Halo_ The Fall of Reach - Eric Nylund [20]
to kick in their skulls. He took a deep breath and then exhaled. He had better things to do and bigger problems to figure out—anger would have to wait. “Want to call Mendez now?” Sam asked as he pulled Fhajad shakily to his feet.
“Not yet,” John told him. He marched onto the dropship. No one else was on board. John accessed the COM system and opened the mail link. He linked up with Déjà. Her face appeared, a scratchy hologram hovering over the terminal.
“Good evening, Trainee 117,” she said. “Do you have a homework question?” “Kind of,” he replied. “One of CPO Mendez’s assignments.” “Ah.” After moment’s pause she said, “Very well.” “I’m in a Pelican dropship. There’s no pilot, but I need to get home. Teach me to fly it, please.” Déjà shook her head. “You are not rated to fly that craft, Trainee. But Ican help. Do you see the winged
icon in the corner of your screen? Tap it three times.” John tapped it and a hundred icons and displays filled the screen.
“Touch the green arrows at nine o’clock twice,” she told him. He did and then the wordsautopilot activated flashed onscreen. “I have control now,” Déjà said. “I will get you home.” “Hang on a second,” John said and ran outside. “Everyone onboard—double time!” The children ran onto the ship. Kelley paused and asked, “Who’s getting left behind?” “No one,” John said. “Just get in.” He made sure he was the last on the ship, then said, “Okay, Déjà, get
out us out of here.” The dropship’s jets roared to life and it rose into the sky. * * * John stood at attention in Chief Petty Officer Mendez’s office. He had never been in here. No one had.
A trickle of sweat dripped down his back. The dark wood paneling and the smell of cigar smoke made
him feel claustrophobic.
Mendez glowered at John as he read the report on his clipboard. The door opened and Dr. Halsey walked in. Mendez stood, gave her a curt nod and then sat back in his padded chair.
“Hello, John,” Dr. Halsey said. She sat across from Mendez, crossed her legs, and then adjusted her gray
skirt. “Dr. Halsey,” John replied instantly. He saluted. None of the other grown-ups called him by his first name, ever. He didn’t understand why she did.
“Trainee 117,” Mendez snapped. “Tell me again why you stole UNSC property . . . and why you
attacked the men I had assigned to guard it.” John wanted to explain that he was just doing what had to be done. That he was sorry. That he would do anything to make it up. But John knew the Chief hated whiners, almost as much as he hated excuses.
“Sir,” John said. “The guards were out of uniform. No insignia. They failed to identify themselves, sir!” “Hmm,” Mendez mused over the report again. “So it seems. And the ship?” “I took my squad home, sir. I was the last onboard—so if anyone should have been left—” “I didn’t ask for a passenger list, Crewman.” His voice softened to a growl and he turned to Dr. Halsey.
“What are we going to do with this one?” “Do?” She pushed her glasses higher on her nose and examined John. “I think that’s obvious, Chief. Make him a Squad Leader.”
CHAPTER SIX
1130 Hours March 09, 2525 (Military Calendar) / Epsilon Eridani System, Office of Naval Intelligence Medical Facility, in orbit around planet Reach
“I want that transmission decoded now,” Dr. Halsey snapped at Déjà.
“The encryption scheme is extremely complex,” replied Déjà with a hint of irritation in her normally glass-smooth voice. “I don’t even know why they bothered. Who else but Beta-5 Division even has the resources to use this data?”
“Spare me the banter, Déjà. I’m not in the mood. Just concentrate on the decryption.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
Dr. Halsey paced across the antiseptic white tile of the Observation Room. One side of the room was filled with floor-to-ceiling terminals that monitored the vital signs of the children—test subjects, she corrected herself. They displayed drug uptake rates and winking green, blue, and red