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The Exchange by Dispraiser
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The Exchange - Part 1 - Empensa'
Date: 30 November 2003, 2:49 AM
The Exchange
01:17 Hours Sunday April 3, 2540
"Maitri Maximum Security Prison", Lunar 4
Part One - Empensa'
"Goodnight Maitri." A dark voice echoed, unheard, from a silent knoll near a heavily guarded compound.
The cart growled as I dragged its small mass across the marble hallway. I found it odd that in a maximum security prison with a literally bottomless budget my cart still didn't work right, one of the wheels dragging limp. The water inside splashed to the smooth floor, glowing an odd hue of blue, a result of the pale moon above shining down on the planet. I continued past a few windows down the silent hallway, the sparkling floor indicative of a job well done. It was almost the end of my shift, and almost time to return to a cold home where I would sleep until my daytime job. Coins crashed together in my pocket, a reminder of what I fought for.
A mop swung happily over my shoulder as I held my palm to a grey panel. A green line traced a path down my palm and beeped in recognition. A cold metal door swung open to reveal another corridor, this one larger. Along the sides of the walls were dozens of cells. Everything in this prison was very odd. Many of the inhabitants of the cells looked alike, and all were very tall. It also seemed that they were very young to be prisoners in a maximum security prison. I was just a janitor though, and it wasn't my job or intention to question the workings of Lunar 4's legal system. As I paced down the hallway two pairs of eyes watched my movements from every cell. The prisoners were oddly quiet tonight, and seemed very tense. I continued emotionlessly along the path, dragging a bucket of muddy water and an ocean of confusion in my mind. Ever since I had started working as a janitor in the prison my mind had been filled with questions. The facility was managed by the UNSC, and was very heavily fortified. I had assumed that it was a military prison, however, all Mathean POWs had been returned fifteen years prior, and the prisoners of this facility appeared to be Arrel, not Mathean. The confusion faded from my mind as I wandered into another calm blue hallway.
Suddenly the hallway turned a hellish red and a siren shrieked an ominous cry, and I leapt in terror. The mom collapsed to the ground and I began to try to calm myself, though a sudden noise in a quiet night was surprising.
"Designated Spartan Trainees, report to your assigned defensive posts. This is not a drill. Designated Military Personnel, report to designated barracks." The alarm's automated voice continued to echo. I grew very confused, and soon determined that my mop and bucket could be forgotten. I shuffled backwards into the prison cell area and was alarmed to find that every cell had opened, and the prisoners were grabbing rifles. I considered trying to stop them, but instead decided that I would simply head out of the main prison facility and move to my car as quickly as I could. Most of the prisoners seemed to be congregating into well organized groups of six. They were very well organized. Secretly, I hoped that this was not a prison revolt, though any attempt to rationalize what was happening had failed. What good could possibly come from the prisoners getting rifles?
I ran to the main entrance to a facility. One of the prisoners pressed their hand against the handprint verification panel, and to my surprise it allowed them through. Instead of questioning what was happening, though, I entered the main lobby and walked to the security desk. A squad of Marines slid a barricade into the center of the lobby, paying no attention to the prisoners. I decided to put my confusion to rest, "Excuse me?" I said to one of the Marines, "Do you know what's going on?"
"It's an attack. We didn't think ONI would make they're move this soon, but the new breed came out a little early. Who are you? You're not dressed in military uniform. All civilians should have left by now!"
"Calm down, my shift ended at one, it's one eighteen, I was running a little behind, so I decided to stay and finish my quota."
"Great, just what we need... Listen, things are going to get very scary, very soon, I need you to get to the barracks where you'll be safe, the last thing this operation needs is someone getting in the way."
"Why would ONI be attacking a UNSC base?"
"I'm not at liberty to discuss that matter with you."
The skylights above suddenly exploded inward. A hail of rain followed a horrific monster from the roof. I couldn't tell what the monster was, but I could tell you that it wasn't human, and it sure as hell wasn't Covenant. As I staggered backwards in terror I began to notice the form of the beast. It stood like a beast, not like a man. The creature was around six feet tall, and had thick scales as skin. It appeared to have several rows of razor sharp teeth, and its skin was networked with thick veins that lead to a network of small bumps. Its tail was coated in spikes. I stumbled over something and fell to the ground as the monster's tail swung overhead. The lethal spikes barely missed my head, and hurtled into a nearby Marine wasn't so fortunate as I. They stuck in his head, and half alive he struggled to pull the beast's tail from his head, though it only snapped his body into the air before shaking him from its tail. Instantly the monster was showered with bullets. Crimson blood and gore arched into the air as several hundred bullets struck the beast's chest. It staggered as the gunfire stopped, and I stared in awe as the prisoner's stared at the monster for a few moments. It wavered in the air, looked at its wounds and roared defiantly. The prisoners looked on with terror for another moment before it fell, dead. Before it had even hit the ground there was a large pool of flesh and blood accumulating. I grabbed the dead Marine's rifle and tried holding it. I figured it couldn't get any deadlier for me if I were to carry it. Another one of the monsters crashed through another skylight and howled in anger. That was all it took to convince me to run.
Only a few seconds later I was outside, and heard the deep rumble of antiaircraft fire. Black explosions dotted the deep blue sky, and prodigious danger followed my every step. A pack of prisoners caught up to my pace, and began to ask me who I was when another one of the monsters leapt from a nearby bush. This one wasn't the same though. The others had looked like dinosaurs, but this one looked a lot like a cheetah. It was golden yellow with black spots, and quickly leapt into one of the prisoner's faces. It snapped for his throat, but he was fast enough to throw his rifle in the way. Despite his best efforts the best dragged him to the ground and began to scratch him with brutal claws. One of the other prisoners kicked the beast in the side, and to my surprise it skipped along the ground for at least a dozen feet, twisting to a stop and rolling to its feet. The feline demon prepared to attack again and tensed to spring through the air. As it began to leap it was intercepted by dozens of bullets. It managed to jump, but fell short of the wounded prisoner on the ground. It died a few moments later. The beast seemed weaker than the first. One of the prisoners knelt by the wounded one, watching with no shock as his wounds sealed themselves and his skin pulled tight to close the wounds. The two barked a series of high pitch squeals before continuing towards the main building of the facility, where I was heading. I stood in awe for a moment and watched as the prisoners, now with supernatural healing abilities, fought monsters that seemed to take the form of a variety of animals. The prisoners got a dozen feet ahead of me as suddenly I felt a strong wind behind my back. Suddenly an annoying buzz filled my ears and a grey fluid arched over my head. The odd foam dropped at one of the convict's feet and instantly he fell to the ground. The wounded inmate struggled against the foam, but it seemed to have hardened into cement. Just as I began to wonder where the mysterious substance had spawned a gigantic insect suddenly flew over my head. The bug was probably ten feet long, and traveled at what must have been at least a hundred miles an hour. It snatched the wounded gunman and another of the inmates. The two struggled to break free as the monster snapped into a steep vertical climb and released the two. They hurtled into the air. As the original bug spun away from the ground and gunfire the two prisoners were snatched by other bugs and dragged into the distant night sky. They faded into the clouds of expended flack shells and the dark void of the night sky.
The six remaining prisoners continued on heedlessly as if nothing had happened, though they seemed to be paying more attention to the night sky. Quickly, I ran to catch up with the team of prisoners. They weren't running fast, and none seemed to be running anywhere outside of their comfortable pace, but I still couldn't keep up with their formation. Luckily they backed into the entrance to the main facility less than a minute later, and cautiously, lined the walls alongside the door. The leader of the pack smashed the door to the ground. I was particularly amazed because the door was solid steel, and designed to repel breaching charges though he smashed it to the ground in a single kick. A trio of flashlights nervously surveyed the building's entrance as the men prepared to enter the building. The leader charged into the building sweeping the ceilings franticly before signaling for his squad to enter the room. They continued into the room with an equally professional attitude, scanning the area for any immediate threats. I followed them into the room, feeling unusually clumsy after witnessing the sheer perfect grace of their entrance to the facility. Something wasn't normal about these prisoners.
After they were content that the room was secure the squad leader chirped to his companions, who quickly pulled into a tight defensive formation around me. He opened his mouth and squeaked a series of high pitch noises, expecting a response from me. After he was satisfied that I couldn't reply he spoke in English. "Who are you?"
"Cody Willard. What's going on?" I mumbled shakily, terrified as an understandable consequence of my prior experiences.
"The base is under attack."
"I understood that much! What the hell were those things!?!"
"They are the AEs."
"What the hell is an AE?"
"I will not, or rather cannot tell you all of the details, but what we do know is that they emerged for the first time around ten years ago. The first looked much like a human, but with teeth and claws, a son of ONI. We lost contact with all of our intelligence operatives within a few days. From there we can only piece together what we know. The ones you see outside are the latest of a branch of supersoldiers designed to kill SPARTANS. I am not an officer, so therefore I was only told that when I see one, I will know, and that it is my job to kill it."
"What? I don't get any of this! ONI is on our side! And what are you talking about an officer, you are a prisoner!"
The prisoner chuckled, "Not an MP I see. Let me explain something to you. I am not a prisoner. My friends are not prisoners. None of the people you saw in that facility are prisoners. None of the 'prisoners' are human. We are SPARTANS."
"What?"
"Still not catching on. We are not prisoners, but act as them to give this facility a legitimate face. Instead, we are the latest line of supersoldiers created to fight the Covenant."
"What? You're not human?"
"Got it. Now, we need you to stay calm, and make your way to the bunkers."
"To hell with that, I'm getting out of here!"
"Wait!" one of the Spartans yelled as I ran. I paid no attention as gunfire began to crack behind me, the Spartans attempting to destroy another attacking 'AE'. I continued around the corner and ran to the elevator, pressing the up button at least a dozen times. I looked to my left to the hallway that I had come from and saw an AE step around the corner. This was another new breed, apparently, and carried the form of a dog. It was soaked in blood, probably a mixture of other's and its own. It growled as it saw me at the other end of the hallway. I forced a shaky smile back and continued pressing the elevator button. It suddenly began to charge down the hallway. The elevator door slid open accompanying the signature ping of the lift, and I leapt in as soon as possible. I hit the door close button as quickly as I could, but the AE still managed to get its snout in the door. I grabbed my rifle and quickly leveled the sight on the beast's head, clicking the trigger. The rifle clicked uselessly. I fumbled through memories of video games in an attempt to determine the problem, reaching for the safety. I flipped it to single shot, and fired into the beast's face several times. Blood splashed into the elevator, and the monster fell backwards. The door clicked shut and I pressed the four button several times. The fourth floor was the lowest parking garage level. The elevator shook suddenly, a loud thump on the roof. I looked up, confused, as the elevator shook. Suddenly a tail smashed through the ceiling and randomly stabbed in one of the Elevator's corners. I fired into the ceiling, realizing that this was an attack from one of the dinosaur AEs. A horrible shriek spilled from the elevator's roof, and crimson blood dripped from the ceiling. I released the trigger, hoping the beast was dead. For a moment, it appeared as though I had defeated it, but suddenly its tail plunged into the elevator several times, one of the stabs cutting my arm. The wound burned instantly, some kind of sizzling venom dripping from the small wound.
I tried to fire more, but I was out of ammo. Suddenly the door slid open to the fourth floor, and I rolled out to the feet of four Spartans. One was wounded. Another of the unharmed Spartans was a gorgeous female. The four rushed into the elevator and fired into the ceiling, shredding the elevator's rooftop. "I'm out!" the female said, throwing her rifle aside and drawing a pistol, firing into the ceiling incessantly. Once they were fairly certain the AE was dead they backed away and pressed the sixth floor button on the elevator. The four stepped out to meet me, and ask what was going on.
"Excuse me, sir, what are you doing here?"
"I'm Cody Willard, janitor. I was working when these damn monsters started attacking! I'm getting out of here!"
"Maria," one of the SPARTAN's said, "He's base personnel, should we help him evacuate?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Phil, Dave, you're point. Maria and I will follow behind you. Take the civilian to where he needs to get to."
"I want to get to my car. It's a few hundred feet from here, a White SUV."
"Roger." The Spartans repeated, one by one as they spotted the truck. I couldn't see it from this range.
The lead SPARTAN that covered our flank with Maria chirped, and the two point Spartans began to shuffle slowly down the hallway. The wounded Spartan had a large, horrible bite mark in its side. The wound hadn't healed itself, and blood covered most of his lower torso. Though he limped, the SPARTAN showed no other signs of pain. A roar echoed through the parking garage and the Spartans stopped moving suddenly. After a few moments had passed they continued to move forward. Around fifty feet from my car an AE leapt from the cars parked alongside the garage. It tacked one of the Spartans, the couple rolling until the AE sprung back into the rows of cars. The wounded SPARTAN, now further destroyed stood. "Maria, Max, get him out of here! We'll hold it off as long as we can!"
"Alright, we'll drive by here once we get the car. Keep safe."
"Yes Sir!" The SPARTAN replied. As much as it was heroic of him to hold the AE back for me, I was too terrified to care. I ran almost as fast as the Spartans to the end of the parking garage to my car. I ran to the driver's side and fumbled with my keys. I unlocked the door and told the Spartans to get in. The two jumped the back seats and rolled their windows down to fire from. I accelerated out of the parking spot, screeching to the Spartans that remained. They had disappeared into the ranks of cars. The AE suddenly leapt across the road, and met the hood of my car, twisting and rolling to a stop. It was covered in bloody bullet wounds, but didn't seem to be recovering from gunshots as well as his allies. The body lie, a crumpled ruin, on the ground before the car. A lone Spartan limped from the cars. One of his arms was missing, and he was covered in many long, deep cuts. His skin did it's best to heal him, but it apparently had its limits, as did the AEs, thankfully. He stumbled into the headlights, when another AE suddenly leapt from the row of cars, tackling him with its powerful hind legs. The beast tore through flesh, tendon and bone with ease, and the Spartans shouted to leave him behind. I accelerated suddenly from the parking lot, dropping two floors relatively peacefully. Suddenly the ground trembled. The Spartans ordered me to shut off the car and stay calm and quiet. I was about to ask why when I noticed a large bipedal monster staring into the parking garage. It appeared to be around forty feet tall, and carried the form of a hairless gorilla. It had very skinny arms, which lead to huge hands with large bone spikes. It appeared very angry, but not alerted.
"Quiet..." the female Spartan, Maria, whispered, "It has very sensitive hearing, and if it hears us we will be destroyed."
The monster began to turn and walk away as another car deeper in the parking garage activated. The beast suddenly spun and faced the garage.
"MOVE!" one of the Spartans yelled. I spun the key and the engine whirred, though there was no result. I tried again, and the monster ran closer yet to the car. It began to pivot its hips to throw one of its arms ass the car started. I accelerated away as fast as I could, the hand, larger than a car itself, struck the wall behind me. Shrapnel pelted the car as I drove away and dropped to the first floor. The car accelerated towards the main gate, and I was a pair of huge feet step in front of the small barrier. They straddled the roadway near the entrance. I accelerated swiftly towards them unheeding. AEs of all varieties leapt from cars in the parking lot, though most completely missed the car. One dragged a long, curved claw along my car. The Spartans braced themselves as I got within a dozen yards of the massive AE. Its face dropped down, looking into the bottom floor of the parking garage as I smashed through the thin wood gate. My car leapt through the air, the top hitting the AEs forehead. We landed in a shower of sparks and shattered glass, hurtling between its legs. A fist chased us between his legs, though in doing so, it collapsed in a mountainous heap of flesh. I whooped in success as we crashed through a chain-link fence and into the narrow forest roadway that lead away from the prison, or whatever the hell it was.
"Good morning, future." A dark voice echoed, unheard, from a silent knoll near a destroyed compound. A sadistic chuckle escaped the hill, as an AE roared atop the facility, victorious.
The Exchange - Part 2 - La Continuacion
Date: 5 December 2003, 1:32 AM
The Exchange
01:56 Hours Sunday April 3, 2540
Salient Avenue, Lunar 4
Part Two - La Continuacion
My foot trembled on the gas pedal. I had ran eight red lights since we left the facility, but I didn't care. My only goal was to get as far from the demons as possible. Max and Maria reloaded their rifles and sorted some of the smaller magazines into larger ones. The silence was almost as terrifying as the AEs I had seen before.
I broke the silence, "What the hell were those things!?!"
"They are the AEs." Max said coldly, "They are the enemy of the Spartan."
"What? I got that from the way they killed your friends! Where did they come from? Are they Covenant?"
"No. They are born of human toil. Depending on how literate you are in regards to the history of Lunar 4 you may realize that there hasn't been more than five years of peace for nearly two hundred years, besides the peace the Covenant created. As a result of this, several military regimes took power in the West. They're aggressive tenancies turned them against the UNSC around one hundred and fifty years ago. As a result, and to protect the oft vulnerable East the UNSC began a Spartan program on Lunar 4. Because of the social adaptations the planet had endured resulting from years of genocide, there were fewer bioethic limits. No one knows exactly when the first was born, but some time around May 1st 2527 the first Spartan III was born. Needless to say, it was a flawed creation, the consequence of humanities first endeavor into massive genetic engineering. The Spartan still functioned at a superhuman level, but failed to meet the expectations of anyone, especially not the United Planets Conglomerate Cabinet. I was born a year later, a product of the seventh Spartan III spawn, along with five hundred others. Chances are you didn't know of the existence of Spartans before tonight, and thought that the UNSC and ONI were great allies."
"Wait, so, ONI and the UNSC, do they wage active battles with starships or what?" I asked.
"Not with starships, per se. Until now it had been a political siege. The attack you witnessed had no precedent. The truth is that we wage an invisible war every day. ONI hated the Spartans in particular, more than any other UNSC project. On most planets it wasn't a large problem to have a Spartan program active, until most of the cabinet received one. ONI could no longer sit still and take the political lynching, and would not allow an enemy to rise to power. On Lunar 4 they got even, simply stated. The first two AEs were Adam and Eve, the names no coincidence to the biblical reference. There was a man, and a woman, and each slightly more monstrous Spartans. They had teeth, claws, and numerous other borrowed traits from other animals. The UNSC believes that Humans will win the war for mankind, not monsters. ONI believes that the AEs perfect human form, which is naturally weak and unrefined. Consequently, they had no problem removing most human DNA from their later creations, making them more monster than human."
"How many different AEs are there?"
"All indications point to that there is several hundred different breeds, though many are either not combat worthy, unable to sustain their own life, or a minor variation of another breed. In the last attack you saw almost every common breed of AE. You saw the Dinosaur AEs, the Gorilla AEs and I smelled Wolf AE stench on your shirt."
"I also saw a flying kind and a cat kind."
"So you've seen the important ones. Do you understand what an AE is?"
"Yeah, basically the opposite of a Spartan, right?"
"Exactly."
"I'm still terrified of those things. I saw one get shot, and the bullet wound just closed after it spit the bullet out! I saw your guys do that too! What the hell was that?"
"A special feature of our skin. The first AEs, which I mentioned were largely believed to be only slightly tweaked Spartan IIIs were believed to have been based off stolen DNA. They share most of our old abilities. The scientific way the skin works is simple, in principle. We have very loose skin on our backs, if you can even call it skin. The 'skin', is more accurately an odd fabric. The material is composed of several million nanowire rings. When our skin is penetrated we feel no pain, instead, the electric impulses cause a powerful muscle twitch designed to spit the bullet from our bodies, and then to electrify one of the wires, contracting it. Simple, but effective. The loose skin from our backs can cover our bodies completely, so we can recover from most bullet trauma, much of the reason AEs attack with teeth and claws."
"Wow... That's amazing..."
"It is."
"Well, you said that the war between ONI and the UNSC was a political war-"
"Correct."
"So then why did the AEs attack your base?"
"It is possible that all along the war has been a physical war and we simply hadn't been informed, or it could be that this is the first attack. To be perfectly honest with you Spartans are simply told what they need to be told to do what they need to do."
"Will they want to kill you bad enough to hunt you down?"
"Potentially."
I felt my stomach sink into a hellishly familiar feeling of terror, "What can we do?"
"Training was to go to the University of Achilles campus, Room 109. We are then to look for the Professor of Anthropology Cari Neverdark. She will tell us what to do."
"Great, that's at least a day of driving away." I said.
Maria pulled a long, curved knife from her backpack. She spun it once examining the shiny, metal object before she gently stabbed the end into her arm. She dragged the knife down her forearm before pulling the blade from her arm and handing it to Max.
"What the hell did she just do?" I asked Max.
"She's doing what we were told. She has a tracking device in her arm. She has to take it out." Max said, watching Maria intently. Max began to slide it down his arm as Maria looked very carefully at her arm. She carefully pulled what looked like a tiny hair from her arm, and threw it out the car's window. Max did the same. I looked back to my driving and swerved to avoid hitting another car. I looked back again and both of the Spartans' arms had healed. Blood soaked my car. I simply shook my head and looked back to my driving.
"Is there any chance your base won?" I asked.
"A small chance. Early indications showed four AEs for every five Spartans on the campus. There were also approximately twice that number in Marines. We had many advantages, but the surprise attack left us vulnerable. A platoon of the Dinosaur AEs dropped into the main cell room before we could get to the armor. They are covered in small sacs of a stinging venom, so whenever we physically attacked one it would burn us. They killed dozens in my block alone."
"God..." I muttered. Suddenly I noticed a whining behind me, and flashing red and blue lights. I turned pale as I realized who it was; the police. I slowed to a stop on the side of the road and ordered the Spartans to hide beneath a towel. The duo did as I instructed, and the police officer approached the car. I rolled my window down. "There a problem, officer?"
"I caught you going twenty over and saw you nearly ram a car."
"But-"
"Now I'm thinking, surely this little lady wouldn't be driving like this in his home town," the officer continued, "So; where ya from?"
"I'm from Missoula."
"So, what's the rush at 2:06 on this fine morning? Heading home from the bars?"
"No sir, just getting home from a late night at work."
"Alright sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to step out of the car."
"But I'm not even accused of anything, you can't-"
"Step out of the car! Are you resisting arrest!?!" I noticed his hand was on his pistol and complied. As I opened the door all of the lights in the car came on. He looked into the middle seat where the bloodstains were. I quickly slammed the door shut and the lights flickered off. I prayed he didn't see the bloodstains or the man-sized lumps covered in blankets in the trunk. "Walk in a straight line" I did. "Alright, now lean against the hood of the car and put your hands behind your back." I did, and he slapped a pair of handcuffs on my wrists. I heard them click into place, and sighed.
"What am I under arrest for?"
"Nothing. Yet! I saw some red substance in your car, It appeared to be blood. I'm gonna ask you to remain calm while I investigate." As he uttered those words I swore a thousand times in my head. It he found the Spartans there's no telling what would happen to me. He opened the trunk. I looked through the windshield as he tugged the blanket from one of the Spartans. He leapt back and drew his pistol, realizing that she was dressed as a prisoner. "GET OUT OF THE CAR!" he yelled. I saw Max calmly sit up. "HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!" the cop yelled. "BOTH OF YOU, ON THE GROUND!"
"Are you sure you want us out of the car?" Max asked.
"GET ON THE GROUND!"
"Alright. Your call." The Spartan nearly vanished as he flung out of the car, appearing with a knee raised in the man's chest. He started to crumple to the ground as Max regained his footing and brought his knee into the man's jaw, hurling him into the air. He dropped six feet back and lie, unconscious, on the ground. I figured this meant I wasn't under arrest any more and climbed back in the car. The Spartans quickly went to work disabling any useful function of the cops car and tying him to a tree. Within five minutes the two climbed back into the car. I showed them my handcuffs, asking them to help.
"Use your knife?"
"Not if you wanna have kids. Special knife for removing tracking devices and disabling them so they don't dig deeper. Now, hold your arms out straight and don't be afraid."
"Why would I be scared?" Suddenly Max drew his arm back, "Oh."
An hour later we drove into the suburbs. In the past hour I had asked everything about the AEs at least a dozen times. Max seemed ardent in his quest to change the subject. "Alright, we need new clothing. These orange jumpsuits are designed to camouflage us as prisoners, however, with knowledge of covert urban operations tactics, this is not lasted as one of the effective disguises. Urban Covert Ops also taught me that money can be exchanged for food and materials such as clothes. Now that we are in an urban setting, I would like to find some new clothes."
"Sounds better than making it through this town dressed like prisoners. We'll stop here and ask one of the locals." I pulled the car to the curb in front of a bar. The Spartans and I stepped from the car onto cold pavement once again. We staggered into the bar. As the door cracked open my ears suddenly filled with noise. Lasers danced in the smoky, distant ceiling, and dozens of people stood around the bar, talking, dancing, some sleeping or passed out. I noticed that many of them were covered in tattoos and piercings. They didn't look normal, and barely looked human. We stumbled to the bar and sat in three seats. The bartender walked towards us, wiping a cup clean.
"What can I get for ya?" the bartender asked. He seemed to have significantly less piercings than others, but still at least a dozen in his face alone.
"Nothing, we're just here to get directions." I replied, nearly yelling over the music.
"Sorry, no purchase no help. What can I get for ya?"
I looked to the Spartans. Both nodded. "I'll get whatever's the cheapest you've got."
A loud, booming voice roared behind our group, "Hey, baby!" I spun to see a huge, brutish man facing Maria. He smiled, revealing gold teeth. His face was a forest of tiny pins and tattoos.
"Leave. I don't want to talk to you." Maria responded.
"Did it hurt?" he continued. Maria simply ignored him.
"Anyways, we need to know where we can get some clothes for my friends."
"Well, I don't think you can get much at 2:30 in the morning. I have some clothes back in the back room, but they aren't really for sale. They're more for when someone in the bar gets blood or puke on their shirt."
"I'll give you five hundred credits."
"Make it six and we have a deal."
"Are those astronaut pants?" the brute randomly interjected. We all ignored him.
"Fine, but the drink is on you then." I continued.
"I don't know where you come from you bitch, but when I talk, you listen!" the man set his hand on Maria's shoulder.
"Big mistake..." I muttered. As he opened his mouth to continue to talk a fist met his face. The man wavered in the air for a moment, before falling to the ground; a trail of crimson blood following his nose's path to the ground. The bartender looked at us as if we had done something wrong. "Anyways, you go get the shirts. Leave em here, and I can..." I noticed an odd number of red lasers suddenly, "We'll come get them. Nice laser show."
"Look around.", Max said.
A dozen armed men stood on balconies around the room, red lasers from their rifles marking their positions. I felt a chill in my spine as a rifle's barrel pressed against my back.
The Exchange - Part 3 - Espesa
Date: 31 December 2003, 7:36 AM
The Exchange
17:30 Hours, Local Orbital Time Sunday April 3, 2540
Stealh Ship, Lunar 4 Orbit
Part Three - Espesa
The lanky man was disturbed. Why had he let them creep so far? Initially, they were just a block to help him keep control of the party, but now they were rising to power. Something had just happened, and he wasn't sure what it was. Now that Adam was back he would ask what had happened, and exterminate the problem. He slid the magazine into a small Colt handgun before drifting into the next room.
"What just happened planetside!?!" an angered man yelled, hitting a desk.
"Sir, we exist.", a larger man replied.
"I know. That doesn't inspire any obligation within me, though. I can't let you continue this project."
"For several years you have watched the AE program grow, and protested its every move. You claim to support the people and humanity, but yet you would let the atrocious Spartan program continue? You need to decide your stance!"
"I already have."
"So have I."
The spy ship drifted silently though the starry Lunar 4 sky, within, a lone gunshot ringing, unheard. A symbolic rebel shell casing drifted from the gun. Today, the loner would rise.
02:30 Hours Sunday April 3, 2540
Full House Club, Lunar 4
I was pushed up a set of stairs and into an executive room. A lone table sat in the middle of the room; a single man to accompany it. He sat as if it were an alien environment to him. His feet rest on the table, and the wood desk had many deep, jagged cuts running its length. For a fleeting moment I believed it was ONI who had captured us, but soon recognized the truths of my entrapment. I had originally believed the room to be empty bar the man at the desk, both two figures emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room. One of the men from the corner of the room set a large, silver knife and a gold pistol on the desk. A heavy pair of feet descended firmly to the floor, a set of hands replacing them on the table, nearly instantly. Max and Maria were shoved to my side. The guards that had escorted us into the room left promptly, and closed the door silently behind them. I began to take noticed of the sheer number of metal spikes protruding from their faces. The man behind the desk cleared his throat, shattering my thoughts.
"I have a proposition for you." His voice echoed, "But first, let me explain something to you. You are in my club. This is my world, and I decide what happens. That warning aside, I'd like to introduce myself, and my two aides. I am King. To my left is Ace, and to my right Duke. As you may have noticed, both carry HKU rifles, and will shoot you if you try to escape, kill me or anything that doesn't please me." He continued, "Now, my proposition: I have been told that you hit my strongman. Word is that he is dead. Normally, when they are killed we seek revenge, however, I am very impressed by this. I have heard that you struck him down in only one punch."
"You have heard correctly." Maria snapped.
"I figured it was you. I could tell. I've always been good at reading people. You stepped into this office and I saw the fire in your eyes. You on the right too, I can see passion. Instead of death, I offer you acceptance. If you want to join the Full House, each of you will become a member of the royal family."
"And if we don't accept?" Max asked.
"Well, think of it this way; you are in my club, surrounded by my allies. I have two of my best gunmen with rifles leveled on your heads. Weigh your choices based on that. There are four more machine gunners in the corners, and only one way out."
"Alright, we don't accept! Kick their asses!" I yelled to Max and Maria.
"I am the King! No one leaves alive unless I say so!"
Max flew to the first target, leaping across the room. He grabbed the end of the HKU submachine gun and spun it to the owner's head, discharging the rifle into Duke's head. Ace spun, finally reacting to Max's arrival and fired several times. Max hurtled Duke at Ace. His body absorbed all of the gunfire. Meanwhile, Maria had jumped towards King. He began to reach for the gun on his desk, but Maria kicked the underside. The gun and knife tossed into the air, hovering for a few eternal moments. As the gun descended, Maria snatched it form the air. She spun and leveled the sight on one of the riflemen's head. She pulled the trigger once before pivoting to kill another. I stood perfectly still, terrified, as Maria fired past my head, cutting my ear, and into one of the gunmen. King grabbed the knife from his desk and stood to stab Maria. She flipped the gun backwards over her shoulder, held it to his head and smiled.
"May we leave?" asked Maria.
King stuttered in shock, "Go!" King shouted.
The Spartans started to file out the door, reloading their new HKU rifles. "Wait, take him. We'll use him to get us out."
"I believe we are more capable on our own. You are not under my command, however, therefore you can do what you wish."
"I'll take him." I replied, "King, up. You're my hostage." I walked behind king, made sure he was unarmed, and bound his wrists with my shoelaces. I picked up an HKU rifle from the ground and pressed it against his head, "Try anything and you die." I paused, "I've been waiting to say that to something for so long! Max, kick open the door. Make us known." I yelled.
"Got it." Max smashed the door to the ground and waved his rifle around the room. "Everyone down!" he yelled. I found it odd that everyone listened to him. They all knelt, hands on the backs of their heads, besides the riflemen. Red dots suddenly swarmed to Max.. He ducked in the door as hundreds of bullets shredded the walls around his former position. Though he lie on the ground, one bullet still clipped his leg. I watched as the wound eerily healed itself.
"Mr. Willard, escort the king to the exit. Instruct him to order his soldiers to lower their weapons." Max ordered calmly.
"Right.", I said. I walked to the door as the gunfire stopped. The room fell silent as his followers wondered what to do. "Tell them to put down their weapons, King!" I yelled.
He hesitated long enough to convince me to press the gun against his head harder. "Put your guns down subjects." He muttered. The gang members lowered their rifles and calmly stood erect.
"Get them to spin around, all of them! Backs to the walls! And get her to get me those clothes off the bar! Bring them up here!"
"Do what he says!" King yelled.
The woman threw the clothes to my feet. I kicked them back to Max, who was standing and walking towards the door.
"Anyone does anything I don't like and he dies!" I shouted, starting down the metal staircase. I noticed one of the younger gangsters was nervous and seemed panicked. I feared he might grab his rifle out of confusion. Heedless, I continued down the staircase. Max and Maria followed slowly. "Clear a path to the door!" I yelled.
People slid like a fluid to make a path to the door. I paced along, watching the entire room to see if anyone was showing any signs of wanting to shoot. I was within a yard of the door. I smiled, tasting freedom. Suddenly a single gunshot rang. I spun to see that Max had fired, killing the twitchy, young gang member. I felt a sharp pain in my spine, and fell to the ground, stunned. King leapt into a crowd of civilians. The gangsters started reaching for their rifles as Max grabbed my shirt and dragged me from the bar. Gunfire followed us out the doorway and onto the sidewalk.
"Maria, get him in the car!" Max yelled, slamming the entrance to the bar shut, "Cody, keys!"
I tossed the keys to Max. He caught them and was within the car in moments. Maria leapt into the back seat and me to the front. Before I could slam the door shut it closed itself, the car leaping forward. Three armed men ran to the street and began firing on the car. Glass shards rained in the car as gunfire split the windows. As I shielded my eyes from the exploding glass Maria gestured for me to fire back. In the momentary eternal confusion continued I raised my rifle and leveled the sights at the general area of my enemies. I started to pull the trigger, but stopped myself. I had never felt such a feeling as I did at that moment... It was an ineffable emotion, and I had no idea what the cause was. A bullet tore a jagged hole in the seat mere inches from my heart. I was caught in some bizarre trance, though. I stared through the sights of the rifle, but I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. I had never killed a man before.
Maria shouted for me to fire, but I couldn't. I lowered the rifle and looked forward. We were about to escape from our assailants around a corner that lie only a few distant seconds away. I looked to Maria and Max, then into myself. How could I be so greedy as to threaten the lives of these two, who had given everything they had known to save my life? I sat, pondering whether I should help my allies as a crimson trail answered my question. Maria looked idly into the distance. She held her rifle lightly, but knelt fully erect. Her eyes had already dilated; a result of the pain. She stood, wavering in the air as the arc of blood fell. As the last crimson tear splashed to a tumultuous halt, she fell. Angelique golden hair traced her forsaken path to the ground. As she settled to a stop we swerved around the corner. I felt the first pains of a familiar emotion replacing the indescribable forerunner. Guilt...
08:11 Hours Sunday April 3, 2540
NAPP Inn, Lunar 4
"How's she doing?" I asked. Blue light filtered in through closed blinds. The thin, vivid bars of light traced perfectly straight line on the ground, scattering to fit the curves of a humanoid body on the bed. Max had been sitting by her side for almost five hours.
"She'll recover." He replied.
"What happened?"
There was a pause, "One of the bullets pierced her blood sac. Her body has done the best it can to pinch off the penetration, but it will still take another hour or so to finish healing her to near normal health. Now she could move, but at a much lower speed than usual. Moving her would also double her recovery time."
"I'm sorry." I said. I hadn't fired once to defend her from attack, but she had risked her life several times to save mine.
"For what?" Max asked.
"I'm sorry for not shooting back. I didn't fire, and I owe it to you two to do whatever I can to help. I mean, you two are risking your lives to keep me out of danger, and the one time I could do anything to help you, I couldn't fire."
"Was your rifle jammed?" Max asked.
"No."
"Were you out of ammo?" Max continued.
"No." I replied.
"Do you know how to fire a rifle?"
"Yes." I replied.
"Then what could have possibly stopped you from firing."
"It's hard to explain." I hesitated, "See, in our society Humans put a very high value on life."
"That is understandable."
"Well, many people claim pacifism just to avoid this. I don't really know how to explain it, really. I guess what I'm trying to say is that humans hate to kill each other."
"That is a lie. At the camp we were taught modern human history. There has been several large wars every hundred years for many, many millennia. Humans love to kill each other."
"No, we have to kill eachother sometimes."
"You had to kill them to defend yourself."
"I know, but when it comes to killing, humans don't tend to think straight."
"Is that why they kill, or why they don't kill?"
"Never thought of it that way, but probably both. I think that if we all had the choice none of us would kill anyone. Most people are inherently good. Some people are bad, but they were made that way by something."
"Am I bad for killing people?"
"Not really... I'm not sure how to explain this right, but in War most things are irrelevant. If every soldier though they would go to hell for killing their enemies then war would certainly be a lot less common, to say the least. As long as an enemy soldier can cause you harm, they have been decided as fair game."
"I suppose, then, that I am justified as a soldier."
"You are. I think I should have been too, but I was too late to come to that conclusion by the time I did. What I need to realize is that a threat is a threat, and it should be destroyed. But I still don't know if I would be able to kill someone if I had to."
"Then I suggest you make up your mind quickly."
"What? We're safe here."
"Really? I hear a Pelican about two miles off, probably two or more, that is. I also heard movement in the woods across the street around five minutes ago. As you might also know, the first thing a LFCT raid team does before a raid is cut the power to a building. Under normal circumstances we wouldn't be able to tell, since we are in a dark room. Our lights were off to start with. But look at the Alarm on the night-stand. Blank, and plugged into the wall."
"Shit! What do we do! There's a balcony in the back, it's only a ten foot fall! We can escape that way!"
"It's probable that every exit is covered by now. Besides that, without the car we'd be dead."
"Well, there's gotta to be some way out of here!"
"Down!" Max yelled.
I dropped to the ground as a dozen bullets tore through our room. I covered my head as glass continued to rain.
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