//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: Contact Harvest // by CommanderApplejack //------------------------------// There's no reason to thank us because we don't exist. You never saw us. This never happened. "They back yet?" I asked Bloom as we looked over the edge of the massive pine forest that lay next to the base we were stationed on. Sweetie and Maria had left into the wild with only their rifles, which had been set up with non-lethal rounds, and a day of food to see who was the better sniper from the two. Maria had initially offered Sweetie the full use of her ODST battle armor so some of the advantages Maria would have would be equalized but Sweetie wouldn't hear of it. "Eenope," Apple Bloom answered. "No-one has even heard a single shot either." "Damn, how long can they keep at it. They didn't have a lot of supplies with them when they left." "Dunno, they might just be working on nothin'. After three days they can't have much left of that pack of rations," Bloom shrugged, "We'll see when they-" A distant shot echoed through the woods, some birds flying up from the trees in the distance. "Guess their game of cat and mouse is over then. I wonder who won," I chuckled. "Dunno, must have been a mighty complicated match of cat 'n mouse if they were out there fer three days," Apple Bloom shrugged as she turned to walk back into the base. "We'll know more when they get back which could take a couple hours. Ah need ta get back to the doctors so Ah'll see y'all later." I stopped Bloom before she could get away from me by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Bloom, you've been seeing those docs for days now, what is going on?" "Ya know Ah can't say everything Scoots," Apple Bloom sighed, pushing away my arm and getting on her way but I wasn't going to leave it at that and followed. "Come on Bloom, we're gonna be working together anyway. Can you really not let anything slip?" She sighed and stopped to address me. "Look, Ah don't know what they need all this stuff fer either. All Ah know is that someone let it leak that Ah got darn close beatin' Maria in a strength contest, from what Ah understand Ah'm not that far off from her on the strength and durability department." From the look on Bloom's face it wasn't hard to figure out she was holding back information, it wasn't as bad as it used to be but not being able to lie seemed to run in the family. "And?" "They upgraded mah neural link," Apple Bloom grumbled. "Ah honestly don't know why but Ah've had ta deal with that Doctor Halsey on multiple occasions and Ah'm pretty sure this is all her doin'." "Oh," I simply said, understanding now why Apple Bloom would be reluctant to say anything. "I'll leave you to it then, I've got a package to open myself." "Ah'll take that you'll fill us in on what is in that package tonight?" Apple Bloom smirked. "You know me, wouldn't be able to hide it anyway," I chuckled back. "That's why we leave you out of the loop on some things. Later Scoots!" Apple Bloom ran off to make up for some of the time she lost, leaving me out in the snow. Wait, they leave me out of some briefings? And how is Bloom able to keep that a secret from me... Oh darnit, I'm so going to get Sweetie to spill the beans on me. Leaving the issue for now I headed over to the storage hangar I had been told the stuff had arrived in, clearing myself with the guards in front of the building and waiting for them to get the stuff that had come in for me. To the credit of the staff there none even batted an eye at the wings sticking out of my back, on Harvest when someone spotted them they'd at least give me surprised or suspicious glances. They must be used to seeing things they aren't supposed to talk about. The staff handed over two boxes to me and asked me to sign some papers before I was off to the armoury where I soon arrived. Heading for our personal locker room there I got out my old set of ODST armour that had been modified for my wings and laid it out on the table. The next step was to open up the cases and pull out their contents, the first thing out of the boxes was a new undersuit for the armour, properly made to vacuum seal around the base of my wings. The second thing I pulled out was an appropriate back armour plate better matched than the previous one as a replacement. "Much lighter as well..." I muttered as I got all the replacement parts out of the box, tossing the now redundant parts to the side. The main chest plate drew my attention though as in the middle of the main plate where previously the ONI logo had been a new insignia sat. The black eagle logo that we'd come to know as the Spartan insignia, only instead of holding a lightning bolt and three arrows in its claws it held a red ODST skull and staff of sorts with a large red dagger in the background. There was no additional information in the box about it so I'd have to ask about it later but I thought it safe to assume it would likely be the insignia for our newly created unit. Getting all the parts I started to don the suit, quickly pulling on all the parts and adjusting them to fit perfectly before testing out how well I could move around in the new plates. The weight was much less than the old stuff which would work in my favour when in flight. The final piece of the suit was my helmet, it wasn't visually any different to my other helmet but the HUD was completely something else... There were altimeters, an artificial horizon, and all sorts of doodahs that would make navigating in the air much easier. "Hell yeah! This is so cool!" I squealed, quickly packing all the old stuff into the empty boxes and shoving them into my locker. Only one way to test this out. Running outside I spread my wings and took oof into the air, gusts of wind beating against my insulated suit as I soared between buildings. In all of the two years of us being here I'd never been as free to fly as I was now, no-one to really worry about right here as I landed on the roof of one of the buildings on the compound and looked over the forest where Maria and Sweetie were still located somewhere. I should check out if the IFF system works on this thing, wouldn't be too hard to find those two... Tapping some buttons on the pad built into one of my gauntlets I managed to get a signal coming from the forest nearly twenty clicks out. After marking the spot I opened my wings and hopped the large fence the lay around the base and flew into the forest, they wouldn't mind that too much, would they? Trees passed at speed below as my wings burned from exertion, I tried keeping them in shape but prolonged flight would be the only way to really get them into the shape I'd need them to be. And that's exactly what I'm planning on doing when we really start getting into our training. We'd also have to rethink all sorts of tactics we could use now we'll have access to both magic and flight... The IFF system now picked up two district signatures in the trees below as I circled the trees to see if I could find a clearing, finding none in the nearby area. Ah whatever, what are a bunch of trees going to do to me... Apparently a lot. Branches broke as I smashed through the canopy onto the ground below, the snow cushioning my fall a bit but not by much. "Nice of you to drop in," I could hear Sweetie say cheekily as I lay face down in the snow. "You should work on your landings, corporal," Maria added with a hint of mirth, showing significantly more emotion than when we first met her already but still sounding serious. "Will do," I groaned getting off the ground and taking off my helmet. Getting a good look at Sweetie and Maria showed something remarkable in the form of a paint splatter against the side of the Spartan's head. "Wait, you actually lost Maria?" "Sweetie is better then I anticipated," Maria admitted. "Not like you were bad though, there were some moments I was sure I'd made a fatal mistake. I'm pretty sure if we did this again the results may be reversed," Sweetie humbly accepted the praise. The two snipers started walking again with me tagging along. "By the way, those look like new parts. did you get an upgrade again?" "Yeah, most of this stuff is way lighter than ODST BDU is. It also has integrated flight systems in the HUD." I passed the helmet over to Sweetie who took a look before passing it to Maria to look as well. "This will be useful, we'll have to figure out how we can effectively use your ability of course but being able to hop buildings will make you a valuable scout," Maria said as she finished checking out the helmet. "As long as the warzone isn't too active for sure, and I'm sure as hell quieter than a bunch of ODST's with jetpacks so it'll be fairly stealthy too," Scootaloo grinned. "Sooo, do you two have any custom stuff in the works?" I couldn't help but sigh as I jogged away from Scootaloo as my pegasus friend couldn't help but pry into everyone's business. I loved her for it but the fact I had trouble lying did not always make conversation easier. Of course they weren't direct lies but that didn't mean I'd been omitting some facts. Yes, I'd been visiting with doctor Halsey but we hadn't just been doing simple tests. At first they may have been but very quickly it had gone from tests to treatment, cocktails of body altering drugs being introduced into my body, and then at last the upgrading of the neural link. It was all culminating into something and I'd yet to figure out what that was. That said though, I hadn't a single doubt Sunset had been involved. She'd been present each time the doctor introduced new drugs, her expression usually neutral except for one time. Something hadn't gone completely right that one time, they had injected me with some stuff for my muscles and it burned. It burned so badly... Not that I was told that anything had gone critically wrong, they had said the possibility of this side effect was there but they'd had it under control. Sunset's guilty expression afterwards though told me there had been something more going on. I put the thought of the two days I'd been out of commission out of my mind for now, picking up the pace to make it to the lab for whatever Halsey cooked up this time. As I entered the lab I found Sunset in a heated conversation with Dr Halsey. “We've been taking risks all this time but this is just crazy!” Shimmer exclaimed, though Halsey didn't seem phased the least. “Without risks there are no rewards. You have helped me adjust the procedure and you know we are currently not able to make the procedure safer in the timeframe we have been given,” Halsey argued back, her eyes falling on me. “The point is moot. If you are not going to help you are dismissed, Sunset.” The former unicorn gritted her teeth. “You'll get my help, doctor.” “Y'all good?” I asked, not sure what I'd just witnessed. “We are, sergeant, just a professional disagreement. Have you followed our instructions?” Halsey asked as she motioned for both of us to follow. “Aye. No food fee a full day, just water,” I replied, “Something 'bout surgery.” “Yes. Miss Shimmer and I have been introducing weakened enhancement drugs to increase your body's already quite impressive durability. I'm sure you've noticed the enhanced strength and improved eyesight,” Halsey went on to explain as we arrived in a room meant for surgical procedures, machines softly humming next to the centrally located bed. The surgery to upgrade the neural link had also been done in this place. She's right, Ah have... Though why do I get the feeling what they've cooked up now is much worse than that previous surgery... “Though we are from a different reality, the majority of our being is still human due to the way the mirror does conversions between dimensions,” Sunset spoke up as I laid face down on the bed. “This is why human medical treatment is effective on us too. It's simply that we really are mostly human.” “So whatcha tryin' to say?” “We are going to put you under and allow the surgical machine to carry out an operation that will coat your bones with a ceramic structure and adjust your neural fibres to increase performance.” That got me to stop laying down. “Hold up right there, how extensive is this procedure yer intending to do?” “It is a similar process to what Maria went through, though the augmentation cocktails we have administered up until now have only been weak variants. This procedure though cannot be administered over various surgeries, it has to be done in one go,” Halsey explained, rather annoyed that I hadn't laid down yet. “The chances of survival without consequences aren't great,” Sunset grimaced, she received a glare for letting that slip. “How bad?” “Odds have increased as we've adjusted the procedure from last time,” Halsey replied, but that wasn't an answer to my question. “How bad?” “Fourty percent chance of death or maiming,” Sunset answered where Halsey did not. I let out a breath as the number hit home. “Shimmer please leav-” “And Maria went through it too when it was more dangerous?” I cut off the doctor. “Yes.” Steeling my nerves, I laid down on the bed, sparing a last glance at Sunset who was looking at me with a terrified expression that I was actually going through with it. “Get started before Ah change my mind.” Halsey didn't hesitate a second, putting a mask over my face that'd administer a gas that'd put me into an artificial coma. My sight already began to get blurry as I felt both her and Shimmer strapping my arms to the bed. Before I went out like a light I could hear Sunset whisper into my ear. “I'm sorry.” Everything burned. My bones felt like they'd been crushed into dust. The pain, even sedated, was so vivid it was beyond anything I could properly describe. I was sure I was going to die on that operating table. The scars where my skin had been opened up were still plainly visible, the red streaks covering my body in the same pattern as the one I'd seen on Maria's body. The fact she'd also endured the suffering that I'd been through gave me new respect for the lady, something I think she had for me as well. Controlling my body after the procedure was extremely hard, I had to pretty much re-learn how to move all from nothing. At first sluggishly but quickly getting better up to the point where my reflexes were rivalling Scootaloo's. A funny side effect that Maria had told me she experienced as well was that the world seemed to be going by in slow motion when I got really focussed. A side effect Halsey told us every SPARTAN had from that particular augmentation. “Doctor, are there any other surgeries slated?” I asked as Maria and I stood at rest in the laboratory, the two of us having been summoned by Halsey. “No, every augmentation we could do on your body has been made. You are here because of the second half of the SPARTAN program,” Halsey said, browsing on a tablet as she motioned to walk with her deeper into the lab with her. “Ah'm sorry but what? Ah ain't a SPARTAN as you know,” I questioned. “Yes I am quite aware, sergeant, but your 'natural' durability in combination with the augmentions we have been doing over the last two weeks qualify you for phase two of that project.” Halsey walked into a room I had not entered yet and turned on the lights. I think I actually saw Maria miss a step as she too saw the two green suits of armour standing there. One tall one and another short, clearly differing from the ODST bdu. “This is Mjolnir. The original production facility has been turned into rubble but these suits were what were reserved for Spartans that successfully finished the augmentation process.” “So why is there a version in the sergeant's size then?” Maria questioned, something I also wanted to ask. They may have been injecting me with a whole lot of stuff but I sure as hell hadn't grown to the same height as Maria who still stood a good head above me. “Initial testing of the suits was done with regular humans. The results were... Unsatisfactory.” Halsey brought up a video of a previous test. A human was inside the smaller suit and carefully moving around an arm, only for it to suddenly snap. The man thrashed about for a few seconds before falling limp after a series of sickening cracks. “The regular human body can't handle the stress the strength enhancing properties of the undersuit.” “And we can?” I asked with wide eyes, pulling my eyes away from the paused video feed. “Provably so,” Halsey nodded, bringing up another video of a group of thirty or so Spartans trying on the suits and actually being able to move around in them. “Is that everyone who survived?” “No, only those who were not adversely affected.” If my ability to perceive the world hadn't changed I likely wouldn't have been able to pick up on the subtle change in Maria's body language. Her muscles tightening ever so slightly. She too pulled her gaze moving off of the screen too towards the suits, stepping forward to inspect her own. “You said it enhances strength?” “Among other things. A full list of features will be provided and you will train to get accustomed to all of them.” a small team of assistants came in from behind us, ready to assist in putting on the suit. “Well let's get to it. Ah didn't go through what I did the last two weeks ta chicken out now,” I said, walking up to the suit and checking it out from up close. The part of the team off assistants immediately came to help me out, first with the undersuit and then by attaching all the armour plates. Maria was similarly being helped into her version of the suit. My ears popped as the helmet was put in placed and the suit closed itself off to create an internal atmosphere. “Now the moment this gets turned on we cannot just turn it back off again.” “And if mah body ain't strong enough Ah'm gonna snap every bone in my body. Got it.” I said with a sigh, seeing the man thrashing about before dying in my mind. “But Ah think it's a bit late to back out now anyhow.” “It is,” Halsey confirmed, signalling to activate the suit. There was no sound as it activated, only that the HUD in the helmet sprung alive. “Now be very careful, just move slowly to get used to the assisted movement.” Swallowing nervously I slowly moved my head to the right to look at Maria, feeling the undersuit applying pressure to help with the movement. The Spartan was carefully lifting her arm and moving her fingers experimentally. Taking my ques from her, I too went ahead and tried out moving my limbs, finding it remarkably easy for all the weight attached to me in the form of heavy titanium plates. “This feels mighty strange,” I stated as I took a tentative step, not taking Long before walking around more normally, my movements increasing in speed as I gained more confidence in the tech. “If you wish the training obstacles at the training field outside have been constructed with fully armoured Spartans in mind. You may head over there to test the performance of the suits. My people will check and make tweaks to improve the suits reaction time as you do.” “Sounds like a plan.” I turned to Maria with a smirk on my face, taking a page from Scootaloo's book. “Race ya there.”