The second planetary nexus

[York]

((It's ok o.o dreams after all don't really influence York in the real world, so I'm fine with it o-o))

It seemed York was having another one of his dreams, but... This time, he wasn't in a field, and he couldn't see Jane anywhere, instead, he was looking over a ruined Forerunner city, the aftermath of a war, the night sky above was littered with explosions blooming all over the place; it quickly occurred to him that he was inside the Maginot line. This was one of the inner colonies, the last worlds they had left before the Flood reached them, it wouldn't be long before the Halo Array would have to be activated... Before the remainder of life in the Galaxy was consumed by the flood, but then, something caught his eye, it wasn't Jane, but, someone still familiar to him, those wings on her back, that look on her face; it was Kylara. What was she doing here? He frowned, his vision blurring for a moment, but, soon enough, he made a move to approach her, but, before this could happen, someone tapped him on the shoulder, and upon turning, he saw who it was; Jane... Except she wasn't a child anymore, in fact, he doubted she much older than him, despite her older appearance, he still recongized her facial features, and her Auburn hair.

"We both knew the day would come..." She said softly, a saddened expression came over her face as she spoke... The world around them seemed to shift, but, Kylara remained where she was, watching over the scenerr below. York turned to Jane "What do you-" suddenly, it dawned upon him, he looked around again, the area they were standing in was surrounded by a writhing, brown, mass of flesh, the flood had heavily infested the area they were in right now... Ships, covered with a similar substance, with tendrils waving here and there were just beginning to take off, to spread this infection onto other worlds, like they always did... But just then, an distant boom was heard, followed by a blue wave of light washing over their surroundings. While the three of them were unharmed, the writhing mass around them was incinerated, the ships that wwere taking off begun to drop from the sky as the blue wave of light reached them, moving on further and further until they could no longer see it. "This was our fate... Few will survive the firing of the halo array. Your fate, has yet to be decided..." She said, practically whispering now, "Don't make the mistakes we did... After all, there are still people counting on you, even now..." She smiled a little as she nudged him, looking towards Kylara for a moment before turning back. "But... I-" Before he could say anything more, a more encouraging look crossed her face "Now wake up, soldier... This Galaxy still needs you, both of you." she said... York tried to say something else, but, the world around him began to fade away, blurring into an incoherent mess of colors and sounds..

.....
​

Soon enough, he woke up with a start, his ears ringing a little as his eyes shot open as he looked around, his vision starting to regain focus after a moment, and his mechanical eye making a soft whirring sound for a moment as it recalibrated itself. It didn't take long for him to remember where he was, and upon seeing Kylara looking at him, he was filled with a mixture of emotions, he wasn't quite sure what to make of his dream, or what Jane said to him, was it true? He could only wonder what she had been implying, if anything at all, he and Kylara had grown closer, and she had been willing to endure suffering, even if it pained the both of them... She had known the information he held couldn't be revealed to someone like Mark, but, he only wished that he didn't have to make someone else suffer to extract such information from him. It was natural of him he supposed, a majority of his race had a shared sense of empathy, both towards each other and other species than themselves. Though, he couldn't help but feel there might be more to it than just that... But, could there? He rubbed his head, which had begun to hurt from laying on the rock hard floor, cutting him off from this train of thought. Then, he spoke, directing his attention to Kylara once more "You think... Mark will give up on us?" he asked, finding the first thought that crossed his mind, despite it having an painfully obvious answer, he figured conversing a little wouldn't hurt.​

​

 

[Bitterblue]

Kylara sighed. Seemed he had awoken when she was looking at him...His voice seemed...softer. She took her time answering him, making it seem like she was ignoring him. But in reality, she was still questioning their relationship....should she let go of her past and live a normal life, learn to trust other men, learn to...love again? The very thought of letting go of Malik made her insides churn. But York had this tenderness about him....the way he spoke, the way he looked at her...no. It couldn't continue. But they would have to work together to get out of here...but then they would go their separate ways.

Ky turned back to him. "Not a chance. And next time, don't give them anything. I have a feeling I know what tactic he's going to use next....he's used it before. Just know that my life is not worth the information that you hold. Do you understand? I want you to promise me. Don't tell them anything...even if it means my death. Okay?"

Right as she finished speaking the doors opened once more. Tensing, she was ready to spring at the slightest cue. But they were just bringing food and water. She sighed. It must be getting light outside again...which meant it wouldn't be long now. She sat up with a little difficulty. The pain was still bad...but her leg was pretty much healed. All that was left was a big bruise. Thank you super fast healing DNA. She walked over to the two trays the whitecoat had left, and brought them over.

"We should eat." she said before digging into her portion. It was tasteless...bland...but it was nourishment. She had survived on this stuff for years, and it would suffice.

 

[York]

York looked stunned, his expression shifting a slightly horrified one despite his effort to mask it; the thought of losing a friend struck him rather hard... This wasn't the first conversation he'd had, where someone foreshadowed the possibility of them losing their own lives. However, he knew that if Mark caught wind of the Halo array, it was not certain the Galaxy would not recover from the ensueing destruction as it had done before, such a massacre wasn't neccesary, let alone justified in any way, and he wasn't about to let even the slightest possibility of it happen. He let out a small sigh, then, he nodded, his eyes still showing that pained expression for a few moments before he blinked, the look practicall seeming to fade from his face, as if it hadn't been there in the first place.

As he was about to open his mouth to say something though, the door opened, and he tensed up, his fists clenching momentarily out of instinct until he noticed the food and water they had brought... Though he was glad for at least something to eat, he had a feeling this meant they were about to be tortured again, but, for how long? There was no telling when they were ready to escape, but, they'd have to, and soon, maybe then they could figure out something, he himself needed to know exactly what the hell he was going to do... He had a distinct feeling something was coming, something terrible; if he had managed to land himself here, traversing through the fabric of time and space, there was no telling what else could follow him through if they caught wind of the method, something even he himself wasn't familiar with, all he did was mash his hand on the keypad, hoping the slipspace jump would lead him far from any places of importance. Sure, he'd gotten his wish, but, at what price?

Kylara's suggestion to eat broke through his thoughts once, more, and he nodded "I suppose that's a good idea." he said, starting to do just that... The food, as one would expect, tasted quite bland, almost akin to the taste one would recieve if they drank the nutrients typically stored in a Forerunner suit. It would sustain them, yes, but, it wasn't all particularly satisfying, though this didn't seem to bother York, he'd gotten used to such things long ago; though it was a bit diappointing that the consumables they were provided didn't really taste as good as the meal Kylara had brought him, back when he was still injured... Thinking about that, he realized he still owed her quite a few favors, but, all he could hope was that they would both be able to live long enough for him to repay them.

 

[Bitterblue]

((I'll leave it to you to name the planet they're on, I can't think of a name:P Mark is a guy we can both play, just so ya know. Let's make this scene last a couple posts, draw it out. I'm thinking this is where we have them make a move, but will Ky survive? ;P ))

At the look on York's face when she mentioned her death, Ky's face softened slightly. But it quickly returned to its normal hard expression as she scolded herself as her stomach began to flutter. What was she doing? She could NOT develop feelings for this guy. Her dream came back to her. The look of hurt and betrayal on Malik's face said it all...she had to pull back. But she found that harder than she used to...it could be because she was willing to withstand torture for the guy. Plus, it's been a year...maybe it is time she started to move on. She shook her head. She couldn't think about this, not now. There were more important things at hand.

Right on cue, the door opened. As the men entered the room she stood and started walking in front of them. She listened as York did the same, a look of determination and of concern on his handsome face. She looked at him through her peripheral vision as they walked side by side to the room they were in before. Her hand briefly met his and she felt a surge of energy go through her. Scared of what might happen, she touched the concrete wall and discharged it all. She didn't want to reveal this power...yet.

This time, there were two normal tables to be strapped down to. She watched as they strapped York in. She met his eyes and nodded. She had accepted the fact that she could die today...she memorized York's face...memorized the features of her friend. It could be the last thing she saw. When the men motioned her, she got on the table, face up this time. They strapped her down.

"Well if it isn't my two favorite delinquents. How are you doing today? Ky? I see you healed up nice and quickly as normal. Sorry about yesterday, your boyfriend didn't cooperate, so really, it's not my fault." Marks voice rumbled through the room. His tone was very irritating....almost as if he invited conversation. She saw York tense and shook her head, they would make a move soon. "Since you're torturing us, would you mind telling us where we are? What planet are we on? This most definitely is not Earth." Might as well get some information out of him, as he prepped. Mark ignored her, and pulled out an IV line. Walking up to Ky, he inserted the needle into the vein on her left arm, facing York. She sighed. Yep. He was going to do it. They had probably had orders to terminate her, so why not have her die in front of her associate? More drama means more fun, right?

"Well, Kylara, I can tell you one thing. If your boyfriend cooperates today, you wont have to deal with the pain. If he doesn't...well, we'll see. Won't we?" he said, as he put nodes under her shirt again. These were just to monitor her vitals, no electric shocks this time. Turning to York, Mark smiled a big smile. "Your girlfriend may not be able to handle what we have in store today. You better get to talkin, fast big guy." he said as he patted York's knee, as he walked past. Picking up a needle with a strange looking substance in it he turned to Kylara and York. "This needle contains a slow acting poison. Injected directly into the bloodstream, Kylara will be dead in an hour without an antidote. I must say, it is a very painful way to go." Judging by the looks on their faces, they had already expected this outcome. He raised an eyebrow at the look of determination on Ky's face. Walking over to her, he tapped the tip of the needle and squeezed a little out to get rid of any extra air. Wouldn't want her to have a quick death, that would be to easy. Mark stuck the needle in her IV port and shoved the needle down, injecting the full amount of poison into her arm. Kylara gasped. Fire was coursing through her veins, attacking her. The normal blip and beep on the heart monitor sped up, and her blood pressure rose. Pain was all she could feel...

Mark turned to York. "Well, York. Up to you now. Are you going to talk?"

Kylara still conscious, met his eyes, and shook her head. She was trying to get a burst of energy to get them out of here....but it was taking time. Maybe longer than they had...

 

[York]

@Bitterblue

((Alright o.o I'll just go think up a name real quick... And yeah, I guess that seems fair o-o though I'll probably leave most of Mark's dialogue up to you... Though, I may control his actions a bit, just simply because I'm not sure how to play him right o-o))

Without realizing it, York's gaze had drifted over to Kylara's face again, and each time, he could almost swear he saw Jane in her place, more than a few times; it could just be because of that dream... But, was it something more? Over the few days that they've met, it became quite apparant that they've grown closer to one another, developing some sort of mutual bond, though, was it just a mutual bond? This was something he couldn't answer, but, he did know that, whenever they were together, he got some sort of feeling, like he was warm... On the inside; a feeling he'd only ever recieved one other time, back when he was a child, with Jane. What was it that his parents had called it, he frowned a little as he tried to recall, he knew it rhymed with "dove" or something, he shook his head a little, this wasn't the time for such trivial things, he knew their captors would come back at any-....

And as if right on cue, right then, the door opened, allowing a few men to enter the room... As if in unison, he stood up, and walked alongside Kylara, in front of the men; he could feel a good portion of his power returning to him, but, he was still uncertain if it would be enough to bust them out of here. He had a feeling all that exertion he'd undergone during their battle with those creatures allowed him a bigger pool of energy to draw from at the very least, but, he wasn't sure how big; he could definitely not feel much of a difference, if any, so that difference must be too small. Feeling his hand touch Kylaras, that strange feeling arose within again, and suddenly, he felt warm inside, and surprisingly calm too; as if all his worried had suddenly disappeared, if only for that moment. His eyes darted to his side, where Kylara was for a brief moment, noticing her press her hand against the wall; his systems detected a brief power surge, he couldn't quite figure out what she had done, but, it felt like she had expelled some of her own power... Perhaps in an attempt to hide it?

He immediately took note of the fact that there were two normal in the room rather than that odd-looking one they had brought in yesterday; his gut instinct told him they were changing tactics today, as one would expect... Yesterday, they didn't make much in the way of progress. As they strapped in him, he resisted the temptation to try and escape just yet, he knew they both had to time their escape just right; wait for the guard of their captor's to drop, then, make a break for it.

Hearing Mark speak made him clench his teeth, he wasn't exactly sure what he was implying, calling Kylara his "girlfriend" and him, her "boyfriend", but, it was difficult to tell if it was sarcasm, or if he really believes so. Just for a moment, he clenched his fists, tensing his body as he tried to suppress his anger; one thing he couldn't afford to do right now was lose his cool, he hadn't ever done so in his life, but, he knew it wouldn't be good if he did. Whenever he came close, he felt like he was losing control of himself, but, it hadn't ever happened ever since he had crash-landed on this planet... Not yet anyways.

Mark's quick briefing about their interrogation made York clench his fists again; he swore he would take a thousand of Forerunner pain projectors being directed, full force at him than to have another suffer in order to extract information from him. It was the most primal, simister, but, yet effective tactic, one that hadn't been used for eons by now, most races deemed it to be a dishonorable if not shamefull tactic from where he was from, but, quite evidently, things had changed. As Mark injected that poison into Kylara's veins, he clenched his fists, almost hard enough to draw blood, his hands shook as a reddish glow shone in his eyes, just before he closed them, taking a few breaths. When Mark asked him if he was ready to talk, he opened his eyes suddenly glaring back at him with a look that had once only been present on him when he was in battle, a reddish glow flashing in his iris's once more, for one split second "When you are." he said coldly, suddenly becoming calm, as if all of a sudden, all emotion had drained from him.

Mark seemed prepared to do anything to extract information from him, and, now, he knew that he had to act soon, before it was too late for Kylara. He drew energy into his body, trying to muster as much as he could before it was too late; his ship had a few more nanites in it, he wasn't sure if they could cure poison, but, they had to! He couldn't let her die... A sense of dread was filling him, but, that dread started to turn to anger, so much that he had to struggle as hard as he could to keep himself calm, keep his power undercover for the time being, he couldn't let Mark know that he was planning on breaking free, not yet. Mark suddenly grinned a little "Well... How about I start with a little piece of information... Back on Earth, a contact found some sort of device. A portal, which lead me to this wonderfull planet, my new base of operations, we call it Tera, fitting name, don't you think?"he asked, a leering grin on his face.

York blinked, Tera, he'd heard that name before, it was one of the shield worlds being built, to shelter forerunners, and biological samples from the firing of the Halo array; preserving enough portions of the galaxies species in order to repopulate soon after. It became obvious that Mark had unearthed a slipspace portal that lead to this one; he could only hope that they hadn't found the other, leading to the Ark, it would spell disaster for the galaxy; the Ark was the control center of the halo array, responsible for creating replacements for broken portions, and controlling the firing of that array. "Ready to talk now? Or would you rather watch your girlfriend suffer some more?" He asked in a taunting manner. This almost made York snap, but, instead of getting mad, he remained chillingly calm "You wanted answers... Correct? The truth is; I say your race isn't ready for such technology as mine... Because it doesn't exist, for you. There is no secret, as the alloys, materials, and energy sources required are all gone by now, gone with the wind as one would say... And at the rate you're going, it'll become near impossible for someone such as you to even dream of making any more." he said, letting out a small laugh. Little did Mark know, but, he was bluffing; but, for a good cause, it wasn't in his nature to lie, but, he knew for a fact that he couldn't let the truth fly, otherwise, the galaxy may not have a chance to recover again if the Halo Array was fired, especially without a reason, nor preparations first.

 

[Bitterblue]

((I changed the amount of time the poison would kill her-1 hour, and fast forwarded to the near end. And yes, Mark did have the only vial of antivenom. But in one of the cabinets, there should be some Adrenaline, York should figure out what to do from there. ;))

45 Minutes Later

Ky's heartbeat had slowed intensely. Her skin was wet to the touch with sweat, but she felt like it was freezing. She had given in to unconsciousness 15 minutes into the ordeal. Her vitals were dropping rapidly.... as she drifted into a dream.

Sarah, the youngest member of the flock, was crying. Only two years old, Kylara considered Sarah to be her baby. She loved this kid. A Lot. Rushing into the room, she picked up the crying child and whispered in her ear. "It's going to be alright. Shhhh everything's okay." But as soon as the words left her mouth, she was at her wedding day again...As she watched her love die, she wanted to die as well. It was then that the burning feeling started. Fire crept up her body, and she screamed in pain....

At Kylara's scream, Mark slammed the table in frustration. "She's going to die, dang it! Don't you care? I've seen the way you look at her. Give me something I can use, and you could save her life." Mark yelled. Ky was almost dead and York had given him nothing. Whatever he must know must be huge. If he could get through this wall...no. He was out of time.

Kylara had suddenly woken up and gasped. It felt like someone was pouring hot acid through her veins. She wanted it to stop. Kylara howled with pain as she arched her back. All she could think about was making it stop. She didn't care anymore if York told him everything...this was pain like nothing she'd ever felt before. "Make....It....STOP!!!!" as she screamed the last word a strong surge of blue lightning flew from Kylara's body. This was the strongest she had ever done...the men were knocked against the wall and knocked out, Mark as well. Unfortunately.... the only vial of antivenom flew from his hand and smashed into the wall, shattering into millions of pieces and dumping the lifesaving antidote all over the floor.

A pair of scissors had fallen within York's reach...hopefully sharp enough to cut through the bonds. But Kylara couldn't fight anymore....her body went limp...and the monitor showed a long beeeeeeeep. Her heart had slowed to the point where the monitor couldnt pick it up...if not fixed immediately...it would stop altogether.

 

[York]

York couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't take sitting here, waiting for Kylara's life to slip away just like that... As soon as that vial smashed onto the ground, the only vial of antivenom shattering as Kylara shot a bold of electicity. Anger, filled him, thorouhgly... His eyes suddenly shifted to a dark shade of red, his old memories returning to him; the destruction of his home planet, the Didact's betrayal, every one of his memories which brought on a sense of hatred and despair in some way or another. That was when a red glow became prominent in his irises and his body glowed that same color as he managed to yank his right hand free before he got ahold of himself... He didn't have enough energy to burn it away like this, the red glow disappeared, slowly replaced by a blue one as he quickly picked up the pair of scissors, laying just in his reach, making quick slashes, freeing is hands before he rushed towards one of the drawer, digging around for anything that could be of use to him... Various containers and needles filled with various chemicals were tossed aside as he searched, his body returning to a normal color for a brief moment. Soon enough, he found something that might be of use to him; andrenaline, a needle full of it anyways, good enough to slow down the effects of the toxins at the very least.

It was now that he ran towards Kylara, jabbing the needle into her arm carefully and injecting the full contents of the needle into her arm, hoping it wasn't too late... "Dammit! Live!... I can't... Let it... Happen... Again..." He hissed under his breath, he had seen too many comrades fall in battle from their nanites working one moment too late; even such things required a small interval of time to do what they needed to do... He just hoped the andrenaline would keep the poison from harming Kylara until he could inject her with some nanites... He figured they were their best bet... With that in mind, he let the empty needle drop to the floor, freeing Kylara in a few moments, and held her unconscious body securely in his arms, shifting her a little to make room for her wings. Then, he ran... Mustering up all the energy he could to the point where he was practically a blur as his body started to glow blue... It was now or never that they'd bust their way out of here... All he could hope for was that there wasn't going to be much resistance on the way out.

 

[Bitterblue]

((O.o I imagined him plunging it home to her heart. But the arm works too :P))
They didn't meet much resistance on the way out...seems that the surge of energy past through the entire building. As the Adrenaline surged through her veins to her heart, Ky went into cardiac arrest. Her body started to shut down...but then the adrenaline hit. Her body arched and she gasped. Unfortunately, this caused her to fall out of York's arms. Still unconscious, she fell to the floor in a heap. Seems the adrenaline kickstarted her heart...for the time being. A dose as large as the one she was given would have killed a normal person. But she was not a normal person...her pulse was there, but it was weak. York would have to hurry if she was going to make it.

 

[York]

((o.o Well... He treated the needle full of andrenaline like he would with most other nanites/medicinal liquids by injecting it into the blood stream through ones arm... It's the first thing he thought of o-o))

"Shit!" York muttered under his breath as he felt Kylara fall out of his arms, he placed two fingers on her neck, feeling for a pulse... Thankfully, it was there, but, very faint, he knew he had to hurry. Carefully scooping her up in his arms, he rushed off, kicking through each door he reached until they were finally outside. He had no time to bask in the sunlight right now though, his eyes scoured the land around him until he located the forest area which was his pod's crashsite, his body glowed blue again as he rushed off, trying to conserve as much of his energy as possible... It took them a few minutes, even at his top speed, but, they finally made it, and, upon placing her down on the ground nearby, he searched around the compartments, digging through various medical and survival supplies, and some empty, or broken containers of nanites before finally finding one of the remaining fresh ones laying around... Rushing back to Kylara, he quickly pressed the container's "beak" into her arm, and, upon doing so, it injected the nanites into her bloodstream; he could only hope those things worked against toxins... He checked her pulse one last time, an worried sort of look crossing his face... He could never forgive Mark, nor his accomplices if Kylara were to die like this...

 

[York]

((Oh! I was just waiting to see Kylara's status as York had done all he had needed to do by this point, so, now he's waiting for the Nanites to do their thing o-o and, well, I guess I'll make a bit of a post till then about some dream he had don't worry too much about posting I suppose, take your time and post that dream/recover sequence whenever you're ready o-o))

York sighed, he leaned against the charred and dented hull of his escape pod, as much as it pained him, all he could do now was wait for her to wake up... Her pulse had been faint, but, still there; the nanites should do their work in due time sooner or later. It didn't take very long for his eyelids to start getting heavy as he was feeling the full effects of tiredness, expending that much energy before he could fully recover hadn't exactly been nice to his body or anything, but, it could have been worse. Soon enough, without being completely aware of it, he had dozed off...

This dream felt more like a vivid memory than anything; it was one of his first missions, he, and many other "awakened" Hybrids were crammed into a transport ship; it was a suicide mission, the planet they were about to be deployed on was already being over-taken by the flood. Infected battle-cruisers were firing upon them from all directions, but most had their attention focused on the planet's defenses, which were already weakened by now. The ship vibrated breifly as it entered the planet's atmosphere, and a robotic voice rang from speakers above them "Orbital drop commening in 5... 4..." He had no idea what to expect down on the surface, but, their priority was to eliminate as many flood forms as possible, top priority; secure and transport valuable data and any uninfected civilians. "3... 2... 1... Good Luck." the ship doors suddenly burst open, and he jumped out along with many other comrades. They landed just fine as they weren't too far from the ground, but, this was just the easy part; now they were in the eye of the storm... Various infected personel had spotted them already, and the group was being bombarded with weapons fire, some were easily deflected, light rifle rounds, suppressor shots, but, there were more heavy hitting weapons incoming; an incinerator Cannon was fired, and a bright orange explosion blossomed nearby as one of his comrades were hit before he could shield himself in time. It was about this time he had drawn his weapon, slashing through enemy ranks as his entire body glowed blue, his motions blurring as he tried to strike before the enemy could... Fellow soldiers had begun opening fire, and even utilizing their own weapons, but, it would seem that the horde of creatures wouldn't end....

Up ahead, an enormous, fleshy structure of sorts could be seen "HIVE!!!" one of his team-mates called, but, the focus was still on the onslaught of flood forms, though, soon enough, weapons fire focused on the building... Multiple energy spheres shot towards it, causing a defeaning explosion, forcing York to take cover behind a large piece of debris. The building seemed damaged, but, before it retracted itself into a more defensive, shriveled state, it spat out 3 enormous creatures. Their long arms and enormous frame told him that they were pure forms, and, with that in mind, he knew they had to be taken care of as soon as possible, he rushed forwards, attempting to take on the first one, his team had already opened fire on the group, but, despite the creatures sustaining heavy damage... They didn't stop moving, in fact, it looked like they were regenerating; pure forms, unline combat forms were fully custom-made creatures, able to shift their physique to fit their needs, and regenerate injuries with terrifying speed. This was the reason most infected planets were bombarded from orbit, sacrificing many lives and various bits of data, but, it was in hopes of preventing the flood from gathering more forces. The hybrids had been an alternative, but, it seemed even they were getting over-whelmed by these 3 forms, they were adapting, though, most of his comrades hadn't had the time to practice with their abilities, neither did he. However, it didn't stop him from striking the closest pure form over and over, each slash cutting deep into it's flesh until it had finally stopped moving, for now, he backed away then, noticing his comrades had each raised their hands, glowing a variety of colors as they were preparing to finish the creatures off. He joined them, then, in unison, they all let loose a barrage of beams, each one was rather small, in order to save energy, but, the power of all of them combined would be more than enough to take out these pure forms. Despite losing a few from the initial battle, when the barrage of beams hit the pure forms, their bodies heated up quickly, to the point where each and every cell in them had been fried... The three creatures fell to the ground, each burnt to a crisp, peppered with various holes where a few beams had burnt through them.

Despite the brief victory, they hadn't the time to celebrate; sirens rung throughout the battered-war-torn settlement as thousands of ships flew through the air, most of them were civilian ships, trying to escape the planet before the infection spread too far. Others had already been infected, falling down to the planet's surface in a combined effort to envelop the planet with that same fleshy substance covering their surface; the fight was far from over... But, perhaps, they still had a chance.... Right? Just as that thought entered his mind, an blinding flash of light followed by a tremendous explosion scattered him and his allies, York just barely managed to look up to see what had done it, and... It became apparant what it was; an infected Forerunner Fortress ship pierced the clouds, and, it's full arsenal of weapons had been armed... Despite knowing full well this could possibly be the end, he raised his sword, getting himself up shakily as he prepared to make one final stand...

That was when he woke up, sweating, breathing heavily, and, realizing that he wasn't dead, nor was he on a battlefield... As he slowly came to his senses, he immediately looked towards Kylara, hoping she was doing alright by now... He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but, he could say it's at least been half an hour or so. Hopefully, she was doing ok, as the last time he checked, her pulse had been weak, but, at least steady as far as he knew, but, only time could tell if the nanites had done their job... "Hang in there girl... I can't let it happen again..." He said, clenching his fists briefly, he'd never be able to find it in him to forgive himself is the toxins were too much for even Kylara to handle...

 

[Bitterblue]

The adrenaline was wearing off. As York set her down by the pod her pulse was slowing, and her body was beginning to shut down. Mark knew about her bodies extraordinary ability to heal quickly, he must have put something in the poison to counteract that ability.

When York inserted the nanites into Kylara's bloodstream, they gave her body a boost, maybe just the boost it needed. It gave her body's ability to fight foreign bodies back, it gave her a fighting chance.

She wasn't dreaming persay.....it was just living through memories. Memories of the flock, of Malik...and somehow each of these memories included York. He was possibly standing on the sidelines or somewhere unseen. But Ky sensed his presence....

"Hang in there girl... I can't let it happen again..."

That voice....she knew it...she'd been traveling hearing that voice for the past few days....his name....what was his name? She needed to know his name...Dork....Fork....York. His name was York. She remembered the events of the past two days...torture. She remembered Mark putting the nodes on her skin and electricity pouring through her veins. She remembered telling York not to tell them anything if it meant her death...but where were they? Surely Mark wouldn't have let them go willingly...curiosity was overwhelming her.

Kylara woke, but she didn't open her eyes. She kept her breathing slow and steady, as if she were still asleep. She felt the sand beneath her, and the metal behind her. If she had to wager a guess, she would say they were back at the ship. Where she first saw York. But how had they gotten out? She felt horrible. She knew York was nearby. It was time to let him know she was awake...groaning softly, she opened her eyes slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the dimming light. She saw York and nodded slowly. "What happened?"

 

[York]

York looked visibly relieved when he noticed Kylara had finally woken up, when she asked what happened... He took a moment to recall all the events that had lead up to this. "Well... You knocked our captors out... And, well... I guess we busted out." he looked at the now empty container that had once held the nanites responsible for saving Kylara's life. Then, he looked back to her "I almost thought I'd lost you... But, it looks like these nanites did their job." he added, smiling in a bit of a wry manner as he leaned against his wrecked pod. It's been a long day, but, they managed to make it through all those crazy events somehow, though that dream he had earlier... It was more like a flashback, a memory of one of the worst casualties a team he had been part of had endured. The planet had been demoloshed once the hybrids were evacuated with the little they could recover; that fortress ship had been part of the initial "failsafe" team that was in charge of bombing the surface from orbit.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked towards Kylara, glancing at those wings on her back... He had to wonder if whatever had been done to her had become a catalyst for some sort of power within? Almost like what happened with his race, but, with different mutations perhaps? There were many theories, but, he figured he could worry about such things later; there were two more pressing matters... One, those scientists located on this planet, if they had found a slip-space portal to this world, chances are, they may eventually stuble accross some Forerunner technology. Though, if not, the slip-space portal alone could cause trouble, especially if the flood were to follow him through this wormhole somehow, using the co-ordinates that were acquired, they could pose a considerable threat to this planet, as well as Earth, which is where the portal had to have been found.

 

[Bitterblue]

Kylara blinked when he told her she'd knocked them out. "I what? I wasn't even aware...not even conscious....something is happening..something wrong...." She was muttering more to herself, but was sure that York could hear her. Hearing the part about losing her, she shot him a sarcastic smile. "You can't get rid of me that easily." she saw him glance at her wings. She sighed. Everyone was curious, it was only natural. Part of her wished she hadn't had them, because of the telltale flick of the eye to her wings showing. But really, she wouldn't trade it for anything. Nothing can compare to the freedom that the open sky offered.

"Would you like to see?" she said quietly, gesturing to her wings. It would be better for him to work out his curiosity sooner rather than later. She would just extend her wings and let him ask her questions that everyone always did. But still, she didn't often offer it...but if they were going to survive together, they needed to build a basis of trust.

She wanted to get to what they were going to do next, but she was in no state to think straight right now.

 

[York]

It took York a brief moment to answer as he looked over Kylara's wings a few times... As expected, they resembled an avian's, except, with more muscle mass, capable of lifting a much heavier body without the need to make any adjustments to their owner's weight. After that, he nodded "Yes... That would be nice." he said, smiling a little, he found himself looking up at the sun; it was getting a little low in the sky, but, they probably had a good amount of time before night truly set in.

The impending sunset reminded him of his home a little, the one he remembered from the memories he had managed to piece together... He let out a faint sigh as he waited for Kylara's response, looking to be at ease, but, a bit restless, he figured that they should probably get a move on sooner or later; gain some distance between them and that horrid lab. It was only a matter of time before they sent out a squad or something to retrieve them, which meant that, if his estimations were correct, they would be in for a bit of trouble if they stayed here tomorrow for too long.

 

[Bitterblue]

((On my phone, so no formatting available. Sorry.))
Kylara nodded at his response. She stood slowly, abd extended her wings to their full 20 foot expanse. The mix of both dark and ligjt brown and white feathers contrasting with her auburn hair and green eyes. She walked forward so he could see from the back if he wanted to.
"I was a test tube kid. I was created by a donor of each gender (obviously, she thought) and when I was still an embryo they inserted Avian DNA into my bloodstream. At such an early stage of development, my DNA mingled with the foreign, and they became one...or so to speak. The Facility used to tell us we were 98% human, and 2% avian." She paused, trying to figure out what to say next. "They work, fully. Just like a bird's, I have primary, secondary and tertiary feathers and each is for a distinct use." She twitched each of the feathers as she said the name, showing him which was which. "We were lucky, really. Inserting DNA into us like that, we could've just sprouted feathers and a beak. But instead, we got wings, superhighway and some other powers." At the look on his fave at the word 'we' she sighed. "There were originally 6 of us...one of them my husband. But they (the facility, that is) hunted us down one by one...I couldn't protect them. I'm the last of them." She sent him a sad smile at the look on his face. "It happened a while ago, I've been on the run since."

She was finished. Folding her wings back against her body, she sat and leaned against the pod, letting her head rest. Gosh. She would kill for a shower right now. She probably stank badly.

She looked at York. "What about you?" She asked.

 

[York]

York nodded... He seemed to understand the weight of being an experiment in a way... And, the even greater weight of being the last of your kind... He drew his sword, looking at the strange symbols engrated into it's blade before he put it down, looking back at the horizon again. "I'm supposed to be a living weapon... Like the rest of my race that survived the flood invasion." he looked towards Kylara, deciding to continue "The humans and Hybrids once worked together to produce an cure to the parasitic cells the flood had... To stop it's assmilation of other beings... And, I guess... It also acted an catalyst for this strange power I've recieved." he sighed a little. "We couldn't learn how to use our own powers fast enough... So, the secondary option was employed; many humans died in the process, but, the flood's relentless attack against the human empire was ended." Despite saying this, sadness glinted in his eyes "I've told you the rest I guess... But, one thing I left out was that I'm one of the few Hybrids still surviving... Most of us are sent on suicide missions; to try and rescue vital information and people from flood infested planets... Despite our powers, we've been suffering heavy casualties." He stood up, sheathing his sword. "My race is but a fading memory now... Of a time when the humans and Forerunners lived in peace, side by side, a long time ago." York finished, looking himself over a little before he spoke again. "Maybe we should, as they used to say... 'Wash up'." He added; even someone like him knew the importance of cleanliness.

 

[Bitterblue]

Kylara listened to York's speech, and nodded. Yes she had been an experiment, but she wasn't a human weapon, or so she thought. She put a hand on his shoulder, aware that the contact was needed, at least by her. She hadn't trusted another living being since Malik, not with any of the stuff she'd shared.. but York by far had the worse of it. He was used relentlessly by his government, he was deemed expendable. Resolve flooded her.

She laughed softly at the mention of washing up. She still couldn't stand for a long time, she doubt she could bathe, and there was no way she was letting York do it. But she would do it anyway. "That would be amazing." She said as she struggled to her feet. Now to head back to the cave where they had first called base before somethin chased them out.

She figured conversation was a good way to fill the awkward silence that had suddenly befallen. "Can you explain to me what the flood is, what it does, and how?" She heard the concern in his voice, and guessed what he thought. The thought had occurred to her as well. The flood could have found the portal that led to this world.

 

[York]

"It's a highly adaptive parasite of sorts... Known for obtaining knowledge from infected victims... It's biggest asset is "sharing" their minds once they have created a "brain" for themselves, known as a "gravemind." York tried to simplify this a little... He seemed to relax when he felt Kylara's hand on his shoulder; the way his people were pitted against the relentless forces the flood have accumulated were an act of desparation by one of the leading figures the Forerunners had. It wouldn't have come to this had the flood not have struck the way it did, but, now... "The flood thrives on the intelligence it absorbs, and lives to assimilate all life in the galaxy through any and all means neccesary... Every fallen army, every overtaken ship is another to add to it's ranks." He sighed a little, it seemed that there was no winning the war at the time... Not without firing the halo array; a majority of the galaxy had succumbed to the Flood's assault, as, to begin with, most civilizations remaining after the Human-Forerunner war had no surefire way to defend against such an attack, the Flood quickly amassed an army, and set forth an unforgiving assault on Forerunner colonies, overtaking the once mighty civilization, just as it had with the humans centuries ago, except this time, a cure was impossible to find.

It looked like he went silent for a moment, thinking about something before he continued "Maybe things would have turned out differently... The war could have been won; if the peace between the Humans and Forerunners had not shattered..." he said. It seemed like he was trying to condense the events he could recall into a few simple sentences; it was nearly impossible, but, his explanation was at least understandable to some extent... One could tell he wasn't used to giving such exposition; he came from a place where information was relayed throughout a massive network of sorts, where such information could be accessed with a simple command from one's suit interface.

 

[Bitterblue]

((Bump. I know I'm up next, I plan on catching up on most of my roleplays today.))

 

[Bitterblue]

Kylara nodded through all of this information processing in her brain. Fed off intelligence? Sounded like something from a book. She was about to reply when she saw the cave. She wanted to see if she could hold her own now, her body should be able to fight it off rather quickly now. Dropping her arm from around York's shoulder, she stepped away. She swayed shortly, a wave of dizziness sweeping over her. Other than that she was fine. "We shouldn't stay long, otherwise that thing might come back. Lets wash up, gather supplies, and get out of here." she said as she started making her way down to the edge of the water. She headed around the bend, out of York's sight. She did want privacy, if possible. Slipping out of her clothes, she slowly waded in the cold water. When she was waist deep, she dove under, scrubbing her hair, her arms, everything. She wanted to be clean, or at least as clean as one could be in this wilderness. She enjoyed swimming around, relishing the feeling of weightlessness as she glided through the water. Finally, she headed back to shore, and grabbed her filthy clothes. Bringing them in the water, she soaked them, wringing them out and repeating the process until the water ran clear. Pulling them on, she headed back to shore once more. She made it back to the cave, and looked around. The pack was gone, probably dropped in the run from whatever it was. She headed out into the forest where she gathered twigs, vines, and the like and started to weave them together, until a small bag was formed. This would help with carrying supplies since the pack was gone. She made a few more similar to the first, and deemed it enough.

Now for food. Soaking wet as she was, she already started to shiver as the sun went down again. But they needed food. It seemed forever since she had last eaten...when in reality it was only yesterday. She set out again, slowly. She gripped the knife, ready to throw it at an instants notice. She continued like this until she'd found multiple rabbits, squirrels, and even a small hog. She gutted and cleaned the kills and brought the meat back to the cave, where they would have to stay the night. She found a pile of firewood there, ready for a fire. Smiling, she quickly kindled one, and started to cut the meat from the kills she had made, placing them near the fire. Drying them would preserve them, so they could have some things to travel with, and not rely on always having game around.

York might have come back anytime ago, but she didn't feel like talking, she just nodded at him and continued working, slicing the meat into thin strips, but placing a big portion right on the fire to cook for their supper tonight.

When it was all done, she wrapped the dry meat in some leaves she had found, and stuck them in one of the bags she had made. She grabbed a stick and pulled the hunk of hog meat from the fire, and split it in two. "York, you hungry? This looks amazing." she said. She leaned back against the wall of the cave, and dug into the food. Oh. My. Goodness. This had to be the best meat she'd ever had. "You okay, York?" she asked, wanting to let him do the talking, because exhaustion had finally won over her, it was all she could do to just stay awake and eat...