The Outpost…
Matis had returned after the Counters and Lucky Strikes had touched down, meaning most of the Away Teams were now back home for rest and recuperation. In the meanwhile, the Chief and Alyosha had departed for the Ark to speak to Doctor Halsey at Missilis HQ about this 'Project PANDORA'. Since it kept coming up.
Syuen figured it was best to send them out to figure the damn thing out on their own, considering everything. She sighed and sat down in her bunk, separate from everyone else as she reloaded her machine pistol's magazines. She'd taken a few shots in her armor and a lot more on the shield she carried as an adapted Riot Control unit. It was honestly sort of horrifying, just how close these psychotic bastards came to death every day. And yet, here they were, still fighting.
She had to respect the sheer guts, if nothing else. Even if they didn't respect her at all. Honestly, could she really blame them? Now that the Adrenaline High had worn off and she could see the world clearly again, especially with the given context about that Parasite, the monumental fuckup she'd nearly created by Couping the Ark's CG (even though one might say it lead to a much better outcome) would've been her real Magnum Opus. The one thing she'd have been remembered by, had anything actually come of the project.
Regardless of that, she thought to herself as she felt the wrapper of a chocolate bar hit her in the head and the malevolent chuckles of other Nikkes in the barracks, she needed to keep her head in the game. Maybe, if she made it through this entire mess of a fight with the Raptures, (about as unlikely a proposition as nobody on-base hating her anymore) she'd be able to see herself back in the CEO seat of Missilis.
She scoffed as another wrapper hit her, then turned toward the trio of Mass Production Nikkes sitting behind her. They smirked and waved. All three were Missilis Products, but they now had distinct faces. A 23, an 08 and a 12. One Pinne, one unnamed and one Niner, technically speaking, though the 23 had black, short hair and green eyes instead of her usual blonde, the 08 had retained her silver hair but switched to red eyes and a sharper face and the 12 had a more stridently-colored green hair and green eyes.
She ignored them, standing up and dusting her uniform off, then walked over to the weapons locker and deposited her gun and shield, locking it with a code. She paused, feeling a chill shoot up her spine as she heard a familiar voice call out, "Syuen…?" filled with confusion. She swiveled about, pale as snow, then saw them. Matis. Laplace in the lead looked stunned, while Maxwell, her arms crossed, snorted and Drake grinned.
"Matis," She spoke in a low voice, "What the hell are you three doing here…?"
"We have bunks on this floor," Maxwell replied, looking at her, "Y'know, I heard rumors that they stuck you in an MP Nikke's body, but I almost didn't wanna believe it, boss…"
"You know what they say," She replied with a sigh, "The bigger they come," only to garner a laugh out of Drake. She scoffed and said, "Metaphorically, you dunce…" before sighing, shoulders sagging, "If you and Maxwell are here to gloat, go ahead. My right ear's still ringing from the kick you gave me, so you might as well add to the headache."
"We were just passing by," Laplace replied, her voice a little softer, apologetic, "Are you doing okay?" and she almost looked like she… Missed Syuen. No, it was just another ploy. Some playtest or something. In truth, though, Laplace had always been something more akin to an actual daughter to her. All three of them had been.
It was why their betrayal still stung like hell.
"Aside from the fact most of this Outpost hates me? Yeah, I'm doing fine," Syuen replied sarcastically, crossing her arms. She told them, "I don't need pity, Laplace. If you're doing your jobs properly with your new commander, it ain't my business anymore to get involved with it. I'm just another footsoldier now. One more tag number on the list."
"Boss," Maxwell started, facing her now. She spoke, straightforward, voice sharp, "You made a mistake and you're paying for it. This ain't about pity. We wanted to see how our former 'commander' was doing after we took her in. We're not here to gloat, just make sure nobody's getting too rough with you. Commanders' orders."
She looked back at the three Product Nikkes behind her, all of whom seemed to suddenly freeze. She thought for a moment about complaining about the papers and stuff being thrown her way, about the spray-painting on her desk, about all that carp. But, no, that's what they all wanted. For Syuen to be the whiny bitch that made a mistake.
Gazing upon her three greatest creations, she told them, "Bullying doesn't bother me," in a deadpan. Though both Laplace and Maxwell could tell that was a lie, Drake seemed a tad too distracted by some dart board game on Matis's right to really care. Syuen told them, "Go. You have more important business to attend to. Reports aren't gonna write themselves."
"Right…" Lap sighed deeply, "Take care," then she waved and walked off. Maxwell waved, too, then grabbed Drake by the collar, causing her to complain as she got dragged off. A small part of Syuen felt happy enough to make her crack a small smile. She soon suppressed it and turned back to her bunk, sitting down on it and sighing.
How the mighty have fallen, she thought to herself.
In the meanwhile, in the outpost, Sergeant-Major Johnson led a Nikke platoon on a mile-long run around the place's campus. Among them were members of the Infinity Rail squad. Brid herself panted heavily as they ran, feeling her 'assets' bouncing a little as she said, "I really should not have agreed to come here dressed in stilts…"
"Oh, come now, Brid," Diesel, the squad's tallest and calmest member, teased with a smile. Her brown hair, which was usually loose and wavy, was now tied in a ponytail to let her run without it getting in her eyes. She had, in fact, taken her training uniform with her, though. She told the girl, "It can't be that bad."
She had running shoes.
Soline, who was also in her PT uniform, told her, "We took her fresh off the train for this, Diesel," through heavy, rhythmic breaths that helped gulp down enough air for the girl. She was shorter than both of them, her short silver hair flapping in the wind, "I can't exactly blame her for being upset over not being able to switch clothes."
"We fight in our normal outfits, so," Diesel shrugged while the other girls, namely members of another squad known as the Carronades. The rocket-launching fireteam that were also pranksters. The silver-haired Belorta looked back and grinned at them, while the brown-haired Mica simply kept her eyes forward.
Johnson, much to his credit as a capable DI, barked, "QUIET DOWN IN THE REAR AND HAUL ASS!" which caused all three members of Infinity Rail and the two Carronades to blank and turn back around, facing in the formation with the man. Despite his age, Sergeant-Major Johnson looked damn fine in a tank top.
The man knew it, but didn't say it. He did know what the Ladies liked after all. He spoke, "I know you ladies ain't used to PT all that often, considerin' you're partially machines, but trust me when I tell you, the ability to book it, even in high heels like Brid back there, is gonna save your asses if you're ever deployed topside! And, knowin' what the Rookie delivered in terms of information to Doc Halsey? Well, hell, we might need All Hands on Deck soon enough! Now, double-time it!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" The entire group barked back. Watching them do their thing were Anis, Neon, Rapi and Stella, all four of whom were now in casual uniforms instead of their heavy duty combat armors and gear. Stella herself tended to an injury a Marine had gained from playing Soccer with a pair of Nikkes who were a bit rougher. Team Nepenthe. Technically, they were three Nikkes, all of whom were famed athletes, but that didn't matter.
Of course, the Marine, Mike Shevchenko, also had buddies. Centi, who was rubbing a bruise on her shoulder and had a face covered by dirt and dust and Liter, who sported a new band-aid on her nose. She scoffed, blew a bit of her blonde hair off her eyes, then mumbled, "Swear if I get my hands on Rumani, I'm gonna kick her butt…"
"Oh, come on, Liter," Mike chuckled, then winced as Stella tapped him on the cheek, "She only cleaned our clocks a little," which got an awkward laugh out of Centi. Liter cast a sideways glance at the Corporal, causing him to shut up. He sighed and said, "Right. Grandma's competitive," before shifting his gaze over to the Counters.
"... Wondering what they'll find out about this whole 'PANDORA' thing," Anis mumbled, looking at Infinity Rail and the Carronades training. Johnson himself gave the girls a nod and a tip of the hat as they ran past, to which they waved back. Neon was loading new rounds into her weapon when they passed, but she still lifted her head and beamed, waving at the man.
Rapi shrugged, "Syuen wasn't exactly very forthcoming with information when we returned, either," then she crossed her arms and stated, "Though, if I were to hazard a guess, it was another of Missilis's experiments gone awry. How else would a Heretic spawn out of it? Especially one that looks like a Product Twelve?"
"She didn't wanna add more charges to her count," Niner quipped as she approached. She was in a tank top and shorts, having just come from training. She handed Anis her favorite brand of soda in a can, then looked at Rapi and told her, "Chief told me they just reached doctor Halsey's office. Doctor Anders is with them, too."
"Good," Rapi sighed, "How are you and the girls, Niner?"
"We're walkin' it off, heh," Niner chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. A Pelican flew overhead, away from the Outpost and to the surface, presumably carrying supplies for one of the bases set up nearby the exits. She told them, "More and more outposts are springing up. I think they're trying to get in touch with the other units that are supposedly on this Earth."
Anis snorted, "They have a long way to go if that map we found in the Structure up North was anything to go by. Must be dozens of separate allied units spread out there," as she sat down and enjoyed her Soda. She hummed, then realized, "Wait… D'you think there might be whole other Divisions out there?"
The entire group paused for about two seconds, all of them looking at Anis as if she'd just sprouted two heads. Or as if she was a genius, really, considering what she just stated was a very likely possibility. Rapi told her, "... Well, we were planning on sending out messages, if I remember correctly… This might just embolden Captain Cutter to give the go-ahead…"
Missilis HQ
It had taken a hot minute for the Spartan(s) to arrive. Alyosha now stood with his helmet slung under his arm beside the Chief. He looked upon the Spartan-II, who sat there with his helmet still on, as they waited for Rian to call them in. Despite the girl's more mercenary attitude with Syuen, Rian seemed to be getting along better with Doc Halsey.
Right now, there was an ongoing meeting between the Doctor and acting CEO of Missilis and Ingrid, the rather familiar CEO of Elysion. And the two Spartans, thanks to their enhanced hearing, could pick up what they were talking about. Ingrid herself stated, "I'll deploy the rest of the Scout Squad out to the Deserts. Do you really believe that's where she is?"
"The Monitor guarding the Recomposition Station seems to think there is an important item in the deserts of Nevada, so, yes," Halsey replied cautiously. She told the woman, "We'll deploy our own Recon elements with yours. The rest of the Scout Squad will have Wombat Drones and a QRF on stand-by, should they necessitate evacuation."
"Much appreciated, Doctor," Ingrid replied, then let out a wary sigh, "Let's just hope the Heretics didn't beat us to the punch. I'll go call Andersen about this, maybe even get Goddess in on the action," then she said, "Goodbye," and opened the door, only to pause as she saw Chief and Alyosha there. Both men snapped salutes, to which the surprised Ingrid replied in kind. She said, "We just finished talking. Go on," and tilted her head to the door.
"Ma'am," Both of them replied, then stepped aside to let her and her escorting squad of Elysion troops, Absolute, pass. Eunhwa noticed them and huffed, but greeted them with a nod, her face impassive. They replied in kind, while Vesti and Emma smiled at the boys, the former with a more shy, but happy face, while the latter seemed a bit more sultry in her excitement. They were all clad in heavier, UNSC-standard armor made up of added-on Goddessium and Titanium parts, though they retained their Color Scheme and the uniforms beneath.
Alyosha snorted and said, "Same as ever," before showing the Chief to go on in. The Spartan walked inside first, greeting Doctor Halsey with a nod, before Alyosha stepped in beside him. The door hissed and shut behind them, revealing the (unsurprisingly) less-than-clean office of the doctor. Half-empty cups of cold coffee, takeout bags, et-cetera.
Rian sighed, picking up some of the trash, then turned to greet them and said, "I'll be out of your hairs, doctor, gentlemen…" before she stepped out. She was far less upset than she'd been with Syuen, though, weirdly enough. Rather, she seemed happy the doctor was paying her and treating her 'better' than Syuen.
Halsey called out from behind the desk, "Thank you, miss Rian!" only to receive a thumbs up from the woman, who waved goodbye with the bag of empty food and drink containers stowed over her shoulder. Anders was sat opposite the doctor, pruning through random bits and pieces, while Halsey waved them over.
As they met the Doctor at her desk, she told them, "Just in time, gentlemen. I do believe we have all the relevant data to the Project. It certainly took a while to acquire…" before she slid the datapad she had over to Chief. The man picked it up and held it in such a way that both men could read it. She told them, "I know we discussed this matter beforehand, but the modifications made…"
"Blatantly illegal…" Chief spoke in a low voice as he read through it, "No wonder Cinder was the only survivor…" and he looked over to see the look of pure horror in Alyosha's eyes. He spoke, "She's become more Rapture than Nikke. That means in her case, the Corruption was more or less voluntary…"
"A good thing we've removed Syuen from the equation as CEO," Halsey murmured. She added, "The fact that Cinder was the sole survivor is also a mathematical impossibility. The girl must've been extremely resilient compared to her sisters when it came to it. Neurological activity upon implanting the Rapture Technology spiked, then collapsed. The girls were flatlined."
Alyosha scoffed, then rubbed his eyes and mumbled, "We really should've just let her hang, I guess," as he picked up the tablet, looking over the horrific images of the dead Nikkes, many of which were infused with Rapture technology and code. Several sprawled out across the floor, internals seemingly melding with the laboratories. Others attacked Nikke Guards in a rage and were gunned down.
Only Cinder, or Carla, as she was nicknamed, survived the process. She'd writhed in pain for weeks on that operating table as the assembled Rapture pieces melded with her Goddessium skin and body. It was grotesque. Bulging veins and wires, damage to her visual sensors that soon repaired, nanomachine systems working overtime.
The NIMPH itself collapsed and rebuilt itself under duress. When she awoke from her coma, she'd broken out. Three hundred twenty seven human casualties remained in her wake, alongside approximately a company of Nikkes that tried to stop her. She'd retrieved her comrades' corpses, too, carrying them on a stolen exoskeletal suit that had presumably become her own Mechanoid.
Concerning, Chief thought as he read through the profiles of all of the former Subjects. They were all redesignated as P-dash-Number. In this case, Product 12 P-001, also known as 'Carla' to her comrades per the notes, was Cinder. The other dozen or so subjects ranged in type and form from Product twelves to Oh-Eights, Nines and even a few Troops from other Companies…
Chief sighed, handed the tablet back to Halsey and looked at Alyosha, stating, "Maybe we should have a talk with Syuen when we get back to the Dormitories," to which the Commander nodded. They handed Halsey the tablet back, then looked over at Cortana as she entered the place, her body seemingly on a kind of autopilot.
Halsey said, "Here for maintenance. Take a seat there," and she tilted her head to the sterile glass room opposite the office. Cortana nodded, then looked at the two men and smiled at the Chief specifically. Alyosha smirked and gave the man a gentle tap on the arm, only to pause and straighten up the moment Chief looked straight at him. Halsey nodded to John, telling him, "Calm. Routine maintenance is due to ensure her modified NIMPH systems are cooperating with her artificial synapses."
"Ma'am," Chief replied, his voice a little lower. Halsey sighed deeply, looking upon her Spartan with understanding. He had gone through the scare of her Rampancy and Metastability before they landed here and by what Halsey had scanned, not only was her 'timer' reset, but Cortana had acquired a bit of a longer Lifespan. About a human-made Nikke's average if scans were to be believed.
"Anything else we should know, Doc?" Alyosha inquired.
Halsey replied, "Yes. There have been rumors of Rapture movements in the Deserts west of here. I would be ready to move to that area of operations, but we already have a part of the Second Scout Squad being deployed to assist. Them and a Tetra unit, too… Though, as it is standard with Mustang and his troops, they are a fair bit more… Eccentric."
"Heh…" Alyosha snorted, "When aren't they?" before he sighed. He told her, "Take it this is about that new hostile unit, Modernia," and felt a little uneasy. As if he knew who it was. Halsey gave a nod of confirmation, to which he said, "We'll take the round trip over as soon as we get the necessary Intel. How's deciphering that Forerunner Crystal going?"
"I've sent it to the Northern Base and the Forerunner Recomposition Station for our friendly Monitor to decipher," The woman replied, tapping a few buttons on her tablet, "Provided he does it in time, I will depart to assist him with it, leaving Missilis to Doctor Anders," and she heard the woman let out a groan. The doctor cracked a small smile, before looking at them and adding, "I'd say to be careful out there, but you both already know."
Both of them nodded, with Alyosha smiling again. Halsey was about to dismiss them and step off when the door hissed open, the Doctor gently leaning to see who entered. Snow White stepped inside, clad in a new white camo poncho and heavier armor. She saluted and said, "Chief, Commander, Doctors. Apologies for the intrusion, but I've come to deliver something. Chief Deputy Andersen's orders."
Halsey looked at the woman, confused, only to pause as she watched Snow hand her a nine millimeter cartridge with a red, gem-like tip. Snow White then told her, "It's called Vapaus… And I think you'll find it quite interesting," and looked at both the doctor and the men. She added, "... Or, no, better put it this way. This thing? According to a Laboratory file I found? It's supposed to combat Corruption."
The entire room fell silent all of a sudden. A possible cure for what ailed so many Nikkes beforehand? The reason a lot of them were lost? Halsey took the bullet gently, then examined it, looking over the scarlet gem as it flickered in the neon lights above. She whispered something to herself, pocketed the round and said, "I will look into it. Until then…"
"We'll get ready to move," Chief replied, then looked at Alyosha. The man, now definitely bearing a more serious face, nodded and slid his helmet on his head. They needed to pack their gear and be ready to move out again. Sure, a short break after two joint operations meant very little in this case, but they needed to be ready.
Halsey dismissed them with a nod, walking to check on Cortana and ask her help for the matter at hand. The member of Goddess that had arrived joined the two men, stating, "It's unbelievable, isn't it?" as they walked. Both nodded, to which she said, "A material that can undo Corruption…" in a lower voice, a memory of a streak of scarlet hair playing in her mind.
Alyosha, meanwhile, thought of how nice it would've been to have it when Marian got infected. Something like that could potentially prove like the most monumental weapon ever against hostile creatures like the Raptures. Stripping them of command staff like Cinder and this 'Modernia' that they only encountered twice at this point…
And that artifact the Rookie and Matis had retrieved. Snow White told them, "We'll be providing support to the best of our abilities out there, but I've been… If that alien artifact is anywhere nearby? It's probably deep within one of the old abandoned bases belonging to the United Forces of Humanity. The former faction that fought the Raptures before the Central Government and NUEG."
"And the place is teeming with Raptures," Alyosha completed that unfinished sentence. Snow nodded in approval. They'd need the support elements to travel into the AO, meaning they'd need a Brigate Combat Team to be sent in with them. Ground and air insertion into the AO, to deal with the hostile targets in the AO.
"Certainly not just teeming," Scarlet spoke next as she dropped in beside them. She smiled and tipped her hat, stating, "Greetings, Lord Harris. Lord Chief," to which the Spartans nodded in greeting. She looked upon Snow and told her, "There be much danger there… I've recently been. Even Tyrants walk those desolate lands now. And something else… A signal, calling upon Nikkes. As if a mayday call sang. A Siren."
"I heard it, too," Snow said, her voice low, "I imagine it was much weaker when I went, though…"
"Indeed, old friend," Scarlet replied, hand on her blade as she helped Snow lead the two men to the train. She continued, "I would request that we bring Blue Team and Cyan Team with us as well, lest we be hounded by hostiles with little reprieve to rest. Deserts art not the best places to wade in with no protection…"
"We'll have all the help we need," Chief replied as he moved his hand up to his com system and clicked it off. He told them, "Captain Cutter and Sergeant Johnson are allowing a Brigade Combat Team to support us. We've also got contact with members of the extended Scout Platoon belonging to Elysion already…"
"Let's hope they'll be alright by the time we get there, then," Cortana spoke, causing everyone to double over, turn back and face her. She smiled and waved, then said, "Doc Halsey said I'm all in the green before you start with me, John. I wasn't gonna let you all leave on some big operation without me, though, so I caught up."
"Heavens, Lady Cortana, thou art certainly stealthy," Scarlet breathed a heavy sigh of relief, "Almost had mine blade at thine throat…" then she hit herself in the chest and stated, "Well, Lord, I could certainly use a drink before we all depart. Dost thou mind… And would you all join us?" and she looked around.
A moment's pause spoke more than a thousand words. She sighed deeply, "Party poopers…" which almost immediately got the entire force sans Chief to burst into laughter. Including the Nikkes of Lucky Strikes that had come by to see them. There were also a couple of Elysion girls clad in what looked like specialized old equipment.
Kalashnikov-pattern rifles, some with scopes, Afghanka uniforms painted desert tan and even blue berets. Their leader, a blonde with green eyes and freckles, snapped a salute and said, "Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. Hope we aren't interrupting… We're the Rozvidka Squad, second platoon of the Elysion team 'The Scouts', under Delta. Freshly reassigned to you all. I'm team leader, Nadya and… Wait a minute. Aly!?" only for a wide grin to grow on her face as she recognized Alyosha. She spoke, "Jesus, you got big!"
The commander took his helmet off and smirked, "Nadya! Certainly been a while!"
"Uh…" Pinne poked head out from behind them, leaning diagonally to the left, then asked, "You know them, Commander Harris?"
"Nady's a childhood friend from my and Stella's old school," The man replied with a smirk. Pinne hummed, nodded, then looked over at Rapi, who'd come in right behind them. A faint pout appeared on Rapi's face while a grinning Stella looked at her. The moment of levity further became warm as Alyosha and Nadya exchanged small-talk. Nadya's team was apparently preparing to be the Forward Team deployed to the AO that Doctor Halsey and Ingrid had spoken of.
The rest of the force would come in later.
