Disclaimer: I can't believe that this still has to be said, but Halo is all Bungie's. Any attempts to sue the author will net you at most one of my doomsday devices (Go ahead and take, I have more!).
A/N: This chapter is going to be contentious. This is your warning.
And ongoing thanks to my betas, Tikigod and vrbtny. They help make this story possible (and having some semblance to English instead of lower Slobovian).
"Spartans don't hurt other Spartans. And you are a Spartan. You are one of us." - Kelly-087
1100 Hours, October 13th, 2552 (Military Calendar) / 1st Spartan Combat Group, Captured Covenant CCS-class Battlecruiser Truth and Reconciliation, Caria System, Sector 259.
The last phase of any boarding action is to sweep every nook and cranny on the ship to make sure that the new crew is not sharing their vessel with the old crew. So it would have come as no surprise to anyone aboard to see teams of Spartans and ODSTs patrolling the corridors and compartments of the Truth and Reconciliation, searching every viable hiding spot for Covenant survivors. There were few, though they were dealt with easily enough.
Among the sweeper teams were Spearhead team, minus their shock trooper. Though they were participating in the sweep, that was not their real objective at the moment. Rather, it was the whereabouts of the final missing member of their team, Wa-514. As they went about their search, it was noticeable to any passerby that they had their weapons at the ready.
"Shouldn't we call the Commander and tell him that's gone AWOL on FTB?" Richard asked.
"I've been trying, but he's not answering." Nicole responded. "I'll try to get Carter to help us."
"Ya know, if we need their help then it's already too late." Steven commented.
"Oh, stop worrying. You're not helping." Nicole shot back as she opened the channel.
It was worrying, and not just to Steven, but to the entire team. Every Spartan-IV knew what was going on, what FTB really meant. Nature exists in balance and the level of control that Wa could exert on the monster in him was dependent on how often he could let it free to roam and slaughter without any inhibition. It was quite simple and effective, letting Wa vent his blood lust on the Covenant after a battle in a controlled environment. It kept the monster within him in check. Feed The Beast now, before it feeds on you later. They could only hope that they'd be able to cordon off the area and let Wa take care of his "business" before any unfortunate personnel, including other Spartans, found him first.
"Noble one here. Go ahead, Spearhead." Carter announced through the channel.
"Spearhead one here. Requesting assistance. 514 FTB, but we're lost track of him."
A awkward silence lingered for a few moments. "Say again. You've lost track of him?"
"That's affirmative."
Now Carter's voice grew worried. "Does Blue one acknowledge?"
"Negative."
"Copy that. Noble is en route. Noble one out."
John couldn't believe that Wa could move this fast. Despite the massive weight of his armor and equipment as well as the... injuries to his face, the shock trooper was almost as fast as he was. John's instinct to hold fire on another Spartan didn't help matters, but he shoved it aside; this thing, the shock trooper, was not a Spartan. Beside him, Kelly was frozen with shock and horror, her hands unable and unwilling to lift her weapon against Wa despite knowing that he meant to kill her and John.
There was no such hesitation in 514's eye. There was only blood lust and the joy of spotting new victims. This thing, this man-animal, didn't recognize them. There were no thoughts in his mind, only a maelstrom of power and rage. In this most primal state, Wa-514 didn't exist, only the behemoth that was Ackerson's last twisted creation. The iron smell of blood was in the air, and it would not stop until everything around it was dead.
There was not much distance between them. Time slowed as adrenaline kicked in. Even in this state of accelerated consciousness, John had to work to bring the SCR's sights onto his target. Wa charged towards them in a straight line, making no attempts to throw off John's aim. The Commander aimed for the exposed portions of 514's head and fired.
Whatever had inflicted the grievous wound on Wa had also disabled his shields, allowing the rounds connected with the shock trooper's skull. But not even the super 7's could pierce through his nanotube reinforced Titanium-C cranium. The rounds ricocheted off or detonated, ripping off more flesh and only throwing him off for a moment. John shoved Kelly, nearly catatonic, out of the way right before Wa was on them.
In all the years of combat, John had never felt anything hit him as hard as the Shock Trooper did. The two smashed into the walls, pushing clean through the bulkhead into the next compartment. John's armor automatically snapped into lock down. Pain flared through every neuron. Blood spurted out of his mouth as his blackened vision returned to normal. John's lungs struggled to draw air as he tried to push himself back up against the ruins of the back wall.
John reached for his sidearm. But before he could even take aim, Wa was already on him, sending the commander flying with a powerful backhand. For the second time in mere seconds, John was sent crashing into the bulkheads and leaving an armor indentation in the metal walls.
"John!"
Kelly's cry shook him out of his stupor. She had evidently shaken out of hers as well, stepping through the hole in the wall with her rifle at the ready. Wa turned on the newcomer, anxious for some real resistance, but John wasn't about to let him give Kelly the same punishment that he'd just been put through. Frantically searching for his pistol, he noticed it at the far corner of the room, out of his immediate range. Out of options, John electrified his gauntlet and reached for the shock trooper.
For the first time since the fight began, Wa howled in pain as megawatts of electricity coursed through him. Seeing his opening, John latched himself onto his back. As Wa tried to throw him off, John reached for his combat knife and plunged it into the shock trooper's throat. But the knife didn't cut through, simply sliding off and revealing a grayish black synthetic weave beneath the skin.
John recognized the material. It was a weave of carbon and inorganic nanotubes with sheer thickening fluid layers, the same fabric that is the primary component of the black body suit underneath the Mjolnir armor. That fabric was capable of stopping anything up to 14.5mm fire. The knife was not going to punch through in one strike.
John found his calf in a vice grip as the monster ripped him off his back and threw the commander onto the wayside, opting to move on Kelly instead. 514 charged at her only to dodge the strike before rolling away to gain some distance. Kelly looked back at Wa's feet, seeing the TBX grenade she had left behind detonate. The two Spartans watched as the powerful fuel air explosion consumed the shock trooper. To their shock, 514 emerged from the smoke dazed and hunched over, but hardly worse for wear.
As the monster gathered his surroundings, John saw the one thing that could promise them victory: the M800 LAW that he had before now lying several meters away from him. Kelly saw it too and the two Spartans instantly decided on their plan. Before Wa could recover, Kelly charged him, jumping onto the giant's knees before flipping back for a powerful upward kick to his skull. Such a strike would have killed anyone else, but as Wa simply staggered back a few steps, Kelly knew that she had only bought a few seconds for John as the commander picked up the launcher and fired off the 76mm HEDP shell.
This time, the explosion caught the shock trooper right in the face, blowing off what remained of his already shattered helmet and sending the giant tumbling into the wall. Though horrified that Wa had yet again survived what should have killed probably any other living creature, John wasn't surprised and drew his only remaining weapon: his combat knife. Not willing to risk another hand-to-hand confrontation, 117 threw the blade into the one spot that he thought would make a differences. 514 roar in pain as the knife embedded itself into his right eye. As the giant flailed around in agony and confusion, Kelly took the initiative Spartan-Style: charging in and delivering a thrust kick into the knife, driving the blade almost entirely into his skull and finally dropping the shock trooper.
Kelly hesitated for a moment, her breath shallow as her mind reeled from shock of what she had just done to another Spartan. But as she snapped out of the freeze and helped her commander back onto his feet, they heard an enraged roar. Behind them, Wa rose to his feet with the knife embedded in his right eye. The shock trooper ripped the blade out and crushed it in his hand as blood poured out of a new wound.
"How is he still alive?" Kelly asked, a slight bit of panic in her voice.
"I don't know." John replied with a hoarse tone. He took Kelly's PDR from her back. But he knew that their weapons wouldn't help. If TBX grenades, a rocket, and that knife to his cranium didn't stop Wa, nothing that they currently had on them would. John finally came to appreciate the degree to which Ackerson succeeded with Project Typhon. All the Spartan's training, all his experiences, counted for naught against an opponent who simply had no identifiable physical weaknesses.
There was only one option left.
They ran.
As the two Spartans bolted back through the hole in the wall, John attempted to open a channel to Cortana. The AI could send help. Before he could say a word, though, John caught at the corner of his vision a massive piece of deck plating coming right at them.
Then, darkness.
Kelly struggled for air as she struggled to push the deck plate off. It weighed almost as much as a warthog. She noticed that John wasn't helping her. Kelly took off her helmet, the visor had so many cracks that it obscured her vision. Taking a look around for her best friend, Kelly realized that he was out cold against the far wall; the impact had flung them to opposite sides of the compartment. She could hear the booming footsteps of the shock trooper. He was coming through the hole. Only a single patch of skin running from his forehead to his right eye was still there, the rest of his head exposed as metal.
Kelly struggled against the fear gripping her. She was afraid not for herself; as much of a juggernaut Wa was, she could leave him in the dust with her unrivaled speed and agility. She was terrified for John. Kelly was closer to Wa, but he ignored her and focused on John. The sad realization sunk in that there was nothing she could to save her best friend.
It was then that Kelly snapped. Memories of the past flooded into her mind. Memories of Sam, of Chi Ceti. Of how powerless she had been to save him. Of how John had all but ripped her away from Sam to save her. This time, though, the executioner was not the absolute vacuum of space, but one of their own. Time slowed around Kelly as she made her decision, a choice against all logic. The Spartan burst into action, her feet carrying her forward faster than she had ever been.
Kelly slid to a halt right in between Wa and the unconscious John, her arms splayed apart to block the path.
"Please. Don't kill him."
"Please."
He recognized that word. The man-animal didn't know who this person standing before him was, but he recognized her words. She stood before him, unarmed with her arms apart. She did not mean to fight. She could not fight.
She was defenseless, all but offering herself to slaughter.
"I don't know what Ackerson did to you. But it doesn't have to be like this."
The man-animal within was confused.
He hesitated.
It was the gaze of her eyes.
It reminded him of her.
The simple fact that she was still breathing gave Kelly hope. Wa looked confused, cocking his head as a child would. The red receded somewhat from his single-remaining eye. Not that this helped make his overall image any less terrifying, but it was a start.
From the start, it was obvious that her weapons and fists were useless against something like Wa. So what else could she use? The answer was the opposite of what Spartans, as well as any other soldier, were taught, something beyond the "fight-or-flight" instinct ingrained into them through hours, days, years of training.
Her conciliatory words and her refusal to fight just might have a chance. While she was noted for her speed, a less-advertised trait she held above all other Spartans was her empathy. She had always been able to read others emotions, even non-Spartans, better than her brothers and sisters. While not normally a valuable trait for a Spartan to have, in this case it might save them both. Her instincts told her that this indiscriminate rage and blood lust possessing Wa was unnatural. Indeed, this almost seemed like an outside force. If she could break its hold over Wa, so would end his rampage.
Kelly pressed on.
"I know that what you are is not your fault. But you don't have to fight anymore. You don't have to fight." She pleaded. "Spartans don't hurt other Spartans. And you are a Spartan. You are one of us."
His shoulders slumped ever so slightly. Rage was draining from his eye, being slowly replaced with exhaustion.
Kelly smiled. He was responding to her pleas. Wa reached with his hand. His massive gauntlet touched her cheeks. Even though he had just tried to kill her and John and could crush even her augmented skull, Kelly didn't recoil.
Something moved at the corner of her vision. Then she felt something jerking her aside.
She saw John pushing her away, his gauntlet sparking with electricity.
"John, no!"
John landed an open hand strike right onto 514's jaw. The electrified blow stunned the shock trooper and gave the Commander his opening.
"Kelly, get out of here!" John shouted. He tackled Wa into the wall. Wa backhanded him, sending John skidding across the floor. As the shock trooper recovered, John pounced upon him again and streamed megawatts of electricity to his skull.
He should be dead. No one should be able to take that powerful an electrocution over and over and still be alive, much less standing. But nevertheless, it was at least working to weaken him. The flesh still clinging to Wa's skull charred.
Somehow, Wa was still able to fight back. John felt his leg in a vice grip before Wa ripped him off. With a solid grip on his lower calf, the shock trooper repeatedly smashed John against the walls and floor like a rag doll. He had lost track of how many times he had been smashed into the bulkheads. John only knew that it ended because he felt a massive fist pounding against his guts before Wa switched to pummeling the commander's face, cracking his helmet like an egg.
"Please, stop it. Both of you." Kelly shouted as she tried to intervene again.
This time, however, Wa barely noticed her, opting to roughly shove her away as he attempted to go after John again. As for the Commander, he was struggling to breath and stay conscious, fighting not to choke on his own blood. He was fairly certain due to this that his left lung had collapsed. He was also aware that a number of his ribs, not to mention his arms and left leg were definitely broken or dislocated- in some cases both. To top it all off, his tendons were torn. Through the years of war, he had been shot, blown up, burned, bludgeoned, stabbed and even all of them at once a couple times before, but this was the first time he had ever felt so completely incapacitated.
He could barely move, let alone fight back.
John knew that this was the end for him. He had always imagined that he would meet his maker on the battlefield against the Covenant. He was sorry not for dying itself, but that it would be absolutely meaningless. Another wasted life. Compounding this, a pit formed in his stomach as he realized that Kelly would be here to watch it. It had been hard enough on her to leave Sam behind. Being forced to watch his passing would be too cruel. He almost wanted to tell her to leave, to apologize for having it happen right before her eyes.
Abruptly, he heard a scream, though it wasn't Kelly's, Wa's or even his own. It had a distinctly masculine tone, though it was distorted by something else that John couldn't put his finger on at the moment. Before he could contemplate this, however, a massive armored boot stomped right in front of his field of vision as Wa struggled to regain balance.
Then John finally saw it. There was another Spartan on the shock trooper's back. It was Richard-701, the pint-sized assault specialist of Spearhead team. Before Wa could react, more Spartans threw themselves onto him in order to restrain him. Their combined strength and weight was enough to hold him back, barely. Wa attempted to throw them off and to smash them against the bulkheads and succeeded with a couple, but they latched themselves back onto him as more Spartans jumped into the fray.
"Someone grab the other leg!" Carter shouted as he hung on Wa's left leg and tried to unbalance the shock trooper before 514 smashed him loose against Jorge.
"We could use some help here!" Jorge shouted at Kelly as he picked himself off the floor and jumped onto Wa's shoulder, prompting Kelly to join in. A total of nine Spartans latching themselves onto every part of his body finally brought Wa down to the floor. That was the last he saw of the scene before darkness once again claimed him.
"Come on, big guy. Snap out of it." Steven shouted as he hung onto Wa's forearm. For his trouble, Steven found himself flung off into the distance again.
Nicole locked her arms around Wa's neck in a choke hold. They knew that even a Spartan strength choke hold could only slow him down thanks to Ackerson's augmentations that ensured that his airways could never be totally restricted. But that might be enough to calm him down.
"It's me, Wa. It's Nikki."
With another feral roar, lifted his right arm and smashed Jonathan and Kat into the ground, breaking their hold on him before kicking them away. With his free arm, he ripped the other Spartans off of him one by one and sending them across the compartment.
The was one last Spartan still hanging onto his back. Wa reached over his shoulder, gripping the last Spartan by the neck as he brought his arm back.
Then her saw her eyes again. But this time, Kelly's eyes weren't pleading with him. They were in pain. She was struggling to breath as his iron grip threatened to snap her neck.
At that sight, conscious thought streamed back into Wa's mind. Why was he doing this to her? What did she do to deserve this? Why are so many Spartans lying dazed and wounded on the ground? The blood red mist coloring his vision faded away. That overpowering desire to wring flesh from bone simply disappeared.
The stinging pain came next. His flesh was on fire, but his head was freezing. As the last of the sea of adrenaline drained away from his system, 514 released his grip on Kelly, dropping her onto the ground before collapsing himself.
