Chapter 5 Revelations of the Past Part 3

I can't quite put it together..

Are you the man from the hotel...

=He ponders for a moment=

Xazhi- Oh, yes! You're the ODST i said hello to on the Balcony of the Hotel on Shadow of the Moon. Yes, I have many names. You probably knew me as Jack Waidmanne.

=He notices Miss Cole backing up to the Darkness of the Cell=

Hmm..

What were you doing at that hotel, Soldier?

=I keep my hand on my pistol=

=a memory forms=

Quote :

=I am sitting on a small wooden dock, over looking a large lake, behind me is the base. i can hear Marines and Warthogs and Pelicans moving around trying to find me, even though I am not hiding, i simply want to get away from it all, even if it is only for a few minutes. i look at my ten year old arms and hands, seeing muscles ripply beneath my skin, muscles that I know should not be there yet. i sit there as Marines show up to drag me back to the base for more "training," learning how to kill people I don't know.

=the memory fades and another one gets ready to take it's place=

Xazhi- I had been seperated from my men after a battle and was brought to Shadow of the Moon by a Bounty Hunter. It was just recently after that that i had aquired a ship and was located by the 128th.

Yes of course. Now leave, Soldier.

=I point down the hallway=

=Xazhi head off down the hall to go find the Major=

=I turn on the comm=

Major you will..

=I hear static=

Major..

=I take off my helmet to see my comm busted=

Fuck..

=I head off to get another comm unit, but on the way I tell guards that Dormii had escaped and they begin to disperse=

Escapee in sector 7G, fan out and find him.

=another memory surfaces from the cloud=

Quote :

=i am in a courtyard, practicing with bayonets. It's 106 degrees Farenheit outside, with no cloud cover and no rain or winds, but plenty of humidity. it's my groups turn to run the course=

(instructor) FOURTH SQUAD! YOU'RE UP!

=i get in the ready trench, my "rifle" held ready. The others in my squad fall in next to me, Lana, Karl, Matt, and Mat all just as ready to finish this as fast as possible, so we get a hot meal for dinner instead of MRE's.

Matt and Mat are almost twins, despite coming from different worlds and different families. Both have dark hair and gray eyes, tan skin and almost the same nervous tics on their faces. The only real difference is their personalities. Mat is rebellious and has the highest amount of marks against him in my squad, while Matt follows the rules and stays with guidelines.

Lana's hair is still purple, despite all the attempts by the instructors to wash out whatever dye she is using. She has the front combed so it goes down one side of her face. She's practically bouncing with excitement, but I know she will become stoic once it starts.

Karl just is stoic. Rumor has it that the augments turned off his emotional part of his brain. Of course, I don't know that, but that's the rumor. His bright green eyes show no emotion, and his face is constantly set in an expression of neutrality. He constantly starts sentences with Excited, Bored, Sad. His flaming red hair cut shorter on the sides than in the middle doesn't move either. I turn back to the course=

(Instructor) GO GO GO!

=the instructor fires live rounds over our heads to signal the start of the training exercise. we all vault over and I rush towards the first mark=

=the memory fades=

=I remove the broken one and replace the new one=

Good as new.

=I put my helmet back on and go on the search for Dormii=

=yet another memory surfaces. I call out for help as it starts=

Quote :

=I am in a room, a training room. My squad is all here, an argument has just started=

Lana-I'm telling you, Rebel, you could've made that shot! And if you did, I could've made the objective and we would've won!

Mat-And I'm telling you, Purp, I had no shot! I wanted to win as well, don't claim otherwise. That gunner would've hit me the moment I stuck my head out. Then we would've had even less points!

Lana-I can't believe this! You thought of your own ass before the team's! We could've won, dammit! We has the fastest time!

Me-No, we didn't. We were a few seconds behind Seventh. They reviewed the run and found that those penalties had no basis. They put the time back.

Lana-Are you serious right now, Dormii? Then why the hell didn't you say anything?

Me-Found out a few hours ago. Didn't know when it started. Face it, you're just angry because you didn't get to sleep in the VIP tent.

Lana-I...You...god you can be an ass sometimes, Dormii.

=Lana storms out of the room. I look at Matt, he's looking at me with an unspoken question

Me-Go ahead, Mattman. You are the calming voice here, go do some calming.

=Matt gets up nodding and chases after Lana=

=the memory fades. I try to get up, but the harness has me pinned=
He...hey! Get me out of here!

=I hear screaming coming from the medbay=

Hmm..

=I open the door to the medbay.. it is dark..=

Hello?

=The man stands up at the entering of Snow=

Hello sir, can i help you?

=I enter the room fully=

I heard screaming in this room.. is everything ok?

Yes sir, a man is undergoing a psychiatric treatment. he may be screaming for some time at things that do not truly exist.
=the man remains seated=

=I point to the place where the screaming is coming from=

May I take a look?

=I keep calling for help=
Get me out of here! Let me go! Please!



(not back yet)

ah, no, i'm sorry sir, but he can't be interrupted. the whole point of the therapy is for him to come to terms with himself. which means he needs to be alone.

=the man looks honest.=

Of course.

=I begin to walk out=

Cut out that sir, yes, sir crap. I am a Corporal, not the god damn Admiral.

=I walk out into the hall and close the door=

sorry sir.

=the man begins reading a medical journal.=

=I return back to the bench and begin to work on the pistol again=

Strange procedure...

=After not finding the Major he heads back to where he met the ODST. He passes by him, looking into the cell where Miss Cole is being held=

Xazhi- So, a Spartan? I wouldnt have expected that of you... Then again im sure you wouldn't have expected that of me, either...

=He walks around the corner and sits down on a bench a few yards away from the Spartans cells=

=I see the Spartan walk down the hall after he looks at Ash=

He seems too suspicious...

=I pop the receiver open, almost dropping it=

Whoa.. Jay would have killed me...

David decided he would try one more thing before his mind started getting fucked up, "BASIC". He was put in a rather large crowd of men and women, and John was explaining something, his hair had greyed at the temples but he was still in the peak of physical condition.

"BASIC...It's not an acronym, it's more of an ironic name. A hybrid between the three deadly arts of Krav Maga, Systema, and Aikido. It takes the quick and fluent take-downs from Krav Maga and Systema and combines them with the instinctive combat-adaptability of Aikido."

John cleared his throat, "It also borrows Paul Castle's C.A.R. as it's fundamental shooting system for law enforcement and military personnel alike. There is one thing BASIC does not teach you, however: Common-Sense. I can personally assure you that Common-Sense is a must for such a system."

John pulled up something on a screen, it showed the layout of a bank, he clicked a button and three dots showed up. "Say you're in this bank, and it is getting robbed. If you can get at least one of the men to come over to you, as normal for robbers and terrorists, and disarm him, you have an excellent chance." He clicked another button and showed the dots going away, one after another, "Paul Castle has been so generous to allow me to use his system as an example in this seminar, and such a system will allow you to do the rest of the work and be the hero of the day."

After the demonstration, David assumed he would be in training mode, but he was in another city, the red-headed woman from earlier was walking down a street and three men pursuing her-- one of them John. He appeared to be going after a different target, however. The two chasing her, it looked like. He snuck up behind one as he was walking, and stepped on the back of his leg. This caused him to drop instantly unconscious. His friend turned around, backing away slowly. He was reaching for something in his back pocket, and as he pulled it out, John pounced, grabbing the gun and with the same hand, using the momentum to punch the man in the face. The shock caused him to pull the trigger, a few people screamed, but John continued to act, using the rest of the momentum to pistol whip the man, pushing the button on the side to eject the magazine, and drop the gun. John finished by grabbing the man by the neck, lifting him off the ground a tiny bit.

The same screen flashed red, "END SEQUENCE". David pulled out the IV and sat up on the table, waiting a moment for his mind to come back to him. After a moment, he got up and decided to head for the training room itself to test his new talents learned from his ancestor. As he walked down the hall, he heard talking, some voice he didn't recognize, and kept walking. When he turned, he saw semi-transparent beings...Similar to what he could've sworn he saw at the Yulinov Complex, and instantly hit the wall, peering over the wall.

David had a sudden realization that the comms-device was still in his wrist and decided to try to connect to Nikolaus, "Hey Nikolaus...Does that simulator have any side-effects?"

"David? what simul......oh. Yes it does, why?" replied Nikolaus. Still walking the halls of the empty ship.

"Well...I don't wanna sound crazy...But I'm seeing semi-transparent beings...I think I saw something like them back at the Yulinov Complex." He peered over the wall, the beings appeared to be pre-occupied, and male humans just...chatting. They glowed a bluish-whitish color.

"oh, ha!" laughed the Doctor, "you are seeing things from the past. you must have been in the training part of the simulator. it forces the bleeding effect to occur. You might be seeing things for a while. you may want to get some sleep. clear your head."

"Not yet...I want to talk...About the job, about...y'know, what happened. Erm, is there a way you can tell me what happened? I'm still a little shell-shocked."

"Which part? the part where you were given some kind of booster or the part where i came in through a wall?"

"Erm...The booster first, and then the other shit. I usually like to know what goes in my body."

"uh, well, i wasn't there, explain what happened to you. then i'll tell you what i think."

"There was no warning...I was being interrogated and all of the sudden, needle in my neck...And then, erm, my skin felt like it was on fire, and my bones, muscles, everything grew."

=another memory plays, tears of joy form as I finally know who I truly am=

Quote :

=we are on the firing range. I have a shotgun and an M45 Tactical Shotgun and an M6 pistol, Matt and Mat are using M319 Grenade Launchers, Karl is using an M45 as well myself along with a Sniper rifle, I don't the designation of those, and Lana is using a prototype MA5B Assault Rifle. The instructor is walking up and down the aisles, yelling at trainees, smacking a few, creating overall tension, to help simulate combat tension=

Lana-Hey, Dreamy, why are you using a shotgun at that range? You do realize you aren't going to do much, right?

Me-Purp, that's what this here pistol is for. The pellets act like a cloud of dirt and debris, perfect for distracting Innies. Once they flinch or look away, pistol round to the face, neck, arm, chest, leg, groin, etc.

Lana-That's...actually brilliant, Dreamy. How'd you think of it?

Me-That lesson on physics, an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. Pellets are objects, therefore, they keep going until the mess with someone or something.

Karl-Impressed: I'm not sure anyone else would have thought of that, Dreamy.

Mat-You kidding, Ice? I could've thought of that! I was just too busy blowing stuff up to really care. =he launches a round downrange and blows up a small outhouse= WHOO!

Me-Rebel? Kindly shut up. =i smile jokingly=

=the rest of us laugh and try to look professional as the instructor shows up near us to harass and antagonize=

Instructor-YOU AREN'T GOING TO HIT A DAMN THING IN COMBAT UNLESS YOU SHAPE THE HELL UP RECRUITS!

Us-SIR! YES, SIR!

=that memory fades and another starts to take it's place, i call out again=
Let me out! Please! Just let me go!

"so basically they injected you with a Super-soldier serum, similar to the one used on Captain America in those old comics way back in the 20century. I don't even know if you would know what that comic is. It's way before your time."

"....So, I was injected with the same serum used on a fictional character 500 years ago?...Erm, okay...What about the ASSASSIN stuff? I was already a super-soldier."

"uh could've also been a reaction with the what was already in your system from ASSASSIN. Hell, if it hadn't been for the ASSASSIN treatment you may have died from that injection. ONI may have just saved your life." The Doctor laughs

"Sorry Nik...Still a little shocked is all. Um, a few more questions. Xerces said that I'm where 'Agents' are staying...Agents of what?"

"oh, he means me. I'm a professional Agent. or was. rather. to be honest i'm not so good at it anymore, out of practice. I don't train everyday like i used to. I read and do things in labs. or work for ONI. Not much Agent stuff."

=I pull out the barrel of Jay's pistol and inspect it=

Filthy, filthy, filthy.

=I take a rag from my medical bag and begin to clean the barrel=

"Ah, okay then....You said something about pay?"

=He sits on the bench around the corner from, yet still in view of Draco and Miss Cole's cells. He thinks about their encounter on Shadow of the Moon, and why they never came to find out more about "Dear Jack". He puts it off and starts thinking about his past=

"yeah, it's on its way. It'll be on a card, or in an account, but you would need to give me an account number."

"Card please. Is this a Black Hand vessel?"

"Ok. No, It isn't. It's an ONI vessel."

"....You are aware of my relationship with ONI, yes? Besides, I thought you didn't work for them...."

"I know, they can't see you on the Cameras. I don't always work for them. At this moment, however, they have me in a rather sensitive spot, so I'm still *technically* working for them."

David sighed, "You owe me. Dunno what, but you do. Also...How old -are- you?"

=another memory takes over again, more happy tears fall=

Quote :

=i am now in the sparring room, my team there as well. Matt and Mat are going at it with practice staffs=

Lana-I just realized something, we don't know each other's names.

Karl-Jokingly: Purp, yea we do.

Lana-Ice, I mean full names. We don't know each other's full names.

Me-That's the point, Purp. So we don't just think about each other, we think about the whole UNSC. But, if say, we could tell each other, I would say Belli, but that is subject to change as my life goes on.

Lana-I would say mine is Teshor.

Matt-Kiyan =he stabs with the staff, trying to hit Mat in the face and knock him over=

Mat-Nayik =he only partly blocks the stab attempt. the staff grazes his helmet and spins him around=

Karl-Happily: Rinoral, but only if we can say it.

Lana-Of course, Ice, of course. Only if we could tell. SShhhhh. =she brings her finger up to her mouth and smiles=

Me-Mattman, take it easy, ok? Just because you two "aren't" related doesn't mean you have to kill him.

Matt-I am not!

Mat-He's joking, Mattman.

Matt-Oh, sorry.

Me-No problem.

=the memory fades=
Please! Let me go! I want to talk to Jay! Please! Let me out!

"Yes, I know." The Doctor sighs, debating whether or not to tell David his age. when in the reality of things, he doesn't know. He knows how old he is without the years in cryo. but doesn't know know how old with. He stands there, in the empty ship. and thinks to himself. How can I tell him, if i don't know myself. surely he wouldn't believe me. who would believe that a man has lived for 273 years? Not counting the years in Cryo. Then, no one would believe him if he told him the ghastly experiments he's performed. On others, and himself. but David didn't need to know that, he only asked about age. The Doctor tarries a bit longer before finally deciding with the truth. "David, I'm two-hundred-and-seventy-three years old."