I wake up some time later on a metal chair with some strange kind of bindings holding my legs together securely while there's secondary straps over top them, my waist, chest, shoulders and multiple places on my arms down to two large ones holding my forearms down to the arms of the obviously specially made chair for holding someone as strong as me or possibly stronger.
I groan sorely as I cough a bit, trying to blink away the fog and disorientation as I begin to wake up. I hear the door to the otherwise empty room slide open as someone strides in confidently as my vision clears and can see, not just vaguely feel the bindings holding me down. But that's not entirely what shocks and worries me - my armor plates have been removed and I'm left only in the skin tight black body suit which is the first layer of MJOLNIR armor.
"So nice you decided to return to us of your own free will. And with such a nice suit of armor you brought for us... It wont be long however they send people to rescue you and bring us more subjects, armor, and equipment." the person states quite calmly as they fiddle with something on a table out of my view as I begin to struggle and try to break free of the bindings growling defiantly.
"It is too bad your clones were just as uncooperative as you are. A real disappointing waste." they state tiredly as the lights flicker and they pause a moment.
"My my. How quick they responded. Ooooh. And with a Mark 6 and more mark 7's!" they pipe delighted as I use every ounce of strength I can muster to try and wrench the bindings from their supports.
"Oh my. How quickly you've regained your strength. That'll never do." they mutter to themselves, moving around behind me quickly and begins messing with some other things before they quickly move over and puts an injector gun to one of the ports for my body suit and injects me with a sedative that hits me immediately, disorienting me and my head drops back with a hard thud against the metal of the chair as I exhale a defiant growl.
"This wont knock you out. It'll just disorient you enough that you cannot muster your incredible strength. It would be no good if you broke free." they explain simply before walking back behind me and drops the injector gun on a table with a clatter.
"Bas-tard..." I manage to huff as the medication makes it difficult for me to take each breath as an invisible weight presses down on my chest, making each breath hard to take in as my eyelids sink to half open, making me fight to reopen them when I blink.
"Dammit all..." I think to myself as I try to think of a way out so those coming wont wind up in the same boat as me.
But its too late as the person walks over on my right and aims a gun at my chest just as the door slides open.
Three shots ring out as my father strides into the room with his rifle levelled, but it droops in shock as another with him shoots the person with a kind of tazer that immediately drops the person before they can continue firing.
I'm so drugged I hardly feel much as the bullets tear into my body but I know from experience that person has just put all three into my heart and left lung from the sensation of warm fluid flowing over the body suit from the middle of my chest. My head drops back and lulls to the side after locking eyes with my father's golden faceplate before his split-second hesitation ends and he secures the automatic rifle to the mag strips on the back of his suit before he begins ripping the restraints off my body before another soldier unloads a can of bio foam into my chest.
"The... boys...?" I question, pooling my last ounces of strength to hold on long enough as I steadily loose the war to keep my eyes open and they slide closed.
"Safe..." I hear the other person confirm as I feel two arms slide under my body and lift me off the chair, blood sliding down my cheek from my nose and mouth with each breath pushing more out.
"Hang on." I hear someone's voice order in the distance as I let my body fall limp, unable to hold any tension in my muscles anymore as the person begins moving quickly.
"I'm sorry..." I exhale as that heaviness evaporates to total weakness as tears slide down my cold, greying skin as I loose touch with everything and accepts my punishment for letting my own ambitions blind me and get myself killed like this.
I knew how hard it'd hit my father over anyone about my loss. But I still stupidly rushed in without thinking. And now its my loved ones who will suffer the most for my mistakes. But what can I do now? My heart's probably now in more pieces than a glass vase after its been dropped two stories to concrete.
"Live to fight another day." The almost ghostly voice surprises me. Not only by the fact I had heard it, but it sounded a lot like Samuel's, just younger! But with a definite command to his words that Samuel never had.
"Spartan's never die." I hear my uncle Kurt's voice say through gritted teeth in physical agony, like he'd expected them to be his last.
"WAKEUP YOU MORON!" Someone screams so loudly I swear it was from right inside my head and it is so startling my eyes snap immediately open and I jolt into an upright position on an infirmary bed, but the motion makes me immediately regret it and groan in agonized pain as I lay back down with the help of a couple pairs of arms that I guess belong to the fuzzy shapes of people I'd seen.
"Works every time." I hear Maria's voice chime with self satisfaction.
"I'll kill you later..." I grumble painfully as I hold my eyes shut.
"You are a moron though. Ignoring direct orders to pull out because the boy's had been located and rescued shortly after you got into that building..." I hear Arthur scold grumpily and I swallow trying to ease the desert fire that is in my throat.
"That woulda been nice to know... But I got none of it. The AI must've infiltrated my suit's systems before knocking me out after that man shot Junior.. My com was silent the entire time." I explain slowly, minding my breathing and movements because it feels like I've been cut open and reorganized.
"Did you touch anything going in?" I hear my mother ask suddenly with interest as I feel a warm hand gently wrap its fingers around mine, making me smile and relax slightly.
"The door. It shows on the video." My aunt Kelly answers a bit puzzled as I gently tighten my fingers around those holding mine.
"Hi Sol." I mutter gently, feeling his hand gently squeeze mine confirmingly.
"That'd do it." I hear my mother's AI confirm and I tense slightly when I feel a pang of pain radiate through my entire body making my breath catch a moment before I relax, panting slightly.
"So I guess going in my clothes mighta been a better idea." I half joke, opening one of my eyes to look at my mother, getting a flat scolding look from her.
"Its not funny." she scolds and I look at her sympathetically before Sol, firmly forces her closer to me and places my hand on hers.
"I love you too mom." I open both my eyes as I look up at her gently, comfortingly holding her hand as she looks between Sol and I. It takes her a few silent seconds to sort out the sentiment's from Sol's pushing her closer to me and putting her hand in mine, to my words, holding her hand comfortingly in mine.
"You idiot. When your father brought your body back..." she begins as her emotions break through as tears begin sliding down her cheeks and with a gentle but quick motion I pull her down to me, comfortingly holding my arm around her as I hold her in my arms regretfully while she sobs emotionally into my shoulder.
"Yeah... I'm a dummy. But I'm your dummy." I soothe quietly, letting her get her emotions and crying all out before I let her stand back up as she looks down at me still obviously remembering something that upsets her deeply and I use the blanket as an oversized handkerchief to wipe the stray tears off her face tenderly.
"Now stop crying. I didn't stay dead. Just imagine those people who wanted me dead. They think right now I'm dead. They'll begin focusing on other places and giving me lots more freedom to help bring them down. Right Cortana?" I explain before I close my eyes wearily, smirking amused.
"Even I had to be impressed when we got the armor back... Your plan worked. We now have viable ways to block them from our systems. And importantly, keep your survival a secret." My mothers AI self muses slightly impressed as I hear the others shift slightly as I begin to dose off.
"It's so simple. A spider caught in its own web. I had a dream and while suiting up, deja vu. So I had Cortana scrap a trap together and hide it within my armor's HTML so it would copy the AI that took control and left a small trace in his programming. Like, Grandma Halsey taught me how to do." I explain, getting obviously tired out from all this.
"Get some sleep, there's plenty of time to confuse us later..." I hear Sol advise gently, feeling his warm hand rest on my forehead which makes me smile very slightly.
"That's not hard... Sock man." I tease him as I relax, letting myself slowly relax, hearing my aunt snicker slightly while my mother questions.
"Sock... Man?" she muses puzzled as I hear him grunt.
"Perhaps you would indulge our curiosity." my father's voice cuts in from the distance the sleep has taken me until I dose off fully. But not before I hear Arthur snicker amused.