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Athenians-II Chapter 7: Mark Two
Posted By: ZackDark<ftalves@uninet.com.br>
Date: 12 February 2004, 7:54 PM


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Carl "Shade" Dark. Sniper expert. My older brother. He likes to use silencers and 20x zoom capable scopes on his snipers rifles. Cold blooded and quick at the shot.

Watt "Boulder" Heinz. Heavy weapons. He's the team back-up. SMGs and Rocket Launchers are his favorite weapons. Big and strong.

Peter "Rock" Heinz. Heavy weapons. Watt's identical twin. Same likes and dislikes. Big and strong.

Robert "Grip" Johnson. Grabbing weapons expert. His guns are modified to carry tow cables. Fast and agile.

Dan "Number 6" Merton. Mechanic. He's best pilot and mechanic I know. Smart and precise.

Juliet "Rainbow" Starwer. Background expert. She likes to stay out of the real action. She only does the transport and support missions.

I'm Zack Dark. All-techniques. Squad leader.

We are the Athenians-II, a special soldier division trained to assist the Spartans-II. We use ÉNDJÀs battle suits that are similar to the MJOLNIR suits.
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Previously:

They came one by one. We had to squeeze ourselves into the Pelican for the EPUs to enter. When we finally fitted in, we raced to the base.

It was now a small landed frigate, named The Seagull, with lots of Harpias/C landed around it. There were more turrets and other buildings scattered around the base. Now it looked like a military town.

The others left their EPUs in a mechanic and we all entered the frigate. General Barkingson was waiting for us at his office. He told us a little surprise was waiting for us at The Seagull's lab.

We all entered the lift that led straight for the lab.

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The lift stopped. The doors sled apart. The Seagull's lab was colossal. The size of the lab showed that The Seagull was built for experiments instead of battling.

A civilian in a white lab coat led us to a cart that he used to take us to the center of the lab.

He stopped in front large Titanium-A protected door. He told us to enter. We did it.

Inside was an enormous blue colored room. A spotlight was centered at the middle of the room, where Dr. Laura Redhawk, the inventor of the Athenians-II project, was standing. She was now a woman around her fifty's, with a now grey to blond hair and beautiful green eyes. When she selected us and more a dozen other four years old kids to be the next generation of super soldiers, she was only 31 years old. Beside her were six human sized dolls wearing ÉNDJÀs similar to ours, just a feel less bumpy.

"I'm glad you made your way back this quick." She said as we entered the room. "Hello, Zack."

"Dr. Redhawk." I said nodding in a compliment.

"Carl."

"Nice to see you ma'am."

"Watt, Peter."

"Hello, ma'am." They both said in a funny tune of voice.

"Robert."

He kindly nodded like me and said nothing.

"Dan."

"Hi."

"And Julie."

"Good evening, Dr. Laura." Julie was always the closest to Dr. Redhawk.

"As you all know the Covenants are managing to heal any wound we make to them." The Doctor said. "So, what about giving them a wound that will leave scars?"

"That would be really good, ma'am." I replied.

"These are the ÉNDJÀ battle suit Mark Two." She said pointing to the armors. "They are the same as yours Mark One but these ones can do a lot more things. They have heat vision filters with a maximum radius of 200 meters, they can produce fiber optic cables from dust, they have increased speed, improved shielding system and the most important: a port for AI chips with the same interface as a cruiser's one. The AI will be able to control your armor if you get unconscious or if you're out of it and ask for support. Each of you will get a to-be-formatted smart AI. You will set its personality and appearance."

"But ma'am, I thought a smart AI was the one who set its own appearance and personality." I said confused.

"Since you're five years old we, the Athenians-II project crew, had been trying to create a new AI technology that the results will be seen at the moment you put on that to-be-formatted chip into your new suit.

Technicians rushed in the room and helped us to put on the new ÉNDJÀs. I tested it by opening and closing my hands. Even my enhanced eyes couldn't catch the movement. I turned the heat vision on. I saw many red and yellow blobs rushing outside the walls as really dark blue tanks were transported by blue carts that were driven by others red and yellow blobs. I punched myself on the stomach but my hand was stopped by the shield. I inserted the chip into my helmet slot. I chose a name for the AI. It would be Kilmyra. She would have a bit of every capability, but would be expert in code-breaking and intrusion. She would be a bit ironical and would be a beautiful woman. She would be just like the AI aboard the doomed Pillar of Autumn, Cortana, lost in orbit of Reach.

Diagnostics ran across my screen. I felt a sensation of ice running trough my head.

"Hello, my name is Kilmyra. I am now accessing the databases of this frigate. Done. I see your name is Zack "Shadow" Dark, Athenian-II code-number 025." She said as soon as chip formatted.

"How do they have this kind of information in this frigate?" I thought out loud.

"This frigate is the main experiment lab for all of the UNSC approved secret projects." She replied.

"You all may now insert your AI chips into these slots for more information to them." Said Dr. Redhawk.

We did all as she instructed and prepared for getting some rest and go back to the battle.

After 3 hour of sleep and the UNSC soldiers were still able to hold the battlefield where we left it. We all got to the General's office and he briefed us from his one squad assault he was planning.

He had to be mad. Had too. He was planning to use a untested bomb called Nova to blow up the planet and destroy every Covenant on the planet, including the Covenant cruiser that was storing the strange plasma.

But orders were orders. We were going down again.





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