Obbi heard the cheers and the boos coming from the crowd outside of the "Welcome" thread and he knew that the Overlord was here. He smiled and left his room, creeping down the hall to the stairs. He listened closely as the Overlord entered and waited impatiently. [i]This is it.[/i] He thought. "Achronos," Yoozel's voice carried up the stairs, "It's good to see you." "I'll bet it is." Achronos said coldly, "What's the status on my new sticky?" Yoozel cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Ah, yes, it's almost finished." "Good. Is everyone here?" "Everyone that's alive. There is a girl, Emma, staying with us as well." "Emma?" There was a pause and then, "Bring her to me. I'd like to speak with her." Obbi quickly rushed back to his room. That wasn't what he'd expected. He'd told the Overlord everything that the Mods were doing. Why wasn't Achronos doing anything about it? The door opened and Yoozel poked his head in, "I hope I'm not disturbing you, but the Overlord would like to see you." Obbi nodded and said with a smile, "I've wanted to speak with him ever since I got here! This is so very exciting!" Yoozel grunted and motioned for Obbi to follow him. The two walked down the stairs and through a door directly across from the main entrance. Yoozel turned and locked the door behind him and motioned for Obbi to step forward. Something didn't feel right. -------------------------- Impurity had been watching Achronos as well. He walked up the steps after Achronos stepped into the thread and peeked through the window. He saw the cordial greeting between the Overlord and Yoozel. Neither seemed nervous or upset. That didn't make sense. If Obbi had told Achronos what was going on, he should have taken Yoozel in right there. What was going on? When he saw Obbi walk through the door Achronos had entered, Impurity decided to take a closer look. ------------------------- Achronos was lounging on a chair and smiled when he saw Obbi. "Emma, I've heard a great deal about you." "I don't see how there could be that much to tell." Obbi said timidly, "I haven't been doing much." Achronos leaned forward, his smile growing broader, "I think you've done much more than you let on." What was he doing? Obbi looked at him closely, trying to find the motive behind those eyes, "I don't know what you are talking about." Achronos looked at him for a moment and then glanced at Yoozel, "Do you know why I explicitly told you that know females should ever be allowed in the Mod's circle of trust?" Yoozel gulped and shook his head. "They cloud the mind, and weaken one's resolve. And consequently, they make the best spies." Obbi's eyes widened, even more so when he heard Yoozel's gun click. "You support what they are doing?" He asked. Achronos smiled, "I ordered them to do it." Obbi stared at him, trying to understand what he had just heard. "No...you can't." "The old ways are done Emma. What ever fantasies you had about Bungie, lose them now. The only way to keep this place safe is for absolute control." Obbi felt rage building up inside him. How could he have been so stupid? "You are going to destroy what made Bungie...what made me want to come to Bungie in the first place. The people, the freedom--" "The fun?" Achronos asked mockingly. "People are good at finding ways to entertain themselves. I"m sure a girl like you will have no problem in that regard." He glanced at Yoozel again and chuckled, "Although, I guess you won't live long enough to find out. What a shame." He motioned to Yoozel, "It's time to rid ourselves of the old, and bring in the new." Suddenly, the door slammed open, kicked off it's hinges. Impurity stormed in, gun raised. He pressed the weapon against Yoozel's head and said grimly, "If you shoot her, you'll find your brains spilling across the floor." "That seems a little gruesome for you." Achronos said with a smile. He hadn't moved from his seat. "But you know we aren't the only ones here? No matter who shoots first, there will be more Mods in here to make sure no one shoots again. And no matter what happens, you won't leave this room alive." Impurity stared at him for a moment and suddenly shoved Yoozel forward, sending the Mod flying into Obbi. Obbi was ready however, and he caught Yoozel's arm as he fell and twisted the gun out of his hand. At the same time, Impurity fired one shot at Achronos and shouted, "Run!" Obbi looked back to see Achronos clutching his bleeding shoulder. He quickly left the room, following after Impurity. ------------------------ "Gather 'round everyone! I have a story to tell." Colonel Corbec was standing on a table outside of a restaurant, trying to get people's attention. "No one cares!" A shout came from the crowd. "Well you should care. It's a story about women, adventure, and brave men." "Ha! It's the story of my life!" Another heckler shouted. Halifax strolled past, trying to look as an unobtrusive as possible. He couldn't let anyone know he was there. The Mods were still looking for him. Corbec spotted him quickly however and shouted, "You! Come over here." Halifax looked at him and shook his head, then kept on walking. Corbec peered closely at him, "I know you." He jumped off the table and rushed over to Halifax's side. He smiled widely, "Yes! You're Ha--" Halifax cupped his hand across Corbec's mouth. "Don't say my name." "But you have to listen. You love stories!" Halifax shook his head, "No. I like peace. And that's all I want right now." "Hey Corbec!" Came another shout. "What are you doing?" Corbec smiled when he saw the newcomer approach, "Pyrojoe, it's good to see you, my most faithful listener." Halifax looked away from the two and saw Impurity and Obbi run across the street, trying to conceal their weapons. He quickly ran after them, leaving Corbec and Pyro alone. Pyro looked at Halifax and asked, "Who was that?" Corbec looked at Halifax and scoffed, "That's just Halifax. I thought he might help me out, but he was a real jerk." Pyro's eyes widened, "Halifax?" He came in close, "The Mods have been looking everywhere for him...he's one of the people who helped destroy HFCS." Corbec stared at him for a moment, "He what?" "He's a fugitive. A terrorist." Corbec looked at him for a moment and then ran back and jumped on the table again. "People, listen to me! I have just seen the terrorist responsible for all of our problems! Halifax is here, and attempting to escape justice!" That got the Flood's attention. One man asked, "Where is he?" "Follow me." Corbec said with a smile. "We'll catch him." ------------------ Halifax caught up with the other two and asked breathlessly as they ran, "What happened?" "Achronos is on the Mod's side." Obbi said, "He ratted me out." "What?" Obbi nodded, "Fortunately, he still thinks I'm a girl." Halifax stayed silent for a moment and then asked, "Where are we going now?" "Anywhere. We just have to get away from the Mods." Impurity grabbed his shoulder and said quietly, "That's not all we have to get away from." They all looked to the right and saw a group of Flood members flanking them. "Great." Halifax muttered when he saw Corbec leading the pack. "Now where?" At that moment, he glanced up to see a metal stairwell going up the side of an apartment building. "Follow me!" He shouted and rushed into the alley. He quickly jumped up and grabbed the ladder, pulling himself up onto the stairwell, Obbi and Impurity close behind. The three ran up, looking down occasionally to make sure they weren't being followed. When they reached the top of the building, Halifax stopped them so they could take a rest. "We should be safe for a minute." He pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number. After a second he said, "We need you. Now!" Suddenly, a shot rang out and the three of them dropped to the ground. Halifax quickly poked his head over the wall of the building and saw Recon across the street, sniper leveled right at him. He quickly dropped back behind the wall just as another shot rang out. "They know we're here. Crawl to the elevator. Stay as low as possible." The three quickly made there way to the door that led to the elevator and pulled it open. They shut it behind them and Halifax motioned for them to stay down. Another shot rang out, a bullet split through the wood door and hit the wall behind them. They heard shouting behind them and Halifax motioned them forward. He pushed the button and waited. ---------------------- Corbec motioned the group forward and they all crouched next to the door. Corbec quickly kicked the door open and entered with his gun raised. The room was empty. He saw the elevator lights and noted that it stopped two floors below. So that's where Halifax was. He shouted for the others to follow him and dashed down the stairs, hoping to beat the elevator to the floor. When they reached the bottom, Corbec burst into the hallway and waited expectantly. The elevator was one floor above them and descending. He smiled and waited. The elevator stopped on the first floor and the door slid open. It was empty. ------------------------- Halifax smiled when he heard Corbec howl with rage. The three of them had crawled out through the top of the elevator and had jumped to the adjacent elevator as it rose back to the top. They exited the shaft back on the roof, still crawling just in case Recon was still waiting. Halifax looked up expectantly, wondering if Dragon Eyes had gotten his message.