Chapter 19 – One way out.

I woke with a start and in a cold sweat. The helmet read that I'd only been out for about fifteen minutes.

That can't be right, it felt like hours. What was that dream anyways? Was Bornstellar messing with me? Did he need to know more about my past? Was this going to be my nightly routine, now?

The questions weren't going to get an answer anytime soon.

Blinking myself awake I tried to make out any shapes that would give me a clue as to where I was. Looking about, I realised I was perched atop an elevator that had fallen to the bottom of the shaft. Just above me, the open door that I had aimed to jump into remained open. Sitting up fired a pain along my left side, and I grunted, gasping for air as the pain expelled the air from my lungs. Reaching out, my hand clasped a cable and I calmed a little, tapping the helmet to try and reboot it.

…/ACTIVATE?\\\...

YES

NO

…/INITIALISING\\\...

My breathing slowed.

My kit is still working then…

"She couldn't have g-gotten far" a squeaky little voice said from a few stories up. I craned my neck and could hear voices coming from the open ledge that I'd tried to reach when I fell. How long had I been out? The mission timer in the corner of my visor suggested about… ten minutes? That couldn't be right, that dream had felt like it was happening in real time.

That dream…

There had been… something else, in there as well. I thought I was going crazy but I couldn't linger on it for long as the helmet began to translate more of the conversation.

"Find them, Unggoy, or I will kill half of your brothers for incompetence"

"Y-yes, my lord!" it replied before scampering off.

"Grunts…" a third voice huffed.

It was unmistakeably a brute.

"The Prophet was a fool to give them such a prominent role in his fleet."

The other voice, who I realised was likely Erun sighed in agreement. "It feels… wrong to agree with you, Ketarus, but I must. This campaign has become mired in politics and subterfuge."

"Maybe his brush with death will knock some sense into him" the Brute mused.

Erun made a noise that sounded like disgust.

"Tread carefully, Ketarus, I may allow such speculation, but I am not able to protect you from accusations of heresy."

"When the time for that comes, I will face it on my own."

"You talk as though our inquiries will only confirm our worst fears."

"I just want to know the truth, Erun. As do you, I expect."

The elite grunted in frustration.

"Humanity… they are, on the surface, no different to most of us." He said, his voice warbled and angry.

The Brute laughed, "they are squishier than the Lekgolo, as strong as grunts, and as disloyal and deceptive as the Kig'yar."

He sounded angry, but then, I would have no way of knowing if that's what anger sounded from his kind.

Erun replied and the translation software kept pace as best as it could.

"And yet they've survived us all for [approx. 22.568 Earth years]. We are no closer to wiping them from existence than we were four years ago. Progress has slowed to a crawl. Every planet that our search leads us, they infest the surface like [approx… 'ticks'], it's too perfect a scapegoat, don't you think?"

The Brute grunted in thought.

"Hmph, doesn't that just make it all the glorious. You Sangheili and your honour, I'd have expected you to think nothing of that."

"Well, I do, and it troubles me. I am a true believer, Ketarus; and yet since becoming a zealot I've seen… things, things that nibble at the edges of my mind."

"like [approx… 'ticks']" I couldn't see from here, but it sounded as though the brute was smiling.

"Very funny."

"So, you do have a sense of humour. I thought you had it sapped when you became Zealots."

The Elite ignored him, "What is it that you want out of all this?"

"The truth. I want to know who it is that we truly fight. You saw what I did on Actium. How they fought? My brothers were slaughtered in droves, by inferiors no less. And for what? For coordinates? To kill a few more humans?"

There was a long silence.

"You are not wrong, Ketarus; but the path demands sacrifice and we must pay it."

"I just want to know if my brothers died for the right reasons."

"hmph, Check the building next door, I'm going to finish up here. Let's be quick, the prophet is in a foul mood."

Their footsteps thunked against the hard floor above me and faded into nothingness.

So Erun is a curious Elite? I could relate to that, though his mystery was likely a million degrees separated from my own. Although if it wasn't that might just keep me alive…

Or it'll make things even worse.

Not wanting to find out which, I gathered myself and hooked my foot onto a set of service ladders that ran up to the nearest exit. My VISR lit up in the dark corridor. Nothing moved there. My feet tread along the corridor towards a fire escape that hung from its hinges, destroyed by an earlier battle. The alleyway I found myself in was tight, dirty and narrow. I followed it as it snaked along towards the edge of the city, winding between buildings as though they were giant concrete trees in a forest. A patrol of grunts could be heard waddling nearby and I froze, ducking down behind a dumpster as they bickered to each other about their masters.

Perhaps the covenant was not as chummy as we all believed they were. It made me wonder what would happen to them if they succeeded in wiping us out. How long could a union as toxic as that have any longevity? Then again, they'd probably been around a while before they encountered humans, so they'd likely go on as before.

I poked my head out and jogged to another building. Looking up, its walkways were covered and I knew that the links between these sets of buildings continued like that pretty much to the exit of the city. The door clicked open and I slipped inside, holding my weapon ready. It was quiet again, and, wishing to get a move on, I moved to the elevator with pounding ringing in my head and pulled it open.

This isn't a good idea, Maddie.

No, but its quick.

I pressed the button and stepped inside, breathing a sigh of relief as it travelled about ten floors up. Then, I yanked the emergency stop button and climbed up and out through the roof of the cart, standing in the cool darkness of the shaft, I could make out small scurrying noises.

They're in here too…

I doubt I'd be shot of them until I got out of the city. I was dreading facing that highway again but it was a bridge I'd cross when I came to it.

A smile crossed my lips.

Dad would have liked that one.

It was another long dark corporate corridor and I longed for a change of scenery. It was some kind of office for a healthcare company, which made the blackened walls all the more eerie as I passed discarded wheelchairs and moved slowly around shattered glass. Like a panther, or an apparition, I moved, willing my bruised body to do as it was told.

There was a corner up ahead and I slowed, taking my time and gripping the SMG close to my chest. My eye rounded the corner and I froze.

Erun!

I was about to move to the fire escape when a shot rang out in the dark. Green splotches panged across the wall beside me and I ducked, bringing the gun to bear on the grunt that had spotted me. With precision, I executed the grunt, his body slumped to the floor.

"She's here! Sire she's here!" Grunts shouted with glee as the chase began. I went for the stairs, rising two floors in leaps and bounds as the grunts ran after me. Out through the door I moved slowly and methodically, taking time to reload my gun that I really didn't have.

They could be anywhere…

This floor was flooded with light and I would need to cross it to reach the walkway. More gunfire, this time needles, cracked into dust around me.

"What's human for surrender?" read the translation software on my helmet.

"I don't know just yell at her or something"

"Why would that work?"

I spun, took a knee and slotted them both. The grunts behind them yelped and dove for cover before shooting back at me as I ran further along the corridor.

Where the hell is it?

I'd gotten lost.

It had to be around somewhere. By now I could hear large and heavy footsteps, all I had to fight this elite with was the pittance of ammunition left in my pistol, there was no time to reload now, and the large Kukri knife I'd pilfered from that corpse.

Then the building opened up and I could see the walkway through the window. It was damaged and I would have to jump but that was fine, it was a chance and a chance was I'll I needed. In a few moments I was round the corner, sprinting to my salvation. As my feet pounded down the corridor, my heart sank deep into the depths of my stomach.

A large foot emerged from the other side of the gap. Followed by a taught and muscled leg that could only belong to a Brute. I was right. In another step the catastrophically large animal was stood across the gap, waiting for me to jump so that it could pluck me from the ground like fallen fruit. I slid to a halt as it grinned, holding a large hammer in its grasp.

Eyes wide and full of terror, I turned the other way to escape, survival the only thing on my mind…

But the grunts were already there, and Erun was behind them, sword drawn.

"You're cornered, Rat." The Brute said, in broken English, "We have so much to discuss, you know. If you cooperate, I'll make sure your death is quick, I might even stop my brothers from feasting on your flesh afterwards and keep you all to myself as a pet."

I pulled the last clip from my belt and shoved it into the gun. Aiming it squarely at the grunts, daring to take me in.

Erun stepped back. "Take her, do not kill her." He said, swatting them forward with dismissive swish of his free hand.

I stood my ground.

"Get the hell back!" I shouted, squeezing the trigger and killing one of the little animals that had begun to move towards me. The others looked at Erun who reached down and picked up the nearest grunt before impaling it on his sword.

"I gave you creatures orders" he said, hissing like an enraged viper.

The remaining grunts waddled towards me and I shot one in the head, he fell and tripped another, the rest charged and I sprayed a panicked volley at their chests, leaving them bleeding and dying on the floor, and leaving Erun no choice but to come get me himself.

"Oh, I like this one, Erun, maybe we could keep it like a pet. Dress her up in little outfits and have her fight Grunts in cages."

"Ketarus…" Erun said, stepping forward, "shut your mouth." He said it in Sangheili, but my helmet gave me the words as I could understand them.

I cocked the gun, pointing it straight at him.

"S-stay back, Erun." I said, my voice wavering.

"You know my name."

"I do."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Some Elite my friend should have shot." He stood still and huffed violently; I could almost feel his breath from here.

"You will pay for that one, Nishum, I don't like being insulted."

"I don't like being hunted by genocidal aliens, but here we are, you split-mouthed freak."

"Ha! She has spirit, I'll give her that." Came a voice from behind me.

"Ketarus, I said be quiet." Erun shot him a look that even I could understand.

He took a step closer.

There was no way out. I had three rounds left, and I'd shot at enough elites to know that wasn't enough to even crack his shields.

"I SAID STAY BACK."

He took another step.

Well… There was one way out.

I cocked the rifle and pushed it right under my chin, moving to the side so that I could see both of them.

Erun froze. The wind that coursed between the building flared up and burned my exposed skin with an icy lick.

"I'll do it! You say you want to talk? Huh?!" I darted between looking at the pair of them, I felt impossibly small but right then, they were willing to listen. I wasn't sure if this was something, they had planned for but it took a while for Erun to decide what to say next.

"I can smell your fear, little rat," Ketarus growled, "You don't want to die."

"Obviously" I sneered, "but I will, I will do what I have to do."

"We don't want to hurt you, just… talk" Erun said awkwardly. Clearly, he'd never talked someone down before. I expect that suicide was shameful to these morons.

I laughed. "You expect me to believe that? Look what you did to my home you…"

"It was necessary. Killing you is not."

The wind picked up again and whipped at my skin, sending jots of pain through my weakened body.

"You mean it's not yet."

He didn't know how to reply to that.

"What was in the sky tower, then?" Ketarus asked. "What did you find in there?"

"Why the hell would I tell you that?" I asked, viciously.

"Because I asked nicely" the Brute grinned a toothy smile.

"Let's start with introductions?" Erun reasoned, for the first time, he didn't seem like a robotic genocidal priest and more like a confused citizen trying to defuse a bomb.

"I already know who you are."

"I'm Ketarus, little rat."

I didn't reply.

"You're as rude as brute female out of heat, little rat."

Erun shot him a look.

"I meant you, human, what is your name?"

"Maddie." I replied, omitting my last name just in case. My grandfather had one of the better records against the covenant and I wasn't about to let my damned name get me killed.

"Good. See, we're getting somewhere, little rat." The brute cooed from behind me.

"You don't want to die, do you?"

"Don't play games. Let me go."

Erun sighed, "you aren't holding any cards here. If you want to live for a bit longer, if you want to cling to the hope that Demon will rescue you, little imp. Then you will lower the gun and submit to us."

I swallowed. Was Naomi alive?

They're lying you moron. They're elites.

My mind was somewhat made up at this point. There was only one way out that protected the people of Meridian. That wouldn't see me tortured before I was killed.

Still…

As I looked into the barrel of the gun, I couldn't do it. My body screamed at me "live!". It was a paralysing feeling that held me in its grip and prevented me from even noticing Erun advance towards me.

What do I do?

Jump. Shoot! Or… fight?

My mind raced as memories and times of laughter swam through my thoughts in a flash, meeting Eliza for the first time, playing with my brothers, bonding with Maggie, and learning from Grandpa Joey the wonders of history. For some reason, it was Maggie that stuck out in my head. Ever pliable, she was malleable and though she bent, I knew that she wouldn't break. Not like I was in danger of doing.

"Do not go gentle into that good night…"

It was a poem. Not Frost, but Thomas? I think. It's hard to remember, my mind still racing at the speed of a breaking dawn. Maggie had a poem, or a book, or even a song for whatever a person was feeling. When our mother's parents passed away within days of each other, I had been angry that my Gran had followed him so quickly.

"Rage. Rage against the dying of the light."

That was that.

I spun away from Erun and fired my last three shots at the brute, who staggered back. Turning to face the Elite, I threw the gun at him and rolled away from his lunge.

"Little gutter rat!" the Brute growled.

"I've had enough of this, Erun, kill her and be done with it."

I glared at him, waiting for him to draw his sword.

He hesitated.

I didn't. My legs powered me across the deck, striding towards the ledge that I would fall from. The wind struck my face like a match, my skin tingling with resigned acceptance as I wondered how this would feel. I slid, trying to get to the edge as quickly as possible.

Here goes.

I was on my back, sliding. Ready.

A massive hoof stomped on my chest and all the wind was knocked from my lungs.

No! Goddamn you, no!

With a grunt, the Elite grasped my neck and hoisted me into the air.

"No!" I wheezed, gripping and clawing at his wrist, my fingers like little… knives!

My hands fell away and in one single swift move, yanked the blade on my chest free, before thrusting it hard into the beast's shoulder.

Erun roared, dropping me to the ground. I scrambled towards the ledge but the brute stood blocking my path, having jumped across at some point during the scuffle.

Once again, I found myself at the mercy of this… thing as its growled curses and plastered my visor with spittle.

"Please let me just kill it" he asked as I choked and my vision darkened.

"No, Ketarus, we need her." He paused as I fought for consciousness, "besides, she's earned a warrior's execution, at the very least."

"Whatever you say, Zealot." He huffed.

It was the last thing I heard before the world turned black.