The chapter begins seconds after the previous, Finch's footsteps echoed down the corridor, the clunking of the ODSTs footsteps followed. In the main room, Milo, Anders and Jerome remained, focused on the strange tech before them..
"S-so.... wh-what am I s-supposed to do exactly?"
Milo glanced over to Anders, who was taking separate photos of the basin and the floating orbs of gel.
"I am not sure, you activated the basin."
Milo turned back to the floating orbs, scanning it for a moment.
"M-maybe i-i need to lean f-forward, or touch it?"
He leaned toward one, taking a half step forward before reaching out. The gel shifted and glowed the moment his fingers touched the surface, but the pattern was immediately different.
The orb Milo touched glowed softly, the basin did so too.
Milo froze, a quick gasp followed.
"U-um.... i-i think S-somethings working."
Anders lowered the camera, immediately seeing the other orbs had begun to sink back into the basin.. the orb Milo had touched started to flow, flex.
"Interesting..."
Milo blinked, leaning further into the orb, the glow intensifying slightly.
"W-woah... i-it feels like s-silly putty."
Anders' lips twitched a little before her expression sharpened, Milo's did too just as the gel responded.
The gel around his fingers thinned, it's color changing from the opalescent pastel to a pale blue, and deeper still the colors merged, forming loose images that slowly coalesced.
"U-um, A-Anders, i-i see images. I-i think we're making headway here."
"I can see that, Milo. What can you tell me about those images?"
Milo stuttered, the shapes and colors finalizing, before the orb itself grew and flattened.
Anders took a step back as the image became clearer, it's light illuminating the basin. Milo leaned closer, his eyes squinting while the image reflected off his glasses..
"I-it looks like a plant, th-there's colors, i feel a vibration thing a-and th-there's scent too? I-i don't know what to make of it."
Anders hummed, her sharpened gaze holding. With a breath she gazed, from Milo to the strange basin and lastly to the interface.
"You leaned forward into the orb, correct?"
Milo nodded.
"Y-yeah, i l-leaned into the orb, k-kinda like taking a step i think?"
Anders fell silent, lips pursing into a thin line.
"What if.... this interface operates similarly to Forerunner tech?"
Milo glanced to his superior, brows furrowing.
"Y-you mean like... o-orientation wise?"
"Precisely."
Milo eased his gaze back to the interface.
"I-if it's forerunner.. L-Lets try tilting my hand to the right."
He glanced down and tilted his hand to the far right. The image shifted, the colors changed completely before the interface went dark completely.
The young doctor's breath hitched, muscles tensing before another orb rose from the basin on Milo's left, activating into another interface.
"U-uh... h-huh?"
Anders meandered over, her gaze never leaving the newly arrived sphere while she extended a hand to him.
"You're fine Milo... try orienting your wrist back slightly rather than completely."
Milo relaxed, easing into a exhale before slowing twisting his wrist back to it's original position.
The change now was slow, fluid, like a river over smooth stones. One by one the images shifted back to what it once was, the new orb descended back into the basin, the ripples of bioluminescence fading into nothing.
"Now try again. Slower this time."
Milo murmured, taking off his glasses to rub them softly against his coat.
"O-ok."
The young Doctor did as instructed, easing his wrist to the side, the change, like before was slower but it revealed far more.
"I-i see more images."
Anders stepped around the basin, getting a better look at the interface.
"Describe them."
"I-it looks like a chain, l-like the glyphs the f-forereunners have o-or the ancient glyphs w-we used to have. Y-ya know, on Earth?"
He took a quick breath, placing his glasses back on.
"O-one is a disc, flat with i-indecipherable elevation, th-the next l-looks like... rocks? Pebbles, l-like a group of circles."
Anders hummed, a low sound while she brought a hand to her chin.
"Glyphs huh, we can work with that... what else is there?"
"U-um.... the next is a diamond shape with a... I think a Cell, l-like a blood cell, but obviously not our blood cells, y-ya know?"
He veered into silence, the pink hue never leaving his cheeks.
"S-sorry... u-um... y-yeah it's a diamond, i-inside is th-the cell, lastly there's a twisted, thing... like a ribbon... but there's something else.. n-not images or glyphs."
"Alright, what do you see?"
Milo hesitated, a sound being caught in his throat.
"U-um... it's not like I'm 'seeing' something but more like feeling something... the orb is vibrating, slowly like a heartbeat. Th-there's also a silver hue around the disc? I don't k-know what it means."
"Neither do I... any thoughts Spartan?"
Anders glanced over as the super soldier walked over to the interface, making sure to keep off the basin.
"I think it's a message, a sitrep or deployment order, a group marker or maybe location... perhaps all 4."
Anders' eyes returned to the interface, hands moving to her hips.
"W-well, i-if it m-makes you feel any better, i-i recorded the glyphs and symbols. S-so maybe w-we can send it up to the Captain? H-he's smart."
Jerome nodded and reached for his helmet mounted communicator. Anders was already moving, politely taking the camera from Milo.
"This is Jerome to Spirit of Fire Actual."
Almost immediately the gravely voice of Cutter responded.
"Cutter here. Report."
"We have encountered a interface, neither banished nor Forerunner, it's new, Doctor Milo activated it, discovering Glyph chains."
Anders pitched in, tapping several buttons on the camera.
"Sending the Images now sir."
--------
Some minutes have passed since the images were sent to the Spirit of Fire, Milo was still in the basin, the opalescent colors of the interface shifting soft pastel hues.
"Looks like you're getting the hang of it."
Milo's lips twitched, his eyes brightening.
"Th-thanks, it's really interesting... th-the t-technology is... unique.."
Anders hummed in agreement, her own gaze never leaving the interface.
"We only found the chain of glyphs, is there anything else you see?"
Milo turned his hand again, the orb's images shifting, the colors taking on a different set of pastel hues until.
The basin softly glowed, ripples of bioluminescence flowed from Milo's feet as a 2nd orb slowly emerged from the gel-filled pool.
Milo with his free hand inched toward the 2nd sphere, upon his fingers sinking into the pliant gel it too activated, revealing a diagram.
The young doctor tilted his head, cheeks warming.
"I-i mean... th-this is new.... i-is this what you wanted?"
Anders pressed her lips together, stopping the quirk of her lips upwards while her eyes scanned the diagram.
"Yes Milo, it is... from here, I can see it as a hologram, looks like a 3d map of the facility."
Milo's eyes bounced side to side, observing the interactive gel.
"Y-yeah, I wonder if I can zoom in on it."
Milo took a slow inhale before pushing his hand deeper, tilting it slowly. The gel sphere would expand, flex, grow and partially cover Milo's hand, a quick gasp escaped him as the diagram of the base became clearer.
Symbols at intersectioned hallways glowed a haunting icy blue while several amber blips pulsed quickly yet quietly.
Milo's eyes widened, jaw lowering.
"I-isnt that F-Finch's hallway?"
Jerome immediately tensed, the glow of the interface reflecting off his visor.
"It is, there's a door beside them."
Jerome reached for the communicator on his helmet, a quiet ping echoed upon tapping it.
"Jerome-092 to Finch, report."
-----
Two minutes earlier, Finch and her team were already making their way down that same corridor... it was empty, quiet, dim and the humidity was getting worse.
"This place is getting on my nerves."
She growled, her tone clipped and annoyed. The ODSTs beside her, glanced to her, one even nodded.
"What are we supposed to be looking for?"
Finch sighed, shoulders lowering.
"I don't know... we should scan the halls, see if we can't find another indentation like earlier."
The elite squad silently extended their coverage, flashlights illuminating the pearlescent structure. Each step gave slightly, like a stiff waterbed.
They continued, before a quiet ping came from the communicator on Finch's wrist.
"Jerome-092 to Finch, report."
She rose a brow, gaze sharpening.
"Finch to Spartan, all is well. Nothing to report."
A quiet voice comes from the communicator.
"Th-there's also d-door on your right m-F-Finch."
The agent held position immediately turning to the wall, the Helljumpers followed as all flashlights landed on the wall.
"There!"
One said, pointing to a subtle indentation. Finch glanced to where the soldier pointed and huffed.
"Just like the door outside... now, all we need to do is find out how to open-"
The indentation pulsed with a aquamarine shade, an outline of the door's frame becoming easily visible. The depression around the door began to purse, the layers of pearlescent tissue drawing tight, then opening in the same deliberate, muscular rhythm.
Finch and the ODSTs immediately raised their firearms at the door. Finch's eyes narrowed with her voice clipped.
"That wasn't us, Spartan, we might have a-"
Her communicator interrupted her, a quick voice coming from it, quick, panicked and high pitched.
"I-im sorry mom!! I-it was me, i-i didn't mean to, I leaned too far into the interface!"
The tense moment eased, Finch slowly exhaled, shoulders sagging even more, she rubbed her eyes with her fingers.
"Honestly... that boy is clumsy..."
She said, exasperated, but the way her lips tilted up told another story...
"Ma'am, you might wanna see this."
One of the ODSTs spoke lowly, his voice slowed, unsure as new scents arose.. sweeter, Earthy, metallic, misty.
Finch's smile disappeared as she leaned into a step her eyes sharpening. She leaned into the door, scanning the room where the scents grew pungent.
Inside was an oval-shaped chamber, its curved walls lined with recessed shelves. Each held a transparent case cradling something alive — twisting stalks that coiled in slow, deliberate motions, broad fungal caps breathing faint motes of light, and vines pressed flat against the casings as if aware of the movement outside.
Finch stepped further in; the floor yielded under her boots with a faint, damp give. Her gaze shifted to the chamber's center, where a familiar basin of gel sat waiting, its surface still and glassy but with a depth that seemed to drink in the light. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her voice came sharp, edged with caution.
"Looks like the same basin as the one in the main room."
She and her team walked in fully, their steps slow, their footfalls silent.
"Hmm...." she began, reaching for her communicator.
"Finch to Anders."
The professors voice responded quickly.
"What is it."
"We found another one of those Basins... since you're with Milo, I'm assuming you know the basics. I need you to access it."
Silence followed, the ODSTs shifted their weight, quiet clicks and klinks of their armor swaying. Anders responded.
"I'm on my way."
The frequency dropped, Finch exhaled slowly, the tension in her shoulders diminishing.
----------
Not even a minute passed by when the professor arrived, camera in hand, the moment she entered the room her entire being froze in place, a sharp inhale followed as her eyes widened, bouncing around the room.
"Agent..... it... seems like you found something important for xenobiology."
The professor's eyes landed on the agent, her arms crossed.
"Yeah, it also has a basin i need you to walk on."
Anders nodded, swiftly leaning into multiple slow steps into the basin, and like before with Milo, each step sent a bioluminescent ripples outward in slow lazy waves.
Once in the center the professor shifted her weight evenly, the basin lit up as a sphere lifted from the gel, the sphere broke the surface, scattering lazy ripples across the gel. Its glow caught on the transparent cases around the room, each one answering with a slow, internal pulse.
"Let's see what you found, Agent."
Her voice lilted, a subtle twitch of the professors lips tilting up.