Humid.... was the only word on everyone's minds when they crossed the threshold of the structure, glowing veins of bioluminescence flowed within the walls whilst an odd scent for such a advanced structure arrived, Earthy, metallic, tangy but not overly pungent with a slight sweet amber after-scent.
The group slowly advanced further in, the humid air clinging to their armor and coats before Milo broke the silence.
"I-it's so humid."
Anders rose a brow, looking at the bioluminescent veins on the walls, it's colors shifting from various pastel opalescent colors.
"That's what got your attention? Look at the walls, veins of bioluminescence.. or something similar."
Milo nodded as Finch walked past.
"It's seamless too. Not a single weld or bolt... tch... more and more similarities keep popping up."
Anders and Milo said nothing, Anders' eyes furrowed and Milo began to fidget with the satchel's seams.
"M-maybe.. m-maybe not... f-from what we've gathered, th-these beings aren't flood..."
Anders agreed, approaching one of the walls and planting a hand on it. The wall gave slightly, soft bioluminescence slowly lit where the wall cradled her fingers.
Milo and Finch turned to Anders, Jerome stopped too.
"Soft.... pliant... definitely not any alloy we're familiar with... Milo, come here, see if you can't cut a sample out."
Milo's eyes widened, a shy fidget before he approached.
"I-if we assume th-this is m-metal o-or an alloy, w-we should a-assume it's also on par as t-the forerunners... c-cutting won't get us a-anywhere."
Anders inhaled softly, Jerome interjected a moment after.
"We should keep moving, we shouldn't be here when those beings return."
Finch glanced to Milo and Anders.
"You heard him, let's keep moving."
Anders and Milo shared a look and did as instructed, making way deeper into the structure...
Seconds pass and they suddenly enter into a vast Ovaloid chamber, the seamless bioluminescent veins trailing up across the ceiling like the roots of a tree before converging in the center, casting a soft illumination, in the center stood a basin filled with a viscous, cyan-glowing gel stood.
Anders took a step forward, lowering to a knee beside the basin's edge.
"Interesting... Milo, Camera."
Milo jumped a bit, opening the satchel to pull out the camera. He took several steps forward and also took a knee, his eyes never leaving the strange basin.
"Y-yes, g-got it... wh-what do you think it is?"
Anders said nothing, only plucked a pen from her coat pocket. Milo's eyes widened, turning on the camera to record.
Anders extended her arm out and tapped the gel filled basin with the Pen's butt. The result was slow yet immediate, a glowing ripple came from the tap, rippling out across the basin in slow, lazy waves before vanishing at the basin's edges.
"W-woah.... th-thats so cool..."
A subtle quirk of her lips tilted up.
"It is isn't it."
Behind the researchers Jerome and the ODSTs stood, posture relaxed yet their shoulders tensed. Jerome looked to the ODSTs head lowering, catching the illuminated light.
Jerome gestured around the ovaloid room for the ODSTs.
"Spread out, keep an eye on the various hallways, you see something, say something."
The ODSTs nodded. Spreading out as ordered as Jerome himself remained beside Anders, Finch and Milo.
Finch stepped over, her footfalls silenced by the subtle give of the floor. Her brows rose, voice dry.
"We have a mystery basin with weird gel... wonderful... any ideas you two?"
Milo glanced over, fidgeting with the camera settings.
"W-we can t-test the basin, th-then should we deem it s-safe m-me or Anders can walk on it...:
Anders hummed.
"I agree, it seems the gel is touch-based responsive. Similar to the Forerunner tech back on Harvest... it's all touch-based"
Anders glanced to Milo, then to Finch then back to the basin. With a breath she extended a hand and simply poked it, her index finger vanishing under an inch beneath the gel, it gave slightly, cradling rather than dispersing.
The response began, and it was similar to the pen but mildly stronger, the bioluminescent ripples occured before vanishing at the basin's edge.
She sighed, a low hum like sound before she looked at Milo again.
"It's warm, pliant... like high-grade prosthetic skin or ballistic gel. Not sticky, not corrosive."
She pressed her palm harder, the gel conformed, cradled it some more, but this time it held it's shape for a moment before returning to normal.
"I-i don't th-think it's supposed to r-repel us, i-if it did th-the responses would l-likely be more violent."
Milo said, softly turning on the camera light, illuminating the basin, and it's depth. Finch's brows furrowed, eyes sharpening into daggers.
"Thats easily 2 feet deep. What in the galaxy are we looking at?"
Anders took a breath, lifting her palm before rising to her feet.
"I think it's time to find out... it's not tacky, it acts like a Non-Newtonian fluid without the sinking aspect."
Milo turned to Anders.
"A-are you saying th-the beings w-walk on it?"
Anders said nothing but she brought a hand to her chin, Jerome turned to Anders and Milo. Finch spoke first.
"I don't like that, are you suggesting we should walk on it, that seems reckless."
Jerome spoke next.
"I agree there's too many unknowns here."
Anders looked to both of them.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Anders straightened, wiping her palm against her coat.
"Listen, It holds shape, rebounds slowly, and doesn't try to pull you under. This isn't a trap, that parts obvious... I think Milo should walk on it."
Milo rose to his feet, one hand fidgeting with the camera while the other held the satchel close to his chest.
"B-but m-maybe y-you or m-mom- i mean F-finch can walk on it... and n-not me."
Finch rolled her eyes while Anders brought her hands to her hips.
"And you're lighter than me, less likely to trigger any mass-sensitive failsafe, don't worry, you'll be fine. Should anything happen, Jerome is here to pull you out."
Milo fidgeted some more, looking at anything but Finch or Anders, He glanced down, making sure the satchel strap was snug and the camera light still on.
"O-ok... m-maybe i-ll do it... I-I'll... uh... keep filming, s-so at least we g-get something if I... you know..."
He trailed off, reaching for his already adjusted glasses. Finch sighed.
"You'll be fine Milo... as much as this is a bad idea, I think you will be fine."
Milo looked at Finch, lips parting slightly while his eyes softened.
"O-oh... ok... i-i'll do it th-then.... b-but promise me y-you'll pull me out i-if something happens!"
Anders rose a brow.
"We will... you'll be fine Milo, Promise."
------------
Milo took a breath, shaky, hesitant before taking an easy step into the gel, it shifted, flexing under his footfall and creating a ripple of bioluminescence. His eyes fell on the gel, observing how he hadn't sunk.
"Th-thats.... so cool....."
He took another breath, steadier and slightly more confident before leaning into another step, like before the gel rippled out in bioluminescent waves. The pattern repeated for a few seconds until he reached the center.
He'd scan the entire basin finding nothing that looked like a activator or an 'on' button just as Finch spoke first.
"You're in the center now Milo, so far it doesn't appear to be a trap... do you see anything that can potentially be interactive?"
Milo shook his head side to side.
"I-i don't think so... i-it's just a pool with walkable gel..."
Milo's eyes danced around, scanning the basin for... anything that might be interpreted as an interface.
"Hmm... i-i dont see anything here."
Anders and Finch observed the basin while Jerome eyed the room until he stopped.
"Stand in the center, Doctor."
The young doctor blinked.
"P-pardon?"
The spartan used his helmet mounted flashlight to illuminate the ceiling and basin's floor.
"The veins, they converge, perhaps it's a symmetrical stance similar to some forerunner installations."
Anders shifted.
"The shield world... Milo, stand in the center."
He blinked rapidly and without much thinking he stood in the center of the basin, standing in the middle of the converging bioluminescent veins.
Then... silence, the last of the bioluminescent ripples from Milo's steps dimmed into nothing.
"O-oh... i-it didn't work."
Milo exhaled gently, turning around before leaning side to side, hands holding the satchel close to his chest...
"M-maybe we h-have the wrong idea."
Anders mirrored the young doctors sigh.
"Maybe we did.. come back Milo, let's rethink our plans."
Milo spun gently on his feet and leaned forward to take a step, but when he did the gel below lit up, a pastel colored glow accompanied with a resonant hum that traveled through Milo's boots.
Milo's breath caught, a hand jumping to his glasses.
"I-i didn't do anything!!!"
Ander's, Finch and Jerome took several steps back, the ODSTs quickly focusing on the VERY evident glowing basin.
Not a word was said as 3 circles lit up beneath Milo's feet, connected by the converging veins at the bottom of the basin.
"I-i think I activated it."
"Yeah we can see that Milo."
The agent remarked, darting to the ODSTs.
"Focus up. All eyes on those corridors, that activation may have drawn attention."
The squad of Helljumpers immediately took point, assault rifles raised as the basin's glow deepened. From its surface, three perfect domes swelled upward, their pastel light refracting in liquid arcs before detaching soundlessly. They hovered at Milo's eye level, rotating in slow, hypnotic turns.
Milo's lips parted slightly, his hand adjusting his glasses.
"U-um... i-i... th-think we're ok..."
Once the adrenaline faded, silence befell everyone once again, all eyes focusing in the three floating orbs of opalescent gel.
To break the silence, Finch cleared her throat, disrupting the tension.
"I think we should map the corridors, Milo, Anders will stay with the Spartan while i be accompanied with the ODSTs."
Anders agreed.
"We'll stay here and try to learn how to get these spheres to activate."
Finch inclined her chin, adjusting her uniform.
"Try to stay out of trouble.. alright, Milo?"
He responded merely with a slow nod, satchel still clung to his chest.
Satisfied with the response Finch turned on her heel and made slow strides towards a corridor. Finch's boots echoed softly before vanishing into the dim corridor, her escort moving in tight formation. The sound faded, replaced by the low, steady hum of the activated basin.
Anders exhaled slowly, gaze still locked on the drifting spheres.
"Alright, Milo… let's see if we can make them do more than just float."
Milo hesitated, eyes flicking between her and the basin before leaning forward, the gel flexing and supporting the shift.