Level 7: The Banks of Abu Simbel

Troop Supply Territory
Camp Eden Civilian Defense Net
Abu Simbel, Egypt
November 2, 2552

A lone phantom entered the airspace over the Abu Simbel airport. The mid morning sun reflected off of its armored hull as it slowly lowered to the dusty field below. Dozens of Banshee single passenger air assault crafts lined the field south of the airport, and the Phantom descended behind them.

Simyaldee and Gridolee were the first to exit, and they quickly trotted toward the deployed Banshee grounds. "Why are you at ready stations? Has there been further development?" Simyaldee questioned to the squadron leader. Soon Mathew and Melanie descended from the Phantom and waited as the pilot lowered a Specter from the rear of phantom.

An Elite in blue armor approached. "Lieutenant, sir. We were ordered to scramble a moment ago. But the human's ordered us to remain here. It was most unusual. We are now on standby."

Simyaldee nodded toward Gridolee and they hustled towards the powered up Specter. "The Unggoy packs shall remain here as an emergency precaution." Simyaldee stated in passing. Gridolee manned the gunner's station while Simyaldee drove. Melanie and Mathew climbed onto the passenger's seats on either side. They sped across the dusty airport toward the southern station, where Kelly had positioned the majority of the Human and Elite forces. They could see that the defensives had been deployed successfully; several rows of soldiers and armament positioned across a thin line nearly two hundred yards in length.

Melanie powered on her com. "Chief, this is Black Ops 05. What's your twenty?"

"Copy." Kelly replied over the com. "Central bombardment location. Look for the heavy guns."

Melanie focused and her HUD zoomed into range. She could see the Spartan standing atop a Scorpion. At her side was a full deployment of long distance weapons; Wraith mortar tanks, Scorpion battle tanks, Warthog "Spits" and marines huffing RPGs.

"Copy your position." Melanie replied. "Where do you need us?"

"Is the second with you?" Kelly questioned, referring to Simyaldee.

"Yes sir."

"Patch him in." Kelly heard a quick pitch change on her frequency, but she maintained her glance on the forward battlefield. She eyed the edge of the river, ignoring the numerous Egyptian statues that lined the coast. She rolled her battalion of long range weapons past the temples of Ramses the II and positioned them one hundred yards off the coast of the Nile River; less then two miles from the Airport.

"I am here, Spartan." Simyaldee huffed over the transmission. "What has happened?"

"Our first attempt at a bombing attack on the Flood was a complete wash. We were intercepted by a Brute Seraph squadron. We lost several Longswords and any attempt at slowing the Floods advance. The Brutes are using the Flood as a means of weakening our defenses. They are driving them toward us like a stampeding herd."

"Damn." Simyaldee cursed with the often used human slur. "A clever tactic. This would explain why the Jiralhanae… the Brutes, have been active in this area. We encountered many of them at the human ship crash site."

"Confirmed." Kelly sighed. That was all she really needed to know. This last Flood outbreak was indeed a Brute setup.

"I can vouch for that as well, Chief." Melanie added. "The Brutes were also stationed outside of Mukutan. We knew they were watching us the whole time, but we didn't understand why. We figured they knew that the Flood was coming, but if that is where this outbreak began, then we can almost guarantee that the Brutes set this up."

"But how?" Gridolee questioned. "The Flood cannot be controlled. Even the Heretics could not wield the Flood's power for themselves."

"For now, we don't need to worry about how." Kelly added to the conversation. "Simyaldee, I'm returning command to you, this was your base."

"Understood." Simyaldee stated as he stopped the Specter at the side of Kelly's tank. She jumped down and stood at Simyaldee's side. "What was your initial plan?"

Kelly looked out over the Nile River. "I just sent a spotter to the top of the temple. He'll keep watch for the Flood on the far side of the river. When they get in range we start firing. The trick is, the Brutes. When the Flood enter the river our fighters will engage the Brute Seraph squadron. Hopefully we can hold off the Brutes before the Flood cross the River."

Simyaldee turned and looked at the Temple of Ramses the II, and the spotter climbing to the top. "I see. This will work. We can not fight the Brute's and the Flood, however, the water will slow down the Floods advance, giving our aerial units the time to fight. When the parasites clear the water… we crush them. They will no longer have the support of the Brutes."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Kelly smirked. "But there is a problem with this plan."

Simyaldee huffed. "If our air combat fails, there will be no room for a strategic retreat. No matter. We will fight to the end." Simyaldee turned to Gridolee. "Contact the Banshee squadron and tell them to prepare for immediate dispatch." Simyaldee then turned to the Black Ops. "Once again we must fight together against the Parasites. Muster your human comrades and prepare a second line behind the front artillery. I suggest that your all terrain vehicles join you."

Melanie nodded. "I like the way you think. The Warthogs can zip in when the time comes to displace." Melanie nodded toward Mathew and the two Black Ops raced toward the marines and the 'hogs'.

Kelly spoke up. "I'm in touch with Fleet and HighCom. The Longswords are in range and waiting for the order to engage."

The red armored Elite that assisted Kelly grumbled at the words. "A pity they would not aid us earlier."

Everyone broke off into their lines as Kelly climbed back to the top of the Scorpion. She glared outward across the expanse of water and recalled the words of Major Rawlings. She had made the right choice to stay on the front, or so she had thought. Disobeying a direct order, even an order that she clearly saw as personal, was not acceptable. It went against everything Corporal Mendaz had taught her.

"John, did I make the right choice?" Kelly thought to herself. Her question was more self questioning then anything. John, Spartan 117, was her commanding officer. A man she saw as her friend and family; her brother. A piece of her wanted to feel that he would accept her decision to ignore Major Rawlings. But truthfully, she knew he wouldn't. John would have obeyed her order. If only someone else had made the call, if another officer in ONI had given the order she may have answered it, but the truth was Major Rawlings had unknown motives. Kelly was not going to risk her unit's life on a legend.

"Contacts… holy God… there's millions of them!" A frantic voice cried out on the communicator.

Kelly looked up into the dust storm on the opposite side of the Nile. She zoomed in with her HUD and gasped at the site. The Flood numbered well beyond what she could visually comprehend. Monsters of all shapes and sizes, tentacles slashing from side to side, beasts with unidentifiable forms climbed over one another in anticipation of the fresh flesh ahead of them.

Kelly contacted the spotter. "The seraph squadron?"

"No sign … nothing. The sky is clear."

Kelly clinched her teeth. That was not a good sign. "All weapons… Fire!" The Brutes were most likely holding back, and letting the Flood be a diversion; they would try to flank her forces.

Fifteen Scorpion MBT's angled their canon barrels and fired across the river. Explosions dotted the front line of the charging Flood but the creatures continued to advance. The Scorpions fired again and again, turning the far side of the River into a wave of red and black dust.

Simyaldee raised his left hand and waved it sharply toward the approaching flood. Ten Wraith units unleashed their plasma mortars high into the air. The blue boiling masses arced and dropped upon the heads of the Flood in a magnificent explosion of blue fumes. The power of the Scorpions and the Wraiths made the opposite Nile beach glow bright orange and green as the two explosive charges combined.

Marines cheered and praised the onslaught, knowing that the Flood numbers would be greatly reduced, but Kelly knew that this was only the start.

"Where are you?" Kelly mumbled. She turned her eyes skyward, ignoring the constant mind numbing throb of the Scorpion beneath her feet. "Where are you, you Brute bastards?"

"Sir!" The marine driver of the Scorpion shouted. "The front line of Flood are getting closer to the river! I can't believe some of them are getting through!"

"Understood." Kelly knew that they would get through, but for now she had to worry about the other threat. She happened to look to her left and spotted Simyaldee calmly watching the Sky. She had a feeling he would be watching for the Brutes as well. For an Elite, Simyaldee had her respect. Kelly knew of his skill, she had fought beside him on the Seed Ship after the Elite Home World was destroyed. And as Second in command of the Mirratord, she knew he was perhaps the deadliest Elite she would ever see in combat. At least for now, he was on their side.

Simyaldee then sharply looked eastward and pointed to the sky.

Kelly spun and watched in horror as twenty Seraph fighters dotted the sky, diving toward their line of Wraiths and Scorpions; it was bombing run.

Kelly opened her com as quickly as she could. "Seraphs at nine o'clock, high!"

"Longswords inbound!" Came the reply.

"Banshees scramble!" Gridolee roared.

"On our way, Lieutenant!" Came the reply.

It was a race against time. The Brute controlled Seraphs had a perfect angle on the line of humans and Elites. The Longswords and Banshee were in range, but would they intercept in time? No. The Brutes would bomb them and be on their way out of range before the Longswords and Banshee's could arrive.

Kelly had to time this perfectly. "Defensive measures, standby! Continue firing on the Flood!" All of the human forces knew what she meant, though they were still concerned about the approaching ships overhead. She waited, counting the seconds as the Brutes came to within weapons range. "Hold!" She shouted over the com, reassuring the marines not to power on their newly added defensive options. "Hold!" Her eyes grew wider as the first Seraph angled toward the line. Kelly could see the Seraph's weapons bay open as the first plasma charge sailed free from the its undercarriage.

"Deploy!" She shouted as she unclipped a grenade sized device from her belt. Down the line, hundreds of marines were doing the same. She pressed the red button on top of the small device and threw it into the hard sandy ground. A puff of energy sprang forth, and glowed around her and a portion of the Scorpion. An awkward discharge of sound bubbled throughout the air as hundreds of Marines and vehicles were wrapped in Bubble Shields.

"We only get one shot at this!" Kelly radioed to everyone. Simyaldee was surprised to see the unique shield units as several humans also deployed them around the Elite controlled Wraiths.

The first volley of plasma rained over the line of Bubble Shields, and from the Brute perspective it was a direct hit. Flames snapped into the air, explosions rolled across the line of human and Elite vehicles, but beneath the flames everyone was protected.

"I'll be damned. The bloody things worked!" Shouted a random marine as he and others happily cheered their success.

"Clever." Simyaldee said as he examined the bubble shields' interior.

Kelly radioed, "No time to cheer. Maintain fire!" The Wraiths and Scorpions continued to propel their arsenal through the shield at the charging Flood forms as they entered the Nile River. Soon the Bubble Shields faded and all eyes once again turned upward as the Brutes turned for another bombing run. The twenty Seraphs banked and rolled toward them again, but this time they were greeted by Fifteen UNSC Longsword interceptors. They streaked over Kelly's head, the roaring engines propelling them higher into the air to greet the approaching Brute advance.

Kelly's com burst with static. "We have engaged the enemy units, Spartan 087. We'll show these monkeys why we flyboys rule the sky."

"Roger that." Kelly sighed. They only had one shot at using the Bubble Shields, and that was it. The defensive units were new to the UNSC arsenal, and very limited. Thankfully she chose the best way to use them. "Black Ops, what's your status?"

"Were fine, Chief." Melanie replied. "The Brutes completely ignored the second line, and we could see the fireworks. What the hell were those shield things?"

"The latest from the Section III R-&-D." Kelly sighed. "Stand by to engage with Warthog's."

"Roger." Melanie replied over the com.

So far everything was going smoothly, but eventually the Flood would get close, and there would be chaos. She took the moment and opened a wide-com line to every Marine and Elite.

"We have no place to retreat too. Behind us are the people we have sworn to protect. If we fail, they will die. We can not turn our back on anyone. As in instructed, this will be a two line defensive and you will only fall back when ordered. Hold this line!"

"OHH RAH!" Came and rolling reply from the marines.

With hundreds of metallic pings the marines switched off their safeties, pulled back hammers and slapped in fresh magazines. The marines pulled up to the front line and readied themselves as they looked down their respected barrels at the river's edge. While overhead, a massive aerial dogfight continued. Seraphs and Longswords rolled and banked as they attempted to subdue one another, while the slower Banshees assisted when they could. Kelly looked down the line of Marines and Elites. They were as ready as they would be. But she was already thinking of the next option. Their line wouldn't hold against the Floods tireless assault.

Kelly's internal speaker sparked. "Not bad, Chief." Melanie added in typical Black Ops fashion. "You gave me goose bumps."

"Goose bumps?" Mathew cut into the private channel. "The Chief can give me goose bumps anytime she wanted to. There's something about a women in green battle armor."

Kelly raised an eyebrow, "I can't believe Sergeant Raynord lets you talk like this. Cut the chatter, Spartans."

Melanie quickly returned. "Roger that, Sir. That's how we cut the tension. Sorry."

Tension. Kelly thought to herself and understood what Melanie meant. Unlike the other Spartans, Kelly had been flying around the galaxy with Doctor Halsey. And while the Doctor was strict, she allowed Kelly to talk more then she ever would have during a typical Spartan mission.

No matter how she looked at it, Kelly knew she was different then her remaining brothers and sisters; her adopted family. The awkward part was that she was becoming more and more like Spartan 051, Kurt. His tragic death in 2531 was something that Kelly and her other Spartan kin kept closely guarded in their hearts. Kurt was extremely sociable for a Spartan, even Doctor Halsey found him a bit to talkative at times, but his unique dynamic nature made him an important asset in the Spartan's 'family'. He gave them all a social dynamic that they otherwise needed. It was becoming clear to Kelly, that a bit of Kurt was beginning to show through herself.

Kelly tripped on her com. "I understand, 05. Every squad has its own dynamics. You may continue on your private frequency."

"Sorry Chief, you're the leader of the human forces on this campaign. If you aren't with us, then we'll stick to protocol."

Kelly remained silent. She gripped her BR-55 rifle from her back and attached an M-90 in its place. She checked her automated ammo shells from her armor's belt clip and made sure the BR had a full magazine. She then jumped down from the top of the Scorpion and took a knee at the marines line; facing the water's edge. She scanned her active weapons inventory. Two M7 sub machines with three spare clips each, rested inside her thigh holsters. Two plasma and two fragmentation grenades rested in her belt holsters. Her trusty BR-55 was sat in her hand with four ammo magazines in her left belt storage. And magnetically attached to her back panel was the UNSC 'Elite killer', the M90 shotgun, with thirty extra rounds in her right belt storage. Every storage compartment on her armor was maxed out and bursting at the seams with ammo. She was ready.

Her motion tracker pinged.

"Hostile units detected!" Kelly roared over the com.

Simyaldee joined Kelly in the front, unclipped his dual energy swords and turned on his com. "All tank units begin to fall back to the second line while maintaining fire. Black Ops, prepare for repositioning on my order."

"Roger that." The front line of Scorpions and Wraiths began to back away from the shore, but continued to fire until they were out of range. It was a bit unnerving for the marines to see the Tanks leaving them alone on the front, without them there was zero cover in the openness off the Nile River bank.

Simyaldee turned to Kelly. "Spartan, what is your name?" Kelly looked at him awkwardly. "I know this may seem sudden. But in Sangheili culture, a name means many things, and it is bound with honor."

She answered. "My name is Spartan 087…" She paused. "Kelly."

Simyaldee stated. "Well then, Kelly, let us decimate this Parasite infestation."

"I like the way you think." Kelly stated as the first Flood form rose from the water's depths.

Water dripped from the creature's form as it gargled and spat an angry cry. Its words were lost in any form of comprehension and swung it's tentacles in all directions. Another appeared behind it and another and another, soon the Nile's coast was swarming with Flood combat forms.

"Brothers, form up on me!" Simyaldee shouted to the Elites under his command. "Fire!" Plasma volleys ignited into the Flood numbers. Pink crystal shards from Needlers also darted across the air. The Flood were cut down in a rapid fashion, but they kept coming. The Flood stormed the beach with reckless determination. The marines fired controlled bursts into them, cutting more and more of them down. The wave of the Flood pushed forward, slowly cutting the distance between them.

One hundred yards turned into seventy five. But the Marines and Elites held.

Seventy five yards turned into fifty. But the Marines and the Elites gave it their all.

Fifty yards turned into twenty five. And the forces began to buckle.

Panic was filling the human lines as the Flood pressed toward them. Grenades were thrown in order to further hold the Flood's aggression. But they pushed forward without regard for their own fate. The Flood lines exploded, crumbled, and splattered but they continued to push forward.

Kelly felt it. The marines were loosing their calm. "Hold the line a little longer!"

She fired rapidly, switching magazines with unrivaled speed. Her Battle Riffle continuously barked its deadly payload with accurate results. By now, it was common knowledge on how to kill a Flood combat form, but hitting it was still difficult. Simyaldee stood at her side, powered on his blades and waited for them to get close. Gridolee stood at his commander's side and also powered on his dual blades. The Mirratord would not run from this menace, and neither was Kelly.

Spartan 087 stood. In her mind she had no where to go unless the Flood was stopped. She tossed her Battle Riffle, and pulled down her Shotgun. She pumped a round in the chamber and looked down the barrel. Her back was to an invisible wall, and there was no escape.

The marines were loosing their calm, but many were staying steady. Kelly knew that if one marine backed away, that would start a chain reaction and many more would succumb to their fear.

A flood jumped toward her and she pulled the trigger, blowing away the flood forms corpse. "Hold this line!" She shouted as she took one step forward.

Simyaldee roared a battle cry and lunged forward at the closest Flood form near to him. "Black Ops, now!" He shouted into his com.

Six Warthogs speed from around the large temple hillside of Abu Simbel, dust was tossed from the massive wheels. The marines onboard cheered hysterically as they forced themselves to forget their fear. The six vehicles plowed into the Floods thicket, tossing corpses in to the air. The 'Spit' cannons and chain guns fired rapidly into the creatures as the drivers swerved wildly.

Kelly cut into her com. "Marines, fall back to the second line. Black Ops, steady the artillery for another hold!" Kelly stepped forward, joining Simyaldee and Gridolee in the midst of the Flood. Her M90 flared with successive discharges as the Warthogs drove in circles around them. More Elites raced into the thicket, not retreating with the human numbers.

"Fall back, brothers!" Simyaldee roared. "Stand with the humans and prepare for the second defensive!"

The Elites ignored his orders. "It is best to face this threat head on, then to turn our backs to it!" One red armored Elite roared. The Elite stampeded into the Flood advance as the marines ran.

Melanie zoomed into the battle and watched as Kelly gave it her all. "Chief, don't be a hero! The hogs will provide cover! Fall back to our position!" Melanie watched as the Marines ran toward her line. She stood and fired several rounds toward the trailing Flood combat forms. Some of the retreating marines weren't so lucky. Melanie watched as one poor soldier was impaled by a Flood tentacle and tossed to the ground in agony. The creature left the soldier alone just as several infection forms began to claw at his throat. Melanie did the only reasonable thing she could. She leveled her BR and put a round through the soldier head. His body would be consumed, but at least he wouldn't endure the torment of becoming a Flood host. His body began to rise and she tossed a plasma grenade to his rapidly decaying form.

Kelly's shotgun blazed in the chaos as the two Mirratord Elites held firm at her side. The Flood crumbled beneath their combined might. Simyaldee's blade swung the majestic motion of a river stream; steady and constant. While Gridolee still relied heavily upon his brute strength; lunging into the Flood and disemboweling them with powerful upward motions. The other Elites under Simyaldee's command slowly began to fall from the Flood's aggression, one by one they crumbled under overwhelming odds.

"Fall back!" Kelly shouted as she reloaded. She then began to step back while firing. Simyaldee and Gridolee followed, but they never turned their back to the enemy. Several Elite's joined them in the tactical retreat, firing as they slowly backed away. The Floods numbers where immense, but Kelly hoped that Black Ops 05 was able to get the second line ready.

Melanie watched as Kelly and the Elites began to back peddle toward her, she the looked into the massive Flood wave to see how many of her Warthogs were still engaged. "Hogs, fall back to second line. Hold the Flood as best you can and provide cover for the Elites!"

"Roger that, ma'am!"

Of the six warthogs that entered the flood wave, only two made it out. The hogs were blazing in flame and soaked in flood decay, but they were still running hard. The drivers steered closer to Kelly and the Elites, and their gunner provided ample cover fire as they retreated.

Melanie watched as the Left and right flanks near Kelly began to swarm with Flood forms. "Rocket boys, left and right flanks! Fire!" Several volleys of RPG rounds streaked into the distance and slowed the Flood's advance.

"Thanks for that!" Kelly exhaled over the com link. She knew they were being flanked on both sides, but there was very little that she could do with the Flood pressing toward her face. "Keep the pressure up! Move more firepower to the nine and six, and be ready for another swell of pressure."

"Already ahead of you!" Melanie added. "08, unleash hell!"

Mathew tapped the gunner and his several rounds of tank fire began to poor into the line of flood forms. They were firing to the sides of the Elites, making sure to give them plenty of clearance.

Kelly watched as sand and Flood decay rained from overhead, signaling that the artillery was in position. She turned on her heel, and broke into a full sprint to the second line. "Simyaldee fall back, double time!"

"Warriors, fall back to the second defensive!" Simyaldee roared to his kin. The remaining Elites retreated at full sprint. Being naturally faster then average humans, the Elite and Kelly were able to barely outpace the Flood's wild chase, but they managed to get clear enough for Melanie to unleash her second attack.

"Coverage team, fire!" Melanie yelled into her com. From atop the Temple of Abu Simbel, several Marines fired RPG rounds into the chasing pack of Flood combat forms, provide the Elites with plenty of room to escape. Yet the attack revealed to the Flood that there were humans on top of the massive statue. They quickly turned and began to climb to the top. "Coverage team, get out of there! There on to you!"

"Damn, we've been cut off! We'll try to hold here ma'am. Good luck to you all." The marine's transmission cut as Melanie continued to watch them fight off the Flood forms climbing toward them. Shotgun rounds flashed from the top of the temple mound as the Marines took their last stand against countless flood. They were finished, Melanie knew it, and there was nothing she could do to save them.

Simyaldee stopped at her side, breathing heavily. "Such is a command decisison. Do not dwell on them, their fate is no longer in your hands. You must focus ahead of you."

He was right. Melanie turned her attention away from the temple mound, knowing that eventually the Flood would consume the soldier she had sent up there. This was what it meant to be in charge and to make strategic decisions. She saved Kelly and few Elites, but sacrificed five marines. In terms of strategy, one Spartan was worth the loss of five marines.

Kelly took a knee at Melanie's side. "Good work. Check your gear and began to move the artillery back to a third position. We'll keep falling back until we reach the Ariport."

Simyaldee radioed to the command center at Abu Simbel. "Elder, this is Lieutenant Simyaldee. Prepare the grunts and your Mirratord Guards for a final defensive at southern Edge of the Air port. We will hold them as best we can. Stand by for further orders."

Kelly couldn't help but overhear. "There's more Mirratord with you?"

"Yes, protecting the Elder stationed at the Base. He chose to stay behind instead of fleeing with the other Elders upon the Seed Ship."

"I think our chances just went up a little." Kelly smirked as she readied her Shotgun.

Melanie chimed in. "A third line is set, Chief. I'm falling back to set them up."

"Confirmed, use the high ground as best you can." Kelly zoomed in as the Flood once again sprinted through the steady down poor of artillery. "And set up a mine field one mile back. If we make it that far, that should give us time to set up our last stand at the airfield."

Melanie grinned from ear to ear. "One Lotus patch coming up. I think I'll use a triangle grid this time. I haven't done one of those in a long time." Melanie stood and sprinted at full speed to the established third line.

Kelly watched as she went and was amazed at her land speed. "You Black Ops really are Spartans, aren't you?"

"You got that right, Chief." Melanie huffed as she sprinted. "When we finish with the Flood, I'll tell you all about it."

- - - - - - - -

Eden Medical Facility // Civilian Refugee Camp
Central Egypt
November 2, 2552

"I repeat, Abu Simbel is under attack. All UNSC Personal are to report to duty stations immediately."

The broadcast sounded over the speakers of the Military ward of the hospital, and the affect it had was spontaneous. The medical facility quickly filled with activity as marines and naval officers began to scramble. Those who were visiting wounded friends or having minor injuries checked, quickly began to exit the facility.

In Eric's recovery room the situation was the same. "Alright people, let's move." Captain Monroe shouted to her crew. She began to pass out small pills which would alleviate the symptoms of being intoxicated, yet they would all feel hung-over for a few hours; the pill would only help them maintain their focus. Monroe watched as her crew exited the room, and she turned to Eric one last time. "We'll be waiting for you." She saluted and walked out the door.

Eric sighed and glared into the ceiling. "I hate this."

Rose smiled. "I can imagine." Her words reflected on her inability to help fight. But she held her peace and leaned closer to Eric. She gripped his hands one last time and leaned in to kiss him. "I can't fight this war your way, Eric. I'm not a soldier, and no matter how I lie to myself, I'll never get use to it. I tired it your way, but I'm much more suited to doing this my way."

After the kiss Eric squeezed her hand tightly. "What have you been up to the last few days?" He questioned, knowing that Rose was hinting toward something more.

"I've been working with ONI Section III's R&D teams on unlocking the mysteries of the Reclaimer Armor. Based on your security clearance, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

Eric nodded. "Yeah, beneath Camp Eden."

"It would appear that Section III did a lot of research into who would be utilized in the ORION Project. The super soldier Gene is dormant in nearly all of humanity except for roughly .09 percent. These humans were selected amongst volunteers of the Military when the ORION Project first began."

Eric raised a finger. "Wait." He then turned to Carolyn Smith. "Doc, I need you to come talk with us for a moment." Rose seemed confused. Eric eased her nerves by adding, "IDoctor Smith has studied the ORION Project for the past seventeen years."

Carolyn Smith sat beside Rose. "He's right. I studied the notes left by Section III scientists and Doctor Halsey in order to … help… make faster Spartans." She sulked. The memories of the crimes she committed still haunted her.

Rose nodded and continued. "From what I found out from Major Rawlings notes, it confirmed everything that the Seed Ship's main computer said. Humanity was genetically enhanced, but the gene became dormant over time and eventually evolution. The ORION Project was a test to reactivate the Gene. Spartans are the result of this. Major Rawlings is a Spartan I, including several other members of the UNSC."

"Rawlings?" Carolyn oddly questioned. "But her file were …"

"Deleted." Rose added. "I know. She only has one copy of her original file. It is kept in her desk and locked at all times. Her file on the UNSC registry was deleted to protect her past."

Eric questioned, "How do you know that?"

"She showed it to me." Rose sighed. "She knew that I would need a blood sample in order to open the Reclaimer armor…"

"What?" Carolyn cut in once again. "Rose, you have to back up. Explain this to me."

Rose cleared her throat. "When I first began to experiment on the Reclaimer armor beneath Camp Eden, I discovered that the suit responded only to a unique genetic code. Without this code, the armor was dormant. So I ignored the interior of the Armor and focused on external research. This allowed me time to finish a few Mark VI upgrades. After a day of work Major Rawlings gave me an old paper file, it wasn't in digital format, along with a vile of blood. She told me that everything I needed in order to open the armor was in that folder. She was right, the blood instantly charged the armor's systems, but the servos were burned out."

"Amazing." Doctor Smith eagerly listened. "Her blood contained the genetic marker, the code to power the suit."

"Right." Rose continued. "But something was odd. The Reclaimer Armor, and thusly the Mark V and VI, were based on humans with the Super Soldier Gene." Rose continued. "Yet humanity had become too evolved, and the gene lay dormant. ONI had to do research in order to awaken the Super Soldier Gene."

Eric added. "So they created the ORION Project to study people and find a way to reactivate the gene."

Rose agreed. "But like I said, something is odd about this. Major Rawlings wouldn't let me draw more blood from her to do further tests. She told me to do what I could with what I had. And that got me thinking… if studying the suit is so critical, you would think that the Major would be eager to give as much blood as was necessary, but she seemed almost irritated that I need more. I don't think it was her blood in that vile. Her name was on it, but I think it was a cover up for whom ever it really belonged to."

Carolyn lowered her head and sighed deeply. "I think I know who it is." Eric and Rose glared at her deeply, awaiting the information. "The Orion Project contains some fairly interesting information about 'Human Physical Structure and Experimentation.' It contains documents dating as far back as World War II Nazi research and World War III Tzu Fein research. Mind you, these were some of the most twisted human research programs ever documented. During my studies of Doctor Halsey's research on the Spartan II's, she noted several things. There were three soldiers who showed an almost immunity to the Catalytic thyroid implant. And of these three soldiers, two of them only needed sixty percent of the full Muscular Enhancement dosages. They showed an immediate reaction to the injection, as if it weren't needed. These two Spartans were 117 and 087."

"John and Kelly." Eric stated.

Doctor Smith looked up. "And of those two, only one of them had their pre-Spartan training file deleted; Kelly. John's family background, upbringing, home planet, and doctor records are on file. Kelly's file has been completely erased prior to her training. Also, I found it interesting that Kelly's family was not given a certification of death, like the other Spartans."

"Certificate of Death?" Rose questioned.

Eric added. "The Spartan Program used kidnapped children, not volunteers. They were replaced by flash clones which eventually died of selected organ failures. This way, the families would not go looking for their children."

Rose gasped, "That's terrible."

"Do you think John and Kelly know what they are?" Eric questioned. "The only reason we know anything about this is because of the Seed Ship."

Rose shook here head. "Kelly may no something, but I doubt how much of it is she is aware of. But it makes since, that Prophet clone we found, he said that Kelly looked a lot like the Reclaimer that piloted the Ark."

Eric leaned closer. "Mercy said that? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I was there when Doctor Halsey gave her dissertation on the topic." Rose laughed.

"Then there is a connection between Kelly and the Ark." Eric added. "I knew several of the science teams that studied the Ark. They said that it wasn't complete. Something was missing. A few days later Major Rawlings brought in that crystal."

"You mean the crystal I gave to the Covenant?" Rose said nervously, recalling her past sin to humanity.

"At the time, they didn't know there was a connection between the Ark and the Halo's… but now we know they are connected."

"Oh hell." Rose sulked. "Now I understand why Rawlings doesn't like me." She looked at Eric and smiled. "Well, I thought you'd want to know about this. I'm working as hard as I can to improve the armor. Like I promised… I'm going to make weapons that will help us win this war."

Eric sat up from the bed and began to remove the I.V. drip from his arm. "Thanks for the info."

Rose stood and walked toward the door. "If I find out anything more, I'll let you know. I have to get back to the Section III before noon. Are you… going to the front line now?" Eric simply smiled. Rose returned the smile and walked out of the room; she had to let Eric do what he needed to do.

Doctor Smith stood from Eric's bed side and checked his bandages once again. "You know I can't recommend you going back out now. You just finished surgery a few hours ago."

"My squad needs me." Eric stated as he stretched and examined his own motor functions. He felt a little awkward, but it wasn't anything he couldn't recover from.

"Eric." Doctor Smith leaned closer. "Fifteen years ago… I …" Eric looked at her curiously. "Your augmentation is based on cloned muscle tissue of the Spartan IIs. In order to save you from complete muscle failure, I had to synthetically transfuse all of your blood. It was the only way to save you back then. This prevented the muscle augmentation procedure from failing and killing you all. As you know, synthetic blood has its draw backs, and that is why you lost so much of your strength. However, thanks to Doctor Halsey, your strength has been restored because of her anti-Flood treatment. The synthetic blood I used in you was based on Kelly's blood." Eric glared at the doctor.

Carolyn smiled awkwardly. "Your blood type matched Kelly's, so we used her as your template. So when the time came to transfuse you, we used Kelly's hemoglobin makeup. Each of the Black Ops was transfused with their corresponding Spartan II. Based on what we were just discussing, the same gene that makes Kelly a Reclaimer… is also flowing through your blood. I can honestly say that there are now four Reclaimers amongst us. You, Kelly, John… and Melanie."

Eric lowered his head and starred blankly at his new fatigues resting on the edge of the bed. "Don't repeat that information to anyone… ever." He gripped his clothes and pulled them on.

"But this is a good thing." Carolyn added. "Isn't it?"

To be continued…