The Victus Mortuus Ch. 1

The doctor stared in fear as her President lay on the table before her. The doctors that had ran out the room, locked the door. Thus, trapping her in the room with DARK. DARK's body shifted. He turned to the doctor. The doctor war a petite woman with short brown hair in a ponytail. She was huddled up in a corner in fear of DARK. The corrupted president eyed the woman and regained part of who he was quickly. He remembered numerous languages he could speak, but he couldn't remember which he usually spoke. He decided Latin, remembering that it was the USC's official language.

"Quid tu timidi, mea Spartana?" DARK asked in a strange sounding voice. It seemed to echo around the room and in her head.

"M-morbi tibi, d-domine. I-in Victus Mortuus, domine," She stuttered "Tu enim me occidere?"

" Nihil de modi. Volo te rem non dolor," DARK said then clenched his side in pain. It felt as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. He looked at the doctor with a ravenous face. He walked towards her and touched her forehead with his hand. "Indica me. Aliud est fuga? Nolo malum meum."

The woman nodded. She pointed to the vent system. The vents were large enough for a person to walk in and made of a strong metal to keep them from collapsing. "Spiracula ducere extra fundum. Sed spiracula sunt firmiter obscratis."

DARK eyed the vent. "Questus per erit non problema. Esse tutum meum Spartana." DARK said then turned and looked through the observation glass. He saw Nicole and Axel. He turned to her and mouthed the words "I am sorry." DARK turned and ripped open the vent and crawled through and raced throughout the ventilation system of the estate.

The doctor stared at the vent then fainted. Passing out on the ground. The doctors the locked her in rush back inside to check on her. Nicole turned to Axel.

"You know we have to get him. Hate to say it, but he may harm someone," Nicole said.

"Understood,"  Axel said while loading a magazine of 9.5x40mm M634 X-HP-SAP hollow point bullets into a BR55HB SR Battle Rifle.

"Why are you doing that?" Nicole asked eyeing the gun

"Might need to 'put him down' if need be." Axel replied.

Nicole sighed at the horrible truth. She nodded slightly. She was about to run out the door until she ran into a familiar face. A Spartan clad in red and blue armor looked down at her. She could see her eyes reflected in his silver visor. His name was Ronald-777, DARK's Vice President. He was in armor due to returning from a battle involving insurrectionists.

"Nicole? What's wrong?"  Ronald said in a gruff voice. He had noted her body language.

"Something is wrong with DARK. He's infected with something," Nicole said.

Ronald shifted his stance. "Where is he now?"

"He escaped the estate a few minutes ago," Axel said "He went through the vents."

Ronald stood in thought. This was not the DARK he knew. DARK wasn't as strong as anyone here for certain because he was a Spartan-III, but he still would try to fight it. That is if he wasn't already. Ronald took a small step toward Nicole.

"I know what you need. Don't worry. I shall aid you in this." Ronald said with care in his voice.

Nicole looked up at him with her mechanical and amber colored eyes. She nodded. "The more help the better."
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DARK ran through the vents. So many things went through his mind. He didn't know who to turn to, much less who he might hurt. He remembered Axel and Eris telling him stories of a Spartan by the name of Vincent who became infected by a Blackstar virus. DARK fell to his knees again and grabbed his stomach. He needed food. He was extremely hungry. He got in a hurry and ran faster through the vents and kicked out another covering. He backed away and squinted at light, bursting in front of him due to the sun. He adjusted his eyes and jumped out the vent and climbed the gates. He was out the Presidential Estate.

"Now what?" DARK asked himself and leaned on a tree painfully. His hunger came back. "What the hell?!" DARK said and grabbed his side. His eyes had a red haze when he opened them and scanned the area. He smelled blood nearby.

DARK sprinted off to find the source of blood. He couldn't stop his hunger and he needed to feed on something. DARK's frenzied state of mind shifted and his attention turned to a group of Spartan insurgents under the aid of UNSC ONI scientists. Some UNSC people were angry when the USC was founded, and ONI planned on taking them down several times. Even after a peace treaty was signed. DARK eyed the insurrectionists and scientists. They were trading money for weapons and technology. Older Covenant and modern human weapons were exchanged. DARK then eyed a man who had cut his finger on a knife he was using to open a box. His blood lust kicked in and attacked. DARK's mind went blank and everything seemed to blur in front of him.

When he came to his senses, he was drenched in blood. DARK looked in horror at what he had done. Every UNSC ONI scientist and Sierran insurgent was dead at his feet. Each one with a bite mark on their neck and marks of being mauled. He looked over at the weapons they were trading. He saw a Covenant Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword. He grabbed the hilt of the blade and examined it. He put it on his side, feeling an unusual connection with the weapon. DARK then continued on, being completely fed now. His mind eased and he relaxed as best he could.
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Meanwhile, Nicole, Ronald, and Axel had commandeered a USC version of the Warthog called the M40 GAV "Coyote". It is a highly mobile, all-wheel-drive, all-wheel-steering, ICE-powered (Internal combustion engine) vehicle equipped with a contuously-variable transmission. Able to seat up to six fully armed Spartans with one extra spot for a turret gunner on the back of the vehicle.

Nicole was sitting in the passenger side of the Coyote while Axel drove. Ronald was in one of the back seats analyzing maps and routes that led out from the estate.

"Where do you think he will go?" Nicole asked

"Hard to tell. He could be anywhere by now," Axel replied

Nicole nodded slightly. "Axel, what do we need to do when we find him?"

"Without killing him?" Axel said gruffly "Probably need to find a way to pin him down, restrain him, contain him, however the hell you want to say it, and drag him back and let the doctors find a way to get him back somewhat."

Ronald was reading the routed then turned for a second and looked out the vehicle "Stop!"

Axel hit the brakes and jumped out. Nicole did as well, followed by Ronald. Ronald walked over to a dozen or two dead bodies lying on the road. Axel warned them not to get too close, for he saw bite marks on the bodies. Nicole looked at the crates and saw the red insurrectionist fist icon imprinted on it.

"These are insurgents," Nicole said and walked toward their bodies "But they look like they've been attack by a wild animal."

"It's DARK," Axel replied "The disease does that."

Nicole looked back down at the bodies realizing the truth. Then froze when she saw the bodies' eyes open slowly. She back away and watched as the once dead, were now on their feet with red eyes and were glaring at them. Ronald returned this action with a spray of gun fire from his MA5B assault rifle. Axel reacted the same way and fired his battle rifle. One of the undead grabbed Nicole by the shoulders and attempted to bite her. Nicole twisted the undead's arm and reached for the neck. She gripped the neck and a painful crack was heard. The body fell back to the ground.

"What the hell just happened?" Nicole asked.

"They got infected. Like I said, it was DARK who did this." Axel replied and snarled at one surviving infected crawling towards him. He crushed its skull under his armored foot. "It's the damn infection. It spreads like this."

"Well, let's get out of here. No use in standing around." Ronald said

"Agreed," Nicole replied and got back in the Coyote.