Halo: Reach Timeline Novels & Stories

--- ## Chapter 67: The Gamification of Grief Huge, holographic letters, miles high and glowing with a predatory neon green, burned across the grey shroud of the atmosphere. **[WORLD EVENT: THE QUEEN’S RECLAMATION]** **[OBJECTIVE: CAPTURE SUBJECT 01]** **[REWARD: PERMANENT UPLOAD TO THE CORE-REALITY]** **[TIME REMAINING: 23:59:59]** "Twenty-four hours," I breathed. "They’re giving the whole world twenty-four hours to hunt me."

As we stood in the quiet of the mother world, Toby’s voice crackled through the long-range link from the Grand Navigator’s vessel. "Mom! Dad! You need to see this," Toby said, his voice filled with a frantic, adventurous excitement. "I’m at the edge of the Andromeda Reach. The First Gate didn't just lead to the core. It’s a network. I’m picking up a signal from outside the galaxy. It’s rhythmic. It’s sixty beats per minute."

“I mean… if they’re launching now, three months is basically surrender.” The room fell silent. One executive frowned. “And what would you suggest?” Elliot leaned forward slightly. “You don’t wait three months.” He gestured toward the screen. “You kill their product in three days.” Several executives looked shocked. “That’s impossible.” “Not really,” Elliot said. Timothy’s gaze remained fixed on him. “Explain.” Elliot stood and walked toward the display. He grabbed the tablet controlling the presentation and pulled up Helios’ public server architecture. “They rushed their launch.”

"I promise to stand. Between you and the dark. Between you and the gravity." He took a step closer, leaning on his crutches. "I do not know the past," Cale said. "But I know the objective. The objective is you. And I will not fail the objective." He looked at the sky. "Until the timeline stops," Cale whispered. Elion choked back a sob. "Until the timeline stops." "The rings!" Todd shouted, trying to regain control. Elion fumbled for the rings. He slid the gold band onto Cale’s finger.

“We’re four people. One of whom just learned to walk again.” Ezra stepped into the room. “Then we build an army.” He tossed a file onto the table. Project Halo: Rejected Candidates. Hundreds of names. Ezra pointed at them. “We’re not the only ones who survived. We’re just the only ones who remember.”

Because she had come back too— Back from ten years in the future. *** Half a month later, Jace had lost over ten pounds. He looked like a shadow of himself. Robert finally gave in and promised that after the SATs, he could go find Nadia. So the second the SATs were over, Jace got on a flight overseas. During that time, Faye had tried reaching out to him several times. He ignored every message. He moved through each day like a shell of himself. Robert, meanwhile, released the surveillance footage from before the staged kidnapping.

Too many eyes. The second Cal stopped the vehicle, attendants hurried forward to open the doors. But Blake’s car still hadn’t arrived. I glanced toward the driveway once. Nothing. A flicker of irritation crossed my chest. I opened another mindlink instantly. “Where are you?” “We’re close,” Blake answered quickly. “You’re wasting time.” “There’s traffic near the south entrance.” I ended the link with a curse under my breath. Beside me, Juna gently touched my arm. “They already announced our arrival.” Her tone remained soft, reasonable. “If we delay much longer, the council may see it as disrespect. My father specifically requested we attend tonight.”

She read them again with the escalation figure in mind. "He moved the timeline," she said. "Yes." She looked at the Day 1 sequence. Three days to a working stabilizer. Three days she had planned on having. "What's the new window." "If the escalation rate holds , and this morning suggests it will , another episode within forty-eight to seventy-two hours. That one may not resolve on its own." She closed the symptom log. "I'll call the institute."

Unknown time until everything changes. The countdown has begun.