Chapter 6: Complications part 2

=to Xazhi=
Not much. Found another...i guess, outcast. Jason Shepard. Spartan II. Kinda a nice guy.

(As he is walking the metallic floor turns into ground)
(He continues walking and sees the cloaked figure)
(They cross paths and continue walking)
(The cloaked figure removes the hood and pulls out the Handcannon)
(He fires a shot into the back of Draco's head)
(He falls to the ground with a thud)
(Unmoving)
(The figure puts the cloak back over his head, he smiles. A scar running across his mouth)
(The figure turns and walks away)

Well thats always good. The more the merrier.

=He does not laugh=

=i stay silent for a moment=
Tell me, what did Lori do to you? And don't say you'll tell me when she's dead.

=He remains silent. He removes his wrist armor to reveal his arm is covered in an insane amount of scars. He holds up his arm so Dormii can see, but does not look at him=

This is all over my body. Some parts worse.

Let me guess, training? Conditioning? Preparation?

=He puts his armor back on. A small tear forms in his eye. He lets it fall as if it were not there. He still does not alter his vision=

Mother.

Oh...damn. No wonder she doesn't want you to hurt yourself, motherly instincts and all that crap. Hey man, I'm sorry.

Its not your fault.

=He gives a sarcastic smile and looks at him=

Well, its your fault that she isnt dead yet, but still...

=i look at him sternly= Xazhi, I just want an end to all fighting and bloodshed, I don't care about reasons. Do not, try to kill her. What happened, happened, nothing will change that.

=He laughs breifly and sarcastically=

You just dont know when to stop trying to help, do you? I understand you wanting to help me, Dormii. And i appreciate it.

Just remember, no killing. And no, i don't, for this reason: help is like breathable air, it's better to have more than you want, than less than you need.

Like bullets?

=He laughs breifly. He stares at the wall blankly as he has a flashback=

=i go over to him=
Hey, Xazhi, you okay?

=He half comes out of it, still staring blankly at the wall=

Squad 121, orders with the 12 company to assault the "Imp" fortress and recover the remnants of squads 122 and 124. Mission is Class-A priority...

=my face grows concerned=
Hey, Xazhi, you there?

=He comes out of it fully=

What?

=Gets up and walks around and sees a body=

Uhh, Sir? What are you doing?

=Walks over to the body=

Sir? Can you hear me?

=Taps his shoulder=

This isn't good...

=Pulls the body around=

You had a flashback. You okay? What'd ya see?

=i sit down on the seat next to him=

=Pulls the body, almost to the medbay=

Damn, your heavy...

=Gets to the medbay=

Someone help me get him in here..

=Two guys run over and help him get the body in the medbay=

(To the medical people)

When i found him he was passed out.

Oh. Just a flashback. It was back on "Hell", thats what we called the place, because it was all rock and ash, and we couldnt pronounce the name to save our lives. Anyways, me and my company were ordered to assault an "Imp" Fortress and recover whoever was left of 122 and 124 squads. It was a good ol Knee-deep-in-the-dead Slaughterhouse...

And? I'm assuming you survived.

=He laughs slightly=

Yea, i made it. But that fortress... and those fucking Imps!

=He looks at Dormii=

Have you ever fought those hellspawn motherfuckers? Its a goddamn Nightmare.

Can't say I ever have, unless you count my own memories.

=i get up= Just remember what I said about Lori, okay? No killing.

=i walk off to wander the halls. i try not to think again, to stop remembering. it doesn't work, i keep seeing all the things I've done wrong in my life, all the pain. i force it off my face, so the others don't see=

Don't be weak, don't be weak. The messhall earlier was unacceptable. Must stay strong

(In his vision his eyes open)
(He looks around)

What...the hell...

(He is in a forest of some kind)
(He stands)

Where am I?

=He gets up and walks around. He remembers his first day of training. Arriving in the Hanger, being sent through Command Control and Central Processing. Going through the Dark Halls to the Military Base. After years of training in what the soldiers dubbed the "Hell Keep", they finally left the Deimos base to their first mission on the brimstone planet. And Hell Followed...=

(A person appears)
(Cloaked in white)

Who are you?

(The man takes off his hood and looks at Dante)
(The man is an older looking version of himself)
(His eyes tri-colored)
(His left is half Purple, Half Green. His Right is full red)
(He smiles)

Who you really are.

=i keep walking. i start to see visions of Jay, just out of reach. tears want to form, but i push them down, away=
Must stay strong. Can't show weakness

(He tilts his head)

Who I really am?

(The man puts his hand on Dante's shoulder)

Dante-Yes

(He shakes the hand off)

I do not understand

Dante-I am the part of you. Without Zayne.

What?

Dante-I am as unsure about it as you, but when your visions began. When Ash had left. It brought a complete split into your mind.

More split than it already is?

Dante-Yes

=As he walks back to his room, he remembers the mission. It was a Slough of Despair, and one great Pandemonium. Then the fortress, near Mt. Erebus. something the men of 121 called the House of Pain. There were rumors going around that the Imps would actually eat the bodies of the fallen. None of the men of the 128th had ever encountered the demons before, and assumed that this was true. Their Unruly Evil knew no bounds in the eyes of 121. They were nearly 9 ft tall, and looked like Satan had an abortion that lived. They each carried guns that fired balls of light that could burn through flesh and metal alike, almost as if made of hellfire. Xazhi thinks to himself=

Imps... That was a horrible joke...

=He thinks back to how that 'joke' came about. Morale was low after months of fighting with little progress. The men couldn't pronounce the names of the massive aliens, and named them Imps to make them seem less like walking tanks of malice. It was also a joke on their size... A bad one at that...=

How.......is that possible.

Dante-The most I can sum up is this. When Ash left. Your guilt manifested itself into power for Zayne. This power made Sarge side with Zayne and then Hope joined in.

(He shakes his head)

I do not know why.

Wait...Then doesnt that make you Zayne?

Dante-No. The person in that barren wasteland. That was Zayne. When your mind split it also created me.

Wait....I am still lost

Dante-As am I

=i end up in the training room. i go over to the punching bag after setting my stuff down and starting, ignoring the pain my hand sends me=
Must stop thinking. Can't remember. Must. Stay. Strong.

Well...What are we suppose to do.

Dante-Hope. My Hope. Has told me that you have reached your impass. Your final gates have opened. Now.

Now?

Dante-Now you must face your final demon.

What?

Dante-You must kill Zayne.

(He pauses)

How?

Dante-Fight him. To the death.

=i punch harder, faster, leaving bruises on my hands, all in an attempt to make me forget=

Must forget. Can't remember. I have to stay strong...for the others. Need to be ready...to help...when needed. Must stop remembering...

(He pauses)

Yeah...so where is he?

Dante-Hell if I know. Anywhere if it is your head.

So...go on a random search through my mind?

Dante-Yes. Remember though. If you get injured in here. Your injuries will come out in the real world.

Reminds me of an old movie...

Dante-Yes...It does...

So...I kill him. Then I return to the living world as my true self?

Dante-Yes.

(He sighs)

Grand adventure awaits. Where is the exit to this place?

Dante-Behind me.

=i keep punching, not even stopping for my bleeding knuckles=
Need to forget! Need to forget! Must stay strong. Show no weakness.

=i push all of my emotions down inside me, bottling them=

=I walk around the Blacklight for a bit=

So, now I'm on another hybrid ship, this run crewed by both humans and covenant.

What strange times we live in.

=I go to my room, and press the button on the wall, revealing my armor=

Still can't believe it's been two years. Two years on the run from them.

=I begin my standard maintenance on the armor=

Harper...... he and the rest of Project Vigil will never stop chasing me.

=checks shield emitters=

But maybe I don't have to run anymore. After all, these guys seem nice, and they're outcasts, just like me.

Still, I barely know them, and they don't know me that well, or the trouble I could bring.

I'll ask them tomorrow, and see. If they say no, I'll just leave, and be on my way

=finished with my armor, I put it back, and get ready for some shut eye=

Finally arriving at the barn, the group enter, still wary. After a minute or two of looking, David finds a panel for the keycard. Scanning it, they go into the room....

Kabnit wrote:

Finally arriving at the barn, the group enter, still wary. After a minute or two of looking, David finds a panel for the keycard. Scanning it, they go into the room....

.....Where the Old lady is waiting for them. She is uniformly dressed. Black on black attire. She is holding a manilla folder, with 'Mission' stamped in red on the front. Her expression is stern. Her manner: Professional. She is the epitome of an Elder Goddess of Wisdom. She stands, Waiting for them.

David blinked, "You're fast." He extended his hand, reaching for the file.

I leave the Medbay. Still in my Lab-coat. I wander this .....ship..... if thats what it can be called. The Ship, to the Doctor, is a monstrosity of engineering. Reminding him of His time in the UNSC, pre-covenant. All the design ideas the Think-Tank tried coming up with. How they failed. Then the Covenant showed up with their Superior technology. Despicable.
This place is like a nightmare. It's design. I feel as if I'm within the minds of one of my creations. A mind with.........certain....engineering capabilities. This must be...Ishtar. That dead Sod. If I hadn't been so carried away I could have warned the base of the incoming attack. But no. I had to make something new. I had to be the Tinkerer that I am. bah.

The Doctor wanders the depths of the ship. Far from any human, or living, company.

Kabnit wrote:

David blinked, "You're fast." He extended his hand, reaching for the file.

She slaps his hand. "You do not reach for your files you receive them. Now here." She hands him the file. "This is your first mission as a team. Fail, and the penalty will be severe. Do you understand?"

David drew his hand back quickly, before putting it back to grab the file, "Sorry, ma'am. Yes, I understand." He opened the file to find...

Kabnit wrote:

David drew his hand back quickly, before putting it back to grab the file, "Sorry, ma'am. Yes, I understand." He opened the file to find...

.....Orders to protect a type-1 asset: Nikolaus Oehlberg. Last know location coordinates. listed.....

David looks in the file, then back to the old lady, "It'll be done, Bosslady. Do I get transportation?"

"You always have transportation Mr. Moore." The Old Lady disappears into one of the back rooms.

David paused silently, thinking to himself.

I need to talk to Nikolaus...

"Very well, ma'am."

=has the armor tested one last time and heads to the hallay and starts walking around=

the sooner we leave the better he better know what he's doing

The Doctor turns his head. He sees a woman running down one of the halls. ....Isabella?...... He chases after her. Running past Machines moving water and treating things. He runs down stairs. Chasing the ghostly figure. Always just out of reach. She turns a corner, he follows, and she is gone. The Doctor looks around, confused. where did she go? The Doctor looks at the machines around him. Water being purified and moved about. He looks around. Then begins to walk through the lowest levels of the Ship.

"We're there yesterday, people." With that, the squad left the underground compound. David'd miss being at a nice resort, even though he barely got to BE there. He waited for a bit while his ship arrived, stepping onto it. "Go gear up, then get situated. Don't know how long it'll be until we get there." The group nodded and dispersed to go do their business, and David walked up to the cockpit, knocking on the door. It opened and he stepped in, "I need you to go t--" "We know where we need to go, Sir. Ice-Queen briefed us." He chuckled and left to go get himself ready. He went to his room, and sure enough his armor was waiting for him. After stripping his outfit and donning his MJOLNIR, he went to the armory to equip himself with an M7S Caseless Submachine Gun.

After a while, the Black Hand vessel, "Carnwennan", arrived to their coordinates. Nothing shows up on scans, but the crew remains vigilant.