The Good, the Bad, and the Didact

Alone

The sun shone into the jungle the following morning, and I opened my eyes to the rays peeking through the trees and vines. I climbed out of the pod and looked around. I still didn't know how far I fell but far enough, hopefully that no one from Infinity would find me.

It was quiet, and the only sound heard was the sound of insects chirping like crickets back on Earth. Wherever the UNSC forces and the Covenant were beside Infinity, all I knew is that if I didn't move, someone would find me. But where would I go now that I was alone? Anywhere I guess since that was better than Infinity. I could still hear the sound of bullet and plasma gunfire from last night, even the sound of phantoms above. Wherever it was coming from, was probably where Infinity was, so I decided to go in the opposite direction into the silence.

The sun now high in the sky was becoming blinding in those occasional open spots in the jungle. It was hot, but it did not bother me. All I had to wear was my civilian clothes: a black baby-doll tank top with a pink streak that ran along the hem, black skinny jeans, black boots, and my spiky choker. I was a rebel and proud of it.

The first thing I needed to do was to find food, but where? I had relied on berries the last time I ran away, but had to be very picky considering that many of them could be poisonous. I was walking south from where Infinity was, and so far all was quiet. No Covenant and no UNSC. The fight had either died down, or was too far away to hear. Then my thoughts began to wander again as I continued to proceed through the jungle.

My curious heart about the Forerunners was a powerful thing. Ever since the story had come out that the Master Chief had released the Forerunner called the Didact; That was the moment I wanted to learn more. There was radio chatter crying out between Infinity and Chief, both very static. There was something about Prometheans, then about someone called the Didact being released. I was there on the ship listening to the chatter from the back of the room. I didn't speak, all I could do was listen and my heart desired to find out who this Didact was. 

Was the Didact the last Forerunner or something? It seemed that all the other Forerunners had vanished. I felt almost as if I wanted to find the Didact, maybe he was responsible for Chief disappearing. Did the Didact kill him? It was a question of my life. But if I found the Didact, I wouldn't know for sure, what would happen. He was said to be someone that despised humanity, like all the Forerunners once did. 

There was a story about another Forerunner, who didn't hate humanity: The Librarian and she seemed to have disappeared as well. There were so many stories and so many questions that I wanted answered.

I came to a small pond and stopped to rest. It was getting hot out, and I didn't think Requiem could have a tropical climate. I bent down to wash my face and took a small sip of the water to make sure it wasn't too dirty. The pond tasted like clear water but dirty. Distilled water is way better. I thought, but if I am to be alone I have to take what there is.

I sat there for a while eating some blueberries on a nearby bush like a hungry bear. I napped in the sun later on, and then after waking, I decided I was in good need of a bath. I stripped down and slowly stepped into the pond. The water was cool, and felt so much different than a bathtub as I lay down and let it consume me. The water rose up above my lips, and soon I was underwater, allowing myself to become clean and relax. By the time I was done I never felt better, as I climbed out and then put my clothes back on that hung on a nearby tree. The sun would set in a few hours, so I thought it was time to get moving until dusk.

I walked for some time under thousands of branches and up slopes of moss. The jungle was so deserted. Soon in the late afternoon, I began walking around a small swamp, and down a ramp of moss with small shrubs. The sun was beginning to lower as I descended. 

To my surprise, the jungle ended right there with a metal trapezoid shaped door. A Forerunner structure was here. It must have been one of those towers known to be found on Requiem, only this one did not stand out on a wide open space like most of them did. I didn't know what I would find here. This place could be my shelter for the night and hopefully nothing unpleasant would be inside. Right by the door, I found a dead Marine and took his Magnum, then the door opened, and I walked inside.