Editing Outbreak at the Containment Facility

{{Status|Canon}}

|name=Outbreak at the Containment Facility

|prev=*[[Raid on the Truth and Reconciliation]]

|conc=*[[Battle of the Silent Cartographer]]

*[[Assault on the Control Room (conflict)|Assault on the Control Room]]

|next=*[[Raid on the Library]]

*[[Skirmish on Infinite Succor]]

**Flood escapes and spreads

|side1=

*[[United Nations Space Command]]

*[[Forerunner constructs]]

|side3=*[[Flood]] {{C|[[Feral Stage|Uncoordinated feral stage]]}}

**[[Second squad (Pillar of Autumn)|Second squad]]

A massive '''[[Flood outbreak|outbreak]] at a Flood Containment Facility''' was the turning point of the UNSC and Covenant's involvement in the [[Battle of Installation 04]], where the two sides proved unprepared for a third enemy: the Flood.<ref name="343GS">''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]], campaign level ''[[343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark]]''</ref>

Following the [[Great Purification|activation]] of the [[Halo Array]] at the end of the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], the [[Forerunner]]s kept samples of the Flood contagion in [[Flood containment facility|Flood containment facilities]] spread across their installations for study. During the ongoing campaign for control of [[Installation 04]] in [[2552#September|September 2552]], the [[Prophet of Stewardship]] dispatched secondary and tertiary artifact hunting groups to what was believed to be a Forerunner weapons cache. These teams encountered the Flood and fell silent, eventually leading the Prophet to send a fourth before [[Supreme Commander]] [[Thel 'Vadamee]] reprimanded the Prophet for misallocation of military resources.<ref name="adjunct">''[[Halo: The Flood]] (2010): ''[[Halo: The Flood#2010 bonus content|Adjunct]]'' - [[Priority Broadcast Log/Eleventh Cycle, Third Unit]]''</ref>

Despite the success of the [[Raid on the Pillar of Autumn|Raid on the ''Pillar of Autumn'']] conducted by Lieutenant [[Melissa McKay]] bringing much-needed supplies to fortify Alpha Base, [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]] decided to personally lead a small force of [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] to investigate the supposed weapons cache. The marines were inserted by [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelican]] dropship into the swamps surrounding the facility, and proceeded to make their way inside on foot.{{Ref/Reuse|343GS}}{{Ref/Reuse|flood6}}

Pelican ''[[Victor 933]]'' was the first Pelican dropship to arrive in the area, though crash-landed in the swamps.<ref group="Note" name="Victor">''Victor 933'' can be seen already crashed as Fireteam Charlie disembark from their Pelican in the cutscene for the level 343 Guilty Spark. This is likely a result of development in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', as the cutscenes render in-engine on the existing level. Nonetheless, this article treats this element as canon.</ref> Fireteam Charlie, led by Staff Sergeant [[Avery Johnson]], followed in their own Pelican soon after. Charlie exited the Pelican into the water of the swamp, with [[Wallace Jenkins]] located towards the rear of the formation. Charlie met with Captain Keyes and [[Second squad (Pillar of Autumn)|second squad]], though the two groups later split up and made their way through the swamp independently.<ref group="Note" name="Keyes">The depiction of the Marine insertion into the swamps is inconsistent between sources. The original ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' level shows Fire Team Charlie insert into the swamp and make their way to the facility independently of Keyes and second squad, who join Charlie inside the structure later on. Chapter six of ''Halo: The Flood'', however, depicts Keyes in the swamps with Johnson's squad, but Jenkins is later ordered to wait for the Captain and his squad to arrive. This article uses the interpretation that Keyes met up with Fireteam Charlie in the swamps in the time skipped by the in-game cutscene, but the two groups later split up and regrouped.</ref> [[Wallace Jenkins|Jenkins]] and [[Manuel Mendoza|Mendoza]] were ordered to wait by the facility entrance for the captain to arrive while the rest of Charlie entered the structure.{{Ref/Reuse|343GS}}{{Ref/Reuse|flood6}}

The captain would eventually arrive, with second squad - led by Corporal [[Lovik]] - ordered to guard by the entrance. Once inside, Keyes noted that the situation of the facility was entirely different from expected; where they had expected Covenant arms caches and guards was nothing. After exploring for ten minutes, Charlie would stumble across the body of a dead [[Special Operations Sangheili]], as well as many other dead Covenant troops. Unusually, the alien's chest cavity was ripped open in a manner not consistent with human weaponry. When Keyes arrived, Johnson would reaffirm that the dead aliens were not Fireteam Charlie's doing - they had been killed prior to the arrival of the UNSC. Another five minutes of exploring later, and the squad came across a large, locked metal door. Keyes ordered the door opened, despite [[Kappus]]' notation that the Covenant had worked "pretty hard" to lock down the door. Nonetheless, Kappus used a [[spoofer]] to override the door controls and allow the squad access to a large room.{{Ref/Reuse|343GS}}{{Ref/Reuse|flood6}}

[[File:HTF_Logoless_CoverArt.jpg|thumb|250px|John-117 fighting against a wave of pod infectors during the outbreak.]]

The team entered the room, and took up defensive positions to cover the captain. Discussion among the troops was interrupted by a transmission from second squad - the squad was being attacked by an unknown organism, not Covenant in origin. Johnson ordered Mendoza to head back to their position and investigate, but a door in the room was blown open before the marine could do so. From the opening came a swarm of Flood [[pod infector]]s, with the first one managing to strike Private [[Riley]] in the back, though the marine was able to grab hold of the creature and keep it at bay while Kappus assisted his friend. More and more Flood forms began pouring into the room, with the marines and captain beginning to fire at the horde. Jenkins, however, was unable to fire due to fear at seeing three or four creatures overwhelm a single human. Keyes was able to catch an infector that attempted to jump at his face, though was ultimately caught anyway by another form that managed to latch onto his shoulder. Jenkins turned to run at the sight of the captain being infected, but was caught by a pod infector in the back.{{Ref/Reuse|343GS}}{{Ref/Reuse|flood6}}

[[File:HCEA-Concept-Chief-Flood.jpg|thumb|left|250px|John-117 investigates the facility.]]

Simultaneously to the raid, Spartan [[John-117]] had been fighting to gain a control of the ringworld's [[Control Room (Installation 04)|Control Room]]. Having accessed the facility with [[Cortana]], the AI warned John that Keyes' raid on the weapons cache was a mistake and urged the Spartan to find him before it was too late while she remained in the computer systems of the facility.<ref>''Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level [[Assault on the Control Room]]''</ref> The Spartan departed the Control Room alone, and was transported to the swamps of the containment facility by ''[[Echo 419]]'', landing near ''Victor 933''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s crash site.{{Ref/Reuse|343GS}}

The Spartan proceeded to progress up the swamp, following the route earlier taken by Fireteam Charlie while being watched by the Flood, whose Marine IFF transponders flickered on and off the Spartan's radar. He found the wreckage of ''Victor 933'' and noted the craft had crashed during takeoff rather than landing, before later finding a similar wreck of a Covenant Spirit dropship.{{Ref/Reuse|343GS}}{{Ref/Reuse|flood8}} The Spartan would shortly be attacked by the fleeing Spirit dropship ''[[Brilliant Gift]]'', who had been infected by the Flood.<ref name="succor">''Halo Graphic Novel, [[The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor]]''</ref> The Spartan made his way up the swamp, finding only a handful of Kig-Yar and Unggoy and a [[Type-25 Shade|Shade]] turret. Encountering the entrance to the Forerunner structure, the Master Chief found some Covenant soldiers running away from human gunfire{{Ref/Reuse|343GS}} and several bodies gunned down by plasma fire.{{Ref/Reuse|flood8}} Entering the facility, the Spartan found many dead bodies and rooms of gore, but no life to speak of except one [[Paranoid Marine|Marine survivor]] armed with an [[M6D magnum]], who attempted to shoot John out of fear. The Spartan took the marine's weapon and attempted to calm him down, but the panick-stricken soldier was too far gone to be of any use.{{Ref/Reuse|flood8}}

Upon entering the containment room, John noticed the presence of ''thousands'' of empty shell casings on the floor, and [[Private]] [[Wallace A. Jenkins]]' helmet, which contained a built-in video camera. After seeing the gruesome events of the previous raid attempt through the eyes of Jenkins, the remaining Flood spewed out of nearby doors. The Spartan proceeded to retreat back through the facility, fighting off a tidal wave of flood forms including the now-infected Mendoza,{{Ref/Reuse|flood8}} but the Spartan was eventually able to make it out of the facility alive. As the elevator neared the surface, the Spartan once again came back into contact with ''Echo 419'', and several human survivors. John-117 proceeded with the surviving Marines, combating [[Pod infector|infection]] and [[Flood combat form|combat forms]] in the open, after being advised by [[Carol Rawley|Foe Hammer]] to take refuge at a tower out in the swamps.{{Ref/Reuse|343GS}}

The survivors went through the swamp in search of a tower, which was their designated evac site for ''Echo 419''. After making it to the structure, the [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] were aided by a mysterious ally - floating constructs known as [[Sentinel]]s. The Sentinels, commanded by the [[Monitor]] [[343 Guilty Spark]], defended the humans, eliminating any Flood in the vicinity - though all of Marines ultimately perished.{{Ref/Reuse|flood9}} The [[Monitor]] then teleported the Master Chief to it, referring to him as "[[Reclaimer]]", and then taking him away with him to the [[Library]].{{Ref/Reuse|343GS}}<ref name="flood9">''Halo: The Flood, chapter nine''</ref>

[[File:HCEA 343GulitySpark John117 Swamp.jpg|thumb|250px|John-117 by the wreckage of ''Victor 933''.]]

During the initial raid on the facility, almost all of the UNSC and Covenant personnel involved were infected by the Flood. Captain Keyes was later taken to the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' to become a part of the growing [[Proto-Gravemind]] on the ship,<ref name="HCEKeyes">''Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level [[Keyes]]''</ref> where he was subject to intense mental interrogation by the Flood to mine him of all useful information.<ref name="flood8">''Halo: The Flood, chapter eight''</ref><ref>''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]], [[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminals]], Terminal Nine</ref> He was later finally killed by John-117.{{Ref/Reuse|HCEKeyes}} The infection form that controlled Wallace Jenkins, through a fluke of luck, was unable to convert the Marine fully, who was now forced to watch as his body was used to fight against his fellow humans in several battles before eventually being captured.

The Covenant [[Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit|Spirit]] dropship ''[[Brilliant Gift]]'' left the site and crash-landed in the hangar bay of the ''[[Infinite Succor]]'', prompting a special operations group of Sangheili led by [[Rtas 'Vadumee]] to [[Skirmish on Infinite Succor|board the vessel]] to eradicate the infestation there.{{Ref/Reuse|succor}}

The results of the Flood outbreak in the facility would lead to the parasite manifesting itself across Installation 04, attacking UNSC forces at Alpha Base and the Covenant in space and around the ''Truth and Reconciliation''. The Sangheili [[Soha 'Rolamee]] was tasked with containing the parasite, but was ultimately executed by the Minor Prophet of Stewardship for his failure. Supreme Commander 'Vadamee would later order all ships to undergo an emergency quarantine response and return biometric scans of the crew, or face being fired upon by sterile warships.{{Ref/Reuse|adjunct}}

**[[Second squad (Pillar of Autumn)|second squad]]

***Private First Class [[Chips Dubbo]] {{C|Unknown}}<ref group="Note" name="dubbo">Chips Dubbo's canonical status is dubious, and as such his death or survival is of canonical uncertainty. See the page [[Chips Dubbo]] for more details.</ref>

**''[[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminals]]''

{{Ref/Sources}}