Garrett woke up to a beeping noise, thought it was an alarm clock, and threw a shoe at where the offending sound seemed to come from. The shoe hit a button, and the door opened. Maya walked in, saw that he was awake, somewhat, and that he was rubbing his eyes. "Good morning Garrett." Garrett's right eye popped out from under his hands and stared at her with annoyance. "I don't know what's good about it. Need something?" He asked. "I think I found something we need to fix immediately. Your UNSC has found a concentration complex on one of their new fortress worlds, Reach II. The colony seems to be quite impressive, for a military installation of course." Garrett scratched the grit out of his eyes and stood up. "Why do we have to fix something? I thought our job at the moment was to keep as much shit from getting into the hands of the bad guys, not suddenly become mechanics. I didn't do so well in those training courses." Maya seemed serious. "I'm not talking about repairing anything. I'm talking about the fact that the complex, Zonetoriga, was a holding prison and observation station." Garrett suddenly became alert. "What sort of observation? Of what?" He asked. "The Flood."
His heart suddenly went cold and he staggered back. "Are you serious? I mean, I heard from the Major that Halos kept those things for observation, not bases planetside. I thought that the fortress worlds were made to, you know, keep the bastards safely tucked away from civilization?" Maya cocked a eyebrow. "You mean your people have encountered our ring worlds?" She asked him. "Well, twice, I think. I read the reports and all, but I didn't know quite what to think. Why? We already seem to know that they mean trouble for the universe, and that they're a bad place to go to or crash land on." She sighed, rubbing her temples. "First off, no, the Halos weren't just holding areas for the flood. They acted as semi colonies for research and spaceports. They were to also act as a safe haven in case we needed to protect our race from extinction." Garrett was really confused now. "Wait, hang on, I thought those things exterminated all life everywhere, including on the ring worlds." Maya rolled her eyes. "They obviously didn't study the materials very much, as they would have found out that some areas are shielded from the effects. It was made as a last resort to… oh no…" She sat down. "That must have been the disaster. The flood were parasitic, and if we contained them for research, we might keep them from harming others and find out something useful. It might have been our undoing. If one person was infected, and then transported themselves to another colony to feed, then multiplied secretly, then finally transported itself to other colonies, there might not have been enough time to react, and the Halos were activated."
Garrett stopped Maya from rambling on. "Wait, are you saying that that colony, Reach II, is near a complex that has flood rampaging through it? And the UNSC is trying to get inside?" He asked. "Yes, that's what I've been telling you this entire time." Garrett pulled on his shirt, grabbed his boots and tied them on quick as lightning, then shot out of the room, Maya following but having difficulty attempting to keep up with his speed. He yelled out for Auron to wake the fuck up and Auron acknowledged, the cybernetics reappearing in his arm. "Ilana, you there?" He yelled out. "Yes Garrett, do, do you need something?" She asked through speakers as he ran down a hallway to the bridge. "Have you been keeping a scan on Reach II?" He asked. "Y-yes, I have. Your people are attempting to break through the outer walls of the complex, through large caves they carved in the ground. T-the complex appears quite well buried, under 12 kilometers of solid rock and iron deposits." Garrett swore. "How far have they gotten?" Ilana was silent for a moment. "Um, halfway. It, it will take them another three days to finish puncturing the outer layers, which is the amount of time it will take us to reach that destination, I'm sorry to say." Garrett jumped onto a lift, Maya much farther down the hallway, and waited. "What do you mean three days for us? How far away are we? I thought we could pocket whatchamaycallit?" He grumbled. "I'm, I'm sorry Garrett. We're hiding in another galaxy. The area we are trying to reach is in a Soliton wave nebula. It, it slows down moving particles drastically and disrupts the pocket fields used, and, and we would have to plane nearby, then jump gate inside. I apologize." Garrett sighed as Maya finally got on the lift and it raised. "That's okay. Don't worry about it. It isn't your fault. I just hope we can get there in time to stop the opening of the biggest blunder humanity has ever done." Ilana didn't speak for a few seconds. "Thank you Garrett. That makes me feel better."
THREE DAYS LATER
"Come on boys! Get in there! We have to check the place out so that the tech heads don't blow themselves away by anything that doesn't like us! Move out!" Marines filed through six massive openings into dark tunnels toward holes into an ancient complex. Lieutenant Jack Merics didn't exactly like dark places. In fact he hated them. He never got over the idea that monsters lived in the night and shadows, and ever since the covenant showed up, he has never left that train of thought. His own squadron pushed through with him, Hernandes keeping point while Jerico kept the rear. They were told to search multiple doors that seemed to have detections of working machinery. Jack held his shotgun at the ready, his flashlights on his helmet as well as his gun checking every which way. He inched toward one of the open doors, and motioned two marines to either side. Another five cover the doors down the hall, and another five covered the hallway going in both directions.
Two marines were carrying small saucer shaped objects on their backs, and both placed one on the ground at key points along the way. Alittle whirring was heard and suddenly a small bulbous pod popped out on top, along with the saucer raising from its base an inch. The top rotated around once, popping open another square opening with many small black holes on two sides. "If anything tries something funny with us, these little watch dogs will show em we can't be caught with our pants around our ankles!" Matan chuckled. "Just make sure those little things don't try and blow us up marine" Jack said. "They're set. Pull pin in one… we got cover." The saucer defenses lowered back onto their bases and waited with its motion sensors and small cameras active. "Alright. Get that door open." He kept his 8-gauge trained on the door as a marine slowly crawled up to the pad, planted an ICE-pick on it, pressed a few buttons and let the little bugger do its job. The cracked plating of the door meant that if they didn't get the electronics to kick over, they could always blast their way through, if of course the material was as strong as he thought it was.
The door wouldn't need it, however, as the pad beeped twice and the door scratched and screeched open, scrapping along its path and stopping halfway. Sparks flew from the line it rended in the ground, and the marines sighed. "Hernandes, pull in first. Mason and Matan, shove in after. The rest of you cover this spot." The marines clicked acknowledgement over their radios as the troops he assigned inside entered and he followed. "Holy Freholes!" Hernandes yelped. The room seemed huge in comparison to the ArchHammer cruiser he came in on. From the looks of it, the place was a cargo storage room, with clamps everywhere for keeping large objects in place and blocks of what looked like materials were placed nearby. A thick layer of dust covered everything, and vents seemed to be everywhere, probably for keeping the temperature of certain objects at reasonable levels. Writing was inscribed on most of the boxes and containers, but all of it couldn't be understood. "Sir! I've got bones over here!" Matan said as he waved the flashlight on his rifle over a skeleton. "What the hell happened here? Looks like some scratch marks on it… wait, what the hell happened to the bones? They look distorted." Jack pointed to warp points in the arms and legs, and one arm seemed to have some dried skin on it. "I don't think we're supposed to be here mon" Mason whispered, looking around at the vents.
"We'll let this stay for the time being. Note it with a flare and check the containers." Hernandes dropped a flare on the ground lit, and moved slowly to a box. "Wait! Did anyone hear that?" He said, stopping and raising his rifle to the vents. "Probably rats mon, don't worry about it" Mason's Jamaican accent popped up. "There aren't any rats on this planet stupid gato!" Hernandes grumbled. "Probably the place is still falling apart, you can't say it isn't in bad shape." Jack got some radio chatter and reported in. "What's the situation where you're at Lieutenant?" Someone asked. "Sir, we found a storage bay. The place looks a little worse for wear, but we found a skeleton. There are a lot of crates around as well, but…" The sound was heard again, this time closer. "Jerico, you catch anything out there?" He yelled outside. "I definitely caught that sound sir. Where the hell is it coming from?" He yelled back. "Beats the fuck out of me, but I think we might want to just…" And the pods opened fire.
"Incoming! We have multiple targets! What the hell?! They look human!" Yelled Jerico as he opened up on something coming for him. Multiple little pods scurried around on the ground to get at the marines, with little success. One of the human forms jumped and landed on a marine and knocked his head clean off his shoulders, and the battle rifle blazed a trail in the wall. Two marines fired shotgun shells into the jumper, but more were coming. Radio chatter popped up from all the other squads. "What the hell are these things? Oh hell! Are these flood?! Retreat!" Yelled from every channel. The saucer pods were unloading everywhere, the little lasers emitting from the baubles on the top, and little what looked like pencil sized rockets flew out of the square opening with holes. Jack squeezed his body halfway through the door when a marine's body flew by him. "Pull back! I repeat! Pull back!" He yelled as another marine had the skittering pods grapple him and pull him down. "They're coming in from the vents! Look!" Yelled Mason as one of the pods pushed open a vent and jumped out, followed by hundreds more. "We're surrounded! Fire at will!" Rifles roared to life as Mason and Matan placed the remaining saucers on the ground around them in the room and let loose. Grenades were heard outside as one last rifle was being heard before the human forms seemed to start to come through the doors. The saucers opened up in all directions, the four marines firing wherever they saw movement.
Jack threw a grenade at the door and grabbed a clip of shotgun shells, running it along the top and reloading the shotgun faster than with just his fingers. He cocked the cannon he was carrying and fired. One of the human forms jumped out of a vent and landed on Hernandes, breaking his right arm. He screamed, and the thing grabbed him and threw him across the floor. Mason answered in turn, firing a hail of ten rounds into the new target. "I'm out of ammo!" Yelled Matan. Jack threw a clip he was carrying in his bandolier. "Make it count!" He yelled as he seemed to go on auto at the door, firing just as fast as he could cock the Super-80B. The little pods danced around on their tentacles, tenaciously trying to make it to the marines inside the small circle of saucer defenses. One of the saucer pods was hit by a human form and blew, sending a small fireball upwards. The marines dove backward, then ran back inside the circle. Soon, the saucers were being taken down, one at a time, then two, and finally there was one left. Hernandes had pulled his pistol out and fired with his left hand, but didn't have much accuracy with the pain. Matan was grappled by one of pods, and it searched for a way to insert a needle object into his back. Mason fired at the pod, and it popped, with the needle stuck in Matan's skin. A human form jumped onto Mason's shoulders and pounded his head in, brain matter splattering everywhere. Jack grabbed two grenades and pulled the pins, throwing them at groups of the enemy, but they were everywhere, and Hernandes was jumped by ten of the little pods. Matan tried to run, but was trampled under a wall of the little creatures. Jack was the last one left. He pulled one more grenade. "If I'm gonna die, I'll take you bastards out with me!" He yelled, and tried to pull the pin. One of the pods jumped on his back and inserted a needle arm into his back, and he couldn't pull the pin. He jumped in such pain, that he arched his back and fell backwards. He then blacked out.
ONE HOUR LATER
Jack awoke to the blackness. He was feeling pain, but it seemed to be a dull ache. He tried to move his arms, but they seemed to not respond. He then sensed another presence… inside. The second mind seemed ravenous, hungry for anything it could grab. He tried to think about if he was dead or not, and the thought interested the extra mind. It tried to rip the thought from his mind, and he became confused. What the hell is this thing? ARE YOU FLOOD?! He suddenly remembered what happened before. He had lost his entire marine squad with him, and these bastards had got him. Hernandes, Jerico, Mason, Matan, Quanden, all of them… and the second mind tried to pull those thoughts as well. NO! YOU LITTLE BASTARDS AREN'T GOING TO TAKE WHAT IS MY RIGHT TO HAVE! He struggled to move, but the mind held fast. He started to seeth with hate and anger, and the mind became confused, and actually loosened it's hold. The thoughts he was producing were of ripping the pod apart and eating it, then tearing the rest apart with his hands. He sent thought after thought of flame and destruction toward it, and it actually recoiled I WILL NOT FALL TO YOU BASTARDS! I'VE HEARD WHAT YOU DO TO PEOPLE! TAKING AWAY LIFE AND DESTROYING EVERYTHING EVERYONE HOLDS DEAR! I'M GONNA BEAT YOU! The mind became fearful, scared of this thing that had so much hate for it. The blackness recoiled, trying to lash out again and again, trying to eat away at him. He sent anger and hatred at it left and right, trying his best to fight to the end. He wouldn't give up, not until he was completely drained. The mind receded, but he tried to grab at it. The mind suddenly became terrified at what it had attached to, and fought to escape, to let go of the body. Jack pulled at anything he could, trying to gain thoughts or any hint of info from the second mind. He actually found one, a memory of a past he didn't know of. He saw through the eyes of another person, looking at a human… no… a forerunner, or someone that he thought was a forerunner. It had pointed ears, like in books he read about fantasy, and it was screaming.
The mind tried to break away, but he held fast. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU LITTLE PUKES CAN HAVE IT WORK BOTH WAYS. Jack's will was too strong to overcome, and the mind shattered. He felt a wash of memories erupt over him, a kiss to a woman, a marriage, children running, a battle, and many other things, including tastes and smells. He even gained the memory of a child having surgery. He pulled back, afraid of what had happened. He soon realized that he could move now, and opened his eyes. There were humans around him… no… flood forms. He was still in darkness, but somehow he could see. The forms didn't seem to be very human anymore either. Arms were twisted as tentacles were popping out, and clothes were torn at knees and some weren't wearing anything. A woman's form walked by, her left arm missing and part of her face ripped up. She was completely naked, and bones seemed to be protruding at the shoulders. He felt like vomiting, but found that he couldn't.
He looked at himself. He seemed similar, but not so much. His body actually looked like it was healing, slowly, but still visibly changing. It seemed to be quickening as well. His veins were showing, and a greenish fluid was pulsing through them. I thought these things ate us, so why am I healing so quickly? He thought. Maybe since I broke that thing's will and mind, I got something? Or maybe reversed the effects? He looked at his right arm. A tentacle was protruding from his wrist, and it hurt where the opening was, but the pain seemed to die off, and the tentacle seemed to… absorb into his arm. He tried to scream, and came out with a roar. The other flood paid no heed, believing he was struggling against their comrade. He got up, saw that his arms seemed to bulge, and he shot forward to land on his face, laying in the opposite direction from where his head was pointing. He turned over, and looked at his arms. The tentacles and other things seemed to be absorbed, and his muscles were growing larger. He could feel his bones, somewhat burning, but also seemed… stronger? Better somehow?
He got up again, slowly at first, testing his body. It was altering itself, and he didn't know why. He started to feel some relief, but it was short lived. The flood around him were starting to take notice, and most turned to look at him. One saw that he seemed afraid, and knew something was wrong. It lunged, and Jack grabbed at it faster than anything he had seen. He grappled its throat and held it. It struggled, trying to get at him, but he twisted and snapped the neck. The form seemed to continue to fight, and others tried to attack as well. He didn't have any weapons, so he fought as hard as he could with his bare hands. He felt a whip cross his back, and he roared, then the pain died and he turned. His own arm found a tentacle pierce from his left, and he didn't feel anything. The tentacle grew and became rigid, and he punched at the thing that whipped him in his back. A hit was felt on his right arm, but he ignored it and kept attacking. The rigid tentacle punctured through the chest of the target he punched, and it crumpled to the floor. What seemed to be in its chest cavity deflated and seemed to die. He started to attack anything that came near him, and he was starting to get overwhelmed. Suddenly, a blast was heard, and a large metal object slammed into a group of the flood. A hail of plasma erupted into the room, destroying anything that was in the trajectory. Jack turned towards the door and saw a large black… thing standing there. The door had been ripped from where it was, and a large shield seemed to be on its left arm. Hunter? He thought No, that head… that body… isn't that...? He saw the thing lung with unnatural speed toward some more flood, igniting some sort of saber and cutting whatever came in range. Most of the flood tried to attack their new threat, with no success. It jumped into the air, dropping a grenade. Jack ran and jumped around the opening the thing left. The grenade blew, and fire erupted from the opening. Jack stood there, looking at the opening. The huge armored being jumped out of the room, turned toward him, and aimed. He fell back on his butt, bringing his arms up for cover. He tried to push back with his feet, trying to get away. He suddenly heard a voice over a speaker. "What the? Are you flood?" Jack slightly pulled away his arms from his head. Fog lights were on the shoulders, making it difficult to see anything as the light was blinding. He tried to speak, managed "Naug. Naug. Erm… nat… a… flod. Naught… flood." His voice seemed to be coming back, but quite slowly. "then what are you?" The being asked. "Hueman. Lietenant Mirics." The thing looked shocked. "Huh? How? You were in the middle of a flood groupie! You have to be flood!" Jack pulled away, bringing his hands up to his eyes to shield from the light. "No! Not Flood! Lieutenant Merics! UNSC! Nearly flood!" The thing lowered its gun and dimmed its lights. "You want to explain to me how you're 'nearly flood'?"