CHAPTER FOUR
We make our own luck
Location: Unknown
Date: Estimated April 24, 2004 (Sunnydale)
The instructors divided us into two teams for this field exercise. The winner would get the loser's dinner rations...
Our team's task was to defend our flag from capture. We deployed to counter a frontal attack on our position. Everyone felt the other squad would try to brute force their way through to seize our flag. I argued that we needed to cover a rough trail running behind our position. The team disagreed, and we deployed to protect our perimeter where I covered the corner on the right-side of our perimeter. I still considered the path the bigger threat and left my position to cover it. It was a risk to disobey orders, but my gut screamed that was where the attack would come from.
As contact reports came in of the "enemy" hitting along our perimeter, doubts about my decision grew. I was just considering pulling back to my original position when I detected movement on the path...
The attacks on our perimeter were only a diversion, and any doubts vanished when I caught glimpses of people stalking quietly down the trail towards my position. My pulse quickened when I recognized it was Blue Team and my anticipation grew at the thought of taking out John and his squad in this attempted end-around maneuver.
Blue Team didn't suspect they were being watched and moving into an ambush. They were approaching my kill zone, and if I did it right, I could take them all out with a quick burst. It was all lined up perfectly as Linda was the first to step into the kill zone... it was all in the timing...
THWAP! THWAP!
Waves of pain hit me, followed by numbness as stun rounds hit my back, marking me as a KIA for this exercise. My body contorted from the spasms, but only one thing filled my thoughts...
How?
I needed to know how my perfect ambush had gone wrong. It took all my effort to struggle through the pain and numbness, but I managed to rollover... John was standing behind me.
It was then I realized he'd slipped through my section of the perimeter. He'd moved in parallel to the rest of Blue Team's advance to cover them. He said nothing as he turned and left to rejoin his squad, leaving me lying there. It didn't take them long to capture the flag and win the field exercise.
The instructors berated me despite my hunch being right. I'd abandoned my position without telling my team and CPO Mendez didn't let me forget it as he oversaw the punishment drills. The extra physical activity wasn't the worst part... it was the sense of shame knowing I'd failed my mission and my team.
I had failed...
oOoOo
Status lights greeted Michael as he woke up. Most of his Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor systems flashed yellow cautions with several flashing the ominous red warnings of problems or impending failure. Only a few gave a comforting green status now.
He sighed as he got up and stretched, checking his motion sensors for any threats as he worked out the kinks. There were no threats as the motion sensor display suddenly faded black for a moment before returning to normal. This emphasized his current status, adding to his ever growing sense of foreboding as he glanced again at the flashing warning messages on his helmet's HUD.
At least the personal hygiene systems are still functioning otherwise things could be a lot worse...
He filed away the knowledge his armor systems were failing, focusing on his daily routine... running systems checks, performing ammo and weapons check, and then breakfast.
He'd lost count of how times he'd wished Adriana was here to help as the diagnostic systems report scrolled across his helmet display. Compared to his armor status, the ammo situation wasn't much better. There was over half a magazine loaded with one full magazine left as extra for his M41A pulse rifle. The grenade situation was worse with only one grenade left for the pulse rifle's grenade launcher and no other grenades. There were only four spare rounds for the shotgun, his secondary weapon, after the eight rounds already loaded. As a last resort, he still had his combat knife.
Despite the armor and ammo situation, it was no worse than yesterday or the day before... or the day before that. The days were blending together, and it was only his suit's chronometer that allowed him to keep track of time. Without it, he would have lost track a long time ago.
With his checks done, it was time to take care of more personal needs. Michael sucked in a deep breath of fresh air as he removed his helmet, glancing at his reflection in his helmet's golden visor. He'd kept his hair short, but it looked a mess because a high carbon steel, titanium carbide coated knife wasn't the best implement for cutting hair. Despite his weathered and scruffy look, he was still alive as he dug out one of his few remaining emergency meal bars from his armor's storage compartment.
Compared with his armor and equipment situation, he'd been lucky finding food and water to sustain him since the Hellmouth. Still, he was careful to minimize his consumption of local food sources, limiting his exposure to any potential bugs his system couldn't handle.
Michael stared at the meal bar after a couple of bites, finding he wasn't that hungry. As he stowed the meal bar away, he glanced around his surroundings, enjoying the fresh air before he put his helmet back on. He was aware of the irony of his situation and how he yearned to be out of his armor compared to how he was before his arrival in Sunnydale.
The array of warning and caution lights on his helmet display reminding him of his current circumstances caused a small sigh to escape. He glanced again at the chronometer on his HUD. Two sets of time displayed... one tracking the current elapsed time while the other tracked overall time elapsed since he sealed the Hellmouth.
The current elapsed time told him he'd been on this world for almost twenty-one days. This piled on to the overall time elapsed... forty-two weeks since the Battle of the Hellmouth.
oOoOo
Luck...
The word hung over him as Michael moved across the barren landscape of this world. It was the only word that could explain why he was still alive. It was a miracle he'd survived the Hellmouth and the nuclear blast. Luck was the only thing that could account for the number of events and circumstances that had to align for him to survive. It'd been a long list, and if any of them had been off...
The location, he'd chosen to make his desperate leap, was a small side-tunnel winding off from the main section of the Hellmouth. The angle of the tunnel deflected much of the nuke's blast and shock wave. Add in his armor's "Armor-Lock" combined with the Covenant bubble shield, and they provided enough protection for him to survive the nuke blast. While most of his other armor systems suffered none or minimal damage, the Armor-Lock system wasn't one, being fried by the nuke's electro-magnetic pulse.
As the aftereffects of the blast settled, it became clear there was no way back to the surface from the way he'd come from. Luckily, the side-tunnel gave him somewhere to go, and he followed it. It took several days to get through the tunnel. Michael had to dig through several partially collapsed portions of the tunnel, but he discovered that this tunnel opened into another large open cavern with more branching tunnels.
Upon entering this area of Hellmouth, any rise in optimism came crashing down when he discovered that there was no way up or exit to the surface. All paths he discovered seemed to only lead further down into the Hellmouth. If that wasn't bad enough, it wasn't long before the residents of this part of the Hellmouth made their presence known...
oOoOo
The Turok-Hans living in this part of Hellmouth at first circled and stalked Michael. He quickly established a defensive position in one tunnel to keep from being surrounded. It wasn't long before the vampires attacked him en masse. To say they were in a bad mood was a minor understatement...
The fighting lasted for several days as another battle of vampires versus Spartan raged in the bowels of the Hellmouth. Michael was an unmovable object, crushing the attacking vampires, burning through ammo to keep from being swarmed, creating dust whirlwinds from the dead Turok-Hans. To conserve his remaining ammo, he fell back into hand-to-hand combat with the vampires, tearing into their dwindling numbers.
The vampire attacks withered and then stopped as the surviving Turok-Hans melted away to hide from the Spartan in side tunnels. Those survivors avoided contact with Michael, giving him a wide berth after that.
Even with the vampire threat gone that didn't stop The First Evil from still making appearances. The entity appeared as Faith trying to demoralize and get under Michael's skin. Those attempts were now futile gestures, having no effect because he knew Faith was alive and safe on the surface. With the Hellmouth sealed it posed no direct threat to her and the others back in Sunnydale.
The First Evil continued its appearance and taunts, trying to undermine Michael. That lasted until Michael told the entity it would probably be in its bests interests if he found a way out otherwise the Turok-Hans would become an extinct species.
oOoOo
With the Turok-Hans in hiding and no longer exchanging barbs with non-corporeal entities, Michael had spare time on his hands. To ensure no one made the mistake of trying to dig out the Hellmouth, he rigged a beacon to broadcast a warning message.
There was no sitting around as Michael now used his time to explore this part of the Hellmouth. There was a moment's hesitation about going deeper into the bowels of the Hellmouth, but there was no other choice. He mapped out the tunnels and setting up areas where he could rest, safe from attack.
Days were passing with nothing to show for his efforts as he followed tunnels to find them either leading him in circles or into dead ends, forcing him to backtrack. Thoughts of long-term survival now became a concern as he rationed his emergency supplies.
If forced to take up permanent residence in the Hellmouth, Michael's planning and priorities would need to change. Luck made another appearance with the discovery of drinkable water coming from stalactites, giving him a water supply for the immediate future.
The longer term issue would be what to do for food once his emergency rations ran out. There appeared to be nothing edible in the Hellmouth. Michael wondered if it was possible to trap and cook a Turok-Han...
oOoOo
With the specter of having to eat Turok-Han for survival, the situation looked bleak, but fortune and luck once again swung in Michael's favor. On one of his mapping expeditions, he literally stumbled upon his deliverance from the Hellmouth...
While exploring down another side-tunnel, a faint shimmering light in the darkness caught his attention. The light seeping through a partially collapsed entrance to a branching tunnel drew him closer. Michael didn't hesitate, clearing the debris and following the tunnel with the light intensity growing the further he went. There was caution as he considered the possibility of a trap, but as the light continued to get brighter, he realized this was something different.
When he reached the source of the light, he froze in amazement. The light emanated from what looked like was a man-sized tear or hole in the fabric of space-time. Michael studied the phenomenon as bright light bled through from it. It looked similar to a Slipspace rupture point used by UNSC ships to access Slipspace. Yet, this was something smaller and appeared more permanent. It looked to have more in common with the portals used by the Forerunners to move around on their installations.
Despite the tantalizing lure of the light and the hope it offered, he didn't rush into it. Michael had to consider if this was something natural or something The First cooked up to get rid of him. He longed again for Adriana's presence. She could make better sense of the data streaming on his helmet display from his armor's sensors as he studied this hole and the light.
His choices and options were few as he considered the light. There was still the possibility that this was a trap of sorts, but the area appeared long abandoned and forgotten. Michael realized that in the long run, if he stayed, the Hellmouth would win. There was no way out if he stayed while this now offered opportunity... and hope. He backtracked to the tunnel entrance and rigged together one last beacon, on the off chance someone picked up the signal.
Who Dares Wins, Michael thought, making his way back to the light. He took a deep breath before stepping into the bright shimmering bright light...
A huge sigh of relief escaped Michael as he entered above ground into a world that was a stark contrast compared to the Hellmouth. The lack of, or evidence of any Turok-Hans at first puzzled him. It would have been a logical assumption to think the vampires would have been eager to take advantage of this potential feeding ground.
The answer for the lack of vampires became clear when Michael discovered that the sun in the area around the phenomenon never set! Constant sunlight basked the area. While this might cause him some minor issues and inconveniences, this meant that vampires couldn't follow him!
Bad luck for them... good luck for him...
As Michael explored the area around the phenomenon, the first inconvenience to make its appearance was that the constant sunlight made the day seem never-ending. It was only his chronometer that allowed him to keep any perspective of time as the minutes and hours seemed to bleed together. He'd been in this new realm for seventy-two hours when he came upon the first signs of advanced life... the remains of a road.
Michael stood in the middle of the ancient roadway, overgrown with weeds and small brush that appeared to thrive in the constant sunlight. He found himself in a quandary trying to decide which direction to follow the road in. It was a toss-up which direction to take, but he finally decided, and made his way along the abandoned road.
Again the priorities of survival pressed to the front of his thoughts. Access to drinkable water became a concern with this parched-looking world bathed in constant daylight. Luck again came through as clouds passed over and around him, bringing flash rainstorms that replenished small watering holes along the road. A scan with his armor's sensors determined the water clean and drinkable. This would sustain him as he followed the road to see if it led anywhere or to anyone that could help him.
He followed the road for days...
oOoOo
Michael was sick of the constant sunlight. His helmet allowed him to get sleep, but it was unnerving to never see the fall of night. He missed sunsets and the darkness they brought. He longed to see the stars as it would be a change from the road, seeming to lead nowhere, along with the unending and unchanging scenery and flash rainstorms.
The weary monotony was taking a toll he questioned his decision over the direction he'd chosen to follow. Each day the urge to turn around or go off-road grew, but he kept them at bay. He knew it was the unending repetition, and he struggled to not give into those thoughts. At this low point, luck came through again when he spotted what looked like an abandoned building in the distance.
This discovery was exactly what he was hoping to find... a sign of civilization and that somebody lived here. He picked up his pace to close the distance to the building. Along with discovering signs of civilization thoughts of being able to rest inside the building, and have actual shade, stoked his excitement.
The building's details came more into focus as he closed the distance. It looked to be ancient with the columns and roof design giving a ceremonial-type of vibe to the building... more like a temple or shrine. Whatever the building's purpose, it was a change from the unending monotony.
As he closed within throwing distance of the building, old instincts and training kicked back in. Caution replaced his excitement as he realized he was walking in blind. Michael studied the building and the area around the building for any threats before moving closer.
Movement inside the building proved his instincts correct along with causing a flash of excitement at making contact with someone else. Michael closed cautiously on the building, still watching for threats and to also not spook whoever was inside. His motion sensors showed no red hostiles in or around the building. As he tried to figure out his next move, what looked like an old man appeared at the building's entrance and waved towards him, catching him by surprise.
Michael studied the old man as he approached. Still wary of threats, he was also trying not to scare off the first human-looking person he'd seen in a long time. He noted the old man showed no surprise or fear as he approached. The old man's apparent nonchalance kept him on guard... it almost looked like he was expecting Michael to show up.
It took effort—through hand gestures and drawings—along with time, but they established communication with each other. The old man showed no surprise or fear as he gestured for Michael to come inside, offering to share what he had... which wasn't much.
Michael observed the threadbare existence the old man appeared to be living. When the old man brought food for him a wave of guilt washed over Michael at taking the man's limited supplies. He studied the bowl full of what appeared to be roots from a plant. With the old man smiling and gesturing for him to eat, Michael removed his helmet and sniffed the offered food.
Despite how the food looked, the smell of it immediately reminded Michael that he'd been living off rationed emergency food bars as he devoured the offered food. The taste of the roots surprised him as he savored the change in diet.
The old man read his guest's face and fetched more of the roots for him. Michael greedily devoured the offered seconds of food. It was only after finishing did a grim guilty-look fill his face as the thought of eating all the old man's meager food supplies tormented him. There was much relief when the old man showed him that rather than being near starvation there was plenty of food around. The roots came from the weeds that dotted and thrived in this world of perpetual daylight.
With the food situation dealt with, Michael worked on improving his communication with the old man. They spent days taking turns drawing pictures and describing them in their own language. It was with surprise—and relief—that the old man could grasp the more complex ideas and concepts Michael drew out. Apparently they were in the middle of a sparsely inhabited continent with the nearest farmstead still weeks away by foot.
Michael learned the old man's name... Jaek. He also discovered that Jaek belonged to a religious monastic order, and this building was some holy shrine. Because of its remote location, apparently most of the people on this world had forgotten about this place.
As Michael digested this information, he faced a harsh choice. He could continue on to reach a larger population center. But, from his talks with Jaek, he got the impression the tech level on this planet wouldn't be able to offer much help.
His other option wasn't much better... with his newfound source of food supplies he could backtrack to the "opening" and return to the Hellmouth. That idea didn't appeal to him. He had found no signs or ways out of there, and he didn't think there was anything gained by going backwards. A dark cloud descended as he tried to figure a way to get home.
oOoOo
While Michael considered his situation, Jaek badgered to learn more about him and where he'd come from. He told the old man about his story... the Hellmouth, the vampires that dwelled there and how he'd found his way here. Jaek babbled excitedly as he grasped what Michael was saying and bolted from the room. A confused Michael wasn't sure what was happening until the old man returned carrying a large old-looking book against his chest.
The language was undecipherable as Michael carefully flipped through the ancient book, but the drawings inside provided useful information. The drawings told a story of creatures looking very similar to Turoks-Hans coming through a black door. These creatures unleashed death and destruction on the land and people until strange humanoid-looking creatures appeared out of nowhere from a doorway filled with a bright light.
Michael's eyes narrowed as he studied the drawings of these new creatures. Their "clothes" and "hats" looked very similar to armor and helmets. These drawings nagged at him as they seemed familiar, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
He continued to pile Jaek with questions about the pictures. From what he could translate from the old man's excited babblings was that the "visitors" in the drawings were travelers from another place. The drawings depicted the "visitors" fighting the creatures, striking them with what looked like beams of light. The creatures finally retreated through the dark doorway from giant orbs of light hanging in the sky, sending rays of sunlight downward.
Artificial satellites? Michael thought, putting his helmet on and heading outside. He hadn't considered that the "sun" might be artificial, bathing the planet with constant sunlight to defeat any vampires. He set his limited armor sensors to maximum as he scanned the bright sky. Because of the range, he got no conclusive results, but he thought he could detect a difference in the light wave band pattern.
"Is it daylight all the time across the entire world?" he said, turning back towards Jaek watching him from the entrance.
Jaek's shaking head and words, "Only here daylight, all the time," confirming his hunch.
"Must be solar or fusion powering those satellites," he muttered, looking skyward again.
They must have put those satellites in geosynchronous orbit to cover this whole area, he thought, studying the sky again. He was so engrossed with this new revelation he almost missed it when the old man said, "Mantle... protect life."
This grabbed Michael's attention as he turned back towards Jaek. He peppered the old man with questions, forgetting about the language barriers.
The blank look on Jaek's face, reminded him of the language issues. He took a deep breath, this time proceeding more slowly and deliberately with the wording of his questions.
"Are there still any of those that stopped the creatures around?" Michael said, grabbing the ancient book and pointing to the pictures of the "visitors".
Jaek shaking his head to his question didn't really surprise him, "Is there any more information... books, records, anything about them?" he said, desperately looking for something.
Michael didn't know what was going on as the old man stared at him for a long moment as if considering a decision to make. Jaek turned and left without a word. Almost an hour had passed when the old man returned, cradling a small chest in his arms. Michael watched as the old man set the chest down with reverence on a small altar. His curiosity increased as the old man knelt and prayed before the small chest. Before he could ask questions, Jaek stood up and lifted the lid off the chest, waving for Michael to come closer.
Michael wasn't sure what to expect as he approached, "Holy sh...!" he muttered, staring at the object lying in the chest.
oOoOo
The object was definitely alien and high tech. It looked like a hand controller, but its purpose and function were unknown. Despite the "alienness" of the device, the shape and design seemed almost familiar to Michael. While he studied the object, Jaek explained the story behind the alien device.
"Those of the Mantle that fought the beasts... one of them died on this world. The others took his body when they left, but they left this behind. This is now a holy relic of our order. We keep it for the day when they return."
Carefully and with reverence, Jaek picked up the device and offered it to Michael. The Spartan hesitated for a moment before taking the alien device, nodding to the old man. Michael carefully studied the alien device in his hands. It easily fit in his hand and appeared designed for functionality... what for was still a mystery. The bottom of the controller appeared to have connections that looked similar to the magnetic holders on his battle armor. Without Adriana to assist, he could only experiment on his own. On a hunch, he attached the device to the armor on his left forearm.
Immediately the device lit up, surprising both Michael and Jaek. Warning lights flashed on his helmet display, and he ran a diagnostic on his armor systems. As the diagnostic ran, his helmet display flashed again. This time strange symbols flashed across the display, then disappeared. The diagnostic report finally came back, whatever the alien device was, it was tapping into his armor's systems and power supply.
Michael moved to remove the device from his armor before it caused any damage, but Jaek stayed his hand.
"I do not understand the purpose of this relic, but it may lead you to others to help you get home," the old man said.
Michael paused, studying the alien device connected to his armor. He didn't know what the alien device was and what it was doing to his armor, but it belonged to the "visitors" from the ancient book. With the short list of choices he faced, he needed to do something if he would ever get home, and back to Faith.
There was also something else nagging him... he was getting a sense of something bigger at work here. To find something like this seemed completely against all odds and fantastically that Michael got the suspicion that someone or something was pulling strings on him and events. His dreams of Faith before even ever meeting her was another piece of evidence towards this suspicion of something bigger at play here. Michael put his suspicions on the back-burner for now, he needed to focus on his current situation and the alien device attached to his armor.
Maybe it's a communication device or beacon? he thought.
The Alien symbols popping up again on his helmet display interrupted any further considerations. This time the alien symbols remained rather than disappearing. Michael studied the symbols, still bothered by their sense of familiarity. Again, he wished that Adriana was here to assist him as he tried to interpret what the symbols meant. One part of the displayed symbols were flashing, and he got a sense he was being queried to accept a command or a set of commands.
It was decision time for Michael as the flashing alien symbols taunted him, daring him to accept them. He put his trust in his luck and sent the accept command...
At first nothing happened, but then warning messages and lights scrolled and flashed on his helmet display. A sudden moment of panic struck him, thinking he'd made a mistake, causing irreparable damage to his armor. Michael reached for the device to rip it off his arm, but the device suddenly emitted a blinding white light. He heard Jaek shout in surprise and fear, and there was nothing but the light...
oOoOo
Michael lost all sense of time and awareness. It seemed like an eternity before his vision returned and he could shake off the disorientation. As he recovered, he realized there was no Jaek, and he wasn't inside the building anymore. He was outside with a dark forest surrounding him, providing a complete opposite landscape from where he'd been. As he studied this new area, checking for threats, the realization dawned that this alien device was a portal control device of some sorts. The question was where the device had taken him... was he still on the same world or was he now on a different world? Either way, new options now presented themselves.
Warning messages flashed along with more alien commands scrolling on his helmet display. After a few minutes of studying the alien symbols, Michael realized they were repeating themselves. Again, the familiarity of the symbols frustrated him, but he was getting a sense of the pattern as they repeated. If he didn't know better, he would have said he was looking at a list of co-ordinates. It looked like a list of pre-programmed places that this portal device could transport a user to.
Hmmm... it would make sense for a device like this to keep a history of locations visited or common places to go... like an address book...
The proper plan would be to study the device more to get a better handle on the technology and functionality. Michael didn't even know where he was, and he didn't have the resources or time for that kind of luxury. This would be a down-and-dirty learn by trial-and-error method... that hopefully wouldn't end in tragic results.
What concerned Michael right now were the constant warning messages flashing. It appeared that his armor and the alien device weren't liking each other. He still didn't really know what he was doing and where he was going. Yet, the risk was worth it if he could reach the people that developed this device or could find someone to help him.
Okay... let's try the next entry on the list...
Selecting the next set of symbols, Michael sent the accept command and waited. Nothing happened immediately, but then different alien symbols scrolled down his display. The next list entry was a no-go, so he selected another entry and tried again. Again, nothing happened except for the scrolling alien symbols. He went through the whole list of entries, getting no reaction from the device.
Frustration and anger filled him because he was helpless to fix this alien tech. He felt like a caveman, trying to fix a computer. Now faced with staying in his current location, Michael decided he needed to take a break and checkout this new place. Survival priorities moved to the forefront if he was staying here.
That there were trees and plant life boded well as that showed there was water to support them. His audio sensors picking up the faint sounds of people shouting and what sounded like a large animal dashed any hopes of there being no threats or problems. The sounds of an attack taking place tempered any elation at having found intelligent life here.
Michael rushed toward the sounds, arriving in time to save a group of hunters from being attacked by a creature...
oOoOo
After their rescue and overcoming their shock, the group of hunters invited Michael back to their village to show him their gratitude. Michael was disappointed to find that his first contact was with a group of people at only a hunter-farmer level of development. Despite their level of development, contacting them gave him access to food, water and a place to rest.
The days passed and Michael's frustration grew as the alien device still refused to work. To divert his frustrations, he spent the time assembling supplies to take with him if the alien device ever worked again. He also helped around the village, instructing them in basic first aid and other methods that could improve their village and lives. He also accompanied several hunting parties and showed them how to make bows and arrows to improve their hunting and defend themselves better.
As more days went by, Michael found it harder to keep his frustrations in check. He didn't take them out on any of the villagers, but they knew of his situation and his desire to get home. They valued his strength and knowledge and tried to encourage and entice Michael to give up his quest and stay. The village elders offered him the choice of any female... or females in the village. Despite the generous offer and the long line of eager female volunteers to fill this role, Michael knew he couldn't stay forever. He'd already made several long range scouting patrols to learn more about this world. His plan now was to voyage out and traverse the wilderness to see what he could discover and if he could find someone or something that could help him. Only if he failed to find anything would he return to the village.
It was on the twenty-first day, as he prepared to head out on his scouting voyage, the alien error messages finally stopped. At first, he wasn't sure of the reason for this change, but this change in status and the list of co-ordinates beckoned him to make another attempt.
Before activating the device, he made sure he had supplies with him. Michael then approached the village elders and tried to explain what he was attempting. Their confusion was obvious, but they still wished him well on his journey.
Staring at the list of co-ordinates on his helmet display, there was a moment of hesitation, but this was the path he was on now. He took a deep breath and selected the next set of co-ordinates on the list and sent the accept command.
This time the device functioned as it had back in the temple. A bright blinding light formed and swallowed Michael, taking him from the village...
oOoOo
Once he regained his senses, Michael found himself on a different world. Again, alien error messages scrolled on his display. After a quick look around his new surroundings, he tried to activate the alien device and access the next set of co-ordinates.
Nothing happened as the alien messages continued to scroll. There was still a sense of frustration, but now Michael formed an idea of what was going on as he settled into this new place and waited...
oOoOo
Again, on the twenty-first day, the alien error messages disappeared, confirming Michael's suspicions. He surmised that it took twenty-one days for the alien device to recharge or reset itself before it could function again. He didn't think this was normal for the device and suspected what was happening was because of the inherent incompatibility between his armor and the alien tech. Also, yellow caution messages were warning of problems occurring with his Mjolnir armor. The built-in diagnostics couldn't provide a specific error, but there was a definite degradation in systems.
Whatever was happening it was now obvious that Michael would need to wait twenty-one days between using the device. It would be slow going, but at least he could use the device again. He restocked his cache of supplies and activated the alien device again, disappearing in a blinding white light.
It didn't take him long to establish a routine as he worked his way through the list of co-ordinates...
oOoOo
The chronometer on his helmet display chimed to tell him that twenty-one days had passed, and on cue the alien error messages disappeared. Michael stretched again as he prepared to use the alien portal device again. With time, and through trial-and-error, he felt he was getting a better handle on how this alien portal device worked. There were still huge gaps in his knowledge and a lot of what he was doing was only guesswork. Still, he had a higher confidence level in using the device now compared to when he first started this journey. His continued lack of understanding of the alien error messages was in stark contrast to his armor's continuing warning and error messages. He still didn't know what the alien device was doing to his armor, but he also knew his armor would fail from whatever was happening.
The warning messages were a constant reminder he was living on borrowed time. It wasn't only his armor wearing down... the stirrings of losing hope and giving up grew each passing day, taking its toll on him. This added to the simmering frustration, acting like a drag on him as the days, weeks and then the months continued to pass by with no end in sight. There was no sign he was any closer to getting home, and he was feeling like he was the Spartan equivalent to the Flying Dutchman. Forever cursed to wander and travel between worlds... never finding a way home.
What other alternative did he have other than keep going? There was only one thing that kept him going...
"Faith..." he whispered, her name like a precious talisman inspiring him to dig deep and not give up.
Her name brought her image to the forefront of his thoughts. Memories of her lying stretched out in their bed, the morning sun, streaming in through the skylight, catching her exposed skin haunted him. How her eyes lit up, and how she would smile at him sparked his determination to not give up.
It was like a distant memory of how he used to think of nothing but of getting back to his universe, the UNSC and the war. At one time, his sole focus and reason for existence was his duty and mission to continue the war against the Covenant. His time with Faith changed all that. He only now wanted to be with her. This had him thinking and considering things beyond being a Spartan and fighting.
The memories of when he'd thought she'd died still lingered in the back of his mind. The pain he'd experienced wasn't something he wanted to go through again.
Memories of Faith, briefly pushed away the frustration hanging over him. Again, the overpowering sense that there was a higher power at work touched him as he recalled the chain of events and luck that brought him to Sunnydale. This suspicion of a greater plan at work gave him some hope he would find his way back to her.
"Time to move on," he muttered, pulling up the alien list of addresses, selecting the next one from the list. Michael let out a small sigh, along with a silent wish and prayer as he activated device again.
Maybe this time I'll get lucky, he thought. As the bright light engulfed him again, another reoccurring thought popped into his head.
Luck...
The memory of the only person he knew luckier than himself flashed in his thoughts as the light swallowed him and he disappeared from this world.