Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my remastered Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech franchise. Thank you for your support, thus far. I greatly appreciate all the feedback that I've been getting.
By the way, I will be making some edits to the dates in the previous chapters, and in this one, so that they line up more with the dates from the actual timeline. That way, I can avoid causing confusion. Either way, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you in future chapters.
As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or MechWarrior/BattleTech franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs, Piranha Games Inc., etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
Sabaton – Fields of Verdun
Halo
Unknown Forerunner Facility
September 20th, 2552
There was a brief moment of disorientation as Guilty Spark transported the two individuals to the facility in question. One moment, Chief found himself standing on the unusual Forerunner structure in the middle of the swamp, the next, he found himself standing in a large, cavernous place. He took a moment to get an idea of his surroundings.
The chamber he found himself in was massive, almost too massive to adequately describe. It was large, probably as large as a football stadium, with Forerunner alloy walls, floors and ceilings that were bare in some places, while having relief sculpting in others. The entire place was dimly lit, with blue lighting causing the place to take on a dark blue and purple color.
To the left, there was nothing but a massive wall, with some parts that bulged outwards. The right side of the massive chamber, however, was a different story, as he spotted a golden glow on the other side, though it was obscured by what looked like a wall of some kind. Looking up in that direction, he thought he spotted a shaft of some kind, though he couldn't clearly tell from where he was at.
Moments later, he heard Alex appear next to him with a loud "OOOFFFFF!", followed by the Clansman hitting the ground. "Ugh, by Kerensky," he groaned. "I think I am going to be-" He promptly stopped as he tore his helmet off, before puking out the MRE's he'd eaten earlier while they were riding in Echo-419.
Apparently, the Monitor had appeared at the same time, as it said, "Oh, dear. My apologies. I was not aware that you had not teleported before. The disorientation and nausea should pass momentarily."
"Oh, fuck off," Alex growled, coughing out what little remained before standing up and retrieving his helmet. Putting it back on after he wiped his mouth, he looked around. "Did the Forerunners always build this big? It seems like a waste of useful space to me."
"Everything the Forerunners designed was for a purpose," Guilty Spark replied matter-of-factually. "What you perceive as wasted space, they did not." The Monitor took a moment to perform some calculations before it said, "We are collect the Index before we activate this installation."
"What do you mean by, 'activate this installation'?," Alex asked. "I assume you mean activate the defenses, yes?"
"Correct."
"Alright, if that is the case, then lead the way." With that, Guilty Spark flew onward, with the Monitor quickly moving overhead as it flew along. Turning to Chief, he said, "Something is not right about that AI. I do not know why, but my gut tenses when I look at him. He is not to be trusted."
"That might be the case," Chief agreed, "but he's also the only one that knows how to navigate this area without out getting lost. We'll learn more from Cortana once we return to the Control Room."
"Alright, but I still do not trust him. One of the best lessons a Clansman can learn is not to take things at face value. It is a lesson that has saved my life more than once." With that, the two began to advance forwards, weapons in hand as they began traversing the facility. As they moved along, Alex asked, "Monitor, what is this facility, and what is the purpose it fulfills?"
"I will do what I can to answer your questions," Guilty Spark replied. "This facility is a most impressive structure, and was designed to contain the Flood for study. It also holds the Index, but safely away from the Flood."
"I see." If Guilty Spark detected the sarcasm in Alex's words, then he, she or it didn't acknowledge it.
As they traveled, they came to an outcropping that had a number of rectangular sections extruding up from the floor like stalagmites. A pair of air vents were present to the left, though Alex thought he spotted something coming out of them. As they advanced, he looked at the sensor readouts to get an idea of- "Contact," he reported. "Multiple foot mobiles, probably Flood infantry."
"I see them too," Chief replied, having spotted motion on the motion tracker. Raising his rifle, he turned on the weapon and took aim, while Alex did the same.
As soon as they did, several Flood forms dropped out of the vents and landed on the floor, wet, squelchy impacts marking their landing. Spotting Alex and the others, they charged, only to be cut into pieces by their pulse laser weapons. Within a few moments, most of the Flood were dead.
That was when they spotted a new kind of Flood. This one looked like a giant, walking pinata, only if said pinata resembled a fleshy sac that was constantly writhing, while being carried by a pair of legs that allowed it to waddle forwards. "What the hell is that thing," Alex asked.
Chief, who didn't reply, simply fired his weapon at it. As soon as the laser beam contacted the sac, it cut through it, causing it to literally burst open. Sickly green fluids poured out of the sac, while smaller, tentacled creatures came out of said sac. "Fuck," Alex roared as he and Chief cut the smaller creatures down, even as they slithered towards the two. "What the hell was that?!"
"Infection Forms," Guilty Spark dutifully informed them. "They are the primary means of infection by the Flood. You can see how the body's been transformed by the genetic restructuring of the Flood infection. The small creatures you saw carry spores that cause a host to mutate. The mutated host then produces spores that can pass the Flood to others. It is insidious and elegant. As long as any hosts remain, the Flood is virulent."
"Insidious indeed," Alex frowned. "You cannot definitively tell if an area is fully decontaminated. You have to go in and actually confirm that they truly are dead."
Nearby, Chief processed this new information. It's clear that the Flood pose a major threat to Humanity, he thought. If the Flood can infect Covenant, then it is likely that they can infect normal human beings as well. If that is the case, then I can see why the Monitor wants to activate Halo's defenses: we can wipe out the Flood with them.
"Agreed," Guilty Spark remarked. "What puzzles me is that you've brought such ineffective weapons to combat the Flood, despite the containment protocols."
"Are you calling my laser rifle ineffective?," Alex growled. "If that is the case, then you have no idea what this is. It works effectively. We sliced the Flood apart back there."
"Time will tell if that is the case," Guilty Spark added. "Either way, the Flood cannot be allowed to escape the installation. They consume all." With that, they advanced forwards. Spotting an open hallway, Chief watched as the Monitor flew through the doorway, with the two men following moments later.
It was here where Chief got a good look at what was causing the warm yellow glow. The center of the massive chamber was shaped like an decagon, with ten large grooves that were cut into the floor. Powerful lights in the grooves generated the warm glow, while a shaft in the middle linked all the grooves. Hovering just over the shaft, far out of reach, was what looked like some kind of storage device. That's probably the Index, he thought. Looking up, he could see a massive shaft that led upwards into the facility.
"That is one very large shaft," Alex remarked nearby. "You could fit a whole line of Union DropShips in there and still have room left over. Impressive."
"Indeed," Guilty Spark agreed. "The energy field that holds the Index is above us. We must get up there."
"No doubt about that." With that, the team advanced forwards, weapons ready as they moved through the facility. "Contacts," Alex reported, just as more Flood, mostly Infection forms, dragged themselves out of the grooves, as well as emerging from behind the walls. More of the Carriers, as he would later call them, emerged as well, their legs allowing them to waddle forwards.
Not one of the men let the monsters get close, as they opened fire with their laser rifles almost immediately. Several Carriers exploded as the pulse lasers tore through their sacks, while the smaller creatures were eliminated by short, rapid bursts from their weaponry. Moving forwards some distance, they found another hallway, with the two advancing forwards.
"Watch it," Chief shouted, pulling Alex away from the opening. As soon as he did, an infected Elite landed ahead of them, before charging forwards. Both men cut the thing down, before engaging any Flood that were ahead of them. Spotting an infected Grunt, Alex fired.
As soon as he did, the small infected creature detonated with explosive force, creating a shock wave that caused nearby Flood to disintegrate. "Whoa!," he shouted. "Chief, keep the infected Grunts at a distance! They explode like landmines!"
"Copy that," Chief replied as he fired at a group of such infected Grunts. The explosion generated was enough to make the area shake slightly, showing just how powerful the things could be when they were grouped together in numerous enough numbers. Hazardous, he thought, but useful if we prematurely detonate them. They'll prove to be a hindrance to the Flood in that capacity.
As they advanced, they neutralized more Flood that had made the mistake of getting too close to them. Eventually, they reached what looked like a large, four part door that resembled some of the doors near the Control Room, in the tunnel area. These were different in that there was a holographic projection where the four sections intersected. Guilty Spark was currently working at the panel, making humming sounds as it did so. "The security doors have closed automatically," he informed the others. "I will go access to the override to unlock them." With that, it zoomed off into one of the ventilation shafts, presumably to acquire the override.
While it was gone, Chief and Alex talked with each other. "I thought I had seen everything when I went on that classified mission," Alex confided to Chief. "Now I realize that I have not even seen things like this before. A parasite that can consume any organism in the way? That is legitimate nightmare fuel."
"I agree," Chief nodded. "If we can activate Halo's defenses with the Index, we can wipe them out as a threat to Humanity. We just have to get the Index, and that will be the hard part."
"I am not so sure if that is the case," Alex remarked. "If the defenses Halo has can eliminate the Flood, why have they not done so already? It does not make sense."
Chief had to admit, when Alex put it like that, it did raise questions of his own in his mind. That would be the case, if Halo's defenses were fully activated, he thought. Until we have more information, though, we'll have to continue what we're doing. Cortana can probably fill us in once we return to the Control Room.
As the two talked, they heard a sound, prompting them to raise their weapons. Fortunately, they didn't have to worry, as Guilty Spark reappeared. "Please, follow closely," it cautioned them. "This portal is the first of ten."
"There are ten of these doorways," Chief asked.
"Of course," Guilty Spark nodded. "Is there something wrong?"
"No," Chief replied. "Nothing at all."
"Splendid," Guilty Spark beamed. With that, the doors fully opened, allowing Chief and Alex to proceed.
The hallway they entered was fairly large, with large protrusions that extended to the right of the hallway, while others leaned out to the left, creating narrowed areas in the process. Vents were present between the large 'foots' as well as on the outcroppings that were present. Up ahead, there were glowing force fields of some kind, though none of the two knew what they were meant to contain.
On top of that, my sensor suite is going crazy, Alex thought as he spotted multiple unidentified contacts on the sensor readout. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of contacts all around us. As he thought this over, he subconsciously reached to where he wore his pendant underneath his armor. For the first time in his life, he had doubts on whether or not he would be able to see her again, then he pushed those doubts away.
I cannot allow doubt to cause me to hesitate, he thought as he shook off his reverie. These 'Flood' will not hesitate to kill or infect me. In return, I will not hesitate to destroy them all. Deep down, I know these Flood are a threat to all that is good and noble, to all that Aleksandr Kerensky and his sons, Nicolas and Andrey, wanted to build. In a moment, he had made up his mind: I hereby declare a Trial of Annihilation against all Flood. I will not stop until they are all dead.
His train of thought was interrupted when he heard Chief calling for him. "Alex," he said. "Alex, are you alright?"
"I am fine," Alex replied. "I was thinking, that is all." Turning to Chief, he said, "Chief, do you know what the Trial of Annihilation is?"
"I think so," Chief replied. "I take it that it is used to destroy anyone or any Clan that has committed a horrible crime, yes?"
"You would be correct," Alex replied. "In this case, the Flood represents everything that Aleksandr Kerensky hated, everything that Nicolas and Andrey hated. Since that is the case, I believe that a Trial of Annihilation is in order. Would you not agree?"
Chief looked around for a moment, before he said, "I think we can agree on that."
"Good. Let us educate these 'Flood' on how Clansmen fight against a monstrous foe like them." With that, the two men proceeded inside, weapons at the ready.
. . .
Farther away from the Library, at around 0230 hours, Colonel O'Donnell was walking about, his facial features tired as he walked past tents. For some strange reason, he thought, my mind is so concentrated on something that I can't go back to sleep. It's infuriating.
True be told, though, this wasn't the first time that he had something like this. According to his medical reports, O'Donnell often had times where he would have what was known as 'middle-of-the-night insomnia.' That meant that, periodically, he would wake up in the middle of the night with no logical explanation of any kind.
What was odd, however, was the fact that his gut felt tight, as though the muscles inside were clenching as hard as they could. He also felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing up on end for some strange reason, though he couldn't identify what was causing that to happen. I'm probably wondering why Johnson and his team haven't returned quite yet. We did get their distress call, though. I hope they're alright. At least Keyes and the others helped me get the base to full readiness. Code Reds, combined with Bravo Whiskey's are no joke at all.
As he sat down, he recalled an earlier assault that the Covenant had done. Around 1700 hours yesterday, the Covenant had mounted a massive assault on Alpha Base, with the attack beginning as an aerial assault on the base. The Covenant had counted on using the massive aerial assault to destroy the defenses, which would allow a smaller ground force to get inside. After that, they would massacre any human being that was inside with impunity.
Unfortunately for the Covenant, they had grossly underestimated the range and capabilities of the AeroSpace Defense 'Mechs that were stationed at Alpha Base. The aerial assault had been shot down roughly two kilometers away from the base, while smaller 'Mechs, mostly those from one of Alex's Stars, had moved to engage the Covenant ground forces. The battle had become a rout, though they had lost a Shadow Hawk and a Rommel that had been part of the ground defense. Beyond that, there had been fairly few casualties, leading O'Donnell to think that something was preventing the Covenant from mounting a full assault.
Apparently, he wasn't the only one that was up and about at this time of night, as he heard someone walking towards him. "Who's there?," he asked.
"It's me," came the familiar voice of Major Silva. Spotting O'Donnell and his tired expression, he asked, "Couldn't sleep?" When the SLDF Colonel nodded, Silva said, "Me too. I've got this strange feeling that something's off. I don't know where it's coming from, but I just know that something bad is about to happen. I guess it's connected to Johnson and his team's tardiness, plus the presence of bioweapons."
"Have you done anything about it?"
"Yep. I ordered more men to the defenses so that, if something does happen, we'll be ready for it. The night shift people have taken up guard, and they're armed and ready in the event something happens. I guess I just want to stay up and make sure my people are going to be fine." After a moment, he asked, "How's Keyes?"
"Sleeping like a rock," O'Donnell replied. "I went by his tent earlier and looked inside. You could have an entire building collapse around him and he wouldn't notice a thing. The man knows how to sleep."
"I can vouch for-" A moment later, Silva was interrupted when a loud, wailing klaxon went off throughout the base. "Oh, shit," he frowned.
"That's the main attack alarm," O'Donnell realized, having been startled to full wakefulness in an instant. Shooting onto his feet in an instant, he said, "We're under attack! The Covenant is coming for us!" Running to the CIC tent, he burst inside to find Keyes inside, the latter having been woken up by the alarms. "What is it?," he asked the UNSC Captain. "Are we under attack?"
"Yes," Keyes replied, "but not from the Covenant. I'm trying to get a report from the defenders."
"No need for that," Silva replied, having raced back to the front line before heading to the CIC tent. "We've got some nasty motherfuckers trying to invade. I'd suggest you two get armored up and ready."
"Don't tell me twice," Keyes replied, remembering his recently liberation. Running over to one of the lockers, he pulled out an SLDF infantry kit and immediately began to get dressed. Despite not being completely familiar with the kit, he put it on correctly and fairly quickly. O'Donnell, who was far more experienced in that regard, had his kit on even faster. "I'll head to the front line," he informed O'Donnell. "You'll coordinate from in here if that's OK with you."
"It is," O'Donnell agreed. "I'd rather be out on the front line, but someone has to make sure the troopers get orders and are coordinated." With that, Keyes shot the Colonel a hasty salute before charging out, M42D in hand as he moved towards the front line.
To his shock, the front line wasn't at the defenses. Rather, it was from inside the base, near a series of tunnels that had been discovered when they initially took the base. Having seen that as a potential attack vector, O'Donnell had concentrated most of the defenses there, as the tunnels were a weakness in the perimeter defense.
It was clear that O'Donnell's caution was paying off in spades, as Keyes could hear the sounds of SLDF support weapons firing off, while bright flashes from weapons fire lit up the area. Reaching one of the ODST's that was heading there, he asked, "What's going on?"
"Those Bravo Whiskey's that Salvage Team Bravo warned us of are attacking us," the ODST replied. "Never saw anything uglier in my life." As he said this, Keyes reached the barricades where the fight was happening at.
It was like a scene out of a sci-fi action film like Terminator, or some other film like that. SLDF and UNSC Marines were at the barricades, firing bullets, laser beams and a few plasma bolts, into the tunnel network that was found inside of the base. Frantic calls for ammo and reloads were barely audible over the roar of machine guns and the roaring whines of a few plasma weapons in the mix.
It was what was attacking them that made Keye's heart begin racing at top speed. Monsters that were straight out of a Cronenberg film were rushing at them, each one howling and screaming at the tops of putrid lungs that could barely work. Tall monsters, probably former Covenant, charged at the barricades, followed by small, slithering pod-like things, as well as squat, waddling monsters that held more of the things, as one spectacularly detonated to spread more of the things around.
For the first time in his life, Keyes felt a deep, primordial terror seize his very soul, nearly causing him to stop. What the hell are those things, he thought, fighting to overcome the horror gripping his was assisted by the sound of Major Silva firing his rifle nearby, snapping Keyes out of his idle reverie and into action. "Hold them back," he shouted as he fired at one of the taller monsters, gutting it with bullets. "Keep them out of the base!"
"We're working on that," Silva shouted. "There's a shit ton of fuckers coming at us! Keep the power packs and ammunition flowing! If we run out of ammo, then this FUBAR situation gets a whole lot worse!" With that, Keyes, and the other defenders, fought on with renewed determination.
As he fought on, Keyes was reminded of some battles that he had studied in history. The current battle he was in reminded him the most of WWI, more specifically the Battle of Verdun. As he fought on, he heard four classic, but powerful words, from that battle echo in his mind. They shall not pass!
. . .
Back at the Forerunner facility, Alex was having similar thoughts as he and Chief fought off Flood that were assaulting their position, just outside the last door that separated them from the Index. Chief was firing a pilfered Plasma Rifle that he had gotten from a dead infected Elite, while Alex was still using his M96IV. During the trek through the facility, he had given Alex the remaining power packs that he had, while scavenging the aforementioned weapon.
Now, the two men were fighting back against the Flood, Clan Ristar and Spartan facing off against the Flood in a battle worthy of the epics of old. Despite having vastly greater numbers, the Flood were not able to make any headway towards them, as the two men were able to hold them off, but just barely at that. The number of Flood corpses present had created a mound, which did make things easier for the two.
"If I die here, at the hands of these monstrous stravag, I swear I will fucking kill that Monitor!," Alex roared as he killed an infected Elite, or Combat Form as the Monitor put it, before it got too close. "That AI is taking far too long at his job!"
"Get in line," Chief replied, as he was equally as exasperated. The Monitor had brought along Sentinels, which were the drones he'd seen in the swamp. They were effective against the Flood, but they could only assist them for short periods of time. We need help, and fast, he thought.
As if Fate had heard his mental plea for help, orange-red incineration beams cut through the air, disintegrating Combat Forms that were about to break through. Overhead, five Sentinels flew through the air, firing their particle beam weapons at the Flood. A moment later, Guilty Spark appeared. "My apologies, Reclaimer," it said to Chief. "The Flood attempted to capture me. I was only just able to escape and come to your assistance. We are almost at the Index! I am opening the door now!"
"Everyone move through," Alex shouted as the security doors fully opened. Seeing their chance, both men bolted through the new escape route, foregoing shooting behind them as they bolted for the platform ahead of them. "Shit!," he shouted as he tripped over something on the ground. An Infection Form, spotting this, leaped at Alex, intent on infecting him.
It never got the chance, as a plasma bolt zipped overhead, causing the thing to explode like an oversized pimple. "Get up," Chief shouted, hauling Alex to his feet. "No one gets left behind!" Struggling to his feet, Alex felt the sling his weapon had pulling slightly as his weapon was dragged along. Moments later, both men managed to scramble onto the platform.
As soon as they did, it began to descend, until not even the Flood could survive a fall onto the platform. All they could do was howl and screech in rage as their prey left them at the top floor. "Oh, thank Kerensky," Alex gasped as he got up. "I thought that was the end of us right there. It seems as though fate has something else in store for us."
As the platform descended, Guilty Spark said, "The energy barrier surrounding the Index will deactivate once we reach the ground floor." After around thirty seconds, the platform's ledges interlocked with the ridges on the floor, with the entire lift coming to a stop. "You may now retrieve the Index," Guilty Spark informed Chief.
Stepping forwards, Chief watched as the protective sheath surrounding the Index began to expand, with the interlocking components moving outwards. Moments later, he grasped something that was extruded from the top. Holding it in his hand, he took at look at what it was.
It was a object roughly as tall as a high school textbook, but was only half as thick and was as light as a feather. It was roughly T shaped, with an upper portion that had a red colored circle in the upper portion, while the main body was green in color. No sharp angles were present, with the upper portion curving down to form the lower portion. Strange, he thought as he looked it over. Such a large facility, and a lot of defenses, for something so small.
Before he could continue his line of thought, a force field extended from Guilty Spark to the Index, with the AI pulling it away from Chief. For a moment, he thought he saw some kind of trans-dimensional storage device, then it winked out of existence. "What are you doing," he heard Alex ask.
"Protocol dictates that I take possession of the Index for transport," Guilty Spark explained. "Your organic forms render you… vulnerable to infection. The Index must not fall into the hands of the Flood, before we reach the Control Room and activate the installation." As they teleported away, it said, "the Flood is spreading! We must hurry!"
. . .
Back at Alpha Base, Keyes took off his helmet and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he thought. The assault is over. We've held those bioweapons at bay. Johnson and his team certainly know how to make an entrance.
Looking behind himself, he could see the aftermath of the skirmish that had happened. Despite the monsters best attempts to breach the base, the SLDF and UNSC personnel had held them back, despite enormous risk. Halfway through the fight, Johnson and his team had come back, and had brought another SLDF weapon to the fight: Infantry Flamers.
Keyes had to admit, the sight of seeing the monstrous creatures being consumed by ultra-hot flames and burning fuel, had been a gratifying one. He could imagine Johnson standing on top of a mound, laughing maniacally as he burned away the monstrosities with the Flamer he'd borrowed during the fight. It's a disturbing image, he thought, but a fitting one at that.
"Whew," he heard Silva whistle. "That was way too close for my liking. If it weren't for Johnson and the others, they would've broken through."
"Agreed," Keyes nodded. "That's one hell of a wakeup routine, I have to admit."
A moment later, he heard someone running over. "Captain, O'Donnell needs you at the tent immediately!"
"What's going on?," Keyes asked.
"We've just gotten a COM transmission from Cortana. You're going to want to hear this!" With that, Keyes advanced towards the CIC tent. This he had to hear.