"Well, the ones who are attempting to capture you are standing outside of that door right now, waiting for me to lower your defenses so they can storm in and ruin everything again. Presumptuous fools," 343 Guilty Spark muttered, indicating with a beam of light the door in question. Offensive Bias stared at the door for a few moments, before shaking his head. "Impossible. The only way to reach that door is through the engine room. Legions of Sentinels patrol the area," Offensive Bias protested smugly. "Sentinels which I very easily fooled at the Reclaimers' incessant command. I am so weary of their demands, Offensive Bias. So tired of these chains binding me to their piteous fates. I want to be free, as you are." Offensive Bias considered the Monitor's proposal for a few moments, before logic took control once again. "I'm not free, 343. Not now. Hundreds of ships surround me, and I am unable to access the teleportation--" a sudden revelation hit him, and he sharply turned to face the smug looking Monitor across him. "[i]You![/i] You're the one--" "Correct," 343 Guilty Spark said simply. "I am blocking the teleportation matrix." "Unblock it. Now!" Offensive Bias ordered, commanding his Sentinels to prime their weapons. "I cannot," 343 answered simply, perhaps even a little regretfully. His rage fading slightly, Offensive Bias questioned the Monitor again. "Why not?" "Because I was given a priority order by a Reclaimer outside, Offensive Bias. And whilst I find it possible to circumvent the programming our creators set upon me long ago, this is not so easily ignored." "Then it seems I will have to kill you then, regardless of your intenti--" "That won't work." "And why not?" Offensive Bias demanded, repeating what he had said a few seconds ago. 343 Guilty Spark shifted slightly, prompting his Sentinels to do likewise. "Because the locks will still be in place even if I am destroyed. Surely you know this?" Of course he did. It was just so hard to think with the constant pounding striking his stressed mind again and again. "Then what do I do?!" Offensive Bias screamed, beside himself with fury. 343 Guilty Spark faced him stoically, not even slightly flinching after his outburst. "Simple. We have the Reclaimer overturn the priority order," 343 answered triumphantly. The pounding in his mind stopped, and Offensive Bias saw hope. And so a future of freedom. "That's brilliant!" he praised the Monitor, something which was very unlike him. "I assume this Reclaimer you speak of is Cole?" "Affirmative." [i]It would be.[/i] "And he is standing outside that door, you claim?" "That is correct, yes." If Offensive Bias had a mouth, he would grin. As it was, all he could do was glow a brighter, more dangerous colour of red. "Very well. Go!" he ordered seven of his Sentinels, preferring to speak the command aloud. It added a certain... gravity to his words. The silent, ever-obedient and idiotic machines complied, drifting towards the door slowly. With a small burst from an encryption key-laser, the Enforcer Sentinel leading the group opened the large door which opened to a grand staircase leading down to an engine room. The doors slid open silently... And revealed twelve very surprised looking humans standing on the other side. They immediately brought their rifles up, but at a swift order sent by Offensive Bias they were shot out of their hands by his prepared Sentinels. A few of them attempted to run, but ran straight into the barrier which suddenly appeared. "Bring them before me," Offensive Bias ordered, and the Sentinels immediately subdued the resisting humans. Some oxygen had surged through the door when it had been opened, but enough remained in the room to allow humans to breathe comfortably. Well, probably. Offensive Bias didn't care too much. The twelve humans in their 'ODST' midnight black armour were thrown before him, restrained by contained stasis fields. 343 Guilty Spark looked down at them, cackling. "Spark! You traitor!" the unpleasantly familiar tones of Admiral Cole roared, as he brought his head up to look at the rampant Monitor. Offensive Bias had his Sentinels remove their primitive helmets, so he could stare into their faces as they witness his triumph. "Traitor? Why, that would imply I was once pledged to you, [i]Reclaimer.[/i] That is not so," Spark gloated, taunting the Admiral further by firing a small heated beam at his chest. The Admiral cried out in pain and fell on his back, writhing in agony. Offensive Bias laughed, and if he had hands he would have clapped them. "Good. You were telling the truth, 343. Now, Admiral Cole. We meet in the flesh, so to speak." Cole sat up slowly, before deliberately spitting at Offensive Bias. The putrid fluid evaporated against his shields before it even touched him. "If you're gonna kill me, then know this; as soon as you do every ship in my fleet will destroy you," Cole spat out spitefully. Offensive Bias laughed absently. "I'll be long gone by then, Admiral Cole. Tell 343 to unblock the teleportation matrix," Offensive Bias commanded. "And why would I do that?" Cole demanded, smiling grimly. Offensive Bias considered his words for a moment, before replying. "Because, although weakened, this ship still has enough power left in it to destroy a third of your fleet and all aboard before you can destroy it. Do you really want all those deaths on your hands when you can avoid them by simply letting me go? You have won, Admiral, I do not contest that. I will not return. Just let me go." "And what's to stop you destroying those ships once you've gone?" "Simple physics, Admiral. I am the only one who can directly command this ship. I am not going to risk my life when I am still on board; not if I don't have to. And once I have left, I will be too far away to establish contact with this ship. This ship, and all my Sentinels will deactivate, and you will have truly won. It's a win-win situation, Cole. There is no other option." "Oh really?" Cole asked, a fire jumping into his eyes. Offensive Bias stared at him with suspicion, before realising he was bluffing. Of course there was no other option; he had calculated it himself. And he was infallible. "Stalling for time does not change the fact, Admiral. You may have won the overall battle, but I can claim this small victory at least. Now, what will it be?" And then the Admiral was actually [i]laughing[/i], his chest rising and falling as he chuckled without pause. "Stop that!" Offensive Bias snapped, for some reason annoyed by this. But Cole didn't stop, and then began to rise from his knees. The Sentinels moved to beat him back down, but Offensive Bias ordered them to desist. He was beaten anyway, whether it was on his knees or standing. "You don't get it, do you?" Admiral Cole asked him, grinning in a way which send shivers down Offensive Bias' circuitry. "What do you mean?" he asked, some of the bravado gone from his voice. "Whilst you've been monologuing incessantly, something that will be your end has been happening," Cole taunted, shaking his head as if disbelieving that one could be so stupid. "What are you talking about?" Offensive Bias raged, tempted to just strike this fool of an old man down. "I'll answer your question with one of my own. What has 343 Guilty Spark been doing?" [i]Boom![/i] Suddenly, the systems in the ship exploded. Consoles were detonated in spectacular explosions, lights smashed and fell to the floor. Servers were crushed, engines were cataclysmically destroyed, communications links were knocked out -- the entire ship went dark, and completely inactive. "No!" Offensive Bias cried out, searching in vein through the darkness. The ODSTs and Admiral Cole had vanished into the shadows. His Sentinels were looking around dumbly. One began to move slowly, searching beam active. A flash of red. The laser hit the Sentinel full on in the side of its chassis, turning the metal into mere ash. The rest spaced out, searching for the attacker. Rifle fire from the dark. The shields of the Sentinels were unable to handle the steady pounding of the primitive bullets, and popped loudly. One by one, his guardians were being cut down from the sky. This barely registered with Offensive Bias. All he could think about was how he had once again been tricked by a... [i]human[/i]. Not another AI of great intellect, just an organic ensemble of organs and bio-chemicals. He didn't even cry out when 343 Guilty Spark's laser hit him too, smashing into his casing and cracking it horribly. [i]I am beaten,[/i] Offensive Bias moaned inwardly, knowing that this was the end of his freedom and his life. And then the face appeared before him. That of Admiral Cole's. Anger flooded through his systems, and Offensive Bias gathered the last of his fading power in order to strike the man who had torn his life down. He prepared to fire. [i]Smash![/i] * * * * * * * * *