The Meeting

=I came to my senses right as we came onto the bridge. I stopped, and pulled Argo out of my suit. I plugged him into the navigation's terminal, and he promptly appeared on screen=

Argo, take control of the ship. Get us back to the Trophaeum.

@ Jason- aye aye.

=The ship came to life, and began to lift off. I headed for the elevator, down to the crew deck=

=i see Jason hop off the elevator on the deck I was on, I think it was the crew deck, wasn't sure=
Hey Jason, we heading back?

=I turn to face Dormii, Miranda already heading to my room for the med kit I kept in the closet=

Yeah, we're heading back to the Trophaeum. But right now, I need to get looked at, and it was to risky to stay on that planet.

Especially if Harper was there.

=i nod=
I was just about to suggest that.

--You are bleeding as well--

Ssshhhhh, I'm fine, BeP.

(Miranda)

=I found the med kit in the closet, and went back to Jason. He was sitting at the table, taking most of his armor off, and I could already see bruises=

Jesus, looks like you really took a beating huh?

=he smiled weakly at me=

Yeah well, next time, you can fight my old team in hand to hand combat, then we can compare bruises.

=Argo chose that moment to appear on the holo table=

@ Miranda- Miranda, just so you know, I did a diagnostic on Jason, and it's fairly bad. Both arms have multiple fractures. So do the legs. He has three cracked ribs, with a fourth rib broken. Also, there is a chance he may have suffered a concussion.

=i lay down across two chairs and relax. i mutter to myself=
So many faces...I'm not sure I can remember them all...

(Miranda)

=I went to the kitchen, and found some large wooden spoons, then went to the med kit. I grabbed the bandages, and fashioned a set of crude splints for Jason's arms. there wasn't anything I could do for the ribs though, so I left them=

(Narrator)

The Doctor is sitting on a nearby bench, watching the people go about there daily lives, and watching a certain ship taking off from the docking bay.

(Jason)

=It hurt like hell, but Miri was able to patch me up, at least until we got back to the Trophaeum=

Okay, now, if no one minds, I need to check something. Argo, check the armor's systems, see if there's anything odd.

=A second later, Argo had found something=

@ Jason- Jason, I have found a message hidden in the suits computer. I detect no viruses or infiltration software.

Looks like I found Harper's message.

=i take a nap as I wait to get back to the Trophaeum=

(narrator)

As Jason's Ship, the Blacklight, vanishes from sight, Nikolaus ponders the days events.

=I gave it a thought, and decided to play the message=

Alright Argo, isolate every system. Make sure that if a virus is in there, it doesn't spread.

@ Jason- Already done.

=Miri came to stand next to me=

@ Jason- Are you sure you want to do this?

=I shrugged, feeling a little pain=

Not really. But there's a difference between what I want to do, and what I need to do.

=I pressed the button, and the message played=

=Harper's face appeared on screen, and I tensed a little=

Jason, if you are watching this, then that means you have surpassed my expectations. You killed Kate, despite her being equipped with the superior armor. In spite of your past actions, that fills me with pride. Well done. So, as a reward, I'd like to offer you two gifts: The first gift is Kate's armor, provided it is in good condition. And the second gift, with no strings attached, is the location of Vigil's base of operations.

=A star chart appeared next to his face, showing me where to go=

Every file we have, for every mission you and your team ever did, is all stored here. The original files, I might add.

=I stood there, and listened as Harper continued=

This....... chase has gone on long enough, Jason. I think it's time we end it.


=His face disappeared, and I stood there in silence=

Jesus, he's handing me Vigil on a silver platter. Though I'd be stupid not to check for poison.

=Miri stood with me=

@ Jason- So, what do you want to do?

=I covered my face in my hand=

Right now, nothing. I won't act on this info, at least, not right away.

Listen, it's gonna be a while, and you've had a long day. Go on, get some rest. =I paused for a moment= I'll be with you soon, just need to check some things.

=She nodded, and gave me a kiss on the lips, before going to my room. I went to the bridge, seeing as how it was the one place I could think clearly=

=I got to the bridge, and sat down in the commander's chair=

Geez, what a day........ first Kate, then the new armor, and now Harper's message. =I said out loud=

=A voice spoke up behind me, and I almost jumped out of my skin=

Yeah, and it's about to get a whole lot worse.

=I got out of my seat, and turned to face the speaker. He was a young boy, maybe nine or ten. He had dark hair, blue eyes, and lightly freckled skin=

(Miranda)

=I went inside Jason's room, and found my bag. Inside were my usual items: my data-pad, wallet, knife. But one item in particular stood out for me: the picture.

(Jason)

=I stared at the kid for a brief second=

Who are you? How the hell did you get aboard my ship?

=The kid stared right back at me, apparently not afraid=

You don't remember me, do you?

=I tried to remember where I may have seen this kid, but came up with nothing=

Let me help jog your memory.

=On his last word, he changed. Blood drenched his clothes, his eyes became frozen in shock and fear. And on his forehead, clearly visible, was a single bullet hole. That moment, that memory, came crashing back into my mind, and I fell to my knees before him=

Oh god, I remember you........ I looked up your file after the mission. Your name.....

(Miranda)

=I took the picture out of my bag, and cradled it as if it were a baby. In the photo, was a ten year old boy. He had my hair, all dark, as well as my eyes, and freckles on his face=

(Jason)

=My mind raced back to that memory, after the mission. I got back to the ship, and took off. I hacked into the rebel personnel records, and tracked down the boy I shot. He was ten, his birthday being the day before we attacked. I found his name: Adam.

(Miranda)

=I held the picture of my younger twin brother, my only family, in my hands. He was taken from me in a UNSC assault on one of our civilian centers. He had just turned ten. I felt a tear streak down my cheek, but I didn't care, as I all but whispered his name=

Adam.


End of the Meeting.