Chapter 1: Awakening
1500 Hours, September 5, 2517 (Military Calendar) Jericho VII, Lambda Serpentis System
Lieutenant Junior Grade Jacob Keyes gazed upon the fiery red light of the Lambda Serpentis star. He surveyed the file on the last target on his mission. Number 13's genetic markers were almost as close as Dr. Halsey's so called perfect subject, John-117. His eyes moved rapidly over the document until he reached an article containing the subject's predispositions for aggression: extremely high. If number 13 was refused, that would probably be the sole reason; everything else was nearly perfect.
A young woman approached; Dr. Halsey. The woman spearheading the SPARTAN project. She had mats of dark hair and glasses pushed high onto her nose. Captain Keyes saw her slender figure and blushed.
"You know the drill," she said nonchalantly, "Parents inspecting the school for our child." She turned and grasped the Lieutenant's hand in hers. Keyes quickly turned away. They had done this procedure dozens of time but he still didn't like the idea of walking around with a civilian.
Lieutenant Keyes and Dr. Halsey strode hand-in-hand to the playground of Ballantine City Primary Education Facility No. 12. The Lieutenant observed a black field. Dozens of children held what looked like scoops in their hands, one team red, and one team blue. Lieutenant Keyes saw their synchronized actions and realized they were playing gravball.
One boy stood out among others; their subject, number 13. He tall and skinny, but sinewy muscle outlined his figure. His long jet-black hair fell into his even darker eyes. He didn't bother to brush it away.
Number 13 carried the anti-gravity ball in his scoop and charged to the opposing goal, strong-arming those who were in his way. He threw the ball with incredible speed into the goal, and scored. The goalie of the opposing team then tripped him, angry that the goal had come at his own expense. Number 13 threw off his protective facemask and cursed at the other boy. The other boy said something back, and suddenly number 13 was upon him, pinning him down with one arm and punching his jaw with the other. Several instructors managed to peel number 13 off the boy, whose face was bloody and bruised. His arm hung off his face at an awkward angle. Number 13 turned and fought the instructors trying to immobilize him, and surprisingly, he seemed to be winning.
Lieutenant Keyes recalled number 13's report and his predispositions for aggression. "Are you sure about this?" he asked doubtfully.
"This boy is marked for SPARTAN, and whether you like it or not, we have to give him a chance," replied Dr. Halsey. "If certain attributes he is flagged for are even more prominent than we expect, he can still make it into the program."
Keyes watched more school staff finally managed to halt number 13's rampage. The boy was being hauled off by several instructors when Dr. Halsey approached.
"Excuse me," she said. "I need to speak with the boy for a moment."
One of the instructors shook his head. "It's policy. We need to enforce some disciplinary action on this child because his father obviously won't." From this distance Keyes was able to see the name engraved on the boy's uniform: "Tate, Ryan."
Dr. Halsey nodded. "That's why I'm here," she said. "I'm a psychologist and I've been hired by the boy's parents to try and delve into his... violent expressions."
Keyes's eyes moved from Dr. Halsey to the instructor. Dr. Halsey's face was serious and showed no expression. The leader of the group looked quizzically at Dr. Halsey for a moment and then said, "Fine, but this better be quick." Keyes marveled at the doctor's capability of inventing and changing ideas in crucial situations.
Dr. Halsey approached Ryan, who rubbed his wrist. "Excuse me," she said, pulling out a silver disk from her pocket, "Do you know what it is?"
"A quarter," number 13 answered. "People on Earth used to use them for money."
"Correct," said Dr. Halsey. She held out the coin and flipped it over between her thumb and index finger. "One side has man on it. The other has an eagle holding arrows."
The boy nodded, watching the coin's every move as it flipped deftly between Dr. Halsey's fingers. She said, "We are going to play a game. I want you to call in midair which side is going to land face up when it lands on the ground. If you win, you get to keep it. Ready?"
"Yeah sure," the boy said eagerly. His eyes began to hone in on the coin and its projected arc.
Dr. Halsey tossed the coin up in the air. It spun and arched gracefully towards the ground. At the last second, number 13 shouted, "Eagle!"
The coin landed on the grass, the shining picture of the man face up.
"I'm sorry, but you didn't win," said Dr. Halsey.
"What?" the boy fumed. "I always win!"
Lieutenant Keyes noted the position of the Lambda Serpentis star, shining directly into the boy's eyes.
"Are you sure that was completely fair?" he whispered to Dr. Hasley, pointing to the position of the sun.
She sighed. "Our facility is only given enough funding for half the number of subjects there are. Even if he passed this test, the probability of him being accepted into SPARTAN is extremely low. Even more so now since we saw what he is capable of." She pointed to the boy who had been injured by number 13, who was being hauled off by paramedics. "Did you read the file containing his tendency of violence and aggression?" she added.
Keyes nodded. According to that particular file, if number 13 was to be accepted into the military, his aggressiveness could interfere with higher-level thinking; unsuitable for the coordination required for project SPARTAN.
"Then you know why he can't be accepted," Dr. Halsey said. She turned and began to leave. Keyes began to follow her, taking one last glance at number 13. Ironically, his failure in the game and denial of entrance into project SPARTAN saved him from a great deal of pain and suffering, but Keyes felt strange somehow, as if denying him entrance would have an even greater impact on mankind.