[Naked Crook]

Spender: We should stay focused. Cover that door, and make sure nobody shoots me in the back while I disarm these bombs. Black 6 begrudgingly agreed, as he turned and took cover behind the large terminals that the Insurrections had taken cover behind just moments ago. Black 6 kicked the dead bodies of The Insurrectionists out of the way, but kept their weapons close by just in case his own weapons ran dry. Spender: They will be coming in any moment Black 6. Ready yourself. Black 6 crouched behind the terminal, as both of his SMGs rested on the top of the terminal itself. Black 6 had an itchy finger. AT the first sign of trouble, he was ready to lay down a full field of suppressive fire. Black 6 steadied his breathing, as he heard Spender work on diffusing the bomb behind him. Black 6: How is it coming back there? Spender: I am making good time. The first of the bombs is nearly disarmed. Just as Spender said this, Black 6 saw a flash bang bounce into the engineering deck from the corridor. Black 6: Cover your eyes and ears sir…we have a flash bang! Black 6’s armor kicked into defensive mode when the VISR had identified the flash bang. His VISR had isolated the angle at which the flash bang was sitting in comparison to where his eyes was, and the VISR dimmed accordingly. His helmet also engaged its acoustic dampers so as to protect Black 6 from the deafening effects of the flash bang. More or less, Black 6 was almost totally unaffected by the detonation of the flash bang. It was clear that the Insurrection did not know this, as they came storming into the engineering deck. Black 6 grinned behind his helmet, as he opened fire, letting his SMGs go fully automatic, as he cut down the invading Insurrectionist, one after the other, catching them totally unprepared. Insurrectionist 1: Shit…fall back. The Flash bang didn’t work! Fall back! Black 6 simply kept firing, as he violently cut down the first wave of Insurrectionists. Black 6 found himself to be totally unphased by the screams of pain as critically wounded Insurrectionists tried to crawl to safety. Spender: First bomb down…moving onto the second one now. Keep up the defense Black 6. Black 6 began to reload, as he heard the next wave of Insurrectionists getting ready to breach. Insurrectionist 2: Riot shields forward! Push forward! Just as Black 6 said this, he saw three Insurrectionist, shoulder to shoulder, moving forward slowly, holding large riot shields up. Black 6 examined these three Insurrectionists from head to toe, but could find no way past their riot shields. At the rate at which they were moving, they were going to close in on Black 6 in no more than 15 seconds. Black 6 knew that ballistics was not the answer. That is when Black 6 put both of his SMGs down, and reached onto his belt, and drew two grenades. Black 6 pulled the pin on both grenades, cooking them for about 2 seconds, before rolling them to the feet of the Insurrectionists with the riot shields. One of the Insurrectionists with the riot shield saw the two grenades, and stopped in his tracks. Insurrectionist 2: Frag out! Black 6 ducked behind the terminal he had been taking cover behind, as both of the frag grenades exploded. The riot shields were unable to take the blunt force explosion of the frag grenades. As a result, the three riot shields had been severely damaged and compromised. Black 6 then emerged from cover and fired both of his SMGs. The hail of bullets from his SMGs managed to break through all three riot shields, and kill the Insurrectionists that had been wielding them. With the riot shields out of the way, Black 6 had a clear shot at the Insurrectionists who had been following behind. Insurrectionist 3: Suppressive fire! Suppressive fire! The Insurrectionist that had been following behind laid down fire on Black 6. Black 6 was forced to duck behind cover, as the Insurrectionists moved forward, keeping up the suppressive fire. Black 6 peeked around the side of the terminal that he was behind, and began to fire. He managed to take down two of the leading Insurrectionists, and wound several others, effectively halting their advance. Insurrectionist 3: That ODST is dug in! We need to route him! Move forward! Do not stop! Black 6 could hear The Insurrectionists moving forward once again. Black 6 rolled out of cover, and took aim at the Insurrectionist line, and pulled the triggers on both of his SMGs, and laid down a hail of bullets on The Insurrection. The fire from Black 6’s SMGs cut through the Insurrectionists with relative ease. However, it was not long before Black 6 had to retreat behind cover due to the fact that his clips had run dry. Black 6 took cover once more as he began to reload. Spender: Second bomb has been deactivated. Moving onto number 3. Hold the line Black 6…I am almost done. Black 6 sighed, as he readied himself for the next wave of Insurrectionists. Insurrectionist 4: We have no choice. We have to push onwards. We cannot let them disarm the final bomb. All teams…prepare to breech. Black 6 knew that The Insurrection was about to come in force. He readied himself for the final assault. However, before Black 6 could even get his bearings, he heard the sound of explosives on the floor above him. Black 6 looked up and saw that two separate teams of Insurrectionists had used C4 to blast their way through the walls on the deck above, and had created a breach point on the upper level. Black 6 knew that he was now surrounded on all sides. Black 6: Sir…we have hostiles on the upper deck! Eyes up! Black 6 remained behind cover, as he aimed upwards, and began to fire at one of the breach points, hitting two of the Insurrectionists, while forcing the others back behind the breech. Black 6 then adjusted his sights to the other side of the upper deck, and laid down fire, killing three Insurrectionists, while the others fell back to avoid the gun fire. Spender: Keep up the suppressive fire Black 6…do not let them through! I am almost done! Hold them off! Black 6 found himself under fire from three different directions. He kept low to narrow the attack angles from the Insurrectionists above, and to stay covered from the Insurrectionists who were moving in through the ground entrance. Insurrectionist 4: Converge on the ODST. Go! Kill him! He is just one guy! Black 6 laughed at the fact that he had garnered so much agro from the Insurrection. He knew that this level of agro would, at least, keep Spender safe. Despite this, Black 6 had to keep his wits, and he needed to be surgical in his strikes. One wrong move would mean a hailstorm of bullets would cut him down. Black 6 could hear Insurrectionists coming in through the main entrance. Black 6 reach onto his belt, and grabbed his last grenade. He pulled the pin, and threw it over the computer terminal he was behind. Insurrectionist 4: Frag…front and center! Black 6 heard the grenade explode, followed by the sounds of several distinct Insurrectionists screaming pain, as they were hit by the explosion. Knowing that he had secured his flank, Black 6 used both of his SMGs, and aimed upwards, aiming at both breech points on the upper deck. Black 6 began to lay down suppressive fire on the breech points, keeping The Insurrectionists at bay. Black 6 kept the suppressive fire up, as he began to change his position. He started to move towards a set of stairs on the far side of the engineering deck. Black 6 moved up to the second level, and found that he had a much more clear view of the two breech points. Black 6 pushed forward towards the first breech Point, keeping one SMG aimed at the breech point in front of him, and his second SMG ready to lay down suppressive fire on the breech point on the other side of the engineering deck. As Black 6 moved closer, he saw two Insurrectionists peek around the corner of the breech point. As they did, he fired his SMG, killing them both. Black 6 then looked to his side, as he saw several Insurrectionists run through the second breech point, on the other side of the engineering deck. He watched as they moved down the catwalk. However, before Black 6 could begin firing, he had to duck down, as he came under fire. Insurrectionist 5: He is in cover! Take him down! Black 6 began to reload, staying in cover. As he reloaded, he could hear the boots of the Insurrectionists, as they walked along the adjacent catwalk. Based on the number of footsteps, and how frequently he was hearing then, he counted four distinct Insurrectionists. Insurrectionist 5: Keep your sights on that ODST. Do not let your guard down! Black 6 tried to emerge from cover, but he had to quickly duck back down when he came under intense fire. Insurrectionist 5: Flank him! Keep your guard up! Kill the bastard! Black 6 tried to emerge from cover again, but he once again came under a hail of gunfire. He was pinned down by very desperate soldiers who could not afford a single screw up in their tactics. Insurrectionist 5: We almost have him! Take him down! Don’t let him escape. Black 6 scoffed. He knew that he had to act quickly, and decisively. Black 6 took a deep breath, and without any more hesitation, he emerged from cover, and began to move to the side, as he fired both of his SMGs at the Insurrectionists that were converging on his position. As Black 6 emegred from cover, and fired his SMGs, he took several direct hits to his chest, but he did manage to bring The Insurrectionists down before they managed to do any serious damage. As the final Insurrectionists went down, Black 6 could see that his HUD was flashing, indicating that he had sustained a projectile injury. Black 6 ignored this indicator, as he began to backtrack towards Spender’s position. As soon as Black 6 had approached Spender, Black 6 holstered his SMGs, and watched as Spender cracked a grin. Spender: The final explosive has been disarmed. Eat your heart out Black 4. Black 6: All three are confirmed offline? Spender stood up and looked at Black 6. Spender: Of course. I know what I am doing Black 6. Black 6 didn’t respond. Spender: With these bombs out of the way…we can begin mopping up these Insurrectionists. Spender paused. He reached into his jacket and pulled out another cigarette. He then drew his lighter, and lit the cigarette. Spender: From what I heard…you did a hell of a job mopping up the army of Insurrectionists that tried to retake the engineering deck. Nice work. The sounds of the gun fire cutting these traitors down…it was music to my ears. Black 6: Just doing my job. Before Spender could reply, he was interrupted. Vixen: Just doing your job…the excuse that every soldier gives to justify the atrocities that he commits. Black 6 turned his head, but he stopped when he was stopped by Vixen. Vixen: Hold it ODST. Don’t move an inch more. If you as much as budge, I will put a bullet in Spender’s head. I have a very good aim with this weapon…and I rarely miss. Put your hands up ODST…and keep them up. Black 6 saw that Vixen was holding an M6G Magnum, and had it pointed right at Spender. Based on the angle, she had a headshot in her iron sights. Black 6 turned his head to look at Spender, who gave a nod, and a wink. Black 6 then nodded, as he raised his hands. Vixen: Move aside ODST. Get the hell out of my line of sight. Black 6 didn’t move out of the way. Instead, he moved between Vixen and Spender. Vixen: You prick…that is the opposite of what I asked for! Black 6 turned to face Vixen, his hands still in the air. Black 6: If you have any intention of killing Spender…you have to go through me first. Vixen scoffed, the rage was visible on her face. Spender then began to laugh. Spender: Isn’t his loyalty inspiring? Why were you never that loyal Kathryn? Vixen frowned. Vixen: You have no right to call me that! Spender: When did I lose the right? Vixen stepped to the side, as she tried to get a better shot. However, Black 6 moved with her, obstructing her view. Vixen scoffed again. Vixen: You are a fucking coward! You hide behind others instead of facing the music. Spender: You are a traitor. You turned against everything you were taught for your own selfish ambition. Black 6 listened to the exchange. He was unsure of what exactly was going on, but it was clear that these two had history. Spender: Without a doubt…you are my greatest failure. The fact that you, of all people, would end up as a traitor, an opponent to everything that I hold dear…it makes me sick. Vixen: I saw you for what you were…and so did mom. Spender: Your mother was a fucking traitor. When I joined The Trust...she turned on me. She never believed in the mission of The Trust. She believed that The Trust was "evil". She was so firm in that belief, that she went so far as to try and kill me. Spender paused. Spender: She never understood what The Trust stood for. She never understood what we aim to accomplish. She was too narrow of vision. She had to die. Vixen: There is nothing you can say that justifies what you did! Vixen tightened her grip on her Magnum, as she kept stepping side to side, trying to get a clear shot on Spender. Spender: I don't need to justify my actions to you, of all people. Spender scoffed. Spender: Had I have had things go exactly my way...you would be dead as well. Vixen scoffed, but there was a clear sense of defeat and sadness in her eyes. Vixen: Anyone who has the capacity to kill their own daughter...in my opinion...is little more than a monster. Vixen paused. Vixen: I am ashamed that I carry your bloodline! Vixen paused again. Vixen: There is nothing redeemable about you. You are the very definition of evil. People like you...have to be expunged. Vixen frowned. Vixen: The only thing that I have lived for, for all these years, is to kill you...to avenge the memories of the innocent people that have been slain at your feet...all in the name of your selfish ambitions. Vixen began to circle around the room, slowly stepping to the side, trying to get past Black 6, who continued to impede her shot. Vixen was becoming impatient. Vixen: Had it not been for this asshole standing between you and me…I would kill you with my bare hands. You deserve nothing less than to die slowly and painfully for what you have put me through my entire life! You robbed me of my childhood…my happiness…anything that would have allowed me to live a normal life. Spender grinned as he laughed. Spender: So much suffering…squandered. Spender paused. Spender: They say adversity builds character. You have had your share of adversity…but I see no character. All I see is a child…with much Adversity…and no character. I have seen no strength and no resiliency on your part. Spender grinned, as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a cigarette. He then drew a lighter and lit his cigarette. Spender: I could have turned you into an amazing soldier. You had all the potential in the world. Spender paused. Spender: You even had more potential than any single member of Black Team…and look how unstoppable they are! I hate to say it Kathryn…you squandered a brilliant future…a future that could have seen you harnessing the future of mankind…controlling its destiny…guiding it…delivering it to the promise land…much like the Messiah guided the Jews out of captivity. That is what I wanted…that is what your mother never understood. That is what YOU do not understand. Vixen shook her head. Vixen: You are insane. There is no doubt about it. Spender: I am not insane Kathryn. I just have a broader vision of the future. I was born to lead. All of my qualities are leadership qualities. Vixen: No…you are a mad man! You are a twisted man, with a twisted view, and a twisted vision. There is nothing good about you, there is nothing good about what you do. You are a repugnant Human being. Vixen was starting to get impatient. Spender: I grow weary of your insubordinate behavior. You are beginning to annoy me. Spender placed his left hand on Black 6’s shoulder, as he used his right hand to draw his Magnum. Spender aimed around Black 6, right at Vixen. Spender effectively used Black 6 as a Human shield. Vixen saw what Spender was doing, and she took her shots, hitting Black 6 in the torso several time, knocking him back, and in effect Spender. Spender, however, did manage to get off one shot, which managed to hit Vixen in her left arm. Vixen stumbled back, and screamed in pain from her wound, but she did her best to regain her composure, and regain her footing. Black 6 had fallen backwards, knocking Spender back as well. However, Spender managed to hold his gun in his hand, as he once again tried to take aim at Vixen. Vixen saw Spender take aim, and she knew that she still didn’t have a clear shot, so she decided to fall back, and try to regroup with the other Insurrectionists. Vixen began to back out of the engineering deck, the same way that she came in. She kept her weapon aimed at Spender and Black 6 as she moved back. Vixen: All points…this is Vixen. Fall back and regroup near Hanger bay 2. We have sustained heavy losses, and we need to get reorganized. Vixen kept backing up. She was silent for a moment, before she raised her voice, as if she was getting mad at someone over the comm line. Vixen: I do not care if you are not finished. We need to regroup…now! Vixen exited the engineering deck. Black 6 rolled to the side, as he slowly climbed back to his feet. Black 6: She is getting away… Spender: Yes…she is… Spender paused. Spender: Hurry up Black 6…go and get her…and be sure to bring her back to me alive. I want to be the one to finish her off. Black 6 looked at Spender as he got back to his feet. It was clear that Black 6 was aware of how totally uninterested Spender was about the fact that Black 6 had been shot several times in the torso. Black 6: Yes sir… Black 6 scoffed behind his helmet, annoyed by Spender’s callous reaction and his total disconnect. However, Black 6 turned, as he sprinted out of the engineering deck, in pursuit of Vixen. As Black 6 took chase, he began to replay the last few moments in his head, over and over. Black 6 was bothered by the fact that Spender had willingly, and nonchalantly used him as a human shield so he could have a firefight with Vixen. Black 6’s qualm was with how callous Spender was, as if he had used Black 6 as a piece of equipment, ready to deflect bullets at a moment’s notice. Black 6 could not escape the idea that Spender, frankly, placed little value on Black 6’s life. While Black 6 had willing put himself in the line of fire, he did it because of his sense of duty. Spender, on the other hand, had no honorable intentions in what he did. Despite this, Black 6’s mind became clouded with the words “duty” and “loyalty” the more he thought about what Spender did, as if some part of him was convinced that Spender WAS some sort of paragon. However…there was another part of Black 6 that resisted these ideas. It was as if there was a vicious tug of war going on inside of Black 6…and neither side was winning. Black 6 sprinted through the corridor, leaving a slight trail of blood behind him as he walked. Black 6: I just need to focus on my duty. I just have to get that bitch in my iron sights. I just need to focus…on my job. I need to focus on my duty…I have to do my duty...as a soldier… As Black 6 said this, the words that Jonas had spoken to him long ago began to ring in his head. Black 1: To be honest Tye...I really do not give a rats ass who is in my iron sights...as long as they bleed, fall down, and die. I can sleep at night knowing that I am still useful, that I have fulfilled my duty, and that I have proven my loyalty. Black 6 did his best to clear his mind of these errant thoughts, but he was certain something in his head was on the verge of snapping…that something was under too much pressure to hold out much longer. It was becoming more and more clear, with every step…that something was wrong. Black 6 started to become distracted, he could not focus on what he was trying to do, no matter how hard he tried. Black 6 had to stop. He leaned against the wall for a moment, as he did his best to try and collect himself. Black 6: I am just doing my job...I have to do my job. Nothing else matters. Black 6 paused for a moment, and then got back underway. He did his best to remember what had happened on Madrigal. He did his best to remember that the woman that he was chasing, was the same woman who attack Outpost Lambda on Madrigal. Black 6 did his level best to remember the faces of each soldier that had died on Madrigal because of Vixen. These images in his head drove him crazy. He had never been so angry before in his life. There was something about this level of anger he was experiencing that cleared his mind, like a great wind cleared his perceptions. Black 6 felt renewed…he could once again focus on his task…he no longer felt himself burdened or encumbered by errant thoughts. Black 6 picked up the pace, as he broke out into a full out sprint, taking chase after Vixen with a renewed conviction. Black 6 moved as quickly as he could, heading for hanger bay 2 to once again confront Vixen. Black 6 reached to his sides, as he grabbed his two Automags. He raised his pistols, and aimed them forward as he moved. As Black 6 moved through the corridors, he received a message from Novak, who was still on the bridge. Novak: Black 6…do you copy? Black 6 answered the transmission. Black 6: I am here. Novak: Thank God. I have been monitoring your vitals. They are all over the place. Are you alright? Black 6: I am fine. What do you need Doc? I am busy at the moment. Novak: I am just calling to let you know that we have been able to patch you into a few rudimentary functions on the ship. I know it is not much, but it some of this stuff might be useful in a pinch. Black 6: What do you got for me? Novak: Lighting, elevators, and door controls. That is about it. Black 6: Good enough. Novak: Also…you should know that I just got into contact with the rest of Black Team. They are on their way. They got delayed by a straggler group of Insurrectionists who engaged them. According to their reports…they should be here in about 10 minutes. Novak laughed. Novak: To think we went into the mission trying to avoid Insurrectionist casualties…and look where we are now. I guess the battle plan never survives contact with the enemy. Black 6 sighed. Black 6: Keep me posted. Black 6 out. Black 6 closed the comm line. He continued moving forward. As Black 6 got close to hanger bay 2, he could hear Vixen talking to her Insurrectionists. Vixen: We had Spender cornered...but one of those ODSTs was with him…and he held the line. We couldn’t even touch Spender. Insurrectionist Engineer: I wish I had a few more minutes…I could have dug up every little piece of dirt on him. Unfortunately…I was not able to get everything…I was unable to finish the upload. Vixen: What we have will have to do. We can use whatever we got to mount another offensive against him some other time. Vixen spoke in a very stern voice, and there was a clean indication of impatience in her voice. Vixen: Where the hell is our evac! Just had Vixen had said this, Black 6 walked past the threshold to hanger bay 2, as his took aim at the Insurrectionists around Vixen, and he started to fire. Vixen: Take cover! That ODST followed me! Vixen ducked behind a pile of supply crates, as the two dozen Insurrectionist she was with, each scattered to find cover. Black 6, however, was able to kill 4 of the Insurrectionists in the pre-emptive strike. Vixen: Shoot that bastard! Everyone…focus all fire on that ODST! Kill him! For fuck’s sake…kill him! Vixen readied her Assault Rifle, as she emerged from cover and began to fire at Black 6, along with several other Insurrectionists. Black 6 ran to the side, firing off his Automags, as he took a dive to the side, landing behind a Hornet that was in the corner of the hanger bay. Vixen: All weapons forward… he is behind the Hornet! Kill him! Don’t let him escape! Converge on his location! Black 6 began to reload his Automags, going on his last two clips, as all of the Insurrectionists emerged from cover, and began to converge on Black 6’s location. Black 6 could hear the slow footsteps of the Insurrectionists closing in on his position. Vixen watched as her Insurrectionists closed in on Black 6. She then began to shout, speaking to Black 6. Vixen: There will be no getting out of this one you prick. Black 6 knew that he was surrounded and heavily outgunned. He knew that if he went one direction to engage the Insurrectionists, he would be immediately flanked. Black 6 sighed, knowing that he was in a very tight spot. However, Black 6 had an idea that just so happened to be his best chance at getting out of his current predicament. As the footsteps from The Insurrectionists got closer, Black 6 accessed his HUD, and patched himself into the ship controls that Novak had managed to get him. Black 6 grinned, as he cut all of the lighting on the deck he was on. As all the lights went out, Black 6 activated his night vision mode on his VISR. Insurrectionist: Shit…we cannot see anything! Black 6 readied himself, as he got out of cover from behind the Hornet, and took aim at each Insurrectionist, one at a time, and put a single bullet into each of their heads. The Insurrectionists started to drop like flies, unable to defend themselves in the darkness. It was not long before Black 6 had killed every Insurrectionist in the hanger bay, save for Vixen herself, who was lost in the dark. The only thing Vixen knew was the direction that the sound of gunfire was coming from. She backed up as she fired her assault rifle in brief bursts, trying her level best to try and hit Black 6, but to no avail. Vixen started to panic when the clip on her Assault Rifle had run dry, and the sound of clicking filled the hanger bay. Vixen knew that she was, for the most part, about to die. However, to her surprise, the lights came back on. As the lights came back on, Vixen saw numerous dead bodies belonging to her Insurrectionists scattered about the hanger bay. Vixen backed up in horror, unable to stand the sight that was before her. Vixen took a few more steps backwards, before she was stopped, when she backed into someone. Vixen quickly turned around, and saw Black 6 behind her. As soon as Vixen looked into Black 6’s visor, Black 6 backhanded Vixen as hard as he could, sending her flying backwards, rolling over a supply crate, and hitting the ground with great force. Black 6: Is that the best you can do.? The illusive Vixen…The Insurrections most notorious terrorist. I am not impressed. Vixen climbed back to her feet, as she circled around the supply crate, and charged at Black 6. As she got close, she sent a right hook right at Black 6’s visor. However, Black 6 had caught Vixen’s fist right before impact, as he tossed her arm to the side, and sent a right hook into her stomach, followed by an elbow to the back of her neck. The force of impact from his elbow dropped Vixen to the ground unceremoniously. Black 6: Very pathetic. I expected more. You cannot even defend yourself. Vixen tried to get back to her feet, but she was having a lot of difficulty. Black 6: Let me help you up. Black 6 grabbed Vixen by the back of the neck, and lifted her to her feet, where he then grabbed her by the neck, and lifted her off the ground. Black 6 looked up at Vixen, as he paced around the hanger bay. Black 6: You have been a pain in the ass for far too long. Black 6 slammed Vixen into the hull of the Hornet Black 6: An annoyance to hard working men like Constantine Spender, who have dedicated their lives to preserving our very way of live. Black 6 slammed Vixen into the Hornet once more. Black 6: You are terrorist scum…vermon...you disgust me. If I had my way…I would kill you right here. All I would have to do is squeeze. Black 6 began to squeeze his hand, but relented and tossed Vixen aside, letting her body hit the ground, and roll. Black 6: I have to bring you back to Spender. Unfortunately…he gets to be the one to finish you off. I would kill for the opportunity to kill you myself. Killing garbage like you…is what I live for. It is why I joined the military. It is why I pick up arms and fight. It is what gives me purpose. Killing people like you...is what I live for! Vixen started to cough, as she held her sides in pain. Vixen: Your only purpose…is to enforce the will of my father. Beyond that…you are nothing to him. He values nothing, short of his own goals and ambition. You are an asset...a tool...a weapon... Black 6 circled around Vixen. Vixen: He wants power…nothing more. Do you think you will share in that power? Don’t count on it. My father…is an evil man. You are expendable to him. Vixen looked up at Black 6. Vixen: You are a weapon…nothing more. If there was any free will…any individuality inside of you…you would know that what you are doing…is wrong. You would look at him and see him for what he is...a tyrant Vixen coughed. Black 6 resented what Vixen was saying, which led him to send a swift kick right into her gut. Black 6: I am no weapon. I am a… Vixen: Loyal…soldier. I have heard it all before. He used to speak to me about these ideas as well...but I was smart enough to refute them. Vixen placed her hands on the ground, as she pushed herself upwards. She struggled to get to her feet. Vixen pulled herself up, and looked at Black 6. Vixen: You are exactly...what he wants you to be. You are a weapon...an extension of his desire for absolute power. My father...is a tyrant. He has always been a tyrant...it is why he does what he does. It is why he has lived his entire career in service of The Trust. Like all tyrants, he obscures the truth behind lies...the lies that people want to hear. You refuse to believe that he has turned you from a good man...to what you are now...a faceless, nameless...killing machine. You operate under an alias. BLACK ^ is what he calls you. Tell me...what is your REAL name? Black 6 looked at Vixen. Black 6: My name is not important. Vixen: Point and case. You have been made into a weapon...you don't want to believe it, you want to be told that it is not the case...so he lies to you, and tells you what you want to hear. Black 6 glared at Vixen. Vixen: The sad part of it all...is that you are none the wiser. Right now...everything I am saying to you...your mind is dismissing it...because that is what you have been programmed to do...dismiss the truth...and embrace a lie. Vixen looked at Black 6. Vixen: He used you as a human shield so that he could hide from me. Did he care? No! He sent you after me...right after I put three rounds right into your torso. Did he show any concern? No, I doubt it. Face it…you have one purpose…to do his dirty work. You get your hands dirty so he doesn’t have to. Black 6 glared at Vixen. He breathed heavily, torn between rage and uncertainty. Black 6 was unable to respond to Vixen. He once again found himself uncertain and insecure about who he was. He once again felt distracted by an inner conflict that he could not put out of his mind. Black 6 looked away, as he stepped back. Vixen could tell from Black 6’s body language that she had gotten under his skin. Black 6 let his guard down, as he found himself very deep in thought about everything that Vixen had said. His mind raced back and forth, between everything that he had been told by The Trust, everything that he had learned throughout his military career, and everything that Vixen had just said to him. As far as Black 6 was concerned, he was trapped between a very vicious trifecta. Black 6: I am not a weapon. I am a person. I am a soldier. Vixen continued to step back, as she eyed an Assault Rifle belonging to one of the dead Insurrectionists. Vixen knew that even in his delirium, that Black 6 still had the potential to be very dangerous and even more unpredictable. Vixen watched Black 6 carefully, as she heard a single transmission coming from her earpiece. Insurrectionist: Ma’am…we are inbound…ETA…30 seconds. Vixen didn’t respond. She simply kept her eye on Black 6. Black 6: I am a person…my life has value. Black 6 began to breathe heavily, as he looked at Vixen. Black 6: You are trying to confuse me. You are trying to make me believe that The Trust places no value on my life. You’re wrong! Black 6 scoffed, as he began to walk towards Vixen. Vixen began to back up. Black 6: You are trying to turn me against The Trust. Black 6 backed Vixen up against a large supply crate, as he reached out, and grabbed her by the throat. Black 6: I am Black 6…and my duty is to ensure the success and the preservation of The Trust. I am the enforcement for The Trust. I am the first and the last line of defense for the preservation of everything the Human race has built! Only the Trust can ensure the continued survival of The Human race! Black 6 began to squeeze. Black 6: You are the enemy! Black 6 began to squeeze harder, fully intent on killing Vixen, despite Spender ordering Vixen’s capture. Black 6: You are a traitor! Vixen used every ounce of her strength to pound on Black 6’s forearm, trying to get Black 6 to loosen his grip. However, Vixen had neither the stamina nor the strength to free herself. Vixen felt her energy slipping away, as Black 6 did not relent. However, Black 6 released Vixen at the last moment when a Pelican flew right up to the security barrier of the hanger bay, and then flew inside. Black 6 turned to face the Pelican, dropping Vixen in the process. Black 6 could see that the pilot in the cockpit of the Pelican was not a member of Black Team. Black 6 knew that this was another batch of Insurrectionists. Black 6 reached to his side and drew one of his Automags, as he took aim at the cockpit and pulled the trigger as fast as he could. However, his Automag simply made clicking noises, as Black 6 realized that he was out of ammo. Vixen looked up at Black 6, as she realized as well that he had no ammo. Vixen knew that this was her best chance to escape The Ulterior Motive, and that it was also the perfect chance to collect a valuable intel source. Vixen looked to her side as she saw an Assault Rifle only a few feet away. Vixen mustered his strength, as she rolled to the side and grabbed the Assault Rifle, and took aim at Black 6, and pulled the trigger. Vixen fired off a little more than half a clip of the Assault Rifle into the chest of Black 6. The force of the impacts sent Black 6 flying backwards, lading on his back, hitting the ground hard. Vixen watched as Black 6 fell. Once he was down, Vixen looked at the Pelican and signaled for help. Black 6 could see the HUD of his VISR reporting multiple injuries to his torso, as he struggled to breath from his injuries. Based on the updated information on his HUD, Black 6 had not sustained any direct shots to any vital organs or tissue, but he had sustained a number of wounds to non-critical areas. Several Insurrectionists exited the Pelican, as they made their way over to Vixen. As they got close, they helped Vixen back to her feet. Once Vixen was back on her feet, she looked at two of the Insurrectionists with a stern look. Vixen: You two…go and get him… Vixen pointed at Black 6, who was still on the ground, nearly motionless. Vixen: Put him out before you take him on the Pelican. He is, without a doubt, still dangerous…even if he is bleeding out. One of the Insurrectionists look at Vixen with a confused look. Insurrectionist 1: Why do we even care about him? What good is he to us? Vixen: That is one of Spender’s top field operatives. That means he is a valuable source of intelligence. He would be a worthwhile prisoner to interrogate. Vixen glared at the Insurrectionists, as they tried to rationalize her reasoning. Insurrectionist 1: Ma’am…are you aware of what that guy did to our teams on the surface? How do you expect to hold him in confinement? Vixen: We will find a way! Now…carry out my orders! The two Insurrectionists sighed, as they reluctantly followed their orders. They walked over to where Black 6 was laying. One of the Insurrectionists grabbed his Assault Rifle, and hit Black 6 in the face as hard as he could with the butt of his rifle. Black 6’s head recoiled backwards, his head slamming into the floor. However, Black 6 remained conscious. The Insurrectionist hit Black 6 again, with Black 6’s head slamming against the ground again. The Insurrectionist started to get frustrated, as he continually slammed the butt of his Assault Rifle into Black 6’s helmet, over and over. However, Black 6 maintained consciousness, but only barely. Insurrectionist 1: Is this gun unconscious yet? How the hell is he still moving!? The Insurrectionist raised his rifle into the air, and slammed it down on Black 6’s helmet as hard as he could. This final hit knocked Black 6 out, as Black 6 fell motionless. Insurrectionist 1: Is he dead? Did I kill him? Insurrectionist 2: Who knows? Let’s just grab this guy and get the hell out of here. The two Insurrectionists grabbed each of Black 6’s arms, as they dragged him back to the Pelican. They managed to drag him aboard the Pelican, as they saw the third Insurrectionist tending to Vixen’s injureies. Insurrectionist 1: Ma’am…we got him. Vixen looked at the two Insurrectionists, and then at Black 6. Vixen: Is he still alive? Insurrectionist 1: No clue. I had to literally hit this guy a dozen times with my gun to put him out. This prick is tough as nails for sure. Vixen: He better not be dead! As Vixen said this, she turned her head to the cockpit, as she yelled an order. Vixen: Pilot! Seal the rear hatch…and get us out of here! Get us back to The Hades Eclipse…on the double! The pilot did not respond verbally, but just as Vixen had given the order, the rear hatch of the Pelican started to close, and the sounds of the engines revving up became audible inside of the passenger cabin. Vixen breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she was able to escape The Ulterior Motive alive. Vixen kept her composure, but under her resolved exterior, she was furious that she was unable to get to Spender. The thought of how many people died during this nearly fruitless expedition enraged her. She knew that after this debacle, her forces were severely depleted, and many of her resources had been expended beyond salvage. Her only solace came from the intel she managed to steal from The Ulterior Motive’s main computer…and the prisoner she was able to take. ========================================================== UNSC Marathon Class - The Ulterior Motive - Main Bridge - Currently in orbit of Draco III - 1420 hours - May 22nd 2515. ========================================================== Novak was still on the bridge of the Ulterior Motive. He was still working to restore basic functionality to the rest of the Ulterior Motive. He was also busy coordinating with ODST Black Team, who had just arrived in Hanger Bay 1. Novak was communicating with ODST Black Team, who could be heard over the bridge’s comm system. Black 1: Novak…we have just docked in Hanger Bay 1. Orders? Novak thought for a moment, and then spoke to ODST Black Team over the comm. Novak: Make your way to Hanger Bay 2. Last I heard, Black 6 was in that area, trying to apprehend the Insurrectionist ring leader. Assist him. Black 1: Understood sir. We are moving out. Novak: I have been having difficulty raising Black 6 over the comm. Keep your eyes peeled and be sure to check your fire. Black 1: When was the last time that Black 6 checked in? Novak: He last checked in when he was in pursuit of The Insurrectionist leader. He may already be engaged in battle. Stay sharp. Novak turned when he heard the door to the bridge open. He reached to his side to draw his weapon, but he stopped when he saw that Spender had walked onto the bridge. Novak: Black Team…stand by… Novak muted his comm system, as he approached Spender. Novak: Good to see that you are alright sir! Spender: Did you expect anything else from me? Novak: Not at all. I am just relieved to have confirmation that you are still alive is all. Spender didn’t respond. He simply got right down to business. Spender: I managed to disarm the explosives in the engineering deck. We are secured on that front. However, I want a status update on Black 6. Was he able to capture Vixen? Novak: Unknown. I have been unable to contact him. I am unsure of his current status. The rest of Black Team is already engaged and they are investigating as we speak. They should have a report for us any moment now. Spender: Why did it take them so long to get here in the first place? They were delayed by a significant amount of time. Novak: I am sure their excuses will be revealed when they are debriefed. Spender sighed, as he sat down in the command chair. He reached into his jacket, and began to light up another cigarette. As he did, Black Team contacted the bridge. Black 1: Bridge, this is ODST Black Team…do you copy? Before Novak could answer, Spender activated the comm system, and spoke to Black 1. Spender: Status report…Black 1. Black 1: We have reached hanger bay 2. There are clear signs of a firefight. There is significant small arms damage to the hanger bay. There are a LOT of dead Insurrectionists. However, there is no sign of Black 6…or The Insurrectionist leader/ Spender frowned. Black 3: Bridge…this is Black 3. I found Black 6’s Automags on the ground. They were laying in a pool of blood. Unsure whose blood it is, however. Novak looked at Spender. They both had a look of shock cross their faces. Novak: Black 3…your suits are capable of running basic and rudimentary biological sampling and comparison tests. Using either your left or right hand, get a sampling of the blood on the tip of one of your fingers, and use your HUD to initialize a basic scan and comparison. I want to know if the blood on Black 6’s weapon belongs to Black 6. Black 3: Copy that…stand by. Novak and Spender exchanged looks. They each had a look of concern on their faces. They had no idea how this would disrupt ODST Black Team. They could not forsee how this would affect their chemistry. Black 3: Bridge…I have a positive match. Blood sample belongs to Black 3. Novak tensed up and sighed. Spender: Is there any sign of Black 6? Anything at all? There was a brief moment of silence. Black 1: Negative…no sign of him. Nobody had any explanation as to the whereabouts of Black 6, but Novak was thinking something that he dared not vocalize, for fear of reprisal. However, he knew that he had to say something, no matter the reaction. Novak: It is possible… Novak paused. Novak: It is possible that Black 6 was captured by The Insurrection. The idea was immediately rejected. Spender: Impossible! I refuse to believe it! Novak turned around, as he began to enter several commands into one of the computers. Novak: Our sensors are still malfunctioning after the last attack I cannot isolate Black 6’s transponder. If we could, we could isolate his position, and confirm or repudiate that theory. However…that is all we have, given the current state of our evidence. Novak turned and walked to the front of the bridge. He looked out one of the viewing windows, where The Hades Eclipse could be clearly seen. Novak: However…I do know one thing; whether Black 6 had been captured or not…we need to leave…now. We have no idea what the status of their weapons are…but we know that we will be unable to defend ourselves should any more fighting arise. Our weapon systems are no longer responding to input. ODST Black Team was listening over the comm. Black 1: Send us to the Insurrectionist ship. We can continue this fight! We can capture or destroy the ship. If Black 6 could single handedly repel The Insurrection off of this ship…Black Team at full strength should mop the floor with these assholes. We can verify Black 6’s fate, assist him if need be, and we can finish eh job. Novak shook his head. Novak: We may not have a lot of time to even begin executing this plan. For all we know, The Insurrectionist ship could be lining up shots. Whatever we decided to do…the decision must be made now! Spender thought for a moment. He then spoke up. Spender: ODST Black Team…prepare for boarding action against the Insurrectionist ship. I will not allow them to get away with what they have done, and I will not allow them to escape with our personnel. Get your asses to that ship…and do whatever you need to do to capture that ship intact! Black 1: With pleasure sir! Just as Black 1 had said this, Spender’s attention was caught by The Hades Eclipse, as it started to move off, heading away from both The Ulterior Motive, and the planet. Spender: They are moving off! They are falling back! Spender stood up as he ran to the front of the bridge. He ran towards the helm station, as he tried to get a destination solution on them. Spender: I need more power to the sensor array! Get it online! However, just as Spender said this, The Hades Eclipse began to open a Slipspace rift. Novak: Slip space rupture…visual confirmation! Spender looked up, as he saw The Hades Eclipse fly towards the rift they had opened. Within seconds, the ship had transitioned to slipspace, and was gone. Spender: Damnit! Spender was furious. He grit his teeth, as the pupil’s in his eyes began to dilate, and his fists clenched. Spender: God Damnit! Spender scoffed, as he looked around the bridge. Everyone had their eyes on him. Spender was breathing heavily, trying to keep his temper in check. However, the thought that he had been bested by a band of Insurrectionists, led by his daughter, combined with the possible loss of Black 6 into enemy hands, was almost too much for him to keep control of. Spender: I don’t care what has to be done…get this ship moving, get our weapons online…and TRACK DOWN THAT FUCKING INSURRECTIONIST SHIP! Everyone was stunned silent, as they saw, for the first time, their CO lose his composure. Spender: GO! Everyone jumped as they got right to work. Spender turned and walked off the bridge, heading towards his office. As he did, Novak spoke to ODST Black Team over the comm. Novak: ODST Black Team…belay previous orders. Stand down. Report to the barracks, disarm, and await further orders. Black 1: But sir… Novak: That is an order Black 1. Bridge out! Novak closed the comm line, as he turned and walked towards Spender’s office. Novak walked right into the office, without requesting access. As he walked into Spender’s office, the door closed behind him. Novak saw Spender on the far side of his office, looking out the window. Novak: Admiral… Spender took a deep breath, but he did not turn to face Novak. Spender: You better have a good reason for disturbing be, Doctor. Novak: I do. It is about Black 6. Spender: We will recover the asset in due time. Once we track that bitch down, we will secure Black 6. Novak: Sir…Black 6… Spender turned to face Novak. Novak: Sir…Black 6…he is… Spender: Out with it Doctor! Novak: Black 6 is not finished! His capture…is a massive setback! Spender: Explain? Novak Unlike the other members of Black Team, who have been subjected to more advanced reconfiguration efforts…Black 6 was still in the basic stages of his…reconfiguration. His stage of development is not past the regression stage. Spender: The regression stage? Are you saying that Black 6 could potentially…”recover”…from what you have been doing to him? Are you saying that he could relapse into the person that he was…prior to his training? Novak: Well…possibly. He would retain his skills, abilities, training, even the augmentation. However...he may stop seeing things our way. He may start to question our motives again. Without the pharmaceuticals that I have been giving him to suppress certain chemical stimulation in his brain…that is…the chemical equivalent to his moral compass…he could become totally uncooperative...and he could even become resistant to further attempts to recondition him…indoctrinate him. Spender: Doctor…this is very bad. If Black 6 recovers…if he manages to reestablish his own identity…he could become a very real threat to our plans. Spender paused. Spender: Is the rest of Black Team in a similar situation? Could they also revert? Could they start undoing their conditioning? Novak: I doubt it. At this point, without a consorted effort, and an in-depth understanding of my methods, the rest of Black Team is, more or less, set in stone. They are much further along in their reconditioning. The modifications we made have managed to establish themselves as the physiological norm. Their bodies have become used, even dependent on their current state. Novak paused. Novak: Black 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are locked in. Black 6…is not. If we do not recover Black 6 within a weeks’ time…the damage will be irreversible. We will lose Black 6. Spender sighed. He did not like what he was hearing. Spender: Then our path is clear…we have to rescue Black 65 before time runs out. Novak: How are we going to find him? We do not have a lead on where he might have been taken. Spender: Let me handle that. I will figure out a way to track my daughter’s movements. I will figure out a way to rescue Black 6. The only thing you need to do Doctor, is make sure that this ship is ready to go. Delegate every officer and crewman we have to getting this ship back together and ready for combat. Novak nodded. Spender: I will not allow my plans to be derailed by my bitch of a daughter. I will not allow her to succeed in derailing our efforts. We are too close to victory to allow anything to stop us now. Spender paused. Spender: The future of Humanity depends on me to attain victory in this battle. Too much depends on this to allow it to fall by the wayside. Spender sighed, as he poused for a moment. Spender: Doctor…you have your orders. Dismissed. Novak nodded, as he turned to leave Spender’s office. Novak couldn’t help but feel that everything had gone totally wrong with the loss of Black 6. This was a huge setback, and for the first time, Novak felt uncertain about The Trust’s odds of total and unconditional victory. Novak knew that there was going to be a heavy price paid. ========================================================== UNSC Phoenix Class - The Hades Eclipse - The Brig - Currently in Slipstream Space - 1440 hours - June 5th 2515. ========================================================== Vixen watched as her Insurrectionists dragged Black 6 into one of the holding cells. Vixen: Strip him down… The Insurrectionists look at Vixen with a hint of uncertainty. Insurrectionist: Ma’am? Vixen: Down to the skin. Insurrectionist: You’re kidding right? Vixen: I am dead serious. Strip him down to the skin…NOW! The Insurrectionists looked at each other, and then they looked back to Vixen and nodded, as they proceeded to remove Black 6’s armor, piece by piece, and toss it out of the holding cell. Insurrectionist: Mind if I ask why we are stripping this guy down? Like…I get the BDU…but even the uniform under all the gear as well? What could be the point of that? Vixen: I have no reason to doubt the belief that this soldier has been trained to kill himself by any means necessary in the event of his capture. I seriously doubt my father would not train his Special Ops to do such a thing. Vixen paused. Vixen: You would be shocked if you knew how easy it is to hang yourself with a t-shirt when you really have to. Insurrectionist: Point taken. The Insurrectionists continued to strip Black 6, until they had reached his skin. The Insurrectionists picked Black 6 up, as Vixen looked at him. Vixen: Restrain him to the wall. The Insurrectionists dragged Tye towards the furthest wall, and pushed his back right up against the wall. They then raised his arms straight up, shackling both of his wrists to the cuffs that were built into the wall The Insurrectionists then shackled his ankles to the wall as well. As The Insurrectionists shackled Tye to the wall, Vixen looked at Tye’s face. She could have sworn that she had seen this man before. Vixen: I know this man. I have seen him before. This man… Vixen paused. She looked at Tye. Vixen: This man was on Madrigal. He was a UNSC soldier. I fought with him on Madrigal during our assault on Outpost Lambda. Vixen paused. Vixen: He was a good fighter…and he struck me as just another UNSC soldier. How the hell did he end up working with my father? Vixen looked at Tye’s arms. She could see that both arms were bruised. Upon closer inspection, she could see that the bruising was caused by needles being injected into his arms. The bruises were on his biceps and forearms. Vixen then looked at the wounds on Tye’s torso. She took notice of multiple gunshot wounds that were no doubt caused by her. She could visually tell that the gunshot wounds were not in any vital areas, but they were still bleeding. Vixen’s eyes shifted back to the bruising. Vixen: Look here… Vixen moved closer, but as she did, Tye opened his eyes and looked at Vixen. Vixen immediately moved away. Vixen: Shit…he is awake! Tye glared at Vixen as she backed up. The other Insurrectionists raised their rifles, but they did not fire. Black 6’s eyes shifted around the room, looking at each person, moving between them very quickly. Tye then looked downwards, and then back up at Vixen. Black 6 then scoffed. Tyber: This is undignified. Vixen: A necessary precaution. Besides…what would you know about indignation? The stunt you pulled on Draco III was the most undignified treatment of civilians that I have ever seen. Tyber: My dignity is irrelevant. I have everything I need to NEVER feel undignified…even when I am chained up in a holding cell…such as I am…exposed. Tye paused. Tyber: I feel bad for your soldiers however. I bet they are going to feel quite inadequate for the rest of their lives. Tye paused again. Tyber: Ands I feel bad for you lady…knowing that you are so close, and yet so far to what can be, at the very least described as, the perfect human specimen. Tye grinned at Vixen. Tyber: Good luck getting these images out of your head. We both know you either caught a glimpse or it crossed your mind…even for a split second. Vixen frowned, as she stepped forward and punched Tye as hard as she could. Tyber: Dungeons, chains, and violence. Lady…you just completed the trifecta, and are officially in weirdo territory. Vixen scoffed, as she turned away. After a moment, she turned to look back at Tye. Vixen: Run your mouth as much as you want ODST… Tyber: Black 6. My name is Black 6. Vixen: I don’t care what your name is. You are going to be here for a long time…and I am going to get every piece of intel out of you I can…using any means necessary. Tyber: Good luck. I hope you enjoy a challenge. Vixen simply grinned. Vixen: We will see. Vixen looked at the Insurrectionists who were in the holding cell, as she gestured her head for them to leave the cell. Vixen watched as the Insurrectionists left. When Vixen was along with Tye, she looked at him in the eye. Vixen: Don’t go anywhere. I will be back…eventually. Vixen turned, and left the holding cell, as a large iron door sealed behind her. As the door closed, the room quickly became pitch black. Tye was unable to see anything, and the old sound he could hear was the sound of his own breathing. Tye simply closed his eyes, and did his best to clear his mind, as he prepared himself for the coming interrogations. Vixen, on the other hand, walked out of the brig. Her steps were labored, as she was still in pain from her last encounter with Black 6. Vixen hung her head, and sighed, as she started to walk through the corridors, heading for the medical bay to get treated for her wounds. As Vixen walked, she thought about everything that had transpired. She thought about the massacre on Draco III. She thought about the assault on The Ulterior Motive. She thought about the information that she had managed to steal from The Ulterior Motive. She even thought about the man that was occupying her bring at this very moment. He mind was very busy and very much occupied at the moment, and Vixen could not foresee a time when she would be able to relax her mind, even for a moment. With all that was going on, Vixen felt as great weight on her shoulders. [FF] ========================================================== UNSC Halycon Class - The King Raven - Medical Bay - Currently in the San Angeles Star System - 0730 Hours – January 30th 2540 ========================================================== Tyber: So…after all of that…I was capture by The Insurrection. It was an interesting experience. Tye sighed. Tyber: A bit…awkward…in hind sight. Jennifer: Awkward is not the term I would use. Dehumanizing is what I would use. Tyber: I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. Sure, I was taken prisoner. I was interrogated. I was strung up like a piece of meat…my business totally exposed. If anything, I look back and laugh a bit knowing that I probably put most of those guys to shame. I won’t go into details…but that is just the idea I got. All and all…I don’t think about it often…and it really doesn’t bother me. Tye shrugged. Burke: So they kidnapped you for intel? Tyber: That was the idea I guess. I found out later that they had stolen quite a bit of intel from The Ulterior Motive, and that I was supplementary intel. They had everything they needed to launch another offensive. They did not need me…all things considered. Cameron: Why did they keep you alive then? Tyber: Well…that was Vixen’s decision. She wanted to keep me alive. Nighthawk began to laugh. Nighthawk: I still cannot believe that Spender had a daughter. That is a huge shocker for me. Tyber: Yeah…it is surprising. He never spoke of her. He hid so much from us, and we were his most trusted assets. I can only imagine how much there is to know. Like I said before; there is much we will never know. There are thing about him that we will never understand. We will never know what truly makes him tick. Tye paused. Tyber: Part of me regrets that. What could I have done differently yesterday to know more about him today? So much potential good…relegated to non-existence based on what-if scenarios. I am sure there are tidbits of information about him that would radically redefine the fight against The Trust. Anaconda growled. Anaconda: I doubt there is anything you could have done differently to figure out any more or less about him. That Human is a coward. He hides in the shadows. He never faces his enemies. He sends others to do his dirty work. He is a coward…and that is all you need to know. He should not be looked upon with any sort of reverence or longing. He should be looked upon with repudiation and disgust. He is a traitor to your species, and he is your enemy. Tyber: That is true. All things considered…he is a pretty repugnant human being. Tye paused. He thought for a moment as he composed his thoughts. Jennifer: There is still one thing that I do not understand Tye; I thought The Trust wanted to avoid Insurrectionist causalities during its mission on Draco III. However, from what you are telling us, it seems that you, alone, inflicted heavy casualties on The Insurrection. Tyber: It was Spender’s intention to avoid Insurrectionist casualties during the fighting. I guess that all went by the way-side when The Insurrection became an unavoidable threat, both on the surface and on The Ulterior Motive. It was a setback, no doubt. I have every reason to believe that as a result of the mission on Draco III going down the tubes, Spender’s plans took a major hit. Nighthawk: I tend to agree with that Tye. I remember how you mentioned that Spender was secretly funding The Insurrection in order to expand UNSC military influence in the UEG, in order to place Trust Operatives in the UNSC. With The Insurrection taking heavy losses like it did at Draco III…I am sure that plan took a major hit. Tyber: Black Team and I pretty much eliminated MOST of the Insurrectionist presence on the planet. I would guess that Draco III was essentially useless to Spender after the fact. Cameron: Well…without Draco III…then Spender’s entire plan would have failed. Based on what you told us, he was pretty clear about the fact that without Draco III…Operation Blind Eagle would be a failure. I guess the question is…how did he recoup his losses? What did he do afterwards? Tyber: Well…I won’t go into too many details at this point in time about that…but I can say that when it was all said and done, Spender still managed to reign the Trust under his control even without the help of The Insurrection. Jennifer thought about what was said. She then had a thought. Jennifer: Hold on…lets step back here for a second. We know that Spender was directly funding The Insurrection…right? Tyber: Right. Jennifer: And we know that his daughter was part of The Insurrection…right? Tyber: Yes… Jennifer: I wonder how much Spender knew about his Daughter’s involvement with The Insurrection during that time. Tyber: I would assume so. Knowing Spender, he would exploit his daughter’s uncompromising hatred in order to ensure direct and aggressive action on the part of The Insurrection. In fact, I would not doubt that Spender knowingly and deliberately made his own daughter the beneficiary of any sort of funding or anonymous sponsorship in order to guarantee a rise out of her. Spender probably knew his daughter would spearhead any offensive against him or the UNSC. I even learned from Vixen that she would take any opportunity she could find to strike at her father. She knew about The Trust. She knew what they were and what they existed for. She knew what her father was trying to do, and she knew what kind of person he was. Tye paused. Tyber: They mutually hated each other, but I guess Spender was able to set that aside so he could use it to his advantage. I could see it from their exchanges. The way they spoke to each other. It was all too obvious. I have no doubt that Spender exploited Vixen’s hatred for him. He certainly knew what he was doing right from the get go. This man has spent his life puppet mastering the events around him. To think that he left all of this to chance is laughable. Jennifer: When you put it that way…I tend to agree. Nighthawk: So…you were capture by the Insurrection. I am, guessing they did interrogate you? Tyber: They did. None of it was tame by any measure. I would say it walked a fine line between interrogation and torture. Burke: Torture? That is disgusting! Tyber: It was not their first resort though. They got desperate. The Trust had battle hardened me. I was, more or less, able to handle everything they threw at me, with relative ease. Vixen did oppose the use of torture…but as she got more desperate as the days went on. In the end…well…I sorta just…came around. I snapped out of the delirium that The Trust had put me into…and I began to spill all of the secrets. Tye grinned. Tyber: I later found out that The Trust had not completely fucked me up. In so few words, Novak had been slowly conditioning me, drugging me, and manipulating me in order to create the perfect soldier. His aims were to create total loyalty combined with the insatiable desire to kill. Novak was custom tailoring soldiers when he created Black Team. We were perfect and unquestioning killing machines. He literally twisted our psychology in order to accomplish this. Tye paused. Tyber: The only reason I am still me today…is because of neural plasticity. Had I of spent too much time with The Trust, constantly being experimented on, constantly having my brain chemistry altered, and my mental psychology distorted…I would no longer be who I am today. I would be a totally different person. I was a totally different person when I was Black 6. Jennifer: It makes sense. Novak must have had a great deal of understanding of the Human psyche in order to do what he did. Jennifer paused. Jennifer: For those of us here that don’t understand what Tye means when he says the words “neural plasticity”…he is basically referring to the normal and preconceived ways that our brains function. You see, when it boils down to it, everything that we are, everything that we value, and everything that we believe is all controlled by some part of our brain. Different parts of our brain become stimulated when different brain chemistry kicks in. This is where we get the fight or flight instinct. Our brain chemistry controls how we feel at different times. It even controls how we respond to certain situations, from life or death situations where you muster the courage to do something incredibly dangerous…to…intense sexual arousal. Without this brain chemistry…some like sex…just isn’t pleasurable. What makes it pleasurable is the neural feedback that is caused by things like dopamine and adrenaline causing increased blood flow, reduced resistance to the formation of long term memories, and the overall physical response to the entire process. Jennifer paused. Jennifer: With a sufficient level of manipulation, you can begin to change that brain chemistry. You can change how people would react to certain situations. This is more than likely what Novak did to Tye, and the other members of Black Team. The other members of Black Team MAY have just been normal soldiers at one point…but now…they have been conditioned to be something much different. Burke nodded. Burke: That’s the thing however. You see, the reason that Tye snapped out of his conditioning and returned to “normal” is because there was not enough of the manipulation done in order to cause permanent damage. Your brain chemistry managed to fix itself, despite undergoing serious changes. Without The Trust or Novak constantly manipulating your physiology, your body was able to recover. Tyber: More or less anyway. Truthfully…I don’t think I ever fully recovered from what The Trust did to me. There are still times I find myself… Tye shook his head. Tyber: I don’t know how to describe it. It is like…part of me still clings to some of the methods and mentalities I had when I was with Black Team. There are times I am overcome with nostalgia about what I did with Black Team. In moments of weakness and great tribulation…I have given in…and I have used many of the tactics that I swore I would never use…just to save my own ass on the battle field. It happens often. Sometimes I am able to fight the urge off…but other times…I show a ruthless aggression that can be very unbecoming of an officer. I can become belligerent, hostile, and uncompromising to the soldiers around me…showing a total disconnect about their reservations about walking into fatal situations. I lose sight of the fact that some people around me lack the battle hardening, conditioning, training, and mentalities that I easily take for granted. Unlike someone like Cameron, who is aware of the limitations of those around him…I easily forget. I become intolerant and even impatient at times. Tye looked at Anaconda. Tyber: I am sure that even you are persistently aware of the fact that Nighthawk is nowhere near as physically imposing or dangerous as you are. Nighthawk folded his arms. Nighthawk: I take exception to that. Tyber: It is true though. It is no secret that The Brute constantly saves your ass when you are cornered by a bigger, stronger enemy. Recon teams have seen it. I have seen it. Anaconda: You have no idea how often I am saving Nighthawk’s ass. Nighthawk: This isn’t about me. Tyber: The point is…I have difficulty doing something as simple as showing patience and consideration for the shortcoming of those I serve with. In that way…I have never really fully recovered from what The Trust did to me. I was never like that before I worked with The Trust. I am no longer the man I was. There are aspects about myself that...I have lost, and I doubt I will ever get back. Tye paused. Tyber: I will never fully recover. I have to live with what The Trust did with me, for the rest of my life. I will never escape it, I will never forget it. I will never overcome it. I will never live it down. It will haunt me forever. The only thing I can do…is use what I have to fight The Trust…and do everything in my power to ensure that nobody else ever has to live with this. Tye sighed. Tyber: Even though I have failed on more than one occasion to do so. Anaconda: What do you mean by that? Tyber: Well…it means that I was not always successful in stopping The Trust when I had the chance to. Tye sighed again. Tyber: Let me explain. Tye looked up, as he gathered his thought. Tyber: So…let me build some context. I had spent about 5 days in that holding cell. I was not released once. I was never fed, I was left to dehydrate. I was interrogated, I was drugged, I was ruthlessly beaten when their patience had reached its limits. However, for all of their efforts…they didn’t break me. They didn’t even get a sound out of me. Tye paused. Tyber: Day 6 is when all that changed. Day 6 is when I changed. That was when I started to come around. That is when I had had snapped out of it JUST enough to clear out all of the Trust nonsense...and start thinking for myself. I was not all the way there...but I had made it far enough. [/FF] ========================================================== UNSC Phoenix Class - The Hades Eclipse - The Brig - Currently in Slipstream Space - 2200 hours - June 11th 2515. ========================================================== Vixen was in her private quarters, sitting at her desk. She had spent the last six days buried in research, reading over every piece of information that she managed to steal from The Ulterior Motive. Most of what she stole involved Novak’s research notes into the creation of ODST Black Team, as well as an incomplete collection of classified information pertaining to Trust Operations. Vixen had spent most of her time reading about ODST Black Team, and the research and development behind it. She found the documentation to be meticulous and disturbing. Vixen soon found that she had to once again step away from what she had been reading. She needed to rest her mind and her eyes and reflect on what she had read. Vixen stood uyp and walked away from her desk, as she walked over to a small kitchen area, and prepared herself a cup of tea. Just as she had finished preparing her tea, she heard the intercom in her room beeping. Vixen walked back to her desk, and activated her comm. Vixen: Vixen here. Go ahead. Vixen heard one of her Insurrectionists speak to her via the comm system. Insurrectionist: Ma’am…you might want to come down to the brig. The prisoner wants to talk to you. He has asked for you by name. He claims that he is ready to talk…but he will only talk to you. Vixen thought for a moment. Vixen: Understood…I will be there ASAP! Vixen put her cup of tea down, as she turned and walked out of her quarters. Vixen walked at a quick pace through the corridors of the ship, making great haste to the brig. It was not long before she had made her way through the ship, and had arrived in the brig. As she walked in, she saw several Insurrectionists standing around Tye, who was still in the same cell, his arms raised to their full extent, still chained up.