"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Chapter 14: Into the lungs of hell
Creepy was understatement of the year. The ancient forerunner city was abandoned and empty. You could almost hear the ancient people talking around the giant port where UNSC pelican landed. Whispering like ghosts, hunting the people who dared to enter the anchient tomb...Or was it tomb?
"What happened to all the people?" Asked clearly disturbed Kelly.
"The firing of the Halo array cleared all the sentient life also in this sector". Came Medicant's answer.
"This place is…" Linda begun.
"Creepy" Fred finished.
"Let's keep moving". Chief ordered. The truth was...He was also disturbed by the empty city but it could not come in the way of the mission.
Doctor Halsey looked more astounded than disturbed. "Think about all the information this city contains". She muttered and kept moving forward.
"Id prefer to blow up the place". Muttered Fred clearly trying to be quiet.
John almost chuckled at this but contained his emotions and kept following the Doctor.
"I need a terminal or anything connected to the city's information network...If there still is one". Said Halsey. "This would be so much easier with Cortana..." She continued frustrated without realising what she just said.
She instantly turned to John. She could see he was tense and anybody else would have missed it but she knew him too well. The anger, the sadness and grief was written all over him even with his armor on.
His posture was even straighter than normal. He was holding his assault rifle more tightly than normal, almost breaking it and he was looking away from the group. He was clearly in his own world and that was dangerous in the middle of a mission.
She stopped and called for him. Chief snapped from his thoughts hearing his name and Doctor Halsey motioned him to follow.
After they were far enought she begun "John look...Im sorry that was inappropriate of me but I need your head here and know. Even if I don't believe that there will be no one here to be a danger to us, the rist of someone getting hurt rises exponentionally if you are not at the present".
John remained quiet for a minute and nodded. He didn't really have anything to say. His head not staying in the game was a problem and he knew it...But there was nothing he could do. It was like she was calling for him or purposely invading his thoughts.
"I believe I can show you the safest route to the nearest data center". Medicant said.
At the same moment all of the spartans huds were updated and they looked at each other.
"How did you get in our systems?" Linda asked with her careful tone.
"I am not the most advanced forerunner anchilla for nothing". He simply answered.
"Well follow his route or we will be stuck here for years searching for a single terminal" Said Halsey.
Blue team couldn't argue with her logic and started to follow the AI's directions.
"I could have simply accessed the city's systems myself but all power seems to be offline. It is a safekeeping protocol to reserve the city in a event of a catastrophe".
"How do we get the power back on". Chief finally said after about 15 minutes of silence.
"The Maethrillian is way too large to be powered from a single point reclaimer...But the data-archive does indeed have a backup power system that you can utilise".
After a seconds pause a second navpoint lit up "I have marked the location of the power systems controls on your hud".
"Allright people Fred and Kelly you head for the backup power controls. I and Linda will escort Doctor Halsey to the library".
"Aye" came the instant reply from all the present spartans.
John didn't said it out loud and never would have but he always felt that Linda's death was his fault. He should have been faster, stronger, smarter for his sister...Instead he watched her die right in front of him back on reach.
Then like he was given a second change by Doctor Halsey reviving her, he swore he woudn't let anything happen to her or any other spartan under his command. They were his family and his responsibility.
And look how it worked out. Almost all of his brothers and sisters were dead. Only a handful remained and he had almost lost Linda again back on Turul. Now he was going to keep her close at least for this mission watch her back like he was supposed to all those years ago.
As the group of three kept moving deeper into the massive forerunner city. They were met with more and more beautiful views. It was truly a sight to behold thousands after thousands of buildings and roads leading from one place to another. But with all that beautiful scenery came the ghostly feeling of emptiness.
"Never been one for the sights but this place is pretty". Said Linda guietly and John and Halsey coudn't do anything else than agree. Even tho the good doctor was getting impatient. They had travelled trought the city for hours without any results. John and Linda were trained for long missions but the doctor wasn't and it clearly showed.
"Fred what's your status". John asked trought his radio.
"Two kilometers to our navpoint". Came Fred's bored voice.
"Copy".
"We are one kilometer out from our destination" Said Bias.
"Well arrive there slightly before Fred and Kelly ". Said Linda.
"For some reason I have a bad feeling about this" Said John tensing up as they arrived into the massive library. He didn't even need to say be careful and check your corners. They knew, but he did remind Doctor Halsey not to wander of too far.
"I know what im doing John". Halsey spat back and John didn't answer.
"Chief no enemy contacts, the power should be coming on in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, mark".
With that the entire library came back to life. With light they could actually see how big it truly was. Had to be kilometers long and at least 4 stories high, walkways going everywhere. Giant "Bookshelves" storing information about the forerunner history.
"Oh My God" Came Linda's now clearly impressed voice and Chief had to admit it was beautiful. Beyond anything he had seen before in his adventures.
Even Halsey was wordless. She just stared at the giant room filled with everything the forerunners were. "This information could put us ahead even the elites in technology". She guietly remarked.
"Correction this information will put you ahead even the famous forerunners". Came a energistic voice from behind one of the giant electrical "bookshelves".
Chief and Linda raised there weapons towards the voice.
"Oh no need to be aggressive reclaimer. I can assure you im quite friendly". With that the forerunner light bulb floted to them.
"Ah apologies where are my manners, I am 0-5-6 Eternal knowledge and I am the keeper of this archive".
"Keeper what do you know about the guardians?" Halsey asked immediately.
"The Guardians were meant to be machines of peace. They were created to be weapons of last resort, like the Halos. There purpose was to keep peace within forerunner population. The Guardians never saw use as the forerunners were forced to fire the halo rings in desperate attempt to kill the flood". There was a moment of pause and he finished "A attempt that I know see failed".
"What?" Chief said.
"CHIEF TURN AROUND!" Linda yelled.
Chief spun around and a single flood spore was just standing there.
"Not possible" Said Chief as he froze.
The flood spore jumped and latched to his armor.