Stage 20: The bigger they are…
Jogrennilee
06:15 October 26, 2552
Tram Station exterior
Melanie stepped to the door as the eighteenth pelican spun to reveal its cargo hold. She stepped to the right of the Tram Station door and scanned the field with her rifle. Roy 02 stepped out as well, covering the left side of the door. Sammy 13 stepped to the edge of the door, her battle rifle low and her eyes gazed upon the rear hatch of the pelican as it lowered.
"Alright boys, get moving!" Sammy shouted to the next batch of marines to be evacuated from the planet. "Move it, damn it! I don't have all day to wait for your sorry asses to get in gear! Move now or get dead! Go, go, go!" Twenty marines sprinted toward the pelican as it reached its maximum decent level of five feet. Even though there was no incoming fire each marine ran with a bent knee, low posture in case of enemy fire; standard procedure for evacuation situations. Within two minutes all twenty soldiers had loaded the pelican and the bird began to rise. "Juggernaut, eighteen done and gone, send in bird 19." Sammy stated into her com channel.
"Roger that." Juggernaut replied.
Sammy switched channels, "05, 02, fall back and prep for next bird."
"Roger that." Two replies came over the com channel. Sammy held her battle riffle at eye level and gazed down the barrel as Roy 02 and Melanie 05 duck walked backwards toward the door. Once at the door they turned and ran inside.
An elite approached, "Are you not taking these evacuations too seriously, humans?"
Melanie stepped close the elite, "When the lives of our men is in jeopardy, we take everything seriously."
"Very well, I understand completely. Allow me to assist. Your knowledge and preparation of combat is honorable. Me and my unit wish to help and join your ranks under the command of Sergeant Raynord, the honored human warrior."
The five black ops looked at each other with a curious gaze. The ten elite warriors in the distance wore grey armor, rangers within the elite ranks, and they wanted to team up the Black Ops.
"I'll have to take that up with 19… the one you call Sergeant Raynord." Melanie 05 stated. "But for now, just hold here."
"I understand. If battle calls, we will assist." The elite turned and walked away.
Sammy 13 opened a private channel to the rest of the Black Ops squad, and spoke only within her helmet communicator. "Are they serious about joining up with us?"
"I never knew the elites would trust us so easily." Justin 14 replied.
"Cut the chatter, dogs." Melanie 05 cut in. "19 did you copy that?"
Eric softly replied from his prone position outside, "Roger. No telling how those elites will respond when we hit that tunnel with the grunts. Watch them close, but don't respond yet. We'll deal with it once the last pelican is off."
"Bird 19 is inbound." Melanie stated over the com. "Killing the channel, 19. Out." Sammy disconnected the squad communication channel and then looked to Mathew 08 and Sammy 13. "You two are out on guard, move out." 08 and 13 leveled their rifles as the bird descended and crouch walked to their cover positions. The rear cargo hatch lowered and the bird prepared to receive its visitors.
Eric could hear the bird lowering behind him but he let his squad handle the loading work. He new there was something worse to be feared. That thing that was once Domadree, was out there somewhere, and it said it would be back for the Seed. Eric wasn't about to let his guard down. His squad depended on his eyes. He lay prone on the ground scanning the now completely sun filled area with the scope of his battle rifle. Ahead of him were several grunt packs, taking turns sleeping and patrolling. Behind him he heard the hum of he pelican begin to add more power to the engines and then fly from the area. One last bird and they could pull back to the tram station and make plans to take the Seed ship.
From the corner of his eyes Eric spotted the pelican soaring above the skyline, but something else caught his eye. Something was moving on the top of the skyscraper, and it was massive. The pelican rose above the skyscraper and a large green tree struck the base of it. A distant explosion rocked across Eric's ears as the pelican, filled with marines, exploded.
"NO!" Eric screamed as he jumped to his feet. The nearby grunts sprang to life, nervously pointing their weapons in all directions. "Juggernaut reroute pelicans clear of the northern skyscrapers! Copy? Copy, Damn it!"
"Sergeant I just lost 159!" Juggernaut replied over the communication channel. "What the hell is happening down there?"
"Juggernaut, we have a hostile moving in from the north. Hostile is a threat to Pelicans. I'm ordering you to abort final pickup. Call off the last pelican. We'll get the rest of the troops out with us. 19 out."
"Good hunting sir. I'll see you all in orbit."
"Palab, pull the grunts back now." Eric shouted to the front line, but his eyes also took notice that the massive tentacles were now moving toward the front line. They were long, insanely long and overwhelmingly fast. Eric looked forward and the grunts were in full retreat back to the Tram Station but some of them began heaving grenades at the massive tentacles that were slithering toward the front line.
"Me troops all retreat, but Mirratord grunts faster. They stay as long as can." Palad huffed as he sat on the ground beside Eric's legs. Seven tentacles were quickly approaching but there was no way to tell from which direction they were coming from.
"Get them out of there, Sergeant." Eric tapped his helmet and opened another channel. "05, tell the elites to form up the hunters and add those rangers to our ranks. Everyone out here, now!"
Palab's Mirratord grunts ran passed, and Eric and Palab sprinted behind them as the monstrous creature finally appeared from behind a building.
"What the hell is that?" Melanie questioned as she gazed out the tram station doors.
"05, order the Marines and ODST into the tram tunnel! Get those hunters outside, now damn it!" Eric barked over the com channel. The Black Ops lay slack jawed, gazing out the door in a confused fascination. Eric lifted his rifle and sent a round at the door. The bullets hit the wall and each of the Black Ops snapped to attention.
"Marines and ODST, retreat! Elite rangers, join the party and bring all of the hunters to the door! Move like you have a purpose people!" Melanie 05 screamed her orders as she exited the tram station. Grunts sprinted past her but the occasional few remained behind, aiming their needlers at the oncoming threat.
Eric neared the door and turned, bringing his battle rifle to bear on the creature's center bulb. The elites and other Black Ops stood at Eric and Melanie's side, all fretfully afraid of what was coming. A green mist floated above the center of the massive bulb at the center of the tentacles, and it opened its mouth to speak.
"A chance to flee is what I gave you." The monstrous creature's voice echoed across the region as twenty hunters began exiting the tram station and formed a line in front of the Black Ops and elites. The hunters roared a battle cry as their armor clanged.
"Hold the line here! Let the creature come to us." One of the elites roared to the hunter pairs.
Eric then turned to the elites and grunts at his side, "We need to slow it down until we can get the marines and grunts into the tunnel. When it gets close enough, we retreat back into the station and unleash our care package."
"OOH RAH!" Barked the Black ops.
"05, prep the package!" Eric ordered.
"Already ahead of you, 19." Melanie 05 stated as she pulled the trigger from her pocket and made sure that the detonator was charged at ready. "My booms are always ready!"
"That was dirty, 05." Sammy 13 laughed, eager to help the squad relax.
"You stand in defiance of my warning. You stand against me. You have chosen your alliance and formed your pack, but you do not concern yourselves with those that threaten your existence. You choose your battles poorly. I shall not be denied of my prize." The creature came into full view. Its form was nearly seven stories tall with tentacles that seemed to stretch for miles.
Eric gasped at how fast the creature had grown in size.
Mathew 08 then added, "What is that thing talking about? It's making my head hurt with all that weird talk."
"Well then lest shut it up." Eric grinned. "Open up!" A roar of riffle fire, plasma bursts and needler round exploded from weapons of everyone near the Tram Station door. The hunters massive cannons then poured their concentrated beams of plasma radation upon the closest tentacle, melting it, but another quickly took its place and came closer. With each tentacle that was destroyed another took its place and came closer to the station.
"Such useless attempts. Such needless actions. My goal is beyond you, and I shall not be stopped."
Wesley opened the tram station door and gazed down the barrel of his sniper rifle, "Sergeant, the tram station is empty. Everyone's in the tunnel!" Wesley fired a round at the massive creature's mouth and it hit dead on, but the creature didn't react. "Damn it! Is that thing a flood!"
Eric then yelled over the weapons fire, "Private get back into the station and secure that tunnel entrance. If we don't pull back in time, close it."
"Sir?" Wesley questioned toward Eric's order.
Justin 14 was close to Wesley and he gripped him by the shoulder. Justin began to push him back into the doors.
"Move your ass, Private! The CO gave an order and you don't question it!" Wesley staggered from the man's incredible strength and slowly regained his balance. Wesley then turned around and watched as Justin 14 walked away. He slowly began to walk backwards toward the tunnel, watching the action happening outside. Justin rejoined the firing squad and they all continued to unleash their arsenal as the creature pressed closer and closer.
Plasma and artillery slammed into the bulbous center of the creature, chopping away layers of green flesh, but the creature continued to pull itself toward the tram station. Soon the bottom half of its mouth began to wear away from the constant bombardment of human and elite weapons fire. The creature's bottom jaw twisted and tore away, slamming into the ground beneath it, but it didn't slow its progress. A tentacle slammed against the top of the tram station, startling everyone. It was nearly twelve inches in diameter and covered with a green outer skin. The tentacle wrapped itself onto the building and quickly began to pull the creature closer.
"Shit!" Eric cursed in his standard sign of shock. "Fall back to line two, full retreat!" There was no time for standard cover fire. The creature was coming, and coming faster because of its grip on the building. Like an arm, the tentacle was pulling the massive creature toward the Tram Station, dragging its massive bulk of rotting flesh and towering tentacles across the ground. The rows of shield bunkers quickly faded beneath the creature's mass as rubble and dust was scatter to and fro.
Eric and Palab were the last to enter the station and Eric quickly sealed the outer door. Eric was not sure what type of glass the elites used to construct their Tram Station, but he hoped it was thick enough to buy him and his squad some time to get to the tunnel.
"05 set off the mine field!" Eric screamed as he turned and raced across the Tram Station dock. Melanie was nearly forty yards ahead of him, but she heard his order through her helmet communicator. As always, she knew his order was going to come and had already pulled the trigger out of her pocket. She slowly began to turn around, looking to see where Eric was, as she primed the small pistol detonator in her hand. Eric and Palab were racing toward her in a full sprint. She knew Eric's best sprint time, he could run forty yards in under four seconds flat, but he wasn't far enough away from the door in order for her to trigger the Lotus field beyond the door. He was still to close to the blast radius.
Time seemed to come to a stand still as a tentacle burst through the window. There was no longer any time, and after three seconds Melanie pressed the trigger. A growl of compressed air suddenly engulfed the area beyond the window, and all Melanie could do was watch as Eric and Palab were rocked off their feet by the shockwave. The glass of the Tram Station shattered in an instant and dust quickly filed the station. The shockwave then reached Melanie and she braced herself as compressed air exploded across her chest. Once the shockwave knocked her backward off of her feet, she was then engulfed in a dark world of dust. The thundering echo of the Lotus Antitank mines outside filled her ears. Fifty of the underground mines littered the ground and it was hoped that they wouldn't need to be used; a last stand measure.
Melanie fought against the daze that had consumed her as her helmet communicator began to buzz with activity. The other Black Ops were all checking in, trying to find each other in the darkness. Melanie drowned out the ringing in her ears, even though she loved the sound, and focused on the voices. She could hear Justin 14, Roy 02, Sammy 13, and Mathew 08 all checking in and sounding off their locations, but nothing came from Eric. She wanted to toss up her helmet visor and yell to him, but not everyone was as accustomed to explosion deafness the way she was; the ringing in Eric's ears would drown out her cries. She switched to inferred; too much dust and charged particles in the air. She then tried night vision, and got a better picture, but still too much grey and black. Worst of all there was no movement.
"19, do you copy?" Melanie stated into her com. The other Black Ops also heard her plea. They all began to push through the debris and rubble toward the door. Melanie tried to stay calm and quickly did the math in her head. She calculated Eric's mass, the pressure from the explosion, Eric's rate of speed, and the resistance in the air. She looked to the ground, nearly sixty five feet from where she last saw Eric and began to move debris, dirt and green tentacle chunks, and found the body of an unconscious man. Her calculation was dead on. Sammy quickly ran to her side.
"He's out cold." Sammy stated as she plugged her medical scanner into Eric's suit. "Vitals are steady, but I think he's got a concussion."
Melanie sighed in relief but something moved near the obliterated entrance. She turned and saw a tentacle slowly churning its way from beneath a pile of rubble. The door was completely destroyed and the sun finally glared through the dust. Melanie switched back to normal vision and could clearly see that the creature was wounded but not dead. She then saw as parts of the creature began to grow at an alarming rate.
"We have to move him! 02 and 14, get him up and into the tunnel. 13 and 08 get to the tunnel door and prepare to give us cover fire! Hunters form a line at the tunnel entrance. Elites, help me find Sergeant Palab." Sammy 13 and Mathew 08 turned and raced to the Tram Tunnel as the hunters quickly formed a line behind her.
Within a few seconds, "We have the grunt." An elite roared as he lifted Palab from beneath a door frame.
Sammy turned and yelled to the elites, "get back here, now!" as she saw what Melanie had first glanced. The creature was slowly pulling its massive form into the destroyed area of the Tram Station. Its mass was greatly reduced by the Lotus mine field, but it was healing and still growing. Its mouth had nearly reformed and more and more tentacles were sprouting from its core. It was healing, unlike anything she had ever seen. "05 get back here!"
Melanie turned and primed two fragmentation grenades, useless but she had to try, and let them fly at the creature. Two loud thuds echoed as she turned and ran behind the elites, but she felt that it was coming. She was right. The creature had barely felt the explosion as it dragged itself across the dusty floor. The creature's head stretched from ceiling to floor and four tentacles jolted outward at Melanie.
"Duck and cover!" Sammy 13 shouted. Melanie dropped to her stomach and reached out to grab the slower elite back hoof, tripping him. The elite tumbled forward just as the tentacle brushed the top of its head, dropping his shield strength to ten percent. "Attack!" Sammy 13 shouted to the hunters.
The blue armored creatures roared with an exciting rage for combat. Four of them ran forward while the others fired from the tunnel door. The hunters slammed their gigantic shields against the tentacles, chopping some of them in half, and fired their blasts of radiation. The smell of burning flesh swelled within the room, but the creature didn't retreat. Tentacles whipped around from the left side of the bulbous head and smashed two hunters against the wall, sending orange blood splashing across the room. The other two hunters roared in anger and began to fire repeatedly at the head area.
Melanie and the last elite finally ran toward the door and began to enter, "Call them back, we'll seal the tunnel."
"They will not retreat." An elite stated. "They will fight to the death and give us the time we need to withdraw."
Melanie looked out as the remaining two hunters dodged a tentacle and continued to fire their plasma cannons. She then looked to the Elite near the tunnel door.
"Close it. Everyone head for the Inner Sanctum." Melanie began to walk deeper into the tunnel as one of the tunnel doors sealed tight. It closed from top to bottom and once the first door closed a second door began to close from side to side. The third and final door ascended from the ground to the sealing and together they created a multilayered wall that was practically impenetrable.
The tunnel lights provided adequate illumination as the group walked down the tunnel. It would be a long walk for the group, but an easy one considering that it was all down hill. Still, Melanie was not looking forward to letting 02 and 08 carry Eric all the way. Eric and Palab needed immediate Medical attention even if their wounds weren't life threatening.
"Will hold here for now. 13, take a look at Eric and do what you can."
"Roger." Sammy 13 replied as she handed her rifle to Mathew 08. She quickly pulled out her emergency med kit and stood at Eric's side, while Justin 14 and Roy 02 lowered him to the ground. "Give me a hand 02." The two of them cautiously removed Eric's helmet and could see the split that had formed along its side. Blood stains soaked his black hair, but the wound wasn't bad.
Melanie felt reassured that Eric would be alright and then turned her attention to the others, "Elites, do you have any medical knowledge of grunts?" To a degree Melanie already knew the answer.
"No." One of them simply replied.
"The grunts and marines can't be too far ahead." Melanie sighed as she thumbed her communicator channels. There was a lot that needed to be done, but helping the wounded was her first priority. "Private Williams, do you copy?" A burst of static followed.
A buzz filled her ear, "Loud and clear. Did everyone make it?"
"We lost four of our twenty hunters, Eric and Palab our unconscious, but we're in good shape. We need a marine and grunt medic up here, so hunt one down. But I want you to lead the rest of the Marines and ODST deeper into the tunnel. Station the Shock Troopers at the rear of your lines in case we need additional support."
"Additional support? That door is sealed isn't it? That thing can't get through that."
"I hope not. But I'm not taking any chances. You have your orders Private."
"Yes sir." The channel ended and Melanie turned her attention to securing the tunnel.
"Elites, welcome to the Black Ops, at least for now." Melanie felt awkward about the statement. She didn't feel right about welcoming the elites into her squad, but they were willing to follow her orders and help protect Eric. But it seemed too easy for them to volunteer to join up with a squad of humans, and Melanie knew she would have to question their motives at a more reasonable time. "I need you and some of the hunters to double check those doors and make sure their tightly sealed. If you hear anything on the other side, let me know."
The squad of elites and hunters began to run back to the door, but their squad leader addressed Melanie, "You are separating us from your squad. Is this a prudent action?"
"I won't be coy with you, I don't trust you and neither would Eric. If we're going to work together then I need to know you'll trust my words as much as you respect Eric's."
"Sergeant Raynord has completed the trials, and traditions say that he is a worthy warrior. Not only that, but he has also gained the respect of the High Council. We'll obey your orders only for the reason that you are his second in command." The Ranger elite glared at Melanie and began to follow his squad toward the back of the tunnel.
Bad blood was not what Melanie wanted in this team. The elites outnumbered them, and they were Rangers, which put the Black Ops in bad position for the mission ahead.
"Wait." Melanie stated as she followed the elite. She wanted to apologize, but that would be a sign of weakness. Instead she decided that she had to give the elites a more responsible mission. "By my estimates it's going to take us seven hours to walk the Inner Sanctum. Can you contact the tram station down there and get us a ride?" It wasn't the most challenging assignment, but for now it was the best she could do.
"I have already made contact with the Inner Sanctum honor guards. They are sending the tram as we speak. I will now select a unit to remain behind and guard this entrance."
"Understood, but if something happens they would be cut off from support."
"If this entrance is breached by that creature, the only thing they would need to do is contact the Inner Sanctum, there by alerting us to the creature's approach. Their lives do not matter when it concerns the Inner Sanctum."
- - - - - - -
"Captain, I've lost contact with the Black Ops." Siren stated from her holo-tank. She turned and looked up to Captain Monroe, sitting at her side, and folded her arms in thought. Her illusionary robes floated majestically as her mind raced over the last few events.
"What happened?" Monroe questioned.
"After we lost 159… unknown, at the moment. I am attempting to cycle through the Black Ops recorded chatter." Siren paused, placing a hand to her head. She couldn't concentrate because she was worried about Eric. Again her emotions were getting the better of her. She pushed aside her feelings and pulled the data records of the black ops. One by one she began to scan their com logs. "Evac had been initiated on schedule. All Pelican's reported in. Nothing unusual yet. Got it. What the hell?"
"Siren?" Monroe nervously voiced. Now the entire command crew was eagerly listening.
"It wasn't the flood that took down 159. It was something else, something big. Eric… 19 canceled the order for the last bird to land and then signaled the retreat. Hunters advanced from the Tram Station to assist."
"I don't want a detailed analysis of the situation, Siren. Where are the Black Ops?"
"Underground, I think." Siren frustratingly replied. She put a hand to her temple, sorting through the data that was flooding into her systems. "The Lotus AT filed was detonated. 19 was wounded… Eric? The others retreated into the tunnel. I lost contact when the doors sealed."
"How could we have lost contact?"
"I am sure the elites are blocking our channels. Not on purpose, but by default. We were the enemy. I'll try sniffing out the frequency and make contact…"
"No." Monroe added firmly. "If this alliance is going to last, we need to trust each other. Contact the Knight and Piercing Arrow and ask ship master Timnaldee for the frequency."
"Captain, we may not have time to…"
"Contact Timnaldee for the frequency, Siren!" Monroe glared at the tiny figure standing at her side. Unlike Aries, Siren was uncontrollable, loyal, but uncontrollable. Monroe felt odd about yelling at a hologram, but her reactions were too human to tell. Yelling seemed to be the only way to get her point across.
"Ma'am. Opening channel." Siren replied softly. She was sulking, and everyone knew it. Siren was aware that the possibility of captain Timnaldee rejecting their request was high, and logically it would have been faster and easier to simply crack the channel. The elites were going to protest the stealing of the ship and a battle would be unavoidable. To Siren, asking for permission was not logical.
A video display opened and the image of Timnaldee standing upon the command deck appeared, "Captain Monroe, this is not a good time. Please speak quickly."
"We lost contact with one of our squads when they went into the tunnel. We ask for the frequency to the Inner Sanctum."
"I'm sorry, I must first speak with the High Council before passing on such knowledge. But I'm sure you already know the channel frequency. Still, I am pleased you asked. Contact the humans, and only the humans in the tunnels. I will speak with the high council once this situation has passed."
"Do you need any assistance?"
"I'm afraid there is nothing that can be done."
An elite roared from the background of the video transmission, "Captain Timnaldee, something is happening around Jogrennilee!"
"Captain I must go. Show me!" The transmission ceased and Monroe peered down her nose at Siren.
"Now, Siren, get me in touch with the Black ops. Helm, put us over Jogrennilee and find out what they saw."
"The frequency is clear, captain." Siren smirked. She wanted to contact Eric, but the communication had wasted nearly a minute, and for an AI a minute was an eternity.
The helmsman then turned and looked to Monroe, "Ma'am, you've got to see this." Everyone gazed through the viewing portal and on the horizon of the northern continent all they could see was a thick green and yellow cloud.
"Positioning external cameras and magnifying." Siren stated as she squinted. "The location is Jogrennilee… but that's…" Siren suddenly became silent as she opened a view screen and showed the command crew a closer image of the cloud.
"Siren, clarify." Captain Monroe demanded.
Siren stood silently for a moment and then turned to Monroe, "That is a cloud of flood spores."
"Flood spores?" Someone from the command crew questioned.
"Yes. According to Cortana, the Monitor on Halo installation 04 stated that the flood can alter a planets atmosphere. Data that Cortana acquired from the Halo installation proved this to be correct. The spores are released by the flood and into the air. But this…" Siren pointed to the video, "… this is not possible. It would take millions of flood infection forms to spread such a high volume of spores."
"Or, one big flood form." Monroe stated. "Helm take us over the city, and put us at an altitude of one kilometer. Let's find out what's going on down there." Monroe pressed her command chair communicator and contacted the Black Ops on the frequency that Siren had found. "Monroe to Black Ops, do you copy?"
A static burst fired back with Melanie replying, "Loud and clear ma'am. The operation is still in the dark. We will notify you once we commence."
"We have another problem, 05. A cloud of green spores is filling the air around Jogrennilee."
Siren then cut in, "The spores carry the flood infection. Current trade winds on the planet will spread the spores at an alarming rate, roughly two miles every hour. Every dead creature within the area will be infected and reanimated into carrier forms."
"What is the air quality in your area?" Monroe questioned.
There was a slight pause, "The tunnel is air tight and Oxygen is coming from the Inner Sanctum. We're fine. I think I know what's creating that cloud. The reason our plan went to hell was because we were attacked by this giant creature. It released the spores from its mouth."
Monroe then added, "We are now over the city. Our cameras' can see the tram station and it's covered by thick vine branches…" As she watched the monitor one of the 'branches' moved and Monroe was forced to take another guess at what her eyes were seeing. "It moved."
"Not branches, ma'am." Melanie sighed as she peered at the door. "That thing is some form of Flood, not sure what though. It has gigantic tentacles and it looks like a giant plant, but it's composed of fleshy tissue. And it talks."
"Talks?" Siren questioned as she also gazed at the view screen. "What has it said?"
"Mostly riddles, I think, but I've been able to understand mostly what it has said. It's angry that we are protecting the Seed Installation and it wants it."
Monroe rubbed her hand through her regulation length red hair, "We have to neutralize this threat. Siren, how long will it take for those spores to affect living life?"
"Depending on the amount of exposure; three hours, but the exposure must be constant. It could take a host several days to show symptoms of the infection if it is breathed for a few moments. However, dead cells can be reanimated within minutes. This is why the infection mutates into an infection form. The infection form can take over a host in mere seconds, regardless of the host's ability to breathe the spores or not."
Monroe pondered the words, knowing that her black ops and the rest of the elite and grunt warriors were now infected. "05 contact me when 19 is back on his feet. Stay alert down there. Monroe out."
The channel closed and Captain Monroe looked at Siren with a deeply concerned gaze, "They're all infected, aren't they?"
"Yes and no." Siren calmly stated. "The spores' affect on a living host is much like any infection, it spreads slowly, similar to a common cold. The infection will basically die off if the spores are not constantly fed. The spores themselves feed off of each other and the host. Just like the flood forms. The more spores that are inhaled the less are your chances of survival. But still, I don't think the Black Ops were breathing those spores for more then a few minutes. It would take a great deal of time for the spores to infect them." Siren's optimism was high, but even she had her doubts. There wasn't enough data to analyze and without more information she couldn't give a clearly know the results of the infection.
"Siren, I need a clear answer. Are they infected?"
Siren lowered her head, her mind reached out to Eric and Melanie; the man she had once loved and her younger sister. She didn't want to think of losing them to the flood, but her digital mind could only think based on her gathered knowledge.
"I don't know." Siren simply stated. "If they're suits were sealed, perhaps they aren't. But… my best judgment would be that they are infected. They are breathing pure air now, and that means that the spores within them could die off, or it could mean that the spores released from that creature only affect dead cells and flood forms, or it could mean… that the infection has yet to spread within them. This creature wasn't contained in any of the data that Cortana discovered. I … I… I simply don't know."
The command crew of the Rogue Fantasy gazed at Siren's holographic image with quiet concern. To hear an AI say that 'it didn't know' was rare. AI's were supposed to have the answers to tough fact based problems. Monroe saw the doubt upon her command crew and she felt it to. To loose the last of the Black Ops after they had been reunited would be severely demoralizing, not to mention a complete mission failure.
"Until we have gathered more information for Siren to digest, we have to declare the Black Ops and everyone else in Jogrennilee, as hostiles." The faces upon the crew all sulked, but at least there was still hope.
"Captain, the Knight and Piercing Arrow is hailing us."
"Put it through."
A video screen emerged at the head of the bridge and Timnaldee stepped forward, "Captain, what is that green cloud?"
"Flood spores. There is some form of creature and it is spreading the spores around the city much faster then the normal flood. There are a lot of factors we aren't sure of, but this is our best guess for now."
"Can things get any worse? Bladra has fallen to the parasites as well. We tried to destroy the city but we arrived to late… they have broken into the Tram tunnel and consumed the guards there. It is only a mater of time before they arrive at our most sacred of locations. I have spoken to the High Council, I have been told to stand by."
"We may have an option that the council is not aware of." Monroe declared. "The Sacred Hall, it's a ship. And it maybe the only hope for your race."
"Yes, Vornaldea has told me of the Doctor's discovery within the Sacred Hall. But I find it most interesting that you are aware of this. But no matter, time is short and much needs to be done."
- - - - - - - -
Kelly and Rose turned into another doorway, but this room was already gleaming with light. It was smaller and narrow. Kelly recognized the setting; it was another foyer to a larger chamber. One thing was for sure, the Forerunners stuck to a pattern in everything they built. But unlike the other rooms they had encountered, this foyer was already flowing with light. The lights in the previous rooms had turned on once they had entered.
Closely behind the armor clad Spartan was Rose. Her magnum held tightly in her palms as she kept the barrel low. While she thoroughly enjoyed holding the magnum, she was not empty minded; slung over her shoulder was a more powerful BR55. If anything, she could let Kelly use it in a pinch, but she felt more comfortable with the magnum.
The two cautiously, yet with haste, walked down the foyer; eyes constantly on the lookout for anything suspicious. The halls of the Seed Installation had been absent of life for many years, but they couldn't be too careful. A small slope led them down a spiraling hallway with double doors at the base. Kelly instinctively tossed up her left hand and pointed to the door with a sharp swing. She then pointed to the left side of the door. This was the tenth door they had encountered and Rose was starting to get used to the hand gestures. Rose sprinted forward, gun held high, and pressed her back against the left side of the door. Kelly lowered her posture twenty feet from the door and gazed through scope of her battle riffle.
Rose could feel the tension, and was wondering why she was nervous this time. After ten doors of darkness they had finally came upon an already lightened room, and clearly the elites were on the other side of the ship by now. Rose was nervous and it was because she felt that they were no longer alone. Someone else had turned on these lights.
Rose looked back at Kelly and waited for the signal. Kelly nodded her head sharply and Rose pressed her hand against the door panel. The double doors parted, exposing a brighter room beyond. Rose pulled her gun up and peered around the corner while Kelly scanned the room from the distance. Rose then waited as Kelly slowly crept forward, scanning more and more of the room as she walked in. Soon she crossed the threshold and marveled at the room.
"Not at all what I expected to see." Rose openly commented.
"This is the biggest room yet." Kelly replied, but she never let her guard down.
Before their eyes were rows and rows of flowers, trees, wildlife, and another light source above. The light wasn't like the rest of the lights throughout the ship, but was more like the large crystal formation outside the ship. The crystals were naturally radiating a light source that was feeding the forest before them. The ship had its own atrium in its center.
"Stay close." Kelly stated. She leveled her rifle and began to walk forward, walking down the path of trees.
Kelly's internal communicator sparked to life, "Demon, we have found the engine room. All seems to be running smoothly. Elder Vornaldea is sending a team down, but I don't know why. Something has happened." Belmaeda spoke with a sense of concern in his voice. Kelly could hear that he was worried.
"Call me Kelly." She sighed in frustration to be called a Demon. "Or Spartan or 087, but stop calling me Demon."
"Very well, it would seem best to not call you such a thing any longer."
"Any idea what's going on?"
"None. I will speak to the high elder once the support team arrives."
"Keep me posted. 087 Out." The familiar static faded and Kelly focused on the room again. "Once we clear this room, we'll turn back. The elites found the engine room."
"Good, this place is creepy." Rose stated as she peered over her shoulder. "There's a forest in the middle of this ship and animals, birds, and I felt a breeze a moment ago." A rustling sound caught Rose's ear and she quickly turned her gun toward the sound. Kelly heard it too, stunned that her motion tracker hadn't shown anything. It was close to Rose and she flung herself at the sound. She leapt across a small thicket of bushes and grabbed the brownish grey creature within it.
"Don't shoot!" The creature begged, flailing its arms around in terror. "You… you are not honor guards!"
"Kelly what is it?" Rose questioned, staggering to see what Kelly had found. She held her gun high and waited for Kelly to pull the creature from its hiding spot.
Kelly dragged the skinny two legged creature from the bushes and tossed it to the ground. A red robe covered its fragile body but there was no denying what it was.
"What the hell is that doing here?" Rose fumed as she pressed the gun to the creatures head.
"Humans? Here? Something must have gone wrong!" The creature nervously cried.
Kelly then voiced, "Damn right something went wrong. Which one are you?"
"Damn you Demon, I shall tell you nothing." The creature smirked with a wicked gleam.
"Who are you Prophet?" Kelly then pressed her barrel against its head, making the prophet more uncomfortable then before.
With two human weapons firmly resting against the side of his face, "I… I am the High Prophet of Mercy."
- - - - - - - -
"What?" Vornaldea screamed as he stepped into the room. Handcuffed to a tree sat a younger version of the Prophet of Mercy, the eldest of the Hierarchs. "This is not possible. Simyaldee reported that you were dead! He saw your corpse aboard High Charity, before it was destroyed."
"My corpse, destroyed?" Mercy repeatedly questioned. "What has happened, Sangheili?"
"Do not speak that term as if you are an ally, traitor!" Vornaldea powered his energy sword and roared as he raced toward the bound prophet. Kelly stepped in front of him, halting his aggression.
"Calm down elder. I figured it was odd that a High Prophet was here, so I think we should let him live and question him."
Mercy smirked, "Now you answer to the Demon? The Sangheili truly have fallen far from the Covenant."
"If you dare to spit the sacred name of my race again, I shall tear your entrails from your stomach, cur." Vornaldea roared. "Now tell me what you are doing here."
"I suppose there is no harm in telling you now. If you truly have sided with the human's then I would assume that the Elites have finally been cast down by the brutes." Mercy lowered his head and spoke clearly to the group. "We prophets have lived for many years, but age does consume us. Soon, my former self would have died from age, but thanks to our technology we have been able to find a way to cheat death. I am a hierarch because I am one of the first to be reborn, a direct descendant of our one time Empire." The door to the forest parted and in walked Doctor Halsey and Belmaeda. "I contain all of the knowledge that Mercy possessed upon his last visit to this world. And once the location of the human world was discovered, he generated me remotely from High Charity. If he failed to see the destruction of all life, then I would begin his quest again."
"A clone." Catherine bluntly stated as she approached the group. "The prophets created clones of themselves over the course of thousands of years. All of them used the technology that they created with the rest of the Forerunners to give themselves a fake since of immortality. It took me a while to put the pieces together, but now I understand."
"This human is correct." Mercy gleamed.
Vornaldea then commented, "Then that is why we were ordered to never defile the deeper regions of the Sacred Hall, so that we would not discover this plan."
"Where are the other hierarchs?" Kelly questioned.
Mercy lowered his head, "They have not been created yet."
"A lie." Vornaldea earnestly stated. "The three of you were here. I paid my respects the day you approached the Sacred Hall. They are most likely hiding."
"You stupid elite, we can generate an entire army of our race and run you all into the ground. Flee before my brothers come."
"Another lie." Catherine smirked. "The Mass Repopulation engine can only be activated after the Halo's have fired. After that it can only be reactivated once the system is reset. But even then, it must wait for the Ark's permission. You can only use one regeneration system for fear of an enemy gaining possession of this ship."
"Stupid human, you know nothing!" Mercy spat.
"I know a lot more then you think. Kelly, come here please and remove your helmet." Kelly crossed the room, and began to pop the seal on her airtight Mark V armor. A hiss steamed from the seals beneath her helmet and she pulled it from her head. Her hair fell to her shoulder, she still had yet to find time to cut it, and she stood at Catherine's side; her back to Mercy. "Do you recognize her, Mercy?" Kelly frowned oddly and turned to look at Mercy.
"No. No. It can not be possible." Mercy screamed in disbelief. Everyone seemed dumbfounded.
Catherine smiled with a self satisfaction of finally solving one of the mysteries, "The forerunners were a combined Empire of races. Thousands of years of memories, and finally you are beginning to understand, and so am I. My Spartans are not special simply because they were altered. They are special because of their bloodline. You know her, or should I say, you know of her ancestors."
"There are differences, but the resemblance is uncanny." Mercy gawked as he stared at Kelly.
Vornaldea stepped forward, "Get to the point."
"We had an army. These warriors fought for the pride of the Forerunner Empire against our enemies. We labeled each conquered species by number and assimilated them. Humans were species 011. Amongst this army were genetically enhanced warriors from all species. It is clear that her bloodline contains those genes."
"Wait." Kelly stated suddenly. "I'm a Forerunner?"
Catherine slid her glasses to the top of her nose, "No, Kelly. We all are descendents of a race within the Forerunner Empire. Each of us were given different tasks, duties and purposes for the glory of the Empire. My best assumption is that after the activation of the Mass Repopulation Engine aboard the Seed instillations, and the ark, were soldiers."
"Who better to begin the repopulation of life, but the strongest of all species." Mercy sternly declared. "But for the safety of our future we limited the amount of repopulations to every species. Only we prophets were born with our entire race recreated. The other species were limited to only two; a male and female. Your genes must be that of the one who piloted the Ark, she was a general for the Reclaimers."
The elites in the room gazed at each other with a horrified persona. The realization that they were all a piece of a well orchestrated design.
"I found a connection between Kelly's DNA and the infection form. They were nearly identical, but the pattern repeated and then I remember something I found years ago. All of my Spartans had a certain gene that connected them together. I didn't think you would honestly know her face, but no matter. Now, Mercy, tell us all why we are trying to stop you from activating the Halos." Catherine folded her arms across her chest as Kelly resealed her helmet.
Mercy glared at the insignificant human before him, "Power, human. It is all about power. Humans were slaves, elites were slaves. You were all slaves every last one of you. But you expanded, you grew much faster then we expected. You multiplied like insects. If it were up to me all of you would have been eliminated in the first war. We could have easily solved all of our problems but we needed to control the Empire, not destroy it."
"Conquered worlds are useful, destroyed they are nothing." Vornaldea added remembering his teaching from the academy when he was a watchmen; more then a hundred years ago.
"Four races occupied the Royal Colonies." Mercy continued as Catherine paid especially close attention to these words. "Species 001, 002, 003, and we Prophets, served as the governing body of the Empire. You worthless humans were species 011. You were nothing tell we selected human warriors for our battles. Giving them genetic upgrades greatly increased your usefulness. You found favor with the other species of the Royal Colonies, but we hated you… and we always will." Catherine raised an eyebrow at this statement, something was off.
"That's why you were so determined to kill us." Rose sternly roared.
"Save for one." Catherine added. "You needed one of us to fire Halo, yet at the same time you didn't know."
"What do you mean? The Reclaimers had been chosen of the humans, but we were not told that only the humans could fire Halo! That must be what has delayed things so long."
Catherine glanced at Mercy with an odd glare, puzzled by his words. "How could you not have known?"
"Look at us Prophets, human. We are not builders, we are thinkers. We served as the law passers, and judicial bodies of the Empire. We did not make the decision to create the Halo's or of how it would function. Because of the mental torment created by the Flood, we found it best to keep information away from each other, such as the functions, abilities, and locations of the rings. If the flood was able to gather all the knowledge of the rings… we wouldn't be here now. The discovery of the reclaimers secret must be new information that my former self was not aware of before he last came here…"
"You were galactic Lawyers?" Rose could hardly contain herself from laughing. Catherine also smirked at the irony.
"I still have more questions, but we can discuss it more thoroughly later." Catherine began to walk toward Vornaldea and spoke softly. "I had Belmaeda bring me here because I need to talk to you."
Vornaldea nodded to Catherine and then looked to the Honor Guards, "Take him to the higher levels and secure him within a cell. Belmaeda, form a team and began looking for any more of the prophets." He then turned back to Catherine and they walked out of the atrium room. "What it is?"
"I noticed you didn't object to his words."
"He was lying, we spoke to the Hologram and he told us the truth." Vornaldea stated, rubbing his mandibles loosely.
Catherine agreed, "Yes, but I'm glade you didn't share that with him. It may be advantageous to hold some knowledge from him. But there was one thing he said about the Royal Colonies."
"It was most shocking when he said it."
"The hologram stated only two species were amongst the Royal Colonies, and the prophets weren't amongst them. Also, while the Empire did exist and we were all apart of it, only the Royal Colonies species were considered Forerunners. They contained the knowledge of all the worlds, but still all species were considered a part of the Forerunner Empire."
"Yes, however we were mostly called 'species'. I wonder…" Vornaldea drifted off in his thoughts as Catherine realized that there was still much to do and very little time.
"According to Belmaeda, the surface has been completely lost, correct?"
"Yes, but we will reclaim our world." Vornaldea smirked as his thoughts drifted on the images sent to him by Timnaldee. "It will take time, but we will…"
"Fail." Catherine interrupted. "The flood have spread their spores on a level unlike anything I can comprehend, because of that creature above ground. The City of Bladra was breached and the flood are making their way to the Inner Sanctum. Eighty percent of the surface is now lost, all of your warriors that have survived so far are here, within the Inner Sanctum; including the civilians. There is another option."
"I know what you would say, Doctor, but what you ask of me is heart aching." Vornaldea shook his head, disagreeing with the idea. "This is why you wanted to find the engine room and see if the ship is capable of flying. You would have me tell my people to abandon our world and to leave our home under the control of the flood."
"Not only that, but the surface is covered with ship parts and fragments that could be used to build ships. It would only be a matter of time before the flood escaped your planet. I'm asking you to flee with us, aboard this ship, and to destroy your world."
- - - - - - - -
Eric sat up and immediately began to rub the cobwebs out of his head. A bandage was wrapped tightly around his temple and he lay on a Tram bench. The inclination of the tram let him know that he was headed for the Inner Sanctum. A few ODST and elites sat behind him while his Black Ops sat a few rows to the front.
"Morning 19. You sleep well?" Sammy laughed. Eric grinned and slowly extended his middle finger. The Black Ops all laughed. Melanie stood and walked back to his side. She sat next to Eric, and her elbow bumped against him. Eric didn't respond so she slowly pulled it away.
"Debrief me." Eric whispered.
"We'd need a bed and a little privacy for that." Melanie smiled. Eric glared at her in a serious tone; she got the hint. "Sorry. So far we've sealed the tunnel, pissed off our elite company, divided the elite squads to guard the tunnel entrance and we're headed back to the Inner sanctum to begin operations. Palab woke up about twenty minutes ago, and went down on the other tram to prep his grunts to help take over the Sacred Hall. Vornaldea has sent a Regiment of elites to protect the breached tram tunnel…"
"Breach?"
"Yes sir. A city failed to close their tram tunnel in time and flood got in. The elite flagship tried to destroy the city, but they got there too late. It's only a matter of time before the flood get down here. No telling how many other cities were overrun and didn't seal their tram tunnel. The whole planet is connected by these Tram tunnels, and they all connect to the Inner Sanctum."
"Any luck with the elites letting the grunts into the Inner Sanctum?"
"Not sure. That's what Palab went to find out. He's hoping to persuade them, but he's willing to use force."
"Good."
"Also, Captain Monroe needs you to contact her ASAP." Melanie handed Eric his patched helmet. Where the crack once was, there was a patch of black armor soldered on with liquid nails. "It's a bit patchy, but it'll hold and keep it air tight."
Eric slid the helmet on and tripped the channel, "Captain, this is 19 reporting."
Monroe's voice cut into his ear, "19, I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but the surface is gone. Timnaldee can not make contact with any of the city defenses across the world. He sent a down patrol of phantoms… the flood are everywhere, and those tentacles from that creature have spread beyond Jogrennilee. We estimate that thing is covering nearly twenty square miles of land from its center. Now for the really bead news, I have visual confirmation that the creature is bonding with the flood. It's is growing by absorbing there bodies into itself. This thing is far worse then the flood could ever be."
"It kept saying 'it needed bodies to grow', I guess that's what it meant. That thing was once an elite that I had respected, and it contains his knowledge. It warned me to leave and give up the Seed Installation. It's smart and knows some kind of history about itself, its true purpose."
"That may prove useful. But for now, a last piece of bad news."
"Damn it." Eric cursed under his breath.
"It's digging. And it's digging fast."
"… how much time?" Eric gasped.
"Siren can give you the details."
"19, at the current rate of dirt and stone it is removing, it will connect with the Tram tunnel in ten minutes."
"Captain, what options have you used to try and stop it?"
"You won't believe this, but the closer we get the more fire comes our way. The flood have taken over the city defense turrets. All of the elite ships are holding back as well. But I still have one plan left… if you're up for it."
"Let me here it."
"It'll be close, but once you take over the seed ship… we NOVA the planet."
To be continued…