Agent 2994

Agent 2994 is a former SPARTAN-III Gamma trainee and is now a member of HPA, a top-secret ONI assassination program.

Early Life
"Who am I? WHO AM I?!"

- Agent 2994 awakening during indoctrination and realizing that he no longer knows his name

Very little is known about Agent 2994's early life, as he himself remembers little about it. What is known is that he was selected as a candidate for the SPARTAN-III program and brought in with the rest of Gamma Company for training. Barely a year into training, however, he and about one hundred others were singled out for "recruitment" into ONI's newly formed High Priority Assassination Program. The HPA trainees were isolated from all other children and subjected to such extreme indoctrination that many of them, including 2994, forgot their own names.

Training
"If you make a mistake than you deserve to die! Forget about him and keep moving!"

- One of the HPA drill sergeants on the death of a trainee during a live-fire exercise

Emerging from three months of constant indoctrination, the trainees were immediately plunged into a grueling training program designed by instructors who wished to outdo the SPARTAN program in terms of harshness and efficiency. The trainees were meant to work alone rather than in groups, and so the instructors promoted an insanely competitive atmosphere, constantly pitting their charges against each other. This made friendships impossible, and when the exercises became live-fire runs, the mortality rate averaged at about forty percent. 2994 received advanced training in almost all military fields, from weapons operation to covert infiltration. He was distinguished as the third best member of the program, outmatched only by Agent 2789 (in second) and Agent 2995 who held first and had renamed herself Artemis when she forgot her first name.

After the surviving trainees began finding the live-fire exercises too easy, the instructors began arranging for them to discreetly attack small Covenant convoys. Once this ceased to be a challenge, the heads of the program began sending them to assassinate corrupt UNSC officials and high-ranking Covenant leaders, which was the main purpose of the HPA Program.

Missions
Before he could be sent on any missions, Agent 2994 had to pass one more test put to him by his instructors, who thought he was less capable of murder than his fellow agents. 2994 was ordered to execute a prisoner, with full knowledge that he was only a petty thief and had a family to feed. Once he had done so, 2994 was sent to kill a colonial official who was selling secrets to rebels. 2994 succeeded in this and all of his successive missions without receiving the augmentations that Gamma Company received. When the time did come for the augmentation process to begin, the HPA agents were given augmentations more akin to those received by the SPARTAN-IIs. With a 100% survival rate for all agents involved, they began to train in MJOLNIR armor. After re-learning how to fight in his new armor, 2994 was sent on even more missions, during which he surpassed Agent 2789 but could never match Artemis, although he came closer every mission. The abrupt end of the Human-Covenant War did not cause the HPA to lose its long list of targets, as the galaxy remained as war-torn as ever.

Snakehead
While the Human-Covenant War did not bring about peace, it did put an halt to the amount of targets that could be considered high priorities. Agent 2994 soon found himself with nothing more to do than battle poorly trained and equipped mercenaries and criminals while chasing after minor targets. He was quickly bored by these assignments, always hoping for something more challenging. His wish was granted when he was paired with Agent 2995 for a mission to take down a rising insurrectionist leader, a partnership that both agents despised. Over the course of the mission, 2994 abandoned his usually self-centered tactics to support 2995, who ended up making the kill. With the mission ended, 2994 believed that he would go back to his normal, boring missions. He could not have been more wrong.

The ONI quickly discovered that a double-agent had infiltrated its upper levels. When they launched an investigation, the terrorist began murdering as many officers as he could, eventually killing the HPA's vice president. 2994 was sent in to kill the double agent, and found himself neck deep in a firefight when the enemy smuggled an insurgent commando force directly onto ONI's flagship, the Point of No Return. As the battle raged throughout the ship, 2994 discovered his target attempting to send top-secret intelligence to an unknown receiver. The traitor committed suicide when 2994 attempted to apprehend him, but a surviving tech expert managed to discover the organization the information had nearly been sent to. The agent had been working for Snakehead, a large terrorist army that was seeking to unite the various insurrectionist factions.

With a crisis on its hands, ONI ordered every operative at its disposal to focus their attention on Snakehead. Reacting to the threat, Snakehead's leader, General Herman Richelieu, had his forces seize a UNSC shipyard, capturing many half-completed ships and, more importantly, several prototype NOVA bombs. He threatened to unleash the NOVAs on Earth and several key colony worlds if the UNSC did not step down and allow him to take power. Realizing that Richelieu was key to the entire Snakehead operation, ONI dispatched Agent 2994 to the shipyard to kill Richelieu and recapture the NOVA bombs. He was aided in this mission by Agent 2789, the agent he had surpassed in order to become the HPA's second best operative. 2789 harbored no grudges against 2994, and the two of them developed a hesitant friendship. The two agents first attacked the ship where the NOVAs were being kept, Snakehead's flagship Kremlin. After a harrowing battle, they captured the NOVAs, packing them on a small transport and setting it on a course for the system's sun. Furious at the loss of the bombs, General Richelieu began firing missiles down on the planet that the shipyards orbited. As the UNSC fleet attacked the Snakehead forces, Agents 2994 and 2789 stormed the shipyard's main orbital, which Richelieu was directing his forces from. Fighting through wave after wave of Snakehead troops, the two of them reached the orbital's bridge. They strolled directly into a trap Richelieu had set in order to get revenge on the people who had ruined his plans. 2789 sacrificed himself to give 2994 a chance to kill Richelieu. With their general dead and their forces crumbling, most of Snakehead's remaining soldiers either fled or surrendered. The loss of the only friend he had ever known shook 2994, making him uncertain as to whether or not his way of life was the right one. However, he continued his missions for the HPA, continuing to enjoy spurring himself on to new heights.

Revolt
"There's only one way out of the Program, 2438: in a body bag."

- Agent 2994 to one of the rebellious agents

A few months after the Snakehead incident, several HPA operatives rejected their indoctrination and turned against the UNSC, protesting that they were allowed no lives outside of their missions. The rebels stormed a UNSC base and barricaded themselves inside its command center, demanding safe passage off the planet. Being the best operative in the area, Agent 2994 was ordered to retake the command center and kill the revolting agents. With a special forces team as backup, 2994, whose friendship with 2789 had given him a new feeling of brotherhood with his fellow agents, attempted to reason with the rebels, who asked him to join them. Once again finding his way of seeing the world conflicted, 2994 refused and retook the command center, killing all of the agents within while sustaining several wounds to his upper chest. Although he made a full recovery, 2994 found himself questioning his orders more often and wondering whether or not the rebels had been right to try to regain their lives.

Relationships With Others
"Sorry pal, but this mission caught me with my pants down and I just couldn't think up a snappy and memorable remark to say as I blew your worthless head off."

- 2994 before executing a corrupt official

Due to his brutal upbringing at the hands of the HPA Program, Agent 2994 has no compunctions about killing any one in any way; if he has been ordered to kill someone or killing someone helps or allows him to complete his mission, he will do it without thought or regret. He rejects most forms of friendship or companionship, and prefers to work alone as he has been taught. Most of his social interactions take the form of briefings and debriefings with ONI personnel, and even then he limits his input to a minimum, mostly speaking only when spoken to.

In recent months, however, 2994 has shown more interest in interacting with those around him (besides killing and maiming them). This has been shown primarily through what could be described as a "crush" on Artemis. He discovered this when the two of them were ordered to work together in order to assassinate a rebel leader, something neither of them relished. During the mission, Artemis found herself surrounded and was beginning to be overwhelmed. 2994 was had the opportunity to leave his rival to die while he took the kill, but instead came to reinforce Artemis, who went on to kill their target. After their debriefing, 2994 made a small, halfhearted attempt to ask his one-time partner out. She responded by breaking his jaw, and 2994 later reflected that it was probably only because he had saved her that she hadn't killed him. Nevertheless, he didn't regret asking her.

Some time after this, during the Snakehead incident, 2994 developed a friendship with Agent 2789 during their mission to assassinate General Richelieu. For the one of the first times in his life, 2994 found himself caring for the well being of his fellow agents. Seeing how easygoing 2789 was served as a fresh and eye-opening experience for the brutal and mission-oriented 2994. Instead of constantly worrying about how missions would affect his ranking and statistics, 2789 instead focused on the lives his missions would save, a tactic which "kept him sane". With 2789's death at the hands of General Richelieu, however, 2994 became even more adverse to making friends and continued his cold and efficient way of completing missions. He had gained some degree of compassion, and felt only regret when he was forced to kill the revolting HPA agents.

Feelings Towards Others
Agent 2994 has trouble seeing other people as actual people with lives and futures like himself, a byproduct of being taught to kill so efficiently. He usually ignores civilians during missions unless they get in his way. Although he is advised not to do so, he has the authority to kill civilians if they jeopardize the success of his mission. He has never been forced to do so, although he has considered killing several people who have annoyed him when he is operating in plainclothes. "If you need proof that there's no justice in this galaxy you should look no further than the SPARTANs. They'll be the ones with all the medals and movies when Number 2356. who couldn't outsmart a stoned Grunt, could cream any one of 'em."

- Agent 2994, complaining about the HPA Program's high level of secrecy

2994 harbors a certain disdain for members of the SPARTAN Program for a few reasons. First and foremost on this list is his feelings that they got the "easier" training as well as all of the glory; due to its top-secret nature, the exploits of HPA operatives will never be revealed to the public. Secondly, SPARTANs form an "unwelcome variable" for HPA agents during missions. During one assignment to assassinate a high-level UNSC official, 2994's mission was almost ruined by a squad of SPARTAN trainees who happened to be in the military complex at the time and had no knowledge of the official's corruption. Finally, 2994 feels that all of the HPA agents managed to achieve more than any SPARTAN ever could in less time; he and his fellow agents were running missions before the SPARTAN-IIIs (their former comrades) even graduated. 2994 is of the belief that any HPA agent is worth an entire fire team of SPARTANs.

Loyalties
"What else would I do besides this? Name just one job where you get to shoot lots of people without consequences and I will sign up for it right now!"

- Agent 2994 ridiculing a fellow agent for imagining other lines of work

Agent 2994 was subjected to three months of non-stop indoctrination before he officially began his HPA training. This torturous ordeal had different effects on the various HPA trainees. Agent 2994 did not develop a complete and unquestioning loyalty to the UNSC as did some, but instead became incapable of betrayal. The HPA became the only life he knew how to live, and treason became imbedded as wrong in his mind. He has grown to privately question orders and directives in his head, but always follow the order no matter what his personal misgivings about it might be. The occurrence of these misgivings began to increase after the death of Agent 2789 and his suppression of the "HPA revolt", even up to the point when he himself would consider deserting.

Pastimes
"I'm wearing black because today's the anniversary of the Chief's death. Since he could kick your ass any day of the week you should show him some respect."

- Agent 2994 to Agent 2995, responding to queries about his fashion choices

When he is not in the field, Agent 2994 is generally quartered on an ONI frigate or at a base. During these times of respite, 2994 has developed a large reading habit and will delve into any book he cam get his hands on. Despite his general dislike of SPARTANs, he has an almost worshipful admiration of the Master Chief, a trait exacerbated by his readings of Savior, a work of fiction about the Master Chief that exaggerates his achievements and exploits to mythical proportions. 2994 also enjoys reading military history and any kind of fiction. He is quite good at chess and often beats the computer at its highest setting. He hopes to one day be capable of beating an AI at the game.

Capabilities
"I hear there's some pretty scary psychos over with the SPARTANs, but I can honestly say the same about half of the agents in this program. Now I'm no more psychotic than the next guy, but I'm still the scariest thing a lot of people have the bad luck to run into. Of course, next to none of these people live to have nightmares about me, but that's beside the point."

- Agent 2994 comparing the SPARTAN and HPA Programs to a disinterested fellow agent

As one of the HPA Program's top agents, 2994 is one of the deadliest fighters ever produced by the UNSC. He prefers mid-ranged combat with a Battle Rifle, but is also excellent at close quarters and is quite capable at long range (this is his weakest area). Like all HPA agents, 2994 is skilled in various martial arts and fighting styles, and with his augmentations can easily kill a Brute in unarmored, hand-to-combat. He is trained in the use of all UNSC and Covenant weaponry, although he has a preference for UNSC weapons over those of the Covenant. 2994 has proved his skill in combat many times over and relishes the knowledge that the odds are stacked against him, enjoying a mission to greater extents as those odds increase. "Damn!"

- Agent 2994's reaction to the announcement of a night drop from a Pelican during training

2994 can drive most vehicles competently, but prefers to trust his own two feet rather than drive into battle. He has an unconquered fear of heights that makes him always sit as far away from the edge as possible when riding in a Pelican, and he absolutely refuses to use Banshees or Hornets. Like all HPA-trained assassins, he is not a team player and will only work with others unless he is ordered to do so or has no other choice. When he does do so, his definition of "working together" means that he doesn't shoot his teammate and they don't shoot him while the two of them kill the same things. Any other form of planning or coordination is a waste of time in his opinion, as "no battle plan survives contact with the enemy". When working alone, 2994 formulates brief, vague strategies on how to achieve his primary mission objective and then makes his plans as problems come along. Although some of his fellow HPA agents call this way of thinking foolish, Agent 2994 defends it with the simple fact that he has never, ever, failed a mission.

Agent 2994's standard weapons are a Battle Rifle modified to be able to fire in full automatic and semi-automatic modes as well as the standard three round burst and a standard-issue sidearm. He also likes the Assault Rifle and the shotgun.

Files
Most detailed accounts of Agent 2994's missions are classified, but a few have begun to be declassified:
 * Halo:Teamwork(Unfinished)
 * Halo: Ultimatum(Unfinished)