Disclaimer: I don't own Halo. I wish I did, because then I'd be rich. I do, however, own Spartan-150 also known as Mariana.
A/N: okay, I'm going to take a little from the fall of reach novel, but I'll change it around a bit so you perfectionists out there will be satisfied and not get me into trouble. Sticks out tongue Enjoy
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September 23, 2517- Reach Military complex, planet Reach
It's been a month since Dr. Hasley visited Mariana. Dr. Hasley now stood waiting on a platform in the complex's amphitheater.
"Ready for the children, doctor?" asked her AI, Déjà.
Dr. Hasley nodded, and the amphitheater doors opened and in filed the seventy-five chosen candidates for the Spartan project led by Chief Petty Officer Mendez. The children moved with a groggy slowness, symbolizing that they just woke up from their drugged sleep. Each child was accompanied by a handler who guided them to their seats. Dr. Hasley looked at the children and spotted numbers 117 and 150, John and Mariana, her two best candidates for the SPARTANII project. John didn't look frightened, just confused, and Mariana… Dr. Hasley couldn't help but smile as every time Mariana's handler put a hand on her shoulder, Mariana would break free and kick him in the shins while clutching something that looked like a hologram panel to her chest.
"Welcome children, you have been chosen to be trained to the best of your abilities. You will become the protectors of Earth and all of her colonies. Unfortunately, you will not be able to return to your families," Dr. Hasley said trying to explain.
At these words, the children stirred uneasily and shifted around. Only Mariana remained still, and merely fingered her necklace. After a little while of more explaining, the children were herded by CPO Mendez and their trainers to dinner and then to bed. Mariana, all throughout dinner, wanted to talk to Amee, who she kept clutched to her body in the holo pad, but figured that it wouldn't be the wisest thong to do.
Before bed, the trainers lined the children up and made them hand over whatever possessions that they happened to have with them. When they came to John, he kicked and struggled against the men as they tried to pry a small metal disk from his hand. Mariana, watching, wondered why he was putting up such a fight about a disk, and realized that it must have sentimental value to him just like her necklace was precious to her. Continuing down the line, the guards finally came to Mariana and tried to pull the holo pad out of her grasp.
"Let go!" she cried as the guards pulled the pad from her hold and also took off her necklace and started walking away. "Give back my necklace!" she screamed as she ran after them and tackled the one who held her necklace. The trainers managed to pull her off after a minute, only to have another child fly into the fray and attack the guard that Mariana was beating up.
"What's going on here?!" demanded Mendez coming into the room with Dr. Hasley right behind him. The room became very quiet and still. Mariana looked at the other kid who had come to help her out, and saw it was the one who they had taken the disk from.
"Sir, these brats started trouble," said one of the handlers.
"They took my necklace and my friend!" Mariana shouted slipping easily out of the grasp of the handler who restrained her.
"Your friend?" asked Dr. Hasley confused. Mariana nodded and pulling the pad towards her, pushed a button and Amee appeared, shimmering different stone colors and finally settling for her onyx colored body with piercing ruby eyes.
"Yes her friend," Amee snapped, "That was quite rude of you to take Mariana's only friend away from her."
Dr. Hasley seeing Mariana's training evident in the fierce stance that the little girl was in, knelt down to her height, and looked into the blazing indigo eyes. "I have an AI friend too. Her name is Déjà. How about I have your AI…"
"Amee."
"…Amee stay with her. You'll be able to see her daily," suggested Dr. Hasley.
The fire cooled in Mariana's eyes. "Fine," she conceded, "but I want my necklace back. It was given to me by my father."
Dr. Hasley sighed, nodded, and handed the necklace to Mariana who put it on immediately.
"Go to bed now trainees," barked Mendez and the children hurriedly complied.
Later that night, John was awakened by a soft whimpering sound. Creeping over to the bunk next to him, that the sound was coming from, John saw it was the girl with the AI. Shaking her awake, he jumped back and stared as she flailed upon instinct. Opening her eyes, she looked gazes with John and slightly grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry," she whispered pulling her knees to her chin and shook with more quiet cries.
John sat on the edge of her bed and comforted the girl as best as he could. "It's ok. I'm John by the way, what's your name?" he asked curiously.
The girl looked up. "I'm Mariana," she said.
"What were you dreaming about?"
Mariana visibly shuddered. "Tartarus," she whispered fearfully.
John was puzzled. "Who?" he asked.
"Tartarus split me and my father a year ago when I was in space training to be a soldier," Mariana explained, "He took the only family that I had away."
John sympathized for Mariana. "I'll be your family like Dr. Hasley said. I don't know what's going to happen to us, but I know we have to stick together to pull through this," John said. Mariana smiled wearily.
"Thanks, we should sleep. I have a feeling we'll be put through a lot tomorrow," Mariana said hugging John quickly. John nodded and crept back to his bunk where he fell asleep almost immediately.
"Wake up boot!" came a harsh yell. John sleepily ignored him and went back to sleep. Bad choice. Mendez bent over and grinning triumphantly, touched John's feet with an electric baton. Mariana looked tiredly on as John yelled and fell out of the bed in surprise. Realizing that would happen to her if she didn't get up, Mariana stood up and moved to the foot of the bed and awaited orders.
As the other children were awakened, Mendez cleared his throat, eyes glittering. "I am Chief Petty Officer Mendez," he shouted, the others are your trainers. You will do as they say at all times. The showers are in the back. Wash and return here to get dressed," he barked. The seventy-five children ran and showered. Then they rushed back and dressed in sweats and combat boots.
"Outside trainees, triple time! MARCH!" yelled Mendez flourishing his baton. Basically stampeding outside, John saw Mariana close by in quiet thought, but not disoriented like the others. Once on the grass, the trainers herded them into lines of fifteen, Mariana next to John in line two.
"We'll start our day, every day with some exercise. Start with jumping jacks and count off to one hundred… go!" Mendez barked starting the exercise. Once they were done with those, it was on to sit-ups followed by push-ups, deep squats, knee bends and finally leg lifts. Once they finished, Mendez gave them a break. Gulping down his water, John looked around and saw the other children on the ground panting, throwing up, and clutching their sides except one. Mariana was sitting calmly on the grass sipping her water. Other than being extremely sweaty, she looked unfazed to John. Before he could ask her about it, Mendez stood up.
"Excellent start, trainees," he said, "Now we run."
John and Mariana ran side by side, John struggling, and Mariana easily jogging along. Seeing him lag, Mariana slowed slightly and handed him her water bottle, which was still three quarters full. "Here," she said at his questioning look, "Drink a little and match your stride with mine."
John did as told and soon found the run easier, even though his muscles killed him. After a bit, the children found themselves in a courtyard in front of a building where an AI was waiting for them on the top step.
"All right children, come on, the class is about to start. I'm Déjà and I'll be your teacher," she said turning to them.
John and some others groaned. The AI smiled and started to enter the building. "Of course you can continue your workout if you prefer to skip," she said. Mariana looked at John and they led the way up the steps. Entering the building, John saw a plate of crackers and milk for each of them. While eating, he watched Mariana go over to Déjà and ask her something. Déjà pointed to a desk and Mariana rushed over to the black pad that was on the desk and return to where she was sitting. Amee appeared as soon as Mariana pushed the button and turned an amethyst color with topaz eyes and sat on the pad's surface. Déjà began the lesson by projecting a solid landscape on the floor of the entire classroom.
"Please, walk around the land and try to find what I will be showing you," she said gesturing to the map. John and the others, accepting the challenge, got up and wandered around walking in the water that actually felt wet to their fingers when they bent down to touch it. Mariana, however walked to the tallest mountain, and sitting on the top, looked around and spotted something moving.
"There's people in this!" she exclaimed pointing. As the children gathered around, Amee magnified it so now they were wandering a mountain pass watching three hundred people guard it against thousands. Déjà explained about the battle between the Persians and the Spartans and how the Spartans won though greatly outnumbered. Déjà faded the image away and dismissed them to go to the playground. While Mendez explained the rules of their objective, The trainees formed three lines and waited for the go signal. Mariana was behind John, so they weren't on the same team, which made it more interesting.
At the signal, Mariana and her team saw John race ahead of everyone. 'He'll lose,' Mariana thought with a smirk and helped her team around the booby traps that were on the ground. Mariana's team of James and Li ended up being the second complete team to finish. Once everybody crossed the finish line, Mendez announced that everyone but team three, John, Kelly, and Sam, would be having dinner that night for winning. Mariana found it amusing until dinner when she saw John looking miserable with only a liter of water to drink. Making her clicking sound, Mariana made sure the trainers and Mendez weren't looking and slid her seconds of turkey, potatoes, and corn over to John. John glanced at her gratefully and wolfing the food down quickly, slid the empty plate back to Mariana. For dessert, James this time sent his thirds over to John to eat. Looking down the table, Mariana pantomimed to Li and Linda to get Kelly and Sam something too. This time, Mendez caught them.
"What do you think you are doing trainee?" he yelled in Mariana's face. Mariana just stood and looked at him coolly.
"Easy…sir," she replied with a sneer, "I was giving my teammates food."
"They didn't earn it trainee, they don't eat food tonight because of their lack of teamwork," Mendez barked.
Mariana's indigo eyes blazed. "If they don't eat," she snarled, her voice taking on what sounded to Mendez like an Elite's tone, "Then I don't either." With that, she sat down and pushed her plate away towards the center of the table and glared defiantly at Mendez. The others looked at each other and as one, pushed their plates away to the center also.
Mendez tried not to smile. The brat learned quickly. She will make a fine Spartan. "Thomas!" he barked and a trainer came up.
"Yes sir?" Thomas asked.
Mendez kept his eyes on Mariana's. "Soldier," he said, "Get more plates. These children still look hungry."
The trainees couldn't believe it. Mariana had actually won against their instructor. When new plates were set in front of them all, the seventy-five children dug in to the desserts together.
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Ria: man, when I want to write, I write quickly. This took me a day to do, and my teacher says I shouldn't focus so much on fan fiction stories and stick with regular ideas…feh. Read and review! Oh yes, I'll start review responses next chapter.