Protecting Adam
I do not own Halo
The sun shined, lighting up the entire city in its light. The beaches were empty, however. The buildings were being evacuated, Arcadia was under attack. The Covenant had attacked quickly and they had attacked precise.
Covenant cruisers were making their way to the city, and the UNSC only had limited time to evacuate all the citizens. Covenant ground forces were making their way into the city, eradicating all UNSC and civilians in their way.
Private First Class Lance Wallis looked at the boy. He was dressed in an orange T-shirt and some green cargo shorts. No surprise, Arcadia being a resort planet, after all.
"Wh-what are you doing here, kid? Where are your parents?" Lance asked
Tears were freely falling from the boy's eyes down his cheeks, "I-I got locked in-in the building!"
"Hey, don't cry, alright? Do you know where your mom and dad are? Grandparents? Anybody? What evacuation vessel are they in?"
"Th-they're Evacuation Vessel 2."
"Two? Alright, hey, don't worry. I'll make sure you get back to your parents."
The boy wiped the tears from his eyes, leaving them red and puffy. Lance looked behind his shoulder to see Joe, "Hey! Lance! What the hell are you doing? We have Covenant pouring out everywhere and Forge is calling all troops to the vessel launch stations!"
Joe stopped when he saw the boy, "Are you kidding me?" He asked
Lance looked back at the boy, "Hey. What's your name, buddy?"
"A-Adam." The boy responded, "My name's Adam."
"Adam? Really? That's a cool name." Lance attempted to comfort the boy, "My son's name is Matthew, he's nine, how old are you?"
"Lance, damn it! We don't have time for this!"
Lance ignored Joe, "I-I'm ten." Adam responded
"Alright, Adam. I need you to come with me. I'm going to get you back to your…"
"Mom." Adam responded, filling the blank
"Your mom. Let's go."
I reloaded my assault rifle, making sure it had a full clip. I looked behind my shoulder, Joe checked his shotgun, making sure everything was in working order. "Alright," I began, "let's get out of here."
I peeked around the corner to the streets. Destroyed and flipped over cars hogged the lanes. Squinting my eyes to see if I could perhaps make anything out, I didn't see anything.
I motioned with my hands for them to come along as I stepped around the corner and moved past the building. I held my assault rifle in both hands, ready to fire at moment's notice. Adam was following me, and Joe was following him.
The firefight was off in the distance, the firing of ammo and plasma, as I heard the screaming of men and Covenant, the roaring of Brutes and the shouting of orders from the Elites. This street seemed pretty peaceful, however.
The buildings towered above us, providing cover from any surprise Banshee attacks. If Banshees did attack, we would see them and have a chance to run. I crouched down, as well as the other two, I looked around.
We went across the courtyard behind the building; it was a large area with trees and benches. Some plasma flew past them, hitting some trees, peeling off the bark
I looked to my right; it was another building, a law firm. We ran to the double door. I opened the door, having the other two follow me. Holding my rifle in my hands, ready for anything to pop out at any moment, I slowly entered the building.
Silence…that's what it was. The entire building was silent. The power must have gone out, leaving the only light coming from the windows. Cubicles created a large maze on the floor. I walked up to the receptionist's desk.
Weapon ready for any attack, it was quiet…too quiet. "What are we doing? We have to forget about the kid and get to Forge!" Joe whispered in my ear
"I'm not leaving the kid here!"
"Damn it! We have ord-"
I raised my hand, asking for silence…footsteps. Joe readied his shotgun for firing, he heard it too. Joe stepped a few feet forward, "Get behind the desk." I told Adam
Adam did what he was told and hid behind the desk. Some papers crumbled, some movement in the corner of my left eye. I turned and rose up my rifle.
I opened fire. The burst of fire shut off the Elite's Active Camouflage, showing him entirely. It took the Elite a few seconds to react, in one swift movement; he brought out and activated his Energy Sword. He raced down the hallway as I kept firing.
His shields were down. Joe pushed me out of the way and pulled the trigger on his shotgun. The blast killed the Elite, sending chunks shooting off his face, revealing its skull and brains and splattering them on the wall.
It was barely less than five seconds before Joe shot his gun again, killing another Elite that was rushing from behind us. Windows smashed, as another Elite jumped out and unleashed his Energy Sword. Joe shot the shotgun, but it didn't kill him, it only brought down his shields.
The Elite swung his sword, tearing the wall. Joe was pushed back, as I pulled out my pistol and finished him off. The Elite fell dead on his back, as I got up, out of breath. "Damn it. Damn Elites, never give up." Joe said
We both got up, as I instantly checked the desk. Adam was crouched under the desk, shivering in fear. "A-are they dead?" He asked
"They sure are, come on."
I grabbed his hand and pulled him out from under the desk. "Alright, the launch pads are pretty far from here. We just need to get out of here and get across the city." Joe said
"Alright, let's go through the front door." I suggested
Joe nodded, as we all began to make our way to the front doors. Joe exited first, looking up and down the street for any sign of Covenant, "Nothing."
We all made our way out into the scorching sun. Joe looked around, "Think, how can we get to the other side of the city without much contact?" He asked
I was silent, I didn't know. I wasn't expecting Elites in that building, "Let's just stick to the streets, for now." I said
We crossed across the street, getting to the other side. Hornets flew overhead, getting to defensive positions. I walked down the sidewalk, in the shade of the building. I wiped off some of the Elite blood off my forehead. I looked behind me, to see Adam and Joe following me.
I licked my dry lips, moistening them. I looked at the other side of the street, paranoid. Those damn Elites had scared the crap out of me. We walked into a large plaza, at the other side was a-
"Subway!" I stated, "We can use the subway to get to the other side of the city!"
"Alright! Let's go!"
We made our way across the plaza; all of a sudden a loud explosion rocked our eardrums. A large explosion of green and white filled our eyes. Debris of concrete and dirt hit us, as the roar of the Banshee soared overhead.
My mind was scattered, but I was knocked out of it when I heard Joe scream, "Run!"
We ran to the subway stairs to get to the subway tunnels. The Banshee took a turn and came back, firing its plasma projectiles. The plasma hit the floor tiles and the nearby trees, shooting off the bark. I fired a full round of my assault rifle into the nose of the Banshee.
Some of the skin peeled off and some of the metal split apart, emitting smoke. I looked at the stairs, where Joe and Adam were already running down. I sprinted to the stairs, as I heard the Banshee turn back.
I jumped down the stairs, as another fuel rod blast hit the top of the stairs. The blast pushed me down to the very bottom of the stairs, as the wave of heat hit my back, sending me on my side on the bricked floor.
"Ah! Son of a…"
Joe rose out his hand, as I took it, he pulled me up. "Let's go. Not long before they report us." Joe said
"Right, let's use the tunnels to get out of here."
We walked up to the lines, the empty lines. The rotating bars which only opened through a ticket, were locked. I slammed the glass with the butt of my gun, smashing the glass. I reached inside and pressed the button, releasing the bars.
I went through the bars, rotating them. We all got to the other side, as we walked down more stairs. We got to the subway platform, which was completely empty. The subways had shut down, leaving them isolated in the endless tunnels.
We jumped down on the tracks, Joe looked at his tracker. "Alright, we head down here, few miles to the launching stations. We got…two hours before they head off."
"Damn it! We'll have to move fast."
Adam whimpered. I felt horrible for him; I had to protect him back to the stations. I bent down to see Adam face to face, "Hey. We'll get you back to your mom, alright?"
Adam nodded. "You trust me, right?" I asked
He nodded, "Yeah."
"Alright, now believe me when I tell you that I'll get you back to your family."
We walked down the tunnels, into the darkness . The tunnels were dark, cold, and dirty. Spider webs were webbed at the corners of the tunnels. The tracks were cold, due to the lack of subways riding them.
A black widow crawled on the bricked wall next to me, near inches from the side of my face. I slammed it with my gloved palm, ending its life in seconds.
We stopped instantly. A group of four marines lay dead in front of us, slaughtered on the subway tracks. It was disgusting…limbs had been ripped off, blood splattered everywhere, faces bruised, leaving them all blue in the face.
I looked at them in…absolute terror. I pushed Adam behind me, making sure he didn't see the ungodly scene. The place stunk…of blood, urine and feces. I held my gun firmly in both hands, me and Joe exchanged looks of horror.
"What the hell happened? W-who could have done this?" Joe whispered
Tons of thoughts raced through my mind. Elites, although they were great warriors, were too…civil (if that was the right word). Hunters would have just blasted them to bits, not all…this. Only one monster could have done this..."Brutes," I stated
As if on cue, large and atrocious figures walked in front of us. Similar to all of their kind, they were tall, nine feet tall. Giant gorillas and rhinos mixed into one being. Their thick and leathery skin, covered by their power armor, was covered in heavy fur. Holding their weaponry, Spikers, Carbines, and Brute Shots, they stood and approached us confidently.
"No." Joe said, "We-we can't take them on…too many…"
At first, it seemed as if there was a group of three, but I was wrong, my rough estimate was about seven now…no way we could take them all on.
We looked at each other, "We-we have to run. Get the hell outta here." Joe said
I nodded, "Do you have a flash bang?" I asked
Joe nodded, taking it out of his belt with all his other equipment. "Alright…one…"
The Brutes approached us…about fifteen feet away. The closer they got, the taller they got…
"Two…"
Ten feet…I heard their deep growling. Their heavy armor making a noise each time they took a step…
"Come on!" I urged
"Wait for it…"
They're bodies came into view. Large monsters from under your bed, one roared, alerting us as the others began to howl along. The sound was ear-wreaking, echoing throughout the tunnels.
"Now!" Joe yelled
He threw the flash bang. As we all turned to run, I picked up Adam and threw him over the shoulder. The flash bang went off, blinding the Brutes. Blindly, one of them fired their Brute Shot, hitting the ceiling.
Bricks, wood, stone and dirt came falling from the ceiling, but it didn't cause a complete collapse. Joe placed the shotgun on his back strap, and took his grenade launcher. He turned and fired it, sending it whizzing towards the blind Brutes.
"Come on, you King Kongs!" Joe said, obviously referencing their ape like appearance to the monster in the well-known movie.
Joe held the trigger, keeping the grenade from going off. Joe released the trigger, exploding the grenade. A Brute was blasted apart into bloody bits, and another was pushed back. The EMP from the grenade caused two Brutes' shield to go down.
I followed after him, opening fire at one of the Brutes, killing him. "Let's go!" Joe yelled
We sprinted off. Running to a door, we busted through. We took a quick look around for any way out except for the way we just came through. There! It was a hallway, where it led; we didn't care, as long as it got us the hell outta here.
We ran down the hallway, just as we heard a loud crash. The Brutes had broken through, there was a small silence, and then they had a conversation in their alien tongue. We reached the end of the hallway, where a door was.
A hulking Brute took up the entrance of the hallway, holding a Spiker. Joe immediately opened the door, as the Brute opened fire. The projectiles hit the door, leaving about seven dents. We ran through the door, slamming it behind us.
We were in a stairwell. We began to run up, running to only god knows where. The Brutes were chasing after us, for sure. Joe shot one of the pipes, causing hot steam to burst out, hopefully causing a small distraction for the Brutes.
We sprinted up the stairs, opening a door. I placed Adam down on the ground, taking him off my shoulder. I wiped the sweat off my face, catching my breath. Joe slammed the door and began to push a vending machine in front of it.
I took this opportunity to look around the room. We were in a subway exit; it was an identical looking room to the subway entrance we entered. There it was, some concrete steps leading out.
We walked up the steps, greeting the sun on our faces. I took a look on our surroundings; we were at a street corner. The streets were empty, as normal.
"Damn, let's get the hell out of here before the Brutes get here."
We stepped out onto the street, having the sun gleam against the windows of the nearby buildings. "Man, ya know," Joe began, "after all this crap. You owe me a cigarette and a cold beer."
"You know, Joe." I responded, "After this, I'll give you all the beer you can drink."
"Good."
We looked around the city, out onto the beach which stared out into the glaring ocean. The beach was completely empty, due to the attack. We walked down the sidewalk, on the side of the street. "How far are we from the launching pads?" I asked
"Should only be about half an hour from here."
"Oh thank God," I noticed a bench, "let's take a break."
I stood there, back against the bench to sit down. I guess my body was more anxious than my mind, and my legs gave out as I fell back on the bench. I felt the blood rush to my legs as I received feeling to them (you know, that REALLY freakin' annoying feeling where it feels like someone's pricking needles in your feet), were my feet numb this entire time? If they were, I never noticed.
Joe sat next to me, still holding his shotgun. And at the end of the bench, Adam sat. Joe closed his eyes, "Hey, don't go to sleep." I said
"I'm not; I'm just…resting my eyes."
I laughed, "Do you remember, Joe? When we were in high school and we went to a party last day of Spring Break, and you got drunk, and you had to go to school with a hangover. And by second period, you were out."
Joe opened one eye and looked at me, whispering, "I remember that. That was the day we woke up in the same bed?"
"Yeah."
We both busted out laughing. I looked at Adam, "So Adam, what are you doing here? Why are you in the city?"
"Me and my mom were here on vacation."
I nodded, yep; most people here were on vacation. This was a very popular tourist destination. "So…if you don't mind me asking…where's your dad?"
"He…he died. He was a part of the UNSC, like you."
"Really? Wow, that was brave."
"Yeah. When I grow up, I wanna join the UNSC too! My dad and my grandpa and his dad, they all were a part of the UNSC."
"Really? That's awesome!"
I put a hand on his shoulder, "Come on, let's go."
We all got up. "Alright. I know a shortcut." Joe informed us
We walked down the street. Some buildings were toppled down to the ground; skyscrapers had flames and smoke emitting from them. We took a turn in an alleyway, where the face of a building had been blown off near the end of the alley.
We walked down the backstreet. Burning rubble met my nose. Wood, plastic, rubber, and whatever else formed together to make a sickening smell.
I turned to Joe, "Hey, Joe. I was wondering, do you know-"
A stinging heat hit my ear. I clenched my right ear and screamed in pain, "Oh god!"
It burned. As though if someone held a lighter up to my earlobe. It throbbed in pain as Joe pulled me behind some cover. "Damn Jackals!" He cursed
Jackal Snipers, I should have guessed. They're great shots with their carbines and their beam rifles. I'm happy it missed; they would have normally shot me in the middle of the head. "Oh god…oh god…it burns…it freaking burns!"
As if those ugly bastards couldn't do enough. I felt a light stream of blood from my ear going down the side of my neck. "Joe…Joe. Is my ear alright?" I asked, showing him my ear
"Damn. Cut off your entire ear?"
"What!? Oh god! Oh god!" I was hysterical
"Haha! I'm only messing with you!"
"No! Go to hell! That isn't funny! Is my ear alright?"
"Your earlobe's cut, blood's pouring out."
My slowly reached for my earlobe, I stroked it. It stung. Damn, it was only attached to my ear by some layers of skin, I wiggled it…god that hurts. "Here." Joe said, wrapping a bandage around my ear and then taping it up
"Ah! Careful!" I told him, he was too rough
I looked down at Adam, "Stay here." I ordered
I gripped my rifle as I walked to the edge of our cover, an empty bookcase which must have fallen from one of the buildings. I moved a few feet back, so I could see through a small hole in the bookcase, about the size of a quarter.
From the small hole, I could see the Jackals patrolling the floors of the building with the face blown off down the alleyway. The alley was huge; it could probably fit about a two large trucks, side by side.
I looked at those (ugly ass) Jackals. They were about 6'1, a bit taller than the average human. Even from this distance, I could see their razor sharp teeth and the quills at the back of their heads. I saw their scaly skin, similar to a reptile. Their bones were visible through their bodies, as thin as twigs.
I looked down at the end of the alleyway, where three Jackals were coming for us. They held their Plasma Pistols and shields. Their shields rested on their defense gauntlets. "Son of a…"
I reloaded my assault rifle. Looking through the hole, I noticed they were about ten feet away. Even from here, I could smell the strong salty smell they emit, like all of their species.
Seven feet. They were looking around, talking to each other in their language. I was out of grenades, so I had to make this fast and make this count. Joe and Adam backed off, near the side of a building. When I took them out, the snipers would know where I was.
I opened fire, taking one off guard. I shot it in the face, revealing the brains and skull. Another Jackal shot its overcharged plasma pistol, missing me. I shot the Jackal's knee, snapping it like a twig. It screamed in pain, as I finished it off by unloading into its chest.
A hit from the beam rifle hit the bookshelf I was behind. It missed me, sending chunks of wood and splinters all over. "LANCE!" Joe called to me
I turned to see Adam and Joe over an open manhole. I ran to them, as Adam began to climb down the ladder. "Go!" Joe urged me
I went down the ladder next, as I heard Joe shoot his shotgun and the shriek of a Jackal. As I jumped down into the sewers, Joe got on the ladder and pulled the manhole cover over.
All three of us stood there for a while, catching our breath and trying to hold it at the same time (it was the sewers after all…).
"Let's move." I told him, "We can use the sewers to get to the pads."
We walked down the sewers, on the dry cement, next to the sewage. "I can't believe I'm actually going through the sewers…stinks." Joe complained
"It's the fastest, and safest, way."
The walls were covered in graffiti. God, how long has it been? Hours? The events of the day were racing through my mind. I looked behind me, where Adam was about five feet behind. "Adam, whaddya doing? Come on!" I told him
"I'm tired!" He wined
I walked up to him. Crouching down, I threw his legs over both of my shoulders, letting him rest for a bit. "Hey Adam, give him a good smack on the head." Joe told him
We both laughed. Even as kids, Joe always had a good sense of humor, he was the king of dry humor. But sometimes people got offended because some can't tell the difference between dry humor and being serious.
I attempted to take Adam's mind off of what's going on, "So, Adam. What's your home like? Where do you live?"
"Earth. I live in Los Angeles."
"Nice. I was born in New Harmony. Joe was too."
Both Joe and I were born on New Harmony, one of the UEG colonies, founded by Eastern Europeans from Earth. Since it was found by Eastern Europeans, many born and were raised with Slavic accents. As we joined the UNSC, we lost our accents. But as several tell us, if you listen closely you could still hear our accents in certain words and just the tone of our voices.
"Yeah. I remember playing in the mud, remember Lance?"
"How could I forget?"
"And it was raining, and we would go to our houses, covered in mud."
"My mom scolded me and threw me in the shower, and then she took my clothes and threw them in the washer."
"Lucky. My dad spanked me and then did the same. He was tough, but I still love him. Actually, there are some places where I thought he could be stricter."
I laughed, "Your dad scared me! He was all tall and buff and everything."
Joe laughed, "Yeah. That went to me. Especially the buff part, I have a six pack."
"Yeah…a six pack of Jell-O and Kool-Aid."
We both busted out and laughing, Adam as well. My entire face was red and I was crying, I dropped to my knees. My stomach hurt.
"Damn, Lance. You're cold!"
We began taking off again, as Adam continued to talk about his life on Earth, "We came here because we wanted to go on vacation. All my mom's friends always say that this place is really nice, so we came. This place is really nice."
"Yeah, I came here before with my wife and son. Me and Matthew always built sand castles on the beach, that was his favorite part. Joe's Matthew's godparent."
"Really?" Adam asked, "Do you have kids?" He asked Joe
"Nope, life of a bachelor suits me just fine."
We walked down some more. I stopped, as well as Joe.
A flapping sound…it stopped. A little shriek. We continued dow-
A loud screeching. A blur of yellow and green flew past me, it landed on the ground. It was a Drone, buggers, they also called them. They were small and ugly (like everything else in the Covenant), an exoskeleton on its body, brightly colored, with two wings to fly. It had four legs, two attached to the pelvis, and two attached to the abdomen. They had a different variety of colors, such as copper, green, blue, silver, red, and gold. Joe opened fire, blasting it to pieces.
A swarm surrounded us. I threw Adam on the ground, making sure he was safe. We both opened fire randomly in different areas, taking them out. A Drone plopped down in front of me, with a Needler. Joe, wielding his shotgun like a bat, swung at the enemy, killing it.
Just then, a Drone jumped on Joe's back. I grabbed my combat knife and slashed at the Drone, falling on the ground. I stomped on it, snuffing out its life. I continued to fire around, taking down the Drones, one by one.
I'm surprised that Joe or I didn't shoot each other, as we were shooting wildly in different directions. All of a sudden, a loud roar filled the sewers. There were Brutes, it was a trap. Joe pulled the trigger, hitting the Brute.
His energy shields were broken down, as he fell on one knee. Joe finished him off, blowing off the armor plate on his head. Another Brute swung his Spiker, the bladed end at Joe, causing him to fall back. I unloaded the entire clip of ammo into the Brute, killing him.
The last of the Drones were dead, and two Brutes lay dead as well. Joe gave a smell yelp, as he held his bleeding left shoulder. A Jackal had just shot him with his Carbine, I finished it off. "Hey, man. You alright?" I asked him
"Yeah, I've been through worst."
Adam stood up, holding his right elbow where he had scraped it. I placed a large Band-Aid on it, for a quick first-aid. "Adam? Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I'm alright. I…I just want to get out of here."
"Don't worry. We're close to the launching pads; we'll get you to your mom."
We got out of the sewers (thank God) to the bright sun. After we all got out, we looked out at the courtyard. A smile spread across my face, the launching pads were in sight.
A chain link fence and a body of water separated us, we would have to get to the street and get down there. To our far left was a small burned out building, we moved out. We went to a busted window, which showed a view of the street.
We all jumped through. Looking down both sides of the street showed nothing but an endless sea of abandoned cars. A gentle breeze came across us, carrying along an empty plastic shopping bag. There was a wave of…uneasiness…
"Let's get to the launch pads." I said, still not taking off my eyes off the road
We turned and walked down the street. All of a sudden, an Elite walked out of an alleyway, "Get down!" Joe whispered
We crotched down behind a car, I peeked out from behind the bumper.
Man, just looking at these Elites freaked me out. They actually scared me more than the Brutes, to be honest. They were over seven feet tall, and with their quadruple-hinged jaws, earning their name "Split-Lip".
The Elites were like half reptile and half human. They were all different shades of colors, and they had different skin types. They ranged from light brown and scaly to black and smooth. Their jaws gave a great view of their sharp teeth, which were covered in saliva.
This certain Elite was a dark gray color, with an Energy Sword ready. Behind the Elite, a Grunt came. To be perfectly honest…I though the Grunts were a little cute. They were short and pudgy, with their gas masks covering their face.
And behind the Grunt, two Jackals followed. It was a small group of Covenant. We both opened fire, killing a Grunt and a Jackal. The remaining Jackal opened fire at us, and the Elite rushed after us. Joe shot at the Elite, shooting open its stomach and having it fall to the ground.
I finished the Jackal. We ran down the road, as an explosion went off. The car had blown, shooting metal and glass all over. I looked up the road…
There they stood….two Hunters, three Elites, two Grunts and three Jackals. Hunters were huge, orange worms covered by their blue armor. They brought in an entire strike force.
Joe took out his grenade launcher. They opened fire, as plasma hit the cars that served as our blockade. Joe opened fire, shooting the grenade at the outskirt of the group, killing a Jackal. A shot from a Jackal's Beam Rifle hit the outside door mirror of a car.
I opened fire, taking out a Grunt. A large explosion went off, as a Banshee flew overhead. "No! It's back!"
All of a sudden, an Elite jumped on the roof of the car we were behind. He swung his sword and attempted to stab me, but he slammed it in the door of the car. Joe pulled the Elite down on the cement on the floor. He shot the Elite in the head, shooting out gore.
"MOVE!" I screamed
The Banshee was rushing full speed at us; it was going to open fire. The Banshee exploded, shooting metal and scrap in different parts in a blue fire. A gauss warthog drove up, along with five UNSC soldiers. Me and Joe popped out and opened fire at the enemy.
I managed to take out the other Jackal. The gauss warthog opened fire, shooting a Hunter. "Go! While they're distracted!" One of the soldiers screamed
I yanked Adam's hand and ran down the street. I ran full speed; the launching pads were across the bridge, nearly a thousand feet from here. We ran full speed, as the firefight was going on behind us. "Come on! Come on! Speed up!" I screamed at Adam
"We have five minutes!" Joe screamed
My feet felt like wind. An Elite jumped out of a storefront window, Energy Sword ready. Joe opened fire, killing the Elite. Joe ran with us. Nine hundred feet…
A second Banshee swooped overhead. It twisted around, and opened fire with its plasma beams. The Banshee missed, "Joe! Get it with your EMP from your grenade launcher!"
"I'm outta ammo!" Joe responded
Eight hundred feet…
My god…I never ran this fast in my life. Damn it, Adam was falling behind. I holstered him up on his shoulders, like in the sewers. No, no…I'm not letting that damn ship take off without him. I'm getting him back to his mom…
Seven hundred feet…"Four minutes!" Joe announced
I can't believe where this all started. I just found him in the subway station building, I didn't think it would be a walk in the park but…all of this…this is madness. Sweat was pouring down my face, the salt from the sweat made my cut earlobe sting.
Five hundred feet…half way there…
God…everything hurt so much. My muscles ached. I tasted the sweat on my tongue. Damn, why couldn't the warthog give us a ride? I was starting to slow down…I was hurting. A burst of energy came through me, as I began to take up my original pace.
Four hundred feet…"Three minutes!"
Come on. This shouldn't hurt that much. I've ran entire miles, for god's sake, when I was in middle school, when I was in high school, when I was in college, when I joined the UNSC. I was exhausted. I've never felt this hurt and tire before. I just want to get to a bed and sleep like a baby.
Three hundred feet…"Two minutes!"
I gave a groan of pain. I looked over to Joe, who was about three feet behind us. The Banshee opened fire, hitting the street around us. Let's go…come on…let's go. Run like the wind…oh god…run…faster…faster…
Two hundred feet…so close…
I liked my chapped and dry lips. I grinded my teeth…don't stop…don't stop. I'm getting him out of here…he's going to be safe. Don't worry…I'm getting him out of here…
One hundred feet…
A small UNSC checkpoint was in front of the bridge. "DON'T LAUNCH!" I screamed
One of the soldiers cupped around his ear, as a message to say 'speak louder'. "DON'T LAUNCH!"
Fifty feet…
We slowed down in front of the checkpoint. "He…he's…launch pad…launch pad two!" I told them, trying to catch my breath
We ran to launch pad two. My feet and legs were killing me, but he was safe…he was safe. Adam was safe. I slowed down in front of the evacuation vessel.
I placed Adam down on the floor. The stairs led up to the door in the evacuation vessel, which would take off and take Adam to safety. "There…Adam…there. Get on the vessel, find your mom and give her a big hug. You're safe now. Don't worry; get back to home…back to safety."
I was silent; I was thinking of a way to finish this off, "Good luck, Adam. My buddy."
I held my fist up, asking for a fist bump. But instead of a fist bump, he pulled me into a hug. I smiled and gave him a pat on the back, "Thank you…for everything." He whispered in my ear
"Don't mention it. Goodbye, Adam."
He let go and gave Joe a hug, "Alright then, you little punk." He said, playing around
Adam ran up the stairs, in the vessel. The door slammed shut, as the engines began to go off. I was happy…so happy…he was safe. The vessel began to take off, as it slowly began to roll down the runway.
Adam looked out the window, with the biggest smile and waving. I waved back, "Good…goodbye, Adam." I said, I know he couldn't hear me but…still
The vessel took off at the end of the runway. It took off over the seas, a smile spread across my face. There we go…we have to return to Forge and get regrouped with our platoo-
An explosion filled my ears, the tearing of metal and other objects, as well. The vessel…oh my God…no…
One of the engines was on fire. The vessel was going on a nosedive into the sea. "NO! NO! NO! SON OF A BITCH! NO!" I fell to my knees
The vessel fully was submerged in water. They were gone…Adam…he was…oh God…oh God no…Adam…I'm so sorry…
Tears freely fell from my eyes, down my cheeks and chin. "ADAM!" I screamed, "God…God…oh God no!"
"Lance!" Joe screamed and looked at me in the eyes, "We have to go…we have to go now! The Covenant are here. They might kill us…they will kill us."
A Covenant cruiser came from behind the clouds. They had to have shot the vessel down, I remember…the vessel. Those damn Covenant! Damn them!
"Adam…"
Anger grew in me. A boiling anger…"Lance! Let's go!"
I screamed. I let everything out, screamed every curse I knew…
"We have to go…"
I looked up at Joe and shook my head 'no'. I shook it wildly back and forth, kind of like a dog shaking water off of its fur coat. "No…"
"We're going." He barked
I stayed in place. "Damn it, Lance. Don't do this."
Joe shook his head. I was surprised by his strength, as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. He began to walk to the bridge, just as a shadow flew over me, I looked up…it was the Banshee. "No, godda-"
A scorching pain. A burning pain. Pain. Blackness. Darkness. Adam…I'm sorry. So sorry. So sorry. Adam.
Blackness…
I slowly opened my eyes. I took a deep breath, as my eyes fluttered. The air was cold. I gave a groan of pain, as I felt a soft fabric cover my lower right side of my face.
My eyes opened fully. I was in a tent, it was dark out, but my eyes adjusted. I felt for my face where that fabric was…it was a bandage. I slowly reached for my ear, yep; the tissue was still around my earlobe. So…what happened?
Last thing I remember was the Banshee swooped around and "Joe?" I asked
"Joe?" I asked again
I didn't know why I was asking his name. Maybe…just maybe…I don't know. I wanted to know where he was, "Joe?" I asked again, louder
I heard a loud groan. I turned over to my left, where the curtain was pulled back. There Joe was, lying on the bed. He looked…dead.
His skin was white like a ghost, instead of the usual light shade of brown. It really contrasted against his black hair, dark as the night. "Whaddya want?"
"Oh…oh…Joe. I was thinking…I thought you could have…"
"Died? Hell no! No one can kill me!"
"And if you did…it…it would be my fault. It would all be my fault…"
"Hey…it's fine. You're okay, and I'm okay."
Then, a spur of hope came in me, "Joe…" I began
"Yes?"
"Please tell me it was a dream…Adam…"
Joe took a deep sigh, "I'm sorry."
I bit my lip. No…oh God no. I gave a whine of pain, "It-it's not your fault. We did what we had to. We got him to safety." Joe attempted to comfort
"What do you mean? He's dead! It doesn't matter! We failed…I failed."
Tears welled up in my eyes, I bit my tongue. I could taste blood…don't cry, Lance, don't cry. I looked over at Joe. A bandage with dried blood was tied around his forehead. Small scars were on his nose, right cheek and chin. His exposed chest was covered in plasma burns, "Joe. What happened?" I asked
"Yeah. The Banshee shot its fuel rod cannon. You were knocked unconscious. I dragged you back to the base, Covenant shot me."
I still looked at his injured chest. "…told you I have a six pack." Joe boasted
A smile spread across my lips. I pulled up the blankets up to my chin, exposing my bare feet. I was in some patient gowns, "Where's my armor?" I asked
"What do you think? They took it off and placed it away."
"Adam…"
"I know…I'm sorry…I'm sorry that…that…that I tried to convince you to leave Adam…"
"It's alright. I wanted to help him because Adam reminded me of Matt, my son. If it was my son, I would want someone to do the exact same thing. We went through Hell and high water but…but I didn't want to give up…night, Joe."
"Good night."
I took a deep sigh and turned away. Tears began to fall from my face…
Damn it. I'm sorry…so sorry…I'm sorry. I closed my eyes so I could get some sleep.
Sleep to recharge, sleep to end the day, sleep to forget…
…I'm so sorry, Adam.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading the story. This is probably one of my first stories where I specifically try to focus on emotions. I tried to make Lance, Joe and Adam all engaging. I hoped you enjoyed a lot! :)
Also, a HUGE thanks to Rogue black knight, who was my beta reader for this story and gave me plentiful ideas for what would happen next and gave me some advice on focusing on Adam.
This story is based of Halo Wars, in the mission 'Arcadia City', where you can actually find Adam in-game and get him to the evacuation vessel for an achievement. So give it a try in real life, as I feel that Halo Wars is underrated by the Halo community.
Thanks to everybody! :D