Post by Spartan 999 on Apr 14, 2012 17:19:11 GMT -6
(Just something I wrote up in a few hours earlier today. Comments appreciated.)
“GO! Now!” Silas bellowed over his shoulder at Jethro, MA5C spitting rounds at the oncoming horde. They crawled and ran at the Spartans, decomposing bodies squelching as the bullets tore through them. The rest of Gold had been overwhelmed by the creatures, their agonized screams of terror and agony drowned under the weight of millions of the things.
“Jethro! Move your ass!” Silas shouted, quickly reloading.
“I'm not leaving ya, Silas!” Jethro retorted, firing at the disgusting monsters as several appeared behind them. His M247H sprayed rounds at the malformed humans, their twisted bodies withering under the intense fire.
A massive brown-gray tendril smashed through a door, sending the Forerunner metal spiraling through the air.
“Get down!” Jethro bellowed, diving to the side. Silas, with his back to the tentacle, wasn't able to dodge fast enough. As he attempted to roll to the side, the tendril shot forward and wrapped around the Spartan. Cursing, Silas was dragged out of the room, arms pinned to his side. Over the COM, Jethro heard Silas roar in defiance for a split-second--then silence.
A single tear fell down Jethro's face; first Victor, then Lucifer and Darius, and Dani a few minutes ago. Now Silas was gone, Gold's fearless leader, dead on a mission no one would know the story to.
He pushed himself up, mouth wide as he screamed at the horde. He started running after Silas and the tendril, using the turret as a battering ram. Whip-like limbs smashed against his body, making his shields flare and spark. A final arm collided with his chest, breaking through his shields and making a dent in his MJOLNIR Mark-VII armor.
He staggered, then retaliated with a blow from his turret. He hit the mutated Elite in the torso, the turret actually ripping through its body. One of the smaller pale, oblong creatures with several tendrils for legs jumped on his back, then shoved one of the tendrils into his neck.
A hot wave went through Jethro's body, making him trip and tumble to the floor. He landed on his back, and felt the little bastard explode from the weight. He lifted his left arm up, right feebly tapping at the attached TACPAD. Growling and moaning, more abominations descended upon the lone Spartan.
“Not yet...” Jethro growled, pressing a final button. The massive hallway shook, cracking and buckling as the explosives ripped through that part of the massive Forerunner ship. The floor shuddered, then started to cave in from the opposite end of the hall. Flames shot into the air, incinerating countless aberrations.
Jethro smiled as he felt the solid metal floor vanish from under him. His arms moved in front of his helmet as he closed his eyes, futilely trying to block the fire as it billowed around him.
His eyes blinked slowly, trying to bring the blurry world into focus. He shook his head weakly, then groaned as a lance of pain shot through his body. He grimaced as he shifted to the side, arms and legs working to bring the Spartan to his feet.
Jethro coughed, the act excruciatingly painful. Blood spattered onto his cracked visor, the droplets obscuring his vision slightly. He tugged the helmet off his head, letting the blackened piece of armor thud to the floor. He looked down, and his shoulders slumped as he realized how bad the damage was.
The Mark-VII armor was charred and cracked, and large pieces of it were missing altogether. He could see the damage to his legs and left side of his torso, and knew he would be dead in an hour, if not far sooner.
Jethro looked around, and guessed he was somewhere near the middle-front of the ship. He staggered forward, feet thudding against the floor.
After what seemed an eternity, he reached a large room, with lights and consoles brightening it. The bridge of the several kilometer-long Forerunner vessel. He approached the main control panel agonizingly slowly, his breaths quickening as he tried to limp faster.
He fell against the holographic console, hands burning as he stopped himself from collapsing. He looked over the symbols, then pushed one that seemed to call to him. Before him, a view screen flickered to life, showing the planet the ship was orbiting. He remembered: Gold had been sent in to secure any technology from the vessel, as the binary neutron stars at the center of the solar system were getting very close, and were estimated to collide in mere days. But a more serious problem faced him as he stared at the planet. Apparently the explosions had disrupted the ship's geosynchronous orbit, sending it into a steep descent. He estimated no more than ten minutes until until the ship crashed.
“The planet's beautiful, is it not?” A familiar voice came from behind Jethro. He spun, one hand managing to keep him upright. “Hello again, Jethro.” Silas said, face impassive behind his visor.
“But...what...?” Jethro muttered weakly, voice hoarse.
“Confusing, I know.” Silas said, clasping his arms behind his back as he started to pace back and forth across the bridge.
“But...you're dead.”
Silas shrugged in response. “Maybe, maybe not. I just...” He pondered for a moment, searching for the right words. “Found my higher calling, if you will.”
“What, you work for God now?” Jethro said, spitting out some blood that had collected in his mouth.
“...Something to that effect.” Silas said, and Jethro could tell he was beaming in joy under his helmet.
“Ya mind explaining?”
“In a moment.” Silas said, stepping nearer to Jethro. “But first, I need you to stop this ship from falling to the planet below and being destroyed.” He put one armored hand on Jethro's shoulder, nodding reassuringly to the injured supersoldier.
“Why can't you do it?” Jethro inquired, red and sea-foam eyes staring into the golden visor.
“It won't register me. Only you can do it.” Silas replied, glancing at the holographic panel.
“But...we were going to get off this thing and let the abominations die when it crashed.” He said, eyes narrowing.
“They are no longer a problem.” Silas said, his voice becoming deeper...and angrier. He backed up a step, then continued his pacing, putting his arms into the air for emphasis as he continued. “Just do this. We can bring the technologies back to Earth and usher in a new age for humanity. Not even Infinity has this level of tech, let alone the remnants of the Covenant.”
“No, we have to let it be destroyed. If even one spore survives...” Jethro growled, remembering Earth.
“Jethro...let me be honest with you here.” Silas sighed, halting as he turned to face Jethro directly.
“And you haven't been?”
“I was hoping to convince you through, well...not quite a lie, but not exactly the truth, either.” Silas said, tilting his head to the side as he considered Jethro. “These so-called abominations are the future.”
Jethro froze, unsure what was happening. “Silas...”
“They bring order and peace to all.” Silas continued, ignoring Jethro. “They have been called many things; the Shaping-Sickness, the Flood, the Great Devourers...but all of those are accusations due to ignorance born of incomprehension. Incomprehension of what they can do for us. All minds, united as one, with one purpose. Side by side we march, unto the joining of all consciousness.” He tensed and seemed to quiver as he spoke the last sentence in a deep, gravelly voice, the sound sending shivers down Jethro's spine. He seemed to relax as he finished.
“They would steal out free will and what makes us unique.” Jethro growled, hand tightening against the metal of the control panel. “They would destroy what makes us human, and force us to become nothing more than mindless drones.”
“Our bodies, yes, but not our minds.” Silas said, his voice normal...for the moment. He clenched his hands before him as he continued. “Jethro, do you not see what they offer us! They can make us ascend, to become more than we ever could have been before! The knowledge...so much, it would take countless lifetimes to learn it all as a human. But if you embrace this consciousness...you can become a god. You can also become reunited with the others...even Dani.”
“I don't--”
“Don't bullshit me, Jethro.” Silas said, taking a step closer. “I know you two were close. Intimately so.”
“How?!” Jethro sputtered, blinking rapidly.
“Because I love you...” Silas seemed to say, but it wasn't his voice. It had become higher pitched and more feminine...Dani's voice. Jethro stared in shock at the armored figure standing before him. “We can be together forever, Jethro. Never parting, swimming in a sea of knowledge until the end of time.”
Jethro did not move a muscle, mind racing as fast as it could despite having a very bad concussion. Forever, never dying, never ceasing to be... Wait...was he seriously considering unleashing hell upon the galaxy, all for the chance to be reunited with Dani? He blinked in frustration, hand shaking slightly.
“And now you're weighing the decision against your...morals.” Silas said, poison creeping into his now-normal voice as he spoke the last word. “It will be a utopia for all life. This is our genetic destiny.” His voice shifted to Dani's once more. “Please...for me. For us.”
“Show me your face.” Jethro growled, eyes narrowing. Silas hesitated, then slowly shook his head. “SHOW ME YOUR FACE!” Jethro bellowed, drawing the M6Z that was still miraculously holstered on his right thigh armor. He aimed the revolver at Silas, cocking it with his thumb.
Slowly, Silas pulled the helmet off his face, revealing what was beneath. His face was distorted and mutated by the infection, and his natural eye was glowing green. “You can be so much more...” He said, voice sounding like a mixture of all of Gold's...and something darker, deeper, and very much malevolent.
“You're not Silas or any of the others, just a perverted echo of their great spirit. In other words, go to hell, you son of a bitch.” Jethro growled. He pulled the trigger, sending a bullet hurtling at the infected Spartan. It caught not-Silas in the shoulder, making him stagger back. Silas screamed in pure rage, the sound taking on on several timbres that made his voice sound wildly inhuman. He vaulted at Jethro, jumping higher than even a Spartan could as Jethro fired again.
Jethro grunted in pain as Silas landed on him, mouth wide as he screamed at the Spartan, his teeth fangs. The M6Z skittered across the floor, vanishing into a dark cornder. Jethro grabbed the machete sheathed at the infected Spartan's waist, then slammed his left fist into Silas' head, knocking him into the console with a thud. Jethro rolled away, jerkily rising to his feet. He drew his bowie knife with his left hand, then crouched into a combat stance.
Silas flipped to his feet, screaming once more as he charged at Jethro. Dodging to the side in a burst of motion, Jethro slashed with the machete, taking Silas' arm off at the elbow and stabbing the back of his chest with the bowie knife. Green-black blood spattered onto Jethro and the floor as Silas jerked away, taking the knife with him. He growled as the stump of his arm seemed to erupt, tendrils pushing their way out of his elbow.
Silas turned to face Jethro, face contorted into an expression of fury. “We tried to give you everything, and you deny us...” He shook his head, almost sadly. “We regret your refusal to join your consciousness with ours. Those that join willingly experience things beyond imagination. Still, you will make an excellent tool for our use.”
“Ya think?” Jethro snarled. He turned to the console, using his good leg to spring over to it. He slammed his hand against the controls. On the screen, the planet seemed to rise and engulf the view as the ship's engines flared, directing it on a path to the desolate terrain below. He pressed several other controls rapid-fire, attempting to make the ship malfunction or something.
Jethro turned to looked at Silas as he heard footsteps running at him, then grunted in pain as his bowie knife imbedded itself into his chest. He collapsed, blood splashing out from his wound and mouth. Silas grabbed him by the throat, lifting him high into the air.
As a last act of defiance, Jethro spit into Silas' eyes. Screaming in rage, Silas jammed his mutated arm into Jethro's abdomen, the tendrils ripping through his battered armor and soft internal organs before exiting through his back, blood and gore exploding onto the console.
The world went black for the last time as Jethro slumped against the reanimated body of his once best friend.
The massive Forerunner ship's hull heated as it entered the atmosphere, flames flickering at the tip. It started shaking violently, pieces flying off. After only a few seconds, the ship slammed nose-first into the blasted surface of the planet. Mere nanoseconds after impact, the central core detonated, utterly obliterating the ship. The blast wave expanded from the ship, cracking the planet's surface before shattering it completely. The shockwave of energy spread from the starting place, rippling across the solar system. As it reached the binary neutron stars at the center, the energy permeated the stars, causing the orbiting duo to grow and spin around one another faster than the speed of light.
Finally, the pair collided with one another. Due to absorbing some of the unusual and volatile energy from the Forerunner vessel's central core, they detonated upon merging. A massive explosion washed through space, annihilating anything in its path. Fortunately for the galaxy, the wave didn't travel very far, flickering and dying out mere seconds away from the nearest inhabited planet.
All was quiet.
All was still.
“GO! Now!” Silas bellowed over his shoulder at Jethro, MA5C spitting rounds at the oncoming horde. They crawled and ran at the Spartans, decomposing bodies squelching as the bullets tore through them. The rest of Gold had been overwhelmed by the creatures, their agonized screams of terror and agony drowned under the weight of millions of the things.
“Jethro! Move your ass!” Silas shouted, quickly reloading.
“I'm not leaving ya, Silas!” Jethro retorted, firing at the disgusting monsters as several appeared behind them. His M247H sprayed rounds at the malformed humans, their twisted bodies withering under the intense fire.
A massive brown-gray tendril smashed through a door, sending the Forerunner metal spiraling through the air.
“Get down!” Jethro bellowed, diving to the side. Silas, with his back to the tentacle, wasn't able to dodge fast enough. As he attempted to roll to the side, the tendril shot forward and wrapped around the Spartan. Cursing, Silas was dragged out of the room, arms pinned to his side. Over the COM, Jethro heard Silas roar in defiance for a split-second--then silence.
A single tear fell down Jethro's face; first Victor, then Lucifer and Darius, and Dani a few minutes ago. Now Silas was gone, Gold's fearless leader, dead on a mission no one would know the story to.
He pushed himself up, mouth wide as he screamed at the horde. He started running after Silas and the tendril, using the turret as a battering ram. Whip-like limbs smashed against his body, making his shields flare and spark. A final arm collided with his chest, breaking through his shields and making a dent in his MJOLNIR Mark-VII armor.
He staggered, then retaliated with a blow from his turret. He hit the mutated Elite in the torso, the turret actually ripping through its body. One of the smaller pale, oblong creatures with several tendrils for legs jumped on his back, then shoved one of the tendrils into his neck.
A hot wave went through Jethro's body, making him trip and tumble to the floor. He landed on his back, and felt the little bastard explode from the weight. He lifted his left arm up, right feebly tapping at the attached TACPAD. Growling and moaning, more abominations descended upon the lone Spartan.
“Not yet...” Jethro growled, pressing a final button. The massive hallway shook, cracking and buckling as the explosives ripped through that part of the massive Forerunner ship. The floor shuddered, then started to cave in from the opposite end of the hall. Flames shot into the air, incinerating countless aberrations.
Jethro smiled as he felt the solid metal floor vanish from under him. His arms moved in front of his helmet as he closed his eyes, futilely trying to block the fire as it billowed around him.
*****
His eyes blinked slowly, trying to bring the blurry world into focus. He shook his head weakly, then groaned as a lance of pain shot through his body. He grimaced as he shifted to the side, arms and legs working to bring the Spartan to his feet.
Jethro coughed, the act excruciatingly painful. Blood spattered onto his cracked visor, the droplets obscuring his vision slightly. He tugged the helmet off his head, letting the blackened piece of armor thud to the floor. He looked down, and his shoulders slumped as he realized how bad the damage was.
The Mark-VII armor was charred and cracked, and large pieces of it were missing altogether. He could see the damage to his legs and left side of his torso, and knew he would be dead in an hour, if not far sooner.
Jethro looked around, and guessed he was somewhere near the middle-front of the ship. He staggered forward, feet thudding against the floor.
After what seemed an eternity, he reached a large room, with lights and consoles brightening it. The bridge of the several kilometer-long Forerunner vessel. He approached the main control panel agonizingly slowly, his breaths quickening as he tried to limp faster.
He fell against the holographic console, hands burning as he stopped himself from collapsing. He looked over the symbols, then pushed one that seemed to call to him. Before him, a view screen flickered to life, showing the planet the ship was orbiting. He remembered: Gold had been sent in to secure any technology from the vessel, as the binary neutron stars at the center of the solar system were getting very close, and were estimated to collide in mere days. But a more serious problem faced him as he stared at the planet. Apparently the explosions had disrupted the ship's geosynchronous orbit, sending it into a steep descent. He estimated no more than ten minutes until until the ship crashed.
“The planet's beautiful, is it not?” A familiar voice came from behind Jethro. He spun, one hand managing to keep him upright. “Hello again, Jethro.” Silas said, face impassive behind his visor.
“But...what...?” Jethro muttered weakly, voice hoarse.
“Confusing, I know.” Silas said, clasping his arms behind his back as he started to pace back and forth across the bridge.
“But...you're dead.”
Silas shrugged in response. “Maybe, maybe not. I just...” He pondered for a moment, searching for the right words. “Found my higher calling, if you will.”
“What, you work for God now?” Jethro said, spitting out some blood that had collected in his mouth.
“...Something to that effect.” Silas said, and Jethro could tell he was beaming in joy under his helmet.
“Ya mind explaining?”
“In a moment.” Silas said, stepping nearer to Jethro. “But first, I need you to stop this ship from falling to the planet below and being destroyed.” He put one armored hand on Jethro's shoulder, nodding reassuringly to the injured supersoldier.
“Why can't you do it?” Jethro inquired, red and sea-foam eyes staring into the golden visor.
“It won't register me. Only you can do it.” Silas replied, glancing at the holographic panel.
“But...we were going to get off this thing and let the abominations die when it crashed.” He said, eyes narrowing.
“They are no longer a problem.” Silas said, his voice becoming deeper...and angrier. He backed up a step, then continued his pacing, putting his arms into the air for emphasis as he continued. “Just do this. We can bring the technologies back to Earth and usher in a new age for humanity. Not even Infinity has this level of tech, let alone the remnants of the Covenant.”
“No, we have to let it be destroyed. If even one spore survives...” Jethro growled, remembering Earth.
“Jethro...let me be honest with you here.” Silas sighed, halting as he turned to face Jethro directly.
“And you haven't been?”
“I was hoping to convince you through, well...not quite a lie, but not exactly the truth, either.” Silas said, tilting his head to the side as he considered Jethro. “These so-called abominations are the future.”
Jethro froze, unsure what was happening. “Silas...”
“They bring order and peace to all.” Silas continued, ignoring Jethro. “They have been called many things; the Shaping-Sickness, the Flood, the Great Devourers...but all of those are accusations due to ignorance born of incomprehension. Incomprehension of what they can do for us. All minds, united as one, with one purpose. Side by side we march, unto the joining of all consciousness.” He tensed and seemed to quiver as he spoke the last sentence in a deep, gravelly voice, the sound sending shivers down Jethro's spine. He seemed to relax as he finished.
“They would steal out free will and what makes us unique.” Jethro growled, hand tightening against the metal of the control panel. “They would destroy what makes us human, and force us to become nothing more than mindless drones.”
“Our bodies, yes, but not our minds.” Silas said, his voice normal...for the moment. He clenched his hands before him as he continued. “Jethro, do you not see what they offer us! They can make us ascend, to become more than we ever could have been before! The knowledge...so much, it would take countless lifetimes to learn it all as a human. But if you embrace this consciousness...you can become a god. You can also become reunited with the others...even Dani.”
“I don't--”
“Don't bullshit me, Jethro.” Silas said, taking a step closer. “I know you two were close. Intimately so.”
“How?!” Jethro sputtered, blinking rapidly.
“Because I love you...” Silas seemed to say, but it wasn't his voice. It had become higher pitched and more feminine...Dani's voice. Jethro stared in shock at the armored figure standing before him. “We can be together forever, Jethro. Never parting, swimming in a sea of knowledge until the end of time.”
Jethro did not move a muscle, mind racing as fast as it could despite having a very bad concussion. Forever, never dying, never ceasing to be... Wait...was he seriously considering unleashing hell upon the galaxy, all for the chance to be reunited with Dani? He blinked in frustration, hand shaking slightly.
“And now you're weighing the decision against your...morals.” Silas said, poison creeping into his now-normal voice as he spoke the last word. “It will be a utopia for all life. This is our genetic destiny.” His voice shifted to Dani's once more. “Please...for me. For us.”
“Show me your face.” Jethro growled, eyes narrowing. Silas hesitated, then slowly shook his head. “SHOW ME YOUR FACE!” Jethro bellowed, drawing the M6Z that was still miraculously holstered on his right thigh armor. He aimed the revolver at Silas, cocking it with his thumb.
Slowly, Silas pulled the helmet off his face, revealing what was beneath. His face was distorted and mutated by the infection, and his natural eye was glowing green. “You can be so much more...” He said, voice sounding like a mixture of all of Gold's...and something darker, deeper, and very much malevolent.
“You're not Silas or any of the others, just a perverted echo of their great spirit. In other words, go to hell, you son of a bitch.” Jethro growled. He pulled the trigger, sending a bullet hurtling at the infected Spartan. It caught not-Silas in the shoulder, making him stagger back. Silas screamed in pure rage, the sound taking on on several timbres that made his voice sound wildly inhuman. He vaulted at Jethro, jumping higher than even a Spartan could as Jethro fired again.
Jethro grunted in pain as Silas landed on him, mouth wide as he screamed at the Spartan, his teeth fangs. The M6Z skittered across the floor, vanishing into a dark cornder. Jethro grabbed the machete sheathed at the infected Spartan's waist, then slammed his left fist into Silas' head, knocking him into the console with a thud. Jethro rolled away, jerkily rising to his feet. He drew his bowie knife with his left hand, then crouched into a combat stance.
Silas flipped to his feet, screaming once more as he charged at Jethro. Dodging to the side in a burst of motion, Jethro slashed with the machete, taking Silas' arm off at the elbow and stabbing the back of his chest with the bowie knife. Green-black blood spattered onto Jethro and the floor as Silas jerked away, taking the knife with him. He growled as the stump of his arm seemed to erupt, tendrils pushing their way out of his elbow.
Silas turned to face Jethro, face contorted into an expression of fury. “We tried to give you everything, and you deny us...” He shook his head, almost sadly. “We regret your refusal to join your consciousness with ours. Those that join willingly experience things beyond imagination. Still, you will make an excellent tool for our use.”
“Ya think?” Jethro snarled. He turned to the console, using his good leg to spring over to it. He slammed his hand against the controls. On the screen, the planet seemed to rise and engulf the view as the ship's engines flared, directing it on a path to the desolate terrain below. He pressed several other controls rapid-fire, attempting to make the ship malfunction or something.
Jethro turned to looked at Silas as he heard footsteps running at him, then grunted in pain as his bowie knife imbedded itself into his chest. He collapsed, blood splashing out from his wound and mouth. Silas grabbed him by the throat, lifting him high into the air.
As a last act of defiance, Jethro spit into Silas' eyes. Screaming in rage, Silas jammed his mutated arm into Jethro's abdomen, the tendrils ripping through his battered armor and soft internal organs before exiting through his back, blood and gore exploding onto the console.
The world went black for the last time as Jethro slumped against the reanimated body of his once best friend.
The massive Forerunner ship's hull heated as it entered the atmosphere, flames flickering at the tip. It started shaking violently, pieces flying off. After only a few seconds, the ship slammed nose-first into the blasted surface of the planet. Mere nanoseconds after impact, the central core detonated, utterly obliterating the ship. The blast wave expanded from the ship, cracking the planet's surface before shattering it completely. The shockwave of energy spread from the starting place, rippling across the solar system. As it reached the binary neutron stars at the center, the energy permeated the stars, causing the orbiting duo to grow and spin around one another faster than the speed of light.
Finally, the pair collided with one another. Due to absorbing some of the unusual and volatile energy from the Forerunner vessel's central core, they detonated upon merging. A massive explosion washed through space, annihilating anything in its path. Fortunately for the galaxy, the wave didn't travel very far, flickering and dying out mere seconds away from the nearest inhabited planet.
All was quiet.
All was still.
