Chapter 52: Sparring
A Brute had bowed on one knee before a human, a relatively short one at that, and as they walked back towards the open portal John wondered just how powerful The Crimson King was that he could convince a large number of Brutes, one of the most religiously fanatical races of the former Covenant Empire, to do that. The Master Chief determined that either The Crimson King had powers of persuasion that went far beyond that of a normal being, or that the Brutes followed him out of fear. The former option seemed the most likely. The Grunts and even the Jackals could be intimidated into following whoever was the strongest at the time, but such methods did not work on Brutes, because they were too prideful and too stupid for simple intimidation to work.
"Ted we need to go. They are going to figure out we're gone any minute," Dinky said, standing by the open portal and looking at it anxiously.
"I would have felt it if they figured out we were gone," Ted said. He looked at John, "We still have twenty minutes before the next check, and I need to talk to John alone." His eyes began to flicker and he looked at the ground, putting a hand up to his chin, "No, you don't like people calling you by your first name. You prefer your rank, Master Chief Petty Officer."
John nodded, "It just Master Chief, or Chief."
The flickering in Ted's eyes stopped and he nodded looking back up at John, "This will only take a few minutes. There is something important I need to tell you." He glanced at Jake who was standing by Cortana, "In private please." John looked back at Cortana and the others. Roland was busy lighting the second to last cigarette in the pack and seemed not to be paying attention, although the Spartan knew that he was, and Eddie was sitting on a boulder fiddling with the safety on the UNSC pistol. His eyes locked with Cortana for a few moments before he followed Ted behind a group of large rocks several meters away from the group.
Once Ted had stopped John said, "Roland will be able to hear us from here."
"It doesn't matter, I just didn't want to others to hear what I'm about to say." Ted paused, his head turned slightly away from the Master Chief, staring off into the distance. His eyes flickered and he said, "You have fought the big guerillas before, only you call them Brutes or Jiralhanae. One almost killed you on the Unyielding Hierophant, the place where Linda 058 shot four Banshee pilots while holding a sniper rifle with one hand."
"And she was hanging upside down," John added. His shoulders sagged almost unnoticeably at the mention of Linda's name.
Ted's eyes went back to normal and he looked up at John, smiling, "Well I never said I was perfect. For example I have no idea what this Unyielding Hierophant or a Banshee is, I just know that's what you call them." The smile slowly left his face and he grew serious, seeming to age several years as a result, "I know you are an impatient man, although you do not often show it. It may seem like I am wasting your time right now, but please hear me out." John nodded and folded his arms, waiting for Ted to continue, although it was a few moments before the old man did. "I suspect you expect me to tell you some vision of the future I had, but that is not the case. I actually want to tell you about the past, my past." He starred into the space just past John again, although this time his eyes did not flicker, "I suspected I was psychic since I was six, and knew for certain by the time I was sixteen. I knew that my ability was rare, but I did not know just how rare my particular strength in the touch actually was. As it stands I'm the most powerful Breaker in Algul Siento." He took a breath and looked John in the eye, "I am powerful enough that I can kill people with just my mind. It only happened once, and it was an accident. I was being mugged by some kid and he took off with my wallet. As he was running away I got angry, and all it took was one malicious thought towards him. Physically it felt like I was throwing a spear right out of the top of my skull, and when it hit that kid he fell down dead." He shook his head, "I know it was an accident, that I didn't mean to do it, didn't even know I could do it, but it is still something I have to live with."
"Why are you telling me this," John asked, his face expressionless.
"Because," Ted said. "Jake is strong in the touch. Not as strong as me, not strong enough to be lethal, but…" He paused, as if looking for the right words, "If he were to be pushed, if he thought his life was in danger, if his life was actually in danger…" He paused again, gathering his thoughts. "The big guerillas, his ruger pistol is not powerful enough to stop them."
John shook his head, "No."
Ted nodded "Then you know what you have to do." He looked past John towards the other side of The Little Needle rock formation, "There is an old bunker on the other side of the plateau. Should give you folks a place to sleep." He smiled again, "And I'm sure Cortana will be able to get it open."
"She will," John said.
Ted nodded and walked past him, but just as we was about to move around a boulder he turned back to look at the Spartan. "In Algul Siento they feed us these pills every day. It is supposed to amplify our physic abilities, bring down the Beam quicker." He hung his head, "They used children didn't they? Took something out of their minds and crammed it into those pills."
John nodded, "Yes, they are from a place called the Calla."
Ted nodded slowly and then walked away.
…
It was a bunker, the walls made of cold concrete, built for some 20th century war by a people long forgotten in mid-world. A people who had destroyed themselves in the days before the rise of Arthur Eld. There were only five rooms inside. One was a small storage closet where food and toiletries had been kept, another was a miniature barracks with ten bunk beds, their foam mattresses still surprisingly soft, or at least what passed for soft in the military (Cortana surmised that what kept everything in the bunker in relatively good condition was the fact that it was sealed off completely from the elements). There was also an officer's quarters with two single beds inside, and Cortana had spent a few moments pushing them together. There were blankets, stiff and stale smelling, but at least they were intact and would provide some warmth. The main room had dozens of crates pushed up against the wall; all stamped with the words Property United States Army, and Cortana was busy looking at one of them. Roland and John sat on two of the boxes opposite each other, the blue steeled revolvers disassembled in front of them and oiled rags in their hands. Eddie sat alone a few meters away, quickly teaching himself how to disassemble and reassemble the UNSC pistol.
"From what I've been able to gather from the computer system in the bunker, this used to be a research facility before it was turned into a storage area," Cortana said, running her hand on the side of the crate that she was looking at. "I found a reference to something called Life Form 8722, but other than the fact that the numbers add up to nineteen there is no hint as to what it might be. There was also a reference to Project Freelancer's forward research facility, but again no hint as to what that actually is or what they were researching there."
"What kind of weapons do they have?" John asked.
Cortana sighed, "The vast majority of the weapons come from Earth's late 20th to early 21st century. M16s, M4s, M9s, modified M14s with optical scopes, M18 Claymore mines, Barrett M90 anti material rifles, and of course your favorite C4."
"How effective are they?" Roland asked, pushing the oiled cloth through one of the chambers in his revolver.
"Against Grunts and Jackals the M16s, M4s, M9s, and M14s should be relatively effective, and of course they will be able to kill can-toi and taheen easily. The problem is the Brutes. With them only the anti material rifle will be anywhere close to effective." She began to rub her chin, still looking at the labeling on the crate in front of her, "I was thinking Jake could use that. It's a little big for him but…"
John shook his head, "Eddie should man it. Jake will be taking part in the main assault."
Eddie looked up and said, "How many of those walking apes do you think I will be able to kill with that thing?"
"A lot, if your good with it," John said, not looking up at him.
"Eddie is a good shot," Roland said. He closed his left eye and looked down the barrel of the great revolver, "As good as Jake is. As good as any gunslinger."
"Still only tied for third in the ka-tet," Eddie mumbled, returning his attention to the pistol.
Cortana put her hands on her hips, "Well who is the best shot then?"
"I am," Roland said almost immediately.
John glanced up at him and then back down at the disassembled revolver, "We'll see." As he began to reassemble it he asked, "Are there any other weapons?"
"Two," Cortana said, looking again at the crate in front of her. "One we already knew about, and the other just confuses me."
"What are they?" John asked.
Cortana smiled, "Come here and take a look. I think you are going to like this."
John holstered the revolver in the gun belt and got up, his knee popping painfully as he did and he bit the inside of his cheek. He walked beside Cortana and read the labeling on the crate that she had been looking at. It stood a few inches taller than him and the words stamped on its wooden surface were in bold black lettering.
NORTH CENTRAL POSITRONICS
"PROJECT FREELANCER"
EXPERIMENTAL POWERED ARMORED EXOSKELETON
DEVELOPED AT
343 INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH FACILITY, NV
PROPERTY UNITED STATES ARMY
"I thought you might like this," Cortana said as she saw the corners of John's mouth tick upward slightly. "We know that what Project Freelancer developed was similar to the UNSC's MIJOLNIR, although I have still not been able to figure out how they managed to do that."
"Doesn't matter," John said. "When can you have it ready?"
"Don't make me regret showing this to you," Cortana said. She cocked her hips and glanced down at the area just below John's gun belt. "I have a vested interest in making sure you don't stay in the suit twenty-four seven like you use too." She looked back up at him a smiled, "I kind of like you with a tan." Roland glanced over at the two of them quickly and then back down at his revolver, sliding the bullets slowly into each chamber.
"How long?" John repeated.
Cortana sighed, "Two days." She gestured with her hand at the crates surrounding the one with the armor, "I also need to assemble the machine that will put the armor on for you, considering we don't have any rampant robots to do that for us this time."
"We will need that amount of time to scout the perimeter of the prison," Roland said. He spun the revolver around his finger, the gun turning into a blur as he did, and with a final twirl put it neatly back into its holster.
"I'm going out tonight," John said. He looked at Cortana who had a frown on her face, "I move faster on my own, unless you want Jake to go."
Cortana shook her head, "No, I would rather not have a repeat of what happened at the Dogan."
John nodded. He looked around the room and asked, "What was the weapon that confused you?"
Cortana bent down and picked up a small wooden box, setting it on top of a larger crate. She pointed at the labeling on it, "Other than the symbol of a leaf there is nothing as to what is inside this thing." She began looking at the floor around her, "If I could only find a crowbar…" The wood splintered as John ripped the top of the box open with his hand, both Roland and Eddie looking up at the sound it made, like dry branches breaking off of a tree. Cortana shrugged, "That works."
John reached in and pulled out a small metal object. It was in the shape of a small sharp dagger on the end connected to a narrow shaft, which in turn connected to a metal loop. "What is it?" Eddie asked, craning his neck to try and see what the Master Chief was holding. Without looking John threw the weapon behind him and it landed in between Eddie's legs, sinking several inches into the crate. With some effort Eddie pulled the weapon out and examined it, "Looks almost like something you would see in a martial arts movie."
"They're shurikens," Cortana said, picking one up as well. "What would the U.S. Army be doing with weapons that belong in feudal Japan?"
Eddie shook his head and gave a forced, half hearted laugh, "You are still trying to make sense out of this stuff?" He stuffed the shuriken into the pocket of his jeans and started to disassemble the pistol again.
"That reminds me," Cortana said and fished into the pocket of her own jeans. She pulled out a vacuum sealed bag of cotton swabs and four sealed vials. "They have DNA analysis here. It will be slow, at least by my standards, but I'm hoping to take a look at yours and Roland's mitochondrial DNA to see just how closely related you two are."
Eddie shook his head again, "I can already tell you the answer to that. Nineteen generations. I'm willing to place money on it."
Cortana frowned, "You are probably right, but I would rather not assume that to be the case." She tore open the sealed plastic bag of cotton swabs and held one of them up to John's mouth, "Open." John raised an eyebrow and she sighed, "Please." John opened his mouth and she rubbed the swab against the inside of his cheek, quickly placing it into one of the vials once she was done and sealing it back up tightly. Cortana pulled out another swab and walked up to Roland who eyed it suspiciously.
"How is spit going to tell us how many generations apart me and the Spartan are?" Roland asked.
"Deoxyribonucleic Acid," Cortana said, holding the swab a few inches from the gunslingers mouth.
He moved his head away from it and said, "Another non-word."
"It is not a non-word. Now open," Cortana said sternly. The gunslinger sighed and opened his mouth, licking the place where Cortana rubbed him with the swab once she was done. As she put the swab into the vial she said, "I'm going to take a sample of Jake's DNA too. I know he is your adopted son, but there are enough similarities between him, you, and the Chief that I want to make sure. Where is he by the way?"
"Setting up traps to catch whatever game can survive here," Roland replied. He glanced towards the door which opened up to the stair case leading to the outside and said, "He is coming down right now."
"Good," John said. He unhooked his gun belt and set on the crate next to the box of shurikens.
Cortana turned around to look at him, "What are you doing?" John did not reply and he folded his arms as the door opened and Jake walked into the bunker, still wearing the same blood stained shirt as before.
"Jake," John said. The boy looked up at him and he continued, "Go to the middle of the room. We are sparring." Jake looked at Roland who nodded his head. The boy smiled, removed the ruger pistol and the holster that carried it, and walked into the middle of the room.
John began to take a step forward but Cortana put a hand on his chest. "What do you think you are doing?" she whispered to him. "He's twelve. You can't expect him to fight you."
John shook his head, "He is old enough. You did not see what we saw underneath the Dixie Pig, or what he did to the Wolves back in the Calla."
He started to move forward again but Cortana pressed harder, "You could kill him if you are not careful." Her eyes widened as she saw the look he was giving her, recognizing it instantly. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand off his chest, and then walked past her. John unsheathed his combat knife and without any warning flung it end over end at Jake's head. The boy's hand snapped upward, the movement so fast it was almost undetectable, and he caught the knife by the handle, the tip of the blade inches from his face.
John nodded, "Good." Cortana sat down on the crate next to Roland, looking worryingly between the two of them. "Has Roland taught you hand to hand techniques?"
Jake twirled the combat knife easily in his hand before grasping it firmly again, the point of the knife facing away from his body, and the laser sharpened blade facing outward towards John. "He has taught me a few things. What are the rules?"
"None," John said. "You try to kill me, and I try to kill you."
The smile on Jake's face faded, "Kill you?"
"Yes," John said his voice cold. "Or I will." He widened his stance and brought his fists up, "Begin."
Jake hesitated, and then ran towards the Master Chief, slashing the combat knife outwards towards his abdomen. The Spartan sensed that the boy was holding back, not really meaning to harm him, and he dodged his movements easily by stepping backwards, and then around Jake. The boy attempted to turn around to face him again, but John brought up his leg and kicked Jake in the side, holding back just enough of his strength so as to not shatter his ribs. Jake fell to the ground coughing, and John stood over him, "Get up," He said. "We are fighting Brutes. They are taller and stronger than me, and they will not let you lie on the ground while you catch your breath." He kicked Jake in the stomach and the boy went up into the air, landing back on the concrete three meters away.
Cortana attempted to stand up but Roland threw out an arm over her chest, "Let them finish."
Jake quickly got onto his feet, twirled the knife in his hand until the tip of the blade was held by his thumb and forefinger and threw it at the Master Chief. John tilted his head as the knife sailed past his head, and it landed with a clang against the far wall. "Do not throw your knife unless you know you are not going to miss."
"I didn't," Jake said, gritting his teeth, standing uneasily on his two legs. John felt a warm trickle run down his cheek and for half a second was distracted. Jake took his opportunity and charged at him, jabbing with his fist towards the Master Chief's kidney. John caught the boy's fist with his hand and Jake swung with his left towards his other kidney, but that one was caught as well. John brought his knee up to Jake's stomach and Cortana could almost feel the rush of air that escaped from his lungs. Moving around the boy again who was busy clutching his stomach in pain, John brought his elbow down on the back of his head and Jake went flying forward, holding out his hands just in time to avoid smashing his face on the concrete. He spun around on his back, planning on kicking upward into the Spartan's groin, but his eyes grew wide as the Master Chief brought his boot up over Jake's head.
At this Cortana pushed Roland's arm out of the way and stood up, "John stop!" He ignored her and brought the back of his heel down. It stopped just inches from Jake's head as if struck by an invisible barrier. There was the rushing sound of wind and Cortana was knocked off her feet and back down on the crate. She looked up quickly and saw John flying through the air. He hit the far wall and the concrete crumbled as his body connected.
Eddie stared at him, his mouth open, as John stood slowly up and wiped the blood off the back of his head which was flowing from an open cut. "Holy shit," Eddie muttered. He looked at Jake who was slowly rising to his feet, "Holy fucking shit."
Jake's lip was bleeding and he smiled as he wiped it off with the back of his forearm, "I got you."
John nodded, "Good." He looked down and saw the combat knife lying on the floor beside him. He kicked it over to Jake who picked it up, "Again."
…
Cortana frowned as Jake took his blood stained shirt off. His stomach was covered in dark welts, and bruises were all over his arms and shoulders, his skin more black and blue than its normal tanned white complexion. They were in what was to be her and John's room, Cortana sitting in the middle of the two single beds that had been pushed together while Jake stood in front of her. "How do you feel?" she asked.
"Sore," Jake said, tossing the shirt into the corner. "But I'm alright."
"You better be," Cortana muttered, ripping open a vacuum sealed package of small sized tan ACU shirts.
Jake smiled, "It was fun once I got the hang of it. I tossed John back four times."
"And he tossed you around the room more times than I could count," Cortana said, unfolding one of the shirts.
Jake stopped smiling and asked, "You are not mad at him are you?"
Cortana shook her head, "No, at least not now that I understand what he was doing." She handed a shirt to him and watched as he pulled it over his head, "Me and him just see you differently, that's all."
"I think he sees me the same way Roland does," Jake said, tucking the shirt into his jeans. "A gunslinger, not a kid."
Cortana gave a half smile, "And that is exactly the problem." She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead, "Go get some sleep, I'm going to need your help tomorrow getting the MJOLNIR ready.
Jake shrugged his shoulders, "Or me and John could spend the day sparring."
Cortana punched him lightly in the shoulder and the boy winced as her fist connected with a bruise, "Don't push your luck. Now go to bed."
Jake sighed, "Alright." He waved at her as he walked out of the room, "Night." Cortana waited for him to leave and then reached into her pocket. She pulled out the last empty vial and the bag of cotton swabs. She took one and rubbed it against the inside of her mouth.
…
She felt the bed next to her sag as John got in, and the movement caused her to wake up. The room was almost completely dark, but the red light coming from the fire alarm allowed her eyes to adjust enough to see that he had his shirt off and was currently pulling his dog tags of his head. He placed them on the metal bed post beside him and looked down at her, "You're awake."
"I missed you too," she said. "How long were you gone?"
"Ten hours," John said. "I have most of Algul Siento scouted out."
Cortana sat up in the bed and asked, "Ten hours, is it morning already?"
In the darkness she just barely saw him shake his head, "No it's still dark out. Roland was right, the days are not normal anymore." He reached out and put his hand on top of hers, "Are you angry?"
Cortana sighed, "No, I was just scared. I wasn't sure how far you would go, or what you were trying to do." She looked at his face and found his eyes in the darkness, "You care about him don't you?" In the dark John's head nodded and she smiled at him, "Are you tired?"
"No,"
"Neither am I," Cortana said. She reached out with her hand and felt for his face. When she found it she moved her lips in to his. Pulling away she let the blanket fall off her shoulders, "And at least one of us is already undressed."
