Hey all! Sorry it took me so freakin' long to update things. College, work, and writer's block don't mix too well--and then try planning a wedding around all of that with an uncooperative fiance (maybe I should superglue him to a chair?)...Oh well, I finally got it finished, and I apologize if it's not so good--major fight scenes aren't my forte. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Halo.
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Beast Within
July 1, 2558 1438 hours
Forerunner Planet: Stronghold
Unknown System
The thing resembled a human body, but only just. The remains of long grey hair hung lank and limp around yellow-green mutated flesh. Tentacles whipped around mutated arms, while the wrists hung limp away from where they had broken off. The face was contorted in pain, as if the original human had died in agony.
Myrnia…Alaya's ghost cried in horror, not wanting to believe what Laura's eyes couldn't deny. The Flood form approached and she recoiled, nearly dropping the gun—the sheer size of this thing was more than she was used to, it was as though the Flood had forced the mutated body to triple its natural size.
"Do you not recognize me, little one?" the thing spoke, bass tones mixing with lighter, feminine ones. What had once been Myrnia was now a Flood being, albeit one with more mass and intelligence than the average combat form.
"I am not Alaya," she growled, forcing her hand back to the trigger and firing; the thing dodged and most of her shots went wild. Laura barely dodged a melee strike and sprinted away, fear giving her new strength.
By the gods, Myrnia! How could this happen? Laura could feel the shock and fear coming from her mental companion; it was all she could do to keep going, the mental anguish she felt was nearly debilitating.
This is the Flood we're dealing with, she thought back. They don't care who they mutate, or how. Now can you do what needs to be done, or are you going to let us die here?
Aloud, she asked the Flood-thing, "I am not Alaya, but what, praytell, are you?"
"I am the Flood, the Master of this place," came the reply. "In time I will master the galaxy, and all beings will join me in eternity."
So all that Myrnia was is gone, Laura thought sadly. And in her place we have a young, ambitious Gravemind. Even though she knew coming to this place would be unpleasant, she hadn't expected this. No time for that now, idiot! Dodging an oncoming swing from the Flood-monster, she pulled her submachine guns and let loose: their lack of accuracy wouldn't help her, but right now all she wanted was to score a hit.
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The videofeed from Laura's camera displayed grisly sights to the rest of the Spartan team, and as if that weren't enough, Lorienna had managed to hack into the building's security camera feed. John watched in horror as Laura tried to fight off the Flood form, a Flood form that proclaimed itself to be almost as great as the Gravemind—he still had the occasional nightmare about that creature.
"By the rings!" the Arbiter growled. "What is this demon?"
"Something bad, that's for sure," Lorienna agreed; for once the AI was as grim as the rest of them. "And knowing that Alaya's ghost is in there, too…if Laura can't push her aside…" she didn't need to finish the sentence.
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Kelly asked.
"I could try sending the security drones in there. But with the way that thing is going, I don't know if they'll do much good."
"No, but right now she needs all the help she can get," John muttered through clenched teeth. "We're secure for now, I don't see any Flood getting through that big door at the moment, and she needs those Sentinels more than we do."
"What is that thing?" the group heard Matt Morisson's shocked voice come through the command frequency, reminding them that the captains of the various ships were also tuned in to the Forerunner tech.Who knows how much they've heard by now? John thought grimly.
"You were briefed on the Gravemind, Captain Morisson," John replied tightly. "What Laura's fighting is a younger version of it—and we can't get to her to help her." From the other side of the large door they heard banging and squishing noises, and the sounds of plasma fire. "Sound's like the Flood are trying to break through," Ash noted grimly.
"We need to hold the line," Fred told the younger Spartans; the older ones simply hefted their weapons and took aim at the door, which was beginning to glow at the center. "Lorienna, send the drones, we'll take care of things here."
"Got it." As the AI watched both the battle that was going on and the one that was about to take place, she grimly wondered if any of them would make it out alive.
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The thing was still going, in spite of the lucky shots she had managed to inflict—though when one considered the sheer mass of this Flood-thing, it wasn't all that surprising. Trying to keep hitting the thing was doing nothing more than pissing her off and draining her limited supply of ammo. Plus, Alaya's feelings of horror and dismay, while pushed to the back of her mind, were preventing her from finding any sort of weakness in the monster's attacks. All things considered, Laura had given up on simply killing the thing outright and was concentrating mostly on survival.
I need a break, she thought as she dodged a swipe from a tentacle and rolled back against the wall. Far off she heard the faint mechanical whine of Sentinel drones, but doubted they'd get there in enough time to keep her from turning into a corpse.
We are both skilled in melee combat, are we not? Alaya murmured in her mind. Laura jumped, and the lapse in concentration allowed the Flood to score a blow; she went flying and landed against the wall, momentarily stunned.
It won't do us any good, Alaya, she replied mentally as she rolled away from another blow; the pain and her exhaustion were beginning to creep up on her. I don't have my knives, remember? Pulling out a plasma grenade and priming it, she managed to stick the thing, but the resulting explosion didn't do anything beyond blow off an arm; the Flood form merely got back up and charged again.
"You cannot destroy me so easily, little one," the mutation's voice rumbled. "I am stronger than you know. Join with me, and our power will become complete, our voices shall be as one, as shall the galaxy's."
"And I am stronger than you know, monster," Laura shot back. "You shall neither have me, nor destroy me." I just have to hold out a little while longer, she thought; the whine of the Sentinels had grown louder, which meant help was on the way.
The first searing beam of heat that struck the proto-Gravemind (the word suddenly whispered by mentally, even though she was content to think of it as a baby Gravemind) was a miracle to her tired eyes. A swarm of mechanical drones floated in to the room, and Laura began firing with renewed vigor, hoping that this would finally finish the fight. Unfortunately for her, the Flood had other ideas: one tentacle, which seemed larger than it should have, shot out and knocked several of its mechanical attackers out of the air. Damn it, it's evolving! The Flood-thing was getting larger, and becoming less like a mutated human and more like some nightmarish demon.
It is growing, Alaya whispered in fear. It only needs a little more time and another Gravemind shall roam the galaxy.
No shit, Alaya, she mentally growled. So how do I kill something that could easily toss me around like a rag doll?
Do you trust me? Laura felt the mental tugs Alaya was giving her, a sign she wanted control.
What the hell, we're dead anyway if we can't figure something out. Surrendering control, she felt her mind go blank.
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Lorienna watched as her creator simply stopped, her face taking on a blank look, and a thick, grey-green tentacle whipped toward her. Then, almost faster than she could see, Laura dodged the tentacle and came up almost right next to the Flood-creature, firing into its unprotected flesh. The thing cried out and lashed back, throwing her against a wall.
"You seek to destroy me?" the thing rumbled. "Would you deny this galaxy the only thing that would bring it unity?"
"The unity you would bring is the tyranny of slavery and death," Laura answered, but the echoing tones and the Forerunner dialect told the AI that Alaya had taken over. Is she mad?
"So you would kill me, then, child?" the thing rumbled. "I taught you everything you knew, and you would kill me for it?" It's trying to pass itself off as Alaya's mentor, Myrnia, Lorienna realized.
"Not everything, Myrnia," Laura/Alaya replied, diving toward a wrecked Sentinel and using Laura's strength to wrench a pair of jagged metal stalks from the wreckage. Spinning them around as though they were crude swords, she smiled. "You never taught me how to dance."
And dance she did! As she watched Laura/Alaya thread her way through the flying tentacles and what remained of the Sentinels, Lorienna realized why Laura alone had been losing the fight: as a fighter she was unparalleled, but her weakness had always been in identifying new patterns—the only reason no one in the UNSC could match her was because she knew their techniques, and used techniques no one else remembered. Alaya, on the other hand, was both a scientist and a dancer, and more than likely had a talent for seeing patterns where no one else could. And watching the battle now, it appeared that Alaya had indeed seen a pattern that Laura had missed—she was dodging the tentacles and striking blows where before Laura had been getting tossed around the room. Let's hope she can stay on her feet long enough to kill this thing.
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Alaya smiled in spite of herself: though she was fighting for her life, the familiar patterns of her ancient dances calmed her, and took her mind away from the pain and horror she and this body felt. Myrnia was dead, and she had been forced to accept this fact and do what needed to be done—it helped that Laura had put everything into a clear-cut perspective. I can speculate another time, for now I must put Myrnia to rest. The proto-Gravemind was evolving faster than she had anticipated, but if she could get close enough she could pierce what passed for the mind of the Flood-thing.
As she danced her way closer to the proto-Gravemind, she dimly felt the pain her host's body (how she disliked using that term, but it was the only accurate one) was in: no doubt there were many internal injuries, as well as the many gashes and bruises adorning her host's skin. It was a miracle that she was still able to stand, let alone fight, but it made it that much easier for her to do what needed to be done. I must get to the top of this thing, and pierce its head. But how? A tentacle whipped past her as she dodged the blow, and the beginning of a plan took shape in her mind. Corin would tell me I was crazy, she thought with a brief pang of sadness, which she pushed aside as she saw a tentacle swing at her. Waiting until the very last minute, Alaya jumped aside and grabbed hold of the enormous appendage; suppressing the nausea she felt as the slimy, pus-filled flesh made contact with her host's hand, she held on for dear life as the Flood—attempting to loosen her grip—began to thrash wildly.
Hold on, she felt at the back of her mind. Wait for it to swing you up, then use the wall or ceiling to brace yourself, then you can steer yourself towards the head.
Thank you, Alaya thought back, tightening her grip and suppressing another wave of nausea. She felt herself being thrown against a wall, then the floor, then the ceiling—There! Getting her feet beneath her, she braced herself as Laura had advised, then pushed off. Laura's reflexes were amazing: she found herself right where she needed to be, right on top of the proto-Gravemind's head. Now or never, she thought. Raising her makeshift swords as high as she could, Alaya drove them straight down, deep into the brain of the creature. A deep, horrible scream penetrated her skull, the awful sound of bass tones and feminine screams combining nearly drove her to insanity—and robbed her of the reaction time she needed to escape the creature's death throes. Even as the proto-Gravemind died, its last few moments of agony sent Alaya and her host's body flying against a wall, where a giant tentacle pinned her there in a brief moment of agony before sweeping her into a corner filled with wrecked Sentinels. Realizing her danger, Alaya curled into a small ball, waiting for the creature's dying moments to end so she could get Laura's body out of here.
I don't think I'm gonna make it, Alaya heard at the back of her mind. My body's way too beat up, I'm surprised you managed to last this long.
I have some strength left, but not too much, Alaya replied. Seeing that the Gravemind had finished convulsing, she got to her feet and braced herself against a wall. I can get you part of the way, but the rest will be up to you. Do you think you can do it?
I'll try. With that, Laura's voice fell silent, and Alaya began to limp back to the waiting team.
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Lorienna watched as Laura/Alaya finally managed to kill the creature, and staggered out of the room—surprising, considering Laura's biomonitors revealed extensive injuries, both internally and externally. That she was even standing upright was surprising, in all actuality. I'll have to ask her later, she thought as she turned her attention to the other battle—well, not much of a battle anymore. Once Laura/Alaya finished with the Gravemind, the Flood had reeled and scattered long enough for the Spartans and the Arbiter to mop up, which meant there weren't many left in the near vicinity. Directing the Sentinels to clear out the remainder of the Flood in the installation, Lorienna opened a channel to the Spartans.
"Laura's on her way back, but she's pretty banged up. Frankly, I'm amazed she's still alive, considering the beating she took."
"A little too sarcastic, are we?" Fred pointed out. Lorienna processed a flicker of embarrassment: that had been a touch sarcastic, but she couldn't help it.
"If I seem overly sarcastic, First Lieutenant, it's because I'm worried. Considering the extent of her injuries, she should be unconscious at the very least. Yet she's still struggling back here, on her own power no less."
"We'll be ready for her." Fred killed the channel, and Lorienna watched as her creater collapsed in the corridor just meters away from the forcefield.
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Laura knew instantly when Alaya's strength gave out—it's hard to miss one's own broken body hitting a metal floor, after all. The pain was unbearable, and she was more than ready to give up right there. I'm not gonna make it.
You must, Alaya's voice replied, though a lot fainter than it should have been. You must get the knowledge back to your people, and mine, if we are to prevent this from happening again.
I…I can't. I can't even stand.
Then crawl if you must, but do not give up. You have fought too hard to simply lay down and die. Alaya's voice faded a moment, and then asked, Would you wish your lover to never see you again, and not tell him you love him one last time? Would you have him return home, to your children, without you?
The thought of John returning home alone, the thought of him telling Sam and Kelly that she would never be coming back, of never seeing her family again, brought a fresh wave of strength. Pushing herself off the floor, whimpering from the pain, Laura braced herself against the wall of the corridor and staggered forward. Around the corner she spotted the forcefield she'd entered by, and beyond that…John! She forced herself forward, step by step…almost there…
The forcefield dropped as she got closer, and she swore she heard voices yelling, but it sounded far away. She crossed the threshold, her vision swam, and everything went black.
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"Laura's on her way back, but she's pretty banged up. Frankly, I'm amazed she's still alive, considering the beating she took." John's head snapped around, even though the video feed had gone black a long time ago and Lorienna had killed the camera feed.
"A little sarcastic, are we?" Fred replied; he saw his friend (and now superior) look over and shake his head, meaning now wasn't time for worry. He's got a point, but still…
"If I seem overly sarcastic, First Lieutenant, it's because I'm worried. Considering the extent of her injuries, she should be unconscious at the very least. Yet she's still struggling back here, on her own power no less." If Lorienna was admitting that, things must have been extreme—but considering he and the Arbiter were the only ones of the group who had actually seen a Gravemind first-hand and survived, it was understandable. Even so, this wasn't even a fully-grown Gravemind, and Laura's that beat up?
"We'll be ready for her." Fred killed the channel, then turned to the group. "Whatever we can spare from the med-kits, pull it. From the sounds of things Laura's gonna need all the help we can give her."
Kelly and Olivia went through the field medical kits, sorting through what they had left. Kelly ticked them off on her finger. "Three biofoam canisters, five syringes of morphine, two rolls of bandages, and a bottle of stimulants. Not much to go on."
"Save one canister and the morphine," John advised. "She won't take the drugs, and would go ballistic if we used all the biofoam on her."
"From the sounds of things she'll barely be conscious," Linda pointed out. "Better wait and see when she gets back—she'll need it more than we will."
"Sir!" Ash had been watching the forcefield, and his call made everyone turn; Laura was staggering toward them. She looked up, and John saw several conflicting emotions in her eyes: fear, hope, love, resignation, pain. Several large bruises and gashes adorned her frame, her blacksuit was torn to shreds, and a dribble of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. How is she even standing? He half-imagined that she looked something like this after taking on the Covenant army four years ago, but she'd had Mjolnir then…
"What the hell happened to you?" Kelly shouted.
"I don't think she can hear you," Fred muttered. The forcefield went down and she staggered closer, swaying dangerously. John moved forward and caught her just as she went down.
"Get me a med-kit!" He felt a canister of biofoam being pressed in his hand, and pumped it into one of the many gashes on Laura's body; nearby, he saw Linda doing the same, while Kelly went to work bandaging the rest. Fred forced her mouth open…well, tried to. Before he could get that far Laura's eyes flickered open, but the blank look gave her away: Alaya had taken over. Taking the stim from Fred, she calmly put it in her mouth and swallowed, winking for a moment before her eyes shut and she vanished.
I have bought her some time, a ghostly voice whispered behind them, followed by the hiss of energy swords activating. Several heads shot around, and John saw the Arbiter menacing what looked like a ghost…
"Alaya?" The figure nodded, her outline faint and fading, but still distinct.
The way ahead is clear, but time is short. You must get her to your ships, before it is too late. Your medicines will help her, but they will not last forever. The figure looked at John, a faint smile on her face. Take care of her.
"I plan to, if she'll let me." Alaya's smile widened, and she faded from view. John looked at the rest of his teammates and gently lifted Laura's battered body.
"We need to move."
Fred issued orders, and the group headed for the entrance, Lorienna going ahead through the computer systems and unlocking all the doors. They paused only long enough to stop at the storeroom where they'd left her computer chip to grab the AI, and headed straight for the Pelican—Lorienna had taken care of that as well, calling in for a pick-up before leaving Stronghold's computer systems. As soon as everyone was strapped in, the dropship lifted off, John holding Laura's body securely.
"John…" A faint whisper echoed throughout the cabin, and everyone looked in surprise to the wounded Spartan. Her eyes were open, she was breathing, but those were the only good signs.
"Hey, hang in there, Spartan," John murmured quietly. Laura simply smiled, the pain turning it into a tortured grimace.
"I'm not gonna make it, Chief, even I know that much. Don't need to be a doctor to calculate those odds." She reached up a shaky hand to frame his helmet, a trail of blood smearing along the iridescent green armor. "Got the Flood-thing, though…" Laura began coughing, spitting up blood, and her biosigns were peaking all over the place: not a good sign.
"You will make it, Spartan. That's an order."
"Can't order me around, Chief, you know this," she whispered. "Not in your command…" John felt the dropship dock and noticed everyone bailing out, and he followed, carrying Laura with as much care as he could. He saw Dr. Halsey and Arisaya in the forefront, and behind them various members of the Forerunner High Council. Dr. Halsey hurried forward, checking Laura's vitals with her datapad.
"Three fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, ruptured liver, several torn tendons, a fractured skull…how did she survive?"
"I have no idea, but I don't think she has long." John saw Fred come forward with a gurney of sorts, and they carefully loaded the wounded woman on it, Dr. Halsey directing them to the medical area. As they passed Arisaya, Laura's arm grabbed the young scientist's sleeve, weakly pulling her closer.
"Ari…saya," she whispered; the group stopped and watched as Laura slipped her a datapad and whispered something in her ear. Arisaya nodded, Laura smiled, and laid her head back, passing out again while the gurney continued its journey.
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Arisaya watched the small group head to the medical bay, the rest of the Spartans in tow, and the crowd in the landing bay dispersed. When she was satisfied that no one was watching, she removed the datapad Laura had given her. The characters it displayed were incomprehensible, but she had a feeling Laura had wanted it that way. She also had a feeling that the clue to deciphering them was also in her hands.
'Alaya is the key.'