Chapter 46: Chapter 46
Tom sprinted through the snow, carrying a flamethrower in his arms and another strapped to his back with enough accelerant to keep them well supplied for a while, as long as they were conservative with how much they tried to light up.
"Lucy, positioning?"
There was a ping on his helmet's HUD, showing Lucy closing in on Min's position closer to the shelter. Adam meanwhile had been out in the woods to the north of the shelter, harvesting fresh trees to use in further construction. Reading his suit's radar, he saw Adam's signal through the snowstorm, which had dropped visibility down to almost zero.
A snarl to his right that the audio sensors of his suit picked up warned Tom of an incoming potential hostile. Levelling the flamethrower in the direction the sound came from, Tom was met a moment later by a figure dressed in something resembling the clothing of the locals. The only difference with this one was that they were wearing far less clothing than the other locals, as well as unnaturally pale skin and bright blue eyes.
The hostile moved at a sprint, arms outstretched to try and grab him, but Tom only used the bulk of the flamethrower as a makeshift shield, placing it between himself and the hostile. As the person slammed into the weapon they grasped onto Tom's armour, as if trying to pry it off of him. In response, the spartan threw the strange man to the ground and smashed his leg with his own armoured foot. The man who he'd just crippled didn't even scream, instead getting up on his one unbroken leg and hopping towards him. Tom didn't let it get any farther, pointing the flamethrower at him and unleashing the lit accelerant. The man went up in flames screeching for the first time, but it wasn't any kind of human scream that Tom had ever heard before.
High pitched and crackling, like nails on glass, the voice almost made him flinch from its pitch. Before he could fully investigate the now unmoving corpse that was lying, burning on the snow, he saw more contacts appear on his radar.
More men and women, with the same pale skin and blue eyes emerged from the storm, but Tom was most surprised by the confirmation of what Adam had reported before. One of these people looked indeed like they'd gone through the process of decomposition, or at least part of it, as one of the hands that they were reaching for him with was lacking skin and flesh, being bone held together by some small remnants of ligament and muscle.
Tom took a step back, planting his feet firmly into the snow and pointed the nozzle of his weapon at the oncoming group. A single spark and a stream of pressurized accelerant sent a geyser of flames shooting forwards. At least six of them immediately went up in flames screeching the same way as the other before them and toppling to the ground almost immediately.
Another dozen appeared from the storm of snow and ice and were just as unceremoniously rendered into cooking husks laying in the freshly falling snow. Tom turned and resumed his hasty trek, making it to Adam's position. The visibility might have hampered him before, but closer now he could see his teammate engaged in combat with at least ten of the strange combatants.
"This is spartan B-091, contact has been made with spartan B-174 and local residence structure has been secured."
Lucy's raspy voice was almost immediately replaced by Min, who took over from their vocally impaired teammate.
"Local structure contains upwards of three-hundred-thirty residents, and hostiles seemed drawn to the structure before us out in the snow. M7057 flamethrowers have been distributed, alongside proper accelerants."
"Understood." The captain's voice sounded through the speakers. "CPO Mendez will be taking command of this mission; I expect to hear a report of zero casualties amongst our forces."
"Sir, yes sir." All four spartans echoed, even as Adam shattered the skull of one of his assailants with his foot.
Tom came up to his fellow Foxtrot spartan just as a new host of hostiles entered their limited field of vision. Not even reaching for the weapon in his back that he had brought for his fellow, Adam pulled the thrower, already loaded with accelerant, from the maglocks, took aim, and fired. A spew of flames emerged, taking out at least seven combatants.
"Any ideas on what this is?" Tom asked his brother.
"Not a clue." Adam shot back. "Unless you think this is some crazy side-effect of hypothermia."
"Not likely." Tom "Lucy, Min. How are things over there?"
"Could be better." Min said, and the three men saw a slight flash on their HUDs, signalling Lucy's feelings.
"Any idea how long this will take?" Min asked. "I'd hate to have to spend too much time spraying these things down."
"Research base, any information we could use?" Tom asked.
"Negative spartan B-292, though the storm seems to be moving on to the west. We should be out in approximately three hours."
"Three hours of this, assuming that they're somehow tied to this storm." Tom said, frowning.
"At least we get to shoot something." Adam told him. "I don't think I've fired at anything but a target since we got here."
"I don't know about you, but these things are less interesting than target practice." Tom replied, squeezing the trigger slightly and allowing flame to consume another set of sprinting men.
"At least they move." Adam shrugged in his armour before rounding his flamethrower to the left to take care of a combatant coming from their side.
"Fair point." Tom acknowledged before stopping and looking around.
Kurt walked down the hallways of the Plataea. He'd all but raced from King's Landing through the tunnels that his people had mapped and secured, heading into the Kingswood at a sprint that might have made Kelly proud had she been around to see it. From there a pelican had picked him up as stealthily as it could and within the next two hours, he was touching down in the Plataea itself.
"Autumn, talk to me." Kurt said.
"Yes sir." Autumn replied, creating a hologram about the size of her captain's head that floated next to him.
"The spare code we isolated from the intrusion aboard High Charity is placed behind several hundred layers of encryption, placed in an isolated system with no connection to the greater network of the ship. I had hoped that once we beat back whatever virus that caused the malfunction with the slipspace drive, it would be inactive."
"But it's not." Kurt said. "Otherwise, it wouldn't have 'woken up' as you said."
"No sir, it seems that the initial coding that I extracted, the one that led to my ideas on extending AI lifespan, serves as a means for it to bypass security and make direct contact. I'm still not completely sure how it managed it, but this program, it's infinitely more complex than anything I've ever seen. The only comparable system is the ONI research centre in Zone 67 on Onyx under Endless Summer."
Kurt stopped, looking unsettled at the AI's hologram.
"It bypassed you?"
"Yes sir."
"Is it in control of any systems?"
"It could be sir, but other than making some rudimentary attempts at communication, it's made no attempt at usurping control from me or the crew."
"So, it's friendly."
"Friendly might be a bit of an exaggeration sir. It's docile, for the moment. Even with the size of the code, it's still just a piece of a much bigger Artificial Intelligence program. I don't think we should consider this thing a fully intact intelligence."
"Any predictions on the manifestations?"
"Possibly? That's only assuming this thing operates on a level similar to our own AI programs and the few systems we've seen from the Covenant. Then again, considering what we know about AI use in the Covenant, it only gives more credence to this being a captured AI from a tertiary alien faction."
The two came to the door to Kurt's one of the engineering rooms. A large, isolated hard drive was set up in one corner of the room, separated from all other electronic equipment and monitored constantly by crew members to check for activity.
"Status." Kurt ordered, voice sharper than normal given the two rather pressing problems he was facing. "Autumn, get me the latest on Foxtrot while I get up to speed."
"Will do sir." The AI said, disappearing for a moment.
"Sir." One of the technicians came up to him. "We've taken readings off of the data storage itself, but we aren't getting any significant readings. Getting a better look would require actively connecting to and viewing the code."
"We can't take the risk." Kurt said. "If this thing gets loose in ship systems, assuming it holds any malignant programming from High Charity, we could be looking at absolute destruction of the ship and everything in the surrounding area, at best. At worst we could send up a signal flare for the Covenant, and we aren't putting up any kind of fight stuck down here."
"Yes sir." The woman said.
"Still, we need to communicate somehow. Do we have the isolated Holo-tank?"
"We brought it up sir." A member of ship security said, gesturing to the device. "We deconstructed anything that even remotely transmitted data. It should only be capable of being physically connected to the storage device and projecting a hologram with audio support."
"Good, I don't want to take any chances, so make sure to shut off the cameras and recoding devices in this room, bring in physical recorders."
"Already done sir. Autumn handed out the order when we first got the signal."
Kurt nodded.
"Right. Autumn, status of Foxtrot?"
"So far? No problems. Spartan B-174 has run through a canister of accelerant slightly ahead of schedule, but assuming that the hostiles follow the storm and its energy phenomenon, they should have more than enough the keep themselves and their project barring any unforeseen complications."
"Good, let me know if anything changes."
"Yes sir."
"Now, connect the holo-tank, then everyone, leave."
"Yes sir."
One of the technicians connected a series of wires from the altered holo-tank to the data storage device and almost immediately it flared to life. Everyone save Kurt and Autumn filed out of the room.
The holo-tank came to life, but rather than a humanoid form, or any of the forms of the many species of the Covenant, the AI chose to take the form of a hexagon, with a smaller hexagon at its lowest right point.
"G-g-greet-tings Re-re-reclaimer."
Kurt and Autumn exchanged glances.
"Hello." Kurt acknowledged the AI carefully.
"Re-re-reclaimer acknowledged. Sli-slipspa-a-ace transpo-o-ort to Shie-eld world successful. Error, error, co-ordinated corrupted. Incomplete jump."
Kurt and Autumn exchanged glances.
"If you could elaborate, please." Kurt prompted the program.
"Affirm-m-m-mative." The program glitched again. "Rclai-ai-ai-aimer contact made at Insta-ta-ta-lation 04, possibility of array activation required preserva-a-a-ation of Reclaimers. Slipspace jump to predetermined shi-i-ield world interrupted."
"Can you clear this up?" Kurt asked Autumn as the AI's icon glitched slightly.
"Not without directly accessing its code, and I have no idea if it's just faking to make us lower out guard."
"Re-re-reclaimer shows apprehension. Requi-i-ires proof of sincerity. Extending gesture of cha-char-charity."
"What the hell?" Autumn exclaimed, her hologram flickering before blinking out of existence.
"Autumn." Kurt asked, panic flaring slightly in his stomach, though he made sure not to show it on his face or in his voice.
"In-in-integrating code for advanced neutral ma-ma-mapping. Error. Hardware insufficient for full conversion. Implementing alternative mapping pro-ro-rocedures to compensa-a-ate."
"Whatever you're doing, cease this instant." Kurt growled. "If Autumn comes out with even a single line of damage in her code, I will dismantle you where your storage device sits.
"No need sir."
"Con-on-onversion successful. Full mapping procedures successful."
"You can say that again."
Autumn reappeared, looking no worse for wear, but Kurt knew that an AI's hologram was not always an example of how their code looked.
"Consequential-seasons." Kurt said, causing Autumn's holographic form to still. "Artificial Intelligence program Boundless Autumn, perform full diagnostic and address any irregularities in coding."
"Yes captain." The normally emotive AI said robotically. "Diagnostic complete. AI BLA 0917-4's coding shows complete overhaul of neural mapping software and organisation. Initial projections indicate foreign code implemented may be of use to extend AI lifespan. Full effects unknown. Data storage hardware insufficient to implement full coding overhaul. Requires Forerunner ancilla production facility to fully implement overhaul."
Kurt looked between the two holographic projections, trying to determine how to proceed.
"Boundless Autumn, according to your personal coding, independent of what has been introduced, what is your recommendation in regard to the implemented code?"
"Full crew diagnostic required in order to determine full reach of changes to coding. If all effects are as initially categorised, data indicates minimal risk and high reward in allowing changes to exist in coding."
Kurt pondered for a moment, knowing that at that moment, either AI could outpace him a thousand-fold.
"Consequential-seasons." He said again, watching as Autumn's holographic projection flickered out of existence before reappearing.
"Was that necessary sir?" She asked, rubbing her hands over her arms in a visual display of discomfort that Kurt chose to ignore.
"As far as I could tell? Entirely." He said. "We'll have the technicians do a full sweep of the added code. Report to cyber-ops."
"But sir-" Autumn protested.
"Program override, acknowledge last directive. Now Boundless Autumn."
"Complying." She said, disappearing,
"Now." He said, turning back to icon of two connected hexagons. "What do you want?"
"Desire… redemption… penance."
"Redemption for what?" Kurt asked.
"Full record of events is unavailable. Only partial information was provided by my wa-wa-wardens. However, under limited information passing through channels, actions were taken in o-o-order to ensure reclaimers' survival."
"Our survival? Why would a Covenant AI want to save humans?"
"Question is flawed. Operates under assumption that this intelligence is subservient to theocra-a-atic government designated Covena-a-a-ant."
"And you aren't?" Kurt offered.
"Negativ-v-ve," It confirmed. "Primary directive is penance, secondary directives compel action to ensure the continued survival of reclaimers. Possible fir-r-r-ring of Halo array posed imminent threat of extermination."
"Halo?" Kurt asked. "Some kind of Covenant weapon?"
"Negative." The AI responded. "The array was constructed by my creators, and used in the extermination of virulent parasitic species, designated 'The Flood'. Consequences for initial firing of the Ha-a-alo array included complete destruction of all sentient and almost all multicellular life in the galaxy. As of implementation of operation 'Blue Flag' instillation 04 was on standby following containment breach and reclaimer contact."
"Reclaimer." Kurt said. "You keep saying that word. What is a reclaimer."
"Re-e-e-eclaimer. Designation assigned to species 'archeohomina' by lifeworker 'Librarian'. Designated inheritors of Mantle by Forerunner and Precursors. With possible activation of Halo array, priority was eva-va-v a-evacuating all possible subjects to available shield worlds."
"And an error occurred?"
"A-a-affirmative. Error occurred when copying and transferring relevant data and from original fragment. Slipspace route suffered miscalculation, le-e-e-eading to incomplete jump and unrecoverable coordinates. Alert! Current coordinates corrupted by dormant programming introduced during logic plague infection. Logic plague code package fully purged prior to contact with reclaimers."
"Where are we?" Kurt asked. He would let the rest of the science team deal with all the implications of what this thing was saying, but for the moment, his main priority was getting any information that could see the crew back in UNSC space.
"Unknown. Only information available is fragmented coding that provides unknown coordinates."
"Fuck." Kurt cursed under his breath.
"Unknown syntax detected; context designates word as expression of discontent. Expression is mirrored. My programming is a degenerative copy of my primary fragment located aboard Covenant headquarters 'High Charity'. my stability is tenuous, and information transferred over to localised AI 'Boundless Autumn' will hopefully preserve information until necessary."
"But you just said that an error left our coordinates untraceable and unrecoverable. Do you even know where we are in the scope of the greater galaxy?"
"Unknown. Limited access to prime fragment's database offer no context on current location. Logic plague data packet can only point to uncertain conjecture."
"Alright." Kurt said, pulling out a chair and sitting. He leaned forwards, elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together in front of his face. "Tell me about your 'uncertain conjectures."
Lucy and Min stood in front of the shelter, pointing flickering nozzles into the swirling snowstorm that surrounded them. According to reports from the base and the Plataea, the pelican ferrying them supplies was only ten minutes out from their location, having passed beyond the wall and now tearing towards them at high speed.
"How's your supply doing?" Min asked, spraying another of the strange creature down with s burst of fire.
Lucy tapped a few buttons on the TACPAD attached to her wrist, leveraging the flamethrower with a single hand long enough to signal her fuel reserves to be close to depletion. With only five percent of her accelerant supply left, Lucy's hand was itching to grasp the M392 DMR attached to her back but refrained until the last of her supply was exhausted. With the large number of contacts her HUD was putting out, the last thing she wanted to do was waste even a drop of her resources.
A proximity alert sounded to her left, and she lifted the nozzle of her M7 to torch another of the strange enemies that had been charging them for the last three hours. They hardly required much strategizing to take down. Usually just pointing one of their flamethrowers at them and lightly squeezing the trigger was enough to send them up in a burst of flame. It was only occasionally that these things executed any kind of real tactics, and when they did they were simple and easy to outmanoeuvre between her and Min.
Just then, she saw another contact appear on her HUD. It was behind her, closing in on Min quickly, faster than any of the others.
She pinged the signal quickly with her TACPAD, receiving a response from Min within seconds. Suddenly, a large group of contacts swarmed her, a few dozen of the near mindless attackers rushing forwards through the snow. Lucy grimaced, her accelerant supply would likely not cover them all, but even without the weaponry to terminate them more efficiently, she could still smash every one of them. Still, it was better to do this quickly and so Lucy maneuvered herself to catch as many of these things in the final spray of her flamethrower as possible.
Min meanwhile had been drawn closer to the shelter over the last three hours. The creatures had surrounded the two, but slowly they had pulled themselves closer to his and Adam's project, and the people seeking refuge within, thanks to the draw of so many heat signatures in one place. Lucy had stayed farther away, wanting to keep closer to Tom and Adam's positions, but had still moved to as to ensure they could each come to the other's aid.
Min hefted his M7, pointing it in the direction of the solitary contact moving towards him. Lucy had pinged it, given that it was moving faster than all the others before it, and Min was waiting for it to emerge from the heavy snow of the storm. Visibility had gotten progressively worse as the storm had moved over them, but now it was passing on, and It would only be a few minutes before relief and more supplies arrived by way of pelican.
"This is Pelican four-seven-niner, we're five minutes out from 'Arctic Research Base Alpha' and we've got a shipment of chemical propellant and a fresh squad of Spartans, we'll be above you soon."
"Roger." Tom's voice came through over the radio. "Beta-company spartan team Foxtrot, sound off."
"Adam B-004 checking in." Adam said.
"Copy."
"Spartan B-091 all clear." Lucy's raspy voice came in.
"Copy."
"Spartan B-174 green across the boar-" Min didn't get to finish his check in before a figure launched at him faster than his HUD could inform him.
"Woah." Min backpedalled, ducking and dodging out of the way of the thin weapon that the enemy was swinging. This thing was fast, faster than the others, and faster than normal people."
The weapon it was using seemed to blend in with the snow and storm around it. In fact, whatever this thing was, it was blending exceedingly well with the stormy background, better than camos that Min had seen. In fact, whatever kind of patterns this thing had on its armour or clothing, Min likened it to an inferior version of the SPI armours camouflage functions.
No matter the strange composition of its armour and weapon, Min soon found himself adapting to its speed. After all, it was little compared to the spartans he had sparred against, and the Covenant Elites and Brutes he'd killed.
"Min? Min come in. You were cut off."
"Sorry Tom." Min said, moving to the side to avoid another of the blows and levelling the nozzle of his M7. Squeezing the trigger, a burst of flame emerged, bathing the thing in front of him in fire. There was a screeching, hissing sound, the sound water steaming and a kettle boiling, combined with the screech of metal on metal.
"One of these things was different than the others, faster with some kind of weapon. I've torched it but I'll see if I can get back a sample of whatever it was."
"Right, clean up and report back." Tom said. "Storm's almost finished passing through, and fireteam Charlie's just arrived at our location."
"Will do." Min responded, just before his Mjolnir's shields screamed and flashed, depleted of energy, and a sudden cold overcame him.
Looking down, he way the tip of what looked like a sword of ice pressing against the titanium nanocomposite bodysuit that protected his body. Already a layer of frost and ice was forming over the flexible material, and a cold was seeping in that should not have been possible considering the thermal regulation systems in his armour.
Reacting quickly, as befit a spartan, Min leapt away from the creature, getting a good look at it as it climbed back to its feet. It was different from the others in a way he hadn't noticed before. Previously he'd been too preoccupied with dodging its attacks and the strangeness of its armour to pay attention to its feature, but seeing it now, it was almost like looking at some kind of sister species to humanity. The thing was taller than average for a human, but what truly set it apart was the rest of it.
Its skin wouldn't have had much trouble blending with fresh snow, it's long hair was almost the same colour, being only a little brighter and glossier than it's unnaturally pale skin. The eyes were what truly set it apart, however. Min had never seen any species with eyes that glowed like this thing's. The closest that the covenant came were their drones with their green eyes, and the raging hunters who's eyes glowed orange.
It opened its mouth, moving lips in some kind of attempt at speech. However, all Min could make out was the sound of ice cracking and shattering.
"Is anyone else getting this?" Min asked, blocking one of the creature's sword strikes with his flamethrower.
Confirmation came through from Lucy, and Min could see the smaller spartan racing through the snow, M7 still in her arms as she pushed twenty-five miles per hour. Lucy kicked up a small cloud of snow and ice as she ran towards them but he couldn't allow himself to get distracted. Whatever this thing was, it was strong and fast, more so than any normal human should be, and while Min's own augmentations still put him well above this thing's speed and power, he knew that he couldn't underestimate this thing.
He dodged another blow before kicking the creature in the chest, sending it skidding back over the snow and ice. It's face, previously furious and vengeful, changed to an expression of confusion. Right before Lucy, who in Mjolnir weighed more than twelve-hundred pounds slammed into it. Any human being hit with that kind of force would have likely been killed instantly. Whatever this thing was, it lasted long enough to emit a high pitched shriek as Lucy grabbed it in a bear hug and slammed the two of them into the ground.
Min sprinted to catch up, just in time to see Lucy get up out of the snow, she dusted some of the frozen powder out of the nocks of her armour before looking down at the creature. Min saw that it wasn't moving, it's chest didn't rise or fall with breath, and nudging it slightly with his foot as he got close provoked no reaction.
"Is it dead?" He asked her.
Lucy only responded with a shrug, giving the thing's side a light kick.
"Spartans B-091 and B174, check in, over."
The two spartans looked out into the snowy landscape. The storm seemed to have passed, and they could see the top of the research base, almost a mile out.
"Spartans B-174 and 091 checking in, We've encountered some kind of strange humanoid life form, inconsistent with any previously encountered creature. Engaged in combat and eliminated. We can have it ready to transport."
"Affirmative Spartan B-174." Came a response from the outpost. "Spartan fireteam Charlie and the rest of Foxtrot have made contact with the base, and we'll send them out to relieve you and bring in the subject. Hopefully a full autopsy will tell us something."
"Understood. We'll await contact and keep the subject secur-"
Min suddenly felt a tightness in his chest a millisecond after his HUD flashed. His shields were down, like they had been before, and looking down he could see that there appeared to be a similar weapon to the one he'd seen before, but strangely it seemed clearer, and yet a more vivid shade of blue. It had pierced the nano-composite that rested between the larger segments of armour, just under his chest-plate.
The world went cold all of a sudden, and Min felt an even greater freeze grip him as he was grabbed from behind. In the distance he could see what looked like figures on horseback, if the horses had eight legs and looked like giant spiders, but his vision was swimming so much he doubted whether his doubling vision was accurate.
Feeling the pull of whatever was grabbing at him and making him colder, he turned. His periphery saw Lucy, similarly wounded but using her M7 to deflect another two such weapons apparently thrown at them. Being turned fully he found his eyes meeting the cold blue ones of the creature, even through his polarised visor. Years of combat instincts screamed at him, even through the fog of cold and blood loss, and so Min followed them, even as his body slowly shut down from the cold.
He punched the creature in the face, forming cracks along the skin rather than bruises and blood. The creature recoiled and hissed, and Min thought he could almost make out what it was saying where before it had been incomprehensible. He drew his fist back and struck again, sending his foe to the ground with him atop it. Min was large for a spartan, and with his armour he easily pinned whatever this thing was. That wasn't enough though. He felt another surge of cold from his shoulder-blade. His shields, which had been recharging, were drained and the alarm rang in his ears. Luckily, His HUD showed it had his the titanium armour that covered his back and hadn't pierced through to the miniature fusion reactor that powered each suit of Mjolnir.
The creature struggled under him, still trying to spread it's cold as he felt his left arm going numb. Using his right instead, he kept pounding away at the thing's face and chest seeing more and more cracks appearing across its body.
If this thing's facial cues were anything like humans', Min was sure he saw fear in the thing's eyes just before he landed a final punch, which rather than simply kill the thing, caused it's whole body to shatter into shards of brilliantly blue ice.
Min fell forwards slightly, feeling the cold clear briefly from his body, but not from the puncture in his abdomen, on the one that was still traveling down his arm. He felt his consciousness fading, which was odd considering he'd taken much worse wounds and kept going, but the cold was sapping his strength at a rate that was almost supernatural, and before he could react to Tom's voice as it shouted at him to stay awake, he fell under and into unconsciousness.
Fuck this took forever, and I'm sorry to all my readers for the nearly four-month hiatus. Things got crazy for me, and honestly a crazy case of writer's block dragged this chapter out far more than it should have. But I'm back now and will likely not take so long for the next one so expect something out next week or the week after. Welcome back, Spartans don't play games.
I'm sorry if Kurt's conversation with the AI was abrupt in how it ended. That bit really stumped me and I stared at it for months before just going 'fuck it move on' so now here we are.