Chapter 8 NAME "Shit Happens" Part 3

(I put on my helmet, and Diana is livid)

Diana: (Pissed)*What the HELL were you thinking?!?! You nearly killed a man in broad daylight! (She pauses) Are even listening to me?!?*

@Diana (I close my eyes and sigh)(Annoyed) *The man was drunk, he pulled out a pistol, and then shot me. I acted in self-defense. He wanted a second go at me, so I knocked him out cold , so he would shut up. Sue me.*

Diana: (Sighs elecronically)*Tell me you at least made the deal.*

@Diana *That I did. They want us to find an ONI officer, and then kill him.*

Diana: *You're joking, right?*

@Diana *No, no I'm not. But that was my initial reaction. All we have to go on is a damn photo. Could you tell me who this guy is before I go off blindly? Please?*

Diana: *Could you show me the photo?*

(I upload the photo on to my datapad)

Diana: *Working...Done. Now I know why they want him stone dead.*

@Diana *Could I get a name and his CSV? I don't have much to go on.*

Diana: *Hold on...here you go the man's name and CSV*

Code:

start file//
Profile:
Lieutenant Commander Howard Mason-
Field Agent, Section Two of the Office of Naval Intelligence, Anti-Terrorism and Counterintelligence Divison

Missions: OPERATION HYDRA-success, OPERATION GORGON-success, OPERATION HALBERD-success, OPERATION RAIDER-partial success, OPERATION KATANA, currently underway

HYDRA-Search and destruction of Innsurectionist bomb shop and arms network on Hydra IV, successful

GORGON-Find, capture and kill Govenor Jiles in Eirandus Astroid Belt facility; successful

HALBERD-Find and kill chief bombmaker of Martian cell, successful

RAIDER-Find and kill noted terrorist Matt Collins and associates, limited success (reason: rebels were tipped off to activity, and alternate operator failed to shoot him. Alexander Reznov, notable associate, was killed by said operator)

Current status: OPERATION KATANA- Finding and destroying rebel cell on planet (CLASSIFIED), currently ongoing

//end file//

(I flare up slightly)

Why don't you just hang me on display, goddamnit.

Diana:*So, That enough for us to find him?*

(I click my pistol's saftey)

@Diana *It is. Now let's go hunting*

(We head back to the ship to prepare)

--A Few Hours Later, Aboard the Point of No Return--

(Jason)
=I began to wake up. When I tried to move my arms, I felt the restraints on them. That was when I realized: my Combat Skin was off. I opened my eyes, and got a good look around me. It was a room, with only the one chair, a small table on wheels, and the large table/slab that I was currently laying on. There was a door at the far end of the room, but no windows. The door opened, and two people walked inside. One of them, a strange looking guy, I didn't know. But the old lady.....her I knew of=

Parangosky.

*Parangosky*
Hello Jason. It's certainly been a long time.

(Jason)
If you mean a long time since we've met, then you're mistaken. I've never met you.

*Parangosky*
Oh no, we have met. I was there when you where grown, when I came to Vigil's base to observe their progress on you. Of course, I doubt you'd really remember me from then.
=she walked closer to me=

You have some secrets Jason. Secrets, that are not yours to know.
=she got right in my face=

I know you've found Haven. And you are going to tell me, where it is.

(Jason)
Sorry. But, what's Haven?
=she slapped me across the face=

*Paranosky*
Don't play games with me Jason. I know you found it. That you know where it is. You will tell me, where to find Haven.

(Jason)
You'll never get to Haven. The fact that we're having this conversation, means that my ship escaped. And with it, it's navigational records. So if you think I'm going to tell you where Haven is, then forget it.

*Parangosky*
Do you know what is at stake here? The technology inside Haven could turn the tide of the war! We could destroy the Covenant.

(Jason)
And leave that kind of power in your hands? No. I may not want humanity to die, but not if it means leaving it's fate in your hands.

*Parangosky*
My hands........my hands are what have kept humanity alive throughout this war! I may not have made the best of choices, but everything I've done has been in defense of our species .
=she walked away from me=

You know, we interviewed the survivors of Delta's attacks, the ones that you 'freed.' They told us, that you offered to give them a new home. Quite the humanitarian. I assume this new home of theirs, is Haven?

(Jason)
Would it matter? You'd probably evict them.

*Parangosky*
On the contrary, I'd let them stay. After all, they've already made a home for themselves. All I want, is to gain the technology locked away inside Haven.

(Jason)
Well, too bad. I'm not talking.

*Parangosky*
I was afraid you'd say that.
=she gestured at the man that came with her, and he pulled off the small little towel over the table. There was a collar on top of it=

(Jason)
A collar?

*Parangosky*
Yes. I made this just for you.

(Jason)
You kinky little bitch, I don't swing that way.

I'm sorry did you just compare me to an Unggoy? You do know how expensive I was to construct don't you?

=The AI felt different, this whole situation didn't sit well with her=
Will you just stop the Pelican!? You know you don't need to do this....

=starts to prep the ship=

(Dormii)
=i drop the Pelican out of slipspace. Empty space surrounds us=
I was trying to make the point that you are alive. Therefore, I will help.

*Parangosky*
Funny, very funny.
=she made another gesture, and the guy took the collar, and started to place it around my neck=

I trust you are familiar with the Neural Inhibitor Collars?

(Jason)
Yeah. You guys made them, to help transport dangerous criminals. The collars cut off the brains signals to the rest of the body, short of signals sent tot the heart and lungs, effectively paralyzing them.
=The collar snapped into place around my neck=

Though I gotta tell you, if paralyzing me is supposed to be a torture tactic, I'm sure you could do better.

*Parangosky*
Oh no, this collar won't paralyze you. We modified it a little. Now, instead of cutting off signals, the collar is going to send signals to every nerve in your body. Specifically, pain.

(Jason)
Oh, and here I thought you were going to tickle me to dea--
=she activated the collar. Okay, looking back on the augmentation procedure, and then that gene therapy thing that Silver did for me, they were fine. The pain collar though............every single nerve in my body, was set alight with pain, from the top of my head, to the tips of my toes, raw, naked, pain=

(In my ship)

@Diana *So do think this is an insane idea?*

Diana: *Not, really. You've been through worse.*

@Diana: *True enough. What should I take for equipment?*

Diana: *Well, your pistol for one. Also take your sniper, but rig that for sound and flash suppression. And take that knife, since you might be in a tight situation.*

@Diana *You know me too well.*

(I ready my gear appropriately)

Let's do this...

@Diana *Now where could this guy be?*

Diana: *If this is a search and destroy mission he's on...you might want to find him first.*

@Diana *Wow...shouldn't be hard. If its one thing I know...its how an ONI agent thinks. Let's go.*

(I head out, knowing the agent's first move)

Into the fire we go...

=gets a report the grassland planet's been fully secured and the everything is all set=

(Molly)
=It was a few hours before we got back to Olympus. When we exited slip-space, we arrived in orbit over the planet, and Argo sent a message to the Trophaeum, and we docked a few minutes later=

=gets the message and heads to the hangar bay=

(Miranda)
=Molly and I left the ship, and I tried to hail someone, maybe Dormii or Zeru=
Uh guys, we have a problem. A very big problem, and we could use some help.

=while I talked, Molly and i headed for the mess hall=

Thanks but I think I realise I'm alive...

Ugh, Humans always meddling, always thinking they know beast. Really what makes them think their better then us?

=The AI finally snapped out of her ramble changing her focus back onto the Spartan=
Why don't you just go back to your merry band of thieves and we can all be on our way?

(Dormii)
Because, there isn't an AI core on this Pelican, and you need someone to activate the Slipspace drive.

Maybe I do... But it doesn't have to be you, as much as I hate to say it... I owe you, so please take us back, I'll find another way back home.

=The AI frowned briefly before accusing the Spartan of another crime=
How did you even get this Pelican? It's tier one, you didn't steal it did you?!

(Jason)
=I couldn't tell if it was hours, days, or weeks that went by. All there was, was the pain. Hell, that word didn't even seem to fit the description. What I felt, simply was. Hell, it was a fact, that I was experiencing more pain than I had ever felt, in my entire life. The moments where they'd turn the collar off, to ask me questions, felt like pure bliss. There was no pain. I still didn't answer any of their questions though. And the whole time, Parangosky kept talking=

*Parangosky*
=she talked over my screams=
You know, I must say, that suit you were wearing is very impressive Jason. The technology inside it, is more advanced than anything we've ever seen, even from the Covenant. Hell, we could abandon Haven right now, and still find a way to win the war, all from that suit. But that one suit, pales in comparison, to what lies inside Haven.

(Dormii)
=i bow my head=
We had no choice. It was either steal it and live or die. And just because you say you owe me, doesn't mean you do. I could've easily ignored that distress beacon. If you want to go home, I will take you home.

Yes, you could have quite easily ignored my call, but your curiosity got the better of you. And you saved my life.

=The AI paused for a second as she reflected on those events=
Granted, it could have gone better, the crew could have survived and maybe the ship... But we can't dwell on the ''what could have's''...

(Jason)
=the collar was turned off again=
Lady.....

=I was breathing in ragged gasps=
if you think this whole BDSM routine is going to make me talk, then you're out of luck. I think you're forgetting, that Spartans, are very, very good, at taking punishment.

=I paused to take a brief glance around=
So, just rinse and repeat? You're just going to inflict mind-numbing pain on me until I break?

*Parangosky*
That's the plan.

(Jason)
And what if I don't break, huh? What if you end up killing me, and never get what you want?

*Parangosky*
Oh believe me Jason, I always get what I want.

=the collar was turned on again=

(Dormii)
=i nod=
Yeah. So, tell me, right here, do you want me to take you home?

Well I think the answer is logical, but why are you removing yourself from the equation?

=The AI continued to frown at the Spartan=

(Dormii)
=i look at the AI's avatar=
Because I don't care what happens to me. I will do what I can to survive, but I don't care about myself. I have too many souls on my mind to care.

What about your ''friends'', are you willing to just abandon them like that?

=The AI's voice seemed even more accusing then before=

(Dormii)
No. But they know the way I am. I have to help people. If I die doing so, then so be it.

But... That's such a stupid mentality!

=The AI was fed up with the Spartans inane argument=
You wouldn't do any good by getting us both blown out of the sky! Just head back, I think I'm smart enough to figure out another way for me to get back.

(Dormii)
=i plot a course back to Olympus and start powering up the Slipspace drive=
Is it? Truly? What would humanity be if no one helped anyone?

That wasn't my point... I was only saying you could do a lot more good then just dying to the hands of the UNSC.

=The AI shook her head slowly trying to make her point seem more important=
Look there is something you can actually help me with.... Without getting yourself killed for a pointless reason.

(Dormii)
I never said I would get killed, you kept thinking I would. But anyway, what is it that I can help with?

=the drive powers up and we jump back into Slipspace=

As much as I'd rather not tell you... It seems you are somewhat trust worthy, and if you do this, I will try and lift your charges.

=The AI looked at him questioningly=
But, it's risky, it got my crew killed... Are you up for it?

(Dormii)
=i smile and nod=
You won't even have to lift my charges. What is it?

=The AI stared at the Spartan for awhile, double guessing herself=
If I do tell you... You have to go through with this, you can't back out.

(Dormii)
I'm going to follow it through no matter what. What is it?

I wake up on the table, feeling miserable. I look over to a small cart with various surgery tools and a handgun. I look down to the floor to realize my bag with all the precious.. or discreet memories it with held and still does.

I lean over to pick it up from the blood soaked floor and a pistol clip falls out of my vest, but I ignore it. I zip open the bag and begin to search it's contents which are, in this order, blood from the many people I have had to help, ignore, or harmed. A pair of Military Police handcuffs along with a compact pistol that can fit in the palm of your hand. Underneath that some family photos which I lay out on the table, double taking at the picture of Christina, I flip all of the photos to their white paper side. Next are more syringes and bandages that I keep in the bag. I think back to the platoon sized unit of friends that were present when I was taken "prisoner" as they put it... and the Spartan who had been executed by the same group of people who had killed my.. friends.. I put the bag down on the floor, reaching for the pistol clip at the same time. I had it in my hand, quivering as I look at the hand gun not 2 feet away. I pull off my helmet, having it to shake out of my hand onto the ground making half the visor break off. I quickly grap the pistol off the cart, knocking over the surgical equipment. I slowly load the gun and chamber a round toward my head. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, squeezing the trigger until... POP.

I don't know if you noticed, but the ship you picked me up on wasn't any normal research ship.

=She stops briefly re-evaluating her decision one last time=
We were researching an ancient structure... Something different then we've ever seen before.

We, were heading back with the Data when the Covenant attacked us.

We played cat and mouse for days... Until they finally pinned us, we couldn't escape without comprising the Data.

So, we hid it, and we need to get it back before they find it. We don't know how valuable this information could be, these structures pre-date the Forerunners.

(Dormii)
=i nod=
I know almost nothing about the Forerunners, but okay. A race that predates the predecessors, got it.

It's not as simple as you crudely put it, but yes you are correct, and we have to find that information before they do.

=The AI sighed to herself, knowing the full risk of what she had to do=
It's going to be difficult getting there, the Covenant have the system locked down. We'll need to find away through them, and we'll need enough fire power to defend ourselves.

I woke up in a cold sweat. Things felt strange. Memories of the past 270 years zipped through my mind. The people I've killed. The people I've saved. Every detail was clear to me for but a second. The Gravemind. It had communicated with me. But It had left, It's presence was gone. I could no longer feel it in my mind. It's tendrils were non longer there. My mind was my own. It's grip was lost. The Gravemind that I created. All those years ago. Peter, the man that died recently, who I had thought was killed, survived. He forgave me. But he knew something that I didn't. I had been connected to that Gravemind. I had unknowingly subjected myself to it's control. However subtle it was, it was still there. Now, I was free. I was no longer connected. So was the Gravemind dead? Or was my realization the knife that severed the telepathic cord?

I tried getting out of bed. I felt weak, and sick. I was in a small room, small steel framed bed with a mattress near the window that had no shades on it. there was a small cupboard on the far wall, and the door was about five feet away from me. The room wasn't painted. It was the second floor. I could tell. I was part Druid after all. I'm joking, it's a sort of inside joke I had with some coworkers of mine. Traced my lineage all the way back to the days of Old, my ancestors were druids.I slowly pushed myself out of bed, into a sitting position. I had had vivid dreams about talking to the Gravemind, but it had left, or so the gossip led me to believe. I missed my Marine days. Things were simpler then. Wake up, drill, go out, shoot targets, more drills. Everyday, you had something to do. Now, It was all about the Navy, going out into space, fighting Sangeili and unngoy and Jiralhae.

The Precursors did not... would not have liked this. They would have come in and stopped it. They had strange abilities. If I had never been to the Precursors home planet, I would have never discovered their technology. I would have never been able to do what i've done. To a point. I was the number one man in the Universe. That was not cockiness, or Narcissism. I was more Precursor, more Sangheili, more genetically dissimilar to humans now. I had done it all myself. I had created vaccines, cured Aids, found cure for Viruses. More than vaccines, cures. I had done things to a point where others took credit for my work. I no longer cared about credit. I left those institutions behind me. 200 years later, I'm still breathing, and they are all dead.

Matt was somewhere. He must've wondered off, gone somewhere. I had all his stuff. When he was human...

I set off a beacon, hoping someone could pick me up. It was a interstellar beacon, made specifically for prime personnel. I had one, the head of ONI had one. That was it. It interacted with every UNSC ship in a galactic radius. It was something else. I helped create it after all. I was a self made man, in more respects than one.

(Miranda)
=we walked into the mess hall, though we weren't really hungry. We tried hailing Dormii and Zeru, but we got no response from any of them=

(Molly)
This is stupid. Why don't we just go back to Haven, and get help from them? I mean, wouldn't they help?

(Miranda)
Maybe. Hell, of course they would. But these guys are his friends, and they were the closest to our location.

(Molly)
Fine. But if we can't reach someone soon, I say we head back to Haven, and grab whatever we can.

(Dormii)
=we drop out of Slipspace near the Trophaeum=
Okay, well, we have plenty of that. We have...well, you can see.

=She nods in acknowledgement=
Yes I can, but can we trust them? I've taken a risk on you, but can we trust the others here? This information may be the most valuable alien discovery ever unearthed.

=She stared at him with judgemental eyes=
I'm not risking losing it again.

(Dormii)
=i look at the AI=
I trust them with my life. But, this is your op. If you don't want to bring anyone else into this, that's fine.

(Miranda)
=I tried the comm again. I called Dormii's channel. Again=
Is anyone there? Dormii, things have hit the fan, and we need help. Jason's been kidnapped.

(Dormii)
=i get a comm from Miranda. i reply=
What do you need me to do?

(Miranda)
Oh thank god! Finally. Listen, we need to find Jason. I don't know who, but I'm guessing ONI kidnapped him, and we need to find them.

=She continued to stare it him, trying to work out a plan that could get them in and out as quick as possible=
No... It won't work, we need a team, but you need to be sure they will do as I say. If they can't, we'll have to risk it.

=She relaxed her look on him, trying to sound more light-hearted=
Why don't we get inside, find some people, and we can make a plan. But, we don't have forever, my calculations suggest that we have roughly fifty-seven hours before to many covenant ships enter the system. Making extraction impossible.

I was picked up by a Prowler, not far from the UNSC trade base, or so I thought. Leaving that place was the most phenomenal feeling, I felt like I was getting closer to something. On that ship I had the most deja-vu feeling. Prowlers have a special place in m heart. Stealth missions were my favorite when I was in the military. More than 50 completed missions without detection. I wasn't the best, but I survived the most. The prowler was heading back to the inner colonies, it had intel and needed to relay that information to a base, so as not to be discovered by the enemy, what was left of the covenant. More roguish organizations were popping up. Humans no longer had that great common enemy to unite behind. so the old pattern was coming back into play.

I knew this old song, I knew it well. I entered Cryo, and we jumped.

(Dormii)
=to the AI=
Okay. Maybe you can even help us on a mission. It'll help us get people on your side, what with you being UNSC and all.

=to Miranda=
I'm going into the hanger bay now, meet me there?

(Miranda)
Yeah, meet you there.
=I ended the comm, gestured at Molly, and we both headed for the hangar=

(Molly)
So, we're finally getting some help?

(Miranda)
Yup.

Help you? You do realise what importance this information holds, don't you?

=She returns to giving her judgemental looks too the Spartan=
As much as I understand the concept of your idea. It just simple isn't feasible now. We have to act quick, if we don't... A lot more then ourselves could be at risk.

(Dormii)
=we land in the hanger bay and we wait for Miranda to arrive=
Listen, AI, can you please just tell me your name so I don't have to say that, I may be strong, and fast, and good with computer programming, but we are going to need help.

(Miranda)
=we arrived in the hangar, and headed for the Serenity. There was a Pelican parked next to it=