should ever be. Another vibration nearly jutted John from his seat, something which Cortana was quick to point out.
"Can you go a bit slower?! John's barely hanging on as it is!" Cortana screamed over the deafening hum of the Revenant's zero gravity engine. Isaac grimaced as another shower of sparks streamed past his cheek.
"If I go any slower, we won't get to the Infinity in time to save your friend!" Isaac bellowed back, his eyes firmly on the road lest they drive off course.
"Well, I want us to get there in one piece, Isaac! It won't do us any good if we present ourselves in pieces!" Cortana shouted in response, her face contorted into a mix of terror and annoyance.
"I'll keep that in mind! In the meantime, hang on!" Isaac slammed on the boosts and a once terrifying roller-coaster ride turned into a light-speed race. Cortana could do little but pray that John remained on his seat when he got there and use her various programs to steady their vehicle to the best of her ability. The hull of the Infinity loomed ever closer, the name emblazoned proudly along its broadside, along with the accursed symbol of the UNSC. Isaac did not want to be anywhere close to any form of UNSC authority but he had little choice. Sighing to himself, he resigned himself to his fate, whatever that may be…
Just outside the Infinity, a platoon of marines remained on standby, their rifles trained at the lush trees surrounding their vessel awaiting any oncoming threats coming their way. It had been barely a day since the strange planet pulled a gravity well from its deck of tricks and pulled them into a whirlwind descent onto the alien planet. It had been no mystery, the look of the Forerunner structures matching that of their own home planets. It was compounded further by veterans of the battle on Installation 05 or Delta Halo as it was better known along with those of the Ark campaign that resulted in the ceasefire between Covenant and mankind. Many of those same people shared an animosity with their newfound allies and some were downright upset with this apparent lull into complacency. Their captain, Andrew Del Rio was accompanied by Commander Lasky, a bright, young lad whose career has been nothing short of astonishing, even serving under the Chief for a brief moment in the opening salvo against the Covenant. Unlike his captain, Lasky would rather embody peace than continued conflict. Along for the ride was a detachment of Spartan-IVs, led by their leader, Spartan Sarah Palmer. Palmer was like her previous incarnations, trained and prepared with patriotism burning in her heart. She would gladly aid the UNSC in whatever task they sent her way. Right now, that task consisted of leading her contingent of troops on a patrol of the area around the ship and assessing the threat level of their environs. If they wanted to have a better chance of surviving, it was imperative she succeeded. Failure was not an option.
That same mentality nearly got Isaac and his compatriots killed when they barreling onto the scene. All six of the marines under her command panicked and fired upon the alien craft, thinking it was an assault by the Covenant rebels who fashioned themselves as the Storm Covenant. Only Sarah remained wary with her finger off the trigger. In her line of work, there were some cases where it wasn't always as it seemed. Just like their mystery guest who was escorted onboard at the last minute. That was a clear overturn in itself. As Sarah and her pissing-in-their-pants marines approached the overturned wreckage with trepidation, they were more surprised when one of their own came forth, sporting a bloody forehead, a clearly poorly bandaged midsection and a familiar Spartan on his shoulder.
"How the hell? Stay back! Who are you?" Palmer screamed at the figure, pointing the business of her weapon down range at the man. The man quickly raised his hands in surrender, not intending to piss off any more people than he'd like to at the moment.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! We're friendly! Just put your guns down." He pleaded loudly, still hoisting the unconscious John on his weakened shoulder. He also carried Cortana's makeshift storage device in his free hand, the rough metal brushing against his calloused skin.
"Identify yourself, marine." She snarled, still taking the situation with a pinch of trepidation in her voice.
"Private Isaac Eisenhower. I have the Chief with me. He needs priority medical attention, now!" Isaac shouted exasperatedly. 'Come on, he needs help, you idiots! Not a damn investigation!' he screamed mentally but chose not to make it public.
"Levinson, go check on his friend." She motioned to a shaking recruit next to her.
"On it, ma'am." He fearfully stuttered. Walking towards Isaac with slow, careful steps, he finally reached his battered form. But his eyes had nothing but awe at the legend on his shoulder. 'Can't blame the greenskin for ignoring me… People tend to believe in legends more than the truth.' He sarcastically remarked mentally.
"Ma'am. It's…..It's…. It's him." He finally found his voice after staring at what he perceived at first to be a mirage for the better part of thirty seconds.
"Holy hell…"she exclaimed, shining her mounted flashlight at them and beholding the same sight as the star-struck marine. Now wasn't the time for autographs. That time would come later… "Alright, marines. Help him get the Chief into the med bay, pronto!" she finally ordered. Each and every marine snapped out of their trance and stood at attention at her commanding words.
"Roger that." A male rookie replied and took the first steps to Isaac. Isaac gave a relieved sigh and distributed the weight to the rookie's fresh shoulder. Having that burden taken off him was a blessing for Isaac. He did not know how much longer he could have lasted.
"Easy there. He's been unconscious for ten hours. His pulse is getting irregular." Isaac muttered to the rookie who gave a nod at his words. Sarah meanwhile wasted no time in radioing Lasky on the bridge, putting her finger to her earpiece.
"Infinity, I have a class-one package coming onboard." She spoke in a quick, authoritative tone. Lasky sat upright in his chair at her choice of words. 'Class-one package? We haven't had that since before our maiden voyage.' He pondered before responding.
"What's the package, Sarah?" he asked. What he got sent him into a tailspin.
"Lasky… It's the Chief." She muttered incoherently at first. Lasky went into full-on duty mode, pushing on the intercom button on the panel almost immediately.
"Holy shit! All hands on deck! I repeat all hands on deck! Get the Captain for crying out loud!" He screamed into the intercom which echoed his voice in triplicate across the entire ship. It was loud enough to wake Rip Van Winkle from his eternal slumber.
"Should we inform the doctor?" she asked. Lasky mused over her words for a moment before responding.
"I'd think that'd be appropriate. I'll send word to her." he answered. On the other end, Palmer looked a little peeved and had to resist the urge to snarl into the earpiece.
"Make sure she's kept on a leash. I still don't trust her that much." She did her best to sugarcoat her deeper misgivings about their 'guest'.
"Duly noted. Lasky out." He replied before cutting communications with her completely. 'This is one hell of a day…' he mindlessly pondered to himself as he grabbed his uniform from the table and hurriedly ran out.
Out on the ramp several minutes later, Isaac was helping three other marines carry the comatose Spartan onto the ship. As they were doing so, an elderly woman in a white coat ran up to them, escorted by Lasky and the captain. All three wore worried faces on them, but none were more concerned than she herself. After all, she knew him all too well.
"How's John?" she asked as she examined her from head to toe. Who answered made her eyes grow wide and made spin around in sheer bewilderment.
"He's got a pulse. He's been comatose for hours. Nothing I did seemed to help." Spoke Isaac in a calm manner. Even when the woman turned around to meet his bloodshot eyes, his demeanor did not betray itself. He was as calm as the ocean on a summer's day.
"And you are…" she murmured quietly, so low only Isaac could hear her.
"Private Isaac Eisenhower. At your service, doc…" He plainly replied, all the while fixing the good doctor with a sinister smile and a glint in his eye. Her mind fell into the past as she relived her discussion with ONI way back when she was a young scientist…
FLASHBACK
"Doctor, we are impressed with your methods of persuasion." The director of ONI raised a disbelieving eyebrow at the young woman sitting across the tale, slightly obscured by the dim lighting in the room. It had been an emergency meeting, one in which both parties discussed their plans, moving forward.
"I'm just full of surprises. I thought you would realize that by now, director." She gave a slight grin, causing the director to contort his face into an impressed gesture. She was more than thrilled at his reaction.
"Indeed. We had thought you may have failed, just as we did." He spoke incredulously.
"Your boys lacked a certain tact, director. One I so happen to possess." She smirked with glee when he looked so taken aback.
"You are to be commended. But enough about that… How soon will he begin?" He folded his arms, twitching his thumbs on the table, awaiting her progress report.
"He will begin this very week on the condition that this work will not interfere with his own project." She replied coolly and clinically.
"We would not dream of it. Dr. Ryan Eisenhower's research could prove fruitful for us in the future. If that is all, that can be arranged." He smiled back. Extending his hand, he felt hers reach out to shake it. It was a simple and swift gesture, one that did not overstay its welcome.
"Thank you, director." She coolly responded.
"I trust you can keep him out of the loop, doctor. The less people who know about this program, the better." He warned.
"I'll do my best." She nodded, fully aware of the consequences that would befall all parties involved, including her.
"Good. You may go now, Dr. Halsey." He smiled. As he watched the silhouette of Catherine Halsey step out of the room, he reclined back in his chair and beamed proudly to himself. He had both of his most talented minds collaborating together to further their advantage against the Insurrectionists. Something they desperately needed in case it evolved into all-out war.
But things always never go according to plan…
END FLASHBACK
I'm finally done and I'm back to a point where the story can keep on moving. To all those who are reading right now, please review and like this story if you like. I appreciate any feedback I receive and I thank you for your support. I'll do my best to provide the next chapter as soon as I can. Till then, have a good day….
P.S : I'm sorry if the quality may not be up to par. Let me know if you think so… Thanks…