The Spook: Prologue.
November 29th 2547 15:03 (UNSC MILITARY CALANDAR)
"Captain, as per you report, the subject shows a clear aptitude for a multitude of ONI programs."
The robotic and ethereal voice of the A.I. 'BLACK-BOX' hummed to the tune of the elderly woman who stood brazenly in the centre of the observation room.
"Quote." The voice paused to load an audio clip. The Captain knew what was coming, his own voice spoke into the room. "one last thing, the girl mentioned in my earlier report, she survived… she bloody made it, all the way back here…"
The elderly woman merely smiled as the Captain shifted, uncomfortably.
"You went on to describe the subject as 'remarkable', 'resourceful', and 'in possession of an immovable resilience in the face of trauma, an innate fortitude that rivals that of a SPARTAN'. Captain, it is my estimation that your contention with the Admirals decision is not a logical one. It is also, not in the best interests of ONI, the UNSC, or the human race. Admiral, I believe Captain Drake is emotionally compromised in regards to the su-"
"Alright, Dot, that's enough." The admiral said, standing stalwart in the middle of the room. "I would like to speak with the Captain alone, if you don't mind."
"Affirmative, Admiral"
"Permission to speak, Ma'am?" the Captain interjected as the Admiral sighed and fixed her glasses, irritated by the AI's chirruping.
"Granted, Captain." She said, her eye's briefly falling onto the Captain's tall and imposing frame.
"Well… with all due respect, Ma'am, I thought we were done putting children through military training."
The elderly woman frowned at the Captain, turning to look him over. They both faced a one-way mirror, looking into a bare room where a small figure sat sobbing into a desk.
"Felix," she said, her eyes bright with a youth that her frail and elderly body had long since lost, "She isn't a child, not anymore. Not after what she's seen, or what she's done."
"All the more reason to cut the kid some slack. She's not emotionally ready for what we do."
"The reports I've read from Army HQ, her own behaviour, and" she paused, that twinkle shining again. "Your own report, suggest the opposite, Captain."
The Captain sighed, shaking his head.
"I know" he said, picking at a small scratch in the wrist-plating he wore on his forearms. "I'm just fond of her, is all"
The elderly woman snorted. "Oh, Captain" she said heartily, placing a cool hand on the Captain's shoulder.
"I know, I know, it's stupid" the Captain looked down at his feet, feeling vulnerable for the first time in many years. "It's as much a surprise to me as it is to you." She looked up again at the figure who had begun to collect herself on the other side of the glass.
"Nothing surprises me, Captain, that's why I run ONI." She looked up at the Captain again, sensing his resolve falter, not that it mattered of course. Admirals could do what they wanted with their Captains.
"I guess…" the Captain folded his arms, closing himself off to the world. "I guess I figured the war couldn't find any more ways to hurt me."
"The war isn't doing anything, people are, Captain." The old admiral replied, matter-of-factly.
"You will hurt her, she will hurt you, and she will hurt others," the Admiral said cryptically.
"Better to turn our nature loose against the covenant then, Ma'am?" The Captain replied bitterly.
"Something like that" the admiral responded, shrugging, her steely eyes fixing on the girl. "You are one of my best agents, Captain Drake. Your cohort has been one of the most successful. Dare, Haverson, Moussa, Patel, and yourself have done incredible things for the Office of Naval Intelligence."
Felix Drake didn't reply.
Was that all that was left of us? He thought.
"And now it's time to replace us?" he asked, his eyes also fixed on the young girl, who had finished collecting herself.
The Admiral laughed. "Don't pretend to be naïve about how war works, Captain Drake. We always need replacements."
Again, Felix remained silent and unhappy but was forced to concede the point.
"I just don't know why it has to be her."
"Yes, you do."
Silence again.
"Can we at least give her a choice, a chance to get out?"
Admiral Margaret Parangosky smiled inwardly; her outward demeanour sighed.
"Fine but if you cost me this asset, I will have your ass sent straight to the Covenant, handcuffed, and gift wrapped."
She would have her asset, one way or another. She would get what she wanted today, or tomorrow, maybe even a year from now. Parangosky was famed for her patience and cunning. Talent like this was not to be wasted, something she made a note to remind her protégé of later. A new lesson to be taught, she thought, furrowing her brow into an icy sharp point.
"Yes, Ma'am" he said, without hesitation, "Shall I tell her now?" he asked.
The Admiral simply nodded. When she was alone, the Captain's rash acceptance of his boss' potential displeasure made the old woman smile. When Madeline Harper turned the offer down, as her psych evaluation suggested she would, she would begin to mould her into the perfect operative.
All it would take was a little bit of patience and the girl would be hers.