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Elven Suicide: Part Four- Dancing Around the Answer
Posted By: The Arbitress
Date: 9 March 2005, 2:31 AM
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Why do we do this? Why do we live our entire lives like robots? The only thing we concentrate on is making anyone more powerful then ourselves happy, and carrying out whatever orders we've been given. And when ever anyone decides to do anything different, they are labeled as rebellious, and society shuns them. But, sometimes, society takes it further. What happens if you make the wrong people angry? Society is unpredictable. There's no way to tell what will happen. Unless you're dealing with the military. Pure protocol. And sometimes, usually, that protocol may not agree with you.
"Enough of this drama. Elizabeth, we need to talk, NOW."
More hell.
Halsey literally had to drag Elizabeth out into the hall.
Once out in the hallway, Elizabeth braced for the title wave.
"Marrion-" Katherine tried to start as passively as possible.
"Katherine, just say it. I'm screwed. I know it. Just fry me already and spare me the softy crap."
"Ok...well," Halsey replied, a little flustered. "I'll just lay it out. You are screwed. I don't know what you did to these children, but its not...what I expected."
"What exactly did you expect? A group of machines?"
Halsey was lost. What did this woman think she was doing? This was the United Nations Space Command, not Girl Scout camp.
"Do you remember your training?" She asked, rather skeptikly.
"I was only trained as a private, then the brass yanked me." This should drive Halsey crazy. Act as innocent as possible, then watch the results.
"So why were you chosen for this project?" This wasn't happening. She was supposed to be in control, not Marrion!
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno, didn't you choose me?"
Halsey rested her forehead against her palm and sighed in frustration.
"Just answer me this," she asked lightly, "what went wrong." Her voice was flat. She really didn't care. It wasn't as if her job was on the line, only Marion's.
"I don't know what you mean, it seems to me they performed just fine," Liz retorted, rolling her eyes.
Katherine grabbed Elizabeth by the shoulders and viciously slammed her against the wall. Her eyes seemed wild, or maybe that was just Liz's imagination. Either way, she found it rather funny. And felt like voicing that opinion.
A grin slowly crept over her face. She struggled to free one of her hands and clamped it over her mouth to stifle the laughter.
Halsey just watched this and grew angrier.
"Do you have any idea what's at stake here?!" she shrieked.
It still didn't seem to affect Liz at all. She calmly pried Halsey's fingers from her shoulders and dusted herself off, noting the thin lines of blood oozing from the nail marks.
"Tell me Halsey, since when did you get rabies?" She politely asked.
Katherine gritted her teeth. If she had any remaining hope of coming out of this argument with victory, she had to keep better control over herself. She took a few deep, calming breaths, and clasped her hands in front of her. Her long nails dug into her palms, but that pain was worth seeing Marrion lose her job.
She mustered a semi-placid smile, and searched her brain for the right response.
"Elizabeth, I understand that you have been through quite a bit, what with losing nearly half of your unit, but I hope that you can regain some of your senses, at least long enough to answer my questions."
Elizabeth just grinned, then decided to make the best of the situation, maybe even have a little more fun.
"Why Katherine, I am sure we can work out some answers, don't you?" she said with mock politeness, trying to hide the caustic remark.
"Liz, please. Just this once," she pleaded.
Elizabeth fluttered her hand in the air, brushing away the previous argument.
"Fine. Enough battle. What do you want to know?"
"Oh thank heavens," Halsey said, letting out a short, relieved yet strained laugh, "I just want to know what went wrong."
Elizabeth studied Katherine's face, trying to find where she had set the trap. But her face seemed chiseled from stone, as if she were a statue.
"I really don't know," she said, shrugging her shoulders again.
Ok, so maybe keeping my cool won't be as easy as I thought.
Halsey dug her hands into her palms harder. Elizabeth sensed Halsey's agitation, and decided maybe this was the time to quit the game.
"Ok, well, maybe it was because I pulled them from their families at age four. Who knows?"
"Or maybe it was because you only have a private's training," Halsey muttered.
"What?"
Katherine snapped her mouth shut and stuttered a reply. "Uh, nothing. So it's because they were only four when they started. Ok, good enough for me."
With that, she spun around and walked down the hall, without a backward glance.
"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth called, but it didn't matter. Halsey didn't even notice her presence in the hall anymore.
Excellent. She doesn't even know what went wrong. Maybe this will be easier then I thought, Katherine thought as she headed toward the board room to discuss what would happen next.
Elizabeth paced her office. The same thoughts raced through her mind. She was going insane again over the safety of the Eldar. She didn't know Halsey well enough to guess what was going to happen, but she knew the spooks well enough to know this wouldn't be good. Deja vou could be cruel sometimes.
She fell down in her seat and logged on to the view screen. The little pad next to her hand crackled as her personal AI, Hera, popped to life.
"ONI driving you nuts again?" she asked with a wry grin.
Elizabeth shook her head and let out a little laugh.
"Is that the only thing you think about?"
Hera just grinned wider.
"You have to remember, you programmed me this way," she shrugged, putting up her hands defensively.
"Maybe I should have passed on a few of those experimental programs I installed."
"What do you mean? I think they turned out well." Hera sat down in a huff and drew her legs up to her chin. She stared moodily at Liz.
"Hera." She wasn't fooled by her childish fit.
Elizabeth mocked annoyance, but she knew what was going on. Hera was modeled to be a personality. She had mood swings and 'times of the month' just as a human does. Though, not quite that far. She was programmed to act as if she did. Once every month she grew crabby. But that was just a glitch she still hadn't figured out how to get rid of.
Hera still just stared.
"Fiiine," Liz sighed, giving it. "Please help?"
Hera jumped up, grinning again.
"Glad to be of service. And what hacking would you like done today?"
Liz smiled inwardly. That was also one of those 'experimental' programs. Hera's specialty was hacking into anything and everything. That was partially how she had gotten this job in the UNSC. And that was also the one thing Elizabeth knew the Eldar could do exceptionally.
"'ello?"
Liz snapped out of her thoughts. How many times was this now that she had completely zoned out?
"Sorry, just...out of it."
Hera nodded her head. "I understand. So how 'bout a little spying on Halsey?"
"Meh. Normally I would....
"Liz, the woman had treated you like target practice through out this entire project. Right now she is probably working on getting you iced-"
"Thanks for the support," Liz interrupted.
"Either way, don't you think you deserve a little...you know?"
Liz mulled over this for a sec.
"Eh, what the hell. Go ahead; let's see what she's doing."
"Excellent."
Hera jumped up, a sly grin already nearly taking over her face. She moved her fingers in the air as if she was typing on a keyboard and-
"Clickidy click click."
The display screen came to life to show the board room, where Halsey was already busy persuading the brass.
Elizabeth's eyes danced across the screen, keeping track of what was going on. Most of it was just protocol crap, so, needless to say, she half paid attention. Except for the last bit.
"Doctor Halsey, we have gone over this mission countless times, and keeping your opinions in mind, we have reached a decision," spoke Admiral Prescott.
This woke Liz up. She put her elbows on the table and rested her chin. Her attention was glued to the screen.
"As we have thought about this further, we have decided that the Eldar present a danger to the UNSC. They have seen things within our walls that we prefer to keep quiet. Though, we do not precisely know just how serious this problem is. Therefore, we leave this in our hands. Do what you wish."
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