Chapter 1

"Alright Ghost team," began Commander Palmer, "just got word from the eggheads up top that one of their research facilities has gone dark. They've tried ever channel they could think of and they have been unsuccessful in raising their buddies. They think the Covies broke in, jammed their signal, and think the bastards are in the process of breaking into some pretty sensitive data files. That's where you guys come in. What I want from you is to infiltrate the facility, kill any alien bastard that gets in your way, find a terminal, copy the data, and purge the building."

"What do you mean by 'purge', Commander?" asked a Spartan named Daniels.

Palmer gave him a look. "Apparently the eggheads say that the facility is already too far gone to recover. They don't want the Covenant getting their hands on anything that would benefit them in any way," Palmer explained, "That's why we have to level it. Demolition charges are already packed in the pelican. Commander Rachel Auri will be leading you today, so I expect the best out of each and every one of you. She'll make sure you all have a layout of the facility. Be ready for anything. Good luck, Spartans." Palmer saluted and departed while Commander Auri quickly sent her team of ten the building's blueprints. They were on the pelican in five minutes and set out to blow up the research facility.

The Spartans were a few minutes away from the LZ when the tech specialist picked up static. "Where's that coming from, Jennings?" asked Auri.

"Near the LZ, Commander," Jennings replied as she plugged away at her datapad. "It's Covenant. They were trying to send out a distress signal. And help never came."

Auri leaned forward in her co-pilot's seat. "Where're all the bodies?" she muttered.

"Sorry, ma'am?" said the pilot named Kent; he turned his head slightly without taking his eyes off the LZ.

"There should be bodies," Auri reiterated louder, "There are signs of a recent fight: plasma burns, shrapnel, debris, overturned turrets, bloodstains. The only thing missing are the casualties."

The pilot nodded stiffly once. "Set the bird there," Auri ordered, pointing to an area about seven hundred feet away from the entrance. The bird slowly descended. In the pelican's cargo bay, Auri could hear her Spartans talk about dead's absence.

"What could scare the Covenant off so bad that they'd risk calling for help?" asked Corillo.

"Maybe the Prometheans got tired of them and kicked the Covies out of their fanclub," replied Corcova as she checked the sights of her rifle.

"Whatever. It all just sounds a little loco to me," Corillo replied. The others nodded in quiet agreement. The pelican touched down softly and the Spartans quickly filed out on high alert, their red, black, and grey Mjolnir armor glinting in the light. Auri and Daniels made their way over to the entrance.

"Door's locked up tight," Daniels annouced quietly. Auri ran a hand over the lock and was shocked by a small bount of electricity. Her shields flashed a for a moment as she withdrew her hand.

"Guess it doesn't like you, Commander," Daniels chuckled nervously. Auri shook her head slightly, a ghost of a smile hidden beneath her helmet as she keyed her COMMs.

"Jennings, need you to unlock a door for us. I don't want to touch it lest I do anymore damage to this place," Auri said. Jennings was by her side within a few seconds. Daniels waved the other seven Spartans over to their position. The Commander felt her gut tighten. What was it exactly that had the Covenant so scared? she wondered. They couldn't have been frightened of the scientists... A cold stone of dread settled into her stomach; it made her feel uneasy. It dawned on her. A section of her studies resurfaced from her memories: something similar to this happened a few years ago when installation 07 was first discovered. She remembered the footage when it was released a few months after the Master Chief returned to Earth. It... was hard to watch. She remembered from the film about a marine commenting on how tightly the Covenant locked up the area. After the door unlocked, all hell broke loose.

This could not be a coincidence. A sudden whooshing noise caught the Commander's attention. She looked up and saw that Jennings had unlocked the door with a spoofer. They were waiting on Auri's cue to enter the building. Auri waved her hand and they walked in. The door slid shut with a soft clink. It sounded final. The tension was already thick in the air. There were bloodstains on the walls and floors which were expected to a degree but the absence of casualties was a major concern. Auri let out a slow breath she had been holding in. Daniels turned his head a fraction in her direction. Auri stopped.

"Something wrong, Commander?" asked Kent.

"It may just be nothing," Auri began, "but I have very bad feeling about this." The other Spartans paused to listen.

"You remember the year Installation 07 was discovered?" Auri asked; she got nods from all of them. "Then, most of you should remember what the UNSC found there."

She noticed that several of her Spartans visibly stiffened.

"It was destroyed when the Master Chief and that Sangheili destroyed the Delta Halo," remarked a Corporal named Kerin.

"It was," Auri replied. The Spartans shifted slightly.

"If it is, then we will do whatever we can to make sure it doesn't spread," Auri said, "We will not let it leave this building. Kent, do you still have a remote detonator for the pelican?"

"The one that'll have to blow up my bird? Yeah," Kent replied.

"Keep it safe and secure in case one of them tries to use it." Kent nodded gravely and tucked the detonator safely in one his armor's pouches. The pelican was their only ride out of there and evac was a little over a half hour away.

"We came here with a job to do. Let's make sure we get it done. It'll be quicker if we split five and five. Corcova, you're squad leader; Kerin, Jennings, Shenway, and Hannly, you're with her. You're in charge of data purging. Daniels, Kent, Corillo, and Drinj, you're with me. We're on demo duty." Auri turned to Kent.

"You have the demo charges?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Jennings, you have the command codes for accessing the terminal?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then we are set and ready to go. Keep radio contact to a minimum. We don't know who's listening. We'll let you know when we've set the charges. Meet you on the other side." The Spartans made their way to their waypoints.