The North...
Ice and snow crunched underfoot of the two makeshift squads of Nikkes and their commanders. Ahead of the pack, Signal and Delta were acting out the role of their squad name and scouting ahead, their camouflage providing the perfect cover from any Rapture that was only scanning with its normal optical sensors. The two Spartans, the Commander and the others kept trudging forward, meanwhile, through the thick layer of snow.
They gazed around at the white vastness, tall snow-covered peaks rising in the distance, poking into the overhead clouds. Said clouds were a mix of white and grey. Through various points in the thick layer of clouds, light from the sun poked, lighting certain points more brightly than the otherwise glum, dim look of the overall location. Up ahead were many a dozen buildings, probable abandoned research stations meant to study the North. Now, they were just leftover husks of days gone.
The gusts of wind that beat down upon the group were tentatively annoying, however, with Rapi, who had now pulled her jacket's hood over her head, commenting, "We should probably find a shelter ASAP! There might be a snowstorm brewing!" as the howling winds grew louder. The Commander, trembling, nodded to her, then prepared to radio in for the CG.
"Confirming... I'll send you guys coordinates to a bunker. Should be fairly close-by, straight North-West," Shifty replied. Chief had to admit, having a supporting element like Shifty around was probably gonna save them a lot of time. Or at least provide them enough information to know they weren't wading into hell without good Intel. She also seemed capable enough, if a little young.
"Commander Harriss?" You okay?" Layla asked as she marched beside the man. Though he seemed to be trying to tough it out, the group could see his lips were turning purple.
"Oh, no! The Commander's lips are turning purple... Neon, quick, take your clothes off and snuggle with the commander!" Anis yelled rather... Obscenely loud. To the point it got almost the entire group to look at the two of them like they were crazy. To anyone who heard that, even with the current context, they would be right to say Anis was a little out there. Neon's flustered reaction didn't help much either.
"What're you talking about?!" The white-haired Elysion Nikke demanded, "You do it!"
"Oh, this is gonna be annoying," Pinne commented, then inquired, "Chief, Sam, how about we head on forward to help the girls find the Bunker?!"
Chief nodded and motioned for the group to follow along while the Counters solved whatever little 'naked' issue they had on hand. It didn't take long, thankfully, 'till they found the bunker itself, a small underground facility with an armored, concrete-covered entrance that was hidden by the snowfall. Propping open the door, the Spartans moved in first, the flashlights of their guns lighting the darkness below.
Following them in, the Nikkes marched forward, Pinne keeping her Shotgun close, barrel pointing at the ceiling as she advanced behind the Chief. The Spartan radioed, "Operator, LUCKY actual. Descending into the bunker now, may lose connection..." as the howling winds outside grew even louder. Shifty's reply was short and filled with static, but it was an affirmative and happy one.
Rusty touched down behind them and began her descent as well, stowing her weaponry onto her back and stating, "Never thought I'd actually be freezing my behind off..." before turning to look for the Counters. Luckily, all four marched into the place, with Neon, the last one in, sealing the door shut behind them and quieting the winds down. The faint few traces of snow that'd made their way onto the steps of the bunker's two-person-sized stairwell soon began to melt.
The group entered the main area of the structure, a central chamber with wide enough space. It was caked in dust, cobwebs hanging off the corners, but it was also furnished with a desk, a small terminal off to the side and a bed that looked like it had recently seen use. Perhaps their Pilgrim friend had camped out in the area. Tapping a switch, Rapi soon caused the room's few working lights to come on.
The Nikke commented, "Place must be a temporary shelter for the Scientists nearby..."
"Looks a bit too not-clean for that," Anis commented as she plopped herself down on the bed, setting her weapon off to the side, "Maybe the Pilgrim was using it as a base of operations. Bed's not bad."
"Maybe," Neon voiced, then looked around. She paused as she saw a space heater, then marched right up to it with a smile and started fiddling with its controls. The Spartans and Luckies, meanwhile, swept the rest of the place clear, finding only one rear room with a newly-installed Generator that was running. It was surprisingly silent for something that ran on a combustion engine.
Layla sighed, then sat herself down by the Space Heater, leaning her rifle on her shoulder and looking up at Rusty. She called out, "Hey, Wolfy," which caused the girl to turn toward her. Layla stared at her with an almost impassive face. Almost, save for the most minute form of a scowl, "Y'know, I still remember when you cut open my sis just for that doohickey we dug up in a Lost Sector."
"... Sorry about that," Sighed the girl, "Not listening to Syuen gets you in too deep when you're a Missilis Nikke."
"It's part of the reason I ain't as mad at you as I should be," Her newfound frenemy replied. With a shrug, she added, "Other part is my friends and my twinsie being repaired thanks to the NIMPH. You just make sure you keep your weapons pointed at the Raptures, 'kay?" whilst sounding just a bit untrusting. Understandably enough, if Layla had actually been part of the people defending against the Wolfpack.
"Sure. Don't worry," Rusty nodded, "Don't plan on shooting anyone in the ass today that isn't a Rapture."
In the meanwhile, during the previous conversation, the Chief approached Alyosha, noticeably a bit more twitchy than usual. Spartans seemed to normally never show wariness like that, or at least not manifest it in even a slight twitch. The Spartan knelt beside him and whispered, "Sir... Is it a good idea to have another Missilis unit with us? I know what you said about her while we were on our way here, but..."
"Best we can do is trust her, Chief," He shrugged, "Syuen'll know everything anyways. An extra gun, even one that's potentially unreliable, is one gun more to point at the Raptures."
"If you say so," The Spartan replied, "We trust your judgement..." And he stood to his feet, walking back to Sam. Sam himself, meanwhile, eyed each Nikke in the room as they worked on some quick maintenance and repair. Chief gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder, to which Sam turned toward him. The two gave each-other a nod, then switched over to single-beam, deactivating their external speakers, with Chief stating, "First mission in. Slept well, by the way?"
"No thanks to the Covvies' driving, yeah," Snorted Sam. He swept the place with his gaze, looking at the dozen Nikke present and checking their gear out. He told Chief, "Most of their stuff looks almost like 21st Century gear we saw in the history books. Early 22nd at most, what with the Rainforest Wars and Jovian Moons... Those weapons must pack a punch, though."
"They can't be fired by normal humans," Chief nodded, "Least you'd get is a dislocated shoulder."
"Doesn't really rule us out, though. In a pinch?" He quirked a brow up. Chief nodded, then slung his rifle onto his back and sat himself down.
Rapi, meanwhile, hummed and commented, "Chief doesn't seem to trust Rusty much, either..."
"Precautions. Soldier's life drives the point home," Alyosha chuckled, "Better be wary for no reason than to let your guard down and get shot..." though even he was a bit surprised the Chief was so wary. Thirty years of experience must've also meant thirty years of having to not just watch his own back, but that of his comrades. Rusty had yet to give them a reason to distrust her, though. Hell, she'd exposed all of what Syuen had in store. He sighed and said to Rapi, "It'll be fine. Those two dorks done arguing?" then tilted his head to Neon and Anis, both of whom seemed to be perusing a book of some kind from a nearby dusty shelf.
Rapi nodded, "They're fine. You know how they are, Commander."
Alyosha nodded, amused as he saw the two start fighting over the book in a playful manner. Yeah, he did know how they were.
Pinne was now kneeling in front of Sammy, the EG. Sammy had fallen asleep, leaned against the space heater and drooling, her mouth wide open as she snored. She smiled smugly, watching the young, pink-haired Elysion MP Nikke snoring away while cradling her rifle, which was on safe, the magazine removed and slotted back into her vest and the chamber, cleared. She'd have expected nothing else out of one of Ingrid's girls.
"She's out cold," Commented Niner, leaning against the wall closest to the generator room's door, all while checking her gear. Pinne gave a nod, chuckling, before standing up and walking toward her and Layla. In the meanwhile, the two observed Delta and Signal setting up in a different corner to check their gear. Chief himself seemed to be searching his pockets and Samuel? Samuel was chatting with the Chief. They could still hear the faint winds howling outside.
Layla remarked, "This is almost like a camping trip..." with a chuckle. Niner gave her a gentle nudge in the leg, before pausing as she heard Chief whistle. She gasped as a small shining object flew toward her, then caught it mid-air. She gasped, opening her palm and smiling as she saw the coin. She looked to the Chief, who nodded approvingly, before turning back to chatting with Sam. The iDoll Sun quipped toward Niner, "So, that's what ya wanted back?"
"Yeah..." The girl replied, holding the battered coin between her index and thumb. She pressed it against her forehead, kissed it for good luck, then slid it into one of the pouches of her armor, stating, "It's the sole material possession I got left since I became a Nikke. A nice little thank you to remind me why I'm still fighting... Especially after..." And she sighed.
Pinne gave her a pat on the shoulder as she sat herself next to her, "It's alright, Niner..." and smiled at her. Niner nodded in thanks, then let out a deep sigh. She could've done more to save her squad and friends. So, so much more. She could've taken the shot that Rapture had fired at her Commander. Yet, here she was, alive and part of a second squad, despite feeling undeserving.
Layla gave her a bump on the shoulder and said, "Hey, no frowning. You're fine and alive, Nines. Plus, you're with us idiots, heh!" before grinning, her eyes glimmering in the faint neon lights up above. Niner looked at her as she gave a thumbs up, then at Pinne, who gently nudged her elbow. Then, she gazed forward at Anis, Neon, Rapi, Delta and Signal, all of whom had overheard this convo and gave various approval signs. A wordless nod from Rapi here, a smirk from Anis there, a Neon-standard thumbs-up with a shotgun shell, Signal's usually shy smiles and Delta's own thumbs up and proud smile.
"Yeah..." She beamed at that, "Thanks, folks."
... Maybe she did deserve to be around, if her squadmates said so.
Lost Sector 01
Ark 02, 7th Lunar Light Way...
A different kind of wind howled through the abandoned streets of Ark Number 2. It was oppressive, deep, like a hum of the dead. It kept the Marines and Spartan tense as they marched out of the ruins of the incomplete tram station and into the wider boulevard. Half-finished buildings surrounded by scaffolding, dust caked over layers of torn concrete and a flickering skyscape, powered by whatever generators still ran in the place.
It was almost as dystopian as the Ark itself. Almost. It had the actually-living Ark beat by the fact that it was a Ghost Town. Abandoned cars and construction equipment still remained, the latter around multiple construction sites. Jenkins remarked, "Man, this place's giving me the creeps..." as he lowered his assault rifle. The Spartan and Marines fanned out into a half-circle formation around the entry point, listening for possible Raptures and scanning each sector.
Kelly spoke to them, "Keep alert. Could be Raptures at every corner. Sergeant, I'll take point. You and your Marines advance behind me, diamond formation. Eyes open overhead. Any window can turn into a murderhole with them for all we know..."
Johnson nodded. Professionally and quietly, he gave several hand signals to rally his squad up. Entering a diamond formation, the group proceeded forward down the main boulevard, examining the place. Kelly pulled out a scanner device of some kind, something to help them recover one of the artifacts nearby. The scanner was a small hologram device that acted as a map. It pointed out certain areas and the direction they needed to take.
"What are we looking for again?" Chips asked as he scanned the rooftops with his Battle Rifle.
Kelly replied, "A techy looking cube of some kind. Apparently, it's meant to help provide a boost to Nikke processing power during combat, allowing them to synch themselves better to each-other..." a bit wary. She knew that there was much more here beyond just the cube, including various technology pieces meant to boost the Ark's already-strange technological base.
"Add to that whatever supplies we can mark for retrieval drones," Johnson quipped as he peered into each damaged or not-installed window with his shotgun's flashlight. He saw a few moles wandering ahead of them. He sighed and looked up to see if he could spot the stone ceiling. He couldn't, not in the deep, unending darkness up above. He sighed and continued walking with the group, stating, "Feels like Deja Vu."
"Can't be any different from New Mombasa," Stacker commented as he swept the area ahead.
The distant wail of an air raid alarm began to echo, a glitching, terrifying howl that felt all too familiar to a good chunk of the UNSC personnel. Kelly commented, "Broken foghorn," impassively as they pushed toward a convenience store located at the bottom of one of the few finished buildings. She pushed through the broken windows, boots crushing shards of glass underfoot as they entered the darkness filled with overturned shelves and abandoned, rotting produce.
"Feels too much like the goddamn swamp," Jenkins murmured as he knelt beside a shelf to see if he could see any food that was canned. He could, but most of it looked like it had either been opened, or was spoiled, some of the cans' aluminum caps poking out like sores due to the build-up of gas. He sighed and stood up, pushed past the shelves and rejoined his position in the formation.
"I dunno, mate," Chips murmured. A creak from the left caused him to swivel about and aim his rifle, before sighing deeply as he saw the half-broken emergency door. He murmured, "Yeah, nah, this place is right shit. Feels like we just walked in the Twilight Zone..." as he stepped over the remains of gas canisters that had apparently spilled all over the floor. The tracks of brown, dried gasoline went all the way to the counter.
"Someone probably tried to set this place on fire before they went out and died," Johnson murmured, "Don't like this one bit, Spartan."
"Probably didn't want it to fall to looters or something. Or maybe the Looters wanted it trashed because the owner didn't serve them," Kelly commented as they walked toward the back. "We'll sadly never know," The woman then murmured, only to pause and raise a balled fist. With one single chop of her hand, she caused the Marines to fall out into a combat position, aiming their weapons from behind the shelves, all tense.
The tension became exacerbated as more than a dozen other quadrupedal robots' footsteps began to echo from the outside. The Spartan and Marines grew tense, with Jenkins shaking a little as he aimed his weapon. He felt a hand clasp his shoulder and looked over to stacker, who gave him a squeeze, face impassive. Jenkins nodded, breathed in and out to calm himself, then sighed. He wasn't gonna die here.
As the sounds of the footsteps faded, the Spartan sighed and lowered her weapon, checking her Motion Tracker every second to ensure they were actually leaving. She turned to the Marines, nodded, then propped open the back door, taking point again. Johnson followed behind, sweeping the street ahead with his gaze and calling out quietly, "Marines, haul ass already. We don't have all day!"
"Sarge," The group nodded, filing out of the building with weapons aimed all around again, to ensure no Rapture caught them by surprise. Kelly figured it best to let the Marines be for now. No need to risk their lives for nothing, she thought as she then took the lead again, moving forward just down the street, past a multitude of unfinished and destroyed buildings.
The Marines joined Kelly on the further push inside the city.
Somewhere else
Head thumped.
That was all he could think of. His head thumped. It hurt like hell, too, though he couldn't quite fathom why. The blood in his veins pumped extremely rapidly, to the point he felt it slamming against the walls of the blood vessels. He blinked, his vision momentarily glowing red as he tried to stand up straight. He could pick up the faint whirr of the MJOLNIR's motors working overtime.
He clenched his hands, feeling his fingers caress the sand below him, gliding through it like a knife through a throat. Knife and throat. He jumped up, straightening up and feeling his neck, only to feel the reinforced bodysuit of his MJOLNIR and the familiarly-light weight of the Second Skin. Though nothing too major. Not until he ran a hand over his armor's chest plate and finally opened his eyes to see the cracks in the glass of the visor.
Diagnostics from his armor played across the helmet's visor. Damage was minimal, but most of the wounds he'd felt himself take during his last few minutes of life were all registered. Most, save for the throat injury, which was apparently gone. His armor was still working, though. He could see the shield bar through the cracks and it was charged up and full.
Lucky him, he thought as he slowly staggered to his feet. Had the Elites missed him? He scanned the area around and saw no corpses. Maybe they'd pulled their dead from around him. He wanted to check his Motion Tracker, but the damage to his visor obscured it. He sighed deeply, then checked his back, feeling the tips of his fingers touch the butt of his MA37. He pulled it off his back and gave it a quick check, noting that it was full on ammo. He then saw he still had his pistol, too.
Good... Self-defense was available.
He sighed and checked to make sure his shields were actually operational, the diagnostics window ever-slightly disrupted by the helmet's cracks. He saw it flicker in and out for a moment, before finally being able to read that, yes, in fact, his armor's shields were operating at 100%. It was the HUD that was damaged a little too much, but it could potentially be repaired.
The man hummed and scanned the surrounding area quickly, noting that he was dead in the middle of a desert. He sighed and picked a direction, starting whatever long march awaited him until dehydration or starvation took their turn and ended him properly. Meanwhile, his mind went into overdrive, wondering if the Elites that slit his throat had missed on purpose, just to let him die.
He scanned the horizon and paused. There were no Covenant ships around him. No fires burning in the distance, nor the hum of antigravity engines and plasma projectors. No scorching heat or thinning atmosphere, nor the acrid smell of lecheteliarite being formed under the incredible, radioactive heat of the aliens' plasma beams. This didn't make any goddamn sense to him.
He stopped.
Normally, it would have taken hearing a pin drop in a thunderstorm to cause a Spartan to focus. The dust kicked up by whatever landed behind him was more than enough, however. He drew his assault rifle, dropped to one knee as he spun about and aimed where the head would've usually been on any being. Only to be greeted by a rather buxom figure clad in purple armor. With a mole on her cheek, heterochromia, a robotic crow on her shoulder and a scythe in hand, the black-haired reaper stared, surprised, at the Spartan. She spoke, "My, ain't you quick?"
"... Who are you?" The Spartan asked, finger hovering just above the trigger.
She chuckled, her voice surprisingly melodious as she leaned on her scythe, "Just came to see what all the commotion was about. Relax," before the robotic crow on her shoulder let out the closest approximation to a caw it had in its robotic vocal chords. However, she saw that the soldier didn't become any less tense. She thought for a moment to disarm him, but something in her gut told her it was a bad idea. So, she decided to play nice for now, stating, "I am Harran. A guardian of Eden... You are?"
"A Spartan," He replied, still wary of her.
"Ooh, like the old spear-wielding warriors from way before the Rapture War? Doesn't match with the armor," The woman chuckled. The Spartan, unamused, stood to his feet, keeping the rifle trained on her. She sighed deeply and said, "You humans are so twitchy. Lower the weapon. It's in both of our best interests this doesn't turn into a fight... Yet. This ain't my Patrol Sector after all."
Six blinked, "Eden, huh?"
"Yes," Harran replied, then watched the soldier slowly lower his rifle 'till the barrel pointed half-a-foot from her legs. If things went haywire, she thought, he could lift that and pop off a shot quick enough. He'd be split in half by the time he managed it, but it might damage her pride a little. She spoke to him, "It's a place of safety, a small Paradise in this hellscape of a world."
Six sighed. Great, that type of spiel, "What's the catch?"
Harran smirked, "You're quick on the uptake, aren't you? Like I said, this ain't my sector. I'm just waiting for the patrol to come back... She'll deal with your initiation."
"So, it's that type of 'equality' place," He sighed. Proving oneself in combat didn't seem like a stupid idea. He watched Harran take a jump back as the drone of a Jet Engine echoed. She gave him a wink and seemed to wish him good luck just as the figure that was to be his tester charged him. He turned to his right, to see another black-haired woman, this one with a darker shade of skin, charge headlong at him, two scarlet eyes being the first thing he focused on.
Jumping out of the way with barely a split second to spare, the Spartan could almost feel her wings scrape against him. The figure skidded to a stop and touched down while Harran let out a whistle, seemingly impressed. The figure, clad in somewhat revealing purple armor, too, though bearing two wings on her back whose 'feathers' seemed to be made of energy, touched down with a devious grin. She spoke, "Fairly fast... I think this is gonna be fun," before turning to Harran, "You here just to watch, then?"
"Yeah," The woman snorted, "It's your gig here, Isabel."
"Oh, well, thank you," The girl replied snidely, then looked to Six. She told him, "Let's cut to the chase, then. Eden only houses those who can pull their weight. We test that by various methods, with my favorite one being a short hunt. You survive until I get bored? You get to enter Eden and get to live with us. If you don't... You'll be Rapture food by the time you find any location to shelter in."
Six gave her a once-over. Jetpack, what looked to be a technologically-advanced variation of a shotgun and high mobility. He then looked around, noting the many rocky outcroppings. He told her, "If you wanted an easy hunt, you should've found me earlier," and then squared up. The woman let out a short laugh, racking her shotgun's bolt? Pump? Whatever it was.
"Cocky," She then smirked, "I like those. Always enjoy watching them break... You got ten seconds before I start this properly..."
He didn't need to be told twice. He simply answered rather ominously, "Your mistake..." before swiveling about on his feet and charging toward the rocky outcroppings. Isabel grinned as she powered her jetpack and jumped into the air. She counted relatively quickly, while Harran watched with some degree of interest at what the man's strategy was. Both of them paused, however, when a pair of grenades flew off the man's belt. Just as Isabel's countdown hit zero, too.
The two grenades, tubes with multiple seeming airholes poked through them and without pins, detonated mid-flight. Isabel's eyes burned all of a sudden. She yelped as her ears immediately started ringing, too, rubbing her eyes. As the concussive blast, deafness and blindness cleared, the woman growled and blinked away whatever ghosts of a blur remained. Harran chuckled and called out, "At least, he's resourceful!"
She eyed the rocks and started flying forward, angry.
Six, meanwhile, couldn't use his Motion Tracker to find where the little sadist was going. He could, however, make out the drone of her jetpack's engine and calculate the distance that way. He slowly skulked through the darkness of the rocks, searching for a decent enough ramp. He could make the jump and hopefully intercept her, he thought to himself as he listened. If he missed, though, he'd be wide open to attack.
No need to use the guns. Waste of ammo.
He peered from cover, slowly moving under the cover of the rocks' shadows and watching Isabel fly overhead, scanning for him with an angry look on her face. It was rather disturbing, to be honest, but she seemed like one's standard huntress. Far less contained in terms of her emotions, though. She was openly and visibly upset that he'd managed to juke them like that.
She called out, "Come out! You a coward?!"
No, but he wasn't going to be stupid enough to answer that loudly, either. She stopped mid-flight and looked around, shotgun in hand, before growling, "I didn't appreciate your little trick at all!" before growling and turning to fire at a rock face that he was nowhere close to. He sighed, noting the exact thing he needed right now:The ramp. He decided to distract her.
A grenade flew out of cover. She tracked and shot it out of the air with a grin, before pausing. Time seemed to slow around them as thundering footsteps echoed across the rocks. Charging uphill, the Spartan moved with the fluidity of a dancer and the speed and strength of a tiger on the hunt. Isabel was not going to be quick enough to turn and fire at him. Not at all. How did this even happen?
Six jumped from the edge, cocked his right hand back into a fist, then slammed it center-mass into the woman's gut as he fell upon her. She coughed, eyes widening as all the air blew out of her lungs. Her shotgun fell out of her hand as the Spartan repositioned and kicked down next, sending her tumbling to the floor with him on top. The two landed with a thundering blast that shattered rock and kicked up a cloud of dust below.
Harran jumped off her perch, wide-eyed, then moved toward the impact area. As the dust settled and the air cleared, her eyes grew even wider, wide as saucers, in fact, as she stared at the sight. The Spartan straddled Isabel, keeping her pinned to the floor and holding her hands down by the wrists. The flying huntress breathed heavily, eyes wide and mouth agape as she stared at the broken visor of the soldier, a healthy flush on her cheeks.
"We done here?" Six asked without skipping a beat.
Isabel swallowed empty, then nodded. Harran, meanwhile, grinned and said, "My, oh my... Ain't that a sight...?" as she watched the Spartan stand up. Isabel remained down, however, staring up at the clear sky in disbelief. Harran, meanwhile, told Six, "That's gonna pique the Commander's interest. Welcome, then, Spartan. Welcome to Eden. Welcome to Inherit."