Guilty Sparks

by General Rage

Fleeing from the glassing of Reach in the belly of the Pillar of the Autumn, the crew of the SR-2 Normandy find themselves stranded with their UNSC allies on a strange Forerunner constructed ring world called Halo with the Covenant hunting them. But Halo holds a secret, one deadlier than both the Covenant and Reapers combined... and it's hungry.

27. Choices Betray You

Chapter 26: Choices Betray You

Her dreams were clouded in a fog of green visions, accompanied by whispering voices in the dark. She tried her best to make sense of them, but they were all too muddled and hazy. She then felt a number of sudden electric sensations, bolting through her head. They broke up the haze, the green dissipated and the voices vanished. She felt at ease, for a time, but she could still feel a presence. It was then her mind recalled images, noises, smells. She remembered where she had been, where she probably still was.

And then she thought she heard a distant gurgling shriek.

Tali's eyes opened wide into a blinding light and she reached her arms up to block it. She tried to scream, but she found her voice muffled. Something was on her face, something strange and cold. She reached to grab it, but something took her hand. She looked to see a hazy figure standing over her and struggled more in an attempt to escape.

"Tali," a familiar voice called down to her. "Tali, stop! You're safe! You're okay!"

Tali's vision soon cleared up, as did her hearing. She immediately recognized the figure and the voice it spoke in. Holding her by the wrist, gently but firmly, was Doctor Chakwas. She was in an environment suit of her own that covered most of her body, but her face was clearly visible through the clear plastic. Tali looked next to her immediate right and saw Mordin standing there as well. He was also in an environment suit of his own, standing next to a pair of machines and looking over to her.

"What...?" She eventually voiced, still on edge and wary. "Where am I? What happened?"

"Easy now, Tali," Chakwas cautioned her calmly. "You don't need to get hysterical, just breathe in easy. You're on the Normandy, in the med-bay. You're safe."

"Indeed, vitals appear normal," Mordin added. "Patient is out of danger. Slight heart palpitations due to immediate stress, but calming. Good to see you well, Tali'Zorah."

Chakwas released her hand and Tali tried to recompose herself. She reached up to hold her head, which still felt a bit weird. When she did though, she didn't feel her visor. She felt her own skin. She let her hand drop back down and looked at it. She saw her soft pale skin lit up against the surgical lights of the med-bay, exposed for all the world to see.

"Don't panic," Chakwas was quick to inform her. "Your suit was badly damaged and we needed to get it off to properly help you. We took precautions though. We've sterilised the area thoroughly and the air is similar to your envirosuit's default settings that your body is more accustomed to."

Looking around the area proper now, she realised that she was contained inside a rapidly constructed, but still well-insulated, bio-hazard containment cell. It even had its own makeshift airlock of sorts as an exit. Now it made sense why Chakwas and Mordin were in biohazard suits, it was the only way they could operate on her.

"How long?" She eventually managed to ask.

"Sedated and in surgery for six hours," Mordin explained. "Process was touch and go. Suit rupture always risky, however heavy dosage of antibiotics and immuno boosters assisted. Managed to quell fever, clean wounds, suture cuts. Team located you just in time. Further exposure would've made recovery... most difficult."

"Was it really that bad?" Tali asked looking over to Mordin.

"Required a number of transfusions," Mordin responded. "Fortunate Doctor Chakwas insisted on stocking up on blood type through yourself and local medical clinics in prior months. Only way to purge most of contamination. Was not chief concern however."

That piqued Tali's curiosity, her brow rising slightly in confusion.

"What could be worse than needing to siphon out and replace my blood?" Tali asked, rubbing her head a little.

"We detected foreign elements within your prefrontal lobe," Chakwas explained. "Everything else was routine, but we weren't sure at first glance what they were or how they were affecting you."

Tali's eyes went wide in shock at the revelation.

"There was something messing with my brain?" She asked astonished.

"Spores to be specific," Mordin informed her. "Scans suggested as much. Only a few, but tightly packed around key areas responsible for sensory application. Sight and hearing mostly."

Tali sat in her bed dumbfounded at what Mordin had just told her, the situation becoming clear.

"In the swamp," she started slowly. "I had... I had these visions. I thought they were just fever dreams, but..."

"Those spores were likely aggravating these hallucinations of yours," Chakwas suggested. "Considering how the recovery team suggested you were delirious, that was our initial assessment as well. At the time we couldn't be sure, but we knew we had to get rid of them. They were undoubtedly harmful and appeared to be attempting to infect you. The immuno boosters and antibiotics seemed to be slowing them down, but we couldn't be sure for how long that would last. We needed to act quickly before whatever they were trying to do was beyond our ability to contain."

"Would've preferred to study in ideal circumstances," Mordin added matter-of-factly. "Risk to patient too great, however. Erred on side of caution. Required small precise electrical shocks to affected areas. Procedure successful, spores vaporised upon contact."

Tali shook her head before staring down the salarian.

"You shocked me?" She asked, a little befuddled at the choice of procedure.

"Very accurate, minor voltage," Mordin insisted. "Most destroyed upon first use. As said, few spores to contain. If more, would have opted for more invasive procedures. Assured you have suffered no brain damage. First test preformed after procedure's completion. Did not wish to harm our Chief Engineer."

Mordin smiled at Tali and the quarian couldn't help but return it. She knew Mordin was smart enough to know what he was doing. He figured out how to cure a Collector manufactured virus on his own after all. Of course, this was more of a treatment. She doubted that if whatever these things did to turn people into monsters had happened to her that those electrical shocks would've worked. They really had gotten lucky.

"Thank you, Mordin," she told him gratefully. "It's good to know that stuff is out of my head at least."

"They may be out, but we don't know what kind of residual effects could be left over," Chakwas informed her kindly. "Last time we encountered something like this it was the Thorian and even when it died the colonists still ended up with side effects. We didn't really cure you so much as catch this before it got worse. We need to make sure that doesn't happen again, we probably won't get lucky the second time. Do you have any idea how they could've gotten into your cranial cavity in the first place?"

Tali tried to think hard and eventually recalled something.

"One of those... parasite creatures," she reasoned slowly. "It exploded in front of my face when I shot it. My visor was broken at the time. I might have accidentally breathed some of what was left of the thing in. That could be how those spores got in me."

"Hmm, suggests plant-like origin of hostile species," Mordin considered, rubbing his chin. "Similar to Thorian. Will have to take into consideration. Not your concern anymore, however. You are clean. Advise rest though. Experience took toll."

"Hopefully you'll be back on your feet in a short bit," Chakwas added. "In the meantime, there are some people who will probably want to know you're okay. I'll go get them."

Chakwas left the small containment room with Mordin. They exited through the airlock, only taking off their hazard suits when they were outside of the containment cell completely. Chakwas then opened the door to the Med-Bay and ushered in the people waiting there. Kasumi, Garrus and Legion quickly walked inside and up to the glass around her little room.

Kasumi was the first to put her face up the glass and press down on a small button on the side of the wall. The switch activated the speakers that allowed the hooded young woman's voice to enter the enclosed glass room.

"Well, this is an unexpected bonus for today," she stated. "Not only are you alive, I get to see what a quarian looks like under the mask. That's one for the journal. How are you feeling?"

"Better than expected," Tali replied. "I'm lucky you arrived when you did. Thank you."

"No thanks necessary," Kasumi assured her. "By the way, love your hair."

Tali grasped at her scalp, tugging at said hair with her fingers.

"It's uh, a bit of a mess," she admitted. "I usually have it tied up, as much as I can."

Legion spoke up next before Kasumi could continue.

"Scanners suggest you have returned to an acceptable operating capacity, Creator Tali'Zorah," the geth declared. "It is good to see you functional again."

"Good to be functioning," Tali was quick to add with a little laugh. "How are you holding up? Is everything working?"

"This platform suffered a momentary disruption to sensory optics upon return to the Normandy," Legion admitted. "We entered a short hibernation period to correct the issue. No other egregious errors to report."

Tali didn't look very happy to hear that. The glitch had hit the geth again, just as she feared it would if Legion operated in any form of advanced capacity. She needed to find a way to fix that when she got on her own feet again. Legion seemed to pick up on her distress and attempted to reassure her.

"We realise we were still in violation of your request to limit our extraneous field activity," the synthetic admitted. "However, given the considerable danger you were in, I would risk it again."

Tali was happy to hear that, but she did notice the glitch rearing its head once more.

"You just said I," Tali informed the geth. As Legion's plates began to sag, Tali tried to reassure him. "But I am touched, Legion, really I am. Just this once, I'm glad you didn't listen to me."

Legion immediately seemed reinvigorated by the kind statement. Tali wouldn't say he was happier, but certainly less disconcerted about the situation. Truthfully though, she had done it as much for her own state of mind as Legion's.

She still had fresh memories of the geth hallucinations in the swamp, reminders of her conflicted feelings and position. She saw Legion and was reminded of those geth, both real and imagined, that had tried to kill her. She also saw a friend who had risked harm to itself to save her. She did her best to keep the former image in her thoughts.

Garrus was next to talk, putting his head up to the glass as he spoke.

"You had us pretty worried for awhile," he began with his trademark grin. "We've been up practically all day hoping you'd pull through. Even Buck, he came aboard with the rest of his squad. He had to contact Major Silva at Alpha Base just now, but I'll let him know you're okay. Gabs and Donnelly wanted to come up too, but we needed someone down in the engineering bay while you were out. They wanted me to send my regards."

"I understand," Tali said smiling back. "I'm just glad everyone else is okay."

It was then that Tali remembered that there was one other injury on the team. She looked out the window of the Med-Bay, scanning the deck with her eyes. She saw no one else but Gardner at the mess counter.

"Wait, where are Thane and Jack?" She asked. "I remember them showing up before I blacked out. Thane was injured in the leg, I think."

"Don't worry," Garrus was quick to assure her. "They're both fine. Chakwas hooked Thane up to a breather attached to some oxygen to help his lungs. We then put him in life support where it's more arid. He's winded, but doing okay."

"Jack's with him," Kasumi added. "She volunteered to watch his recovery while Chakwas and the Professor operated on you."

Well that was good to hear at least. Strange that Jack was looking after Thane though, but she supposed she had seen weirder things tonight. It was still good to hear she and Thane were alright. Considering how things had been, it could've been much worse.

"Neither of them would've made it back on their own though," Garrus suddenly added. "They had a little help from an unexpected friend."

Friend? Tali was a bit confused, but not as much as she was when she got her answer as to who said friend was. The Med-Bay doors opened again and someone walked inside. It wasn't anyone from the Normandy, his green camo armour made that clear enough. He had his cap tucked down over his eyes and his shotgun slung over his shoulder. Tali could only stare at him like she was looking at a ghost.

"I heard she was up and just came down to see for myself," he said brazenly. "I didn't doubt you would pull through for a second, Ms. Zorah. For an alien who's supposed to die from being sneezed on you're pretty damn tough."

Standing on the other side of the glass before a rather shocked Tali, was a one Sergeant Avery Johnson, sans cigar as per med-bay rules. The quarian had to shake her head once or twice to make sure this wasn't another hallucination. When she was sure, she finally managed to speak.

"How... how is this possible?" She asked. "We... we saw you on Jenkins' helmet footage. The Flood... they killed you, all of you. You were overrun."

"Overrun, yes," Johnson admitted. "But not overpowered. I got tackled by a lot of them little squid things, but I managed to pull them off and shoot my way out. The rest of the squad was lost and my radio was badly damaged though. I tried to make it back to extraction, but by then there were a bunch of surviving Covies and more of them ugly things running all over the place. Headed back into the swamp, tried to see if I could link up with anyone else from Second Squad that was left. Ended up finding you folks instead, lucky you."

Tali still seemed rather shocked at all this. The video seemed pretty definitive as the fates Keyes' team.

"Don't look so surprised," Johnson told her. "No ugly squid-faced undead son of a bitch is gonna kill Sergeant Avery Johnson that easy."

"Already checked along with rest of crew," Mordin was quick to add. "No sign of infection or trace of spores. Sergeant Johnson completely clean."

Tali supposed that was a relief, for a second she was wondering if the good Sergeant was just a thrall or indoctrinated slave or waiting to be turned. She held her head tightly at the mere thought of such things. She had been watching way too many scary vids. Or maybe she had just been on too many insanely freaky missions in her life.

"Well, it's good to see you alive, Johnson," Tali told him sincerely. "We could use every living person we have right now. I don't suppose you know what happened to Captain Keyes?"

"Wish I did," Johnson admitted glumly. "If I knew where he was I'd be there in a heartbeat. But I don't got anymore of a clue as to his condition as you do the Master Chief and Commander Shepard."

Tali's eyes went wide at Johnson's words.

"We still don't know where Shepard is?" She asked frantically.

"EDI's working on it," Garrus tried to calm her. "We're trying to get a lock on him or any of the others' biological signatures. It will take time though. In the meantime, we're staying off the ground and trying to get an assessment of everything. Word from Alpha Base says they encountered these Flood creatures themselves."

Then her suspicions were right, these things were out and they were fast taking over the ring. Soon enough, there would be no place on solid ground where they could be safe. Seeing the Flood up close, alone, it showed her what they were all in for if they didn't think of something quick.

"Do we have a strategy yet?" She asked Garrus.

"Mordin has a sample he's saved for study," the turian replied. "But I think we need more information in general. I'm thinking we should head back to the Control Room, ask Cortana, get some answers. Like how the hell she was able to contact you and Kasumi and lead you towards that structure for one."

"Agreed and I think I have an idea how she did it," Tali concurred. "But I'm going to need to go down there myself. I don't think she'll open the doors for anyone else."

"Not until I'm sure you're in good enough shape for it," Chakwas warned. "Your Spartan may have been able to override me back on Reach, but I'm waiting until your fever goes down a bit more before I give you a clean bill of health."

She supposed she wasn't in any condition to argue, considering her old suit was probably laying on the floor somewhere in pieces. At least they had spares, so Chakwas wouldn't be able to keep her in here forever. First chance she got, she was getting one of those spares and heading out to find Shepard. First though she decided it would better to follow Chakwas' advice. She still felt a little sore from her ordeal. She just hoped it would pass quickly.

"You just get better, Tali," Kasumi told her with a gentle smile. "We'll be right outside if you need any of us."

"It shouldn't be much longer," Chakwas assured. "But she stills needs some rest."

"Can I stay with her though?" Garrus asked. "I, uh, need to talk to her in private a little."

"Fair enough," Chakwas relented.

As the group piled out, Tali called out to Legion before the geth left. She still had one piece of unfinished business left in regards to the synthetic. She had a hard time remembering much of what happened before she was put in stasis, but she remembered one thing clearly enough.

"Legion, about what I said to you," she began. "In the swamp just as I was blacking out..."

"You were delirious and in shock," Legion replied. "We do not need a further explanation. As we stated, your value merited the risk we placed ourselves in. We would do it again."

Legion followed the others out, leaving Tali mostly relieved. If there was one thing Tali hated thinking about it was her sudden moment of weakness. Not because she needed a geth to help her, but because she had given into despair. She had given in to what the visions told her she deserved. She hated herself for that, mostly because she knew where such thoughts had come from.

Garrus sat down on the side of the glass that was opposite the med-bay door. Tali placed her head back onto the pillow in her bed and turned to him. The turian wore a grin, but she could see the concern in his face and posture.

"Well, at least you were able to get out of your stuffy suit for a bit," he commented, trying to sound jovial.

"I feel like I'm back in the bubble, honestly," Tali admitted. "Course, I had a bit more freedom of movement back then and I wasn't stuck in bed. Also, I actually had clothes. I'm not sure if this medical gown counts. I hope that's not the real reason you wanted to stay here though."

Garrus could only offer a small laugh at that.

"Nah, I'm not that much of a creep," he assured her warmly. "Plus Shepard would probably kill me."

"No he wouldn't," Tali jokingly replied. "He'd just mess up all the calibrations on your guns. That's far worse than killing you."

They both had a little laugh at that. It was a nice tension breaker, before Garrus got a bit melancholy again.

"We'll find him, I promise," Garrus swore to her. "We're not leaving another one of our own out there like last time. Not him, not you, not anyone."

Tali shook her head, not because she doubted Garrus' convictions though. It was Garrus who had the doubts.

"You didn't leave me behind, Garrus," Tali reassured him. "You thought I was dead. More importantly, I was able to help Halsey with her work."

"Maybe, I still didn't feel right about it," the turian shrugged passively. "I should've been right there with Shepard sifting through rubble to find you, not pulling him away. I just... I felt like I let you down."

It was strange, but for once Tali somewhat understood where Garrus was coming from. She had been reminded of her mistakes herself after all. She wasn't about to let him wallow in self-pity however.

"You didn't let me down," Tali reassuring informed him. "Not then and definitely not today. You made the best decisions you could given the circumstances. That's all anyone can do. You're a great leader, Garrus and an even better friend."

Garrus took the praise to heart, smiling back at her. All Tali could do was turn her head away and stare up into the ceiling though.

"If anyone should be disappointed in themselves in those areas it's me," she declared forlornly.

"What are you talking about?" Garrus asked her, somewhat confused.

"Freedom's Progress, Haestrom, the Marines that helped me back in Sword Base," she answered back despondently. "They all died trying to help me or because I was in charge of them. I ended up getting them killed."

"Don't say that," Garrus tried to tell her calmly. "You did all you could, I'm sure."

But Tali just shook her head.

"I tried telling myself that," she explained regretfully. "After Haestrom, I tried to write to the parents of some of the Marines killed. Kal said he'd take care of it, but I was in charge. I felt I should do it. It was my responsibility, but I could barely make it past the first line of the first message without sounding like an idiot. I couldn't even admit to them that... that he died saving me."

She stopped that, rubbing her face with both her hands as she tried to keep composed.

"I had to lie about what happened and I felt sick to my stomach," she continued miserably. "Couldn't even tell them I understood how they felt, because that was an even bigger lie. I don't know how they felt, how dare I try to think I do. All I knew is how I felt, that people dying for me, because of me, made me sick. Sicker than I feel now in fact."

"It's not the best feeling to have," Garrus concurred. "But you can't blame yourself for it. That's a choice a lot of people in this line of work know they'll have to make."

Tali knew that was true, but it still didn't erase her doubts.

"All I know is that I was responsible for them and I failed them," she explained further. "It's not a fault with them, it's me. And not just with stuff like Haestrom. My relationship with my father, my pilgrimage, I was so afraid of screwing up I almost dissuaded Wade from... well... you know."

Garrus just nodded knowingly, not wanting to get into detail about that.

"I have so many mistakes and regrets on my hands," she dejectedly stated. "I've screwed up so many times because of one reason or another. Nothing I ever do seems to go right. I keep trying and trying my best, but everything just seems to blow up in my face."

"We all feel like that from time to time," Garrus reminded her, pointing to his scars. "Hell, it happened to me literally. We all screw up, even Shepard. It doesn't make it better dwelling so much on it."

Again, she knew that was true. It didn't help burying her feelings either though. She hoped it would be better that way, that she could just avoid the issues and not have to place them on anyone else. It was a naive hope admittedly, but she had believed that these things didn't concern the crew. Halo and the Covenant took priority over her feelings. At least that was what she hoped, before everything came rushing to the surface the second her visor cracked and her temperature rose.

"When I was a child, my father brought me to watch the Migrant Marines drill on one of the Neema's upper decks," she began wistfully as she looked up at the ceiling. "He pointed to them as the ultimate example that quarians weren't weak, that we were as strong and brave as any other species out there. He was quick to add though that they were hardly the only proof of that. There were other ways to serve the Fleet. I kept trying to find my place, settling on Engineer because I loved to build and create things."

She sighed slightly at that memory and looked back to the turian behind the glass.

"I kept getting the feeling he was... disappointed with my choice," she explained. "He never said it, but I always got the feeling he expected more of me. Maybe because I was simply his daughter or because he thought I had more potential than that, I'm not sure. One thing I knew for sure was that he expected something great from me. It was part of the reason why my Pilgrimage meant so much to me, why finding the right gift meant so much."

"And why it had to be about the Geth I'm guessing?" Garrus postulated. "Because that was what seemed to matter the most to him."

Tali nodded in response before continuing.

"He always made them out to be monsters since I was barely able to walk," she recalled mournfully. "He was obsessed with defeating them somehow, with winning back the homeworld. Part of me likes to hope it was because he wanted to give me and my mom, when she was alive, a better home. I suppose I shared the same motive in regards to my prejudice against them, but sometimes I think it was more. Sometimes I wonder if I hated the geth because they seemed to be all my dad cared about. I blamed them for all the times he pushed me away. I hated what they did to my people, but I hated what they did to my father more."

Garrus nodded, seeming to understand her position. She supposed he would, given his own somewhat crappy relationship with his own father. The former C-Sec officer in him led him to inquire more though.

"Why are you talking about all this now?" He asked sincerely.

"Because I've gone from hating synthetics so passionately to counting a number of them as my friends," Tali informed him. "I've moved away from the idea of retaking the homeworld to finding a way of making peace. If my father wasn't disappointed when he was alive, what would he think now? What will my people think?"

"If you think making peace with the geth is right, who cares what your father or your people would think?" Garrus asked. "Quarians have freedom of speech, don't they? They can't lock you up because you tell them it's what you think is right."

"Yes, but that's not the issue," Tali tried to elaborate as she sat back up in her bed. "I'm still struggling with all this, despite everything I've learned in the past few months. So how difficult will it be for the Flotilla to accept? Koris would listen, the people who trust him would listen, but that's just not enough. Not when I'm not really sure where I stand."

Tali stared down at her fidgeting hands, trying to contemplate what she was attempting to explain.

"What makes me think I can change three centuries worth of hatred when I'm still conflicted about how I feel?" She asked hypothetically, a sense of self-degradation in her voice. "Just because I made friends with a geth doesn't make me suddenly aware of what the entire Consensus thinks. Hell, we recently found out that not every program in there likes me all that much. And maybe they have a reason to, because I'm not certain I'm doing a good job, that my prejudice is really gone."

She clutched at her chest as she continued.

"It's in there, deep down," she confessed. "It's still there because I grew up with it. It nags at me every day and it makes me as sick as whenever I think about those people on Haestrom who died for me. I know, with Legion, that there is a chance for geth and quarians to co-exist. But then I think about all the obstacles to that, with both me and on both sides of the issue. I'm not sure if I'm up to it and I wonder if I'm just fighting to swim upstream anyway."

She sat silent for awhile, as did Garrus. She wasn't expecting him to have the answers. These things couldn't really be answered in a single pep talk or little speech. That wasn't how it worked. But even releasing some of her frustrations made her feel better than bottling them up. And thankfully, Garrus wasn't left completely speechless.

"Responsibility can seem pretty daunting," he admitted. "I know that first hand. You take anyone's life into your hands and you're accepting something really powerful. I suppose, even if that life is a synthetic, it can still feel pretty intimidating."

"Legion's glitch," Tali nodded, realising immediately what he meant by that. "I'm worried about it. I wonder if what I'm doing is for the right reasons, in more ways than one. It's just like all this other stuff in my head I guess."

"No one ever said it would be easy," Garrus told her plainly. "But Tali, whatever your father did or embedded in you, he was right about one thing. You're stronger than you know. I think at least that was what he was trying to teach you when he brought you to those drills. On that I can agree with him."

Tali's face instantly turned to the turian, now looking at her with glowing eyes and a slight smile.

"You're one of the strongest, smartest, bravest people I've ever met," he earnestly stated. "I may not have always shown you that I believe that, but it's true. And whatever chip on your shoulder you carried, you ultimately decided it wasn't worth it. Trusting Shepard and getting to know Legion, that may have helped you, but it was you who ultimately decided to brush that chip off. I know you must feel conflicted, but every time I hear you talk about Cortana or EDI or Legion, I can tell one thing for certain. You care about them. That's way more than most quarians would do for synthetics."

He placed his palm against the glass and put his face up close to it.

"You're a good person," he assured her. "An amazing person and I..."

He paused for a moment suddenly. Tali tried to figure out why, but this time the turian was more careful about showing his emotions. He kept a straight face and didn't look her in the eye for a good while.

"I want you to know that, because you need to know it," he ardently continued. "You need to believe that at the very least, because it's true. You're not a failure, you haven't betrayed your people and you are good enough and smart enough to see this through. I and everyone else who knows you, knows you can stand up to anything the galaxy throws at you. You just need to believe that yourself now. Shepard would say the same thing if he was here."

It was refreshing to hear that from Garrus, or anyone actually. To know someone had that much confidence in her was uplifting given everything that had happened. The thing was though, she was still holding back. She still hadn't told him everything she was keeping inside.

"I want to think I'm a good person," she said sadly. "I'm just... I'm not sure anymore. I'm not sure of anything. I just don't really know what I'm doing to be honest."

Garrus seemed to pick up on her anxiety.

"What exactly is bothering you, Tali?" Garrus asked her insistently. "This stuff didn't just come out of nowhere all of a sudden."

It hadn't and she knew where it had come from. The problem was, even though she knew it would be best to explain, it just didn't sit well with her at the moment. Not now, not when she still had questions.

"I want to tell you," she assured him. "I just... I don't feel it's the right time. I need... I need to see Cortana again. I need Shepard here. I need to tell him as much as I need to tell you."

Garrus seemed to accept the explanation, simply nodding in response to her answer.

"Alright, but as soon as both of those things are squared away, you need to let this thing off your chest," Garrus firmly told her. "Whatever it is that's eating at you, we'll be there for you. I promise."

"I know you will, Garrus," Tali assured him. "I just need some time and more information. You'll understand why soon enough."

Silence returned over the two for a moment, the melancholy of the conversation drifting into the back of their thoughts. It was good to let most everything out, to get reassurances after all those terrible visions. Tali only hoped she would be able to have the courage to open up one last time.

"So," Garrus suddenly said rather slyly. "Hair, huh? I wasn't expecting that."

"It's not all hair," Tali admitted. "There are very fine quills running up along the back of the head to the top of the skull, they're usually obscured, but every now and then you have to cut them. Also it used to be shorter... but after Shepard..."

Her pale skin blushed at the thought. She was quick to recompose herself before it got worse.

"Well, I thought it would look nicer longer," she explained bashfully. "I also wanted to try out some possible styles at some point. Not that he sees it every day, but... you know."

"Yeah, I guess," Garrus told her. "It does look nice."

Tali smiled back at him, prompting the turian to clear his throat suddenly.

"You know, you probably just won me twenty credits," he shakily informed her, putting on his best joking persona. "Or you would have if I was still in touch with my old unit. We had a long running bet going that you guys had pointed ears or something."

Tali just scoffed at the concept.

"I don't know how that rumour started," she replied. "As you can see, our ears are a crease along the side. I'm not sure how people came up with that other thing."

"Could've been the helmets," Garrus suggested. "I'm pretty sure that it originated with the humans at least, can't say why it would though. Save for the fact that they may have a fetish for it."

Tali laughed at that, letting her head fall back onto the pillow. She let her anxiety and discomfort leave her at last. She was safe, she was with friends and she was home. For now, that was what counted.

---

Thel was frantically looking over the reports on the main screen. Each one made his spirits sink further and further. Casualties, loss of equipment, overrun positions, dropships that had blown themselves up when they realised they had uninvited guests aboard. The whole operation had descended into chaos. What he found himself reading didn't help either.

"Second Division, lost," he read aloud, anxiety growing with each word. "Eighth Division, lost. Facility Seven Garrison, lost. Recovery Teams three through six, lost. Special Operations Squadrons Shadow and Thorn, lost! This is madness! Absolute madness! Our men are being slaughtered like livestock and feeding the enemy with every fallen brother!"

Even safe in low orbit above the ring and in his command ship with the rest of the armada, Thel couldn't escape the escalating horror below. Their best people, their most powerful technology, rendered useless in the face of this onslaught. What had started as a quest to uncover the secrets of Halo had wrought a terrible force upon them. One that they had no idea how to combat without potentially destroying Halo itself.

"The Parasite spreads too quickly, Supreme Commander," Orna informed Thel regretfully. "Our attempts at containment have completely failed. I fear Halo may be lost to us."

"Unacceptable!" The Prophet of Empathy declared furiously. "This ring is our divine inheritance! No human, heretic or filthy diseased parasite will take it from us! I demand action, 'Vadamee! I demand you rid Halo of this infestation at once!"

"What do you think I am trying to do?" Thel asked back, almost as irate as Empathy was. "At this rate, our only option will be to burn everything down there! I doubt you want to save Halo by potentially damaging it though. So unless you have a better suggestion..."

Empathy puffed himself up, as he usually did, floating over directly to face Thel.

"I do have a better solution," he declared. "Retake the Control Room from the humans! We can activate Halo, begin the Journey and complete this mission as planned! Then these creatures will cease to matter!"

"Pointless at this stage," Orna countered vigorously. "Without a means to activate the ring we'd simply be sitting our forces on the ground waiting for the Parasite to sweep over the walls and kill them all! We'd need to discover the key in order for such an action to have any value!"

The Prophet spun his floating chair around angrily at the sangheili in response.

"How dare you question my judgement, Orna!" Empathy bellowed back at the Shipmaster. "It is clearly the best course of action! To find the key, our best option is the Control Room! Send every able bodied soldier we have! Crush the humans into a smear against on the ground! Exterminate anything else that stands in our way and hold out until a solution is found! It is the only thing we can do that won't damage Halo!"

"It's not the best option," Orna argued. "It's suicide! The Parasite is probably already in the area and will be attracted to the sounds of battle! We'd end up fighting two enemies at once before we can get our bearings! We'd be sending every warrior we throw into the battle straight to their deaths!"

"That wasn't a problem for any of you before!"

The three Covenant leaders turned to see an enraged Lieutenant Commander Varvok storming onto the bridge. In their shouting, they hadn't even heard him come in. Thel rolled his eyes, turning away from the batarian. He did not need this right now.

"You do not have permission to be on my bridge, Slaver," the Supreme Commander informed him bluntly. "Do not make me have to throw you out."

"Like how you threw my men to these things?" Varvok asked viciously. "I've been inside the excavation sites, I saw what happened! You sent my people down there to die in a futile attempt to clean up YOUR mistake! Now those things are out, they're killing everything in their way and all you three can do is bicker about how to save this stupid ring!"

Empathy was absolutely livid at the batarian's words. He raised his hands in anger, his eyes practically bulging from his tiny head as he floated over.

"Blasphemer!" He declared uproariously. "You dare speak ill of our lords' creation! I should kill you where you stand!"

"Shut up!" Varvok screamed at him even louder. "I couldn't care less about the ridiculous dead aliens you worship blindly! I only came here to let you know I'm recalling all men to my service! You have violated the terms of our treaty by placing my men at risk and withholding information from us! As far as I'm concerned, you should all be tried for their murders! But I'll settle for making sure no more lives are lost to your callousness. As soon as Balak sees the evidence I've gathered, I am going to request my men be transferred to a different fleet and leave you all to the folly you've created!"

Empathy didn't get the chance to rage more at Varvok, as Thel passed the Prophet and walked towards the batarian. He towered over the smaller four eyed alien as he approached, taking full command of the conversation.

"You disobeyed my orders and went into the excavation sites," Thel informed him coldly. "I merely used your men in a capacity I believed was necessary for the success of this mission. I have violated no terms."

"I doubt Balak will see it that way," Varvok threatened.

Thel only snorted at the suggestion as Orna added his own two cents.

"Your men were our best method of holding the Parasite back," The Shipmaster readily declared. "Their failure to accomplish this task is their own fault. At the very least, their sacrifice kept our warriors from being turned."

"You dare blame them for this?" Varvok sneered at Orna. "You sent them down into that hell hole and let them die! You didn't even tell them why you were doing it! You kept them in the dark and made them easier targets for these monsters! And don't pretend this was all about sparing your own soldiers. You were just trying to cover up what you had done by sending in cannon fodder to soften the creatures up!"

"Whatever our reasons, they were done in the best interests of this mission," Thel informed the batarian, redirecting the four-eyed alien's ire onto him. "The Parasite is spreading and it must be contained. Your men were asked to assist in that task. Whatever information they were given or not given doesn't matter. They did what they were told to do. They followed orders like good soldiers should. Perhaps you could learn something from that."

"When orders get men killed needlessly they aren't worth following," Varvok venomously countered. "You sacrificed my people to achieve your goals, forced them to die for your damn cause. If you think I'm going to let you get away with that then you are gravely mist-"

Thel wouldn't let the batarian finish. He grabbed the alien by the throat and lifted him from the ground He squeezed his talons slightly, tightening his grip on the alien's neck. Varvok tried to pull himself free as he suffocated, but Thel's grip wouldn't budge.

"Listen carefully, Slaver," Thel began. "It is you who is gravely mistaken about this situation. I am in Command, I give the orders and you follow. I hold jurisdiction here. This is my ship, this is my fleet and this is my mission. You are honoured to be a part of it and for your men to die in service of it. I won't tolerate your insubordination and questioning of my authority any longer. You are here to help us kill the False Shepherd and assist us in whatever task we ask of you or your subordinates. If I ask you to throw yourself to these monsters to save a hundred sangheili lives, you will do it or I will make you do it. You are no longer the master, Slaver. I am!"

Thel tossed Varvok away from him and turned. The batarian slid along the floor, clutching his shoulder in pain as he tried to sit up. He looked back defiantly on the sangheili Supreme Commander as he returned to the Command Platform with Empathy and Orna.

"When Balak finds out about this, you'll be lucky if he doesn't just tear up the treaty," he declared.

Orna chuckled boisterously at the very idea. Thel would've joined him, but he really didn't want to waste more of his breath.

"You really think we're afraid of your threats?" Orna asked. "That Balak will side with you? The fact is that we haven't violated the treaty at all. The nature of our Alliance does give us jurisdiction to command Hegemony Forces how we see fit. A stipulation of course is that we keep your superiors informed of every action we take with them and why. Because of this, we didn't use your men lightly, we sought permission."

"Bullshit," Varvok viciously denied as he stood up. "I gave you no such authority. You took my men from me without my consent."

"We didn't get permission from you," Orna clarified. "We got permission from your superior, Commander Balak himself."

Varvok only laughed at the accusation.

"If you think I'll believe that statement without proof..."

Thel quickly tapped a few buttons on the control console. Moments later a series of documents landed in Varvok's omni-tool messaging inbox. The batarian read, his eyes glued to the screen as he read it out loud. It was an operations requisition, Hegmeony in origin, as could be seen by the seal on the side.

"I hereby grant the Fleet of Particular Justice full authority and command of Batarian soldiers stationed with their forces in regards to the security of important strategic positions," he read, his look of shock growing as he did. "With the condition that I be regularly informed of their progress regarding the assigned tasks within these locations, signed... Commander Balak."

"Keep reading," Thel commanded bluntly.

Varvok reluctantly and fearfully did so, scrolling down slowly to a second document.

"Given the nature of the parasitic threat encountered," he hesitantly read aloud in disbelief. "I am authorizing Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee to commit what forces he believes necessary to containing the situation before it gets out of hand. As compensation for the likely loss of soldiers, I request a shipment of Covenant Energy Weapons, as well as more unggoy squadrons, to be placed directly under our command. I will also hold shared responsibility for maintaining the communications blackout concerning this event. No one shall be made aware of what has happened... signed, Commander Balak."

Varvok's arms went limp as he stood there, mouth agape and eyes wide. He slowly began to shake his head, trying to deny the truth in front of him.

"No, no, he wouldn't do this," he tried to reason. "He couldn't do this. He wouldn't sell my men's lives for guns!"

"He did," Empathy was quick to declare. "For Commander Balak understands, unlike you, that for any cause to succeed, sacrifices must be made. That requires men to give their lives so that their betters may live. Your men were those sacrifices. They died so that the Covenant may survive. He recognized the nature of the Parasite along with us and concurred that containing them was of utmost importance."

"He wouldn't send his men to die to accomplish that," Varvok feebly tried to insist.

"He did what was necessary," Orna informed the batarian cruelly. "The blood of your men staved off the Parasite for a time. Balak knows that our alliance requires a full commitment to any Covenant endeavour. For without us, without our cooperation, your Hegemony will never achieve its ends. The lives of your men were the price paid for our continued assistance."

"And we will continue to call upon you, to give your lives, as we see fit," Empathy concluded. "We could obliterate your pathetic little excuse for an empire whenever we wish. We don't because we need you, for now. Just as you need us to lift you out of the stinking mud, like we have done for so many others. That is your only value to us. Balak realises this, and now... so do you."

Varvok was finally left speechless. He backed away from them, looking weak and helpless before their words. He then bolted from the room in a frantic run. Thel was just grateful to see him gone, and humbled at last.

"Now then," Empathy began once more. "The Control Room?"

Thel sighed at the question as Varvok faded from his mind. He supposed the Prophet would inevitably get his way in the end. Besides, it was the only other idea they had. That didn't meant they would be stupid about it.

"If we are to take the Control Room we must secure the entire canyon it is situated in," he surmised. "Send word to our best units to pull back to the Fleet. We will then redirect them back onto Halo and place them in position to reacquire the Control Room. Hopefully, we can quickly determine how to activate Halo before the Parasite overwhelms our forces there."

"Excellent," Empathy rejoiced. "Salvation is at hand! At long last, we shall complete what our Forefathers set out to do all those long millennia ago. The Great Journey is nigh."

---

Silva looked over perhaps the strangest prisoner he had ever seen. Not only because it was a Marine, but because he had been altered into a horrific looking creature. The ODST Major could hardly believe what he was seeing. As the infested former soldier struggled to wrench himself free of the bonds that held him on the slab, snarling slightly at his confinement, Silva turned to Lieutenant McKay and Noble Two for their input.

"Do we know who he used to be?" Silva asked.

"We managed to get his dog tags off his person," McKay explained. "He was, slightly more cooperative than we expected."

"His name is Private Wallace A. Jenkins," Kat continued matter-of-factly. "According to our Operations Log, he was part of Captain Keyes' Assault Team for that weapons cache they went after. The same Assault Team that went missing yesterday."

For once, Silva looked rather concerned. His mind had come to the conclusion that both Kat and McKay already had.

"So as far as we know, Keyes is one these things now too?" He asked.

"It's a distinct possibility, sir," McKay admitted.

"And the Master Chief and Commander Shepard, they entered the same sector in search of the Captain," Silva recalled, rubbing his chin slightly. "What is their status?"

"Unknown," Kat responded dutifully. "But we are in contact with the Normandy. They encountered these same creatures and barely escaped with their lives. We can confirm that a member of Keyes' squad is alive and with them, a Sergeant Avery Johnson. The Master Chief, The Commander and two of the Normandy's crew are unaccounted for, last seen being taken by the AI their ship's computer encountered, the Monitor. We're not sure what for."

Silva shook his head and grunted. He turned away back towards Jenkins and crossed his arms, clearly unsettled by the events.

"For the time being it seems we must consider that both the Commander and Spartan 117 are dead," he stated. "Or at best captured, depending on what this Monitor's purposes are. With the Captain more than likely dead himself and these monsters running around, we are in dire straits."

"I wouldn't count either the Commander or the Master Chief out yet, but forming a defence strategy seems like a good idea." Kat quickly commented. "I suggest we recall all troops in the field to either here or to the Control Room with Colonel Holland. We must consolidate some kind of defence against these things before we're overrun."

For a brief moment, it looked like Silva agreed as he nodded his head. However, he seemed to have his own addition to Kat's request.

"Pulling back field teams is probably for the best," he concurred as he turned back. "But we can use this opportunity. The Covenant are in disarray for the moment, this may be our chance to acquire the one thing we need more than anything else. I think it's clear now that we need a way to get off this ring and away from these... things."

"I agree escape should be priority and the Covenant would be our most likely option to acquire it," Kat hesitantly admitted. "But shouldn't we first try to understand the nature of this threat?"

"What's there to understand?" Silva asked with shrug. "They're some kind of alien parasite that infects our people and turns them against us like rabid dogs."

"I'm not so sure it's rabid, sir," McKay interjected. "These things... whatever they are, they weren't mindless. This wasn't like the Husks we've encountered, these things seemed to devise a strategy and implement planning."

"So do wolves back on Earth," Silva responded bluntly. "That makes them dangerous, but that doesn't suggest they're as intelligent as us. We shouldn't lose our focus on the Covenant because of this."

Kat was rather off put by Silva's inability to realise this new danger. He hadn't been in the woods like she and McKay had. He hadn't seen what these things were capable of.

"With respect, Major Silva," Kat informed him. "I think any plan we create should be consulted with Colonel Holland first before we attempt anything."

"Holland isn't here, I am," Silva readily declared."He already has a well-fortified position at the Control Room and we can't waste time comparing notes. For the moment, our only concern is a bunch of dead Elites and our former comrades getting inside this place, killing all of us before we can hit the Covenant hard and make our way off this ring. We will take precautions against these creatures, I assure you. I just feel it is imperative we do not waste this chance we have. If we wait too long, it may be too late and we could all end up like the poor Private here."

They looked to Jenkins once more, still struggling against his bonds but never managing to break through. It was a horrible fate to be sure. One Kat did not wish to suffer herself. Regardless, even if Silva didn't believe these things were intelligent, they still needed to plan a defence.

"Perhaps Jenkins can still help us," the Spartan III suggested.

"His mind is probably warped beyond repair by now," Silva considered.

"Not entirely," McKay countered. "He seemed more docile than expected when we caught him. Maybe something happened when he was turned. Enough of his mind could still be functional."

"It's worth a shot, Major," Kat added. "He may be the only one of these things that will be able to feed us intel on what they'll do."

Silva contemplated the idea and eventually accepted it. With a nod, all three of them walked up to the infested Marine and tried to talk to him. Jenkins stopped struggling for a moment, his mangled face turning to Silva and the others.

"Private, I'm sorry this happened to you and we will try to help you any way we can," the Major promised. "We won't let whatever these things are get away with what they did to you. Right now though, we need to make sure more Marines don't get turned on us. Think hard, son, where would these things most likely try to attack this butte from?"

Jenkins' head jittered around from side to side. Eventually he started pointing to the Major's feet incessantly. Silva didn't seem to get it, but McKay's eyes traced the Private's pointing, looking at the floor itself. She quickly realised what he was trying to say.

"The basement," she reasoned. "They'll try to come up at us from below."

"Seems the most likely," Kat concurred. "I can positions teams at every major entrance and exit on the sub levels, have them set up machine gun nests and similar defences."

"Do it," Silva commanded, turning back to Jenkins briefly. "Good work soldier, glad to see there's still a little bit of yourself in there. I'll have my Troopers escort him to a cell where he'll be comfortable. You two take care of defences while I handle our escape plan. Keep me informed."

Silva walked away as a group of ODSTs wheeled the slab Jenkins was strapped to out of the room. Kat and McKay followed the Major with their eyes as he departed.

"He's fooling himself if he thinks these things aren't intelligent," Kat told McKay. "They're a bigger danger than the Covenant right now. We should be trying to find out more about them, what their intentions are."

"He's not wrong about us needing to get out of here though," McKay was quick to add. "We can't hold the Butte forever with these monsters multiplying."

"I'm still not comfortable with him itching to get into a fight without Holland," Kat stated warily. "I don't like him declaring Shepard and the Master Chief dead so readily either. It's like he's expecting to take full command all of a sudden."

"We can worry about that later," McKay said, not entirely disagreeing with her concerns. "Right now we still have a lot of Marines here and elsewhere who need our help. Let's get those defences ready."

Kat supposed she had a point, but it didn't distract her thoughts from these creatures. An escape would be required, but that wouldn't eliminate these abominations as a threat. If this parasite was as intelligent as she feared, what was to stop it from following them?

---

Jack sat across from Thane, trying to remember what Chakwas told her to look out for. She had to watch the air pressure gauge for the oxygen tank, monitor how steady his breathing was and make sure he ate to keep his strength up. The last one was done at least, as all the fruit on his plate was pretty much gone.

"Are you guys vegan?" She asked him.

"Not entirely," he admitted. "Drell have diverse diets, like you humans. I just prefer things that weren't alive at one point."

"Yeah, just wanted to be sure," Jack explained. "You never know with aliens."

He wasn't gasping for breath, but he did still look tired. Chakwas said it would be awhile before he got his strength back, but he wasn't in any danger. So long as he didn't do any strenuous activity for a bit he'd be okay. She was happy to hear that, it would suck getting him back here alive only to find out he was going to choke to death.

"Is it always that bad when it acts up?" She asked him rather bluntly.

"I didn't faint or pass out until we got on the shuttle, so no," he answered back. "I've had far worse. Sometimes I'd blackout for a day when I first heard I had contracted it."

"Didn't let it slow you down though, huh?" Jack chuckled. "It's like you said, you don't let it control you."

Thane nodded, leaning back against the wall a bit to relax himself.

"Thank you for helping me back there," he said. "When I had been shot, I mean. I probably wouldn't have made it back if it weren't for that."

"Meh, it was Johnson who saved our asses," Jack said, brushing off the compliment. "You don't really owe me anything for that."

"I want to thank you all the same," Thane insisted. "Even if the Sergeant ultimately rescued us both, you protected me in a most desperate circumstance. I am grateful."

"Like I said, don't mention it," Jack responded rather aloofly, looking away from him a little.

They sat in silence for a moment longer, Jack keeping her gaze away from the drell. The only other sounds coming from the life support room's humming machinery and the tapping of Jack's fingers on the table. She wondered when Chakwas would show up or if anyone would come in. Maybe then she could avoid talking more. Sadly for her, that would not be the case.

"Before, in the swamp," Thane began anew. "You said something about you maybe not wanting us to care about you. What did you mean?"

She hoped he had forgotten that. Why had she said that? Was it because she couldn't help but blurt it out at that moment? Thane had been pushing her so hard, seemingly trying to get her to admit something. Was it just simple giving in to pressure? Had she actually wanted to tell him? She didn't know. How could she know? She had broken her number one rule tonight just to save his ass. Maybe he was right. Maybe she was just lying to herself.

"Look, it's personal, alright," she tried to explain hesitantly. "I'm not one for the sob stories and shit you guys go for. I don't... I don't do that. My past ain't happy, but it's nothing to get into. I don't need people feeling sorry for me, okay?"

"After tonight I wouldn't think of pitying you," Thane earnestly informed her. "You are strong and capable, that is certain. Nothing from your past would make me think less of you."

He said that now, Jack thought, but he didn't know the full story.

"I will respect your wishes regardless," Thane assured her. "Just know that it won't hurt anyone if you do talk. I for one would be willing to listen and attempt to understand."

"You would, wouldn't you?" she said, her eyes awkwardly looking towards him.

She supposed after he shared his own story about his son that he wouldn't think her weak for sharing her own past. The point was though that she just didn't want to talk about it. Still, she'd give him something, if only to offer some sort of explanation.

"When you're on the run most of your life, there are consequences," she began. "You leave people worse off than when you arrive. You hurt people because you feel you have to, because you need to survive. It's harsh and cruel, but it's necessary. In the end, people get hurt. They abandon you or you abandon them. People use you so you use others in return."

She turned her head back to him, a slightly more downtrodden look on her face than usual.

"The thing is, I know what kind of person I am," she consented. "I know it isn't pretty. The Cheerleader may think I deny it, but I don't. I know who I am. I'm not proud of all of it, but I don't necessarily regret it either. So, in the end, I'm not so sure it's worth the effort to get close to me. I know how it will end. "

"You mean like this crew eventually having to go their separate ways?" Thane asked.

"Yeah, shit like that," she admitted.

"That is unfortunately how life tends to be," he stated, sounding just as poignant about it as she had been. "Everything must end at some point. I've come to realise that myself given my given recent reminders of my mortality."

Jack supposed he would. Knowing you're going to die from a disease would put things into perspective. Perhaps there was a sense of assurance of that, a sense of closure if you will. Bad, crappy closure, but closure nonetheless.

"I try to cope with it best I can," Thane continued thoughtfully. "All things have their time and one must make the most of it. The ending will most likely hurt, but it's better than having nothing good to reflect on. I know the good things that my wife and son brought me kept me hopeful for better days to come. Don't deny yourself happiness because you fear it slipping away. That is no way to live."

She supposed the stinking lizard had a point. That didn't make it any less difficult to open herself up to the pain again, however. Luckily, she wouldn't get the chance. Just then as Doctor Chakwas came into the room to check on their beleaguered patient.

"How are you doing, Mr. Krios?" She asked. "Has Jack been treating you well?"

"She's done a fine job, Doctor," Thane assured. "And I am much better, thank you. I still feel like I should rest though."

Chakwas agreed to that assessment with a nod and turned to Jack.

"I thought you two should know," she informed them. "Tali is awake and she says she feels up to walking around. She's putting on her new suit now and the others are going to keep an eye on her. They're going up to see Mordin at the moment. He says has something he wants to show them. I think it may have to do with that 'specimen', as he calls it, that he brought on board."

Right, that ugly looking monster corpse, Jack had almost forgotten about that. She really hoped Mordin had made sure that thing was dead. She didn't want to go hunting for it through the ducts or anything. That would fucking suck.

"Mordin suggested that you two join them," she explained. "He wants most of the ground team to see his findings. He says it's important for future encounters."

"If it tells me how to kill the fuckers better, fine by me," Jack stated. "Are you up for it, Lizard Lips?"

"Perhaps stretching my legs would be a little beneficial," he relented. "And if it betters our knowledge of this enemy that would be good too."

Chakwas nodded and headed back out the door, Jack and Thane followed heading towards the elevator as they did. Jack was happy that they wouldn't be going much further in their little conversation from before. But the drell's words held a ring of truth. She just couldn't deal with it right now. They still had evil zombie monsters to fight after all.

---

Varvok had retreated back to the Fallen Serpent, now residing at the center of the orbiting Fleet of Particular Justice. His only two companions were Zek and Retz, who had taken seats across the small table from him. Varvok's mind was swimming with the full weight of the truth he had just learned. Balak had lied to him, right to his face. He had as much a hand in the deaths of his men as the Covenant did. The shock was almost too much to bear.

"Why?" He asked aloud. "Why would he do this to us? He knew what was happening all along and he didn't even tell me. It makes no sense."

"Isn't it obvious?" Zek responded, slightly annoyed at the batarian's wallowing. "He doesn't care about how many of his own people he steps over to get what he wants. All he cares about is the Covenant helping him to destroy his enemies. If that means he has to sacrifice a few damn soldiers to keep the sangheili happy, he'll do it. I think its clear now who really holds sway over this little partnership of yours."

"I trusted him," Varvok reiterated, still shocked at it all. "He was like a second father to me. I would've followed him anywhere, done anything for him, and he lied to me. He let the Covenant take my men and send them to do their dirty work. He allowed them to use our people as cannon fodder."

Zek slid over a large cylinder of ichor across the table to him. Varvok grasped it in his hand as approached him. Picking it up he saw the colour of it was a mixture of red and dark orange. He looked over to Zek and saw he was holding the same color ichor.

"Go ahead," Zek offered. "It's a good one, secreted from a large female in heat at the base of the tail. Strong stuff."

Any other day, Varvok would've refused. However, he didn't think drinking puss from an ugly giant alien whale would make him feel any less terrible than he did right now. He popped the top and poured the drink into his mouth. He practically chugged through a third before he came up for air, coughing heavily as he did.

"Ugh, you weren't kidding," he said, breathing in heavily as he did. "It's like drinking a whole keg of Kektrok Brandy."

"The taste is what's really important," Zek informed him.

"Its tangy, that's for sure," Varvok admitted, only managing a slight chuckle before he returned to his morose tone. "It doesn't make me feel better though."

"It never does," Zek stated, eyeing the batarian slightly as he spoke. "But it does take your mind off the crap you have to endure working for the Covenant for a fleeting moment. That's all that matters for some."

Varvok exhaled greatly, taking another sip from the cylinder before he began rubbing the side of his head. He kept thinking back to his conversation with Balak. He tried to replay the moments in his head, tried to find some point of Balak wanting to tell him the truth. That he just had his hands tied, it wasn't his fault.

But no, there was no hesitation or nervousness. He was perfectly fine with what he had done. For all the trust Varvok had in him, Balak didn't trust him enough to admit to the truth. Perhaps he knew this was how he'd react, that he would never accept sacrificing soldiers to cover up the Covenant's folly. However, just because Balak had been right didn't excuse him. It made it worse. He knew this was wrong, but did it anyway without a second thought

Zek was right. Balak didn't care about him or his men. He cared about protecting their relationship with the Covenant. He only cared about getting their technology and assistance in beating the humans and reclaiming the glory of the Empire. Varvok wanted the Hegemony to be strong again as well, but not like this. The Covenant were just using them, either to further their own crusade or to die for them like meat shields.

He understood the importance of sacrifice. He was a soldier, it came with the job. But this wasn't the cause he had volunteered to die for. He wasn't even sure if Balak was the same man he'd have followed either.

"I remember him telling me about the greatness of our people," Varvok reflectively evoked aloud. "How proud we once were. He wanted to get that back. He wanted to make our people strong again. I never imagined he'd go to this length to achieve it. Not at the needless cost of lives. My men signed up to defend the Hegemony and their families. Not to become food for alien monsters."

"He's let his hatred for humans override whatever morals he has," Retz readily concluded. "The Covenant always promises a lot at a heavy cost. Money, security, technology, salvation, not getting killed, whatever the sales pitch is. It's different every time. All you need to do is sacrifice everything you used to be. Balak was just a lot quicker to give in it seems."

"We can't just let this stand," Varvok stated, pounding his fist on the table. "We have to do something."

"And what exactly can we do?" Zek asked in kind. "I'm open to some suggestions."

Varvok couldn't answer that. He had no idea how to proceed. He couldn't trust Balak, he definitely couldn't rely on the Covenant, but in both cases he was trapped. He couldn't defy either, even though he knew it would be the only way they'd survive. Could he take that step given what it would mean?

"Thel is about to launch another attack on the Control Room," Varvok noted. "We're more than likely going to be a part of that at some point. I'm recalling my forces to the Fallen Serpent. At least they'll be under my command and away from the sangheili. After that... I don't know what to do."

"Well they're welcome aboard," Zek promised. "But the second we're back groundside they're going to have a lot more to worry about than uncaring Covenant Officers ordering them to their deaths. They still got those Parasite monsters to contend with."

"What are they anyway?" Varvok asked. "I've never seen any kind of creature like them. They're not natural and they're too smart to be just dumb animals either."

Zek could only offer a shrug. He was as clueless as Varvok as to answer to that question. Retz, however, cleared his throat at the question, gaining the other two's immediate attention. His face held a dire, foreboding look to it as he spoke.

"I can't be certain, but after giving your video files of what went down there a look, I have an idea," he admitted. "It's outlandish, but given the circumstances..."

"Well don't hold us in suspense, Retz," Zek told him insistently. "Spill."

Retz took another swig of his own glass of water before he started.

"There are stories about the Forerunners," he said, holding the bottom of his beak as he spoke. "About how they faced a terrible enemy, one that corrupted everything it touched. Mainstream opinion suggests they're only stories and the Covenant Leadership doesn't like talking about it much. It suggests there was something potentially stronger than the Forerunners after all. That doesn't make them sound very god-like."

"And what exactly do these stories say?" Varvok asked.

"Supposedly, this enemy spread across the galaxy," Retz continued. "It consumed anything and everything like a cancer. Millions of worlds died, nothing was spared. According to the stories, the Forerunners beat them eventually, employing their superior knowledge and technology. No one could be sure if anything of the sort had occurred though, so it just flittered back into the whole overall religious narrative of the Forerunner's supremacy and righteousness. I guess we can see now that there was some truth to the legend after all."

Retz took another sip of his water as he let the story resonate with Zek and Varvok.

"Well if the Forerunners beat them they did a piss poor half-ass job of it," Zek grimaced.

"Do these things even have a name?" Varvok asked. "Besides 'The Parasite', I mean?"

"Most popular one I keep hearing over the Battlenet is 'The Flood'," Retz admitted. "An apt title I suppose, given that they seem to bury their foes in overwhelming numbers. I can't say for certain if these things are the same as the ones in the legend, but I know they got the sangheili scared and taking pause for once. They don't scare easily."

Retz stared deeply into the water of his glass.

"One thing is for sure," he gravely stated. "If this Flood is like the old stories claim, then we're not even safe up here. As long as we're near Halo, we're just a big hovering buffet table waiting for them to come on over. And when they're done with us, who knows where they'll head to next."

Varvok didn't want to think about that, but it made the situation clearer. Halo was a death trap and the springboard for worse things if these creatures weren't stopped.

"The only way to keep that from happening might be to burn the whole surface of the ring," he reasoned. "Glass Halo until nothing living is left."

"Big chance of that happening," Zek told him. "This place is sacred to the Covenant. They'll chop their own limbs off before they try that. For the moment, let's just focus on getting our men back here safe. I'm already recalling everyone from Halo myself. We're going to need all hands on deck to survive this shit storm when the attack on that Control Room comes."

At that moment, one member of the Fallen Serpent crew approached the table at a frantic pace.

"Sir, most of our dropships have come into our docking bay, but we're short," he explained. "We're missing one of our squads."

"Which one?" Zek asked.

"Same guys we sent down to the Silent Cartographer Island on that Zuka guy's orders," he explained. "They're not here."

Zek looked baffled at the news, his face scrunching into a bemused grin.

"That's impossible, I recalled everyone," he stated, his look one of bewilderment. "Look, they have tracers on all our landing craft. Look in the computer and check the logs about their status. I'm sure there's been a mistake."

"We did check the computer," the crewman worriedly informed him. "The tracer's transmission logs state they picked up the squad hours ago while you were down on Halo, before you sent the recall order. After that it drops off the grid."

"Off the Grid?" Zek asked, his confusion turning to concern now. He looked over to Retz anxiously. "Check the Battlenet, higher echelons, we have access now after we hacked in, right? Find out where that dropship went. Someone gave my men orders without my knowledge and I want to know where they sent them."

Retz pulled up his personal computer and hurriedly searched for the dropship's designation number in the operations manifest. In a few moments he found what he was looking for and he didn't like it. He looked at Zek, utterly stunned by the information.

"They... they were rerouted to an excavation site on the mainland a few miles away," he regretfully reported. "All it says is that they were to... reinforce the garrison there. Contact was lost at the site moments after they arrived."

Retz didn't have to say anymore. The fact he said they had been sent to an excavation site was more than enough. He gripped his cylinder of ichor, cracking the glass slightly, his eyes burning with rage.

"Another dropship did a fly-by recon of the area an hour ago," Retz continued. "They spotted a Phantom, most likely ours. It was... in pieces on the ground."

"Who. Ordered. Them. There?" He asked slowly and methodically.

"Orna 'Fulsamee, on direct request of the Prophet of Empathy," Retz reported back sorrowfully. "It seems they made good on their threat from before to send our people down there. I'm sorry, Zek. There's nothing else in the report."

Zek started breathing heavily through his nostrils, anger boiling over in his eyes as his feathers stood on end. His hand suddenly closed into a fist, the glass cylinder shattering into pieces and spilling ichor over the table. His palm was cut open by the broken pieces, blood pouring from the cuts. Varvok got up, getting out his omni-tool and readying medi-gel. Zek was already walking up out of his seat.

"Zek," Varvok tried to catch his attention. "Zek, just calm down. You're bleeding there, let me-"

"The fuckers killed them," he growled in a low, threatening tone that was steadily rising. "The fuckers killed them and they thought I wouldn't notice. They snatched them right from under me and sent them off to die. And they didn't even bother to tell me. Just to spite me! Mother fucking eight-foot tall piles of shit and that long-necked bug-eyed bastard! They killed my men!"

Zek grabbed his chair and threw it into a wall with enough force to break it in two. He stood there fuming, giving Varvok a chance to administer the medi-gel to his hand. The kig-yar pirate turned to him as the batarian healed the self-inflicted wounds.

"Sending us off to get killed is one thing," he stated. "But now they're actively just grabbing us and shoving us into the meat grinder!"

"I understand," Varvok tried to assure him. "They did it to me too."

"Don't you get it?" Zek asked him, hius anger still bubbling in his voice. "They went through your boss to get your people. They kept me out of the loop and didn't expect me to realise a squad was missing. That's why they didn't even bother hiding it. The sons of bitches saw a chance to snatch my men up when I was looking the other way! That goes against everything I agreed to! Any order they demand of my men goes through me! I maintain authority over my crew directly, they don't answer to anyone else but me! If they want my people they're supposed to talk to me! Not go behind my back!"

Zek pulled away from Varvok, practically pulling out his feathers as he did.

"They think I'm so fucking impotent at this point that they can send my men off to die," he roared in anger. "Just like they think they control you. I gave up our freedom to protect my crew, I sent that squad down to the island, but I was at least ground side. I knew what the risk was! I was in the crosshairs with them! But then they took them away and I didn't even know they did it!"

"Don't blame yourself, Zek," Retz tried to assure him.

"Oh no, I know exactly who to blame," Zek declared furiously. "It's the Covenant's fault. It's always the Covenant slowly bleeding us to death one man at a time. Now they pull this shit under my beak, just like Balak did with Varvok! This was not our agreement! I surrendered my services to save my crew from getting killed by the Covenant! Not so they could kill them slower! So they could die for nothing! For some bullshit they caused!"

He turned and walked over to Varvok, rage pouring from his mouth as he continued to speak.

"I tried pretending that this was better," he explained, his words dripping with ire "I made a choice I thought was best for my men and it led me here to this fucking deathtrap. The Covenant thinks they can just take my men away whenever they want and get away with it. That they can spite me like this because I don't play their game! Well, they're about to learn what I've known for years. Actions have their consequences. Major fucking consequences!"

Zek turned away and stormed out of the room.

"Zek, where are you going?" Retz asked, concerned for his friend's state of mind. "What do you mean consequences?"

"Gather the men, have them meet on the bridge," the Pirate leader ordered as he kept walking. "Call in every favour you have with everyone in this fleet. I don't care what you have to pay them."

"What exactly are you doing?" Varvok called out to him.

"Isn't it obvious, Four-Eyes?" Zek replied back. "I've had my fill of the Covenant and their stupid ring! As of now, our contract with those self-righteous fuckwits is over! I'm taking my ship, my crew and leaving these bastards to rot!"

Zek stormed off, Retz following close behind. Varvok could only stand dumbstruck at it all. They had finally driven the kig-yar pirate to the edge. He wasn't sure exactly how Zek planned to escape Halo, to get away from the Armada. He was sure however, that Zek was just angry enough to attempt it and that he wasn't sure he really wanted to stop him either.

---

Kowalski couldn't sleep or eat. All he could think about was Sergeant Taylor bleeding out in front of him. Just like before, they had all been in the line of fire, but it was someone else who took the hit. And it was Taylor, Alec Taylor, the man who trained them, who led them, who had survived everything with them. Now he was dead and their little Division had decreased by another member. They could barely call it that anymore. It was more like a fire team and a half now.

The others weren't taking it any better. Ellingham had kept punching a wall until his hands were raw and Pearson had to pull him away. Ramirez could only stare blankly ahead of him as he sat on his cot. Agley was even more inconsolable, unable to keep himself from crying.

"It's my fault," he feebly sobbed. "If I hadn't gotten hit, if I had just been faster..."

"Don't blame yourself," Kowalski tried to tell him. "It could've been any one of us who got hit. Sarge would've went back regardless."

"But I was the one that got hit, me! Not you guys," Agley reminded him. "I should've been more careful."

Ellingham was quick to interject before Agley could start crying again.

"Knock it off," he ordered the Private. "Crying and blaming ourselves isn't helping. Those things killed Alec, not us. We should be figuring out how to get back out there and fuck them up."

"And how do we do that?" Ramirez asked Ellingham rather sardonically. "Go tromping through the woods and kill anything that moves. Are you the big bad zombie killer now?"

"At least I'm not moping about this shit," Ellingham growled back. "They took too many of our blood brothers tonight. Sarge was just the one that made this personal for us. We should be figuring out a way to kill every fucking one of them."

"I imagine that's what the higher ups are already doing," Pearson was quick to inform him. "The only thing we can do for now is wait to hear from them, so just cool it."

Ellingham turned to face Pearson, anger still boiling in his eyes.

"Why wait?" He asked sincerely. "Call up the Normandy and have them burn every fucking one of those things they find with their badass energy gun."

"If word around the base is true not all of those things are going to be on the surface," Pearson informed him. "We are not going to win this thing with macho bullshit so chill the fuck out already."

Ellingham growled before he dropped himself hard onto his own cot and kicked the air. It wasn't like he could go off on his own anyway. The base was under lockdown while they assessed the situation. Everyone was recalled and no one would be leaving until Silva or Noble Two gave the go ahead. That meant all they could do was wait.

"I bet the Covenant have something to do with this shit," Ramirez voiced. "Don't ask me how, but I just know they do."

"They're not Husks, that we know for sure," Kowalski noted. "They don't seem like something that would evolve naturally on this ring. We would've seen them long before now if they had."

"I hear the Normandy has more intel," Pearson suggested. "We could always ask your blue alien lady friend to give them a call and ask them to share."

Kowalski turned to Peason, giving him a bit of a stink eye for the proposal.

"I imagine they'll do that anyway," Kowalski replied rather disgruntled at the suggestion. "They've probably already sent a report to Major Silva."

"Just an idea," Pearson told him.

Truthfully, Kowalski wasn't entirely interested in knowing more about these things. Just thinking about they were was bad enough. He was just trying to think what their next play would be. The most likely possibility was escape, but with these monsters down here and a hostile alien armada up there, what were their chances? He supposed the Normandy could fly some of them out, but there were just too many Marines and Army Troopers down here. The frigate would have to leave people behind and he didn't see people like Commander Shepard and Samara doing that.

"The hell are we going to do guys?" Agley asked, breaking the brief silence in the room. "These things killed the Sarge, what does that mean for-"

"It doesn't mean shit," Ellingham was quick to shoot down. "We can fight them. We just have a bloody nose from our first match, that's all."

"Doesn't feel like one," Ramirez bluntly stated. "It feels more like we got a knife shoved in our gut."

"Ramirez has a point," Kowalski interjected. "This is a whole new war now, Ellingham. We can't ignore that. The shit that went down in woods made that clear."

But Ellingham just shook his head voraciously at him.

"Come on, man," he said with a grumble. "You're letting a bunch of corpses with guns scare you."

"It's not just that," Kowalski insisted. "You saw it yourself, they didn't stop. If Lieutenant McKay didn't order us to fall back we'd all be dead. We can't win a defensive fight and there's already too many for us to all take head on. It's like the only strategy they have is to keep coming at you until they overwhelm you. Then they drag you off, kicking and screaming... to become one of them. The Covenant just kill us. These things bring us back to fight on their side. That ambush, the guns, they're not stupid. They got an endgame."

"You'd be wise to trust Private Kowalski's warnings."

Everyone turned to room entrance to see Samara standing there.

"I cannot explain it myself," she continued. "But I too feel a sense of malevolence to these creatures. Their ability to force the dead against their former friends and think strategically is evidence enough of that."

"Sam," Kowalski said, immediately standing up.

"Forgive my intrusion, Kowalski," she apologised. "I know you are in mourning. I only wished to offer my condolences. Sergeant Taylor was a brave man. I wish I could've known him better."

Everyone bowed their heads and nodded.

"Well, thanks," Pearson told her earnestly. "And we appreciate that, uh, little last rites thing you gave him too."

"It was no trouble, I assure you," Samara comfortingly replied. "While still tragic, blessing the passing of an honourable man is a solemn duty I was privileged to take part in. I only hope I will not have to perform it again soon."

After a brief reflecting silence, Kowalski suddenly spoke up.

"So, have you heard from your team yet?" He asked. "Are they okay?"

"Not entirely," she admitted. "They were attacked by these creatures too. Tali'Zorah was injured and almost lost her life. They did learn some intriguing things about these creatures, however. Like that they are apparently called the Flood."

"Well, at least we have a name," said Ellingham with a shrug.

"Sadly, they learned their name at a cost," Samara continued. "Commander Shepard and the Master Chief were both abducted by some kind of Artificial Intelligence."

That news immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Abducted?" Kowalski said in astonishment. "Well, that's just fantastic isn't? Where are they now?"

"Unknown," Samara sadly reported. "But the Normandy is en route to the Control Room as we speak. They think that Cortana can provide answers."

At least there was some good news. At this point, they still had too many questions and no answers. The only certain thing they knew was that things seemed to be just snowballing downhill fast. At this point, it was anyone's guess where'd they'd all end up.

---

Sergeant Johnson gave the disgusting mass of flesh laying on the slab a good hard look, but eventually pulled away due to the smell. The dead Elite Combat Form's stench was overpowering, even for the surgical masks he and everyone else was wearing. Mordin had to ask EDI to turn up the lab's olfactory filtration systems just to siphon off enough of the stink to be bearable.

"They're about as stinky as they are ugly," Johnson stated, cupping his hand over his nose. "And Elites are already plenty ugly on their own without the little tentacle parasites busting out of their rib cages."

"Stench typical for decaying flesh," Mordin noted aloud. "Even preserved, must remember that specimen was out in the field for an extended time. The fact it was still walking after expiration did not slow decaying progress. Odour may be due to other factors besides rot as well. Nature of infection and subsequent mutation could be exacerbating existing smell."

"How about we stick to general basics, Professor," Garrus requested as Sergeant Johnson backed up to stand beside him. "What exactly can you tell us about this thing from your autopsy?"

Mordin had been rather busy after Tali's operation had been completed. He hadn't wasted any time in cutting the Combat Form open and taking a look inside. By now his results were more or less in and they attracted the attention of pretty much everyone on board. Besides Johnson and Garrus, Sergeant Buck and every member of the ground team currently on board were quick to rush up to Mordin's lab. That included their recovering quarian friend as well.

Of course, Tali had to be helped to the lab as her body was still recovering. She was able to walk under her own power, but Garrus and Kasumi were asked to watch her. More than once they had to keep her from losing her balance and toppling over. Chakwas said temporary issues with her equilibrium were a likely side effect of the minor electro-shock therapy they had used. All the sedatives, antibiotics and other drugs they had pumped into her system to keep her alive during the operation weren't helping with it either.

Regardless of what pain she still felt, or what recovery she had left, Tali wasn't about to let any of it keep her down. She, more than anyone it seemed, wanted to face these things again. She wanted to know more about how to beat them. She wasn't about to let a dead one of them keep her in fear. Garrus couldn't say no to that, so with a new fully-sealed suit and her friends acting as crutches, Tali found her way to Mordin's lab. She sat further back from the main group, taking note of everything along with the rest of the crew.

Mordin, in the meantime, was busy answering Garrus' questions. He used a small medical tool to help point out particular bits of interest for everyone to see. What he had found was rather startling.

"As originally suspected, most of internal organs of specimen unrecognizable" he explained in his usual rapid tone. "Vital organs, major arteries, everything mostly turned to mush. Basic bone structure largely left intact."

"That sounds as disgusting as expected" Tali said froma cross the way, sounding like she was about to gag.

"Indeed," Mordin readily answered. "Specimen heavily mutated from inside first before changes effected exterior. Result clearly that of the parasite entity that infected host. Discovered remains of parasite where expected, chest cavity."

Mordin took a pair of medical pliers and positioned them inside the open cavity he had made. He pulled hard on them, dislodging the disgusting remnants of what had once been an infection form. While the bulbous head was gone, the creature's feelers, tentacles and core structure remained mostly intact.

"Analysis suggests parasite's flesh sack was possibly destroyed by weapons fire," Mordin explained. "More than likely contained mutagenic biological agent. Curing samples now for more information. Will have results soon. For now, determined how parasite possibly functions."

"You mean how it takes a dead body for a joyride?" Kasumi asked, only half joking. "I'm guessing it has nothing to do with the brain, considering it doesn't matter if we shoot it there."

"Accurate assessment," Mordin confirmed. "Scans of specimen discovered nerve endings tampered with. Different from previous uninfected specimens encountered before. Scans also revealed evidence of minor damage to spine. Confirmed through direct visual analysis."

Mordin used his omni-tool to point a small camera down into the chest cavity. With his other hand, he pulled over a monitor to give everyone a look for themselves. They could see the damage on the spine clearly as well. There were a number of small cuts and scrapes all along it.

"Damage suggests target of attack host's nervous systems. Spine converging point for most species' nerves. Parasite probably attached self to spinal column. Attacked the host's nervous system. Action would kill any infected creature instantly."

"And then the little bastard becomes the new brain and starts working the body like a puppeteer," Jack concluded, her face distorted into a look of revulsion. "How fucking charming."

Mordin nodded in response and his arm out of the chest cavity. The implications of his findings were rather startling. The Flood has a sinister, but seemingly very effective way, of controlling a host. The rapidly increasing number of the monsters down on the surface attested to that fact.

"To be accurate, parasite likely rewrites neural pathways to match own," Mordin elaborated. "But analogy consistent with technical terms. Body responds only to infection form's synapses after infection."

"That doesn't really explain how it gets to look like that," Buck mentioned, pointing to the body itself. "How does it go from regular Covenant ugly to undead horror ugly?"

"Imagine answer lies in liquefied organs," Mordin answered. "Should have further information... now."

Mordin's omni-tool suddenly beeped loudly on cue. He immediately opened it and checked through the results, his eyes darting across the screen.

"Yes, as expected," he stated with a reserved nod. "Liquefied organs are part of mutation process. Genetic structure of arm tentacle carries signifiers of Elite's liver, spleen and stomach. Organs reconfigured, changed, morphed into organic weapon to serve new purpose. Unlikely only thing created through process. Growths and advanced muscle tissue likely result of similar reconfigurations of other body parts."

"How is that even possible?" Buck asked, dumbstruck by the information.

"Biological mutagen that parasite likely released," Mordin replied dutifully, a slight sense of terror in his voice. "Capability beyond scope of any normal virus. Suggests greater intelligence at work to be capable of feat. Restructuring genetic material at cellular level. Causes complete overwriting of host's original DNA and mind. Insidious. Malevolent. Would have thought impossible without overwhelming evidence."

It was truly terrifying, and sounded eerily similar to what happened to victims of the Dragon's Teeth that created husks. But that was technology, this was a living organism. And Mordin wasn't even half done with his examination.

"How long do you think it would take to do all this?" Tali asked warily. "To take total control?"

"Depends on strength of virus," Mordin surmised. "Required intelligence for molecular restructuring would be massively complex. Effects likely noticeable within seconds of parasite usurping control."

"Yeah, I can confirm that," Johnson added gravely. "Not long after they attacked us, my people started turning on me. The assholes wasted no time in making my fellow Marines play for their side."

Johnson's confirmation of Mordin's findings left a great chill in the air. It was clear now that this Flood was more than just a hostile alien. It was a virus, a plague, one with intention. That made it sound like the Reapers, with some very clear differences.

"At least the husks take a little more time to cook," Kasumi grumbled.

"It does explain how they've expanded so quickly," Thane added.

Mordin next held up the large tentacle with his pliers. He eyed it carefully before making an incision along the side. Puss oozed out of the tendril proper and Mordin's grimace widened.

"Inherent limitations with procedure," he stated next. "Can only use host's predetermined biomass to mutate body. Must be selective. Risk of damaging vital bone structure necessary for operation of host. Explains why tentacle appendage instead of ranged weapon. Not enough genetic material in either human or Elite to form it. Makes up for shortcoming in area. Uses pre-constructed weapons stolen from host or acquired later."

"So, not exactly like the Husks that get weapons and armour grafted onto them," Garrus surmised.

Mordin shook his head at the very notion.

"No, completely unlike Reaper Indoctrination and Husks," he was quick to correct, before he began pacing back and forth. "Not just because process organic. Mind taken over instantly. Not gradually through subtle means. Genetic structure completely broken down and reconstituted. Husks more patchwork. Stitched together. Flood more similar actually to Reaper creation. Only far quicker and less complex. In ways, worse than Reapers. Genetic altering on massive scale. Uniformity demanded. Mind and body fully altered. Everything supplanted in seconds. All favouring of new organism and new purpose. Horrifying prospect indeed."

"Yeah, it's starting sound as bad as it can get it seems," Johnson was quick to concur. "I don't suppose you can whip up a cure in here for it?"

Mordin could only shake his head sadly.

"Unlikely," he surmised. "Hosts already dead. Nervous system and body completely altered. No possible way to repair. Can't vaccinate for parasitic organism. Body can't defend or react quickly enough to attack. Mutagenic bio-organism extremely advanced. Highly intelligent. Possibly has own built in defences against medical procedures. Even if had idea where to start... lab unlikely adequate to meet challenge."

"So the only cure is a bullet to the thing in the chest," Jack noted. "Well, I don't think we have enough bullets for all of them at this point. I guess we could take the Normandy's guns and just burn the fuckers."

"We don't have the firepower to do that to the whole ring," Garrus told her regretfully. "And I doubt the Covenant would even tolerate us torching a tree on this sacred little artificial world of theirs."

It seemed to them they had no means of fighting these things. The only people who did have that kind firepower, the Covenant, were definitely not going to help them either. That left them with very few options, beyond escape of course.

"Alright let's try to work this out," Buck tried to reason. "So these super intelligent zombie parasites are held in storage on this damn ring for who knows how long. Then the Covenant come about, end up releasing them while they're poking around for who knows what and start this whole outbreak. It seems to me that the folks who built this place created a jail cell for these things. I mean, if that's the case, they had to have a way to stop a prison break, right?"

"Maybe that Monitor that took Shep and the others knows?" Kasumi suggested. "He sounded like the caretaker of this place according to EDI. What do you think, Tali? You saw the thing in person after all."

But Tali honestly couldn't say for sure. She knew about as much concerning the Monitor's motivations as anyone else did. She only had feelings.

"I think it clearly wants to stop the Flood," she admitted. "But I don't know why it would need Shepard, Miranda and Zaeed. The Master Chief seemed to be the primary goal. The others were curiosities as far as I can recall."

Everyone next turned to the only other AI expert in the room, Legion standing just a few feet away from Tali. The geth had remained rather quiet up until now, as it had nothing significant offer. It did its best to give its own answer, but couldn't illuminate it much either.

"If the AI is meant to care for Halo, it is likely it abducted all four for just that purpose," Legion tried to posit. "If we were required to protect a similar installation, we would be fully devoted to that task. Just as this Monitor is. How Shepard Commander and the others are required to carry out this programming, we cannot say ourselves. It is likely the Control Room holds any answer to such a contingency plan."

"Or Cortana does," Tali was quick to add. "Considering she's plugged into it, I doubt she doesn't have some idea herself."

"Speaking of the naked glowing know-it all," Jack spoke up. "Any idea why she didn't tell any of you that these things were out there? We probably could've avoided a lot of this shit if she had."

Tali suddenly pulled herself up from her seat, looking towards Jack and the group at large with a determined look.

"I don't know for sure," she admitted. "But I doubt Cortana wouldn't have told us without a reason why. If she meant to harm us, why did she send that message to me? The only 'C' I know capable of doing that is Cortana. And if she could see me in trouble, she could probably see where Shepard is. She's our only link to finding him. We need to figure out the whole story before we go jumping to conclusions about her. Trust me, that always leads to bad things with AI."

"We should probably still consider the worst, Tali," Kasumi warned. "She did seem a bit wonky when Chief plugged her in."

"I'm not ready to make calls until we're down there," Tali resolutely insisted. "I've worked with her, I know her. She sent that message to me and you somehow, Kas. Without her, I'd be dead. Until I see otherwise, we don't consider anything. I owe her that much. We all owe her that much."

Just then, EDI's voice came over the loud speaker.

"We're approaching the Control Room's location now," she stated. "I have asked the hangar crew to prep the shuttle for you."

"Good EDI," Garrus nodded. "Me and Kasumi will take Tali down. Buck and Johnson, you should probably head down with us, report to Holland while we talk to Cortana. Everyone else, wait here for further orders. And Mordin, burn that bag of mutated crap already."

"Of course," Mordin concurred, starting up his omni-tool. "Knowledge of biological make-up makes it considerable risk. Will take immediate action."

The salarian then set off an incineration blast that roasted the dead Combat Form on the slab. As the body turned to ash, everyone began to file out of the room. Tali tried to hobble out on her own power, but Garrus insisted on supporting her as she walked. She knew she should stay aboard, but she needed to talk to Cortana and she was probably the only one that could convince her to open the door.

They needed answers, and she needed Shepard back. Tali was sure Cortana had both.

---

Zek hadn't stopped walking since he called the whole crew up to the bridge. Varvok was barely able to keep pace. He was still fuming, still angry, and both the batarian and Retz were concerned he wasn't thinking straight.

"Do you really think leaving is the best idea, Zek?" Varvok asked. "It might just end up getting everyone on this ship killed."

"Everyone on this ship is already getting killed," Zek argued. "They've been dying ever since I made that stupid deal. I knew that, I always did. I was just too damn stupid to admit it."

"Zek, desertion is a treasonous offense," Retz reminded him as they kept chasing after the enraged pirate leader. "If you do this, there's no going back. They won't give us another deal. I just want to know if you're sure about this. If you know what you're doing."

Zek stopped in his tracks suddenly turned to the both of them, the fury in his eyes replaced by deep longing regret.

"We've been bleeding to death for years," he stated sullenly. "Suffocating hour by hour, minute by minute. If we haven't been losing men, we've been losing ourselves. Everything that mattered to us is gone because of my decision. Because I decided it was better to give up our freedom for their bullshit. I thought it meant safety. That we'd be able to at least survive, but that was a mistake. We're not surviving, we're drowning. Yesterday it was who we once were. Today, it was a squad. Tomorrow the whole fucking ship could be next. No more, we're not shedding a fucking feather more for their cause."

He looked directly into Retz's eyes with an unwavering stare and tone of voice as he spoke.

"So when you ask me, am I sure about this, my answer is this," he stated. "You're damn right I'm sure."

Zek continued rushing down the hall, giving off more orders as he walked.

"Get every plasma torpedo primed and ready," he demanded. "Get anti-air fit and prepped too. And skip regulations. Go back to what we used to do. Add a little juice to the cannons where you can. This is going to be our ship again soon enough anyhow, one way or another."

Varvok just hoped it was the way that didn't get them killed. His men were on this ship as well after all. He wasn't sure about putting them at risk because Zek was fed up. But at the same time, he couldn't deny the kig-yar had a point. Balak had turned his back on him and his battalion. He had sold them out for guns, to save this ruse of an alliance.

But was that enough to turn his back on him? The person who recruited him? The Covenant he could betray in an instant, but Balak? Was he ready to cross that line?

Zek entered onto the bridge at last and found the entire crew waiting for him. They were all packed together rather tightly, but they were still a small ship and small crew. Zek scrambled up to the Shipmaster's platform, Retz by his side and Varvok not too far away.

"For those of you not aware," Zek began. "The Covenant have betrayed our trust for the final time. They have violated our agreement, stole a squadron of our fellows away from us, then knowingly and willingly sent them to their deaths. It is a major breach of our arrangement as all orders pertaining to any operation are to go through me first. They have shown their true colours, our lives do not matter to them. They will lead us to our deaths against these... things that they have unleashed through their arrogance."

The kig-yar crew mumbled among themselves, obviously disturbed by the news. Zek quickly placed his hands up and quieted them down.

"Years ago, I made the decision to surrender ourselves to their services," he continued dutifully. "I gave up who we were, to save your lives. I had no time to make a vote and I had no time to consider what you wanted. I did what I thought was best then. For every death caused by this decision, I accept full responsibility. But I will accept seeing us die for the Covenant no longer!"

Zek suddenly slammed his fist on the master control panel.

"Working with the Covenant no longer aligns with our best interests," he continued on. "Their actions have unleashed a terrible force, one that will destroy them. I have seen what it will do to us if we stay, if we stand with the very shitheads who set it loose! If they intend to sacrifice our lives to save this stupid ring, then I say fuck them and their ring. We will tear up our contract and leave them to their precious Halo and to the monstrosities they've unleashed."

The assembled kig-yar seemed hesitant at first, looking to each other, trying to gauge their reactions to the statement. Zek saw this and quickly picked up steam.

"I cannot promise you will be able to pull it off," Zek admitted passionately. "Nor can I promise that if we do it will be easy. All I can promise is this. Freedom! Freedom to be as we once were, to travel the endless void unhindered by the orders of religious fanatics. Freedom to make our own choices, to live without rulers lording over us. Freedom to choose our battles, to make our fortunes our own. This may last for years onward or for a few seconds after we make our intentions clear. Either way, we're free, and if we die we die making our own choices! If we stay here, it means we die for certain; if we leave, at least have a chance."

Zek pulled out his plasma machete, holding it in his hand as he activated it.

"I won't make this decision for you all like last time though," he informed them coolly. "I want this to be our choice. So I ask you all now, do you stand with me or do you wish to remain grovelling servants of the bastards who couldn't care less about your lives anyway?"

The kig-yar stood silent, still unsure of what to say. Zek looked around, trying not to look worried. Varvok wondered if he was about to see a mutiny or something worse. He looked to the door, wondering if he could escape if things went bad. Instead, Retz stepped up to Zek's side and pulled out his plasma pistol, lifting it up into the air.

"Do you stand by your shipmaster, men?" He demanded of the crew. "Do you stand by this ship?"

Varvok thought he saw Zek smile at Retz, and Retz smile back. Moments later, one of the crewmembers walked up out of the crowd and pulled his own blade, a purple glowing spike of some sort. Then, he lifted up into the air.

"Fuck the sangheili," he declared.

Seconds later, another kig-yar stepped out and did the same.

"Fuck the Prophets!" He shouted aloud.

A third poked his head out of the crowd, lifting his own gun high.

"Fuck the Contract!" He screamed.

And soon, what was a trickle of dissent, evolved into more cries, more weapons raised and more insults towards their so-called masters.

"Fuck this Fleet!"

"Fuck the Supreme Commander!"

"Fuck their Ring!"

"Fuck their Gods!"

"Fuck the Covenant!"

The last one got the biggest reaction of all, and before long everyone was shouting those words. "Fuck the Covenant" filled the room, drowning out all other sounds. The entire crew was behind Zek, and the kig-yar Pirate leader raised his own sword in solidarity with his men.

"Today, we begin anew!" He declared aloud proudly and ardently. "Today, we stop the bleeding at long last! Today! The Fallen Serpent... RISES!"

The crew cheered aloud, cawing and cooing, before finally chanting Zek's name in unison, In the middle of their battle cry, Zek turned to Varvok and held out a plasma pistol for him in his hand.

"Time to choose, Four Eyes," he told him softly. "Who do you want to die for? Them and Balak? Or you and yours? There ain't no third option."

Varvok supposed there weren't. He could leave now, unsure if Zek would let him though. He could get his men off the ship. He could tell the Covenant of Zek's plan. He could do all that and preserve Balak's agenda. And then he could wait for Thel, Orna or Empathy to order his troops to die fighting the Flood while they ran for cover. Balak would probably declare him a hero, his sacrifice honourable and that he'd died serving the Hegemony. Another lie, told to his family this time and his people this time. The truth would be lost, just like with his brothers.

Zek called it a choice, but it really was no choice at all. He grabbed the plasma pistol and held it in the air.

"Fuck the Covenant," he declared with but a whisper.

Zek grinned broadly, pleased with Zek's decision.

"Welcome to the Pirate Life, Four Eyes," he chuckled through his beak.

---

Once more they materialised, appearing once more in the Control Room they had left close to a day ago. And it was about time, as the Master Chief and Shepard had discovered that their earlier belief about being picked apart and put back together had been wrong. Guilty Spark could still talk while they were travelling. He could talk a lot, specifically about the Flood and how fascinating they were.

"...which means any species with sufficient mass and cognitive capability is a potential vector," he finished explaining.

Shepard supposed he liked learning more about the enemy, but considering they were about to kill them all he didn't think it really mattered. At least this was about to be over soon. For the Master Chief, however, his thoughts were on something else. Cortana, this was where they had left her last? Was she still here, or had Holland and the garrison managed to pry open the doors somehow? He looked about the place, wondering that in his thoughts.

"Is something wrong?" Guilty Spark asked him, picking up his concern.

"Uh, no, nothing," Chief quickly responded.

"Splendid," Spark replied. "Shall we?"

The Monitor floated off again, but Shepard and his two crewmates stayed with Chief.

"Shouldn't we tell him that-"

"No," Chief told Shepard in a hushed tone. "I don't want to aggravate him. We don't know how he'll react to an AI being in Halo's systems. He is likely rampant, remember?"

"Right, best be careful with what we say," Shepard admitted.

They began walking towards the control terminal along the see through walkway. However, they didn't get very far before they heard the doors behind them begin to open suddenly. They turned around, expecting maybe Holland or his troops to be there. Instead, they got a surprise. Tali, stepped in first, followed by Garrus and Kasumi. Shepard couldn't believe it, not only were they all alive, but here.

Tali managed to register Shepard immediately herself, eyes growing wide in similar amazement and shock. There they were, standing mere feet in front of one another, alive and well.

"Shepard!" Tali shouted out overjoyed.

She rushed towards her Commander, her legs managing to keep her upright long enough for Shepard to reach her. She practically jumped into his arms, almost tackling him like she did on their first night together. Shepard returned the embraced.

"Oh thank God," he said relieved, holding her close to him. "You're okay."

"I am now," Tali said holding him tight, sounding like she was about to cry. "I didn't know what to think after... I wasn't sure if we'd find you again."

"It's alright," he told her sweetly. "We're okay, a little tired, but okay."

Tali nuzzled Shepard, almost like a cat before silently whispering in his ear.

"I love you, I need you to know that," she said. "I love you. I never say that enough, but I love you."

"I love you too," Shepard answered back, slightly surprised at the sudden declaration. "Why...?"

"Don't say anything," Tali demanded him. "Just don't leave again. Never leave again."

Shepard did his best to hold onto the quarian tightly, but sadly they weren't the only people in the room. And they still had a job to do, as the Monitor was quick to inform him. He spoke up, catching the attention of Tali, who starred up at him in equal shock.

"Excuse me, but we have pressing matters," he informed her.

"YOU!?" Tali screeched in disbelief, pulling away from Shepard and taking out her gun. "You little thieving bosh'tet! I should kill you!"

Shepard suddenly grabbed Tali's gun before she could fire, pushing it down.

"Whoa, easy, that won't do anything anyway," he quickly informed her.

"Wade? What are you doing?" Tali asked astonished. "That thing left me to die and took you away against your will!"

"Trust me, no one's angrier at him than me," Shepard stated, only momentarily eying Miranda. "But he's kind of helping us."

Shepard looked to the Master Chief and waved him ahead. He figured he had some explaining to do to everyone before they caught up. As Guilty Spark hummed his way up to the Control Panel once more, Shepard began the task of explaining as much as he could in the short time they had.

"What the hell happened, Shepard?" Garrus asked, as confused as anyone to see them here.

"It's a very long, equal parts terrifying and annoying story," Miranda summed up rather briskly in response.

"Point is, the Monitor wanted to find out how we figured into his protocol," Shepard tried to clarify. "He really wanted the Chief to get the key to activating this ring, but he also wanted to know how to react to us as well. So he kinda annoyingly snatched us up for a damn experiment."

"But now we got a way to kill these Flood bastards for good," Zaeed added. "Master Chief just plugs in this little green key and we're set."

Tali still seemed a little perplexed at it all, as did everyone, but she had at least calmed down.

"So, we're about to make the Flood a non-issue then?" The quarian asked hopefully.

"Pretty much," Shepard confirmed. "Come on, let's join the Chief. Once this is done, then you can fill me in on what happened while I was gone."

"Oh believe me," Kasumi was quick to speak up. "We got a lot to share."

"Likewise," Miranda added, sounding rather tired.

They small group finally caught up to the Master Chief just as Guilty Spark handed over the index to the Spartan. The key rematerialized in the human super-soldier's hand and he grasped it tight.

"Unfortunately, my particular usefulness to this endeavour has come to an end," he stated.

"You were useful?" Miranda grumbled sarcastically.

Shepard shushed her and let the Monitor continue.

"Protocol does not allow constructs with my classification to..." he momentarily gasped suddenly, before continuing onward. "Perform a task as important as the reunification of the Index with the Core. It would be impossible anyway. That final step is reserved for YOU, Reclaimer."

The Master Chief looked back to the others and then back to the console. He lifted the key and then slid into the assigned slot. The second he did, the machinery around the room began to groan to life, lights flashed, chimes sounded, images swirled around them, something seemed to be powering up and then...

Nothing. Everything went dead silent once more. Everyone, even Guilty Spark, was confused by the turn of events.

"Well that was a whole lot of nothing," Kasumi shrugged.

"Odd," Guilty Spark stated rather befuddled. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Oh really?"

Out of nowhere, a burst of energy exploded from the console. It hit Guilty Spark dead on, throwing him across the room. He collided and rolled across the walkway, coming to a stop halfway along it. Everyone turned instantly back to the source of the blast and saw, standing over them, the furious form of rather large Cortana. She looked practically livid, at not only Chief but all of them.

"Cortana?" The Spartan asked in shock, but the AI didn't let him get another word in.

"I've spent the past several hours cooped up in here," she chastised him irately. "Watching you toady about, almost seeing Tali get killed, while you helped that thing get set to slit out throats!"

"Wait? Almost get killed?" Shepard spoke up, slightly taken aback. "Tali, what's she talking about?"

"Explain later, priorities," Tali hurriedly told him before turning to the AI. "Cortana what-"

"Not now!" She shouted. "Busy talking to my Spartan for the moment!"

Tali stepped back and Chief tried his best to calm her as Spark managed to right himself.

"Cortana, hold on a second here," he tried to explain, looking back at Spark. "It's okay, he's a friend."

"Uh, I wouldn't really go that far, to be honest," Miranda quickly spoke up, holding up her hand with the index finger out.

Cortana suddenly raised a hand to mouth in mock surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise," she said sarcastically, but with the anger still bubbling beneath the surface. "He's your pal, is he? Your chum? Hmm? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT BASTARD ALMOST MADE YOU DO!?"

"Yes," Chief replied, trying to remain calm and level headed. "Activate Halo's defences and destroy the Flood. Which is why we brought the Index to the Control Center."

Cortana, now looking rather disapprovingly at the Spartan, revealed that said Index was in her digital hands. She brought up to her eye level for all to see.

"You mean this?" She asked rather plainly.

"Careful with that," Zaeed warned. "We went through a lot of bloody trouble for it you know."

"I can't break it, it's digitized," Cortana informed the old merc grouchily.

Guilty Spark had fully recovered from the shock now though, and he was about as livid as Cortana. Although obviously not for the same reasons as she was, of course.

"A construct? In the Core?" He said, his usual quirky demeanour evaporating into one of disgruntled dissatisfaction. "That is absolutely unacceptable!"

"Sod off!" Cortana shouted at him.

"What impertinence," Spark declared as he flew up in front of her. "You're even worse than the Construct aboard the inter-dimensional ship! I shall purge you at once!"

Cortana grew a cheeky grin at that comment, seemingly unafraid of the threat.

"You sure that's a good idea?" She asked smarmily, waving the Index around before its data seemingly seeped back into her body, absorbed into her own code.

Guilty Spark was clearly unhinged at this point, almost unable to form proper sentences any more.

"How... how dare you!" He declared feverishly. "I'll- I'll..."

"Do what?" Cortana dared him as she held up her hand and pointed at it. "I have the Index! You can just FLOAT and SPUTTER!"

"Enough!" Chief shouted aloud, holding his hand up between the two AIs. "This is getting ridiculous."

Finally, it seemed both Spark and Cortana were done shouting. Chief turned back to the latter, intending to get answers. Everyone else was staring at her as well. Tali seemed the most concerned out of them all. She had never seen Cortana this angry, and it frightened her somewhat. She just wasn't sure why.

"Warned you Tali," Kasumi whispered to the quarian.

"Let's hear her side first," Tali insisted again. "We came here for answers after all."

The Master Chief took point on the conversation with Shepard backing him up.

"The Flood is spreading," Chief informed her. "If we can activate Halo's defences we can wipe them out."

"By the way, you didn't exactly give us advanced warning about that whole crisis," Shepard added. "I think we need to start getting answers before we start screaming at one another."

But Cortana just shook her head at them both.

"Firstly, that wasn't my fault and it's not as important right now," she explained heatedly. "Secondly, none of you seem to know how this ring works, do you? Why the Forerunners built it?"

"Again, whose fault is that for not sharing?" Miranda asked bluntly.

Cortana stared the Normandy XO down, the look on her face growing exceedingly enraged.

"I'm sharing now," she continued irately. "Halo doesn't kill Flood, it kills their food! Humans, Covenant, aliens from beyond a wormhole, whatever! We're all equally edible. The only way to stop the Flood is to starve them to death."

"But," Shepard began to reason slowly "If everything is their food..."

"Yeah, there you go," Cortana said, nodding approvingly and almost condescendingly. "That is exactly what Halo is designed to do! Wipe the galaxy clean of all sentient life!"

All at once, everyone's mouths hung open wide, unsure how to take in Cortana's revelation. Destroy all life? That was what kind of weapon this place was? It just seemed so insane. Tali was the first to speak up about the accusation.

"Are you sure about this?" Tali asked her earnestly.

"I checked every system, every layout, and analysed every schematic while in here," she answered dutifully. "Halo releases a massive energy wave that kills any sentient being it comes into contact with. That is its primary function, its only function. Don't believe me? Ask him!"

Cortana pointed to Guilty Spark accusingly and everyone was slow to turn and face the floating eyeball. There was only one question the Master Chief had for him.

"Is it true?" He asked harshly, his stare piercing even though you couldn't see his eyes.

And Guilty Spark's response was as candid, simple and direct as ever.

"More or less," he stated.

"You little lying bastard," Miranda growled through her teeth before bursting out into a rage. "I knew we couldn't trust you!"

"I did not lie," Guilty Spark replied, seemingly insulted by the insinuation. "I did not inform you, non-Reclaimer. And technically, this installation's pulse has a maximum effective radius of twenty-five thousand light-years. But once the others follow suit, this Galaxy will be quite devoid of life, or at least any life with sufficient biomass to sustain the Flood."

While everyone was equally shocked by Guilty Spark's admission, Garrus picked up on one particular detail.

"Wait, others?" He asked. "There are other Halos?"

"I would not expect you to know of them," Guilty Spark informed the turian. Then, he slowly turned back to the Chief, confusion entering his voice. "But... you should have already known all this. I mean, how couldn't you?"

"Left out that little detail, did he?" Cortana asked, a disgruntled look on her face, this time aimed more at Spark than anyone else.

Shepard pushed his way up front, angrily staring with furious eyes at the floating orb.

"You almost made us commit mass murder," he declared vehemently, his patience at long last run out. "That's why you never really explained what we were doing! Because you knew we wouldn't go along with it!"

"I was unsure how you would react, but followed the assumption that the Reclaimer was himself aware of protocol," Guilty Spark denied matter-of-factly. "In fact, you, your companions and the Reclaimer all did as required. We performed outbreak procedure to the letter. You were all with me each step of the way as we managed this crisis."

"You mean got ready to help you pull the trigger on this giant gun of yours?" Zaeed asked in kind, just as irate as Shepard was. "One that probably would've ended up killing us too I might add!"

As the group stared Guilty Spark down, however, Cortana attention suddenly shifted to something else. Her sensors went wild with a dozen or so contacts, closing fast.

"Guys, I'm picking up movement," she said worriedly, trying to catch their attention.

But for the moment, everyone was still directing their anger at Spark and the Monitor wouldn't shut up anyway.

"Why would you hesitate to do what you have already done?" Spark asked the Chief.

"The hell are you talking about?" Chief thought, his attention slowly falling back towards Cortana.

"We need to go. Right now!" She exceedingly insisted.

That time everyone's attention quickly returned to the UNSC AI, but it was already too late. Rising up from the pit bellow the walkway appeared several Sentinels. This time, their weapons weren't pointed at Flood, but them. Everyone raised their weapons as the flying drones surrounded them on all sides.

"Ah crap," Kasumi mumbled. "Looks like I was worried about the wrong synthetic."

"Not now, Kas," Tali worriedly growled through her teeth.

Chief hurriedly grabbed at the AI matrix plugged into the console. He pulled it out and slammed Cortana back into his head as he kept his rifle out and pointed at the Sentinels. They were definitely in a fix now. There was only one way out of this room and the Sentinels didn't look like they had any intention of letting them reach it.

And despite everything, all Spark could do was keep babbling his insane nonsense.

"Last time you asked me," he stated reflectively and distantly. "If it were my choice, would I do it? Having considerable time to ponder your query, my answer has not changed. There is no choice, we must activate the ring."

"Like hell we will," Shepard answered defiantly. "You must seriously think we're stupid if you think we're going to go through with that."

"You dragged us through hell just so you could make us commit suicide and mass murder at the same time," Miranda added. "Why would you ever think we'd still help you?"

Guilty Spark could only shake himself in disapproval.

"It would seem I was mistaken about you," he concluded callously towards Shepard. "Your presence is a detriment to protocol after all and not beneficial in the slightest. You are here to potentially delay procedure, as I should have expected given your origin. And now, your misplaced judgement has affected the Reclaimer. Most disappointing."

Chief tried to ignore the Monitor best he could, he needed to focus on the real issue. The sentinels, he counted at least eight floating about the room. More than enough to take each of them if they tried.

"Get. Us. Out of here." Cortana nervously demanded of the Chief in his ear privately.

Chief began analysing everything he could. They couldn't bunch up, that was what got the Flood killed. The beams had always been on a straight path, cutting down everything in their way. To take them down they'd have to stay ahead of their shots, aim for the body where the anti-grav was located and persistently keep up the fire.

Tali and Kasumi had expertise tech wise, perhaps they could help even the odds. Anything that took down the shields these things no doubt had would be good too. They'd have to be fast on the trigger though. Those lasers were quicker than any bullet.

"If you will not help, I will simply find another," Spark explained. "Still, I must have the Index. Give your construct to me, or I will be forced to take her from you."

Surrender Cortana? Give up another friend and comrade? Let the enemy take her away from him? No, he wasn't about to lose someone else. Not like this, not this easy. He only had one thing to say to that suggestion.

"That's not going to happen," he told Spark defiantly.

"Damn straight it's not," Tali concurred.

"Better deal," Shepard added. "Call off your floating tin cans and we won't have to break you down for spare parts."

The rest of the group readied their omni-tools and biotic abilities, keeping their guns on a swivel as they eyed each potential target floating around them. Guilty Spark just sighed at it all.

"So be it," he said rather simply and formally. He then spoke to his Sentinels "Save his head. Dispose of the rest."

As he vanished in the light of a teleportation field, the sentinels began to charge up their lasers.

"I think we're included in the rest, guys," Kasumi anxiously stated.

"Yes, it seems that way," Miranda grumbled. "Now start shooting!"

The sentinels fired just as the group split apart, the lasers cutting into the walkway beneath them. Master Chief kept his finger pressed down on the trigger, Zaeed moving alongside him. The old merc had quickly switched to his until now unused Viper sniper rifle and set it to disruptor rounds. He fired shots at one Sentinels, taking down the shields hard enough for Chief's Rifle bullets to rip into the machine's body.

Miranda and Kasumi moved up along another end of the walkway. They quickly fired two overload shots in rapid succession, sending a devastating pulse through two of the sentinels. One dropped from the sky, sparking slightly while the other's shield simply died.

Miranda quickly rushed over and stamped her foot down on the fallen Sentinel and fired several bullets from her pistol point blank into the machine. Kasumi, in the meantime, tucked and rolled as a laser beam cut close to her. She managed to get behind the offending machine and fire a stream of bullets into its backside with her SMG. Pieces of metal exploded out from the flying machine as fire engulfed the Sentinel.

Garrus, Tali and Shepard, had moved down further along the walkway. The turian kept close to Tali all the way, wary of the fact she was still recovering. Despite this, the quarian was determined not to be seen as weak. When one of the sentinels approached, firing a laser close to their feet, she hit it with an energy drain. As the flying drone jittered about in the air, Tali fired several shots into it with her pistol. Shepard followed up with a shotgun blast that tore the Sentinel in two.

One of the remaining Sentinels was quick to follow up, heading straight at them. It fired several shots, severely damaging Shepard's shields. Garrus picked up the slack for him, hitting the sentinel with an overload that took out its shields before firing a perfectly aiming sniper shot that tore clean through the machine's chassis. As the sentinel sputtered and burned in the air, Shepard switched his shotgun to cryo rounds and fired a shot, just as the sentinel was about to fire another laser beam. The machine froze in mid-air and then fell onto the walkway, shattering into pieces.

Three Sentinels were left, and all of them were converging on their true target, the Master Chief. The Spartan had switched to his shotgun and used it to pummel the first Sentinels' shields with buckshot. Zaeed stayed by him, using his disruptor rounds to further damage the shields. But with all the lasers beams slicing through the air, it was hard to get a good hit on thing.

Chief's own shields went red as one of the lasers barely grazed him. He fired off a shot that was lucky enough to blow the front clean off the sentinel. As that machine's remains fell into the bottomless pit below, something came up on the motion tracker from behind.

"Look out!" Cortana warned.

Chief moved into the cover of a small piece of architecture along the side of the walkway. The laser from the sentinel hit it instead of him. With his shields still in the red, that laser probably would've cut him deep. Cortana immediately set to work on recharging them quickly, while Zaeed hit the Sentinel with every disruptor round he could fire. When Chief popped out again, he fired a stream of bullets from his rifle, completely tearing apart the Sentinel before it could take another shot.

While that was happening, the final Sentinel pulled into position to fire a clean shot on the Spartan. He didn't get to do anything though, as an overload from Garrus hit the machine. Shepard followed that up with a warp attack that further scrambled the drone. The Chief by then had spotted the lone Sentinel and fired rounds into it along with everyone else. Bits and pieces flew off the besieged drone until it exploded into a flaming hunk of metal and slammed down onto the walkway

"That felt strangely satisfying," Miranda stated looking over their handiwork. "Still wish one of them was that blasted Monitor."

"We'll get our shot at him again eventually, Lawson," Shepard informed her as the team regrouped. "We have bigger problems now."

"Yeah," Kasumi concurred. "Like the ring-shaped gun we're currently standing on that's pointed at the head of this little galaxy. Still would like to know why we're only learning that now."

The thief's eyes turned to Chief, but everyone knew she was really looking at Cortana.

"Sorry, Cortana," she apologised. "I get you're on our side and all, but I still wanna know what the hell is going on here."

"It wasn't my fault," Cortana tried to explain earnestly. "I wanted to tell you everything, but I was overwhelmed by Halo's mainframe. I was so busy processing all the information that it left me vulnerable for awhile to its CPU. When I accessed the secure files, I was hit with a security protocol embedded in the code. It overrode certain functions, activating a series of mental blocks within my matrix. Whenever I tried to tell you about the Flood directly, it actively prevented me from revealing any information. I ended up getting the synthetic equivalent of a migraine if you will."

"The Forerunners probably didn't want to risk someone finding out what this place could do and what the Flood were," Tali suggested, rather intrigued by the prospect. "Either one could be catastrophic. They must've prepared for infiltration programs getting into their systems. How are you feeling now, Cortana?"

"I managed to purge the security protocol from my systems a short while ago," the AI assured them all. "Still good to be out of that Control Panel though, you can only handle so much knowledge and data like that for so long."

Tali seemed to breathe a side of relief at that, but there were still other questions on everyone's minds.

"If you managed to purge the protocol," Miranda began. "Why not open the doors to Holland and the other troopers sooner?"

"I couldn't risk anyone, either purposely or accidentally, activating Halo," Cortana explained. "If I could've explained my reasons to them, I would've. But again, I only managed to shake off the protocol just now and I didn't want to risk the Monitor discovering me in the systems and purging me. I had to be very selective about who and how I contacted anyone, to lower the chances of him doing that."

"But you sent a message to Tali and Kasumi on their omni-tools," Garrus noted. "How'd you even manage that?"

"My familiarity with Tali's own omni-tool helped," Cortana admitted rather plainly. "I was able to watch you all through security stations set up all over the ring. When I saw Tali in danger, I decided to risk discovery by the Monitor in hopes of helping her. I used Halo's own communication channels to piggyback a signal onto Tali's and Kasumi's own messaging systems and led them towards each other. It was the only thing I could really do, but I'm glad it turned out for the best."

Tali smiled under her faceplate, she couldn't even explain how happy she was to hear that. This doused every potential fear she had about things. Although, it did spring up new fears in Shepard, as his look turned to one of great concern.

"What kind of danger were you in exactly?" He asked worriedly. "Are you sick? Running a fever?"

"I'm still recovering, but I'm okay, honest," Tali comfortingly stated, hoping it alleviated his fears. "I'll explain the whole ordeal, believe me, I want to. For now, let's just be grateful all that time I spent with Cortana paid off and focus on the more pressing stuff."

She turned back to the Master Chief, an indebted look in her eyes as she bowed her head slightly.

"Thank you, by the way, Cortana," she told the AI. "Without you... I don't really want to think about it. But I owe you one."

"I'll take you up on that offer if we live through this," Cortana was quick to add. "Like you said, we have bigger problems. We can't let the Flood get off this ring and we can't let the Monitor activate Halo."

"So what do we do?" Shepard asked perplexed. "We can't seem to stop one without allowing the other."

"There is one option we have left," Cortana assured him. "It's our only chance at stopping them and we have to stop them or its Armageddon either way."

Everyone already knew what the AI was about to say, and none of them liked it. But they had to admit, they didn't have many other options. And besides, if Sovereign, the Collectors, Covenant SuperCruisers and inter-dimensional portal devices proved anything, they were good at one thing. And it was all that required for Cortana's plan.

"We have to destroy Halo."

---

AN: Well, that was a nice easy one compared to the last few chapters. But boy, what a doozy of a drop, huh? Zek and Varvok are rebelling! ATTICA! ATTICA! And now the Normandy team has to blow up an ancient floating space ring or end up zombie chow. Things are certainly coming to a head.

As an addition, I understand I'm getting some looks now. And know what they're for and I'm stopping right there. First, Tali was not cured. This was a treatment. They just caught things before they got to the point of no return. Just like chemo isn't a cure, this was Mordin and Chakwas getting lucky that Tali hadn't gotten that many spores in her and that the infection form that attacked her was rather old. And I checked, the older the Infection Form the less likely it is able to infect you. That's what happened to Jenkins. And considering it didn't even get inside Tali or bite her like him, she was even luckier. This does NOT mean she is now suddenly immune nor does it mean there are no consequences. Like I hinted at, there are going to be some scars left because of this. Big ones.

Also, to the Anonymous reviewer who keeps writing me about this: I don't think Kasumi would be much of a thief if she didn't know how to maintain and fix her equipment, like her cloak. Nor do I think she would be much of one if she was incapable of fighting. After all, she survived the Collector Base and pulled off a significantly crazy heist with Shepard. There are other ways to make Kasumi's vulnerabilities more apparent without making her look incompetent and I will be exploring that in time.

Now then, with that minor tangent out of the way I think it's time we return to the Lucen's crew and how they're dealing with their own fallout from their last mission. Next time, we learn the truth about Nel's discharge, see how Saya is dealing with a harsh reminder from his past, figure out what Vik has been hiding and discover more about everyone's favourite little gas-sucking defector. Is Liara's crew of misfits about to fall apart this close to the finish line? Can she deal with all these issues when she still has her own to work out? Well, I guess we'll find out together.