Halo_ Ghosts of Onyx - Eric S. Nylund [58]
shadow, part flames.
The three stepped back, their MA5Ks pointed at the ground. Another camouflaged figure appeared and stepped between her and these soldiers. "Stand down, everyone," he said. "Welcome to my neck of the woods, Kelly" The voice was a perfect match from her memories. "Kurt?" she whispered. "I'm glad you remember." As if she could ever forget him. "Let me see your face," she said, keeping her hands up. The active camouflage faded and the gold mirrored faceplate unpolarized. Kelly peered inside the helmet. The slight cleft in his chin, the hazel eyes, the quick
smile—it was Kurt. Around them, Kelly detected motion: two more in the curious armor, taking up good firing
positions. That was smart. They were well trained.
Kelly dropped her hands. "What's going on here?"
"I'll explain everything," he said, "but we need to move. They hunt in threes now. A pair
on patrol and one at high altitude on overwatch. They'll have our location."
Kurt pointed to two on his team and then at the unconscious Dr. Halsey.
Two soldiers went to her and wrapped her in a thermally reflective blanket. They carried
her off between them.
Kurt told Kelly, "Go COM silent." He then motioned to her and to his team to follow.
They moved quickly and silently through the brush.
Kelly admired the caution, speed, and professionalism of these soldiers. Not a word from
them. The two carrying Dr. Halsey kept up with the rest of them. No one broke the loose V formation.
Still, something about these soldiers made her uneasy. It was
nothing she could quantify, but as Kurt had often said, just a feeling.
"Who's this Team Saber?" she asked Kurt in a whisper.
"I'm disappointed you haven't guessed," he whispered back. "They're Spartans."
CHAPTER
TWENTY
1125 HOURS, NOVEMBER 3, 2552 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \ ZETA DORADUS SYSTEM, PLANET ONYX \ RESTRICTED REGION KNOWN AS ZONE 67
The pounding in Dr. Halsey's head brought her rudely to consciousness. She smelled burnt metal and blinked open her eyes. She was in a concrete room with a slit of a window high on one long wall.
As her vision adjusted to the indirect light she saw Kelly and a figure in body armor next to her. The armor was a hybrid between the MJOLNIR and something older… like legionnaire armor, but it was difficult to tell the precise geometry as the light seemed to slide off its edges.
In the far comer she spotted Chief Mendez, confirming at least part of her theories about this place. He considered an angle of light that streamed through the window. He puffed on his favorite, a Sweet William cigar, and blew smoke rings.
There were seven others, sitting in the far corner, two sleeping, and five playing cards. Their helmets and boots were off, and their MA5Ks, cut-down versions of the standard MA5B assault rifle, were close at hand.
At first, she thought they were ODSTs wearing pieces of what
she now recognized as experimental infiltration armor systems. She had reviewed the technical specs on the systems: photo-reactive panels able to mimic surrounding textures, and underneath was a cushioning layer of liquid nanocrystals that provided more ballistic protection than three centimeters of Kelvar diamond weave without the bulk.
One of the sleeping ones, a girl, dozed with one eye open. Her shorn hair had been buzz-cut to mimic animal claw marks. She couldn't be more than twelve. She blinked, sat up, and made a subtle sideways "cut" gesture to the others.
They stopped and together turned to Dr. Halsey.
Their faces were young, but they had the well-developed physiques of Olympic athletes. These had to be Ackerson's SPARTAN-IIIs.
Dr. Halsey felt a curious mix of revulsion and maternalism.
"How are you feeling?" Kelly asked.
"Fine," she answered, and continued to examine her surroundings.
There was carbon scoring and melted gobs of metal, as if the place had been bombed. Near Mendez was what looked as if it had once been a computer workstation—now a solid lump.
Chief Mendez misread her gaze, and thinking she was looking