Chapter 259 — First Impressions
The residence had become much quieter after Marcus left.
Naruto, Mindy, Saeko, and Diana were already exploring Cascade.
Gaius remained in his room.
Only Tony and Tanya were left in the living room.
For a while, neither spoke.
The silence was comfortable.
Then Tanya casually waved a hand.
A moment later, several drinks appeared on the table.
Tony raised an eyebrow.
The appearance of the tea wasn't accompanied by any dramatic effects.
One moment the table was empty.
The next, it wasn't.
A teapot sat in the center.
Several cups rested beside it.
Tony looked at the tea.
Then at Tanya.
Then back at the tea.
Without saying anything, he picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup.
Steam rose gently from the surface.
He took a sip.
A few seconds passed.
Then he made a face.
"Not my taste."
Tanya looked at him.
"I prefer coffee."
Tanya simply shrugged.
She took her own cup.
The tea suited her preferences perfectly.
Neither attempted to convince the other.
After another sip, Tanya set her cup down.
Then she asked a question.
"What do you think of the people here?"
Tony glanced toward her.
"What do you mean?"
Tanya remained calm.
"The humans of this universe."
Tony leaned back slightly.
The casual look on his face faded.
The question deserved a serious answer.
For a few moments he considered it.
"I don't know much about them beyond what they've told us."
That was the truth.
Almost everything they knew about this universe had come from the UNSC personnel, the soldiers they met, and ONI representatives. There were still countless things they didn't know.
Tony continued.
"But what I know is that they are humans."
His voice remained calm.
"And they are being attacked by aliens killing billions of humans."
The room became quiet again.
Tanya listened.
She didn't interrupt.
The reality was simple.
Neither of them knew the full history of humanity in this universe.
They didn't know every political detail.
They didn't know every secret.
They didn't know everything ONI had done.
They didn't know every mistake humanity had made.
But they did know one thing.
Humanity was fighting for survival.
Billions were dead.
Entire worlds had been destroyed.
Whatever other complications existed, that fact remained.
Tony sighed.
"At the end of the day, they're humans."
Tanya nodded slightly.
The Covenant, from everything they had heard, weren't simply fighting a war.
They were conducting extermination.
That alone was enough for Tony.
If forced to choose between humanity and the aliens attempting to wipe humanity out, his answer was obvious.
After a few moments, Tony spoke again.
"Tanya."
She looked toward him.
"How long do you think we'll be in this universe?"
Tanya lifted her teacup.
Her movements remained precise and elegant.
The black gloves covering her hands somehow made the gesture appear even more refined.
She took a small sip.
Then she answered.
"I don't know."
Tony waited.
"But from the situation, we might take longer than expected."
Tony nodded.
That sounded about right.
The moment they had arrived, things had become far more complicated than any of them had expected.
Alien genocides.
Billions dead.
Interstellar wars.
Technology exchanges.
None of it would be resolved quickly.
Although they could leave whenever they wanted, none of them had any desire to walk away. Not after learning what humanity in this universe had endured.
If they eventually returned home, they wanted to leave behind something useful. Something that would help.
"Fortunately," Tony said, "I already had everything prepared before we got to this universe."
Tanya looked at him.
"After all, there is no more time dilation."
That was true.
Tony's world no longer suffered from the strange temporal problems that had complicated things before.
Time continued normally now.
Tanya nodded.
She didn't respond verbally.
Her situation was somewhat different.
Because she was currently staying in Tony's universe and had not returned to her own world, her original universe remained effectively paused.
Time wasn't moving there.
At least not for now.
It was a strange situation.
One she had largely become accustomed to.
The conversation gradually drifted toward smaller topics.
Neither of them felt any need to disturb Gaius immediately.
The giant warrior had wanted time alone.
So they gave it to him.
They continued drinking tea.
They talked about various things.
Minutes passed peacefully.
Then both of them heard it.
Thud.
A heavy but controlled footstep echoed through the residence.
Tony immediately looked toward the hallway.
Tanya did the same.
There was only one person capable of making that particular sound.
"Gaius," Tony said.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the residence, Gaius had already known everything that had happened.
Even while sitting alone in his room, Observation Haki had allowed him to sense events throughout the residence.
Marcus arriving.
The communicators.
The conversations.
The money.
The tablet.
He knew all of it.
He simply hadn't come out.
The knowledge granted by the Emperor still occupied much of his attention.
Organizing it.
Understanding it.
Sorting it into a usable form.
Only after finishing that process had he finally left his room.
A moment later the giant Space Marine entered the living room.
Tony immediately reached toward the tablet resting on the table.
"Marcus left—"
He stopped.
Gaius spoke first.
"I know."
Tony blinked.
Gaius continued.
"I heard it."
Tony looked slightly confused.
Gaius's room wasn't exactly next door.
It was some distance away.
Still, after everything he had seen from Gaius so far, Tony simply accepted the explanation.
Enhanced hearing wasn't exactly the strangest thing on the list.
"Fair enough."
Gaius approached the table.
Then he picked up the tablet.
The giant warrior sat down across from them.
Tony watched with curiosity.
Gaius extended one armored finger.
The auramite gauntlet touched the screen.
Tony found himself watching carefully.
Part of him genuinely wondered whether the screen would survive.
The tablet activated immediately.
No scratches.
No cracks.
No damage whatsoever.
Tony nodded.
Good materials.
The device clearly wasn't cheaply made.
A moment later the screen lit up fully.
Then a holographic interface appeared above it.
Contacts.
Maps.
News.
Various applications.
Several additional features.
The display floated smoothly in the air.
No flickering.
No instability.
Gaius examined it silently.
Then gave a small nod.
It functioned properly.
The holographic interface was responsive.
Everything appeared to work as intended.
Tony leaned back.
"Not bad."
The three remained there for a few moments.
Then Tony glanced toward the window.
The others had been gone for a while now.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"It's been some time."
Tanya looked up from her tea.
Tony continued.
"I wonder how things are going on Naruto's end."
The city greeted them with motion.
Cascade was alive.
Vehicles moved through elevated transit lanes overhead.
Civilian transports crossed the sky.
Holographic advertisements floated above storefronts.
Bright images rotated through the air.
People filled the streets.
Workers heading toward jobs.
Students moving between schools.
Families spending time together.
Veterans walking through the city.
Life.
Everywhere.
For a moment, the four newcomers simply stood there.
Naruto looked everywhere at once.
His head turned constantly.
Every few seconds something else caught his attention.
"Whoa..."
His eyes followed a train gliding silently along an elevated rail.
Then another vehicle crossed overhead.
Then a massive holographic advertisement appeared above a nearby building.
Naruto immediately pointed at it.
"How does that stay in the air?"
Nobody answered.
Mostly because nobody actually knew.
Mindy's attention had already moved elsewhere.
"There are cameras everywhere."
Saeko smiled.
"That was the first thing you noticed?"
"It should be."
Mindy crossed her arms.
"If I was planning something, I'd want to know where all the cameras are."
Diana sighed.
"You are impossible."
Mindy grinned.
"I know."
Naruto barely heard any of that.
A smell had reached him.
His attention immediately shifted.
Food.
A nearby stall had caught his attention.
Then his stomach betrayed him.
Growl.
The sound was loud enough for everyone to hear.
Naruto froze.
Saeko immediately covered her mouth.
Diana smiled.
Mindy laughed openly.
"You've been outside for less than five minutes."
Naruto pointed toward the food stall.
"I'm hungry."
"You are always hungry."
Naruto didn't even deny it.
"I'm still hungry."
Nobody really had a counterargument for that.
Several minutes later they stood in front of a food vendor.
The man operating the stall looked mildly surprised.
Mostly because Naruto was staring at the menu with extraordinary focus.
"So what is a moa burger?"
The vendor blinked.
"You've never had one?"
Naruto shook his head.
The vendor looked even more confused.
After all, moa burgers were one of the most common foods in human space. Nearly every surviving colony had some version of them, and most people recognized the name immediately.
"Where are you from?"
Naruto opened his mouth.
Then paused.
That was actually a difficult question.
Fortunately Diana stepped in.
"We are visitors."
The vendor accepted the answer.
He had only been making casual conversation, after all.
Naruto immediately pointed at the menu.
"I'll take three for me."
The vendor stared.
"Three?"
"Yes."
Mindy ordered one.
Saeko selected something lighter.
Diana chose to wait.
While they waited for their food, Diana watched the city.
People seemed normal.
That was what struck her most.
After everything she had learned about this universe, she expected tension.
Fear.
Paranoia.
Signs of a civilization constantly afraid.
Instead she saw ordinary life.
Children walking with parents.
Friends talking together.
Couples shopping.
People laughing.
Humanity had survived.
Billions had died.
Decades of war had scarred civilization.
Yet life continued.
Diana found herself smiling softly.
There was something comforting about that.
Eventually the food arrived.
Naruto took his first bite.
His eyes nearly closed.
"This is amazing."
Mindy took a bite from her own burger.
Then she shrugged.
"It's a burger," she said. "Just a more delicious one."
Naruto immediately pointed at her.
"You have no appreciation for greatness."
Mindy rolled her eyes.
The argument began instantly.
Saeko laughed quietly.
Diana simply listened while the two continued debating the quality of a burger.
The afternoon continued.
inside an ONI facility, another conversation from earlier was being reviewed.
The laboratory contained advanced equipment.
Scientific projects occupied numerous workstations.
Experiments were running throughout the facility.
Yet none of that currently held the attention of one particular scientist.
Instead she was focused entirely on a holographic recording.
The hologram displayed Gaius.
Specifically, his meeting with Commander Osman.
His explanation of the Imperium.
His discussion of enemies.
The woman watched without blinking.
She was older.
Distinct graying hair framed sharp facial features.
Blue eyes remained fixed on the recording.
Nothing else in the room seemed to exist.
Nearby sat a desk.
A nameplate rested upon it.
The words engraved on the plate were simple.
Catherine Halsey.
And as the holographic image of Gaius continued speaking about the Imperium of Man, Catherine Halsey continued watching in complete silence.
~~~
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