I kind of finished this chapter then forgot about it.
Derp.
~Husky
Six and John walked down the hall, still feeling uneasy. The pain in Six's head was now only faint, but still noticeable. Guilty Spark definitely knew something about what had happened, maybe even an explanation as to what it was, but the stupid lightbulb was nowhere close to telling him. All that he was worried about was this "Index" that he kept telling the two Spartans about, and how it couldn't fall into the hands of those creatures, the Flood.
Six wanted answers. Honest, true answers. But he wasn't sure he was going to get them.
"Hmm. Oh, dear. This door is locked with a six hundred and forty-nine digit security code." Guilty Spark said. "This may take a moment, Reclaimers. Allow me the fullest of concentration, please."
Six thought about that for a moment.
"No." He said.
John looked at him funny.
Guilty Spark, despite his unchanging shape and facial expression, looked rather confused. "No? Well, why not? Is there a problem, Reclaimer?" It said.
"Yeah, there is. I need you to answer me one question about all of this." Six said.
Guilty Spark chuckled. "Well, why didn't you just say so? I can answer any question you-"
"I want an honest answer this time, Lightbulb." Six said aggressively. "What the hell was inside of my head?"
"Well, I, I, for your safety, Reclaimer, I-"
"Answer me." Six said. "NOW!"
Guilty Spark sighed. "If you insist, Reclaimer." He span around for a moment, as if he was looking for something, then stopped. "Here we go."
A projection came out of his eye and stopped in front of Six. It was covered in writing that he couldn't read, and pictures of the Flood creatures.
"What am I looking at?" Six asked.
"This is data that the Forerunners stored on the Flood. Now if you'll give me a moment..."
The hologram scrolled down, past paragraphs of information. One paragraph in particular caught Six's eye.
"Stop." He said. "What does that say?" Pointing at the paragraph.
"It answers your question." Guilty Spark said. "It is known by the Forerunners to be called The Gravemind. It is the heart and the brain of the Flood, and the force that controls them."
"There's no way that was in my head. I heard a voice, not-" Six said.
"The Gravemind has mastered telepathy. It can telepathically speak to living organisms, and it uses this power to command the Flood as its pawns."
"Its pawns? Then what does that make us?" Six asked.
"An annoying obstacle." Guilty Spark said simply. "The goal of the Flood is to annihilate your race."
"Then this Gravemind should be our target." John said.
"I'm afraid not. The Index is our top priority, and it will not be overshadowed by a minor nuisance." Guilty Spark said.
"Minor? It controls the Flood! If we don't go after-"
Guilty Spark changed color, from a soft blue to a violent red.
"The Index," It said. "Is more important than your human grudge, Reclaimer."
Guilty Spark's color changed back to normal as he turned back towards the door and began hacking its security in silence.
Whatever this Index was, it must be really important.
"When we actually activate the installation..." John said. "...What happens?"
"Simple. The Flood will be erased. Eradicated completely." Guilty Spark said. "Now, if you'll just give me one more moment of silence..."
The locks clicked loudly, tumbling, and the large double doors slid open.
"Oh dear." Guilty Spark said.
The room was filled with Flood forms, both Human and Sangheili.
"For this fight, I recommend that you wear at least a level twelve combat skin. But the both of you are only wearing level two... and your weapons... tsk tsk." Guilty Spark said.
"What does that even mean?" Six said.
"Can you do anything about out weapon problem, at least?" John said as the Flood noticed them.
"Erm... maybe... let me think-" It said.
The Flood rushed the door. There were maybe twenty in all.
"Just aim for their torsos! That's where they're vulnerable! Eek!" Guilty Spark said, flying high above the Flood. "I'll be right back! I have faith in you, Reclaimers!"
"And don't you have quite the way of showing it, Tinkerbell?!" Six yelled, raising his battle rifle.
He had to make these shots count, as he only had the one clip. He fired at the oncoming Flood with precision. Guilty Spark was correct; when you shot the torsos of the Flood creatures, they fell apart. What he didn't tell them, however, is that the small Flood polyps burst out of the larger ones when they died. They crawled quickly at the Spartans, making tiny screeching noises as they advanced.
"Haha! There we are!" Guilty Spark said. Six looked up to find a few weapons and assorted equipment fall from above. He grabbed a shotgun out of the air.
"Thanks." John said, picking up a thruster pack and attaching it to his back. He also grabbed an energy sword and pulled out his combat knife. He took a stance almost as if he was bracing himself, and flew forward, purple fire shooting out from the back of the pack as he cut down several Flood forms.
Six, although admiring John's close quarters skill, decided on a slightly different approach. He pumped the shotgun and fired a blast directly into the crowd, blowing a hole in one of them. He pumped the shotgun once more and fired again. He continued to do this until his clip ran dry, and, having no more rounds, held the shotgun like a blade and swung it full force into the nearest Flood form's head, smashing it. He backed off to go grab another weapon, simultaneously firing at the Flood with his magnum. Meanwhile, John was in a bit of a pickle, as his close quarters method had him being hit on all sides. A Flood form finally got a decent hit in him, knocking him four feet backwards through the crowd and emptying his shield. They ran at him while he was stunned and pounced.
John activated his thruster pack at the last second, launching himself across the floor backwards. He regained his footing and Six fired into the crowd with two DMRs. Each shot hit its mark, blasting a Flood form away with every bullet. John raised his magnum and fired with accuracy equally as deadly.
As they killed the last remaining Flood forms, Guilty Spark flew back down to them.
"Splendid fighting, Reclaimers!" It said.
"Uh... thank you?" Six said. "Now we have to go get the Index, right?"
"Yes, but this is only the first floor." Guilty Spark said.
"How many floors are there?" John asked.
"Four, including this one." Guilty Spark said cheerfully.
"Well, I don't see anyone else around. Guess it's just you, me, and spark plug over there." Six said to John, pointing at Guilty Spark.
"Oh, and I believe that I can help you with your armor problem as well. If you would just give me a moment..." Guilty Spark said, trailing off.
Suddenly, hard light materialized on their armor.
"What is this? Overshielding?" Six asked.
"Of a sort." Guilty Spark said, chuckling.
"Well, as long as it protects us, I'm fine with it." John said.
"Alright. Let's go get that Index." Six said.
"Oh, and Reclaimers?" Guilty Spark asked.
"Yeah?" Six said.
"This facility is filled with Flood combat forms. Be very careful." It said.
"One wrong step could mean the end of you, and that would be...
...unfortunate."
Damn. School starts back up soon. But that means that I'll have access to a faster computer on occasion, and for the past few chapters I've been writing on my tablet.
I'm still not looking forward to it though.
~Husky