[center]Chapter 9: Heretic, Hero[/center][/b]

[i]Half an hour before Abigail "Headshot" Williams' escape...
A ways up Sessrumnir Tower[/i]

With the futuristic-gothic design of the world, it wasn't a surprise that several large spikes branched out from various levels of the tower. Thank consistent design of the world, thank this slight case of villainous adherent to aestheticism over asceticism and functionality.

It was on one of these spikes that Doc landed in a slight crouch, having put the small computer chip in his shieldless armor for safekeeping. Within it was a program created from Kira, something that would attack the power source of a random area of the Tower to act as a distraction if absolutely necessary. He just hoped it would work as he needed it to, and that there wasn't too much defense. They were moderately certain that it would at least take out the room in which he used it.

A map of the area had been given by Malik, created through his undercover work. It was attached to the heads-up display on his armor, armor that lacked any real shielding, as they did not have the necessary technology in the [i]Archangel[/i] to replicate it. While the map did show the area, it did not help figure out troop positions. He would have to use discretion in that regard, to stay out of sight unless he knew he could travel unnoticed, take out enemies and not be seen or alert them.

Just below him, the member of the Sangheili could see a window, one that gave him a view to some unknown room, an office of some sort. He took out his Energy Sword hilt, and held it to his side, squeezing it to ignite the dual, blue blades of plasma before stabbing it into the window. The blade entered halfway before he began to move and rotate it, making a mid-sized, circular opening for him to come in through. Of course, this would draw attention to the idea that [i]someone[/i] had come in with a plasma weapon, given the smoke rising at he carved, but he would probably be out of the area by the time it was seen anyway.

Gripping the side, "Vism 'Fal" swung into the room. He misjudged the distance of the floor slightly, stumbling forward and lightly hitting his hand on a wall to steady himself. For a moment, the Elite believed he had heard a slight echo, but dismissed it. The architecture probably was meant to amplify sound, so it was likely from someone hitting something else or walking nearby. He had other, more important things to worry about.

As he deactivated his energy weapon with another squeeze to prevent it from being seen through his cloaking, he mentally went over the plan, checking the HUD on his headset attached to his nonfunctional armor. He needed to descend three floors in order to reach the cell blocks.

Not waiting another moment, and not hearing anyone nearby, he started on his way. His human "sister" and "brother" required aid.

=====

[i]Cell Block G[/i]

The lights had been turned off for a reason. No need to have the prisoner see his surroundings. He barely grunted in pain as each blow of the blade took him, slowly and painfully, cutting again and again. The barbs held down his arms and legs, though the binds were similarly invisible.

"And to think it would all end if you just gave in," his tormentor said calmly, seemingly a man in his twenties, early thirties if it was stretched. According to Kira, this man tortured for his own amusement as much as for information.

"Kiss...my....a**..." the rebel spat back.

Suddenly, a light came up. The dual-bladed, blue Energy Sword ignited, illuminating the area. There was a man in red and black samurai armor standing at a wall nearby, silent and out of reach. The restraints on him were black, fanged tentacles, attached to his interrogator, Cain Rivers. Two snakelike heads with red eyes and more teeth than should fit in their mouths reached over his shoulders, snapping at Adán's face but not biting him. A futuristic nodachi was in the man's left hand as the Energy Sword was held in his right, the former already covered in the warrior's blood that dripped down the table.

In less than a second, the energy weapon was surrounded with a shadowy aura, extending up from the hilt to the two blades to form a larger blade of purest darkness, the original weapon within this "Chaos Phantom." This would cause wounds that could not be healed unless with extensive, extremely powerful restorative effort. The demonic man was getting very angry with the continued hope and resilience that his victim had.

Hayabusa ignored them both completely as the work continued. He had his mind on other things. The capture of these two rebels would undoubtedly mean that others would attempt to save them. Not that he saw much point in trying to actually help them in whatever endeavor they would undergo, even if it [i]were[/i] possible that they would be successful.

Perhaps the Tunguska kid would be enough to help with a distraction? No, no. Far too risky. Regardless of the possibility that he would be torn to shreds or Diana would be hurt, the release would likely draw too much unnecessary attention to him. Furthermore, it would not provide any actual way to help the overall situation of the worlds as they had been for nine years thus far, and merely create another issue that would be subdued once more, whether using the vaccine or not.

The older Ronald Rivers was getting increasingly irritated, as he grunt showed as he stabbed into the man's shoulder in frustration, not eliciting more than another grunt in response. He turned on the observing samurai then, his annoyance plain. "Go get the imperial children," he commanded, almost spitting. "The prince and princess deserve a chance to practice what I have taught them on a live subject."

The bodyguard could hear the two soldiers nearby, two males.

"...Which one is Princess Nyx, again?" one was whispering.

"I think she's the one with the longer hair," was the brief response, to a nod in respective reply as his companion understood. Quite a few of these soldiers tended to judge gender based on only a select number of characteristics, these two apparently being some of the lower-intelligence ones. He wouldn't have been surprised if they both didn't last a week.

For a moment, Hayabusa wondered if he should just tell Phantom to go get them himself. He knew of the close relationship between the growing children and their "uncle" of sorts. Perhaps he wanted to see if he could instill some more confidence in him from the leading organization, enough to let him have more freedom with some of the things he sometimes wished to do on his own.

Nevertheless, in spite of all of these reasons to decline, he knew that there wasn't really much reason to do so. Rivers could easily come up with a way to make him look bad for not doing as he was told, which could lead to further punishment, such as possibly not being able to see Diana up close for a long time, or maybe just physical harm. It wasn't that big of a thing to ask to do, not really.

So, not sparing anyone a glance, he just went off on his way, to return shortly.

=====

[i]Time of Abigail's escape...[/i]

An Elite fizzed silently into visibility within a small mechanic's area of some sort, with many firearms of various origins in around equally various states of repair. Some pieces of equipment were also visible, from Jiralhanae jump packs to Sangheili antigravity packs, from human trip mines and bubble shields to Chimeran drones to Forerunner automated turrets.

'Fal's travels had gone reasonably well so far. The one Brute who had nearly spotted him had been silenced quickly and hidden away. Unfortunately, this had been his second decloaking, and he could not procure a new module from this area, none being available.

Instead, he took one of the antigravity packs. The medic was relieved for finally have one after all of these years, strapping it on as he had for so many missions as a Ranger. He saw some computers nearby, likely to check the status of the equipment. Looking to his chip, the vaguely humanoid alien knew that he would be able to use it in one of the slots in one of those, just in case he needed it.

As he put the computer chip in his armor, the Sangheili heard footsteps and voices, at least one Brute and some humans by the sounds of things. He tensed up, knowing that he did not have enough armor to withstand an assault from multiple soldiers.

Adding to this situation, Doc saw three figures watching from a nearby window, perched on others of the spikes outside. At least two of them seemed to be female, the third of unknown gender, their assumed genders given by body type.

One seemed to be completely human, in her early twenties. She had her hand resting on the glass, legs kept sideways to stay on her precarious position, but she did not seem to be alarmed in the slightest. At her waist was a bladed boomerang of sorts, the light on the helmet of her strange armor glowing yellow as she looked back to the other person of known gender.

This was another female in the same kind of armor, yes. But the bottom half of her body was another story. It was ophidian in nature, a serpent's tail that was wrapped around the small area of which they stood to keep her upon it. A curved dagger was at her own waist, kept in a sheath. Both nodded to each other, and they disappeared in colorful flashes after giving a thumbs up to the last one. The full human was gone in silvery navy, the semihuman in greenish brown.

The third was another story entirely. This was not an even slightly humanoid figure. The armor seemed to be of the same type as the others...to an extent. But the figure was [i]lupine[/i]. A massive wolf, crouched on the third platform. Each paw had four claws encased in metal. Metal that seemed to vibrate at impossible speeds if he looked closely, possibly to increase cutting ability. The tail, swinging back and forth slowly, seemed to have a double-edged nature to it, as if it were aided in the same way as the claws. The helmet on this one was the same as the rest, but the portholes were much smaller. Golden energy came forth from the helmet as it morphed slightly, forming a small ball for a moment before dissipating. This was one that had been altered more than the others, given a secondary weapon of the user. Nanotechnology morphed the suit's face, showing a mouth. The armor was still there, fitted to the opening, and the many fangs in the mouth had the same vibrating quality to the rest. This total effort was for intimidation for the time being, but seemed as though it could be used for an actual bite.

Throwing back its head to look to the blood red moon, the wolf howled. A howl that acted as an alarm of sorts, a way to alert nearby guards to an intruder. This done, it was gone in a golden flash like the others as its helmet morphed back.

In a panic, the former Ranger activated the last charge in his customized cloaking device, light bending around him and making him invisible. As he did so, he saw several soliders pass through the area.

Two human soldiers, along with one Jiralhanae Major in blue powered armor. The trio investigated the area where the howl had been heard, poking under desks and tables, at the air. As the humans looked around the room, the Brute was smarter, remaining at the hidden Sangheili's one way forward to the cell blocks just in case with his arms crossed over his chest, the Brute Shot still on his back. He couldn't see anyone, but an attempt to rescue new prisoners was likely. Granted, only some people knew about these two, but others managed to have a few hints.

The twelve seconds were almost up when 'Fal made his move. At second ten, he put the small computer chip into a slot in one of the computers. With that, the lights turned off in the room, alerting the three.

"What the hell?!" one of the humans shouted, aiming a fully upgraded Rapture revolver through the area in the darkness. A steady stream of blue bolts of superheated plasma hit him in the side, and he grunted before firing off a pulse of wind from one hand in the general direction of the flashing blue light that was firing at him. He was unprepared when the medic slammed the Type-25 DER on the back of his head, the impact of the sturdy, overheated plasma rifle cracking the man's skull from blunt force and killing him.

The lights turned on, and a lone Elite was visible. Before the surviving human could open fire, another stream of plasma bolts hit him in the chest, causing him to fall as well.

The Brute roared, reaching for his weapon as 'Fal pulled the trigger again...to no response. The battery had died. Swearing under his breath, the Elite dropped the gun, pulling out and activating his sword. He dove to the right as three grenades were fired at him, exploding against a desk and knocking some equipment to the ground as the lights died out again.

The larger, primate alien was now unseen, not the Elite. That was not to say that he could not judge where he was. Brutes were not often ones for stealth. This one was breathing heavily, and roared as it charged at the illuminated member of the Sangheili.

The Elite who called himself "Vism 'Fal" knew he would have to time this next maneuver right. He switched his grip on his blade to a backhanded one as he believed the Brute to be coming closer. Just one more second...

The blade on the side of the grenade launcher slashed down at his back as he stabbed up contemptibly. The latter blade skewered the Brute, slicing through energy shielding and flesh like a hot knife through butter. The Brute simply died with a grunt as the power went back on. His weapon had damaged what little armor Doc had, as well as drawing some of his purple blood, but there was no permanent damage. Nothing that couldn't be healed with some quick work back at the base.

He had to keep moving. Almost there. But he still needed to have a new ranged weapon. That program would have caused some additional alarm, surely, and he had no more battery in his current ranged weapon apparently.

The only nonhuman biological member of Alpha Epsilon Kappa looked around, and saw a suitable gun. Quite a bit of luck, truly. It seemed to be a larger version of the plasma rifle, with more silver parts including a circular portion near the back. A small hatch in the side of it was a kind of heat sink. This was a kind of Covenant assault rifle in a sense, as Doc knew. The Type-51 Directed Energy Rifle/Improved, better known as the plasma repeater, with its possibility for manually releasing stored heat to help it cool down faster, along with the complete lack of any necessity to have a cooldown in general. However, there were half of the rounds as their were in a smaller rifle, and they were very slightly weaker. A serviceable compromise, as far as the ex-Ranger was concerned, since the bolts also traveled slightly faster. The aim assist on the gun wasn't anything to laugh at either. Anything to help him conserve ammunition for the rest of this journey.

Without a word, he picked up the gun with both hands, putting away his sword. Time to keep moving.

=====

[i]Elsewhere in the compound[/i]

The dark, featureless room held an alien creature, one that had been kept under heavy guard for some time. However, the power outage had drawn its guards away.

Above the ground it remained with eight yellowed tentacles reaching from it at random angles from the back, between two leathery, seemingly-decayed wings that were retracted against the back as well. With two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he was kept suspended in the air several feet.

The bald humanoid, seeming to be approximately in his early twenties, could be known as what it once was by the face of his arms and legs even existing at all, though similarly yellowed and deadened. He wore the tattered remains of a tight, once-white shirt and torn-up, likewise dirtied brown jeans. There were, however, no socks nor shoes.

Powerful electrodes had been implanted in the creature, activated whenever he tried to use his abilities. It was they that had kept him in check for so long. However, but their power had been connected to the electronic door. The very same locked door on his cell that had been shorted out by the power outage.

And so came an opportunity. The first shortage alarmed the creature, but he was ready to take advantage of the second. With a single psychokinetic pulse, all of the electrodes were forced out of his body, metal devices covered in pus and other fluids from their time in him as his seemingly-diseased body oozed for several seconds after their expulsion.

Free, the being removed the tentacles from his face and legs, lowering himself to the ground as he did so. The face, now revealed if anyone had cared to look, lacked a nose. The mouth was perpetually curled into a sickeningly wide smile that showed a row of sharp fangs, two more rows hidden behind the first. Six yellow eyes opened, arranged in a circular pattern on the face.  That grin never disappeared, not unless in extraordinary circumstances. It was as if it was a permanent fixture upon its visage.

That perpetually grinning mouth did not move at all as the being spoke using telepathy alone. Though the creature was distasteful toward the "primitive" humankind moreso than other species, the words it chose, though including derogatory phrases, did not show overt anger in the chosen speech.

[i]Become enlightened, shadow-people. Become clean, meat-things.[/i]

The humanoid male glanced to the door meant to hold him in. Pitiful, truly, to think that was able to hold a being such as himself for so long. Even with that alloy they used, the coltan-titanium mixed with Covenant technology and other strong metals, it was still nothing to him. With the slightest thought, the entire thing crumpled into a ball, as if a child was crumpling a piece of paper. In the next second, it was hurled across the room as the last of his guards was leaving, pinning him to the wall with a sickening crunch. Bodily fluids, blood chief among them, leaked from under the former door. Killed in an instant, the being freed.

[i]Now is the advent of your own evolution.[/i]