THE MOB GOES ELSEWHERE
Emily
"Race ya to the Climbing Tree from the Wirraglen building!" I challenged.
Chloe eyed me cautiously. She knew what she was up against, a lean speed machine. For some reason, after John and the other Spartans and I had escaped from the planet, they had given me some sort of fitness regime. Probably cause I complained so much when we were trekking across the unknown planet. Now I was the fastest kid ever at Wirraglen. I grimaced as remembered the training. More like torture. I had to deal with that for a week before that damned light had taken me back. A loud thumping noise alerted me to Chloe's sly decision. CHEATER! She had run ahead, her long brown hair flowing in the breeze. Time to show her what real speed was. I leapt from a standstill to an all-out run, flashing past kids. I was goin so fast I couldn't see their faces. Small, soft, oval shaped green leaves drifted down slowly around me, oblivious to the heated race that was going on. I passed Chloe, turning to run backwards.
"You messed with da master!" I crowed. Chloe scowled fiercely.
"How do you do that? Not faaaaaairr!" she complained.
I continued running, sliding to a stop at the Climbing Tree. I dug in my heels like I had seen John do. As Oliver and Daisy were waiting, I decided to show off a little. I twisted to the side, skidding along and spraying dirt everywhere. Oliver threw up his hands to protect his face.
"Eurrrgh! STOP IT!"
"But I am stopping!" I said cunningly.
Oliver screwed up his nose. His short brown fringe drifted in the wind.
"I think he has imprinted on you too much."
I shushed him. Chloe arrived, puffing and panting.
"Whaazat? Whaaatz yhu say?"
I grinned wolfishly.
"Too late! You missed it! Along with your victory!"
"Something about you know who?"
I growled inwardly. Sticky beak!
"None of your business. Oliver? Why is your dad here? Shouldn't he be at work?"
His mother and father, Rose and Samuel were trudging slowly up the slope to the climbing tree.
"Eh, I think he gets off early today. Not sure."
I leaned back against the Climbing Tree's trunk, the bark worn smooth by the hundreds of feet that had trod on it. I lifted myself up onto a fork and waited for them to arrive.
"What brings you here, fellow humans?" I questioned.
Oliver giggled.
"Your mo-"
The light decided to appear behind him. Yes. The light. Chloe's eyes widened as she recognised it. Oliver's mouth dropped. Daisy dropped her bag. Samuel gaped. Rose froze. I cursed.
"Not again! DAMN YOU DESTINY!"
And we were sucked in.
I opened my eyes and the first thing I said was….
"OWWWEEEEEE!" I hollered.
I had landed on Rose. Daisy, luckily, had landed on Oliver and not the other way round. I checked above me. Thank God Chloe wasn't sitting on me. She appeared a meter away, landing on her bottom.
"Ow!" she exclaimed.
Samuel was nowhere to be seen. I had a look around. We were in a largish room, all metal. Neon lights glowed above my head. Strangely, there was no furniture. But there was something watching us, and I was pretty sure it was alive. I scrambled off of Rose, slipping over and landing on my face. I was staring at a pair of black boots. I sat back, looking up. Into an unimpressed looking face with a lot of scars and icy-blue eyes, his spiky black hair outlined as he looked down at me.
"ARRGH! JOHN?! Oh. Hi."
He raised an eyebrow inquiringly.
"Don't gimme that look! You know the drill, light appears, you get sucked in, voilà."
He looked over my head, observing my friends in his cold, calculating way.
"More of them?" asked a voice from behind me.
I turned to look, receiving a face full of lapels and epaulettes, and extremely shiny buttons. The owner of the blinding array of shiny metal things had a familiar face, with brown eyes and hair, slightly wrinkled. I shielded my eyes from the intense glimmer created from his ridiculously polished buttons.
"Ugh! Thommaaas! Why?!"
He smiled a little.
"Good to see you too." he said sarcastically.
Daisy
Emily cringed away from the man-with-shiny-stuff, exclaiming in surprise. He said something and Emily gave him a nasty look. A big woman was standing behind him in white armour, she looked similar to the things that daddy liked, from Halo. She had copper hair and she was watching me intently. I was more worried by the big-scary-man-with-creepy-eyes. I was thankful he was watching my seven year old brother, Oliver. However, the man seemed to know I was watching him and his eyes flicked over to me. I shuffled backwards as far as I could on my bottom, but I reached the wall and stayed there. Scary man! I wanted mummy! But she was on the other side of this guy. Daddy? I couldn't see him anywhere. I looked up at the scary-man's eyes. They seemed to grow curious. I sniffed and a tear rolled down my cheek. I wanted mum! The icy eyes grew slightly concerned. I squeezed my eyes shut, and three more big tears leaked out. I heard a slithering, sliding sound and I opened my eyes to look. The big man had crouched, catlike in front of me, his hand on its way to my face. I flinched away, but the hand did not heed it and continued. I closed my eyes again, waiting to see what would happen. Nothing did. I looked again and I found that he had flicked away my tears. His head was cocked to the side, his eyes curious, like I was a new zoo animal. He looked into one of my eyes then the other, like he was a child learning, examining. He seemed satisfied and he stepped back, leaving the way for mummy clear. I looked up at him and stood. He wasn't scary anymore. The way he cocked his head to the side was kinda cute, like a puppy. I liked puppies. Everyone was watching; even Emily stopped squabbling with the man-with-shiny-stuff, pausing with her mouth open.
"Daisy, come here please." mummy asked.
I ran over, leaping into her cuddle. I turned to look at the big man. He was watching me with that look again. I grinned as widely as I could at him. He cocked his head again, and this time I thought I could just make out the ghost of a smile.
Emily
"Errum….Oliver, Daisy, Rose…..That's Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, this guy over here with the annoying shiny stuff is Commander Thomas Lasky, and this big woman over here in the shiny white stuff is Spartan Sarah Palmer. She's the Spartan Commander, but try not to tell her or she'll brag.
I shot Lasky another glare. I was personally going to dirty his shiny stuff after this. Rose blinked.
"But they're from the game that my husband plays…?"
"Trust me. They are real. The Master Chief is real."
I poked John multiple times and he glowered at me. Chloe poked him too.
"Huh….So he is, so he is."
John, naturally, didn't comment. He just glared at Chloe as well.
"So the big scary man has a name? Haaaiii! John!" yelled Daisy.
She jumped up and down in front of him, waving her hands about. John's eyes fixed on her hands, flailing about. He also cringed. She was yelling at him, and of course, she deafened him.
"Erm….Daisy…..You do realise that you're making him deaf?" I asked.
"Eh? Nope. Okay then, sorry John. But hai anyway."
We all stepped back from John. I knew that he didn't like to be crowded and that he didn't like attention, partly because he was so different. And, just then, for some reason, Samuel decided to make an entrance. Onto John. He appeared a meter above him, landing on his shoulders. John grunted, but his knees barely bent and his eyes flashed up, glittering with dangerous intent. He fell to the ground, rolling over Samuel. The struggle was over in less than ten seconds, ending with Samuel pressed to the ground with a combat knife to his throat. I leapt forward, knowing what he was about to do. I thumped the end of my fist onto his shoulder blades, yelling. I knew it would distract him.
"OI! JOHN! FRIEND! ALLY! WHATEVER!" I screamed into his ear.
I continued to pound him, feeling the muscle running over his shoulders shift as he recoiled uncomfortably away from me.
"OFF!" I repeated.
Sarah Palmer finally decided to step in.
"Petty Officer John-117, stand down." she commanded.
The reaction was instantaneous and relieving. John sprang up and away, stepping away from Samuel. He glanced at me with some apology noticeable. He sheathed his combat knife. Rose scrambled past me, and the others just stood gaping. John had moved like lightning. I punched John on the arm and scowled at him.
"That's my friend's father you just messed around with!"
"You really gotta stop trying to kill people." commented Oliver, standing next to me.
"I can't." he said quietly.
He turned away, closing his eyes. I shoved Oliver sideways, the message clear.
Really? C'mon. You went there?
Daisy tugged on my sleeve and I looked down.
"What's wrong with John?"
"Oliver just said something nasty, that's all."
Daisy decided to meter out punishment for me; she stood on his toes and he howled, jumping backwards. Samuel had now recovered, and was rubbing his neck. Rose fussed around him. He glared at John, whose gaze was suddenly focused full strength on him. He looked away. I expected as much.
"So where the heck even are we?" asked Chloe.
Lasky answered her.
"You are on the pride and joy of the UNSC fleet, the Infinity."
"What kind of fleet? I don't hear any water."
Sarah snorted.
"Spaceship." she coughed.
Samuel gaped.
"INFINITY?! But..but…that's in a computer game!"
For some reason John decided to sharpen his knife.
"Nope! This guy here is John-117, you probably know him as the Master Chief, that over there is Commander Thomas Lasky, and that rather big grumpy looking woman over there is Commander Sarah Palmer!"
Palmer scowled. I grinned wider.
"I'm not fat!" she exclaimed.
I raised both eyebrows incredulously.
"Then it must be your armour making your butt look big."
"Can you get back on subject? Where are we? Why did we all suddenly get here in a flash of light?" asked Samuel.
"Okay. You're in the year 2558, Halo world, in space, on the Infinity. The "light" brought you here."
"Why?"
I growled as my answer. Samuel pointed to John.
"So you're saying that's the Master Chief?"
"Ja." I said with a German accent.
"How am I supposed to know you aren't tricking me?"
"I'll show you his hearing then. You know Spartans can hear a pin drop in a sandstorm, right?"
I walked twenty meters away to the other wall and whispered a sentence.
"John wins, you lose, better go drink booze."
John cocked his head to the side, listening. I ran over as he was repeating the sentence. Oliver, Daisy and Chloe killed themselves laughing. The flat monotone coupled with a straight face and the silly sentence was extremely funny. Sarah covered her mouth with an armoured hand, failing to cover up her amusement; snorting. Thomas grinned. Rose seemed to fail to cover up her laughter too, and she smirked. Samuel's mouth dropped and he backed away.
"It really…is…."
I turned to Lasky.
"So what you going to do to us? Urrm…. I mean, with us."
He thought for a moment.
"I don't know….What kids do? Explore?"
I widened my eyes in mock shock.
"You would let us run about and trash the Infinity? Yee haa!"
He shot me a sarcastic look.
"Yes, go smash through the three meters of titanium A battleplate on this door."
He opened it with his keycard, exposing the busy nature outside. People were carrying things, little buggies were driving about in the long, tall grey hall.
"You expect us to go through THAT? It's worse than a shopping spree!" Chloe exclaimed.
"Well…I suppose I could lock you in here…" Lasky threatened, stepping outside along with John and Sarah, reaching forward to scan his keycard again and lock the door.
"Nooo! Waaait! I show them around! I've been here before, remember?" I yelled.
John raised an eyebrow. I scowled and Samuel noticed the exchange. He glanced at me curiously.
"You're friends aren't you?"
I tossed my head impatiently, dragging Oliver, Daisy and Chloe out the door.
"Yeah, so what."
"Nevermind. You wouldn't understand."
John reacted by glaring.
"She would understand perfectly. She is not dumb."
Samuel's eyes widened. His voice confirmed that is was in fact John, and that this wasn't a hoax.
"John! Can you take the boring adults? I wanna "explore" with my friends." I said, glancing haughtily at Lasky.
John cocked his head to the side, glancing at Palmer. Probably asking permission. She nodded, and the Spartan II glanced expectantly at Samuel and Rose. They didn't move and he blinked three times.
"JUST GO WITH HIM!" I roared.
They were startled into action and John wheeled about, striding away with the parents in tow.
"Well, that's done then, I suppose. Come on then."
Ten minutes later
I walked along a cat walk with Oliver, Chloe and Daisy, looking down into the mass of Spartans. The room was huge, at least one hundred meters high, and just as wide. A lot of the Spartans were on treadmills lining the middle, probably training. They didn't seem to be running very fast.
"Wow. There are a lot of them…." Oliver commented.
"Yeah, but they are all sucky Spartan IVs." I huffed.
"Look at that one!" Chloe exclaimed, pointing.
She was showing me one with short blonde hair and brown eyes. He didn't seem to notice us. We were ten meters above his head, anyway.
"What about him?" I asked.
"Lemme see! Lemme see!" cried Daisy.
"Um….he's kinda cute, I suppose."
I snorted. Spartans tend to be cute far away, but scary up close.
"Shutup Chloe! He's waaaay older than you. Spartan IV's were conscripted as adults. Come off it."
"Well, you think John is cute, don't you?"
I frowned thunderously, like John.
"I am not cute." I said, mimicking him.
Oliver killed himself laughing.
"You do that really well, sounds just like him."
"Who's that?" Chloe pointed at yet ANOTHER Spartan.
I squinted. He towered above the rest of the crowd, watching another Spartan of similar size running on a treadmill. It was a she, and I recognized the pair.
"Frederic-104! And Kelly-087!"
I charged down the catwalk steps, Oliver and Chloe puffing and panting behind. Daisy trumped along slowly. I barged through the Spartan IV's, and made it to Fred.
"Hai! Fred!"
He whirled about.
"Emily?"
"Yeah! Hi Kelly! Nice running, by the way."
She was running at sixty kilometres an hour. She smiled a little at me, and then continued.
"I heard you appeared with some….friends." Fred said, examining Chloe.
"Ya. That twelve year old you're scrutinizing rudely is Chloe, and this is Oliver. He's only seven, and that little girl over there is Daisy."
Fred cocked his head to the side like John, ignoring completely the "rudely" comment.
"Heey….John does that doesn't he?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah, that's cause Fred is in his squad! He's a Spartan II as well! So is Kelly."
Chloe waved, grinning.
"Hai!"
Fred proceeded to tilt his head further.
"Why is your friend flailing her hand at me?"
Wow. I knew the Spartan II's were socially deficit…..But not so much they didn't know what "waving" was."
"She's saying hello."
"Is it normal to say hello like that?"
Chloe and Oliver watched the exchange closely.
"Um….Yeah…"
Fred nodded, Kelly observing quietly, besides the thumping of her feet on the treadmill.
"Okay. I'll remember that."
"I-"
The floor rolled under my feet, tilting to the right. Everything and everyone slide sideways. I went with it, smacking my head on a treadmill. I knocked myself out.
Frederic-104
The floor rolled to the right, throwing everything around. Not me, however. I whipped out my combat knife sinking it into the soft metal of the floor. I grabbed Chloe and Oliver, tucking them under my left arm, my right on the knife. I glanced around for Kelly and Emily. Too late for Emily, as the floor continued to pitch almost vertically, she slid and whacked her head, knocking herself out. Kelly had done the same as me, Daisy attached to her leg. Three Spartan IV's slid past, grabbing onto my leg. The weight my knife was supporting tripled. I watched as it began to slip out of the hole I had put through the metal. Chloe watched too, Oliver hiding his eyes in my arm. Chloe reached forward for a now horizontal bar. I let her go and she hoisted herself up onto it and the weight lessened. Then, the moment was over. The floor levelled, and I got up, setting down Oliver and running to check on Emily. She had hit a treadmill. I grabbed her head, tilting it in my hands. The impact hadn't seemed to puncture her skin, just knocking her out. She stirred, mumbling.
"mpfm…..John?"
"No. Fred." I replied.
Her eyes opened, unfocused and rolling about. She was concussed and probably amnesiatic. Chloe and Oliver scrambled over, tripping on overturned objects, and occasionally, a Spartan still on the floor. Kelly crouched next to me.
"She alright?" Oliver asked.
I didn't reply, lifting Emily up with ease and putting her over my shoulder.
"I'm taking her to the medbay. I want to make sure she doesn't have any brain damage."
"That's a bit…..worrying…" Chloe muttered.
"Poor Emily…" murmured Daisy.
I turned and strode through the middle of the mess, walking to the hallway at the end of the room. People scrambled to get out of my way, cleaning up the mess. Emily fell limp again, unconscious.
Emily
I felt a soft mattress and pillow under my body and head. I cracked open my eyes and saw a blurred mess of faces and eyes. One pair in particular stood out, an unbelievable icy blue. They came into focus and I noticed that they seemed fixed on me. The faces also came into focus. Oliver's little brown face had a worried frown on it and his soft chocolate eyes were worried. Daisy's blue eyes looked brimming with tears. Samuel was chewing his lip nervously. Rose was the same. Fred looked down at me too, his usually hard brown eyes soft and concerned.
"Errhh…Hawat happand?" I slurred sleepily.
John replied.
"The Infinity engaged two alien ships. She had to roll sharply. Lasky sends you his apologies."
"Heh…That's aw ri'"
Chloe's head appeared.
"You okay Emily?"
"I dushunno! Iwm nut a dactor!"
"She's alright." smirked Oliver.
I sat up and became aware of a dull ache in my head and I remembered I got knocked out. I looked about the room. It was white and only about five meters in diameter and six in length. The door was closed, but through the windows I could see it branched off from a white hallway. People came and went along it, pushing trays of delicious food. My stomach growled agreement. The Wirraglen gang didn't react, probably because they didn't hear it, but John's lips twitched in the ghost of a smile. His eyes flicked over to the low bedside table on my left. I glanced over and saw a whole plate of…..chicken and sauce! My mind screamed to scoff it. Oliver picked it up and gave it to me, and I grabbed it eagerly.
It was gone in less than three minutes. I yawned widely and snuggled down.
"What's the time?"
Fred blinked at me funny.
"We are in space. No time."
"Yeah, EARTH time. I'm tired and I don't particularly want to fall asleep in the middle of the day."
A doctor strode in. He overheard the conversation and commented.
"It's around five pm. I'm here to check on the reports your monitoring machine has created. I apologize for my rudeness, but Emily's friends will have to leave. She needs to rest, she had a particularly nasty bonk on the head."
John and Fred shrugged. They turned and strode out. Oliver, Daisy and Chloe waved bye and ran out the door, almost crashing into a food platter. Rose and Samuel followed more slowly. I noticed Kelly wasn't here and I made a mental note to yell at her when I found her. The doctor rummaged around for a while then left me to my devices.
In that case,
I slept.
Fourteen hours later
Emily
I woke up, yawning. I tried to sit up, but found a particular head resting on my lap. John had dragged a chair next to my bed, but he had fallen asleep, falling sideways. I was quite happy that he had cared. As I moved his eyes opened a crack, then blinking away sleepiness instantly. He sat up quickly and I giggled as I saw his spiky black hair was flat on one side. He gave me a withering look.
"Your hair. NOT you."
I slid out of bed, my feet landing on the smooth white floor. Someone had taken my dirty sneakers off for me. I alleviated my wedgie caused by my jeans and walked around the base of the bed, intending to help John fix up his bedhair. I reached up, but he straightened his back and leaned away.
"Oi! Im trying to help!"
John blinked innocently, but slightly sarcastically. I resisted the urge to punch him.
"Master Chief Petty Officer, John-117 if you don't bend down this-"
"Or what?" he interrupted, finishing the familiar threat.
I scowled at him.
"This is what."
I pinched him as hard as I could on his arm, through his long sleeved grey shirt. He didn't even twitch. He blinked at me curiously.
"Are you doing something?" he asked.
I growled.
"Fine. Walk around with a flat head then."
I sighed. It was lonely with no-one to talk to in the medroom. John's eyes grew concerned.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"It's just so lonely in here. Chloe and Oliver and Daisy are probably off somewhere, trashing Lasky's office or something."
I grinned as I imaged them frolicking about in a room, throwing papers everywhere and Thomas yelling at them, his face beet red. John shifted, glancing at the door, his blue eyes uncertain.
"I cannot stay here all day."
"I know. Go off, then. I'll go explore."
To my dismay, he shook his head.
"The doctors say you are still concussed."
I snorted, tossing my hand dismissively.
"I'm fine."
He turned away from the door.
"No. You will stay here. I will not be pleased if you disregard my wishes."
I sighed.
"Okay….Then. Go off and romp in sunshiny meadows then."
He raised an eyebrow, and walked out the door.
Two hours later
Emily
"So…..bored." I groaned for the hundredth time.
I face planted into the pillow on my bed. A familiar voice sounded amused behind me.
"Sorry for the…..Somewhat lopsided accident."
"Thomas!"
I sprang up, running to the door. I skidded to a stop uncertainly. I was quite good friends with Lasky, but I didn't know if he want me to hug him. He looked surprised.
"What are you waiting for?"
I grinned and wrapped my arms around him. He smelt like cinnamon and ginger, strange. The Commander was soft and warm, not hard like John. I stepped back.
"It's okay. Have you come to relieve my boredom?"
"That wasn't my first intent….But I suppose I could, I'm off duty for three hours. I'd enjoy spending some time with you."
"Thank you. Where are my friends by the way?"
"Oh, John is off leading them around on a big tour." he said dismissively.
I grinned evilly.
"At least they don't get any fun."
Lasky smiled, but it faded quickly.
"Emily, I came here to ask you about this strange light. I know you don't know anything about it…But I know someone who could help with that."
"Who?" I prodded for more.
"Doctor Catherine Halsey."
John
The five year old Daisy whined for the hundredth time.
"My legs are tired!"
I wanted to glue her mouth shut.
But I resisted. I kept walking straight ahead, letting no trace of my irritation show.
"Daisy c'mon. Just go with it." Oliver said, annoyed.
"I would, but daddy's already carried me, so has mum and they're both tired!" she complained.
I gritted my teeth with annoyance. My amplified hearing boosted her whining tones.
"Will you carry me Oliver?"
Chloe groaned.
Right. That was enough.
I halted, whipping around.
"No. He won't. I am getting sick of your whining, I will." I snarled.
She had exhausted my patience, something rare. I leapt forward and put my hands under her arms, hoisting Daisy over my shoulder. I turned and continued my angry, long strides.
"Whee! Dad! Look!" she yelled.
I breathed in sharply. Yelling next to me was one thing, but right next to my ear was another. I halted on the smooth metal floor, Chloe walking to the side and around in front of me, continuing her walk. She was annoyed too. I took a deep breath and waited for Daisy's parents to intervene. Thankfully they did, Samuel remembering my excellent hearing from when they arrived.
"Daisy, shush. Remember when you yelled at him before? His poor ears." Samuel chastised. I continued my quick, angry march. I heard whispering behind me and I, of course, heard them perfectly. The family had seemed to doubt my hearing.
"Oliver, I don't want you going near him. He's too unstable, dangerous. You know that the Spartan IIs were…um…."
He lowered his voice more. It didn't serve any purpose; I waited patiently for what I knew was going to happen next.
"Slightly sociopathic."
I silently fumed. I was sick of all this talk. I was a human too, wasn't I? Why can't people ever see the big picture, not judge by the little one? Oliver exclaimed angrily.
"Dad! He's not that bad and he's my friend! Emily likes him too!"
"Do as your father says, Oliver." Rose threatened.
Daisy didn't say anything, she probably didn't hear. She saw them talking though. She whispered in my ear.
"What are they saying?"
"You wouldn't understand." I replied angrily.
"No, really. Tell me."
"They are calling me crazy, dangerous….unstable. And I know I may seem like it but I am not."
Daisy stayed silent. I could sense her dismay, though.
"Just stay away Oliver. Stay with Emily. She'll keep you safe."
I finally broke, halting suddenly. I heard their scraping footsteps on the metal floor as they slid to a stop. I whirled around, setting down Daisy. She sensed my anger and stepped back.
"I am not unstable. I am sane. I do not believe I am to blame for my personality. I cannot help that I killed, murdered, massacred for more than half my life. I apologize if you dislike me. But I will not put up with this. Do you know how hard it is, even without you, exposing the point, to be so different?"
Even though I was angry, I said my words calmly. The quietness of them spoke volumes. Quiet meant angry. Dangerous. I whirled around, continuing my march back to Emily's medroom.
The family said nothing more.
Emily
"She made the Spartan IIs…. Halsey, didn't she? I didn't even know she was on the Infinity…..In the Halo games, the storyline seems different. John isn't even on the Infinity!"
"Yes, she is on the Infinity, but in the high level security cells. As for the storyline…..Well I don't know. Maybe the reality is different? As for Catherine….only I am permitted to go in or out, but I would be willing to go in with you."
"But how will we get her to tell us anything? She's pretty much a female Einstein."
"Catherine likes to bargain. She will trade information for information. She's also stubborn, like you. If we keep your mystique, we can use it against her. She'll want to know who you are. Then, we've got her."
I grinned.
"We are evil, plotting like this."
Lasky's brown eyes squinted evilly.
"Agreed? We have to hurry, I've only got two hours left."
"Agreed. Lets go!"
Ten minutes later
Emily
Commander Thomas Lasky halted at the checkpoint, a marine in that dumb ceramic armour stopping him.
"State your business. You are attempting to enter a restricted area."
Thomas's eyes flashed with annoyance.
"Don't be a silly duck; can't you see I'm the Commander?"
"O…of course sir. Go right in."
He turned and pressed a something behind him, the heavy metal door sliding quietly across. Lasky strode in, and I followed. He walked down a long, bleak corridor. Blue light crossed the entrances to cells, which only held a metal slab. It was probably where I was put when I first came here. I laughed inwardly when I thought of how silly it would be to put a child in here. Thomas halted suddenly and I almost smacked into him. He turned and regarded me with a raised eyebrow. I scowled at him and he turned back to the hard light covering the cell entry.
"Doctor Catherine Halsey. I've brought someone to talk to you."
The marine standing guard deactivated the barrier and Lasky strode in. The imposing sounding Catherine was really little more than an old woman. Grey hair and for some reason, grey eyes. A grey eyebrow was raised when I entered. She wasn't kind looking like my granny.
"A child, Lasky? You've become more delusional than ever."
Thomas's personality changed completely.
"You should be more interested in someone so close to Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. He was your favourite, correct?"
Catherine got up, turning her back on Lasky. She looked out the window in the wall, at the numerous stars.
"I suppose you could say that. But why would a child be interested in me? And more importantly…..Why would John be interested in a child?" Halsey scoffed, with a soft American accent.
I tossed my head imperiously.
"Yep. That's right. He's my friend. And more importantly, I'm here to ask you about lights that transport you through space and time."
She turned back to me, an eyebrow raised.
"What planet are you from? A dirty, scummy, slummy one I suppose?"
"First, you tell me what I want to know. Then I'll tell you where I'm from."
Catherine smiled slyly.
"I see."
John
She's not here!" exclaimed Chloe.
Oliver snorted.
"That's pretty obvious."
I ignored the bickering children, instead spotting a note left on the pillow. I strode over, plucking it from its resting place. I opened the white paper carefully, noting how neatly it was folded. Lasky's work, he had a habit of doing that. I recognized Thomas's hurried scrawl.
Gone to high level security. Asking Doctor Catherine Halsey about the light. Left half an hour ago, if you came back on time. Tell Sarah if you can that I may be late back on duty. Do not come and get me.
-Lasky and Emily.
I thought for a moment. Yes, it was logical to ask Halsey…..But she would, of course have a plan up her sleeve, I knew her too well. She was too intelligent to not create some kind of trap for Emily and Thomas. I would have to make sure they were alright afterwards.
"So what are we going to do?" asked Rose.
"Nothing." said a voice from behind me.
I whirled around, hearing the unmistakable click of a gun safety being turned off. I was too slow this time, the pistol already pointing at me. I studied the man holding it carefully. He had blonde hair and brown eyes, and he seemed uncertain if he was to shoot me or not. He was a Spartan IV; I could tell by the way he was standing in a trained posture. I looked into his eyes, telling him that I could, and would, kill him if he gave me a chance. Oliver hid behind my legs and Chloe backed away slowly, Rose and Samuel put their hands up, shoving Daisy behind them. I didn't move an inch. The Spartan shrugged. He lifted his hand, signalling, and two more appeared, deactivating their camouflage.
"Dis-arm yourself." he commanded.
I regarded the situation with contempt. He was only a Petty Officer First Class. I outranked him by two. I did as I was told, though. He could hurt the children. I pulled out my pistol, barrel down and tossed it at his feet, doing the same with my knife. I continued to fix him with an icy stare, unnerving him.
"Stick them all with the sedative. Give Chief a particularly large dose. I'm sick of him glaring at me."
One Spartan moved to inject the children and adults, producing a large needle. One moved toward me as well. I switched my glare onto him. He flinched back instinctively, his green eyes wary. I felt like trying to attack them. But the leader still had his pistol trained on me. I wasn't afraid of dying, but I knew that if we were captured I would be our only chance of escaping. I let the IV move closer and he quickly stuck the needle in my arm. I instantly felt woozy and I collapsed onto my knees. I was asleep before I hit the floor. The last thing I thought was
"Traitors."
At the same time
Emily
I raised an eyebrow.
"What do you want then?" I asked.
Catherine smiled slyly.
"I already have what I want."
The hard light barrier behind us deactivated and two marines marched in, clipping light cuffs onto Lasky's wrists. They hummed quietly, and the marines restrained Thomas, restricting his movements as he frantically tried to free himself.
"What? Hey! Stand down! Why won't you listen? What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing is. They are just under my control." bragged Halsey.
She pulled a remote out of her pocket, waving it at us. I glanced at the marines and noticed they had a black box on their neck. Probably mind control. I finally managed to recover from my shock, realising my hands were not cuffed.
"Run!" Lasky cried.
"Get Sarah!"
I did as I was bid, dodging under the marine's armoured arms, and hurling myself out the entrance. I charged headlong down the corridor, ignoring the marines, the Spartans, and I lost myself finally in the twists and turns of the Infinity. I padded quietly along a corridor, the metal walls rough and grey. I heard a soft "Thunk" from behind me and I froze, ducking into a corner.
"Emily. It's me." Sarah Palmer's voice whispered from the spot where the noise had come from. I ran out, halting in front of her. She didn't have her armour on, only her thick black undersuit.
"What the hell has happened?" she exclaimed.
"Doctor Halsey….She had some kind of mind control. Don't know. She got Lasky…."
She slapped a palm on her forehead. I regarded the movement, amused. Sarah "Palmer". I shook myself from my thoughts. Keep on track. On the situation.
"John? Kelly? Fred? Linda?" I asked her.
"Roland is still active. He says they are under her control, too, the little bastard. Roland is hiding though, Catherine is chasing him all over the ship with her own A.I. Don't know how she got It." she growled.
I groaned quietly. Roland, the ship's A.I., was our greatest asset. I recalled what Roland's hologram looked like, a WWII RAF pilot.
"What are we gonna do? We can't exactly rescue them! Probably half the ships seventeen thousand crew is under Halsey's control." I noted.
"Well, then think! I may be a Spartan IV, but I'm no super intelligent II!"
I racked my brain. No. No, no and still NO! Wait! Hang on….
"We could pretend to be under her control, get close to someone, and get rid of those black boxes she's controlling them with."
"It could work. But remember, the sheer amount of them would notice and Wham! You have a black box slapped onto you."
"On the other hand, we could just find Halsey, pretend to be controlled, get close to her, and get the remote she has in her pocket, and beat the crap out of anyone who tries to stop us."
"That's better. I feel like a good scrap. Let's do it." she grinned.
Twenty minutes later
Emily
I walked dumbly along, copying the marine in front of me. There was a long chain heading to a doorway, which I was pretty sure where Halsey was. I thought she would be checking on all her minions, checking to see if they were fit and properly mindless. I heard Sarah shuffling along behind me. We drew closer and closer still to the entrance. All of a sudden, the marine in front of me strode quietly inside, and I froze. One at a time, they went. I checked that I had a dumb expression on my face. The marine emerged again, a few minutes later. I walked inside, staring blankly straight ahead. I saw Catherine out of the corner of my eye, and I looked hopefully about for my friends and John. They might be here after all. I spotted Oliver out of my right eye and I desperately resisted the urge to look at him. Catherine appeared in front of me.
"Well well. Looks like someone brought a dirty rat in."
I battled the urge to slap her smirking, sly face. She pulled my collar away from my neck and she smiled.
"Should have known. Sneaky, sneaky. But you don't fool me that easy."
I ran away from her, to Oliver. I could see Chloe, Rose, Daisy and Samuel all tied up on chairs as I rounded the corner.
"Emily! You made it! But…No! Run! Get out of here!" Chloe screamed.
"W…Why?"
She looked behind me.
"That's why."
I whirled around to find Sarah pinned to the ground by John. I saw the black box on his neck and I gasped. I could not remove that. He would kill me, and he wouldn't even know it. He fastened his hand around Palmer's throat and she thrashed, trying to throw him off. It didn't work and John simply squeezed harder. She fell still. He straightened, stepping over Palmer. I didn't know if she was dead, or simply unconscious. His head turned and his gaze fixed on me. His face was completely blank, not even his eyes had that coldness, that incredible amount of intelligence. Catherine flicked her hand at me, turning back to a display behind her.
"Kill her."
John strode towards me without hesitation and I backed away, into the wall. I slid down it, watching the formidable Spartan. He towered over me, reaching down, probably to break my neck. My friends screamed. I stayed calm. Maybe, just maybe, I could break through that control on his mind.
"John….Stop. Please. You don't want to kill me, I'm your friend. Emily, remember?"
He blinked, confused. But he continued, his hand retreating and reaching for the pistol at his hip. He whipped it out. But I ignored the fact. I knew that if he killed me, he would kill my friends. I stood slowly, raising my hands, looking straight into the barrel. I reached out slowly, closing my eyes. I touched the handle of the gun, and I slid my hand up, fastening it around John's hand. The muscles stiffened, and I shrunk back. But the shot didn't come. I looked up and opened my eyes. I stared straight into John's, blank eyes. He was cocking his head to the side, curious. His pupils narrowed and I realised he was fighting a battle. A mental battle. The black box at his neck sparked a little, and Catherine whirled around.
"What? How!"
John didn't react, even though she pressed buttons on her remote frantically.
"It's okay, John. Let go of the gun. You don't want to kill me."
His pupils recovered back to their usual size.
"You are correct. I do not want to kill you." He stuttered out.
The black box simply exploded as he managed to choke out the sentence. Halsey screamed.
"NO! No…nonono! How!"
John whipped around. I hid behind him, looking out.
"I still have your Spartans, John."
Kelly-087, Frederic-104 and Linda-058 slipped stealthily out from the shadows caused by the roof. They had probably been there the whole time, and I hadn't seen them.
John
I watched my squadmates carefully, circling around them. Their eyes were blank, and they showed no sign that they recognised me. I was simply a target, an objective.
"As much as I hate to pit my own Spartans against each other…" Halsey sighed, her regret true.
She pressed a button on her remote and Kelly leapt toward me, like lightning. She was fast, faster than me. However, we were both Spartans so she seemed to move in slow motion, my enhancements causing me to process everything quickly. I dodged nimbly to the side, and as soon as I had done so, Kelly was already facing me. I whirled around in time to stop her punch, deflecting it with my arm. I felt a dull ache in my arm as my metal coated bones put up with the force. Kelly's strategies didn't seem to be present, in that mindless state as she was; she took me head on in an all-out strength fight. I was a lot stronger, but Kelly was quicker. She slipped, momentarily losing her balance. I took advantage and leapt forward, catlike. I delivered a solid blow to her head and she slumped to the ground, unconscious. I turned back to Halsey. I was barely puffed. Catherine pressed the button again and Fred charged at me. This would be a lot harder. Fred was slightly stronger, but I was faster. I gasped as his fist drove into my stomach. I couldn't dodge that one; he would simply kick my legs out from under me if I did. I retaliated, slamming my fist into his ribs. He staggered back, and I leapt forward, knocking him out with a solid punch to his head. He fell backwards, limply. The fight could have gone on for ages, but Fred was dumb, and numb in his state. The black box on his neck disintegrated. Now I was tired. Moving that fast put strain on my body, and having reflexes so fast needed a lot of energy. I braced myself for my next opponent, Linda. I would win easily. She didn't seem to be armed. I was, but I didn't want to shoot my squadmates. I inhaled, surprised, as I dodged her first punch, but she drew a long electrified pole from her pocket, extending it. Linda poked it into my ribs and I felt my brain shut down. I slid to the floor. I finally gave up the struggle for consciousness.
Emily
I winced as John slid to the ground. I was on my own now. My friends were tied up, Palmer was unconscious and I had no idea where Lasky was. I ran past Linda, before Halsey could give her orders. I ran towards the old woman, grabbing for the remote. I was angry, and it felt good. She blocked me with her arm, and I kicked her shins. She retaliated, before I could react, slamming a fist into my head. I saw stars, and I staggered backwards.
"Emily!" cried a familiar voice.
I tried to think of who it was, through my hazy thoughts. I saw a familiar shape, wearing a coat with large lapels and shiny buttons. I shook myself. My mind cleared and I saw Lasky, struggling with Catherine. Thomas was military trained, and intelligent, a tactical genius. But he wasn't prepared for the six foot Spartan charging at him. Linda-058 slammed her fist into his side, and I could hear his ribs snap from across the room. He cried out, a terrible shout of pain. Lasky flew at least six meters, slamming into the wall on the other side of the room. He slid, slowly to the ground. He didn't move, didn't make a sound. My eyes began to well up with tears. He was probably dead, that impact would have shattered his ribs, and possibly ruptured his organs. Linda whirled around, facing me. I retreated, knowing that I was defeated. I felt a big tear roll down my cheek. I would die, killed unknowingly by my friend. I decided I would face my death with dignity. Better to die bravely than die a blubbering, cowering idiot. I probably should try to remove the black box. I leapt forward, reaching, grabbing. Linda's hand shot out, and before I had even processed this, it was on my throat, choking me, stopping me. But in her dumb state, she seemed to forget that I had arms, so I reached out, towards the box on her neck. The edges of my vision turned black, and I felt my mind relax strangely. It would be so good, just to fall asleep…..to let it all go. No…NO! Not yet! I grabbed the box weakly, pulling it with all my strength. It came loose, and I felt the hand slacken. It released me completely, and I fell to the floor gasping. I heard a muted Thump! and I realised that Linda had collapsed beside me. I stood slowly, my eyesight restoring itself. My knees wobbled uncertainly and I became aware of my friends cheering.
"Go get her Em!"
"Yeah! Kick butt!"
I looked about, for Catherine, and spotted her, her mouth dropped open in shock.
"How…You…What?"
I looked down at Linda. She probably had a brain overload or something, I didn't care, I was angry, she had taken my friends prisoner, probably killed Lasky, and her plan had probably killed Sarah too, she hadn't moved. I ran, full pelt, with my fury lending my muscles strength. I hit her like a cannonball, tackling her. The remote flew from her hand, and I caught it. I stood, placing it on the floor. I raised my foot.
And I crushed it.
"Don't you ever hurt my friends!" I screamed.
I ranted and screeched, didn't care what I was yelling at the figure on the floor, didn't care! Except something broke through my haze of thoughts. A moan, a painful, horrible one. I shut my mouth, turning to look to where I knew Lasky had landed. His brown eyes were screwed shut, his fists white. I gasped in surprise and scrambled over, kneeling at his side. I reached out and touched his side, gently. I winced as I could feel the outline of the bone through his coat. He looked up at me, his eyes strangely calm. I collapsed, crying, onto him, hugging him.
"Please…..No…." I whispered.
I could feel him trying to reply, willing his rapidly failing body to speak.
"D….Doo…N't... …Yo…ur…self…" he gasped out.
I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling everything melt away. I couldn't see anything, hear anything. I was vaguely aware of the passage of time, hours maybe. Days. I didn't know. All I knew was warmness…A shifting feeling, then nothing.
Four days later
John
I sat vigil next to her bed, as usual. Watching. Waiting. Nothing. I felt disappointed. Emily had been in a shocked coma for four days. I had woken up just as the doctors had arrived. They had watched the security camera footage when the remote had been destroyed, viewing it live through the screen. They had rushed to the room, finding Emily slumped over a dying Thomas. And thank god she had. Her weight had compressed a source of internal bleeding, essentially saving the Commander's life. He was still recovering, but he was awake and alert. His ribs were shattered, but they were healing nicely. Every day, he pestered me to give him updates, but every time, it was a simple
"Nothing." I said out loud.
The one word, so simple, triggered a shift from the still child lying slack on the bed's crisp white sheets.
"Meerrpf…Lasky….Halsey….Remote….Have to…er….Ar….Ar." she mumbled.
Her blue eyes opened slowly. They seemed confused, but they fixed on my face and they glowed with recognition.
"John….? What the heck happened?" she asked slowly, as if she was making sure she was still alive.
"It's over. Halsey has been put in isolation on a prison planet."
"Thomas….Is he….is…" she asked suggestively.
I nodded once.
"I wanna see him. Now!" she demanded.
"He is resting, asleep. He needs it." I lied.
Emily scowled at me, as if she knew I was.
"When?"
I let myself smile slightly.
"Don't you grin at me!"
One Day Later
Emily
I walked uncertainly down the hospital corridor, testing to make sure my legs were still working. John held me up slightly. I wanted to see Lasky, wanted to see my friends, wanted to go home. Home, I thought, was a long way away. I missed my warm bed, my books, my computer games, but most of all, I missed the safety. John pulled my arm slightly, signalling to another medroom. I followed him inside. I saw Thomas, propped up with pillows, his eyes bright. I grinned.
"Hey, Emily. Are you alright?" he asked.
I ran over to the side of his bed.
"Yeah! You? You look like your about to fall apart."
"I'll recover. I hope that remark wasn't anything to do with my age!"
John coughed from outside the door, but I knew he was hiding a slight snigger.
"Oh shutup you!"
I heard an unintelligible sound and I put it down as laughter.
"I hope Sarah is alright?"
"Yeah, she's okay. She's bossing everyone around while you're hurt. I think she's enjoying it too."
Lasky seemed satisfied. He sat back.
"Now there's the problem of your friends."
I frowned.
"Eh?"
"John tells me Chloe, Oliver, and Daisy are trashing the place. I was wondering if you could possibly….stop them?"
I grinned wolfishly.
"I think I should join them, this time, scaling it up a notch. I think I'll go toilet paper all your dropships."
Lasky smiled. I gave him a big hug.
"You saved my life."
I frowned once again.
"How?"
"When you collapsed on me, you cut off internal bleeding. You saved me. Thank you."
I stepped back.
"I don't want any awards….."
"I wasn't planning to give you any. I think the greatest reward for you is the fact that I think you are a hero. Thank you." he said once again.
"Thanks. Um…How am I going to get back to my world? I don't mean offense….but I miss it."
"Luckily, that's already solved. The light is waiting for you, right now. This time, it's calling. It's saying something."
"What?"
"Emily."
Three days later
Emily
I sat on my bed, thinking. I had no idea what was happening to my life, but I knew it was a miracle. Saying goodbye had been the hardest thing, knowing that I mightn't ever come back, ever see them again. But eventually, I knew, all good things do come to an end. You just need to learn to embrace the fact and live in harmony with it.