Where it all Begins - Part 4

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'Why are there exclamation marks next to the quest panel?'

[Its because you have a completed quest and because you have less than 2 minutes before you miss Dr. Halsey and Keyes]

'WHAA, Why didn't you tell me sooner?'

[I did, you were just too busy playing with your pistols] I felt my heart prick at that remark.

'Eve, next time snap me out of it when it's important with by any means. Anyways open quests.'

[Quest

<New Identity>

- Open your status for the first time! | Reward: 1 level

<Strike a Deal>

- Convince Doctor Halsey to put you into the Spartan Program | Reward: Hand's of Nirvana : MAX

| Timelimit: Before Doctor Halsey leaves Facility No. 119 | Penalty: System shut down, reduced from MC to cannon fodder

<Authority is Power>

- Convince FLEETCOM to give you the authority above Lieutenant | Reward: Leader trait |

Timelimit: Before Spartan training starts | Penalty: Lose the Trust of Dr. Halsey, FLEETCOM

]

'Ahh. These are some annoying quests. What is this, become cannon fodder? Whatever, Eve, how do I accept the reward'

[Think of turning in the quest]

'Okay, turn in the quest.'

[*Ding* Level up!]

[5 stat points rewarded]

[Alia, you better hurry up and find Dr. Halsey]

'Yea, Yea. I'm going.'

{1130 Hours, August 17, 2517 / Eridanus Star System, Eridanus Two, Elysium City}

The orange sun cast a fiery glow on the playground of Elysium City Primary Education Facility No. 119 as Doctor Halsey and I stood in the semi-shade of a canvas awning and watched children as they screamed and chased one another and climbed on steel lattices and skimmed gravballs across the repulsor courts. I was extremely uncomfortable in civilian clothes. I was wearing a loose gray suit, a white shirt, and no tie. Doctor Halsey seemed to be enjoying my awkwardness.

When I had complained about how loose the and sloppy the clothes where she had almost laughed. I was a purely military man, right down to the core. I found myself standing rigid, even out of the uniform, and according to Doctor Halsey, 'It was as if he was standing at perpetual attention.'

"It's nice here," she said. "this colony doesn't know how good they've got it. Rural lifestyle. No pollution. No crowding. Climate-controlled weather." I grunted in response as I tried to smooth the wrinkles in my silk jacket.

"Relax," she said. "We're supposed to be parents inspecting the school for our little girl." She slipped her arm through mine, causing me to stand even straighter. I heard some faint laughter, like a little girl, causing me to be alert. I swept my surroundings but couldn't see anyone.

"What is it?" Halsey asked.

"I swear I heard some laughter, it sounded like a little girl," I say.

"Relax, Keyes. You're too alert and you look like a bodyguard instead of a father," she responded. "Besides, there's a group of kids in front of us, so nothing out of place."

"Ahh," I look away in slight embarrassment. 'Perhaps the Doctor was right. I should relax a bit.'

Halsey sighed, opened her purse, and retrieved a palm-sized pad. She adjusted the brim of her wide straw hat to shade the pad from the noon glare. With a tap of her finger, she accessed and scanned the file she had assembled of their subject.

Number 117 had all the genetic markers she had flagged in her original study - he was as close to a perfect subject for her purposes as science could determine. But Dr. Halsey knew that it would take more than theoretical perfection to make this project work. People were more than the sum of their genes. There were environmental factors, mutations, learned ethics, and a hundred other factors that could make this candidate unacceptable.

The picture in the file showed a typical six-year-old male. He had tousled brown hair and a sly grin that revealed a gap between his front teeth. A few freckles were speckled across his checks. Good - she could match the patterns to confirm his identity.

"Our subject," she said, as she angled the pad toward me so I could see the boy. Dr. Halsey noticed that the picture was four months old. Didn't ONI realize how fast these children changed? Sloppy. She made a note to request updated pictures on a regular basis until phase three started.

"Is that him?" I whispered, causing Dr. Halsey to look up. I nodded towards the grassy hill at the end of the playground. The crest of that hill was bare dirt, scuffed clean of all vegetation. A dozen boys pushed and shoved one another - grabbed, tackled, rolled down the slope, and then got up, ran back, and started the process over.

"King of the hill," Dr. Halsey remarked. One boy stood on the crest. He blocked, pushed, and strong-armed all the other children. Halsey pointed her datapad at him and recorded this incident for later study. She zoomed in on the subject to get a better look. This boy smiled and showed the same small gap between his front teeth. The pad froze the image in the frame allowing her to match his freckles to the picture on file.

"That's our boy"

He was taller than the other children by a full head, and - if his performance in the game was any indicator - stronger as well. Another boy grabbed him from behind in a headlock. Number 117 peeled the boy off, and - with a laugh - tossed him down the hillside like a toy.

Dr. Halsey had expected a specimen of perfect physical proportions and stunning intellect. True, the subject was strong and fast, but he was also dirty and rude. Then again, unrealistic and subjective perceptions had to be confronted in these field studies. What did she really expect? He was a six-year-old boy - full of life and unchecked emotion and as predictable as the wind.

Three boys ganged up on him. Two grabbed his legs and one threw his arms around his chest. They all tumbled down the hill. Number 117 kicked and punched and bit his attackers until they let go and ran away to a safe distance. He rose and tore back up the hill, bumping another boy and shouting that he was king.

"He seems," I started "Um, very animated."

"yes," Dr. Halsey said. "We may be able to use this one."

She glanced up and down the playground. The only adult was helping a girl get to her feet after falling down and scraping her elbow; she marched her towards the nurse's office.

"Stay here and watch me, Lieutenant," she said and passed me the datapad. "I'm going to have a closer look."