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Chapter 2 & Chapter 3
Posted By: Jerry Hughart<jhughart@halcyonsoftworks.com>
Date: 26 March 2003, 6:01 AM
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Chapter 2
The inside of the complex was warm and would have been pleasant if I wasn't already overheated from physical activity. I crept along, tailing the behemoth of man leading the way. He looked like he weighed a ton, and I was in awe of his ability to move along so soundlessly. I was envious of the SPARTAN-II, and shocked to be fighting alongside him.
I shook myself of idle thoughts; I needed to keep aware. We came to an exaggerated stop at a crossroads in the hallway. The Master Chief peaked around the corner, sweeping with his assault rifle. Sure that the area was clear, he took the turn, and I followed. He seemed to know precisely where he was going.
We proceeded to silently weave through a maze of hallways for half an hour before we reached a small storage facility. I saw chemicals and tools completely foreign to me. I watched him check the room thoroughly for our enemy before he relaxed. He eased his shoulders back, and placed his assault rifle lightly on a vacant table. I was confused.
"Working on it…" Cortana said, quietly.
The Master Chief nodded in understanding. I didn't.
After thirty or forty seconds transpired, I heard a beep and then a click. An expanse of wall slid out of the way. A secret door? Unusual. I started after the Master Chief, but he motioned me to stop. He entered the secret hallway and came back a minute later carrying a small crate. The hidden door closed behind him as he set the crate on the table, next to his assault rifle. He opened the crate and signaled me forward. My jaw dropped.
The crate was filled with a plethora of covert operations gear. What was it doing here, at a nuclear testing facility? I looked up at the Master Chief, my eyes wide, and watched him equip a silencer to his assault rifle.
"What's all this?" I asked quietly.
He stopped abruptly and slowly lifted his head to face me. I stared hard into his visor, but somehow I knew he was staring back harder.
"You know what it's for," Cortana answered, impatiently. "We cannot risk informing the enemy of our presence. They won't hesitate to obliterate the entire facility."
My eyes widened further. The Master Chief returned to modifying his assault rifle.
"Suit up," Cortana replied without hesitation.
"No, I can't-I don't-I'm not…" I struggled for words as potent memories superimposed themselves upon my field of vision. I had trained as a covert operative before I transferred to the front line.
"You were at the very top of your class, and you are the most qualified for this mission," Cortana stated, reiterating facts I wanted to hide from.
"Suit up," the Master Chief said with such finality to his tone that I would not dare challenge.
Chapter 3
I was ensconced in matte black from neck to toes. A silenced M6D complete with eight clips of ammunition; two combat knives; cable; a fiber-optic probe; a high-emission, low-beam flashlight, and various other high tech equipment were pocketed or strapped to me. The room was swirling slightly. I felt sick.
I stared at the Master Chief as I tried to stomach my emotions. I trembled slightly from an overwhelming array of emotions, ranging from depression to exhaustion to fear. I could feel my heart pounding against the encompassment of my MIRAGE body suit.
The MIRAGE covert operations unit was created for use against pirates, and was even considered for use against the Covenant. However, with the breakthrough in MJOLNIR technology, the MIRAGE project was quickly shunted to the side.
The MIRAGE included amphibious technology, temperature regulation and a neural-integrated network connected to optics that consisted of a HUD very similar to that of MJOLNIR's. The HUD incorporated infrared, night and X-ray vision, motion tracking, a standard issue friend-or-foe GPS locator, and an electronic scope with up to 50x magnification. The suit could also repel low caliber rounds. I had heard that the SPARTANS used something similar in their first missions-before MJOLNIR. The MIRAGE had absolutely no business at a nuclear complex.
I was slowly regaining a demeanor suitable for military operations, successfully fighting back memories I had locked away for so long.
"Your suit does not include any plasma countering technology… so don't plan on taking any shots," Cortana warned me.
"I didn't," I replied, sarcastically.
"From now on, we will refer to this as project RAVEN; named after the artificial intelligence we're searching for. Your call sign will be 'Spectre'."
I nodded in acknowledgement.
"Any questions?" she asked, hurriedly.
"What is a MIRAGE doing here? Some kind of underground operation?"
"Precisely. But that's ancient. You see, the government had developed and hidden some new techno-"
"We don't have time for this," the Master Chief interrupted.
He must've been right, because Cortana said nothing more.
"Okay, Spectre, here's the plan," he said, pointing to a map spread out on one of the tables. He showed me where the A.I. was, likely enemy patrols, rendezvous points and other crucial locations. He outlined the mission plan. The Master Chief's mission experience was reflected in how relaxed his voice was. That, in correspondence with the straightforwardness of our mission objective, eased my nerves a little. However, I knew that things were never so simple in the field as on paper.
"We are to avoid Elites at all costs. We absolutely cannot risk an engagement with them. Therefore, Jackals-because they have night vision-are by far our largest threat. Because we believe that this mission is a low priority to the Covenant, the enemy patrols will probably consist mostly of Grunts. Especially since the Covenant don't believe that any human forces are currently grounded."
I swallowed and then took a deep breath, digesting the information. Not only was I the only factor that could mean success in this mission, but I also had to complete it without alerting a single enemy. Great.
I inspected my silenced M6D, disassembling and reassembling it quickly. It was in perfect condition. When I finished, I looked back up to the Master Chief, returned my M6D to its holster, and shrugged. It was time. I shook my head.
"Ready…" I heard myself say, still trying to grasp what I was about to do. Or try to do.
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