'I know it is a bad thing to break a promise, but I think now that it is a worse thing to let a promise break you.' -Jennifer Donnelly
Harsh, labored breathing happened to be the only sound slicing through the room's silence. Littered across the lab's walls were specks of blood that could pass the eye without notice. Halsey saw it, cringed even, as she stood silent next to the occupant on the operating table. The occupant, dubbed the Beta-Strike Project, shuddered uncontrollably. They opened their mouth and winced as the dried blood caked around the edges broke into pieces.
"A-am I done?"
Halsey sighed as she examined the data scrolling along the screen of her tablet. She brought it close to her face in order to cover the distressed expression now adorning her features. This testing had been stressful for each of them; lurching from the darkness to steal sleep, peaceful pastimes. Swallowing her personal feelings, she kept her gaze like granite as she met the eyes of the girl laying before her.
"Your results for the last testing weren't satisfactory. Diagnostics are... odd," Catherine murmured the last word, tapping on her tablet.
Quiet groans tumbled from the girl's lips. Another drop of blood gathered at the corner of her mouth; tears seemed to evade her once she first stepped into the arms of Doctor Halsey and Doctor Kellum. Catherine continued her device scrolling, setting in on the operating table once she felt she had a good grip on her feelings. Behind her was a table littered by various scalpels, knives, and small data chips typically reserved for fixing A.I. or manufacturing data caches. A specific gold chip shone proudly amongst the general silver which Halsey plucked between her index and thumb finger. At that moment, Kellum's presence swept through the room like hurricanes off the coast. Catherine regarded the dark-haired woman in kitten-heels casually. She nodded her head in subtle approval (perhaps even praise) as Kellum towed in her customary cart behind her slim figure.
Kellum spoke next, masked emerald eyes narrowing in on the dilated electric blue beneath her. "Holland-" Her Scottish accent halted mid sentence as their subject sputtered, rage rolling through the Spartan's form.
"D-do not. Fucking. Call me that!"
Kellum remained unphased. "Three-twelve, then?"
No further objections rose.
"You have withstanded this longer than what we originally deemed you would. You will be a legend to mankind. If you survive these last testimonies."
Catherine leaned across the Spartan, hotly spewing at Kellum, "This is not a religious sanctum. We aren't doing to this to tap dance for a God and hoping to get rain. I've warned you about this, Della."
"And I've warned you about placing yourself in a bird's nest." Catherine sat back immediately as if struck by fire. Kellum sighed, appearing apologetic yet her cold tone contrasted to her expression. "Cousin..."
"If that is how you see these children..."
"No, I-"
"Della, I know that you're in a fix but-"
"Cathy, just-"
Their desperation to find some solace amongst inner conflict through morals and experimenting on children shattered as the young girl beneath them coughed involuntarily. Blood sprayed from her mouth, alarming each of the older women. Kellum happened to be the first to get her word in.
"Iodine, 700. Catherine?"
Halsey nodded, getting down to business. "Yes, we'll need to work fast to place the scythe along the cranium and install the...Damn it. We'll need to keep her elevated, I can't work with her jerking into movement every five seconds."
Kellum chuckled gently. It happened to be anything but cheerful. "You did insist on switching out Ackerson's formula to enlist a version of your own."
"You know damn well why I did what I did." Catherine closed her eyes as she remembered how she nearly gotten herself killed attempting to switch out Ackerson's ridicule and fragile augmentation formula. The Spartan wasn't quite like the young boy she encountered once, but she did resemble his strength and audacity. Truly, three-twelve happened to be a new person by product, an anomaly; not a Spartan I, nor II, nor III. She hadn't really decided what to call her, yet.
Kellum nodded as she began to inject the Spartan; her eyes momentarily fluttered as the room blared full of light. Her body tingled distantly. Then she felt the blade- the blade, and no pain arose from it. Just pulling and rearranging like the last seven weeks.
Della's last sarcastic comment dropped for the evening as she delicately placed several data caches inside the round metal plate on the base of three-twelve's skull, connecting them wry, thin wires and minute machinery that lined the inside of the inside of the flesh of her neck. "Like with that lovely little lad of yours? Jacob Keyes, right Cath?"
Catherine turned frigid under Kellum's silver joke, attempting to remain focused on the project's vitals as the weight of Della's laughter burdened her.
Again, Halsey peered at the young girl.
The poor child, her sorrowful, open irises gaging Catherine in a sort of mental debate. The woman's expression softened as she placed herself next this girl. To this...
"Hyper lethal vector."
. . .
Maniac screeching echoed across the sloshing, humid swamp. The Lieutenant paused, pushing aside her memories to completely tune into her surroundings. Just what the hell had that been? It really didn't feel like the typical croaking. She inhaled heavily, lungs expanding dramatically to process the scents that filled the air.
Taint.
There happened to be a taintedness painting the edges of the private, backwater swamp surrounding her person, but she couldn't identify its nature. Trekking on, Holland ventured further into an impending doom. The Captain had not arrived yet; this is what Charles explained to the female on her discreet trip over. She held her breath, trying to convey what lived and breathed before her. Receiving no sorts of customary mental alarms, she went about her path.
Not far off, another shallow squawk wrenched through the swamp.
Her muscles involuntary contracted, sensing an impending doom waiting to crawl through her soul. She pushed on, however, ignoring this sense of dread that hovered above her being. She passed by several tattered trees. Eventually, Holland paused to inspect one of trees just as chattering cut through silence. One brow furrowed, she glanced behind to check for a lone ranger, observed her radar twice, then whipped back around to snap pictures of the tree using the installed camera inside her helmet.
Twigs snapped directly behind her person. The Spartan turned, suddenly finding herself pinned to the tree by a slim three fingered hand. Immediately she struggled against her oppressor only to have him chortle lowly.
"Kaidon."
What?
Rdvas peered at his capture, this unnerving calm expression adorning his features. He felt exhilarated! To have captured one of these demons by hand- but a kaidon! A great leader who would surely be missed in her absence. The thought made him snarl. "All alone. A shame. Why have you not dragged your brethren along to die beside you?"
Speaking English did not happen to be an asset for, oh, pretty much the entire Covenant Armada. Now this bastard wanted to waste her time with talk? Holland snarled, opened her mouth. Closed it after his hand tightened considerably.
"No response?" Rdvas taughtened, his other right hand pulling the energy sword from his side. It sizzled to life, crackling heat spitting about in hazardous plasma surges. His mandibles extended to showcase rows of brilliant pearl teeth as he leaned closer to the Lieutenant. She stilled momentarily, as did he, an echo of an explosion spreading through the creek.
Their heads turned to the direction of the noise. Rdvas cursed under his breath. He knew he should have guided those low-level mongrels mewling about. So much for hard work. The Lieutenant took her opportunity when it presented itself to her; Emile's kukri became nothing more than a blur as it cut across the elite captain's face. Rdvas staggered backwards. Snarling and spewing blood he glanced up at his once capture to find her SMGs pointed not at him, but bulbous creatures scurrying to their persons.
They were hideous; almost popcorn like to Holland as she gave off short controlled bursts. Honestly she was less concerned about the elite as he too swatted at the distorted yellow colored bastards dancing about them. It felt like hours had passed; like there were thousands of ants climbing on top of open picnics. All that mattered to them is that they were fine and the things were...well, popped.
R'Lamee glanced at his prize momentarily. She reloaded her SMGs at his side-gazing and aimed them at his head.
"What the fuck were those?"
The alien scoffed at her question, "I know as much as you do, kaidon."
Her helmet visor gleamed brightly under his spectacle gaze. From what she could tell he told the truth. Really didn't feel like some Covie trickery. But then..
"And the weapon's cache?"
His head snapped backwards, eyes narrowed. A clear question. "You think us to be so inferior as to put weapons within your reach?"
"You're friends have a history of making stupid mistakes."
"Then we stand even on the battlefield, kaidon."
Holland's lips quirked at his dry sense of humor, her eyes narrowing at the energy sword in his hand. It hummed lowly and her red eye locked onto it, her HUD displaying the amount of energy left. Just seven percent? If he really wanted to try something she could just pop one in his eye and be done with it. The elite could prove useful.
Deafening silence reigned about each figure to create an air of uneasiness. Rdvas refused to move now; his energy sword would run out of power and he couldn't leave her. He had her in his grasp. So damn close! Fear had the movements of a serpent as it trailed up his vertebral column, slithered his neck in a noose, then cautiously began to extract the oxygen from his lungs. The Lieutenant nodded off to the distance.
"Start walking. I want to meet your friends."
"You think me to be a fool-" Rdvas snarled, shivering slightly at the emotionless visor.
"I think you'll be a foolish carcass in about thirty seconds if you don't start fucking marching, Split-Jaw." His jaws sealed on reflex. Raising himself from the ground, Rdvas turned his back on the Spartan, lifting his hand to cover his recently injured eye. One shaky step. Another. Dishonor made him nauseous. To think, what would Thel do if he caught him?
Holland shuffled onto her other foot. She licked her lips and told him to lead the way. Their forms became nothing more than wisps of inky darkness within the cocoon of the swamp. This predicament could truly work towards her favor.
Captor is now held captive.
. . .
John debated entering the complex accompanied by Valor and Stacker. They tried to get through the first building they found, but the Covenant locked it down tighter than an ONI spook. He sighed, tracking the large duoed red dots on the radar. Static traced through his suit. A channel bridged itself, ringing his ears. Stacker bit back a curse as he braced the sides of his helmet while Valor had long since shook his own off.
It wasn't just him, then.
"Hope you boys aren't afraid of a little fire."
Cortana responded quicker than John could process the voice on the channel. Charles chuckled at his blue counterpart's alarm, telling her she needed to take a break once in a while before she broke the toy soldier.
"You're under strict orders to remain under radio si-" She growled.
"Ah, ah! You are. Captain dropped off of the grid so….. leaves you with me."
Static laced through the channel again, heavier than the first occurrence. "Cortana, can you clean that up?"
"I'm trying, but… his distance is unmeasurable at this rate. There's also the possibility of something interfering with the signal."
"Covenant?"
"Don't worry your pretty little head, gumdrop. 'Sides… h-here. Damn. Alright, I only have a few minutes to do this. Blue, you're gonna wanna to hail Foehammer to pick up the Hell Troopers and scuttle you next."
"In case you may have forgotten, we have a job to do. This isn't time for fun and games," John winced at the feel of her icy wrath to which he played victim before. "Whatever it is that's up your sleave, save it. Where is Sierra three-twelve?"
Charles hummed in nonchalance, "L-lost connection a-... -tered the bayou to scour for Keyes almighty."
John caught that. "Why would she do that?"
"He's about to head into a suicide-mission. One that'll be in vain if you guys…..-rry. List-te….can't hold this any l-longer-r-r-r-r-r-r. Call Foeham-mer-r-r. Make the rounds, clear the area, then….open it," Charles' voice became faint in the sea of whitewash. His connection cut immediately out.
Valor lifted his now covered head to stare at the Chief. "Open what?"
Ker-CHINK! SSSST….!
John felt more than heard the startled reaction of the hunters in the yard as they turned to evaluate their newborn discovery. The Spartan peaked up, watching as the top to the structure in the middle of the yard ceased movement. "We're not opening anything. He is."
"Well, you're call, Chief," Stacker murmured. "Whatever it is, the boys and I are right behind ya'."
An opportunity to thoroughly consult his thoughts/reasonings rarely happened at this point in the war. With a sigh he reloaded his rifle and gestured for Valor's launcher. Armor plated boots decimated the gravel they walked upon. John relayed orders for Valor and Stacker to find cover and give him cover on the high ground. Pepper them with bullets and aim for the orange gaps between the navy plated metal.
"Cortana, hail Foehammer."
"On it."
One Hunter turned at the sound of his approach as it tensed for an onslaught of relentless battle.
John rolled his neck; a habit he picked up from the Lieutenant.
"Fuck protocol," he mumbled. An itch kicked along his throat. Nicotine. He'd never tried it before but the memory of Johnson's cigars wafted towards him during that moment. His A.I. companion bristled at his words. She paused to see if he would say anything else. Continued when he didn't.
'You better be right,' John sent the mental thought to her.
'Or all of this bullshit will be for nothing.'
. . .
"That stench-"
Rdvas lurched forward at the feeling of a barrel pressing into his back, thus interrupting what he intended to say. His low growls went unnoticed or better yet this Demon ignored them as she tilted her head.
"What are you on about?"
"The creatures that were encountered before," he refused to use the word 'we', to imply that they were in cahoots. Apart of a whole. "Possessed this same...scent. It is stronger here." He raised one hand to point towards the opening of the building.
Lights flooded the area at the base of the hill-side's opening, guiding the way.
Rdvas and Holland threw a glance at each other. Neither were sure of what to do at this point. But she couldn't call reinforcements in to handle an unknown- there was the potential of being slaughtered. And he sure as hell couldn't call anyone, what with being a captive.
"So keep close and you might not die. Or whatever it is those things do to you. I want to know what's inside this bunker."
"As you wish," Rdvas snarled, taking the first steps forward.
"RARGGGGGH-SSSSssss!"