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Subject: [story] Searcher *Chapter 16 is up!*

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Experience the man who was, against his will, turned into flood. He retained his mind. He had control. He was Mark. Then, he was Searcher.

(BTW, my local libraries don't sell or lend any of the Halo books, so correct me on anything I'm wrong)

---------------------
Prologue

Right before the Ark explodes

Mark twirled and ran, as fast as he could, hoping he could escape, hoping he could get out of this god-forsaken place. He didn't know what would happen to him after. He didn't care. All he cared about was running from the mutated, brown lump of flesh they called the flood. He saw a door in front of him. Somewhere where he could be safe. He could make it, it was only about 100 yards away.

"Just a bit farther," he thought. "until I can rest in peace."

He'd been pondering the thoughts of suicide for some time now. It was better than getting infected by the flood, and having to mindlessly do missions and work against your will. But, fate would not allow him to have peace. He tripped.

He tried to take out his pistol, tried to shoot himself, and make it all go away, but the flood being had other plans. It knocked away the pistol, and an infection form latched onto him. He saw the transformation - tentacles wrapping around his arms and legs, becoming a part of him; the feeling of helplessness, as he tried to stop it; and through all of it, endless pain, like someone stabbing you, again and again, keeping you alive so you could feel it all. Through all this, he heard a faint sound. Screaming. His screaming, at the mutilated skin he once called his.

His flesh was being deformed, mutated. He had no hope. The infection reached his brain, and he heard laughing. Endless laughing. When Mark thought he could take no more, there was silence. The hive mind, the "Gravemind" had gotten control of him. But wait - How could he be thinking this? He was supposed to have no free will. That's what the stories said. The silence was replaced by an inhuman screeching. Mark felt dizzy, fell on the ground, and passed out.

To be continued ~

[Edited on 10.11.2010 6:29 PM PDT]

  • 07.14.2010 3:14 PM PDT
Subject: [story] Searcher

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Chapter I: Awakening

He rose. But it was he who rose, not anyone else. There was no screaming, no laughing in his head anymore. No more mind games. No more pain. And yet...

Mark looked at his arm. Or was it? Was this truly his arm, this vile piece of flesh? Or was it something else? Was it something that became part of him during his transformation? Some new limb, or new body part? Something he could use to his advantage? Oh well. He didn't care. He needed to find safety. Something that a destroyed town, with scarce food and water, could not provide. He started to walk. That's when he started to crumple.

Mark looked down at his leg. Infected, yet strong. Strong, yet wobbly. It felt alien to him, and it was hard to walk with. He tripped, only to recover, finding the new strength in his new body. Strength that Spartans obtained. But he was no Spartan. He was a lump. A brown lump, to be accepted by no one. A brown lump, hated as much as it was feared.

He walked through the crumbled city. Buildings destroyed. Dead bodies everywhere. Some had put the gun to their heads themselves, as to not get infected. He wasn't that lucky. He envied them. Then, he started thinking.

"What if I had put the bullet to my head? Would I have died quickly enough to be saved from this... this... thing? This thing that I now call my body?" He thought. "Will I ever be human again? See my wife? My son?"

He tried to weep. He couldn't. This new form would not allow it.

After walking about a mile, he saw a deserted house. It was almost dusk, and he decided to stay here for the night. Inside, it was a cramped place. There was a kitchen inside, as well as a den on the far side, with a TV set up. It had a crisp feeling to it. A wooden theme, organized cabinets and drawers. A ceiling fan hanged above the den. It had been stained by blood, tainted. Some of the knives were still out, as well as some onion and spice. He saw some meat on the table, which he recognized to be steak, now plagued by flies and knats. Steak was usually reserved to be a celebration type of meal.

"What a waste." he said out loud, through mutilated lips.

Next to it was some cut lettuce, and what looked to be diced tomato. As he moved across the room, he noticed he stepped on something sharp. He did not feel much pain. Not nearly as much as if he was still human.

"Still human." he thought, with sorrow.

He saw there was a knife where he had stepped. It looked different than the others. It was curved, and did not have a serrated edge, but rather a smooth and sharp edge. A homemade combat knife. It must have been something one of the members of the family had used to defend themselves. They had apparently failed. No body was to be seen, and the knife was in an awkward position as opposed to where the user would have been fighting with it. They must have fled, and dropped it as they did. Was he or she alive? Was he or she alone? Thoughts raced through his head, and he decided to move on. In his current state, no one would accept him. He would be an outcast, until he became human again.

Until he became human again. It was a nice thought, and cheered him up, although he knew he would never be human again, and never have the pleasures he once had. He cast away these thoughts, and continued on to the bedroom.

************************

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" said Captain Fisher, commander of the UNSC ship "Bringer of Light". Unlike other ships during the Human-Covenant war, this was used mostly for peaceful purposes. Now, it was mainly to uphold the relationship between Humanity and the Sangheili.

"Good morning sir."

The Captain searched the boy, looking for his rank. "Good morning, Private...?"

"Private Nash, sir."

"Ah, good morning Private Nash! What's the news?"

"We are to go to Sangheilios immediately, sir." Private Nash said. He spoke with respect, the kind that military generals deserved. It was quite obvious he just wanted a promotion.

"For what reason?"

"Er... I don't know sir, but it's an order straight from the top."

Captain Fisher paused. Why did they not tell the Private the meaning of the mission? Why did they tell the private, and not a higher ranking officer, or him? After pondering these questions for a moment, he answered:

"Very well. You may take your leave."

"Thank you sir."

"Still wants the promotion." Fisher thought quietly to himself, although smiling.

He felt the ship turn, and started toward his desk. A bottle of fine wine was hidden in one of the drawers there, by a lock and a code, to which only he knew. He uncorked the bottle, eager to taste the aged drink. It had been made in 2205, over 300 years ago. he poured it into his glass, and started up. He took the drink, and walked about the halls of the ship. It was a beautiful ship, really. A marvel of technology, with advanced shielding and architectural design. It had the latest advances in technology, made by teams of sangheili and humans, both working together. The most impressive of them all was the newly upgraded FTL drive, which allowed for longer space travel in a shorter amount of time. He would be at Sangheilios in only 5 days time.

He saw his men, walking about the ship, relaying messages and receiving them. Almost like a beehive. One, giant beehive. All the chatter certainly imitated the constant noise. He went to the elevator, and started up to the highest level. His observation deck. But first, he had to listen to the elevator music that someone thought "would lighten the mood" during the war. But now, that time had come and gone. Now it was just annoying. But it had a homely feel to it. It had cheered the crew up many times after news of lost battles, mass massacres, and torture. He reached his destination.

He sat down in his revolving chair, waiting to go 5 days into the future. It was obviously one of his favorite spectacles as he went there every time they traveled. He took another sip of his wine, and watched as the stars flew past him.

************************

Mark set foot into the bedroom. A somewhat large room, it contained three beds.

"One for the papa bear, one for the mother bear, and one for the baby bear." he mused as he tried to cheer himself up. It did not work. He sat on the first bed, contemplating his life. And death. He certainly didn't consider himself to be alive anymore. He would still be human if he was. Yet, he was not dead either. He required the basic necessities of life, like food and water. He was somewhere in-between.

Suddenly, coughing broke the silence, from behind the bed on the far right. Mark paused. Should he go? Would he be accepted by this man or women? A moan of pain shook the air, and Mark had decided. He leaped over the first bed, and walked to the last.

  • 07.14.2010 3:15 PM PDT

http://www.bungie.net/fanclub/obelisk/Group/GroupHome.aspx

Check out my group!

LOl when I first saw the thread I thought the name was searchbar.

Interesting read though.

  • 07.14.2010 3:29 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Thanks.

More will be up when I know more people are interested.

  • 07.14.2010 3:30 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Well... thought there would be a bit more replies than this. :P

Oh well, I'll continue to update. And a few hints: Chapters get much longer after Chapter 4.

Chapter II: Companion

A disfigured entity, a parasite hated by everything. The strength of a hero. The mind of a civilian. The body of a monster. This is what he had become. This is what he had to accept.

Mark looked at the man who sat a few feet away from him. He wasn't quite ready to be seen yet. He hid behind another bed, and watched the man. But he could only see half. His legs, which appeared to have been infected before, just like he was. He recognized something else. Gunshot wounds. He shot himself in a desperate attempt to stop his assimilation by the Gravemind. Wait- where was the Gravemind? When he had been infected, he recognized the laughing and screaming as the Gravemind. Ever since, there was nothing else. Not a single thought in his head, except his own. Nothing controlling him. Free will was his. But that didn't do him much good. Another cough broke the silence.

Mark rose, and walked slowly over to the man. As he came into sight, Mark recognized a human face. He had obviously not been infected. As he moved forward, he stepped on a creaky floorboard creating a rather large sound.

"Who's there!?" the man said in a breaking voice. He took out a pistol. "Whoever's there, say yer' name or I'll blast ya' ta bits!"

He was looking around frantically, sometimes looking at Mark, sometimes at the window, sometimes at the bed in front of him. He had grayish eyes, both of which looked like they where not always looking in the same direction. He was blind.

"My name is Mark, sir." Mark dared to answer.

The man looked slightly off from where Mark was standing. He was an short, old man, with grayish/whitish hair, which was frazzled. He was partially bald as well. His face was lined with age, bags under his eyes. He had a large, crumpled nose, that drooped like the rest of his face, nearly down to his mouth. He had on a blue shirt with a pocket on the right side, as well as a plaid pattern, using red, green, yellow, and black. He had on sweat pants, which were black, and looked to made of what looked like cotton.

"Come over here, son." he said weakly. "What's yer name again?"

"Mark, sir."

"Any of those monsters still around here? One tried to take my leg. Guess it didn't know what the power of a gun could do, eh?"

He and Mark laughed weakly, but for different reasons.

"Uh, no sir. I didn't see anything on my way over here. I lived a few miles from here, but the flood attacked me and-"

"No need for explanations, son. Hey can ya' get me some water?"

"Yes sir."

"Heh heh, no need for that formal crap. My name's Carl."

Mark searched for a glass in the cabinets. One didn't seem to open when pulled a little.

"You got a key?"

"Oh yeh' forgot. Push it in, and then pull it."

Mark did as he was told, and pushed the cabinet in. To his surprise, he tore the cabinet off of it's hinges. A few glasses fell to the ground, shattering on impact.

"What was that?" Carl asked plainly, still in pain.

"Uh, nothing, nothing."

Mark picked up a glass from the shelf, and filled it with water from the faucet. He carried it over to Carl. Only then did he notice. A fatal wound, near Carl's back. He was bleeding badly, and he probably knew he was going to die. The drink would be his last.

"Listen son. Actually, can you put me on the bed right there?"

Mark instantly reached for Carl's back, who grit his teeth in pain. He picked him up easily, and let him down gently onto the bed.

"Yes, sir?"

"I said none of that 'sir' sh1t! Anyway, I'm gonna die soon. I know it. You know it. So I want you to take this."

He reached into his pocket. Mark wanted to help, but what could he do? Take him to hospital, where no one was near, and he could receive no help? Carry him? He decided just to take whatever he was giving him now, to help him rest. Carl pulled out a piece of wood, with what looked to be an engraving on the side.

"This never really helped me much, but I'm sure it will help you, at some point."

He let the block fall out of his hand, and Mark picked it up, with great pleasure.

"Uh, what it it?"

"It's a swiss army knife ya ijit! Got a a lot of things on there. Knives, screws, some utensils, you name it."

"Thanks, si- ehh, Carl. I'll take great care of it."

"I'm sure you will."

Carl took a sip of his water, and then put it down. He closed his eyes, and let life leave his body. He was dead. Mark looked at him, almost in disgust, and stood there, staring at the dead body before him. He reached for a cover at the end of the bed, and put it over Carl, somewhat in respect, somewhat not wanting to remember the death that just happened before him.

Mark sat on the first bed, playing with the knife that Carl had given him. It had 8 features, including 4 different knives (one that stretched to the full length of the block of wood that held it itself), 2 different screwdrivers, a spork, and some scissors. He would stare at one for hours, then flip to the next and complete the process, periodically diverting his vision to Carl.

After going through the entire set, he took one last look at the house, and lay down. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, before falling into the relaxing haven he knew as sleep.

  • 07.14.2010 8:14 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Thanks! Also:

Chapter III: Trust

He was a sentient being. But what good was it? He was a disgusting parasite. Surely, nothing could ever love that. Nothing would help him. Nothing would comfort him. Nothing would help him rest easily...

Mark was running. From what? A nameless evil. The earth was barren beneath him, the trees scorched near him, the animals infected or killed beside him. He did not pay much attention though. For he knew he was running for his life. It would soon have him. He knew this, but pressed on. Safety was only a little bit away, but seemed so far out of reach. He looked back, and the form was inches away. It lunged. And then he awoke.

It was the same dream, again. Running from the flood form, the most terrifying moment of his life.

He had been staying at the deserted house, which once belonged to Carl. He had been eating the scarce food around the house. Once, he ate the entire piece of rotten meat. Another time, he had eaten a head of lettuce plagued by flies. Both he thought were going to be disgusting. They were not, at least to him. For some reason he loved them, and he thought of them as delicacies. Looking back on these thoughts, he nearly barfed.

But, he was running out of food altogether, in the days he had spent there. He needed to move on. He went to the dresser in the bedroom, near Carl's deathbed. It was divided neatly into 2 sections. One for a man, and one for a woman. The man's section had a few pants of jeans, and casual shirts, usually having a checkered pattern to them. The woman's had a few skirts, pants, and shirts as well, but plain and one color.

He took a shirt and some jeans. Anything to feel more human. Anything to escape reality, and feel somewhat normal. He put the knife in his pocket, and nearly left the room, when he stopped. He looked at the last bed. He went over to where Carl lay, and prayed for him, and himself. He gave one last look at the bed, stern, and left.

**************************************************

"What do you mean 'We didn't call for you.'!?"

"We mean we didn't call for you. There seems to be an error in your postal system, human."

Captain Fisher puzzled over this. He barked over the intercom for the idiot who made the mistake. Private Nash came.

"Alright, what happened?"

"I don't know sir, we received a message straight from this location."

"Didn't you think to tell me you didn't receive it directly from an Elite!?"

"S-Sir, I just thought-"

That was when hell broke loose.

5 covenant ships burst into the location via slipspace rupture. They all then open fired on the unguarded ship.

"All troops, battle-stations!" he barked over the intercom.

Turrets and main shields were activated, and the fight began.

"Send some ships over here, will ya!?" he tried to say calmly to the elite, voice breaking.

"By my lead, human."

Until then, they had a fight to win. These covenant ships weren't just scouts either: They were ripping through their shields. Shields designed to take 30 ships on, and still survive.

"Fire the Archer! Aim for the leader! We need to get them disorientated."

"Firing Archer Missile."

A large missile came out of the ship, and was about to kill the leader. But something went wrong. The covenant ships swerved down at an amazing speed, and started a rush toward the planet. The Archer, of course, followed them.

"We need to destroy that missile while they're still close enough to be damaged. Focus all fire on that missile! If it hits Sangheilios, consider Human-Elite ties to be broken forever."

They fired at the Archer as much as they could. An intense shield was placed on it, so it wouldn't explode in case of enemy attack.

"Dammit!"

Fisher thought hard. If he couldn't stop that Archer, most of this innovation would cease to exist. Then he had an idea.

"Send out another Archer Missile bravo!" he said confidently.

He was referring to their best weaponry, an Archer Missile with the best shields possible, faster, and bigger.

"Aye sir, sending out Archer Missile bravo!"

Another missile was launched from the ship.

"We are arriving." the Sangheili over the intercom.

Fisher realized the flaw in his plan. His own reinforcements.

"Recall all troops, I repeat, recall all troops! You're all going to die if you don't get out of there."

The Sangheili was confused for a minute, and then saw the 2 missiles, heading on a collision course.

They swerved back, and tried to escape.

There was an explosion in the background, and they could not escape.

**************************************************

Mark had been wondering through the woods for a while now. He had been looking for a tree that bear fruit, although he was not lucky so far.

As he wondered through a bush, he saw something, something on it's hind legs. Man? No, too large. Too hairy. It had fur, and what looked to be claws. Above it was an apple tree. How was he going to get it to leave? It wouldn't. He would. It turned around and saw him.

He was again running for his life, and although he was strong, the bear was just as fast. Faster, even. He turned around. It was but a few inches away, and it clawed off his arm.

To his surprise, he could not feel pain. Also to his surprise, he could still feel his arm. He tried to use it. It moved. And then he tried something crazy. He commanded his arm to latch onto the bears back. Then, he tried to spread his skin across the bear. It was working.

The bear was taken by surprise, and could not retaliate. It roared and roared, trying to scratch away what was becoming it's arms. Then the skin reached it's head, where it began weaken and become silent. Then something very strange happened. It's knowledge was his. Its resting place, its breeding place, where it obtained food... he knew it all, and the bear knew him. He could feel the bears heartbeat, and feel its blood coursing through its veins. He and the bear were one.

  • 07.15.2010 10:28 AM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Posted by: AssaultCommand
Posted by: iTz Mr Quincy
Then something very strange happened. It's knowledge was his. Its resting place, its breeding place, where it obtained food... he knew it all, and the bear knew him. He could feel the bears heartbeat, and feel its blood coursing through its veins. He and the bear were one.
The new gravemind has a name: MARK

Also, you called him Mike in the first few lines of the story.

I thought I fixed that during the early parts of my writing? Oh, and BTW, that's not true.

You'll see.

  • 07.15.2010 1:28 PM PDT

http://www.bungie.net/fanclub/obelisk/Group/GroupHome.aspx

Check out my group!

Lol thanks Assault command BTW which story is affordable matresses?

And a great few chapters Quincy.

  • 07.15.2010 2:17 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Posted by: ZzbubbleszZ
Lol thanks Assault command BTW which story is affordable matresses?

And a great few chapters Quincy.

Thanks! New chapter will be up tomorrow.

  • 07.15.2010 6:03 PM PDT

http://www.bungie.net/fanclub/obelisk/Group/GroupHome.aspx

Check out my group!

Can't wait!

  • 07.15.2010 10:00 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Finally! Now I can actually move on with the plot in long... er... longer chapters!

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter IV: New Beginnings

Parasitic bonds united the two creatures. They were one, and mutual. But one had more power than the other, and could do with it as he pleased. This raised the question: 'Should this creature have freedom, or live under an iron fist?'

Mark had used the bear as a sentry. It was a weird feeling. He could see out of the bears eyes if he wanted to. One of his bodies was resting, while the other was watching. The feeling of rest spreading to both. He had already crushed the bears mind, accidentally while infecting it. Or was it accidentally? Did infecting something completely erase all traces of it's mind? He had a near encounter with this, and the Gravemind had obviously reached his mind. So could it have killed him off? Or could he have watched for eternity through the eyes of someone else? He had already tried letting the bear have freedom. But, when he did, it didn't move. It lost balance, and became very much dead. When he controlled it again, it was lively, it was his body.

He had the bear puncture a tree near where his regular body was sleeping, and had it spread its skin across it. A gruesome sight, it was. The bark became skin, the leaves infected and running with what was water, but now blood. The entire tree had changed in his image. He would use the tree as a homebase. He could even see out of the tree, at any angle. He could spread its roots, even spread the skin into the planet, and all across it. After the thought of this, he decided against it. What good did it do to make people hate him more? Then again, he had not yet met a person who had actually seen him. Maybe they would accept him, after he explained. Probably not. They would kill him on sight. Yet he did not want the planet he grew up on to fall ill to him.

He had an identity crisis then. What would be called his true form? What would he hold most dear to him, because it was himself? He decided that his old body would be him, and the tree his home. He had figured out that he could spread his entire body across something, and so put the original (as he now called it) onto the tree. It would just pack another layer of skin unto it. It was another weird feeling, but he had felt it before. The horror and feeling of being excited that came out of spreading what was your arms and legs across something else. The worst was you could see it all from another being, see yourself, and be disgusted with what was your bodies.

He had also claimed a beehive on the tree that was now his body. All the bees inside were infected as well, and they would be his scouts. They just had the brown cover their black parts, and they still looked just like bees from afar. They could easily go into a populated area, and spy on what was generally happening. But, then again, general population was probably far away. He had to move himself to areas. How could he do this?

He started to experiment on himself, forming hypotheses about how to use a certain part of the original to do this, how to make the entire original to do that. All the while, his tree form gathered nutrients from the ground, somehow supplying his other forms, as if they were all connected by invisible, physical bonds. He found out that he could separate his entire body into pieces as small as insects, morph it into different shapes and sizes, even shave certain parts of himself off to mold them into smooth parts. He could look human, with tight clothes or even armor. He could look like a rat, and imitate it perfectly. He could look like a bear, with the size and strength to do anything. He could be anything, and everything. There was one problem; he could not change his color. No matter how many things he did, he could not change the brown skin that would set him apart from everything.

In these discoveries, he found out how he would move everywhere. First, he would mold all of his bodies onto the original. He even did this with the tree. Its once-bark went unto the original's skin, its leaves and roots, everything. Next, he would try to mold himself into a human shape, one that couldn't be recognized from a distance. He molded a T-shirt onto it, and pants onto his legs. He almost looked human. Almost. Then, he would take the shavings, and put it into what was supposed to be his pocket, where they joined his form once again. He would then start running. He would run until he could run no more. This would all be done under the cover of night. In the day, he would assume the form of a tree, and plant his roots near others, so he could transfer himself along the ground in case of an emergency, such as a forest fire.

Then he realized, for the first time in a long time, that he was happy. He was nearly happy. He could shapeshift, which in myths was the gift because of a god's pity on some unfortunate soul. He could be a human, and although he could not walk in public places as he once could, he was still as close as he could be to what he once was. He was intelligent. He was strong. He was happy.

Mark died that day. "Searcher" was born.

**************************************************

Nars 'Quwar awoke. He was in a bed, a comfy one at that. He looked around to see machinery everywhere. Human machinery. He tried to get up, but a sharp pain in his side and shoulder stopped him. Then the memories rushed back. He was part of the assault on the Covenant ships who launched the assault on the human ship, and then Sangheilios. They had just come in when they received word to get out of the situation immediately, for the humans had sent a bomb to the Covenant ships near them. The bomb had engulfed their ships too. He had apparently lost consciousness afterwards.

He around a bit more closely. He was being closely monitored by human machinery. It was monitoring his heartbeat, his blood pressure, and brain activity. It also showed 5 human bodies. 4 of them were red. One was green. He assumed the green one was he, as the screens showing his vital signs all had a line connecting to the green body. A light overhang, but it was not harsh, nor was it bothering. It was warming to see it.

He looked to the side. There was a body next to him, slightly charred on his side. It was a Sangheili body. He had probably died in the assault. He couldn't tell who it was. Even if he could see it in a true light, he would not be able to tell who it was. He was a new, young warrior, and very lucky to be placed in such a prestigious place. He knew he could barely wield anything other than his seraph and a sword anyways. Because of this, he always kept his sword on his side. He checked to see if it was still there. It was.

He grabbed it with his undamaged shoulder, and then looked upon the engravings marked on the handle.

"To courage, unto light until peace reigns."

They were wise words. He put the blade back. Then a human entered.

"Ah, he's awake."

"Who are you?" inquired Nars. He had not had a direct encounter with a human before, so he tried to say it with confidence and respect, although his voice broke mid-sentence and ruined it all.

"My name's Fisher. Captain Fisher. I own the very ship you're on right now."

Nars recognized the Captain rank to be somewhat high, and showed respect.

"We picked you up after the explosion. It was our mess. We would clean it up. Unfortunately, your friends here weren't as lucky as you. Half died on the way up here. The other died of heart failure."

Nars couldn't reply due to the pain, but he felt anger. Towards this ship, towards Captain Fisher. They took away his friends lives. But he knew that it was not intentional. He knew that Fisher was a good man. He knew they meant him no harm. This knowledge did not stop his anger.

"I wouldn't strain yourself if I were you. You're still recovering. You have a good chance of fully recovering and being able to be placed back into your unit if you follow my orders and rest. Meanwhile, you'll be our guest here."

He tried nodding with all of his might, and got his head to bob up and down a little. He then laid back down, and tried to go back to sleep.

  • 07.16.2010 5:05 AM PDT
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I have to read this later.

  • 07.16.2010 11:56 AM PDT

"if i have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants" Isaac Newton

Just finished your fourth chapter. Well done. I'm really enjoying this book, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter. Interesting take, from a human/flood perspective. I think I see where you are taking the story, but I'll have to wait and see. Anyway I encourage you to continue, it's a good plot, description is good, and I've only taken note of one or two grammar mistakes. Good job!

  • 07.16.2010 2:58 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Posted by: adoptedflame
Just finished your fourth chapter. Well done. I'm really enjoying this book, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter. Interesting take, from a human/flood perspective. I think I see where you are taking the story, but I'll have to wait and see. Anyway I encourage you to continue, it's a good plot, description is good, and I've only taken note of one or two grammar mistakes. Good job!

I already have continued.

I'm working on Chapter 15 right now.

  • 07.16.2010 4:31 PM PDT

"if i have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants" Isaac Newton


Posted by: iTz Mr Quincy
Posted by: adoptedflame
Just finished your fourth chapter. Well done. I'm really enjoying this book, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter. Interesting take, from a human/flood perspective. I think I see where you are taking the story, but I'll have to wait and see. Anyway I encourage you to continue, it's a good plot, description is good, and I've only taken note of one or two grammar mistakes. Good job!

I already have continued.

I'm working on Chapter 15 right now.


Oh hahahaha good to hear! I wasn't sure what your style of releasing it was, whether you were writing it as you released it or what. Looking forward to your next release.

  • 07.16.2010 8:39 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.


Posted by: adoptedflame

Posted by: iTz Mr Quincy
Posted by: adoptedflame
Just finished your fourth chapter. Well done. I'm really enjoying this book, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter. Interesting take, from a human/flood perspective. I think I see where you are taking the story, but I'll have to wait and see. Anyway I encourage you to continue, it's a good plot, description is good, and I've only taken note of one or two grammar mistakes. Good job!

I already have continued.

I'm working on Chapter 15 right now.


Oh hahahaha good to hear! I wasn't sure what your style of releasing it was, whether you were writing it as you released it or what. Looking forward to your next release.

Nah, I was banned for about a month. >.> Next release is on Monday, and will be a great one.

  • 07.16.2010 9:16 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

Chapter V: Meeting

A secret. The parasite could not ever tell anyone of what he was, or risk everything. It could all become hinged on a single life, of which he had to choose life or death for.

Searcher had ran for about a week now. It had payed off. He was now close to civilization, and could interact with the humans, see local news, and live a laid-back, but secretive lifestyle. He could no longer become a tree, for that would be too obvious to them. Instead, he decided to be a flower. It was unnoticeable, for he took roots deep within the forest. Every now and then, he would take part of his root, and morph it into a bee. Then, he would use that to gather up news. The first news headline he read was a reason for celebration, or so the town next to him thought so.

'Covenant leader "Truth" killed by Master Chief'

He even took part in the celebration. It was great news. He sent a fly instead of a bee to the party, where it watched over all of them. He could not take part in the celebration, but he could watch them. As the party went on until dusk. Everyone left, as did Searcher. But, on his way back, he noticed a girl. She was heading in his direction, but she was still in town, and he just thought she was going home, and payed her no heed. As he went into the forest, he noticed she kept on walking. Directly towards him.

She walked for about a mile, and then sat down, right next Searcher's flower. She laid back, and looked at the stars, and she seemed happy and content. This was the first time he really gazed upon her. She was a beautiful girl. She had long, dark, gleaming hair, eyes that would put a lake at midnight to shame. She rolled over.

"What a pretty flower!" she said, happily.

She took out a small camera, and took a picture of him. Then she laid back down, but instead of looking at the stars, she looked at him. She obviously was oblivious to the fact he was an intelligent being. She would also be in disgust of his true form, if he revealed it to her. And yet... he felt like he wanted to make her happy. Whatever it took, she had to be happy.

She left, eventually. Searcher, after seeing her leave, morphed back into the original. He still wanted to make her happy, no matter what had to happen. Nothing would make him more content. He sent a fly after her, to see where she lived. Once the fly caught up with her, he never let the fly's gaze turn from her. She slept there, on her bed, still smiling. He was happy too. He morphed the fly into a larger shape, and had it take a piece of paper, and a pencil. He could not interact with her directly, but he could still write to her.

She awoke the next morning, to find a note written on her bed. All the while, the fly watched. She read it allowed.

"Dear mystery girl,

I cannot meet you in person, for reasons I cannot explain to you, but I wish to interact with you, in any way possible. I feel... like I need to make you happy, no matter how, or at what cost.

Signed, A mystery flower"

She read over once again in her head it seemed, and at first, she was irritated, and left her house. She went down the street a bit, turned right, and came to a brick house, similar to hers. She accused the man there of mocking her, an apparent friend of hers. After telling the truth to her, saying he did not know what she was talking about, she started to think she was insane. She read the note over and over again. Then, she just decided to play along. She wrote a note, and walked the Searcher's flower. She placed the note next to the flower, stared at it a bit with a skeptical look, and then left once again.

He again sprang up from the ground as the original, and read it. It read:

"If I'm not crazy, and this is really a flower that I'm writing too, then I accept your offer. Make me happy.

Signed, Suzan"

He immediately fetched the pencil he had stole the other night, and began writing on the back of the note. He again made a fly, spyed on her until she was asleep, and then put a note on her bed.

She woke up the next morning, noticed the note again, and again read it aloud.

"I can assure you that I am not a flower, but something much more.

And a question: What makes you happy?

Signed, a mystery flower"

She took out another piece of paper, and again started writing. She again put the note next to the flower, and started away again.

They continually wrote back to each other, revealing this and that about themselves, after 2 weeks, Searcher revealed that he was, indeed, not human. Suzan responded back saying she didn't care. He kept saying that his true form was vile, and disgusting... but she cared not. She still wanted to meet him, her mystery lover, even if he was grotesque. These words brought Searcher great happiness, indeed. They were to meet by his flower, within 2 days.

**************************************************

Captain Fisher looked down at the planet Sangheilios again, from his observation deck. He was fascinated in the detail, and would strain his eyes trying to see smaller objects, like farms and ports. The scenery had a majestic feeling about it. The city's glow at night. The mountain's beauty. The ocean's mystery. But, he would not see this scenery for long. The lone survivor from the "incident" had slipped into a coma. It was not a serious condition, luckily for him, but he would be asleep for nearly a month.

In the mean time, Fisher had work to do.

He was already trying patch up relationships between the Sangheili's air force and his own crew. The air force blamed the entire incident on him and his crew. They tried to explain that, if they haven't had done what they did, they all might have died. It was actually lucky that it was a trap for their ship, and their ship only, with the firepower the Covenant ships had. If they had not done what they had, many more would have died.

His own crew were also a bit disheartened from the attack. After all, the sequence of events was a bit terrifying. Almost dying from superior firepower. Almost killing billions. Being responsible for the death of 4 Sangheili. Although, it was a better alternative to the "killing billions" bit for sure. Morale was low, and things were starting to get lazy around the ship. Private Nash was Public Enemy #1 to most people, as he had been responsible for them being there in the first place.

The Sangheili in the coma was a young one, and the doctors there were quite fond of him. His survival was the only good thing in the situation. But, there was one problem. He had lost one of his legs during the explosion. Prosthetics were not on the ship, as they never expected this kind of situation to happen. Until they got a replacement, he wouldn't be able to walk. Even if he was fitted with a prosthetic, it was apparently more dishonorable than to just come back legless. But he still insisted on putting it on.

The entire situation was just one big mess, which got worse and worse as it went on.

**************************************************

It was the day before Suzan would meet up with Searcher near his flower. And so, he went deep into thought about what he would say, what he would do, and what he might be. The last question was the hardest. He had already said he was not human. Yet, his original form was grotesque, and he did not want that to be her first impression of him.

"Grotesque."

He shuddered at the very thought. He could not assume a human like form, or else she would not take him seriously. So he decided on being the original, but modified a little. It would have arms instead of tentacles, and it appear to have a human face.

It was not the most perfect thing to show her first, but at least she would believe he was not human, nor was he grotesque. His only thought was to please her.

  • 07.19.2010 6:30 AM PDT

http://www.bungie.net/fanclub/obelisk/Group/GroupHome.aspx

Check out my group!

Please post the next part!

MOAR SERCHBAR NOAW

  • 07.19.2010 3:09 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

I actually posted on the wrong day. Oh well. I'll just change the schedule around to meet up with demands.

  • 07.19.2010 7:59 PM PDT

AL is preventing me from having fun. It is also preventing a lot of people from having fun. People who defend AL say they can live without it. It is obviously unfair in many ways.

SO WHY DON'T WE REMOVE/TWEAK IT?

Also, yes, I do goose.

You have to remember strange is somewhat the point.

Strange is the entire point of this story.

  • 07.20.2010 6:08 AM PDT

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