4,891Rain pelted the windows of the ship as Six flew through the air. Thunder rumbled in the distance and it filled him with a sense of peace and tranquility. He let Auspicious take control of the ship and slid down the ladder to the cargo area. The ship rattled from the slight turbulence but he ignored it and opened one of the crates, reaching inside to grab a few items before closing the lid and heading back up to the pilot's seat.
"Reclaimer." Auspicious called out.
"..." He hummed and glanced at her before taking the controls.
"We are approaching the location of the facility." She informed.
"..." He nodded and it was mostly silent for the most part for the next hour, the only thing that broke it was the thunder from the clouds below. The objective marker appeared and he started to descend, briefly being blinded by the dark clouds, before flying below them. Lightning briefly illuminated the area before it was blanketed in a sea of darkness once more.
He could see perfectly fine with his sharp eyesight and let Auspicious pilot the ship while he reached into his bag and fished through it for a minute. Eventually, he grabbed a few items that he cherished. A small drawing from Myne, a baseball hat from Isaac, two action figures from Arthur, a flower bracelet from Prushka, a spare flute from Calliope, a chamomile tea bag from Cyrus, and a children's plastic fork from Nana. He also had two pendants that Ren and Nora made for him, which were attached to his hip and would constantly dangle from it.
These little things served no purpose other than sentimental value, but he wasn't going to get rid of it. The small items in his hand made him realize that he didn't really have anything to hold onto dearly from the UNSC with the exception of a purpose. When he thought about it, the only thing he had to remember Noble Team was the weapons, armor, and dog tags that constantly accompanied him.
His hand went to the two sets of dog tags around his neck and he plucked them off, holding them gently in his hands and he stared at them for a while. Sometimes he wondered what they would think about him now, how far he had fallen from grace. He knew they would have no problems with the amount of lives he's taken, he was a Spartan after all, a weapon made for the sole purpose of eliminating the enemies of the UNSC.
No, he was referring to how much unnecessary suffering he's caused and how attached he's gotten to civilians. Two things he's sworn to never do, and he ended up doing both unintentionally. Six knew that he had cut a bloody swath across Remnant and essentially shaken it to its core, but he started to wonder if it was all worth it.
It's why he hated being alone with his thoughts and nothing to do. He began to question his existence and wondered what else he was good for anything else other than just being a biological killing machine. Sometimes he wished he never got stuck on this backwater planet. The UNSC wasn't here to give him a target or an objective to complete; he wasn't fighting for the survival of humanity, and he certainly didn't know if his efforts were in vain or not.
Sometimes he wished that he was simply another life taken by the war...
However, that meant he wouldn't get to have the little lights he had today. He wouldn't have Maaya, the one who reached out to him despite his cold exterior in the past and was the first person to show him that the universe wasn't all darkness. A person who barely had a bad bone in her body and agreed to help, guide, and teach him that there was more to life. He also wouldn't have the children either... which he still didn't know how to interact with sometimes.
Those little moments he enjoyed with her was something he never truly got to experience in the past. When he was around her and the others, he felt like more than a machine or a monster. He felt like... a person.
When he was with the UNSC, he was a mere weapon. It was a role he had always known and come to enjoy in some sick way. It was simple in his eyes, but was often seen as demented in others.
Target. Hunt. Kill.
Those were the three things he lived by most of his life. They were simple and straight to the point, but never changed when he had targets to deal with. It kept him focused and efficient. Now that he was here, those three scrambled sometimes and he started to get messy.
"Reclaimer, we are approaching the destination." Auspicious chirped and he snapped out of his thoughts before looking at his TACPAD.
It seemed several hours had passed by and he sighed when he was trapped by his thoughts again. Flying long distances made him think like this and he hated it. It's why he preferred walking a majority of the time, because he could think about these things on a lesser scale. He had to constantly remain alert due to danger lurking around every corner, but it kept his mind off those types of thoughts.
He stood up and walked away from the pilot's seat before sliding down the ladder and walking towards the rear end of the ship towards the cargo area. He weaved his way in between two crates and approached a metal one on the right side. His knife was wedged in between the crack and he pried it open before looking inside and looking for something to eat.
After several seconds, he stopped when he spotted a container that had writing on it, he recognized it and reached inside to grab it with one hand. He brought it up to eye level and tilted his head before opening it and seeing several sandwiches from Maaya. They were packaged in an airtight bag and he grabbed them and set the container down in the crate before walking back up the ladder.
He grunted as he used one hand to haul himself up before he walked back to the pilot's seat and sat down in it. With one hand, he grabbed the controls after taking off his helmet and slicing a bag open. He looked at the sandwich and sniffed it a few times before taking a bite and chewing it.
It was a simple ham, cheese, and egg sandwich with the right amount of seasoning. His chewing was quiet but he thoroughly enjoyed it and each bite he took was as good as the first.
Auspicious scanned the sandwich a bit before hovering in front of him. He just brushed her to the side and continued to chew on the piece while looking ahead.
"If you want. I can make more of-" She started.
"No." He interrupted and continued to fly the ship. She bopped her chassis up and down while whispering a comment in amusement. It was easy to hear what she said but he chose to ignore it and continue enjoying his sandwich.
The ship hovered in the middle of a forested area and Six jumped out, feeling a small sense of vertigo as he plummeted to the ground before his feet slammed into the dirt. His shields blared loudly and he stood up, stretching his legs a few times before hearing the hum of his recharging shields. He looked around a bit, noticing that there were dozens of trees surrounding him.
An objective marker appeared and he began to walk north and keep an eye out for whatever lurked in the area. Birds chirped and the leaves swayed in the wind while the sun shined down upon him. It was quiet in the early morning and it filled him with a sense of peace oddly enough. While he did enjoy flying, he enjoyed walking a bit more despite the former offering him faster travel. This was a feeling that he missed, just to wander aimlessly to a degree. He missed a lot of things in the past but couldn't do anything about it now.
Auspicious popped off the strap of his bag and scanned nearby plants with interest, rattling off about several facts. He just listened to her ramble and continued to make his way towards his destination. Sometimes it was odd having a traveling companion, he knew he should be used to it by now but after spending so much time alone while he wandered around, it felt different. She talked a lot, some things of great importance, while others were simply trivial such as the weather. It was clear that those hundred-thousand years she spent alone did a number on her.
He didn't want to think about what it was like to live that long and be alone for such a time.
For some reason, he stopped and looked at the forested area. The sun peeking through the trees, the sound of water rushing in the distance, an elk making a call for another, even to the birds flying from branch to branch. He just seemed to bask in the wilderness a bit before continuing forward for a while, stepping over fallen trees and large rocks, crossing rivers and other bodies of water.
His thoughts wandered a bit and he was idly listening to Auspicious ramble on about a particularly interesting plant. After a while, he arrived at the edge of the forest, slowly coming to a stop at the edge of the tree line. In front of him was a large open area full of green grass and flowers that were seen every so often. Several hills were seen in the distance and he started to walk forward.
His steps were slow, but full of purpose surprisingly. The wind blew a bit and made a wave-like motion in areas where the grass was taller. His cloak blew to the side a bit and he slid his hood off, looking around the area and admiring the view. He took the dog tags out and stared at them, brushing his fingers across them gently.
Jorge would have liked this place, the SPARTAN-II always did have a soft spot for places like these. Out of all of Noble Team, Six had the closest relationship with Jorge despite their short time together. He taught things Six never considered and was the first to warm up to him unlike the others. Letting him detonate that bomb always did tear a hole into Six's soul when he thought about it.
"I'm sorry." Six apologized as he stared at the dog tags.
"Are you apologizing to me?" Auspicious asked.
"No... it's nothing." He shook his head as he stashed the dog tags away safely. His TACPAD was brought up and he marked the location for later before continuing to walk through across the hill. More wind blew against him and he looked back at the forest before making his way down the other side of the hill. The dirt compressed with each step he took and he stopped when something crunched underneath his foot.
He lifted it up and saw that it was nothing but a random stick. Without missing a beat, he continued his way towards the direction of the facility while Auspicious floated next to him, humming a tune while scanning every flower she came across.
"It's been so long since I've seen such sights." She beamed as she scanned another flower and took a small sample. Due to being stuck in an endless cycle of hibernation mode and maintaining the prime facility, she hasn't been outside in recent years. Which meant new sights to see and samples to collect.
"..." He stopped and looked around the area then made his way back up the hill, sitting down at the top of it and peering into the distance. The sound of the wind blowing and the sight of the grass and flowers flowing filled him with a sense of ease. He wondered if this what Reach or any other planet would have looked like had the Covenant not invaded.
"The facility is this way." She floated next to him and gestured in the direction.
"I know." He said but kept his gaze forward. It was quiet for some time and she hovered next to him.
The more they enjoyed the silence, the more she saw a certain Forerunner in him. Sometimes she wondered if Six was the reincarnation of that Forerunner but simply wrote it off as a false claim. Although, she saw more similarities in the two than she dared to admit. Neither one talked very much, they kept their emotions in check but were prone to violent outbursts when pushed far enough, and they both wandered around before finding people.
"What's on your mind?" She broke the silence and turned to him.
"Nothing..." He answered and continued to sit in silence. He looked around and collected a few of the flowers while she watched with interest.
"I never took you as someone who was interested in botany." She commented.
"These are not for me, they are for Prushka." He answered calmly.
"Oh?" She mused.
"Prushka has taken an interest in botany surprisingly and it's better for her to learn as much as she can at a young age rather than later." He said and collected a few dozen more, putting them in a special container.
"Are you sure you're not just getting her a gift?" She asked.
"I'm sure." He nodded and put the container in his bag. After logging this location down, he started to walk in the direction of the facility calmly. It wasn't really odd to see him without his hood but he only did it when nobody was around. Even in the settlement, people rarely saw him without it. Only two people have seen him without his helmet though, and only a couple more would see his face in the future.
The grass continued to move in a wave-like motion as the wind blew and he idly listened to Auspicious ramble on. It was clear she had a lot to say after so many millennia and he figured it wouldn't hurt to just offer her a ear to talk to. Sometimes she was annoying while other times he was genuinely invested in what she had to say. There were times when he found it odd to have a traveling companion, but he wasn't as against it as he was in the past.
She began to tell him about her creator and how much of a wonderful being she was. Her tone turned bitter when she mentioned how she perished in the war between the brothers and the Forerunners, but turned fond again when she recalled the projects they would do together. It was clear that she missed her dearly and when she went quiet for a while, he knew she was experiencing something. When he surprisingly offered some assistance in some way shape or form, she shook her chassis and told him that him listening was enough.
"Reclaimer, how are you going to deal with the Headmaster?" She asked.
"Avoid violence if I can. I already have enough attention on me, I don't need any more and jeopardize Maaya and the children, nor anyone else for that matter." He said. While he wasn't one to shy away from violence, because that darker part of him craved it like a predator craved blood, he had to lie low for a while. He already had brought enough heat on himself from killing the countless people in the past, as well as Ozpin's current vessel, he didn't need any more at the moment.
"Hazel Reinhart?" She inquired.
"Find him, extract whatever information I can out of him, then eliminate him. The same will apply for Arthur Watts." He answered calmly.
The mission to eliminate Salem and her acolytes never changed. Even if he didn't manage to kill Salem, he'd seal her off with Auspicious' assistance. Apparently, the Monitor had a specialized cell for Salem, preventing her from ever escaping, even after the AI perished or went insane. She'd be sealed off for the rest of time and people would probably forget her existence in time.
Once he did that, he could really start focusing on finding a way off this backwater planet.
With several swipes of his kukri, Six hacked away at the vines near the entrance of a cave. He brought out his DMR and steadily aimed ahead as he made his way through the cave. It was nearly silent and he could hear the sound of moisture dripping from the ceiling and several bats further inside. While there didn't seem to be anything inside, he wasn't going to take chances and remained on guard.
For the next forty minutes, he kept making his way deeper and deeper into the cave. After another hour of continuously walking, he noticed that the ground went from stone to metal. When another twenty minutes went by and he couldn't even see where the entrance previously was behind him. Everything was a sleek metal design at this point and he slightly lowered his weapon as he quietly walked towards the objective marker.
He came across a large door and saw several articles of clothing strewn around, each piece an extremely dull color that had faded over the course of years. There was a few backpacks nearby and several other things, indicating that this was probably a research outpost. He looked at the abandoned camp before his eyes caught a recorder near one of the shredded sleeping bags. He hit the rewind button on the tape and held it up to his face while looking around to make sure nothing managed to sneak up on him.
"Recording one of four. We found the location that the locals had been warning us about. It appears that the cave system isn't a natural formation, the walls appear to be comprised of an unknown alloy. Any attempts at collecting a sample turn out to be a fruitless effort." A voice said and the sound of shuffling could be heard in the background along with several voices.
"..." Six just fast-forwarded a bit and stopped when he heard a small click, indicating the next recording.
"We've managed to collect a small sample of the alloy and had started to take it back, but we were stopped by Grimm. We lost one of our researchers in the attack and had no choice but to retreat back to this location. It was a messy sight to see... maybe we should have listened to those people." The researcher said quietly and the tape stopped before Six clicked the button again.
"..." He looked back when he heard the sound of something in the distance and looked in the direction.
"Recording three... the Grimm don't come here. We tried to escape again... we lost another one of our researchers to them and they chased us back here. They stopped when the stone turned to metal on the ground... it was as if something kept them from setting foot on this place." The researcher said and the tape stopped once more.
"How long are we going to listen to these?" Auspicious asked.
"As long as I need." He answered and she gave a robotic sigh.
"The doors opened up when a large horde of Grimm approached. We could hear their jaws snapping at us, filling us with dread and attracting more to their horrible force. Something came out of this place and I saw it with my own two eyes... a swarm... like a mass of angry insects, a metallic swarm of constructs poured out at the speed of a bullet and surrounded the Grimm. Within the span of three minutes, the horde was eradicated and went silent. I don't know what those things were... but I don't think we're supposed to be here..." The researcher's voice wavered and shuffling could be heard.
"..." Six heard the recording stop and played the next one. All he could hear was the sound of muffled banging and screaming in the distance. Heavy panting was heard and boots hitting metal and stone met his ears.
The recording stopped and he looked at it before shaking his head and hitting play once more.
"It's only me now... my colleagues attempted to get inside this place. I wanted to go home, but my curiosity and their pressuring caused me to stay. They kept trying and trying to get inside through whatever means. We succeeded... just not the way they hoped. Something came out of that place. It was larger than the smaller constructs I've seen and... a-and it just stared at them... observing their movements before firing two red bolts of something..." The researcher quivered and gulped audibly.
"..." Six could tell the man was terrified. This research expedition party didn't even seem like malicious people and they weren't affiliated with Atlas or any of the kingdoms. They were simply curious and it unfortunately led to their demises. He saw that there was one last recording and he hit the play button.
"We should have never came here... they killed everyone. There's nothing left of them to find other than their clothes... why didn't we leave when we had the chance? What kind of gods allow such-" The researcher stopped when the ominous sound of a metallic, gravely, sound reverberated behind him. Judging by the sound, Six could tell it was an Enforcer Sentinel that was surrounded by possibly more than a dozen Aggressor Sentinels.
The sound of charging was heard and several beams came shortly after, causing the man to give a quick scream before it was cut off suddenly. If Six listened closely enough, he swore he could hear the man's cells breaking down from the Sentinel's attacks. What came next was the sound of metallic doors opening then closing shortly after. The recording lasted for several more seconds before stopping altogether.
Six stood up and looked at the small device before he turned his gaze towards Auspicious. She stared back at him in silence and he turned away from her before stashing the device in his bag. It was another piece of the forgotten tales that he had collected in the wild. It wasn't uncommon for him to come across things like these and he had started to collect them for some reason.
"I thought you would have said something." She commented.
"There is nothing to say." He responded and went up to the panel, ripping a few vines away from it before setting his hand against it. Almost immediately, it illuminated and a small holographic screen appeared. Three buttons popped up and he tapped the middle one before tapping the right one, then tapped the left one. He guided the left button to the right side of the screen and it beeped several times before the doors deconstructed and opened up for him.
Auspicious popped off his bag strap and floated next to him as he stepped inside and began to walk down the ramp. Pulses of light flowed across the crevices of the facility and he watched as Auspicious floated ahead of him, stopping occasionally to make sure he was following. He didn't stop and brushed his hand against the wall on the right side of the hallway. There was a sense of energy that flowed within the walls and he could feel it. The sensation was surprisingly warm, even through his suit.
Through the endless corridors and around several corners of this ancient place; he eventually made it to the main area. In the middle of a chasm that would probably kill him if he fell down it, he saw a platform that floated. There was a panel in front of him and he went up to it, pressing the button and watching as it seemingly disintegrated and a hard-light bridge appeared. It hummed with power and he stopped momentarily when he thought he heard something.
With each step, a ripple would appear on the bridge and he calmly made his way to the middle. Another panel was seen but this one had two large handles on the sides like the ones in the previous facilities. He gripped them tightly and immediately felt a surge of pain erupt across his system.
He grunted and a large pulse spread across the facility. Once it happened, he let go and dropped to his knee, breathing harshly and his hearing was muffled. Even though it was a bit muffled, he could still hear the blaring of his alarms from his armor and Auspicious checking up on him. His knees felt weak and he shakily stood up and breathed deeply to get rid of the pain.
This facility was different from the other ones, and before he could ask her why, he quickly turned around and brought his DMR out. He aimed it up at a Huragok. His mind flashed back to his time on Reach when he had to face several of them, some coming dangerously close to him before detonating. Without knowing, he slowly started to squeeze the trigger before he came back to his senses when Auspicious nudged him.
She stared at him and noticed that his heartbeat increased just a tad bit. The only time it increased was when he had to exercise or when he had to rescue Myne and the others. So she came to the conclusion that it only increased during times when the situation seemed dire. Even though she couldn't see his face, she could tell by his stance and the fact that he almost shot the poor creature in the face that he wasn't all there. He wasn't thinking and was acting off of pure instinct.
Before she could say anything, he left the area and went somewhere else. She had a feeling he didn't want to be next to them. A couple more Huragoks floated into the area and observed her, letting out several pleased noises when they seemed to recognize her. One of them looked at her before looking in the direction where Six wandered off to and floated off after him.
They'd discuss their next course of action later.
Wow, it's been almost an entire year since I've posted an actual chapter. I'd like to apologize for the lack of updates for this story. So, I don't really have much to say other than here's another chapter for you all. A little short but better than nothing at all.
I promised someone I'd say this before I posted this actual chapter. As for the reasoning for the hiatus for this story, it all boils down to me focusing more on life rather than this site. I decided to enjoy what life had to offer rather than be absorbed the drama that went on with this story and the site, so there's that. I'm not stopping the story any time soon and it's not going up for adoption.
Some chapters may be more rough than others, but that's alright.
Anyways, see you guys another day.