Halo: Endurance

February 27, 2517

Theodore Roosevelt's Nature Preserve, Sargasso

"Your sugar levels are back up to average, and your BMI is finally acceptable."

Standing in front of David in the room he had been bound to for the past 3 weeks, his doctor, Catherine Halsey, spat out a string of results from tests he had taken. Today, she didn't stand in her familiar white lab coat, but instead a deep blue summer dress, something David couldn't help but find strange.

Nodding to herself, the doctor began to speak again with noticeable pride, "Though barely, you can no longer be considered to be malnourished."

David breathed out a small sigh of relief upon hearing her words. He'd eaten more since he had gotten here than he had in the past year. Yet, he didn't eat because he wanted to, the lingering memory of the taste of bile remained in his mind every time he looked at anything remotely edible. He'd also lost most of, if not all, desire to eat more than the bare minimum after his homelessness streak. Thankfully, it seemed that he had overcome the ailment, thanks to the diligent work of Catherine.

As he was thinking to himself, Catherine noticed and cleared her throat, grabbing his attention again, "Seeing as you have been bound to this room for half of a month. I suppose that you would like to see the outside world again?" she asked getting a prompt nod, "Then care to join me for a little stroll through the safe part of the preserve? I've seen some of the plants that your parents were invested in researching, perhaps you would like to see them as well," she posed as a statement rather than a question.

"Yes," David nodded and immediately accepted the offer. Being on house arrest for the better part of a month was the most boring and monotonous experience he'd ever had in his entire life. He was dying to see something else besides the room.

But strangely, internally, he couldn't help but feel a bit of anxiety building up, and he couldn't tell why. A wave of dread seemed to quickly surge inside him, but he shoved to the side for the moment.

"Wonderful," Catherine said before handing a bag that she had brought in and left by the door, "I am not well versed in the typical clothing you wear, so I simply acquired some articles that closely resembled what you showed up in," she handed set the bag on the bed beside the boy, "I'll be just outside the door,"

After watching the doctor exit, David reached over, grabbing the bag before peering down into it. He cracked a wry smile, 'Why am I not surprised?' The clothes in the bag were exactly what he would expect the woman to get. By that, he found clothes almost identical to the ones he had been wearing while on the streets. 

He paused, holding them in his hand, 'Will this be what I wear for another year?' he sighed, easing the nervousness that had built up, 'I'll figure it out,' he told himself unassuredly

…

..

.

Stepping into the hall Dr. Halsey's mind wandered until it landed on the genetic test results she had received a week and a half ago.

Simply put, Candidate 003 was off the charts, having a projected efficacy rate with the proposed augmentations of 97% while only having a potential failure rate of 27%. Meaning David had not only the best probability in response to the treatments but also the best chance of surviving them. As the other 74 that she had sorted through for the past year had only about a 90% efficacy rate, but also with the current process they held a staggering 60% chance of failure. 

Combine this fact with the other conditions surrounding David. He was already somewhat mature for his age and highly resourceful. Over the past weeks, she had spent time probing his thinking process and was consistently impressed. The boy was intelligent, even reminding the woman of a younger version of herself… to a lesser degree. 

But most importantly, David was an orphan. He had no 'baggage' to cling to, and nothing to lament and find for him on the outside of the military. And whether Catherine wanted to address the fact or not, she felt better about an orphan joining the program than having to kidnap another child from their family.

'This little vacation is ending,' Halsey remembered, and with it, her best chance of acquiring David was slipping away. She needed him to come quietly and compliantly if possible; if not, she would have to go with the same plan she would use for the other candidates. Then his interactions with her might complicate things unnecessarily.

"I am ready," the door promptly opened to find David standing in the sunlight from the window behind him. No longer was he the skeletal street survivor, but instead a healthy young boy almost the same as he was a year ago. He stood with a yellow t-shirt and dark blue jeans with a newer pair of sneakers from the same brand he had before. His figure had rejuvenated, looking much healthier than it had been and far fuller, yet it was still cut, showing that he still hadn't regained the mass he had before. Similarly, his eyes held a certain seriousness, a sharpness, unlike others.

Halsey smiled, hiding her previous thoughts, and led the way to the building's entrance with David following closely behind.

…

..

.

The walk was enjoyable for both members of the pair. David was able to see some familiar sights in the plants, and Halsey was able to share most of the fun facts about the species that she had learned during her vacation. Between the two was an unspoken issue that they brushed against but never addressed. It was driving David crazy like an itch that couldn't be scratched, and so finally, when they reached a lull in the conversation, David decided to rip off the band-aid.

"What happens now?" he asked, not fully trusting the doctor, but not viewing her as an adversary.

Halsey paused in her tracks, "What do you mean?" The question had finally been asked; she needed to play this correctly and carefully.

David, not sensing the depth that this conversation would show in the years to come, clarified himself, "Is it back to the streets for me?" his voice was low with a hint of resignation. 

Turning to a log lying on its side to the right of the path, Catherine cleared it off with her hand before sitting down. She patted the spot beside her, gesturing for the boy to do the same.

"Before that, I have a question that I have been meaning to ask you, David," she said, peering into the boy's eyes, "What were you surviving for?" she asked her voice filled with a mix of intrigue and calm pragmatism.

David, thrown off by the question, took a moment before responding, "I…I don't know," he answered with uncertainty in his speech, "Maybe.. to just live, I guess."

A bit surprised by his answer, the doctor decided to press him a bit on his answer, "You don't want revenge?" she asked,d waiting for his answer

There was a pause as David thought to himself, and finally he exhaled deeply as he slowly answered, "No, but I do want to stop them. Don't you?" he asked, self-conscious of his answer.

"Without a doubt," Catherine responded instantly, 'After all, that is the reason why I am doing this,' she commented to herself before proceeding.

"What would you do if you had a chance to stop them? What if you had the chance to stop a lot of other terrible things? What would you do then?"

It was David's turn to answer instantly, feeling as though his answer should be obvious, "I'd take it." his answer was confident, and he added, "Who wouldn't?"

"Those that have a lot to lose," Catherine said sternly, peering into his eyes, "The people who would rather hold onto what they have than risk losing it all for the better. That's who wouldn't take such a chance,"

David's face captured a slight smile as a past thought came to mind, "My mom always told me 'Never let good be the enemy of great. '" he shrugged, "Besides, it's not like I have much to lose now."

'Your mother was a smart woman,' Halsey remarked to herself, 'And as such she would have hated me for what I am about to do.' She steeled herself as she prepared to give the boy what he asked for.

"Now, what if I could give you that ability?" Halsey subtly offered. Davidwas interested and sat looking at her, waiting for her to elaborate. All around him, the birds from earlier had become quiet; all that remained in the air was their conversation.

 Halsey seemed to peer into the treeline as she began to recall, "Nearly 3 millennia ago, an ancient city-state known as Sparta on Earth fought against the infamous Persian empire. Legend says that with just 300 Spartans, the king of Sparta, Leonidas, was able to defeat thousands, if not tens of thousands, of Persians before they were eventually outmaneuvered and defeated. Though the true numbers of the force were different than the legend, what has stood the test of time in both legend and reality is the Spartans' bravery and unyielding combat prowess."

{Author's Note: Obviously that shit isn't true, but that's how the LEGEND goes}

"And that is what I seek to once again create," Halsey continued, now turned back to face the hopeful candidate, "When you first arrived, you wondered what I did correct? That is what I am doing, I am Dr. Catherine Halsey, head of the Orion-II program, also known as the Spartan-II program. The Spartans I create will be the greatest warriors to have ever lived, and with them I will end the Insurrection and any future rebellions."

"They will be the end of large-scale warfare."

"David, I have been observing you for your time here. You are intelligent, resourceful, and most importantly, you have courage. I believe that you could be one of those Spartans," Halsey finished. Within her mind, she was already spinning calculations on the contingencies in case her plan had failed. The worst scenario possible is that she cuts him loose into an orphanage and forgets about him. The thought of… silencing him did come to mind, but not mentioning the moral implications, it was unnecessary; who would believe a child claiming to be abducted by the government?

On David's side, it was a lot to take in. He wasn't sure what he should do and was unable to seek counsel from anyone. His mind raced as he considered the choice and who was extending the option, 'Can I trust her?' he asked himself. Catherine had kept this hidden from him for the entire time he had been here… but such a project would likely be kept under strict secrecy. She had effectively saved his life and even gone on to feed and clothe him

And yet he was still uncertain about what to do. He didn't distrust Halsey, after all, everything she had said to him so far was true, but he also didn't fully believe that he was being told the whole truth.

"Are you certain that all we need is Spartans? That if your dream was accomplished, we'd no longer have to be afraid of being blown up while shopping?"

David seemed to stare at the ground as his gaze became distant. It seemed as though he was searching for something in the answer that Halsey would give, but what he sought was something unclear even to Catherine.

"There are no guarantees in life-," Catherine paused, "-But I believe the Spartan-II project is our best shot at that reality." David listened and continued to ponder her words.

'You don't want something like what happened with us to happen again, didn't you?' In his mind, the ghostly images of his parents appeared. They held the same faces that he had seen in their final moments, 'Isn't this the opportunity you've been waiting for?' David's fist tightened as he continued to contemplate.

Until finally, he let go.

"Alright," he said aloud signifying that he had made his choice. His clenched hands relaxed and he took a deep breath turning to the doctor before speaking again.

"What would you have your Spartan do?"

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Next Chapter, thanks for the surprising amount of stones. I wish there were more collections but beggars can't be choosers.

Drop thoughts and comments.