Emma's Lullaby

A prelude to Halo: Theseus.
Every night ended the same. 
Emma pulled back the curtains to the window in her bedroom. It had been raining for four days straight. Raindrops pelted the window as she watched. 
They had been there every night for the past three nights. All in the rain. When morning came, they were gone. But as the sunset came, they would return. Watching. Waiting. 
It was exhausting. The last time she called the police, they never came. She knew they’d never come when one of them spoke into their shirt cuff shortly after calling. 
She couldn’t sleep during the night, and during the day she was looking over her shoulder. It had only been a few days, but it was already driving her mad. 
In those restless nights, she kept her sidearm next to her pillow. 
But tonight, she could take it no longer. She kept her sidearm in her left hand, and stared out the window at them. 
It felt like the hours slowed to a crawl. It was just barely past midnight. With another 6 hours until sunrise. 
Thoughts danced around in Emma’s head. Weighing the risks of what she was about to do. 
She felt afraid, but could not think of anything else she could do. 
Another hour passed, and Emma was pacing back and forth between the window and her bed. Sweat beaded at the top of her brow. 
Shaking her head to regain her composure, Emma walked to her bathroom. Leaning against the sink, she stared into the mirror at herself. 
“Please let this be a nightmare.” she said out loud to herself. 
She turned the faucet of the sink and cupped her hands as the water ran. 
She splashed the water into her face in the hopes that it would jolt her awake. 
Instead she remained her in this harsh reality, quickly running out of options. 
Emma stared deep into her own eyes through the mirror. She remembered Seville. One of the most intense experiences she had felt. She heard the gunfire crackling past her ears. The roaring of the Brutes echoed off the porcelain walls. She felt it coming. She was about to lose control. A state of mind she only entered under certain situations. 
Emma closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She regained control of herself, and the roaring Brutes fades from her mind. The only sound that remained was the running water below her. The sink was close to overflowing. 
She turned off the faucet and opened the drain. She grabbed her sidearm off the counter and walked back into the bedroom.
There was only one option left. She had paid close attention to the rear of her apartment since the stalkings began. It was only ever those two, and that unmarked vehicle they stood by. 
Emma could gather her things and slip out, going somewhere safe. 
But she found herself questioning what is ‘safe’. Her base was compromised, they followed her everywhere she went. She noticed it weeks ago, and now they were at her apartment. 
She could go offworld, but then she’d be AWOL, a fugitive. 
Emma walked back to the window and peeked out. They were still there, as they had been for hours. 
She wanted to run, she knew she could. If they followed her, she knew how to handle herself in a fight, even against those larger than her. She clutched at the tooth necklace dangling on her chest. 
It was once a Jiralhanae’s. Ripped out of its dying mouth and given to her by Preston Baker, her teammate and friend during their deployment on Alluvion two years ago. 
The pendant always reminded her of her past, prevailing each time against all odds. 
Tonight would be no different. 
Emma checked her sidearm’s safety and flicked it off. After inspecting the magazine to ensure it was full, she held onto it tightly and made her way to the door. 
Her boots echoed off the hard stony floors as she descended down the stairs. She lived on the second floor and could tell the apartment complex was soundly asleep. Nobody else would be out here, except her and those two. If worse comes to pass, she could possibly use it as an advantage. 
But so could they. 
As Emma reached the atrium, the lobby was empty and barren. She approached the doors to the street. She swallowed hard and the glass doors hissed open. 
“Good early morning, citizen! The time is one-thirty-two. Currently there’s a high chance for thunderstorms tonight, leading well into the morning,” said the city’s Superintendent cheerfully. “Don’t forget your coat!” 
The second line of doors hissed open, and the rain was pouring down heavily.
Emma stepped out onto the edge of the sidewalk. Standing opposite from the two men.
They stood silently, like robots. Unmoving, without emotion or life. They wore all black. Black coat, black undershirt, black pants, black shoes, black sunglasses. They both had pale skin. 
Not even the ONI spooks were this unnerving to look at. 
“What do you want!” Emma shouted at them from across the street. 
They didn’t respond. Either the rain was too loud, or they purposefully kept quiet. 
Emma moved forward into the street, holding her sidearm carefully behind her back.
She stepped into a puddle, flooding her shoes and leaving her socks soaked. She couldn’t care less about it. 
“Why are you here!” she yelled out again. 
There was no response, but she could feel them looking at her. They kept their hands crossed over their lower body. Unmoving, lifeless beings. 
This time, Emma flashed her sidearm, bringing it to her hip but not raising it. 
“Don’t make me ask again.” Emma said, moving forward. She didn’t bother to look for approaching cars. She knew how much danger she was putting herself in, but she needed to bring an end to this. 
They tormented her from afar for too long.
She moved within three arms length away from them, giving her enough space to raise her sidearm and fire if they tried anything. Her entire body was drenched by now. Her hair and shirt were clung tightly to her body, making it feel difficult and awkward to move. 
But yet, they remained silent and still as ever. She had put herself dangerously close to them by now. Even anticipating another or two people to come up behind her. But nothing ever came of it. 
It was just the three of them out in the rain. The city felt dead and quiet. The rain was coming down so hard that she couldn’t see down the road more than a few meters. 
Anger welled up within Emma, and she slowly raised her weapon. She was exhausted, drained, and wanted to go home. “Leave. Me. Alone!” She raised the sidearm to the first man on the right closest to the van. 
But just as the weapon reached the man’s head, the sliding door to the van opened slowly, startling Emma. Had her finger been on the trigger, the first man would’ve been dead. She swung the sidearm to the sliding door. There was only one other man there. 
He was old, his black hair was graying. He raised his hands, presenting himself as a non-threat. His dark, wrinkled skin curled into a slow, apologetic smile. 
“Please, let me try to explain.” he said, keeping his arms raised. 
Emma’s face twisted into an angered frown “What do you want,” she demanded. “Why are you doing this to me?” Her voice cracked, she was on the verge of tears. 
“We needed to be cautious, my dear. Truly. We never meant no harm. But we needed to be sure it was safe to approach when the time was right.” The man spoke softly, trying to defuse the situation. 
“You followed me, stalked me, tormented me. For weeks!” Emma’s lips began to quiver. “Do you want money? Information?” her voice flared like uncontrollable fire. “My body?” 
“No, no, no, please. It’s all my fault. Please, let me explain.” 
“What do you want!” For a moment, Emma’s voice was louder than the rain. Her lungs felt like they were on fire. 
Finally one of the men in black spoke. “Sir, maybe we should leave. We’re compromised.” Emma swung the sidearm wildly at the other man, making him flinch. “Sir?” he said, raising his voice. 
The old man stepped out from the van. Behind him, Emma caught a glimpse of computers, datapads and other electronic equipment. She saw photos of her on the base, at home, roaming the city. Even photos of her with her team on Alluvion, a world they weren’t officially supposed to be on. The realization quickly dawned on her, they were surveilling everything about her. For years. 
Emma’s mouth dropped, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The fire in her lungs was growing stronger, and she began to feel a pit opening deep within her stomach. “Who are you people,” her voice was breathless. “Just tell me what you want.” 
The Old Man kept his arms raised, ushering the two others to do the same. “We don’t want anything. In fact, we are here to give. And to help. Let us help.” 
Emma’s head began to feel light and empty. Days worth of tiredness finally caught up to her at the worst possible time. Her eyelids felt heavy. 
“I am here to bring you answers.” The Old Man said. “About your mother. About your father. About who you really are.” 
Emma shook her head to remain awake. “What?” she said in a voice locked between consciousness and sleep. She began to back away, flailing her head and arms wildly. Hopelessly trying to get herself back into the apartment’s lobby. From there, she can use her access card to lock the lobby doors. Keeping her safe. 
“Sir, something is happening to her,” said one of the men in black. “We need to leave.” 
“It’s alright Agent Callister.” said the Old Man. “We’ve done a terrible thing to her, and now it’s all hitting her at once. Agent Vinn, get the van ready to leave.” 
The Old Man walked slowly toward her. A moment of clarity came to Emma, and she pointed the sidearm at him. “Don’t.” she said, moving backward. 
After taking three steps, Emma’s vision became blurry and she tripped on the curb of the sidewalk. Her head slammed hard against the pavement, the weapon jumped out of her grip and slid under a car. 
Emma clutched the back of her head as she laid on the ground. Looking at her hand, she saw that she was bleeding. A lot. 
Consciousness began to slip from Emma’s grasp as she could hear the Old Man calling out to his agents. One of them ran over to her, kneeling down and cradling her head. As blackness slowly enveloped her vision, she saw the agent screaming something toward the others. 
When the agent looked down at her, she could read his lips. “It’s going to be alright.” The darkness overtook her and she fell into a deep sleep. 
When Emma awoke, she was laying on a bed somewhere unknown. There were no windows and only one metallic door. The humming and beeping of electronics surrounded her. A pale man with red hair and golden eyes was sitting next to her, taking her vitals. 
“Hey, you’re finally awake.” he said. “Try not to move too much, you took a nasty fall last night.”
“Last night?” Emma’s voice was groggy and hoarse. 
“You’ve been asleep for the past seven hours now. We were afraid you suffered a concussion, but fortunately all you had was some minor bleeding. You’ll be fine in a day or two.”
Emma looked into the man’s eyes and saw shame in them. “You’re one of the men in black.” 
“Aye. I’m sorry it happened the way it did. The Old Man… he’s… got a way with the things he does. A lot has changed him over the years. We lost a lot of good people to get to this point. 
“Am I safe?” Emma looked around the room. It was sterile, white walls and floor. It looked like a hospital. 
“We’re not going to hurt you, I swear on my family’s soul. In fact, this is the safest place you can be right now. Considering the people who are actually after you.”
“So I’m not paranoid. The people on the base, the vehicles following me all over the city.”
“Not us.” the red-haired man said. 
“But you—” Emma began but was quickly interrupted by him.
“We stood out there to protect you, from the ones who actually would do you harm.” The man finished taking her vitals and stood at the end of the bed. “My name is Callister Arnalds. Spartan Designation: Sierra-Alpha-One-Three-Four.” 
“A Spartan?” 
“The other was Vinn, Designation: Alpha-Oh-Seven-Nine.”
“Why would someone like me need Spartans to protect me?” Emma sat up slowly. She rubbed the back of her head where she saw the blood, and noticed her head was bandaged. 
“You are the only child of two very special individuals in history. Former members of the ORION Project. Have you ever heard of it?” The Old Man stood forward from the corner he was in, coming toward the bed. 
“ORION?” Emma turned her head toward him, her neck felt sore. She rubbed her neck with her hand, but Callister urged her to go slow. “No, not really.” 
“Unsurprised. Not many people know about it. It was a supersoldier program, initiated in the early years of the century. It was a failure, a disastrous one. The ones who remain have been slowly getting picked off, to prevent any loose ends. We seek to prevent that.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Emma said confusingly, half hearing the words and understanding half less. She watched Callister gently introduce an IV of painkillers into her system, to keep her calm and sedated. 
“Because you are a product of a relationship that should have never happened. That makes you a target, and thus, means we need your help as much as you need ours.” The Old Man replied, and sat next to her where Callister had been. 
“Throughout the decades, there have been a number of projects initiated after ORION. Projects sought to fight insurgency, or to turn the tide against the Covenant, or to stoke the flames of self destruction and misery to all of human civilization.” 
“First there was ORION. Then came the SPARTAN-IIs, the most famous of them all. Then came Alpha Company, producing Callister here. Instruments meant to save humanity, from themselves or from threats beyond.” The Old Man stared beyond Emma, his brown eyes became a blank canvas, full of sorrow. “There is Beta Company. Gamma Company. Delta. Project JAVELIN. Project APOLLYON. Project SILVERBACK. GOLIATH. Project SIGMA. Each of them is tragic in their own ways. For in the direction the road to Hell is paved, good intentions have followed.” he spoke somberly. “And then there is you.” 
The Old Man gently grabbed her hand on the bed. “We need you Emma.” 
“I’m not a Spartan.” 
“But you are, in more ways than you think.” The Old Man smiled, and raised a finger. “Your parents have given you a gift, a gift of a body capable of incredible feats.” 
Emma frowned, she wasn’t sure how to make of what she was hearing. All of it sounded like a jumbled mess. Her left eye twitched as she remembered her fall. 
“Have you ever wondered how you were able to survive such daring experiences? How were you able to survive Seville? Or what about what you did to those Brutes on Alluvion? Even SPARTANs in full armor have difficulty fighting a Brute in close combat. And yet, you savaged one, like a brute. You wear its tooth as a necklace around your neck, as a reminder.”
“I’m just human, I did what I needed to survive.” Emma said dismissively. 
“An enhanced human. A Spartan One-Point-One.” The Old Man corrected. 
“A what?” Emma asked.
“You were brought into this world. You had it all—no tears, no frowns, no worries. You didn’t hide behind a mask like you do now. And now, you’re letting it down. How does it feel?”
“I don’t understand.” Emma frowned. 
“Your father, Noah Sówka. Your mother, Ashley Coeman. Both of them, ORIONs. Both of them, wondering if they’ll ever live to see their greatest achievement. You.”
“My mother was named Monika.” Emma retorted.
“No, she was your aunt, your guardian.” 
“She was my mother,” Emma spat.
“And she died.”
Emma always knew deep down, but she never wanted to believe it. In her eyes, and in her memory, Aunt Monnie was her mother. 
“She was always there for me. When they weren’t.” 
“And if they were? So you could grow the way you wanted to be. To fulfill expectations that you wanted to fulfill. To have the family and friends you always wanted.” 
“Stop.” Emma looked away, her eyes watered. 
“So you could pass the obstacle that always blocked you. For them to keep a promise, they wanted to make. Have you ever found love? How did it feel? Dreaming of having it all?”
“Please,” Emma wanted him to stop, but the lump in her throat prevented her from making the words. 
“And then you wonder. ‘Where did it all go wrong?’ When you lost it all, when they broke your home, when you began to hate. You know it was never supposed to be like this.” The Old Man continued, unrelenting. “One by one, they all fall around you. Leaving you. Who’s next?”
“Stop!” Emma cried out, tears streaming down her face. “Why are you doing this?”
The Old Man sighed, “Because we want to help. And we know how. You want to see your parents, don’t lie to me.”
“I have so many questions for them.” Emma replied. 
“Too weak to face them, but strong enough to cry.” The Old Man said. 
The Old Man stood from his chair. “I do regret putting you through that. But you know how repressed emotions work. For what you’re about to do, you need full clarity of mind.
“So, what say you, Emma Sówka. Do you wish to see the many wrongs of history made right, or do you intend to continue wallowing in your sorrow, never knowing the answers to so many questions that roam around in your mind.” The Old Man held out his hand to Emma. “Right now, you have a choice to make. Go back to your old life, and get killed by some stray bullet. Or do you wish to discover who you really are and save your family from the fate that awaits them?  
Emma’s bedcover and shirt were wet from the river of tears that were now caked across her face. Her head held low, but her eyes met the Old Man’s hand who stayed outstretched toward her. 
When she looked into his eyes, she saw a deep sadness, and a desire to help. He had a kindly, trusting face. She finally noticed that Callister was no longer in the room. It had just been the two of them for some time. 
She paused, staring deep into a great nothingness in front of her. Inside it, stood so many people she used to know that were gone. But at the center, stood two figures next to her Aunt Monnie. It was her mother and father, with her mother cradling a baby in her arms. Emma realized it was her. But the faces of her mother and father and the baby were shadows, unknown to her. A vision of a world that never came to pass. A reality that never came to be. A life all three of them were robbed of. 
Slowly, Emma lifted her right arm, and reached for the Old Man’s hand. 
Stay.
Category:Commonwealth Stories