Chapter 8 NAME "Shit Happens" Part 5

Hey now! I haven't even gotten to the best part!

=He didn't flinch an inch when faced with Draco's blade=

What did we say about weapons...? Hmm, maybe its time I told you what's on the line here... Hehe...eh

=He reaches Macgraw and puts the blade near his throat=

You had better.

Really now... Physical violence isn't the way...

=He stared into Draco's eyes=

Its all about the mind...

=He chuckled to himself=
But your right, I better had... Seeing as time is running slim. You see I didn't just call you down here to have a chit-chat...

I called you down to ruin you, I want you to know I never gave up hunting you. I was always there watching. And now I can finally move, its my game now, I've made the rules. You have to play it.

=He looked down to his Tac-pad, then back up into the grey sky=
Hmm... Maybe we should start from the beginning?

Hehehe...

=He bows his head and then a laughter bursts from him=

Zayne: I do... love games.

=He retracts the blade=

Oh... Well, to be honest I didn't plan for you to come out...

=Macgraw paused for a moment, stepping backwards=

Me and you aren't so different... Me and you want the same thing... Heh... So you want to know how this works...?

=Macgraw had regained his bravado=

=He slowly lifts his head as the words escape Macgraw's mouth=
=He tilts it to the left in confusion=

I heard a slight sound of fear in your voice.

=He laughs=

Yes, I would love to.

=Macgraw hastily ignores Zayne's dig and moves on with his genius plan=

All plans start with and idea... And the only thought running through my mind was killing you...

=He laughed maniacally the whites of his eyes burning red=

But death would be to good for you... But I couldn't find you, as hard as I tried... As much as I looked... You had just disappeared... But then sweet, sweet... What was her name...? Ash? Alice...?

Heh... It doesn't matter anyway, she's the one that led me to you. Obviously she didn't talk straight away... But everyone has their breaking points. I'm sure your aware of that. Hehe...

=He took another step back glancing back to the stormy sky=
So I had my in, I had my key. All I need was a little bread crumb trail. And you gave it to me... Heheh... Haha...

And now! You were dumb enough to follow me here! Dumb enough to come here alone! You really are an idiot...

=He looked back to Zayne piercing his eyes with his anger, his pulse beating faster and faster=

You took everything away from me! EVERYTHING!

=He exhaled calming himself=

Before you came... I had a team set explosives on the Fuelling ship

=He points to the sky vaguely in the direction where the ship should be=

The ship will blow in less then fifth-teen minutes everyone on it will die, everyone nearby will die. It will pour tons of scrap metal and toxics right onto this planet. But who will be the one who pulled the trigger?

=he points back to Zayne=
You will.

YOU ARE GOING TO GO DOWN FOR THIS! I may not be able to kill you... But I can ruin you. I have ruined you.

=He laughs uncontrollable his mind on the brink of insanity=
I HAVE WON! And you will be hunted down like the dog you are!

I've taken everything, you love, your live. And now your freedom... Hehehahahah! HAHWHAHA....

=His laughing seizes as he pants out of breath=

(Molly)
=We stayed in the bar for nearly an hour, before we left back for the barracks. Well, barracks was the general term, but apparently, fighter pilots had better quarters. For example, we had our owns rooms. Small, yes, and the beds were still metal framed cots with one person mattresses, but it beat sleeping with everyone else in the same room. My room wasn't really much to look at: a cot, dresser with standard military uniform and off base clothing, a mirror.... It was already late, so I just collapsed on the cot, the door already closed behind me, and soon, darkness took me to my dreams=

Yes? You all seem to be worse for wear.

=Draco breaks through=

YOU LITTLE!

=He bows his head=

Zayne: Sorry. I have a question.

=He looks up=

Zayne: Would you kill Jay.

(Jason)
=Almost an hour later, and Miri and I returned to the Serenity. We only had one bag, and that was just some new clothes (yes, I went shopping for clothes, with my girlfriend, I will take the jokes) which we kinda needed, just for something new. After the stuff had been put away, we both sat at the dining table, doing.....nothing. Hey, it was a dull day=

(Miranda)
=I was about to go and take a nap, when I remembered that I wanted to tell Jason something=
Oh, I forgot to tell you: Silver showed me this arena, for training in my Combat Skin.

(Jason)
=I was curious=
Really? He never told me about anything like that.

(Miranda)
I guess you never asked about it, but yeah. It's real, and huge.

(Dormii)
=i snuggle up next to her and start telling the story=
Sane, fugere conatus. Nos fregit de cellulis et pugnavit ad ASSECLA sinus. Nos sunt angulum, Draco, Cinerum, et I. prope occidit et tunc obtinuit felix. Foedus navis longa satis anxia puppis adest in ea salvatio nibh pellicanos

Quote :

Well, we tried to escape. We broke out of the cells and fought towards the hanger bay. We were cornered, Draco, Ash, and I. We were almost killed and then we got lucky. A Covenant ship arrived and distracted the ship long enough for us to escape in one of those experimental Pelicans

(Jason)
How huge?

(Miranda)
Bigger than any stadium on the Inner Colonies, that's for sure.

(Jason)
Seriously? That big, for a testing field?

(Miranda)
Well, it's more than that. The arena creates objects, like platforms, stairs, walls, and even rooms, out of hardlight, in just about any combination you can imagine.

(Jason)
Whoa....okay, that's impressive.

Continue?

(Dormii)
Nos exposuit in planeta regi rebelles. Non quasi nos nimis. Fraxinus in quaerendo suos reliquit, cucurri in veterem amicum. Et altiore conatus non ut occidit aut committitur a luxuria.

Quote :

We landed on a planet controlled by rebels. They didn't like us too much. Ash left to go on a search for her family, I ran into an old friend. And overall tried not to get killed or start a riot.

(Miranda)
Yeah.
=I looked at him, a smile on my face=

Want to try it out?

(Jason)
=It didn't take me long to consider. Hell, it was something to do=
Of course. Let me get my Combat Skin on.

(Miranda)
Same here.
=we both got up, and headed for the lift=

(Dormii)
Postea, nos reliquit enim Olympo, domum originem Zeru. Nos aliquot tempore, salvo occasionales princeps, occiso in temere draco.

Quote :

Afterwards, we left for Olympus, home of origin for Zeru. We spent some time there, saving the occasional princess, slaying the random dragon.

=i smile jokingly at her=

(Jason)
=Down in the cargo bay, we both got into our combat skins. Yes, they were stored in the cargo bay (well, armory) but we had nowhere to really store them. It was, kinda awkward, getting into the combat skins. See, there was no room, for clothing, even undergarments. Apparently, when Silver said skin-tight, he meant skin-tight. Truth be told, it wasn't anything we hadn't seen before, but it brought back images of our first night together: dim lights, panting breaths, sounds of kisses, and the sensation of hands, not my own, undressing me. I smiled a little, and she saw it=

(Miranda)
See something you like?

(Jason)
Kinda. Reminds me a little of our first time.

(Miranda)
=I chuckled a little, my eyebrows bobbing a little=
Yeah, that was a good night. You were very.....enthusiastic.

(Jason)
=I sealed the suit up=
What can I say? I was very motivated.

(Miranda)
=The rest of my suit slipped on, and I couldn't deny it slid over the curves of my body in a very....thought provoking way=
Well, I hope you stay motivated by nothing else, on that matter anyway.

(Dormii)
=i continue with the story telling=
Sedes modicum fecimus. Nova gentium populo occurrit. Unum eorum est Jason Shepard. Miles conversus togae. Legati apud illum, hoc mihi esset.

Quote :

We made a little bit of a settlement. Met some new people and races. One of them is Jason Shepard. A soldier turned civilian. On a mission with him, I had this happen to me.

=i gesture to my arm=

(Jason)
=I chuckled myself=
No need to worry about that. Besides, you kicked my ass already, not looking to repeat that process.

=We exited the ship, Combat Skin gleaming in the sun. The two of us headed for the teleporter the ship was parked next to, and Miranda gave the command of where to go. A few seconds later, and I stood in a massive arena, with towering walls, and a flat central area. Platforms, almost like seats, rose above us, apart of the wall=
Holy shit.

(Miranda)
Yeah.

=At the mention of his daughters name Macgraws whole demeanour changed=

J...

Jay?

=He shrugged off the thought, it was impossible, he read the files himself he found out everything. He found out that she was Oni... She had lied to him all along. Everyone had lied to him.=

She's dead! You really are desperate aren't you!?

=He begins to laugh=

Zayne: Now why would I lie.

=He begins to laugh harder=

Zayne: Of the two of us.

=He leans inward=

Zayne: I'm the truthful one.

=He goes back=

Zayne: Would you kill your precious Jay?

You've got every reason to lie! Your trying to save yourself...

=He snickered returning to his confident stance=

Don't you think your wasting time...? The clock is ticking...

=He cuts off the laughter=

Zayne: You can't bring my mood down.

=He tilts his head=

Zayne: What is it you want me to do?

=A grim smile creeps onto his face=

I want you to give in, I want you to suffer....

=He pulls out a set of cuffs which were attached to his belt=

But lets start with these shall we...?

=he throws them at Draco waiting for him to put them on=

If you behave... I'll make sure I leave the fuel station alone.

=He puts the cuffs on=

Zayne: You've broken him down to nothing.

=He laughs loudly=

Zayne: I've got nothing to lose.

You've got everything to lose! I'm going to take everything away!

=He calmed himself preventing another outburst=

You really are crazy aren't you...? I guess you have to lose it all before you truly know what you had.

=He pulls out his side arm holding it up to Draco=

March...

=He flicks his gun to his left, expecting him to walk towards a crumbed wall standing eight feet high=

=He smiles=

Zayne: Of course.

=He turns left and marches towards the wall=

Zayne: Left! Left! Left! Right! Left!

=He laughs=

=Xazhi brought the Eirav Wing's AI up on the console=

Xa- Make sure we're cloaked from any detection as soon as we drop out of Slipspace.

Code:

Yes, sir.

=The Eirav Wing comes out of Slipspace above the Shield World, and is instantly cloaked. It begins descending to the Surface=

You seem far to jolly... How could I ruin your mood...?

=He pretended to ponder his idea as he followed the crazed Zayne closer to the wall=

Ah! How about we talk about how I got your little friend to talk? Having your finger nails removed can be an awfully painful thing... Heh....

=He laughs=

Zayne: That sounds fun. How about I gently slice off your finger first.

=He turns to face Macgraw=

Zayne: Hmmm?

(Silver Light)
=An odd thing happened: There was a slip-space portal above Haven, yet no ship had been detected. However, I had suspicions, so for the most part, I sent an alert out to Bases Alpha through Delta, to stand on alert, increase patrols. At the same time, I increased the number of Sentinels, both on the surface and around the cities=

I'd like to see you try.

=He continued to walk forward forcing Draco to stumble backwards until he was pressed up against the wall=

Is this the way you cope with every little trouble that comes your way? You hide beneath you scary persona?

=He gestured his gun awkwardly, attempting to make Draco turn around=

=He turns=

Zayne: I'm sorry, Draco is not in right now. Please leave a message after the....

=A change overcomes him, his voice goes sullen, dark=

You hurt anyone.
Anyone of them.
I will kill you.

(Jason)
=It didn't take long for Miranda and I to get started in the arena. The commands came up up on my HUD, and pretty soon, the obstacle course was formed. Walls, platforms, poles, all made of hardlight. To make things more interesting, Miranda actually attacked me, and we traded blows while on the move, sometimes even doing hide and seek=

Well you better play by the rules, now turn around.

=He waited for the Spartan to comply before pulling out a electronic trigger from his tactical hard case=

Now be a good boy and don't move, we wouldn't want any accidents...

=He flicked a trigger on the device, a timer suddenly appearing counting down at 10 minuets=

Finally we can get this firework show on the road.

(Miranda)
=We ran and climbed for what felt like hours, each trading practice blows, and even trying our hand at sword play, the energy blades on our arms sparking when they met, and we danced around each-other, arms flying and weaving through motions, unique to the weapons we used. Between sparring with blades, we'd switch to hand to hand, punching and kicking, limbs turning into blurs. And when we weren't fighting, we ran through the obstacle course, through halls and over platforms, our speed nearly supernatural. It wasn't long though, before we became tired, and I stopped, in a clear section of the arena=
Okay, I'm exhausted. Want to call it a night, and get some rest?

(Jason)
=I jumped down from a platform behind her, landing in a crouch=
Sure. Damn, this place is something else.

(Miranda)
You don't say.

(Jason)
Yeah. It even gives me an idea.
=I issued an order though, for the arena to end the program it was running, and the course disappeared=

(Miranda)
What idea?

(Jason)
Just something for the whole planet to enjoy, if the rest of the Council agrees to it.
=I accessed the Teleporter controls, and sent us back to outside the Serenity. Apparently, in a way, the whole arena's field was one giant teleporter=

=He looks down=

You can't expect me to believe you killed her on your own.
I hope you know that.

(Dormii)
Securitatem ostium descendit et non adepto per ieiunium satis. Comminuit brachium meum cum ossibus et pulveres. Si Zeru non interficiam mea brachium, Lorem probabiliter esse mortuus nunc.

Quote :

Security door came down and I didn't get through fast enough. It crushed my arm, pulverised the bones and such. If Zeru hadn't cut off my arm, I'd probably be dead right now.

And yet Zeru's dead because of me...

(Dormii)
Non, aliis te. Non compos sis, non imperium accipiat. Suus non culpa.

Quote :

Not you, other you. You weren't in control, you didn't let her take control. It's not your fault.

It was still this body.

(Dormii)
=i nod, and pull her closer=
Sic, erat. Sed placet occidere? Dico vobis, non ... eam

Quote :

Yes, it was. But did you decide to kill him? I mean you, not...her

(Jason)
=We walked back onto the Serenity, for the armory. See, we had left our clothes there, when we got into the Combat Skins (neatly folded of course) and we figured we might as well pick them up on the way back in=

(Miranda)
So, what was this idea you were talking about?

(Jason)
Oh, that? Well, I was thinking to myself that once we make it to a full year, that everyone has been on Haven, why not hold some special celebrations?

(Miranda)
=Thoughts whirled through my head as I connected the dots=
So you want to use the arena to hold these events?

(Jason)
Yeah, like our own Olympic Games.

(Miranda)
Sounds interesting. I think a lot of people could go for it.

(Jason)
Hopefully.

=The Eirav Wing landed in a remote location out in the jungle, still cloaked. Xazhi took the AI's chip from the console, put it into his helmet, and headed to the lower deck, grabbing his MCR-III on the way out. He exited the ship's entry ramp, and went off=

(Miranda)
Kinda makes you wonder though.

(Jason)
What?

(Miranda)
Well you hold that celebration and everything right? Keeps going on and on for years. Imagine this world, and all it's people, years, decades, from now.

(Jason)
=I did. The world I saw, was complex, but bright and shining. People living, flourishing here on Haven, making leaps and bounds in science and culture with the knowledge of the Forerunners behind them. It was both beautiful, and terrifying. It was terrifying, because I saw how easily the power here could be abused, and how much damage it could cause=
Yeah, this world will be something alright.

=Xazhi soon arrived at a rather large hole left by the impact of a ship. He decided that it would probably be the safest way inside, so he activated his PAC and PTC, and began walking through. After a few minutes, the hole got smaller and smaller, untill he was forced to crawl through. He just narrowly managed to squeeze through the hole at the end. He took only a moment to enjoy the stunning scenery, before moving on with the mission=

=Sentinels were on patrol, courtesy of the monitors orders. They flew both on the surface, and inside Haven, sensors linked to the monitoring systems. Thermal signatures, life signatures, energy signatures, they were all shown. A large majority of Sentinels patrolled the hole where the Flood ship had entered from, after crashing through the surface. Something caught their attention, and a group of three flew down=

(Dormii)
=i wait for an answer but receive none. I kiss her cheek before continuing telling her the tale=
Usquam, Jason factus parte Praecursoris. Obtinuit sua clipeus Mundus et omnia. Habet a monitor nomine Argentum lux. A...curator in mundi. Dedit me hoc robotic brachium. Zeru conatus, sed damnant res ita buggy et glitched fecit a fragor pellicane, agens me secundo cicatrix et faciens me amittere brachium.

Quote :

Anyway, Jason became part Forerunner. Got his own Shield World and everything. Has a monitor named Silver Light. A...caretaker for the world. He gave me this robotic arm. Zeru tried to, but the damn thing was so buggy and glitched it caused a crash of a Pelican, giving me this second scar and making me lose the arm.

(Jason)
=Once we had our clothes picked up, we took the lift back to the crew deck, for a shower, on account of the fact that during the workout, we had sweated a lot, even with the Combat Skin's matching our body temperatures. The second we entered the room, we both stripped out of the skins, neither of us really giving a damn about the fact that we were both nude (hey, spend as much time together as we had, and you wouldn't care about seeing them naked either) and entered the shower. Thankfully, it was big enough for the two of us. Now, I'll admit, it was tempting to start something in there, watching as water flowed down her......... Dammit, you see what I mean? Distracting as hell. Suffice to say, the most we really did was a few light kisses, but after that exercise in the arena, we were both too tired to really do anything else! Once the shower was done, we dried ourselves, got into some casual wear, and collapsed on the bed, sinking beneath the sheets and covers=