CHAPTER 2 - PROPHECY

I was hearing the voices the voices again. The whispers of a distant past. But they fading in and out, as if broken. I strained to hear them, but they would not fully come through. "The Prophets chose a young boy... power of the Darkness...his destiny will..." That's all I could get, over and over. There were images too. An unknown solar system, a vast city made of an unknown alloy... It made no sense. A second voice came then, not at all like the first. I felt someone's hand on my arm...

I bolted awake with a gas for air. I looked around to see who had woken me and I found myself staring into someone's green eyes. I blinked. It was Franky...in his human form. I was about to ask him something when he spoke up, "We're under attack. They've taken hold of most of the fort. We need to leave...now." I was still in a daze when he tossed me a clean shirt and lead me through the halls. I didn't pay any attention to my surroundings...just followed. Everything around me was oblivious until I felt the drop-ship take off. I was seated inside the "Pelican" with eleven other people including Franky, Stan, the Master Chief, and Sergeant Johnson. Some of the Marines kept looking at me and I heard them whispering amongst themselves. Franky gave me worried looks and asked if I was alright from time to time, but mainly kept to himself when I didn't answer. I just stared vacantly out the window as the drop-ship got higher and higher and the Covenant troops below seemed to become tiny ants. Nothing mattered at that moment. Nothing at all. Just meaningless forms of existence. Everything...meaningless...

POV Change - Franky

Zak's condition worried me greatly. He hadn't said anything ever since he blacked out and he didn't look away from the drop-ship's window. My name is Franky; or it is now because I can't remember my real one. I am an "Elite" and apparently I used to be part of the Covenant force, though I don't ever remember being so. The three other Covenant and I had crash-landed on Earth four years ago somewhere in an American desert. Zak had been visiting a friend when he found us. Stan, the "Grunt", had never really gotten used to being around humans. He was on the same drop-ship as me and even though he, like I, was in his human form, he was still quite jumpy. His human form looked like it belonged to a young boy with brown hair and hazel eyes. Steve, the "Jackal", and Roy, the "Hunter", were in the Pelican following behind us. Steve was intrigued by the human nature and spent most of the four years on Earth studying. While in his human form, he looked like a short, middle-aged man with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. Strangely, Roy took a liking to watching horror movies and eating ketchup-covered potato chips. In his human form, he looked like an over-sized, extremely muscular twenty-year-old with buzzed blond hair and dark eyes. Me, on the other hand, looked seventeen. I looked fairly fit (not fat nor highly muscular), had short, blue hair and yellow-green eyes.

I looked back to where Zak sat across from me. He still hadn't moved. He just kept staring blankly out the window. I wanted to know what he saw; what was troubling his so much. But it would have to wait. It could wait until things settled down. Until he was ready to talk.

POV Change - Covenant: Zuka Zamamee

Zuka Zamamee tensed as he increased the speed of his Banshee. He was told that the human in the special armor was inside the enemy aircraft that he was tracing. What he really wanted to do was to get that man and kill him... But his orders were clear. He was to find a certain boy and bring him back to the ship. He was not to afflict any harm to the boy, but bring him back at any cost. Zamamee did not know why this human brat was so important to the Prophets, but he would follow his orders, despite his suspicion. The human craft came into view, and he slowed. He would keep tracking them until they landed. Then he would attack.

POV Change - Master Chief

The Chief was fed up. Zak needed snap out of his little state of shock - right now. The Pelican had been in the air for over an hour and Zak still hadn't moved. John unbuckled his seat belt and struck Zak across the face. That got his attention. The kid looked up at the Master Chief with an angry glare as Cortana shouted, "Chief! That was un-called for!"

The Chief opened up a private COM channel and stated, "Well, it got his attention, didn't it?" The AI didn't reply. He spoke again so everyone could here. "You need to wake up, Zak. Those Covenant seemed to be after you. Our translators indicated that some of them were saying Where's the boy? Our orders are to take him in, unharmed.' What I want to know is how are you of any importance to them?" John paused to take in a deep breath. "Who are you? Really. What is it that you saw?"

Zak looked out the window once more and said, "I already told you who I am." The Master Chief sighed and shook his head. John sat back down as he said, "You told me your name and where you live. One thing is, you're obviously not human." A few of the Marines shifted uneasily at that last remark. Zak looked to Stan and then to Franky, and then the human-disguised Elite sighed. "Zak's a hybrid mix of a few races that were supposedly wiped out many decades ago. He's not sure how many different races are in his ancestry...but he's one of the only survivors."

Sergeant Johnson spoke up next. "That's all fine and dandy, but there's one thing I don't get. What is it about you that the Covenant want so bad?" Zak obviously felt the eleven pairs of eyes questioning him, because he looked down at his feet. He sighed and muttered, "I don't...really know what I saw..." The kid pause for three seconds and took in a shaky breath and started again. "And I don't exactly know what the Covenant want with me..."

The Master Chief sat back down and tilted his head to one side. "Exactly?" Zak told them all about what he remembered of the horrible images he had seen when the other "Spartan" had attacked; what he had been dreaming about when he was unconscious. John turned to look at Franky and noticed that he looked even more worried than before.

Sergeant Johnson cleared his throat and spoke up after about a minute of silence. "That's one hell of a nightmare, kid. Just one question; what are...Prophets?" The Sergeant sighed and shook his head when Zak looked out the window again without replying.

"Prophets are supposedly Covenant leaders." Cortana said, joining the conversation and answering for Zak. "They think of them as "holy beings". The message that kept repeating in your dream, Zak, was part of a Covenant prophecy. I heard it once while tapping into their systems."

"So, what?" Johnson asked, raising an eyebrow. "The Covenant think the kid's some kind of...holy figure?"

Cortana sighed and continued. "Well, if Zak is the young boy mentioned in the prophecy, then yes." John noticed that as Cortana kept talking, Zak's mood seemed to darken. "According to the prophecy," she continued, "an ancient knowledge and power is held in the boy's soul. The ancient power of the Darkness sleeps within the boy until it strong enough to merge once more. The boy with the power of Darkness will undergo changes throughout his life and his destiny depends on his actions throughout life... I never quite believed in religious prophecies of myths, but considering the fact that Zak fits the description in the Covenant database, I'm beginning to wonder..." The AI paused for a full three seconds before continuing with a trace of concern in her voice. "Zak, would you like to hear the whole prophecy?"

"No," he replied with a ring of irritation, anger, and annoyance, "I don't. I just want everyone to shut up and leave me alone." He started scraping his two arm-blades against each other, trying to ignore the looks everyone was giving him. "It's none of your business, anyway."

"Actually, Zak," The Master Chief argued with anger also rising in his voice, "it is our business. If it's about the Covenant, we need to know all the details. Tell us what you know."

"It'll have to wait, Chief." Foehammer's voice buzzed in over the drop-ship's speakers. "We got company. There's a Banshee tailing us and a dozen Covenant drop-ships behind it. I'm gonna land in a forest clearing and you guys'll have to take em out."

"Roger that, Foehammer." Then the Chief turned back to face Zak. "See what I mean?" Zak lowered his gaze and started scraping his blades together again. The Chief could feel it; they had a fight on their hands. A really big fight. He felt the Pelican loose alti twenty-four passengers were out of the two drop-ships, they lifted off, saying to call fro pick-up. Since the Pelicans had lost their weaponry when landing on Halo, they'd be sitting ducks if they stayed.

Zak, Franky, and Stan walked over to where Steve and Roy (the other two "good Covenant") were and started talking. Zak kept to himself, though, staring at his feet. John was about to go over and ask Zak about his dream again when a Marine shouted, "Yo, Chief! We got a bunch of floating energy swords comin' our way! You know what that means." Elites with camouflage; great. The Master Chief ran over to where the Marine was standing and looked down hill. Sure enough, he saw two energy swords poking out from their wielders' hiding spots. There were also a truckload of Grunts and Jackals rushing up the hill. He could also hear the clank and jangle of Hunter armor in the distance. John turned around as Sergeant Johnson shouted to the Marines, "We got company, people! A bunch of Covies comin' up the hill. We're dealin' with Hunters; anyone got a Jackhammer? Good. And watch out for Elites with camo. Alright, you Greenhorns, get ready."

The attack came fast. It started with just the Grunts and Jackals, but then the Elites moved in, with the Hunters hiding among the rocks and trees, waiting for a clear shot. The Master Chief turned and saw the human-disguised Covenant standing around Zak, Guarding him as two Marines fell to the ground with crystalline needles exploding in their stomachs, Zak stared down at them, wide-eyed, as blood splattered everywhere. The Chief couldn't here what the kid was muttering at first, but then his voice grew louder. "Why..? Why are you doing this? Why are you fighting? St-stop it... The killing... Stop it!" Then he did something that none of us really expected. Something that made both the Covenant and Marines stop their fighting and stare. Zak had started talking in the Covenant language!

POV Change - Zak

After I stopped blabbing in the strange language that I barely understood, I just stared off into space. What the hell was that? I felt myself plop down on the ground as I tried to recollect myself. None of this was making sense. Was I really the "chosen one" in the prophecy?

The first voice I heard was human...and angry. "Him. I knew it was him! He's one of them! Don't you see! He's been fooling us all along!" I looked up and recognized the face from one of the men aboard the drop-ship. He was Corporal E. Degnan - Schmidt, a very skilled man whose specialties were snipers and flame-throwers. He took his rifle and pointed it at me. "This all ends when you do, ya treacherous bastard." He pulled the trigger and I shut my eyes, waiting for the end; but it didn't come. I opened my eyes again at the sound of a short squeal and a solid thump. A Grunt lay dead right in from of me. A few of the Marines and Covenant soldiers were getting edgy, but no one moved except for the Corporal. As he advanced towards me, I reached around me, looking for a gun; a rock...anything. My hand landed on my tail and I felt soft fur. I was a wolf again. I found nothing to protect myself, so I did the only other thing I could think of. I jumped up, glared at the man, and ran.

I heard Franky calling after me and then the fighting started again. A few Marines tried to get in my way, but they couldn't stop me. I noticed a Grunt running away screaming, "That's him! He's the one!" I ran after it, jumped on it, and brought it down, face-first, with my feet. Grabbing its plasma rifle, I started running again, now faster than before. And Elite leaped out of its hiding place, blocking my way, and I skidded to a halt with a deep growl forging in my throat.

POV Change - Covenant: Zuka Zamamee

Zamamee stood before a pale boy with light hair, deep green eyes, and curved blades coming out of his arms. The boy let out a sound not humanly possible, and the Elite warrior took a step back. This boy was not human; he was the one. He was the one the Prophets wanted so badly. But why? Aside from his inhuman appearance and nature, he didn't seem any different then the other vermin up the hill. The boy aimed the rifle at Zamamee's head, but he did not falter. Zuka was quite sure the boy could not understand, but he spoke in his native language, saying, "You are to come with us, boy. I am ordered not to hurt you, so I advise you come willingly." The pale boy glared, and to Zamamee's surprise, spoke in the same tongue. "I won't." He aimed down and shot the black-armored Elite in the foot. Zuka leaped back, enraged, as a burning sensation crawled up his left leg.

The boy began to run past Zamamee, but he grabbed the boy by the arm. Angered, the pale boy spun around and glared at the Elite warrior. Zuka let go and grunted in pain, for it felt like he had just reached into fire. He was about to try something else when his Grunt assistant, Yayap, came out from his hiding spot behind a rock, reporting, "Excellency, we have been ordered to retreat." Retreat! What kind of idiocy was this? Zamamee turned back to face the boy and saw a grin of victory on his face. The black-armored Elite narrowed his eyes and ran in the direction of the drop-ship. He'd be back, he swore on that.

POV Change - Zak

Once the Elite and Grunt were out of sight, I fell to my knees and dug my fingers into the soft soil. My head hurt like hell and nothing was making any sense. Some part, deep within me, wanted to cry; but the other part wouldn't let me. I didn't look up until I heard light footsteps coming down the hill. When I looked up, I saw Franky walking towards me with concern written all over his face. Franky held out his hand and said, "We should go back with the others. The Chief told me to get you."

I took his hand and he helped me up. "What about the Marines and the Crazed Corporal?" I mentally laughed at my sudden nickname for him, as Franky laughed aloud. He stood up straighter and replied, "They've got the Marines calmed down, and the Chief told the Corporal that if he tried anything, he'd be restrained."

"Guess it's a good thing that most of them don't know you guys are really Covenant in disguise," I said with a grin.

He returned my smile and replied, "I don't plan to tell them."

It was getting dark and the Marines had lit a fire. They were roasting who-knows-how-long' old hot-dogs and were chatting about random things in their lives. John (as I found out was the Master Chief's real name by Cortana) had called the drop-ship pilots and told them that the coast was clear and that they could land. The Corporal sat on a near-by log with his legs crossed, always glaring at me. It was a bit unnerving at first, but I learned to ignore him. I was talking with the Sergeant when he kinda snapped again. "How can you people be so calm! Didn't you see what he could do? Didn't you hear him speak in their language! He's one of them, I tell you!"

The Sergeant grunted and said, "Be quiet and sit down, you dolt. Yeah, he's done some pretty freaky stuff, has a tail and weird arm-blade thingies, and has spoken the Covenant language, but who cares? He hasn't done anything to hurt you, has he? Has he done anything to hurt any of us?" When no one answered, he continued. "No, I didn't think so. So until we figure out more about this mess, he's our friend, got it?"

I let go of a breath that I was unconsciously holding and turned back to face the Sergeant. "Thanks. I'm gonna have to watch out for that guy. I know what I can do is really strange, and when I started talking the Covenant language, I scared myself too... I may not be human, but I don't wanna hurt you guys."

Johnson shook his head and sighed, "I know, kid. I really do. I just don't know about everybody else around here. Especially that Corporal. You gotta sleep with one eye open. I just hope things get better around here. War is hard, and things like this make it harder." We chatted about things like that for a long time. After a while, we just sat, gazing at the strange starscape out in front of us as the Marines started to fall asleep. The silence lasted about ten minutes when the Sergeant spoke up. "Hey, kid. You believe in heaven?"

I continued to gaze out at the stars and moons as I answered, "To tell you the truth, no." I took a thirteen-second pause and then added, "I believe in Paradise."

Sergeant Johnson snorted and I laughed. "Paradise, huh? Well wherever good people go when they die, I hope the Marines and soldiers that have died in the past years of this stupid battle are now somewhere without war." I nodded my head in agreement and took in a deep breath. When I looked at the Sergeant again, his eyes were closed and his chest went steadily up and down. As I listened to the sounds of the night, I repeated the conversation in my head.

"Do you believe in heaven?"

"No, I believe in Paradise."