Twin Parasites
By Bass GSX
Prologue: The End of an Era
"I have your back, Demon", the Arbiter said softly as he and the Master Chief burst through a doorway in the Pious Inquisitor, the Prophet of Truth's personal flagship. The silver-clad Elite swept his Carbine over the area behind them, and the Chief studied the surrounding room in front of them through the scope of his Battle Rifle.
"Nothing visible. Let's keep moving", the Spartan told the Elite. The Arbiter nodded.
"It's not much farther to Truth's quarters. We don't have much time..." he growled. John-117 grunted in acknowledgement. They reached another door; this time, it was locked. The Arbiter punched in a few strange looking keys, and the door slid open with a quiet, mechanical whine. They slowly strode into a spacious room, and suddenly green lasers streaked out of nowhere, and a purple lance barely missed Master Chief's head.
"This is it! Truth is most definitely in this room!" the Arbiter cried, his shields flaring as multiple Carbine rounds struck them. The Chief put his eye to the scope on the Battle Rifle and sent three nine millimeter rounds through the nearest Brute's ugly skull. The Brute groaned as he collapsed to the ground. Another purple lance headed for him, but the Arbiter then put a Carbine shot into the Jackal sniper's forehead, sending him backwards into the air. A Carbine round fried the barrel of theBattle Rifle clutched in Master Chief's arms, so he dropped it and pulled out the spare weapon clipped to his belt. A hissing noise caused the remaining Brutes to freeze. Though it was somewhat dark in the room, a blue glow illuminated the enemy they had hated since they had seen him.
"You picked up...?" the Arbiter gasped. John snorted.
"I grab what I can", he replied. The Spartan adjusted his grip on the Energy Sword and held it in a ready stance, two-pronged blade out in front of him. A Brute, enraged, dropped his own weapon and let out a series of unintelligible snarls and grunts. He dropped to all fours and began to rush at the Chief. John waited till the very last second, side-stepped, and stabbed the Brute in the back with the sword, beam blade sticking out through the Brute's stomach. It whimpered, then died. The Spartan turned to see the Arbiter stick a plasma grenade to a Brute's forehead, then shoot its partner three times in the chest, striking the heart and killing it. The very last Brute began to berserk as well, but the Arbiter smashed its face in with the butt of his stocky Covenant Carbine.
"Now, where are you...?" Master Chief muttered. His question was answered with a golden-yellow beam of charged energy.
"Do they all have chairs that do that?" the Chief asked over his com link with the Arbiter.
"Pretty much", the silver-armored Elite replied. A hovering platform held the Prophet of Truth.
"Traitor to the Covenant! Why have you led the very antithesis of your faith into this holy place?" the Prophet cried, desperately trying to stop the Arbiter's charge.
"It is you who is the traitor! Leading us to believe that the Sacred Rings would save us!" the Arbiter snarled. He emptied the charge pack on his Carbine into Truth, but the lasers were repelled by the powerful shields on the hovering chair. The charge beam swept across the Arbiter's position, forcing him to seek cover behind a column.
"Forget about someone?" a voice growled behind the Prophet.
"Demon! How can you...why do the Gods not strike you down in my presence?" Truth gasped. Master Chief dove for the chair as it began to fly away. He grasped the edge, and his immense weight made it tip. The Chief pulled himself aboard, wound his arm back, and slammed a powerful, rage-fueled right hook into the Prophet's left cheek. Blood and several teeth sprayed out from the Prophet's mouth. John grabbed the Prophet by the neck and hurled him from the chair, jumping off and landing beside the thrown Truth. Then, as a final irony, the Spartan activated his Energy Sword and slashed the frail Truth in half. The chair slowly glided to the ground. The Arbiter stepped out from behind the column he had taken cover behind and sighed.
"This war...is over", he said slowly, mandibles clicking with exhausted joy. Master Chief took off his helmet, resting it in the crook of his arm. The Arbiter did the same. They shook hands, then walked off together, weapons forgotten in the room with Truth's lifeless body. It was only a short Slipspace jump back to Earth...