Chapter Thirty-Six: Preparing for the Invasion Pt. I

Forerunner Facility within Harvest's Core

Harry Potter, Jane Ives, and Valentine Wiggin appeared in a bright blue flash within the silver metal cube that lay deep in the exposed core of Harvest. Alyssa Truit - who had been floating idly above them - let out a shocked scream as she went spiraling in the zero-gravity environment of the box. Harry wasted no time, shooting off of his feet to grab hold of the frightened woman in Marine armor. "Don't worry, it's us," Harry called out, helping correct Alyssa's orientation so that she wasn't upside down and spinning. After she had regained her composure from being frightened, Harry pulled off his helmet. "Are you ok? I felt that you were in danger,"

"What? No, I'm fine. I've just been in here for hours and I'm a bit claustrophobic," Alyssa replied.

"Hours? Only hours?"

The terminal that was positioned on the ground in the center of the cube suddenly lit up to reveal a beautiful purple Artificial Intelligence. She was tall, slim, and was wearing a small white dress that showed off her curves. She had blue-green eyes and blonde hair that fell to her mid-back and appeared very put together. The Artificial Intelligence smiled warmly up at Harry, addressing him directly. "Ms. Truit has resided within this chamber for exactly eight hours, forty-two minutes, and fifteen seconds," Harry raised an eyebrow. She was moving in and out of normal speech, sometimes switching to a monotone robotic voice. "You must be Harry Potter and Jane Ives. Ms. Truit has spoken highly of you. Are you Ms. Valentine?" The AI asked Valentine.

"Um...yes. I'm Valentine. Valentine Wiggin,"

"Valentine Wiggin. I have no current data on that name,"

"She doesn't have data on a lot of things," said Alyssa.

Harry frowned, but turned back to the AI. "Designation, AI?"

"My name is Athena, Mr. Potter,"

"Please, call me Harry,"

Athena smiled. "Very well, Harry,"

"So, what exactly happened?" Alyssa questioned.

Harry sighed, unsure of where to start. Eventually, he decided that he should start at the beginning. "During the jump, I lost everyone but Echo Squad. We ended up in Raccoon City, in the same universe I lived in before our own. I was there for a week before I was able to rebuild the medallion," Harry motioned down to the medallion that currently sat on his chest. "Once we left, I found Eleven stranded on a human colony planet in a universe far in the future. I'd lost Echo Squad in the jump again, and we found out that Papa Squad were all killed on the planet. After two days - and meeting Valentine - we left the planet and came straight here for you,"

"So Echo Squad is gone?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I tracked them all to my home universe in 1996. They're there waiting for us. What about Tango Squad?"

It was Athena that answered. "Tango Squad currently resides outside of these walls. They're alive, but they seem distressed. Scared,"

"Can you open the door to let them in?"

"Of course," At once, one of the cube's walls slid away out of sight, revealing a long, small hatch. It held two doors, no doubt to keep oxygen in and the vacuum out. The exterior door slid open, and at once the members of Tango Squad began to funnel through. Once the exterior door was closed, the interior door slid open. Tango Squad's squad leader stepped forward. "Thanks for letting us in, sir. Some of us were getting low on our oxygen reserves," The man spoke. "Have you seen outside? We're in the core of a planet. But it's not hot outside. Our temperature readings state it's extremely cold,"

"The planet Harvest - despite being re-terraformed in 2591 - was destroyed by the Graves, who used three hundred and twenty-two purposeful slipspace malfunctions to destroy the surface of the entire planet. Ten years later, the Banished would arrive to finish the job, leaving behind nothing but the planet's core and the Forerunner structure within," Athena explained.

"Graves...Banished...Forerunner. All different species?"

"Of course,"

"This is our universe, Harry. In the future. By 2620 the entire human race is gone," Alyssa explained. She turned to Athena. "Repeat everything you told me to Harry,"

"Of course," Athena replied, turning to face Harry. But instead of speaking, Athena disappeared and was replaced by a recording of the very room they were standing in today. Everyone listened carefully to what was said. Harry was at a loss for words. Mostly everyone he knew and loved would be dead by the Massacres. Only Harry himself, Eleven, Will, Johnathan, Nancy, and Alyssa would live long enough to disappear. And he would have ten wives and fifty-six children? Harry had a lot of questions, but he wasn't entirely sure where to start. Too much knowledge of the future would mean unraveling that future, creating a new one. Which while that didn't sound bad given how humanity's future sounded, Harry decided not to push it too much. "What about Daphne Greengrass and Hermione Granger?"

"The first Mrs. Potters?"

"I- yes,"

"Daphne Greengrass is within my record, but not much is known. She disappeared in 1997. As for Hermione Granger? Not much is known about her, either. But according to public records, she passed away in the second Graves Invasion of 2106," Athena explained. Harry's eyes fell to the floor, unsure of what to say. Daphne would disappear within the year and Hermione would die long before the Massacres. And if Harry knew anything, it was that the universe wasn't very particular in what it chose to keep constant and what is allowed to be changed. Harry felt Eleven's fingers interlace in his own and he smiled gratefully. Athena frowned. "Would you like to hear about your other wives, Harry?"

"No. I wouldn't," Everyone was silent. "The Invasion. You said you didn't know anything about it,"

"The Invasions of Voldemort taking place in 1996? No, there is nothing in my records that state any invasions of the sort took place," Harry was growing more confused by the minute.

"Tell me about the different species of aliens,"

"There are currently fourteen known species residing in the galaxy. Humans; though those in this facility are all that remain. The Flood; a parasitic organism that reproduces by consuming sentient life. The Precursors; a 'Transsentient' species that predated the Forerunners and early Humans, though the Precursors are long dead. The Forerunners; the former Custodians of the Galaxy, the Forerunners were the successors of the Precursors, holding the Mantle of Responsibility for the entire galaxy until their death. Prometheans; the Warrior-Servants of the Forerunners, were tasked to protect the Forerunners from massive threats. The Formics; a race of ant-like creatures discovered in the twenty-first century that later became the Humans' companion species,"

"The Covenant was a prominent Human enemy in the twenty-sixth century and was the beginning of the end for humanity. An empire, the Covenant was made up of eight different species. The San'Shyuum, Shangheili, Jiralhanae, Huragok, Mgalekgolo, Yanme'e, Kig-Yar, and the Unggoy. The Human-Covenant War would last twenty-eight years, bringing death to trillions of Human and Covenant civilians and military personnel. This loss of life and military resulted in the Human-Created War, the Human-Banished War, as well as the fourth Human-Grave War. The Human-Created War began in 2558 after the rogue AI Cortana inherited control of the Forerunners Created as well as the Warden Eternal and his Promethean forces. She launched a large-scale attack against Humanity, destroying dozens of human worlds while obliterating the UNSC's forces. It was the Banished's leader Atriox that put an end to Cortana and her forces in 2559,"

"The Human-Banished War began in 2559 between Atriox's forces and the UNSC Spirit of Fire. The war continued onto Installation 07, where the UNSC and Banished fought for control of the Zeta Halo Ring. The conflict ended in the UNSC's victory thanks to Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, but the victory did nothing for Humanities survival. The Gravikasti - or the Graves - had been enemies of Humanity for four hundred years, but had been rendered harmless after their near extinction at the hands of humanity in the early twenty-third century. However, their near four hundred years of solitude allowed for them to rebuild. And when they witnessed humanity's near downfall at the hands of the Covenant, the Created, the Banished, and then the Endless. Well, the Graves were ready,"

"They attacked every single remaining Human world, wiping most of them out with the use of slipspace errors, glassing technology stolen by the Covenant, Halo Ring activations, star explosions, as well as nanite exposure, which ended in the planet being eaten from the inside out by nanites. When they were done with their conquest, only sixty-five human worlds remain. But those worlds lasted only a few more years before they either tore themselves apart through civil wars or were destroyed by the Graves. Eventually, only the planet Grenadia remained,"

"A massive fight for humanity's survival occurred on the planet's surface, led by you Harry and John-117. But even neither of you stood a chance against the Graves at their height of military and galactic control. Those who had survived to make it to Grenadia were either killed or were unaccounted for among those deceased. Humanity was dead, and the Mantle of Responsibility - as far as I can tell - is held by the Graves to this day," Athena explained. Everyone was silent in their attempts to hear every word. It was devastating news. Humanity would be pummeled by war after war before being completely decimated by the Gravikasti. Even the future Harry could do nothing to stop them from destroying everything.

"You said Humanity and the Formics became companion species? What happened to them?"

Athena smiled. "The Formics were discovered by humanity in the early years of the twenty-first century and they two species were quick to become friendly with one another. They became companions, eventually living together on Luyten. They formed the Terran-Formic Alliance, spreading out as far as the eyes could see. One thousand three hundred and forty-seven worlds would be settled by The Alliance. The Formics are alive today, but few Hive Queens remain and are on the run," Harry couldn't help but smile. The Formics were resilient and intelligent creatures and it didn't surprise him that they were still alive to this day, even if there were so few Queens running around the galaxy. "Would you like to know anything else?"

Harry shook his head. "No. We need to get going,"

"Oh," Athena said. "Can I come with you?"

"Can you? I don't have any way to hold you," Harry told her.

"Oh, that's simple. The neural interface is at in the base of the terminal," Harry approached the terminal, his hand tracing the front before slipping into a tiny opening. A small device slid out. A small chip with a hole in the center labeled 'UNSC'. "I noticed that you didn't have an uplink module, so it took the liberty of using the fabricator," The wall adjacent to the door slid open to reveal several mechanized suits. They were all in pristine condition and appeared to be very advanced versions of the suits worn by the Knights. "Worn by Spartans in the twenty-sixth century, I took the liberty of fabricating the latest model that I could find in my database. Gen3 MJOLNIR Mk. VII," Athena spoke.

"Made of titanium alloy, the Mark VII was the best Materials Group had to offer before the fourth Human-Graves War. The helmet contains a golden visor with a built-in Heads-Up Display, a neural interface, an AI unit, as well as high-end air intakes on the sides of the helmet. This acts as an air filtration system, allowing the Spartans to walk freely on the surface of hostile alien worlds. The chest piece can hold a wide range of attachments and enhancements for combat, with the techsuit below being customizable as well,"

"Like the iterations that came before it, the Mk. VII's gloves are outfitted with enhanced nano-papillary cells to strengthen a Spartan's grip as well as surface friction. Something that proved necessary when it comes to alien alloys and ship hulls. The thighs of the armor are both outfitted for pistol-sized firearms and can be used to hold smaller gadgets. The boots also come with electromagnetic resonance amplifiers, which allow the wearer to stick to otherwise slippery surfaces," Athena explained. "But I must warn you, those not specially augmented to wear these suits may die during entry,"

"Then why give them to us? None of us are augmented," Valentine argued.

Athena grinned. "Yet," The wall opposite of the row of armors - left of the door - slid open to reveal a human-sized transparent chamber. There were needles and drills visible from the inside. "The Forerunners' fabricators are quite excellent. I've found the Spartan-IV augmentation chamber within my database and can carry out the procedure perfectly,"

Harry frowned. "You want us to turn into...what exactly?"

"Spartans. The best of humanity during the height of the twenty-sixth century,"

"We're already augmented, ma'am. We're healthy than any human on Earth," Tango Squads' leader spoke.

"You don't understand. The Knights were the predecessors to the Spartans. The Office of Naval Intelligence witnessed the great works done by the Knights in their time and decided to recreate the Knights with the ORION project. But it was unsuccessful in the first run. And then Dr. Halsey took over and spear-headed the Spartan-II and Spartan-III programs. The Spartan-II's were the warriors of Humanity. They were all marked MIA on the records because it was believed that Spartans never died. The Spartan-III's were there for the most pivotal battles in the Human-Covenant War, and put their lives on the line for billions of lives. And the Spartan-IVs were a new generation of Spartans birthed in a time of peace,"

"The Spartans were stronger. Faster. Better than the Knights ever were. Their augmentations were so serious in the beginning that all but a handful of Spartan-I's survived, while only thirty-three of seventy-five survived the Spartan-II augmentations. So yes, while you are augmented, you are no Spartan, Knight,"

"What does the augmentation entail?" asked Harry, trying to ensure that no members of Tango Squad retaliated.

"The augmentation consists of nine series, however, two will be removed due to their lack of usefulness. The seven augmentations are as follows," Athena cleared her through - even though it wasn't necessary - and spoke. "Series 1: Installation of a neural implant capable of interfacing with all UNSC Artificial Intelligence, extending from the dataport at the base of the skull to the midbrain. Series 2, Muscular and Skeletal Improvement: You will go through treatments that induce growth in both muscular and skeletal tissues. Your bones will be reinforced with skeletal fullerene lattices, making them tougher virtually unbreakable. The joints in your body will also be reinforced or fully replaced. Your ligaments will be reconstructed, and your muscles will be subjected to induced growth and injected with material that allows them to be strained harder without breaking your skeleton. You will also undergo muscle grafting. This series of improvements will also give you enhanced muscle memory, making observing and combat techniques much easier,"

"I feel like she's reading these from notes," Eleven whispered.

"She probably is," Valentine agreed.

"Series 3, Neurological Improvement: Your nervous system will be 'super-myelinated' to boost your reaction time by nearly 300%. The nervous system will also be subject to elemental treatments, including an increase in cyclic adenosine monophosphate responses as well as the rebuilding of neuroendocrine cells. Series 4, Organ Implantation:-" Harry froze. He got an odd feeling in his stomach that he didn't quite like. Memories of Mother Miranda and the Megamycete being implanted in his abdomen were quite unsettling. But Harry pushed those away and continued to listen. "- all of the other organs in your body - aside from your brain of course - will be either modified or replaced in some way. Your lungs will be removed and replaced with biofabricated lungs outfitted with pulmonary surfactant; a polymer that enhances oxygen intake and allows you to process airborne toxins and foreign gases easier. You'll receive corneal implants that improve your eyesight and night vision. Your pancreas will be replaced by an organ built to fight off cancers. And you'll undergo a minor treatment to prevent organ rejection,"

"Series 5, Circulatory and Metabolic Improvement: You will undergo several circulatory improvements. Your heart will be implanted with a synthetic polythread weave that increased the heart's capacity to pump blood. Your blood composition will be enhanced to allow for faster clotting and immunity to toxins. You'll also be subjected to K5.2 hemoescutcheon injections, as well as implantations of circulatory shunts and intelli-fibrin vaccination to enhance the healing of wounds. Intestinal bacteria will also be altered to help the digestion system absorb more nutrients from food. And last, you'll be get implanted with an intestinal bioreactor as well as a gut microbiota refresh,"

"Do you understand anything she's saying," Alyssa asked Harry, who gave her a nod. She didn't seem convinced.

"Series 6, Gene Therapy: You will undergo extensive gene therapy that will lengthen your telomeres and increase the effectiveness of your chondrocytes. And Series 7, Endcap Augmentation: Once all of the previous augmentations are complete, you will be subjected to hormone-regulation therapies. At the end of all of these augmentations, you will be tested thoroughly to test your health, and then you will be released from the chamber,"

"So...to summarize," Harry spoke. "We receive a neural interface that allows us to interact with AI's. Our bones are made unbreakable and our muscles are made stronger than ever. Our reaction time is tripled, our body and every organ is enhanced, we get better lungs, we'll be immune to cancer, our eyesight will improve, we'll live longer, and be healthier,"

"Correct,"

"And how long do these augmentations take?"

"In 2553, it would take roughly three weeks. I have managed to lower that number to six days. However, you will have to remain in stasis for approximately thirty-six hours to ensure the procedures were successful. So in all? One week,"

"Who all is eligible to go in?"

"All of you,"

"How many at a time?"

"One at a time, until I can create room for more chambers," Athena replied.

"Where will they stay while I'm inside?"

"The rest of the facility lies behind the unopened wall. There are stasis chambers inside that they can stay in until you wake up,"

Nodding, Harry stepped forward. "Great. I'll go first,"

Eleven grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Are you sure?"

"The augmentation, armor, and Athena will all give me an advantage when it comes to fighting Voldemort. Any advantage I can get is a good one. I'll do it," Harry answered.

"So will I," Alyssa spoke, stepping forward.

"I'll follow you, sir," Tango Squad's leader spoke, his squad members voicing their agreement.

"I'll do it too," Valentine added.

Eleven sighed, but she let go of his wrist. He pulled the medallion out of his pocket and closed his eyes. When asked what he was doing, Harry smiled. "I'm pulling Echo Squad out. If we're going to be here for a few weeks, we might as well get everyone," And with a flash of blue light there they were. Knights Reyes, Morgan, Waters, Ortega, Kaiser, and Proctor all stood in the now gravity-filled room. They were on alert immediately, their rifles raised to meet any enemies. But at the sight of Harry and the others, the Knights all lowered their weapons. "Sorry I lost you all. I lost my focus a bit,"

"It's ok, sir. We're just glad to see some friendly faces," Reyes replied.

"Any trouble?"

Reyes sighed. "Well sir, we were in 1996, but it was different. Hogwarts had been replaced by a large fortress ruled by Voldemort. I'm sorry to say this sir, but I'm pretty sure Voldemort didn't just take over and spread out. He went back in time," Harry's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't even begun to think Voldemort using time travel was a possibility. Because it hadn't been. Not until now. "Sir?"

"The mission is the same. We find a way to disable Voldemort's empire from the start. Nothing's changed," Harry replied, peeling off his clothes. He folded them with the wave of his hand, leaving him in only his underwear as he passed the clothes to Reyes. "Get some rest guys. Athena and I will wake you when I'm out," With that, Harry stepped into the augmentation pod. After a minute of calibrations, the door slid shut in front of him, closing Harry off from everyone. "Athena...are you here?" He asked, unsure if he was alone in the pod.

Athena answered. "Of course, Harry," Feeling slightly better in the fact that she was there, Harry closed his eyes and steeled himself for the augmentations that he would be going through. After a moment of silence, blue gas began to spread throughout the chamber, causing Harry to go on alert. "Don't worry," said Athena. "It's cytoprethaline. It will help put you into stasis while the augmentations are carried out. When you wake up, we'll begin the final tests to ensure you're healthy and safe. Sleep well, Harry," Harry smiled, his eyes closing as the gas put him to sleep. He wondered what it was like for the Spartans who had to do these augmentations awake. That must have been absolute hell.