Halo: Warriors of Colossus

by 99Clouds

War beaten marine, Elias, struggles with his past as he continues his fight against the Covenant and defend the last human controled city left in South America.

44

One…two…three…four…reload…one…two…three…four. Elias's eyes were quick as he the scanned the area for another target. He glanced back over to the grunt he had just shot to make sure it was dead. Blue blood leaked from its neck. It was dead. He looked to his left and saw three marines delivering the beat down on a wailing Elite. He looked up the hill, and scanned the tree line. About thirty marines were in an intense firefight with a battalion of Jackals. The marines were losing. Elias shook his head, his black, shoulder length hair swaying gently. This would be the third skirmish in a month the humans would lose. They would have to fall back again. They were currently in South America. They were called in about two hours ago, the signal coming from a large plain that led up into a forest. It was hot and muggy. Horrible fighting conditions. The bugs were the worst. Elias was currently stationed behind a large patch of brush, picking off the Covenant from the distance. He was sweating badly under his battered armor and his old wound hurt like hell.

A purple beam of light whizzed by Elias's face, catching him of guard. Almost got me you piece of crap, Elias thought as he swung the barrel of his S2 AM Sniper Rifle towards the direction the shot had come from. He saw a Jackal aiming its beam rifle at him. Elias quickly held his breath and squeezed the trigger. The Jackal went down clutching its eye. Elias smiled and focused his attention back on the marines. In just that short amount of time he had been dealing with the Jackal, five marines had died. His heart leapt as he searched for Matt, but calmed himself as he spotted him downing a grunt.

Elias thumbed his radio, "Fall back Matt, its over. Get out of there before you get shot." Through his scope, Elias watched Matt shake his head and re-load.

Elias felt a flash of annoyance spike through him. He thumbed his radio again, "Don't be an idiot Matt. You know it's over. Now call the retreat before we loose anymore men!"

He saw Matt smash a Jackal over the head before calling the retreat. The marines trotted backwards, firing as they went. The forest was lost. They were going to have to move back to the city, the one and only city, that the humans still had possession of in all of South America. The marines had named the city Colossus because of all the giant metal buildings that populated it. Things were getting out of control lately, though. At this rate the Covenant would conquer Earth a lot sooner than anyone wanted.

Elias stood up and started trotting back towards the city. He glanced over his shoulder to see the Covenant weren't pursuing. No surprise. They were just as tired as the humans. It looked like there were only twenty marines left when Matt caught up to Elias.

"Since when you calling the shots?"

Elias looked over at his friend and said, "It was over and you knew it. No use killing yourself over nothing."

Matt wiped blood off his face, "Nothing? That was it Elias! All we have left is Colossus! After that, we got to get off the continent! How can you say that's nothing?! You high on your pills again!?"

Elias looked at Matt, his eyes hot, "I told you, they're for my sniping."

Matt grunted, "Yea…sure."

Elias could make out on the horizon, the squad of Warthogs they had parked. He had hoped he wouldn't have to use them, but alas. They were going to be used strictly as an escape plan. Only if they needed to get out of there fast. They were going to need them.

"Come on men! I can see the Warthogs!" Matt called out. They were maybe two or three miles away in the hazy distance. The sun was going down and the evening was beginning to cool.

Suddenly, a high pitched whirring sound came from behind the marines. Elias turned and saw six or seven ghosts, heading their way fast.

"Oh CRAP," Matt yelled. They would be on them in a few minuets. Elias quickly summed up the situation.

"I need two men! Matt! Give me all the C4 you got? Does anyone have a Claymore?! Quickly damn it!" Elias barked.

"What the hell you doing?" Matt asked tossing Elias the C4.

"Slowing them down, now go! Hurry! Polasky! Owens! You wire up the Claymore! FAST!" Elias yelled.

Matt knew better then to argue, so he ordered the rest of the men to double time it to Warthogs. He didn't think they were going to make it. The Ghosts would cut them down.

Elias watched the men go as he stuffed the C4 into the dirt and stuck a detonator on it. He glanced at Polasky and saw he was finished wiring the Claymore. Owens took out a frag grenade and stuck it by the C4. He flashed Elias a grin.

"Good thinking," Elias mumbled. He glanced up and saw the Ghosts were about a hundred yards away. He only had a few seconds.

"Give me the Claymore!" Elias ordered. Polasky tossed him it and Elias jammed it into the dirt, five feet from the C4.

"Now run!" Elias yelled. The three marines ran as fast as they could, hearing the Ghosts approaching fast.

At first Elias thought it was going to be too late. But then he glanced over his shoulder to see the Ghosts glide over the C4 and Claymore just as it exploded in a fiery cloud. Did it get any of them? Elias wondered, his heart stopping for a split second. Through the smoke, three Ghosts emerged, one badly damaged.

It wasn't good enough. The Ghosts would cut them down and it would be over. Elias un-slung his sniper and turned, taking a quick snap shot at the lead Ghost. The bullet pinged harmlessly off the wing.

"Down! Get down!" Elias yelled to Polasky and Owens. They hit the dirt just as the Ghosts flew over them. Elias gritted his teeth as he felt the hot engines glide over his body. He propped his sniper up in the dirt and fired off a quick shot. It nailed the lead Elite that was driving and caused the Ghost to spin out of control and crash. Two more left. Polasky pulled out a frag as the remaining Ghosts turned around.

"Now!" Elias yelled. Polasky threw the grenade and it bounced in front of the lead Ghost. The explosion blew it to pieces.

"Owens! Look out!" Polasky screamed as the final Ghost charged him. Owens fired his assault rifle, peppering the Ghost with hot lead.

"Get down!" Elias yelled. It was too late. The Ghost rammed full speed into Owens stomach, tearing him in two.

"Damn it!" Elias growled as he slammed a fresh clip into his sniper. He waited for the Ghost to turn before he fired at the Elite driving. The shot caught the Elite right under the rib cage. It let out a howl as it spiraled into the dirt, purple blood oozing from its side.

"Why didn't you duck?" Polasky said softly.

Elias scanned the area for anymore Ghosts before saying, "Nothing we can do about it. Come one, we need to get back to Colossus." He slung his sniper over his shoulder and reached into his pocket and dug out two pills. He tipped his head back and dry swallowed them.

It had been two long years since the events of Halo. Two years of happiness washed away by pain. After Elias and Mathew had departed from Halo, they had been picked up on a nearby space station and sent to Earth. Two months later they had been promoted and awarded the Medal of Honor. Mathew accepted, but Elias declined both. Instead he requested to be put under Mathew's command and assigned as sniper specialist. His wish was granted. The Covenant had begun their invasion of Earth three months later and Mathew's squad had moved out to help defend South America. There were twenty-seven major cities in South America. The humans now only held one. Colossus. Colossus was the second biggest city in the continent. It had three major districts and five sub districts. They mostly consisted of tall steel structures and buildings. Some military, but most residential.

On upon arriving at Earth, Elias had his ribs removed on the left side of his body due to the severe wounds he had received on Halo. In their place was a titanium alloy sheet that was surgically placed under his skin. This acted as an artificial ribcage.

At first the humans had little trouble stopping the Covenant fleet. Each battle was a sure win. That was until they discovered that the fleet they were fighting had only been a scouting brigade. Almost 40 of the human Longsword fighters had been destroyed during this "invasion". Now the human race was in a panic. No one knew what had happened to Master Chief, or Sergeant Johnson, the marine's two most prized soldiers. The world looked at Mathew and Elias for help. Mathew took the responsibility, Elias shrugged it off. Captain Keyes had been reported dead, and his daughter Miranda had filled in the role. Together, Mathew and her helped calm the world while Elias sat in his apartment and drown out his sorrows in alcohol and drugs. The world was falling around on Elias. The sorrow of loosing his best friend Ben was just too much. He was constantly getting drunk.

Then something happened and things got better. A lot better. It seemed as if things would be ok for Elias now. But then the Covenant had come and destroyed everything he loved. Elias went back to his old ways and told Mathew he wanted military action. Mathew agreed and they had moved out their platoon for South America. That brings us to the present day.

Elias crashed on his beaten up old couch and flicked on the news. He tossed his armor on the floor and kicked off his dusty boots. He was beat. It had taken him and Polasky five hours to walk back to the city. Matt had embraced him deeply when he arrived at the city gates. Elias had asked why he hadn't come back for him and Matt informed him that they had a wounded soldier who needed immediate medical attention. After they dropped the guy off, Matt explained, they weren't allowed back out of the city.

Elias put it all behind him as he grabbed a bottle of brandy and filled a mug full of it. He tipped his head back and drained it, letting the liquid burn his throat on the way down. He had gotten used to that feeling and come to like it.

On the news, a balding man was announcing that there was still no sign of Master Chief. Elias poured more brandy into the mug. He wondered what had become of the Chief. He missed his calm cool presence on the battle field. He doubted the Chief was dead. It would take a platoon of Hunters to take him out and even then, Master Chief would give them a run for their money.

The announcer changed subjects and was now talking about the recent loss and how the troops had to move back.

"Shut up," Elias said, throwing the remote at the TV. It bounced harmlessly off the screen. Elias finished his brandy and put the mug aside. The buzz in his head had started and he didn't feel like getting drunk again. He dug in his pockets and pulled out a little orange capsule. The label read: PENTAZEMIN.

It was suppose to calm your nerves in the field and steady your aim when sniping. Elias took another swig of brandy and swallowed three pills. He didn't need them. He wasn't on the field. He had grown accustom to the calm glassy feeling when he had started taking the stuff. A bit too accustomed. The stuff was military only and all Elias had to do was flash his military ID, pay five bucks, and he had access to them. He was now hooked on the stuff even though he would never admit it.

Soon that calming mist floated through Elias and he sighed. The buzz from the brandy was gone and so was his stress.

The phone rang in the other room and Elias drifted over to the receiver. He slowly picked up the headset and put it over his head.

"This is Elias."

"Hey E this is Matt. Want to go grab a beer?"

"Had beer."

"What? Are you already drunk Elias?"

"Naw, I'm good," Elias mumbled.

"You're high! Elias you're not sniping, stop taking that stuff!" Matt's voice yelled over the phone.

"You want to go grab a beer?" Elias said slowly.

"I already asked you that! Lord, you're really out of it. How many you take?"

"I think two…maybe. You want to come pick me up?"

"Sure, but straighten up! I want you normal when I get there ok?"

"Sure…ok…"

Elias hung up and went to the sink and splashed cold water over his face. The mist was leaving. He was tempted to take few more pills, but resisted the temptation. He went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He stripped off his clothes and touched his titanium side. It was cold. He smiled at his scruffy face in the mirror and saw he needed to shave. He hated shaving. Maybe he'd let it grow out a bit.

He stepped into the shower and let the hot water flow over his muscled body. He sighed. His life was a mess and he knew it. Matt was a good friend, but Ben was much better. Ben was his brother. And now he was dead.

Elias suddenly pounded the side of the shower in anger and grief. Ben shouldn't have died. If Ben was dead then so should he. He was sick of feeling miserable, but he did this to himself and he knew it. He hated himself.

He picked up the shampoo and squirted some into his hand. He ran it through his hair and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry Ben. I couldn't save you. I should have made you stay back at camp," Elias sniffed quietly.

He rinsed his hair and felt a lump in his throat form as his thoughts shifted. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry Julia. Forgive me Max."

He stepped out of the shower and toweled off. He felt better. More focused. The drugs had worn off. Matt would be happy. Elias walked to his room and put on a pair of loose fitting grey pants and a red t-shirt. He pulled on his boots just as Matt entered the apartment.

"You could've knocked," Elias said.

"I'll knock when you stop taking the Pentazemin," Matt replied.

"Matt please, not tonight."

Matt nodded, his complexion softening, "Alright. How are you doing? Gosh you need to cut your hair."

Elias smiled slightly, "I'm doing ok. Better I think. I try not to dwell on the past, but…you know…"

Matt put his arm around Elias's shoulders and smiled, "I know E. You want that beer?"

Elias sighed, "You want to drink it here? I got some stuff in the fridge."

Matt plopped down on the couch, "I was kind of hoping you would say something like that. Sure, grab me something would you?"

Elias walked to the fridge and pulled out two cold ones. He popped the tops and handed one of them to Matt.

"Cheers," Matt said raising his bottle.

"What are we toasting to?" Elias asked.

"How bout we toast to…Ben."

Elias smiled, "Cheers. Rest in peace my friend." Matt took a long draw from his bottle and sighed. Elias only took a sip of his.

"What's up Matt?"

Matt looked at Elias, his face full of false confusion, "What do you mean?"

"When's the last time you came over and had a beer with me? Something's going on. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Matt chuckled, "Can't hide a thing from you can I? Yea something's up…something big."

Elias raised his eyebrow, "And?"

Matt took another draw from his bottle before answering, "Miranda wants us to launch an offensive attack tomorrow."

Elias squirt beer out of his nose and as he choked on his drink, "What!? Matt we just got back today! We only got like twenty more guys on our platoon! We'd get slaughtered!"

Matt raised his hands, "Calm down. We got re-enforced. We're crossing the plains. We're going to the woods."

Elias put down his beer hard, "The woods? We're going back to the woods? Matt it's suicide. It's all open plain. You saw how we got destroyed today. No way."

"Miranda said we can use the Warthogs offensively. They should provide us with a good amount of suppressing fire," Matt reasoned.

"How many?"

"Ten."

Elias sat back in his chair, "Well that helps a bit. We don't know though how many Covenant are in those woods, Matt. It still is highly risky."

Matt nodded his agreement, "I know it is Elias. But we have to do something. Miranda wants us to raise moral throughout the city."

Elias stood up, "Screw the city's moral. If they want peace of mind, then they should get their asss out in the field and help us win this war."

Matt motioned for Elias to sit, "Not everyone can be a soldier Elias. You got to understand these people. They feel like it's hopeless. Like they're already dead."

"Maybe they are," Elias mumbled. Matt nodded.

They sat in silence for a while after that, neither man feeling like speaking. They let the mood of the situation sink in.

Finally Elias asked quietly, "What time do we leave?"

Matt walked to the fridge and pulled out another beer, "At eighteen hundred hours. Be there on time. I don't want to have to wait for you. And please…come somber."

Elias nodded, "I don't mess around when I'm on duty. You know that."

"And the drugs?"

Elias got a hard look in his eyes, "I need them to steady my aim. Every sniper uses them."

"Not all. Only the lousy ones."

"Shut up Matt. You want to drink my beer, then treat me with some respect," Elias growled.

Matt chuckled, "I'm kidding. You're an amazing marksman. Really."

"I think I'm going to turn in for the night," Elias said stretching.

Matt nodded, "Alright. You mind if I stay a while and watch the news?"

Elias shrugged, "Whatever, just lock the door on the way out alright?" Matt gave him the thumbs up.

Elias walked to his bedroom and closed the door. He stared at his queen size bed and smiled. He loved to sleep. It was the only time of day when you could escape from all the crap the world threw at you.

He stripped off his clothes and crawled beneath the sheets, feeling the silky smooth sheets rub against his bare skin. His long black hair covered his face as he rest his head on the pillow. He felt the rough stubbles of hair on his face rub against the pillow and decided he was going to shave in the morning. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Sleep came quickly.

The alarm buzzed sharply at eight o'clock. Elias knocked the clock off the dresser and rolled over. It felt good to sleep in a bit. It wasn't every day he got such a luxury. He sat up and yawned before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He stood and walked to the bathroom.

He showered and shaved, got dressed, and had a quick breakfast. He strapped on his armor and slung his S2 AM sniper over his shoulder. He was about to leave, then went back and got his M6 pistol. It was a sturdy gun with tremendous power. He had heard a rumor that they were remaking these. He hoped they would be better.

He strapped it to his leg and headed out the door. He chelled his watch and saw he had virtually all day to prepare for the battle tonight. His mind told him to go to the barracks near by, while his body urged for a drink.

Elias shook his head and headed for the barracks. The day passed by, slowly and mostly uneventful. Elias arrived at the barracks, disassembled his weapons, cleaned and oiled them, and then put them back together. At around noon, Matt arrived and asked Elias if he wanted to go grab something to eat.

"Feeling a little gibberish over tonight's operation?" Elias asked, seeing the look on Matt's face.

Matt nodded, "Maybe a little queasy, yes. Do you want to go or not?"

"Alright."

They left the barracks and headed towards their favorite eatery. It was nothing special, just a square metal building with a chrome sign reading "Smoking Wound". They both ordered something to eat and a water.

"I'm surprised you don't order a beer," Matt said with a look of mild surprise.

"When I go on the field, I like to stay focused," Elias said taking a sip of water.

"Then why the drugs?" Matt ventured.

Elias set his glass down hard and stared into Matt's face, "If you don't shut the hell up about my pills, I swear, I'll knock you one of these days."

Matt rolled his eyes, "You know you're addicted. You don't need them to be a good sniper."

Elias raised a single finger, "That's one."
"Just try tonight's operation with out the drugs. Please?" Matt asked.

Elias stood up suddenly, "What if I told you my drugs never had anything to do with becoming a better sniper? What if I told you I take them to escape my past?! What if I told you that if I didn't take my drugs, I'd become suicidal?"

The whole place was staring at Elias at his sudden outburst. Matt's mouth was half-way open, as if he was going to say something but couldn't find the words.

Elias leaned down towards Matt, placing his hands on the table and he whispered, "If you couldn't figure that out, knowing what I've been through, then I guess that makes you one stupid ass."

He turned around and walked out of the restaurant, leaving Mathew speechless.

Elias walked down the street, swallowing two more Pentazemin as he went. His eyes were moist and he felt angry. No one understood. No one cared. He was alone in this world. Him versus the Covenant. Matt had his head in the clouds now that he was working with Miranda. All this authority had cast a shadow over their friendship.

Well damn him, Elias thought, if he's going to act like a three year old with a knife, then let him. Elias walked back to the barracks and went into the sleeping quarters. The drugs were settling in. He felt as if the nerves in his body were slowly relaxing one by one, piece by piece. That glassy distorted feeling engulfed him and he embraced it.

He climbed up into a bunk and sat there staring up at the ceiling. He didn't know how long he was up there, only that when he felt his body returning to normal, he took more Pentazemin. Normally he would have done it reluctantly, but now he did it willingly. He didn't care anymore. His life had gone to hell. If he was going to die, better he do it himself than the Covenant.

Somewhere in the haze, he heard Matt come in and tell him something. Elias thought he was trying to apologize, but his head was so full of drugs, he wasn't quite sure. Matt left and Elias watched Polasky wonder into his vision.

"Hey man, you feeling okay?" the tall tanned soldier asked, his voice sounding distance and echoed.

"I got the blues, but I'll be ready to kill soon enough," Elias managed to mumble.

"Man you gotta lay off the dope," Polasky said with a worried look.

"I need it to shoot," Elias said drearily.

"Bullcrap. Man you a solid shot without the stuff, you don't need that," Polasky reasoned.

Elias gave him a crooked smile, "You aren't in the sniper division. I don't expect you to understand."

Polasky walked away, shaking his head. Elias closed his eyes and emerged his brain into the mist. It was clearing. Slowly. He had half the mind to take some more of the stuff, but he decided against it. He didn't want to die just yet. He had to kill a few more Covenant first.

By the time the loudspeaker announced it was time to move out, the mist was fully gone and Elias felt normal. He needed a drink. Instead, Elias got his weapons and found his platoon. He hopped up on one of the ten Warthogs and they slowly moved out. He smiled as the sound of ten battle ready engines filled his ears. He had come to love that sound. He could feel his adrenaline begin to spike.

The warthogs trailed slowly out of the city and into the barren plain. It was nothing but hard packed dirt, patches of grass, and brush for twenty miles until the terrain changed to forest. It was cool. The evening air blew threw Elias's shoulder length dark hair. He sighed and chelled his weapons. Everything seemed ready for battle. He scanned the troops running alongside the Warthogs, looking for Matt, then he realized Matt was probably up in the front Warthog. He had ordered lights out and silence. They were going to try and surprise the Covenant as much as possible. They'd hear the engines, but that wouldn't be until it was too late. As soon as they were five miles out from the city, the marines piled into the metal wagons that the Warthogs towed.

Elias had to give Matt some credit for thinking of bringing these along. This way they'd reach their destination a lot quicker. Elias looked over at the driver of his Warthog and saw it was Polasky.

"You ready for this?" Elias asked with a small smile.

"Yea man, I can't wait to pop some heads!" Polasky replied enthusiastically.

"What gun you using?" Elias said looking over at the firearm lying across Polasky's lap.

"It's a Battle Rifle. It's new and still in the experimental stages of production. I tried it out earlier and let me tell you, this thing is powerful and accurate."
Elias cocked an eyebrow, "You using a gun that's still experimental?"
"Silence!" A voice whispered fiercely.

"Fine," Elias mumbled.

It was silent the rest of the drive. When they were about two miles from forest, Matt ordered a halt and the marines piled out of the steel wagons. He quickly ordered the marines to advance slowly towards the forest and when they were close, he'd send the Warthogs in. They'd turn on their lights and as soon as that happened, they were to open fire.

Elias pulled Matt of to the side, "I'm going to find a quiet bush to snipe from."

Matt nodded and patted his friends shoulder, "Be careful."
"You too."

Elias trotted towards the forest along with the seventy-five other marines, slowly and quietly. He flipped on his night-vision chip in his helmet and scanned the forest front.

"Looks like they are all sleeping," said a marine trotting next to Elias.

"Don't get over confident," Elias whispered. There were a few grunts patrolling the forest, but it appeared as if the marine was right. They were all sleeping.

Elias broke away from the marines, as did the other snipers, and they each found a place to hide and snipe. Elias crawled into a scraggly bush and poked his barrel out. He waited.

It seemed like and eternity until he heard the steady rumble of the Warthog engines. Elias felt asserflies in his stomach. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Pentazemin. He popped one pill into his mouth, the normal standard amount, and felt his nerves calm. The glassy feeling wasn't there. The mist hadn't settled in. Good. His head was clear.

He waited, hearing the engines grow louder and louder, closer and closer. The grunts had stopped walking and appeared to be listening.

You don't hear anything, Elias thought, as if trying to communicate with the grunts; it's just your imagination. You don't want to get yelled at for waking the Elites for nothing. Keep walking!

It appeared as if the grunts were going to raise the alarm when the Warthogs hit their lights and the forest front was ignited in white glow. The marines open fired and plastered the trees and Covenant with fire.

Elias picked his target, a screaming grunt fleeing into the woods, and squeezed the trigger. His gun kicked back and the stream of smoke from the shot blew through the night air. He shifted his aim and fired again, feeling calm and at peace. Another dead. He swung his gun over towards where the marines were and saw the first Elite of the night. Elias fired and purple blood gushed from the Elites groin.

Elias smiled, Ball shot! He re-loaded and watched as the Warthogs tore through the Covenant like sheep for the slaughter. He scanned the mayhem for Mathew, but he couldn't spot him. He normally would have grown a touch panicky, but since he had Pentazemin flowing through him, he remained calm.

Plasma suddenly erupted through the trees and Elias realized that the Covenant were fighting back. Blue plasma grenades flew through the night air and exploded with tremendous force. Elias watched a marine run around screaming as one stuck to his chest. He exploded in a bloody flash.

"All units! Attack with full force! Let no one live!"

Elias jumped at the sound of his radio. It was Matt, urging the troops forward.

Elias thumbed his radio, "Careful Matt, things look like they could go to hell at any second."
The radio was silent for a second and then Matt's voice blared back, "You better cover my ass then!"

Elias chuckled as he raised his rifle and peered through the scope. He saw that two of the Warthogs had burst into flames and were nothing but a smoldering ruin. He also saw that the Covenant had brought out their snipers also.

He grimaced as he saw one of his fellow snipers take a purple beam to the throat. The head of the marine fell and tore away from the remaining flesh that held it to his shoulders. The headless body spew blood onto the hard packed dirt. Elias aimed for the killer and pierced his stomach with a bullet.

Suddenly a new sound erupted from the night air. It wasn't gunfire or plasma. It wasn't Warthogs or voices. It was a metallic roaring sound. It was loud and it was scary. Elias felt his heart stop momentarily as it echoed in his ears.

"What the hell was that?" He mumbled.

The marines seemed to be scared to. They weren't as aggressive and they even retreated a little bit.

Matt's voice yelled over the radio, "What the hell was that noise?! Advance marines! Damn it! ADVANCE!"

Out of the darkness of the forest, something huge and purple crashed through the trees. Elias sucked in his breath as a massive Covenant machine emerged. It had four spiny legs, a large metallic purple body, and a round glowing head. The thing was at least two hundred feet tall. Its metallic beast like head opened up and roared once again into the night air. A roar went up from the Covenant. A victory yell.

"What is that thing!" Matt was screaming over the radio.

A frightened voice answered him, "It's a Scarab! A new Covenant weapon! I heard the major talking about it! We're doomed!"

Suddenly, the metallic beak opened from the Scarab, and a huge thick blue beam of plasma shot out and incinerated three Warthogs with one shot.

Elias felt his lungs close and his heart freeze. We're doomed. The human race is doomed, Elias thought. He pulled out his Pentazemin and chewed up two tablets, ignoring the bitter acidy taste.

"Fall back! All troops retreat to Colossus!" Matt yelled over the radio.

Elias quickly stood and ran towards the nearest Warthog. When he got to it, he saw that the driver's face had been burned away by plasma. Elias pushed the dead body out of the way and climbed in. He was about to roar off towards the city when two surviving marines ran up to him.

"Give us a ride, mate?"

Elias saw blood leaking from their armor. He nodded and they climbed aboard.

"Floor it!"

Elias took the marines advice and put the pedal to the metal. The tires spun and they roared off. Elias glanced back at the Scarab and fear seized hold of him again as he saw the head was charging another shot. Right at them.

"Oh fuck-a-doodle-doo! GO!" screamed the marine manning the gun. Elias stomped the gas pedal harder and prayed.

He heard the shot before he felt it. A low pitched whoosh. It was all a blur. Something blue flashed about ten feet in front of them and the next thing Elias knew, he was airborne. The ground came rushing towards him and he hit it hard, knocking the air out of his lungs. He felt blood leaking from his mouth and nose. He looked around and saw the Warthog had actually flipped and landed upright, ten yards away. The gun on the back was melted and one of the tires was blown.

He looked around hazily for the other two marines and saw one of them a couple feet away. He was unconscious, but alive. Barely. Elias gritted his teeth and stood up slowly. He saw that most of the surviving Warthogs and marines were already on the horizon. Don't leave me here to die, Matt.

He managed to pull the wounded unconscious marine over his shoulder and haul him to the Warthog. Every step felt like his insides were on fire. His left side hurt like death. It felt like his titanium ribs were melting inside him. He brushed the thought aside and saw, as he hauled the marine into the passenger seat, that the other marine who had been with him, was still manning the gunner spot. His body had melted into the gun and now he was one with the gun. Elias fell to his knees and dry heaved.

When he felt the muscles in his stomach relax, he stood and climbed into the Hog. He saw that the Scarab was retreating back into the woods and the Covenant were still screeching their victory yell.

Elias gunned the Warthog and let out a yell as his spine was pierced with what felt like a thousand knives. He was hurt. Bad. He almost blacked out a few times, but managed to stay conscious until he passed through Colossus's huge gates.

He allowed the darkness to take him as paramedics rushed up to him.

Beep…beep…beep…Elias opened his eyes slowly, the familiar sound of a hospital filling his ears. He saw he was in a bed in a room by himself. The walls were pained a light blue and there was no window. He looked to his left and saw an IV drip. He looked down at his body and saw bandages rapped firmly around his torso.

A nurse came in a few minuets later and Elias asked, "What happened?"

The nurse smiled as she changed his IV, "You're titanium side melted into your body. They performed surgery and removed the harmful metals and replaced them with new titanium."

Elias felt shock flow through him. Melted? He had guessed that was the problem, but he never really expected it.

"Titanium doesn't melt though does it?" Elias asked.

The nurse finished switching the IV and said, "The doctors said that the heat from the Scarab was so intense, it could melt virtually anything."

The nurse left and Elias rested his head against the pillow. He felt lucky to be alive. He drifted off to sleep for a few hours, but awoke to something sharp in his arm.

"What…" he mumbled groggily.

The nurse was back and injecting him with a shot, "This is just a little morphine for your side. The doctor thinks you might need it." Elias remained silent. He felt something warm shoot into his bloodstream. He relaxed. This was better than the Pentazemin. He fell back asleep.

He was only out for a half hour when Matt walked into the room. Elias opened his eyes and grinned.

"You left me to die."

Matt ran a hand through his dark brown curls, "Hell, I was scared crapless when I heard your side had melted. I thought you were dead. And I would've come back for you if I knew you were still out there. I was so caught up in the heat of battle that I lost track."

Elias smiled, "The heat of battle…ah don't sweat it Matt, I was only kidding anyway. Hey you should try some of this morphine stuff. It really is amazing."

Mat rolled his eyes, "Yea yea. Sheesh, you going to get hooked on that now?"

Elias shook his head, "Nah, this stuff is a bit too strong. So how'd we make out?"

Matt sighed and pulled up a chair next to the bed, "Not to good I'm afraid. We lost seven of the Warthogs and roughly fifty men. What the hell was that thing though!? We HAD them! We were beating them until that…that...that Scarab came!"

Elias nodded, "I know it. They must've moved it up the day after we retreated. Matt they could take the city with that thing. If they advance, I think we're screwed."

Matt agreed, "Yea, I just came back from a meeting with some of the generals. They said that the Covenant have another one up near Metropolis. It's still being built, but it should be done soon. They say we should try and take it out."

Elias snorted, "Take it out? Yea right. There's no way we'd be able to do something like that."

Matt sighed and scratched the back of his neck, "Yea I know. We're trying to come up with a plan. Miranda thinks we should fall back now and save as many as we can. She's going to evacuate the city of all non-military citizens."

"Good move," Elias said.

Matt patted Elias on the leg, "Well, I'll let you get some rest. It's good to see you." Matt left and suddenly Elisa felt very tired. Not just a bodily fatigue, but a soul deep dreariness.

Elias closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep slumber.

Something woke Elias. He didn't know what it was, but his eyes snapped open and he sucked in his breath.

Ben.

Ben was standing at the foot of the bed.

"Am I dreaming!?" Elias asked alarmed.

Ben smiled, his light brown hair glistening in the light, "No. I'm here Elias."

Elias felt as if his side were melting again. He scrambled for his pills and chewed up three.

"How?" he whispered.

Ben grinned again, "It's great to see you Elias. It's been a while." Elias reached out and grabbed his friend's hand. It was real. This was no dream.

"Son of a bitch…how, Ben? I watched you die! I held you in my arms as the life drained out from you! Tell me how?!" Elias croaked as tears of joy flooded his face.

Ben's eyes grew red also as he smiled warmly, "It's so good to see you Elias. I'm sure you're confused. I…I don't think you're ready for the answer quite yet. I'll tell you how I survived when you get released from the hospital okay?"

Elias nodded, "Fine fine. Where have you been these last two years though? Why didn't you come find me sooner?"

Ben sighed, "I was in various hospitals for the longest times. Getting tests done, trying new medications, hell it was mostly experimental."
"Why were they doing all these tests?" Elias said more slowly. He could feel the mist of the Pentazemin floating into his head. He needed it.

"It's part of how I survived. I'll get to that later. So how have you been these years? What have you been up to?" Ben asked trying to change the subject.

Elias sighed heavily, "My life has been hell ever since you died...well, since I thought you died. Its…its been tough."
Ben frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

Elias blinked back more tears, "Well…after your death, me and Matt escaped Halo on a craft we found. We got picked up and taken here. I was a mess. I was constantly drinking and…" Elias paused, not wanted to admit it, "…I've been taking drugs."

Ben's face turned into dark sympathy, "I'm sorry to hear that Elias, but come on. You're stronger than that."

Elias sat up suddenly, tears now flowing freely, "You don't know what it feels like to loose your best friend! You don't know what it's like to have them DIE in your arms! You don't know the feeling of guilt that stained me for the rest of my life! I SHOULD HAVE MADE YOU STAY AT CAMP! You were injured and hurt! I should have said to stay…I should…I," Elias trailed off, crying into his hands.

Ben stepped forward and hugged his friend, "You were never to blame. It was my call. I'm sorry you've been beating yourself up over this. I'm sorry…its…its my fault you fell into drugs and alcohol."

Elias shook his head, "No…that's not it. You weren't the main cause. I was depressed and drunk a lot, but that wasn't why I started taking the drugs."
Ben looked confused, "Then what was it?"

Elias started sobbing again, but he got it under control enough to whisper, "I got married Ben. I had a little boy named Max."

Ben felt utter shock spike through him.

Elias sniffed and wiped his nose, "They were killed Ben. Slaughtered by the Covenant. I was to late…I couldn't even save my little boy. When I reached where they were…I couldn't even recognize them. Their faces had been melted off by the plasma."

Ben didn't know what to say. He put his hand on Elias's arm, "Hey…take it easy. No one blames you."

Elias grabbed his bottle of Pentazemin and threw it across the room yelling, "I hate that stuff! I hate what it does to me. I hate how it represents my weakness…my sorrow."
Ben hugged his friend again and held him close, "Easy Elias. You're a good guy." Elias cried against his friends chest. They wept together for a long time. The memories and sorrows all coming out of them. No more storing it up inside.

Finally, Elias pulled away and put his hand on Ben's arm, "It's great to see you. It really is."

The week passed slowly as Elias recovered from his injuries. Ben came and visited him everyday, talking about what they had done for the past two years. Elias found out that Ben had in fact died for a full six hours until a parasite called the Flood, had come and infested his body, bringing him back to life. Elias had remembered seeing one of these Flood creatures on Halo. Ben had gotten up and stumbled, half dead still, through the snow and found a marine outpost where he had collapsed. He was brought back to HQ and sent home back to Earth. He had spent a year in the best hospital left on Earth which was located in London. He went under experimental treatment and after six months of intensive care, they had managed to cleanse Ben of the parasite while at the same time, they improved his stability. Ben had then spent another six months going to the doctor everyday and learning how the do everything thing again. He had to do this, Elias found out, because the treatment that they had given him had pretty much wiped out all memories on how to do basic things like walking or scratching an itch.

After he was back to his normal self, he had gone back to the marines and joined back up. His first assignment was to help defend a small city in Germany. He had stayed their and done his duty for a full year when another assignment was enacted. He had traveled to Colossus where he had met up with Elias.

"That's wild," Elias said as Ben finished his story. It was a bright Saturday morning and Elias was anxious to get out of the hospital.

"Yea. It was. What time you getting out today?" Ben asked.

Elias threw his hands up in frustration, "As soon as the fuckin nurse comes."

"You…you doing ok?" Ben asked suddenly.

Elias looked confused, "What do you mean? I'm fine."

Ben nodded, "Ok, it's just that I've been talking about me for the past week and I never really heard you talk about how you coped with all the misery you went through."

Elias smiled sadly, "That's because I really don't want to talk about it. It's too much." Ben nodded and dropped the subject.

"Ben?" Elias asked.

"Yea?"

"You were dead for a full six hours…what…what was it like?"

Ben stared out the window for a full minuet before answering, "It was glorious, Elias. Simply amazing."

Elias saw an awe glowing in Ben's face. A longing to be back. He patted Ben's arm as the nurse walked in.

"It's about time!" Elias said.

Elias was wheel chaired to the front of the hospital, despite his arguments that he was just fine and he could walk, and discharged back into the world.

"It's great to be out of there," Elias said taking a breath of fresh air.

Ben laughed, "I bet. You feel ok?"

Elias touched his titanium side and nodded, "Yep. I feel great."
Ben nodded, "Good because we have an assignment tonight. I didn't want to tell you until I was sure you were well."

Elias put on a false outrage, "Why you pompous bastard! Keeping the good news until I say I'm fine! Really now! If I'd said my head hurt a little bit you'd probably go off tonight without me!"

Ben laughed and playfully punched his friend in the shoulder, "Ah quite your bitching. I wasn't going to do that."

Elias felt an itch in his mind. A mental pinch. He knew the feeling. He pulled out his Pentazemin and downed two pills.

Ben shook his head as he watched this, "E. Stop. It's controlling you. I'm back now, so please. Don't take anymore."

Elias felt himself bristle in mild anger, "Don't talk to me about that. Just don't."

Ben sighed, "Have it your way."

"So what's the objective tonight?" Elias asked.

Ben climbed into the Warthog he had driven and answered, "We found out that the Scarab's main beam is charged by three plasma generators. Together they make up the huge beam. Tonight the Covenant are taking them out and installing some new parts. That's were we come in. Three teams of four marines each swoop in and destroy the generators."
Elias nodded and climbed into the passenger's seat. Ben pulled away and drove down the militia packed streets.

"Sounds fool proof," Elias observed, "Only one thing. The Covenant are going to expect this."

Ben nodded his agreement, "That's why we're keeping the teams small. We go in, plant the charge, and get out. We're all using silenced weapons. We don't want the whole Covenant armada coming down on us."

"Who's in our team?" Elias asked as Ben pulled into the barracks.

"Well Matt put it together, so…you, me, Matt, and Polasky."

"Alright. Polasky's pretty cool."

Ben parked the Hog and hopped out, "Yea. I met him before I came over to see you. He seems like he's got it all together."

Elias glanced at Ben sideways.

Ben caught the look and burst out, "Not like that! Sheesh!"

Elias laughed and said, "I didn't know. Two years can change a man you know?"

"Yea, but come on. You know me better than that."
"Yea, I guess I do."

They entered the barracks and Elias was greeted by Matt. Something was different about him. He seemed like his mind was somewhere else. He looked like he was doped up.

"You feeling ok Matt?" Elias asked.

Matt looked at Elias, his eyes averting Elias's, "Uh yea, I'm fine. Uh, why you ask?"

"Cause you look like me when I'm high," Elias said chuckling.

Matt licked his lips. Something was really bugging him.

"Out with it Matt!" Elias urged.

Matt closed his eyes, "I asked Miranda out on a date."

Elias doubled over as he burst out laughing, holding his sides as tears ran down his face. Ben joined him and their laughter echoed through the barracks.

Elias stood up suddenly, "She said no right?"

Matt nodded miserably.

Elias burst into a fresh volley of laughter as more tears ran down his face. Ben was wheezing he was laughing so hard.

"Oh, shut the hell up you two," Matt grumbled.

Elias suddenly got very serious as he put a playful arm around Matt's shoulder, "Ah you'll get over it. I mean geez. You're such a hunk of a man. You'll find your lover one day. Oh wait! You already did! You've met Ben haven't you?"
Ben put on his high school lip face and said in a stupid voice, "How you doing big boy?"

Matt stormed off, thoroughly pissed.

Elias wiped the tears from his face, "Ah, I suppose we should've had some sympathy on the poor guy, but what the hell? What was he thinking?"
Ben chuckled, "I know it. Ho boy that was funny. Well I'm going to go gear up."

"Yea I guess I will too."

Elias gripped the support handle firmly and watched the dark land flow under him. They were suited up and equipped with silenced M6 pistols and long Bowie knives. They were tightly packed inside a Pelican and were quickly and silently advancing towards the drop zone. The twelve marines who had been selected for the job were all nervous and quiet, including Ben and Matt. Elias felt a little unnerved as he scanned the dark faces of his comrades.

"Hey come on guys, we're going to kick ass tonight," Elias said trying to lighten the mood.

"You better believe it," a marine in the back responded.

Ben let out a long unsteady breath, "My stomach's got asserflies."

Elias chelled his gear, "No worries guys, Matt's got this plan fool proofed. We'll all be fine."

The marines seemed to relax a bit and Matt mouthed a silent "thank you." The Pelican had its engines silenced and the lights were out. The plan was to silently drop into the woods, plant the charges, and then go to a determined location in the woods. They would wait there till morning when a group of Warthogs would storm in and pick them up, accompanied by a Scorpion tank.

Elias saw that Matt was going through the plan in his head and watched as Polasky smeared his face with green paint. Elias had painted black stripes diagonally across his own face and Ben had done the same.

"We arrive at the drop zone in ninety-seconds," the speakers announced quietly. Elias chewed up a Pentazemin and watched annoyed as Ben shook his head. The bitter acid taste was still in his mouth as the pilot announced that they had arrived.

"Go!" Matt said.

Elias made sure the rubber shockers were attached firmly to his hands and feet and then ran out the back and jumped into the night air. He felt his breath seized from his lungs as the cool air bite into his face. He scanned the trees using his night vision as he fell. It seemed clear. He fell through the trees and landed on the ground, feet first and felt the rubber shockers jolt and absorb the impact. Elias quickly shed them and watched Matt, Polasky, and Ben land around him.

"The other troops are dropping off a little farther down near the other two generators," Matt said quietly as he took out his pistol.

"Where is ours?" Ben inquired.

"It should be about a mile to the west. Our sources say that the seventh sector grunts are in charge of cleaning this generator," Matt replied.

"I can't wait to slip my blades between a Covenant's shoulder blades," Polasky grinned, his teeth shinning.

Elias took out his knife, "I'm with you on that."

The four marines silently slipped through the forest, towards the generator. The moon was out and the stars were glinting brightly. Every now and then, they would hear the dim rumble of machinery.

"Sounds like they're running it," Matt said quietly.

"How do you know that that sound is the generator?" Polasky asked.

"I don't, but that would be my guess. Come on, it sounds close."
They crept forward another two hundred yards and spotted the platoon of grunts. There was about fifty of them, all buzzing about around a huge grey piece of machinery. They had a massive bonfire lit and about two dozen plasma torches lit. It was like noon time. One tall golden Elite oversaw the process of the work.

"We're going to half to wait until they're done," Matt whispered as the four marines huddled behind a giant tree.

Elias thought that the stupid grunts were going to be up all night, they had been working so long, when the Elite growled something and all the grunts jumped and scurried off. Only five remained, as the Elite sat down against a tree and appeared to be dozing off. The five grunts stood around the generator, holding plasma pistols.

"Looks like the chief called it a night," Ben whispered.

"Let's get them," Polasky whispered.

Matt held up his hand, "Wait! We gotta be quiet and invisible. Now I have the explosives, so I'll plant them while you quietly kill off the guards. Head shots guys. It's crucial. We can't allow them to raise the alarm."

Everyone nodded as Matt slipped into the darkness. Elias raised his silenced pistol and fired off a quick shot at the nearest grunt. Ben and Polasky did the same. Three grunts drop silently to the ground as the remaining two jumped in fright. Elias and Ben planted two bullets in one of them and Polasky dropped the other one with a deadly neck shot.

It was silent except for the sounds of the Elite sleeping. They hadn't woken it.

"Where's all the other grunts?" Ben whispered quietly.

"Off sleeping some where, probably. Who cares. Where the hell is Matt?" Elias said. Just then, Matt slid from the shadows and crept into the camp. Elias kept his eyes trained on the sleeping Elite. He wanted to take it down so bad, but knew it'd be foolish. If the Elite had his shields on, the camp would be alerted as soon as the Elite got hit and raised the alarm.

Matt slunk to the side of the large generator and gently attached the explosives onto it. He quickly entered the detonation code and set the timer. A beeping rhythm echoed through the night as the countdown began.

Elias's heart leapt as the high pitched sound cut through the silence. Matt seemed scared too as he trotted back into the woods. The Elite stirred in his sleep and Elias held his breath.

"Don't wake up…don't wake up," Ben was muttering. The countdown continued, the beeping holding steady.

"We have to take that son of a bitch out before he wakes up!" Polasky whispered fiercely.

Elias nodded his agreement and the three of them crept towards the Elite. It was starting to wake up now. Its eyes snapped open when it saw the three marines coming towards him.

"Get him now!" Ben yelled.

They open fired and Elias felt panic as he saw the Elite's shields flare angrily. The bullets hit the shields as the Elite let out a roar and charged them, swinging his plasma rifle.

"Scatter!" Ben yelled, diving out of the way.

Elias dove to the left, but the Elite caught him right under the ribs. The good side of his body. Elias grit his teeth as he went sprawling onto the dirt, feeling his body scream its agony. Polasky was behind the Elite and was about the knock it in the back when it spun around and back handed him against a tree. Blood trickled down his face as the Elite kicked in the chest. Elias heard something break and a pained look crossed the marine's face. Ben tackled the Elite from behind and rolled to the ground with it, his skin burning from the shields. Elias scrambled up, just as Ben took an elbow to the gut. Elias ran over and kicked the Elite's face, hard, spraying purple blood over the ground. Ben found his pistol and fired the remainder of the clip into alien's stomach, completely wiping out its shields. Elias kicked the Elite onto its stomach and then stepped on its back while grabbing the alien's chin with both hands. He grinded his teeth and his muscles strained as he pulled back as hard as he could. With a satisfying crunch, the Elite's neck broke, bent backwards.

"You ok?" Elias asked Ben.

Ben nodded and looked over at Polasky. Matt was there, looking over at his wounds.

"Where were you?" Elias asked angrily.

"I think his chest has collapsed," Matt said, ignoring Elias. Polasky was wheezing badly and blood leaked from his mouth nose and ears. His eyes were horribly bloodshot and his skin pale.

Elias pushed Matt aside and said, "He doesn't want help from a coward who runs away in the heat of battle."

Ben wiped purple blood from his face and muttered, "What a dick you are Matt."

Matt spread his hands, "I didn't want to get involved!"

Elias stood up and grabbed Matt by the scuff of his neck, "You're a damn coward and it's going to cost Polasky his life!"

Matt pushed Elias away and said shakily, "He'll be fine! We just need to get him out of here!"

Ben was kneeling next to Polasky, muttering soothing words. He looked up at Matt, his eyes hard and cold, "He's dying you son of a whore."

Matt backed up, "Hey, come on now! You guys were the ones who charged him! I did my part and got out of there!"

Elias felt tears come into his eyes as he watched Polasky slowly fade. He turned on Matt and growled, "Get the fuck out of my sight you coward."

Matt took a step forward now, his face defensive and hurt, "Please guys…"

Elias was like lighting. He sprang forward and delivered a smashing blow across Matt's face. Matt fell to the ground with a cry and lay there as blood flowed of his cheek.

"Get out of here," Elias repeated, his face dark. Matt scrambled up, and ran off into the night.

"He's not going to make it," Ben mumbled as his eyes grew red.

Elias walked over and knelt down next to the dying marines, "You are one hell of a marine, Polasky. I'll remember you until the day I die."

Polasky smiled painfully and croaked, "T-thank you-u. P-pl-please l-leave me h-here to d-die." Ben nodded and held the dieing marines bloody hand.

"Ben we need to get out of here before this thing blows. We got like two minuets," Elias said quietly.

Ben didn't budge, "I'm not going to leave him here to die alone."

Elias felt a momentary panic surge, "Ben don't do this. It's bad enough as it is, please don't make it worse."

Polasky pushed Ben's hand away, "Here's right. No need t-to take another l-life. L-leave me Ben."

Ben's eyes were red rimmed as he stood, "Goodbye Polasky."

Elias smiled sadly and felt his owe eyes welling up with sadness, "You're one hell of a soldier."

Polasky grinned weakly, "You better get out of here."

The two marines didn't look back as they sprinted into the night. Elias felt a weight in his chest as he ran among the trees, the night air seeming to choke him. He didn't really know where he and Ben were headed, but after they had been running for a bit, the forest behind them lit up and deafening explosion echoed through the night.

"Rest in peace," Elias heard Ben mutter.

They ran for another twenty minuets and then finally stopped for a breather. Elias scanned the trees, hands on knees as he sucked in air.

"You know where the pick up is?" Ben asked as he held his side.

Elias shook his head, "Matt did. He was going to lead us there."

Ben kicked the dirt, "Damn it. What now?"

Elias stood and felt his pockets, "I don't know. This mission has gone to hell in a hay basket." He found his bottle of Pentazemin and downed two. He needed it badly.

Suddenly, Ben stepped forward and smacked the bottle out of Elias's hands after he had taken his dosage.

Elias stared in disbelief, "What the hell Ben!"

Ben kicked dirt over the spilled pills, "I hope you enjoyed your last fix."

Elias took a step forward, "Don't play with me! This isn't the time to get worried over my condition! We need to get back to Colossus and we're going to need to work together! Now apologize!"

"I did nothing wrong."
"Fuck you!"

Ben put a hand on Elias's shoulder, "Keep your voice down. Now I'm sorry for what I had to do, but it is justified."
Elias stared coldly into Ben's eyes, "Stop trying to protect me. Stop feeling sorry for me. I hate you when you're like that."

Ben sighed, "I understand now that you'll never get over the tragedies from your past. I thought you were stronger than that Elias."

Elias's eyes turned into stone cold ice, "You never had to hold your little boy as he died in your arms. You never had to watch him scream and writhe, begging you to make the pain stop. You never had deal with the death of your best friend. You never had the woman you love burned beyond recognition. So don't you EVER call me weak for mourning my loved ones." With that, Elias turned around and walked into the night as silent tears poured down his face.

Ben shut his eyes frustrated. He opened them and ran after Elias, "I didn't mean it like that! Elias!"
Elias spun around and stared into Ben's eyes, "If you want to be my friend, then you'll never bring up my past again. Do you understand?"

Ben nodded, "Yes I understand, and I didn't mean it like that back there. I'm sorry you took it that way."

Elias said nothing as they head towards Colossus. After they had walked for about ten minuets, another explosion echoed into the night, about four or fives miles away.

"There goes generator two," Ben said quietly. Elias remained silent, his eyes hard.

They walked on in silence, only listening to the wind. They both new they were lost as they wondered through the dense forest. Elias felt slight annoyance and Ben seemed to be frustrated.

After another ten minuets of silent walking, Ben stopped and asked, "Ok, where the hell are we?"

Elias stopped too, his ears perked. He thought he heard something.

"This blows," Ben said shaking his head.

Elias quickly put a finger to his lips, "Shhh!"

Ben cocked an eyebrow, "What is it?"

Elias looked sharply at Ben, "Shhh!"

Ben looked around at the woods around him feeling a sense of fear creeping up on him. What the hell was Elias listening to? He wasn't sure if he wanted to know. He raised his M6 pistol and wished badly he had a more powerful weapon.

Elias's eyes were strained as he scanned the surroundings. Suddenly they went wide and he yelled, "BRACE YOURSELF BEN!!"

Ben had a split second to react before his body was blow up into the air and smashed into a tree. He coughed up blood as he saw Elias screaming and holding his leg. Ben's head was spinning as he tried to figure out what had just happened. Suddenly another explosion rocketed into a tree next to Elias and turned it into a pile of splinters. Elias covered his head as the sharp wood rained down on him.

Then Ben saw figures in the woods approaching them. His mouth went dry. Brutes. At least five of them. Elias was crawling to his feet, blood leaking from his forehead and leg.

"Get up Ben!" He yelled wiping blood from his eyes. Ben felt his chest ache as got up and aimed at the figures in the woods.

Elias fired blindly into the dark forest. He heard a howl and knew he had hit one of the gorilla like aliens. He ducked as a grenade flew past him and exploded into a tree behind him. The force of the blast knocked him forward and crushed the wind from his lungs. His leg screamed its protest and he grit his teeth painfully.

Ben lobbed a grenade into the darkness and it killed one of the Brutes and blew another's arm off. He looked at Elias and saw he wasn't doing to good. He dove out of the way as a grenade flew past him. He landed next to Elias and pulled him up.

"Give me a 'nade," Elias growled.

Ben handed him one and Elias pulled the pin out with his teeth before pegging it at the Brutes. It exploded violently and sprayed alien blood over the trees.

Ben scooted to the left of Elias and was firing at a Brute who had positioned himself behind a tree. He reloaded as he saw Elias crawl behind a huge pine tree. He turned his attention back to the Brute and shot the things helmet. Ben ducked behind the tree he was behind and pulled out his last grenade. He turned and was about to throw it when an grenade thudded into the tree and blew him backwards, unconscious.

Elias saw Ben go down hard and felt himself panic. This was not happening. Not again.

"Get up Ben!" He screamed. He couldn't even see his friend's body. Only smoke.

"Get up! FUCK!" Elias screamed, panicked. He glanced at the Brutes and saw they were getting closer. He fired his pistol at them and saw one of them go sprawling, his knee cap blown. There were two left, not counting the one howling and holding its leg. He saw a brute shot lying on the ground a few feet away. He waited for the explosion and sound of the Brutes reloading before franticly crawling over and picking it up. He saw it had three grenades in it.

He swung the heavy weapon around, careful not to cut himself in half with the massive blade at the end of the gun. He pointed it towards the nearest Brute and fired off two of the shots. They exploded into the alien and blew his chest cavity apart. One to go.

The last Brute looked around and howled in rage at his fallen comrades. It threw down its weapon and charged on all fours towards Elias.

Elias had only a matter of seconds before the huge Brute would be on him. In a frantic movement, Elias swung the empty brute shot at the leaping Brute. Elias felt hot blood pour onto his body as the huge blade cut threw the tough grey throat. The Brute gurgled and stumbled, crashing into Elias in a dying rage. The brute shot was knocked from his hands as he took the full weight of the alien as it fell on him.

Blood gushed from the gaping neck gash and onto Elias. The Brute was trying to get its hands around Elias's throat and strangle him before it died. Elias squirmed under the dead weight of the alien and managed to pull out his knife. He plunged it deep into open wound and the blade went right through and out the back of the Brutes neck.

It let out a dying howl before rolling over and dying. Elias let out a sigh of relief as he pushed the Brute away and tried to stand. His leg screamed its protest as he grabbed onto a tree for support. He looked over and saw Ben lying motionless on the ground.

"Crap no…" Elias mumbled as he hobbled weakly over to his body. Ben's face was bloody and his side was bleeding badly.

Elias dropped to his knees, gritting his teeth against his leg, and felt for a pulse. It was there, faint and quiet, but there.

"You're not dying on me today," Elias said pulling out his survival kit. He stitched Ben's side and cleaned off the blood. He tilted his head back and poured some cool water down his throat.

Suddenly Elias felt something grab his ankle. His head spun around and he saw a Brute, its eyes glazed with pain and anger. Elias kicked it in the face, cursing himself for forgetting about the Brute with the blown knee.

The Brute growled as blood leaked from its mouth. It crawled towards Elias again, but stopped as Elias shot its arms.

"Don't touch me," Elias growled and kicked its face again. The Brute just lay on the ground, staring and growling at Elias.

"Fine…if you want it like that," Elias said pulling out his knife. He stabbed the Brute in the stomach and sliced it wide open, all the way up the neck. The Brute screamed and writhed, his guts spilling out onto the ground as he bounced around.

Elias turned away and grabbed Ben by the arms and heaved him up over his shoulders, his leg throbbing, but steady.

"Must not be broken…thank God," Elias muttered as he started out into the woods and away from the dead Brutes. He had to get out of here and get back to Colossus. He had to get Ben to a hospital.

He had only been walking for ten minuets when he collapsed onto the ground, wheezing and fading. He felt as if his life was slipping out of grasp as the pain in his leg consumed all emotions and nerve endings. He dug in his pocket and pulled out his small bottle of Pentazemin. He popped the top and tipped the bottle back.

Nothing.

It was empty.

"Damn it…not now…oh God…I need help," Elias mumbled as he lay on his back, staring up at the night sky. He could hear Ben's breath, slow but steady, from his right. He turned his head and could see how pale Ben was. He had lost a lot of blood.

"I'm not going to let you die again," Elias stated weakly

Suddenly, something cracked a twig off in the distance. Elias quickly sat up and propped himself against a tree. He pulled out his pistol and his last clip, waiting. The sound had come from about twenty yards away, he estimated.

It came again, closer this time. Elias raised his pistol and yelled, "Come on then and kill me!"

The sound stopped and then a voice called out, "Marine? This is Lt. Denford. Where are you?"

Elias breathed a sigh of relief and responded, "Over here! I have a wounded marine and need some help!"

Out of the night came a shadowy figure of a lone person. Elias could see that the man was in his mid forties and was sporting a salt and pepper trimmed beard.

"Thank God," Elias said.

The man named Denford leaned down and inspected Ben, "He looks like he's lost a lot of blood. Where you assigned to a generator?"

Elias nodded, "Yea, we blew it up and then…well, we got separated. We lost a man in the process. We were attacked by a squad of Brutes."

Denford nodded, "Yea, we got attacked by them as well. We never had a chance at our generator though. We all split up and, well, here I am."

"Do you know which way Colossus is?" Elias asked standing up and heaving Ben onto his shoulders.

Denford steadied Elias and answered, "I think it's that way," he said pointing off into the forest. "I know where a hidden Warthog is. Each commander of this mission was assigned one."

"When were they hidden?" Elias asked as they started walking.

"Two nights ago, here let me help you with him," Denford said as he grabbed one on Ben's arms.

"Thanks," Elias sighed gratefully.

"What happened to him?"

"He took brute shot shrapnel to the side. Careful not to pop his stitches. I sowed him up to stop the bleeding and he's been out ever since."

Denford grunted as he shifted more weight onto his shoulders, "You hurt too?"

Elias shook his head, "Naw I'm fine."

"Your eyes look a little bloodshot."
"How can you tell?"

"I have my night vision on."

Elias shook his head, "I'm fine." In truth, though, he wasn't. He was de-toxing and he knew it. He needed his Pentazemin. Bad. He was beginning to feel a little light headed and sweaty.

They walked on in silence for a while until Denford announced, "There it is."
Elias looked around at the dark forest and then switched on his night vision. There was the Warthog. It was covered in brush and limbs and sat waiting patiently for them.

"Thank God," Elias muttered.

"You a Christian?"

Elias was caught off guard at Denford's question. He laid Ben on the ground carefully before answering, "I use to be."

"What made you stop?" Denford asked as he pulled away the brush from the Warthog.

Elias helped Denford clear the Warthog, "My life went to hell. Everything I loved was tore away from me. I figured…I figured why believe in someone who's going to do that to you. Does someone like that deserve my love? I don't think so."

Denford shook his head, "I use to be like you. Just keep on believing. Now come on, let's head back."

Elias shook his head at Denford's advice and heaved the unconscious Ben up into the Warthog's seat. He climbed up into the back and mounted the gun. Denford hopped up into the driver's seat and fired up the powerful engine. Hit switched on the lights and gunned the engine.

Elias kept his eyes peeled as he scanned the silent forest, searching for a target. He had to duck a few times as at a branch that was on a path to decapitation. He sighed heavily and felt his leg throbbing. He needed his drugs badly, and not just for his leg. His head felt like it was going to bust and he was shaking bad. If he had a mirror, he would have seen a sweaty face and bloodshot eyes. He wiped the perspiration from his forehead and strained his eyes ahead.

Suddenly they were plowing into a squad of Brutes. Elias's heart leapt at the surprise as Denford gave a little yell and ran one of them over. Blood splattered onto the windshield of the Warthog and Elias could see that the Brutes had set up a little camp. And there were two Ghosts.

"Oh CRAP! Denford! GUN IT!" Elias yelled as he watched two Brutes climb into Ghosts.

Denford made the engine scream as he put the pedal to the metal, as they crashed through forest, snapping branches and ramping up through dirt. Elias swung the turret around and fired into the night forest behind him, not seeing the Ghosts, but knowing they were coming. Sure enough, he heard the familiar hum of the hovercrafts approaching.

Elias sung the massive gun to the left and open fired into the brush. He heard bullets ping off metal as his shot rung true. He ducked behind the turret shield as blue plasma whizzed over his head. He stood up again and let the 12.77x99 gun dance in his hands.

Suddenly Denford was screaming, "TO THE RIGHT! GOD DAMN IT ELIAS! TO THE RIGHT!"

Elias turned his head and saw the second Ghost was damnerously close to the Warthog and was about to fire.

In a mad panic for the life of his friend and Denford Elias did something very stupid that he would later call 'the most reckless thing I've ever done'.

Elias jumped from the turret and landed with a grunt on the front of the moving Ghost. His leg groaned its protest as he crashed onto the front of the hovercraft. Suddenly all three of the vehicles burst out into the open field and Elias could see Colossus in the distance.

The Brute driving the Ghost Elias was on, let out a frustrated roar and swerved sharply to the left. Elias held on tight as the hovercraft whipped his body around. He managed to get his knife out and with a desperate lunge, he plunged it into the Brute's throat.

With a gurgling snarl, the Brute grabbed Elias's arm and twisted, causing Elias to drop his knife. Blood poured from the Brute's neck and it slowly slipped out of the driver's seat, letting go of Elias. The Ghost started swerving madly as the driver fell to the ground and bounced to his death. Elias climbed into the seat and grabbed hold of the controls.

He looked to his right and saw that the Warthog with Denford and Ben was taking a lot of damage from the remaining Ghost. Elias turned hard right and slowed down so he came up directly behind it. He thumbed the trigger and plastered the Ghost with blue plasma.

In a panic, the Brute tried to circle around Elias in one quick motion, but he got the small wing stuck in the ground and the Brute was bucked from his seat only to get decapitated by Elias's craft a second later.

Elias let out a sigh a relief as he looked back and saw that no one else was left. They were in the home stretch with no more obstacles.

Elias sighed as in relief as the ice foam was sprayed over his leg. He smiled at the nurse as she then wrapped up his thigh in soft cloth. Ben was getting laser stitched and the doctors were giving him blood through an IV. He had lost a lot of blood and he would have died, had they been gone for another hour. Elias didn't want to think about it. He was just glad that they were safe for the time being.

The operation had been a success, but not totally. They had been able to destroy two of the three generators. The total casualties had been eleven marines, far too many to call the operation a total success. By destroying the generators, they had been able to put a temporary stop to the mighty Scarab. It seemed like everyone knew that it was only a matter of time though, before it was working again and march against Colossus. A silent fear lay behind everyone's eyes and Elias really was beginning to wonder if they had all given up already.

"Hey."

Elias look up from his seat in the examine room and saw Matt standing in the doorway. A flash of anger spiked through Elias, but he pushed it aside.

"Get out," was all he said.

Matt didn't move, but he looked hurt, "Elias please, hear me out."

Elias shook his head and snorted, "Hear you out? Why? You left us in a time of need and now Polasky's dead and Ben's in the operating room. So tell me Matt, why should I hear you out?"

Matt took a step forward, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I was scared…I didn't want to die…I'm not ready for that."

"Something tells me that Polasky wasn't ready for that either," Elias growled.

Matt shifted uncomfortably, "Hey ease up, please. Look, I know your going to hate me for what I did and there's nothing I can do about that. I just wanted to stop by and say I'm sorry…and I hope there's some way you can forgive me."

Elias looked directly into Matt's eyes, "Go to hell."

Matt nodded sadly and turned and walked out of the room. The nurse came back, stone faced and silent, and finished bandaging up Elias. When she was finished, Elias stood, thanking her, and tested his leg. He was a little numb and he walked with a slight limp. He sighed and wiped his forehead and realized he was sweating. He walked out of the room and into the public hospital bathroom. He went to the mirror and looked at himself. His eyes were badly bloodshot and his skin was a pasty white.

Pentazemin. He needed it. He had held in his urge to beg the nurse for some while she was present, by now that she was gone he wanted to get his fix more than ever. His hands were shaking slightly and he had a sudden horrible thought that the nurse knew he was de-toxing. No. She probably thought he was just stressed from what he had been through. Oh God he needed his pills. He needed them so badly.

But a part of him said no. A very small part of him in the back of his mind denied him. Elias shook his head and wondered what was wrong with him. He never had had a conscious problem getting these pills. Was it because Ben was back and he knew deep down that he no longer needed to get high to be happy? Was it because he was finally getting over his family's slaughter? Elias didn't know, but he didn't go over to the pharmacist. Instead he walked to the front desk and asked where Ben was. He was informed that he was recovering and needed rest. Elias asked when Ben could leave and nodded when the receptionist said tomorrow.

Might as well head home, Elias thought to himself. He walked out of the large white doors and into the streets of Colossus. He started the five mile walk to his apartment and breathed in the city air. He loved this city. It was so…well…colossal. The tall gray and black buildings shining in the noon sky, the large streets that were normally packed with civilians now were desolate except for military. A few of the shop owners had stayed to keep the marines full of good food and spirits. Elias was tempted to go into his favorite pub as he passed it by, but decided that he would end up getting drunk trying to take his mind off his de-toxing body. He took a few more big breaths, wiping his sweating face as he did. It was going to be a rough night.

Thirty minutes later, he walked into his apartment and decided he badly needed a shower and some food. Shower first. He stripped off his armor and clothes and stepped into the hot water. He stood there for a good twenty minutes, clearing his head of the foggy feeling that overwhelmed him.

He got out and toweled off, walking to his room as he did. He slipped on a loose fitting black shirt that had red letters on the front that read, 'To My Sweet Puffin'. His wife had given him that shirt on there honeymoon. He loved it. He toweled his hair dry and put on some baggy grey pants. He felt better. His head was clearer and his eyes weren't as bloodshot.

He fixed up a frozen pizza and ate it while he cleaned his armor. When he was done, he patched up the chest plate with titanium glue and then buffed it. He was about to grab a beer when there was a knock at the door.

Puzzled at who it could be, Elias walked to the door and opened it cautiously.

"Uh, hello Miranda."

Miranda Keyes, all five foot eight of her, looked angry and ready to kill. Elias took a step back and motioned for her to come in with a polite gesture.

"What happened out there?" Miranda asked brushing her shoulder length brown hair out of her eyes. She was dressed in street clothes which surprised Elias. He had never seen her without her uniform on. She wore jeans and a back t-shirt with the Marine symbol on it.

"Uh, happened out where?" Elias asked even more puzzled.

"During the mission! Don't play stupid. What's wrong with Matthew?" Miranda snapped.

Elias then realized what this was all about, "Why so curious? What's it to you?"

Miranda then looked a little uncomfortable, "Its just he's acting so…sad."

Elias was starting to get angry now. Matt had come whimpering to his commanding officer about his own cowardice? He had feelings for Miranda and he probably saw this as an opportunity to get some sympathy points. Pathetic. How very pathetic.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure he can get through it just fine," Elias said with a touch of bitterness.

"Don't get sharp with me marine!" Miranda yelled.

Elias spun around and wanted to slam her against the wall, but instead he said very evenly, "Matt abandoned us in a time of need and it cost a marine his life. I'm very, very pissed at him."

Miranda looked shocked, "You're mad at him because he was following orders?"

"ORDERS?!" Elias screamed, then chelled himself. "Orders? We killed those Covenant so they wouldn't stop the time bomb. We did what we had to do."

Miranda shook her head, "Matt was just following orders. What happened was not his fault. You need to apologize to him."

The vein in Elias's neck bulged, "BULLCRAP! Now you listen to me woman! Matt could've saved Polasky's life, but instead he ran away! If you can't accept that, than you can go to HELL."

Miranda was yelling now, "I will not be spoken to like that! I am your commanding officer!"

Elias threw up his hands, "What are you going to do?! Arrest me?! If I didn't know better, I'd say you love Matt. And frankly, I think your father would be ashamed of the way you're acting now."

Miranda then got very quiet and very red, "I-I'm sorry….you're right…i-its just I'm under a lot of stress right now and…" She trailed off, lost for words and quite embarrassed.

Elias shook his head and said a little softer, "Look, it's none of my business if you like Matt or not, but please, don't come in to my apartment and tell me what to do. I'm not going to forgive Matt for what he did, just because you're telling me to. Polasky was a good guy and to think that his dead could've been avoided if only…look…I'm sure Matt will get over it."

Miranda looked confused, "I don't know what to do. Everyone's waiting for me to do something amazing and save humanity. I wish they'd realize I'm not my father."

Elias felt a tinge of sympathy for this woman, "But I'm sure you'll turn out just as amazing."

Miranda smiled, "Thanks. Look…I got a meeting I got to go to. I'll see you around ok?"

"Alright."

Miranda turned and headed out the door, closing it behind her. Elias just stood there for a while, staring at the door, lost in his own thoughts. What had gotten into Matt's mind? Why was he whining to Miranda like a little girl? Something was wrong. Something other than what had happened last night and he wanted to know what. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Matt's. It rang three times before it was answered.

"Hello?" Matt sounded tired.

Elias was speechless for a second, not really knowing what to say, "Uh…hey Matt…this is Elias. Look…I'm sorry for yelling at you…do you…do you want to go grab a beer or something?"

There was silence on the other line for a good ten seconds. Elias was about repeat the question when Matt's voice answered very quietly, "Sure. Meet me at the pub in ten." He hung up. Elias heaved a heavy sigh and put his phone down. Something was really bugging Matt.

Elias decided he would put on his armor before going and he also grabbed his M6 pistol and slid it into his belt before heading out the door.

Fifteen minuets later he was sitting at the bar sipping a beer and waiting for Matt to say something.

"I really didn't mean to chew you out like that," Elias said for the fifth time since they had arrived. Matt still had no response. He just sat there, staring off into nothing, his beer untouched. Elias shifted uncomfortably on his bar stool and then drained the rest of his beer.

"My brother died last night," Matt said suddenly.

Elias choked on his booze and he looked at Matt with a shocked expression, "Oh geez man. I'm really sorry. Why didn't you say something?"

Matt gave Elias a sidelong glance. Elias nodded and rubbed the back of neck sheepishly, "I guess that's my fault, huh?"

Matt put his face in his hands, "He was stationed in northern Russia. He was KIA. I got the news as soon as I returned this morning."

Elias felt awful, "I really sorry Matt. Is there anything I can do?"

Matt rubbed his eyes, "Just be my friend."

Elias slapped Matt on the back warmly, "Always, buddy. Now drink your beer. Please."

Matt pushed it away, "Naw. I think I'm going to go home for a while. I just needed to talk this out with someone."

Elias nodded understandingly, "I'm real so-" Elias never finished his sentence. All he remembered before the lights went out was a massive explosion and someone screaming 'Covenant!'

Dust. Haze. Gunfire. The world swayed and buckled into vision. Heat. Sweat. Pain. Arm. Left arm. Liquid. Blood. Screaming.

Elias opened his eyes to chaos. He was lying on the floor and the pub around them was leveled to the ground. All four walls had been blown away and the roof was currently trapping his left arm. He looked around and saw bloodied bodies and men wailing and holding bloody stumps that use to be arms or legs. What was going on? Was the city under attack?

Someone was shaking him now. He looked to his right and saw Matt, his face dirty and filled with blood.

"Get up Elias! We have to get out of here!"

Elias felt the fogginess in his head coming back and trying to sweep him away with it, but he pushed it out of his mind and pulled his arm out of the rubble. He gritted his teeth and stood, throwing his arm around Matt's shoulders before falling to the ground.

"What's going on?" Elias asked through a bloody mouth.

Matt started stumbling towards the street, supporting himself and Elias, "The Covenant are attacking! We need to get to the barracks! You got any firearms with you?"

Elias remembered his M6 and pulled it out, "I'll shoot anything that comes near us. You just focus on getting us there ok?"

Matt nodded, "Just try and move the best you can, I'll carry the rest of your weight!" Together they stumbled through the streets towards the barracks, watching as chaos erupted around them. It appeared as if several bombs had been dropped and a lot of the buildings in this part of the city had been destroyed. Marines ran through the city, towards their posts, shouting orders and asking what was happing. From what Elias heard, it sounded like the Covenant had shot in plasma missiles from orbit as they passed over the city. He felt lucky to be alive.

They arrived at the barracks and Matt helped Elias into the officer meeting room. Miranda was there and so were a few other officers.

"Matthew, are you ok?!" Miranda asked jumping up and seeing his bloody face. Matt only nodded as she ran over and embraced him. Elias couldn't help but smile as he slid into a seat painfully around the table. He looked at the table and saw a map of Colossus. From the diagrams and symbols, he saw that at least twenty-six buildings had been wiped out. He saw it also appeared that there were Covenant in the city. Small packs of them were using guerilla warfare on the marines. He shook his head. They were smart. Come in and whittle away our numbers while we're weak. He glanced at the chart again and felt a sudden fear take him. He stood up and looked more closely.

"Miranda! Is this true?"

Miranda let go of Matt and asked, "What?"

Elias leaned forward, his eyes wide, "The hospital was hit?!"

Miranda nodded.

Elias grabbed an assault rifle from one of the officers and went to the door, slamming it open. I'm coming Ben.

Ben tossed in his bed and knew before he opened his eyes that something wasn't right. He felt hot, uneasy. His side burned. He opened his eyes and sucked in his breath. The entire left wall of his room was blow away. In the room next to his, the person who was in it was on the floor face down, his back was torn open. Rubble and plaster litter the floor. The ceiling was cracked and it looked like it could collapse at any second. He heard a siren blaring somewhere a floor or two above him. Where was everyone? What was going on?

He stood up, touching his sensitive side, and went to the door. He opened it and looked down the hall. Covenant. Three grunts. He sucked in his breath and ducked back into his room. What were they doing here!? What the HELL was going on? He wished to God he had his armor and an assault rifle. He looked down at his hospital gown and cursed again. He peeked out the door again and heard the grunts talking.

"I took it."

"You heretic. Let me see."

"NO!"

"If Jlaru finds out you took it, he's going to gut you."

"I'm not scared."

Ben saw they were holding a gray tube, about a foot long. An energy sword. If only I can get that somehow, Ben thought.

"Turn it on."

"Fine."

Ben watched as the grunt switched on the sword. With a sudden whoosh, the sword was on and it pierced the grunt standing in front of the blade.

"AHHHH!"

"No! Ghunr! I didn't mean to!"

The grunt dropped the sword and grabbed his friend, holding him as blood leaked out of his chest. The other grunt watched the whole ordeal, his back to Ben. This was his chance. Ben sprinted down hall and with a grunt, he went airborne, ramming knees first into the back of the grunt, shattering his spine. The grunt holding his dieing friend looked up with a squeak and Ben grabbed the energy sword and plunged it into the stomach of the alien. It tumbled back, dead.

Ben wiped the sweat from his face and chelled his side. It was fine. His skin was still melted close. He needed to get his armor. He thought it was downstairs somewhere. He was on the third floor. He walked to the stairs, keeping a sharp eye out for more Covenant. He pulled the door open and almost screamed in surprise as he stared an Elite in the face.

Ben was about to stab the Elite through the neck when it lashed out and caught Ben under the chin with its plasma rifle. Ben smashed against the far wall and stars exploded before his eyes.

He shook his head and stood up, "Oh, wrong move bitch."

The Elite brought up his plasma rifle to fire, but Ben was on him in a second. He stabbed him through the stomach, purple blood spraying onto his gown. The Elites eyes went wide and it let out a desperate gurgle.

Ben pushed his sword deeper into the Elites guts and whispered, "Bleed motherfucker."

He pushed away the blue alien and went down the stairs. He stopped on the second floor landing seeing the way down to the first floor was blocked off by more rubble. He saw that a doctor had been crushed under it. He opened the second floor door and saw a nurse being tore in half by a Brute and an Elite.

Ben charged forward, sword raised. He leapt through the air and slashed at the Brutes back. With a surprised growl, it fell to the ground twisting in pain. The Elite jumped back in surprise, but recovered in time to duck as Ben's sword whistled inches over it. It pulled out its own plasma sword and took a swing at Ben.

Ben let out a frantic yell and barely reacted in time to block it. He took a step back as the Elite swung again, blocked in desperation by Ben. The swords sizzled as the hit against each other.

Ben was sweating. He wasn't a sword fighter. This wasn't good. He blocked another slash that would've decapitated him. The Elite was smiling as he pushed Ben back the wall, their blades locked.

Ben's mind was racing as his strength gave way. Sweat poured down his face and the locked blades were inches from his face. Suddenly Ben kneed the Elite in the stomach. The alien keeled over and Ben raised his sword and brought it sizzling down into the back of the Elite's head.

The Elite fell face first into the ground, dead. Ben pulled his sword out, panting. He picked up the dead Elite's sword and smiled despite himself. Two's always better than one. He continued down the hall, searching for another staircase, not even bothering to try the elevators. He didn't want the car to give way half way down. He turned a corner and saw that dead patients littered the ground. Blood splattered the walls and black burn marks covered the walls.

"Holy…" Ben muttered, disgusted by the butchering that had been dealt. He continued on, stepping over the dead bodies. He felt sadness in him as he saw a little boy, no more than five, with his chest torn clean open. He got to the end of the hall and saw he could either go right or left. He went left. He saw two grunts patrolling, their backs turned to him. He sprinted silently towards them. When he was about ten feet from them, one turned and squealed, shooting off a panicked shot that hit Ben in the forearm. He grit his teeth painfully as it burned his skin and charred it black. Regardless, he swung the twin blades, decapitating the grunts, their heads bouncing off the wall. He looked up to see a Scarlet Elite charging him.

Where'd he come from? Ben thought as he watched the Elite switch on its sword. Oh not again. Ben raised his swords cross ways in front of him and blocked the lunge move the Elite tried to pull. Ben swung his left sword and the Elite blocked it easily. Ben brought the right sword whistling through the air and it thudded sickly into the alien's neck. The Elite immediately dropped his sword and fell to the ground his body twitched violently.

"Must've hit a nerve," Ben said lowering his weapons. He wiped perspiration from his tired face and saw the stairs. He went and opened the door, going down to the first floor. He went through and saw that he was about twenty feet from the front door. The only thing was, there were about ten grunts and three Elites between him and the door.

The Elites saw him and raised their rifles, "Drop your swords!" They ordered in their gruff voices.

Ben closed his eyes and dropped the swords, knowing he didn't stand a chance. One of the Elite's walked forward and was about to shoot Ben in the face when one of the grunts squealed, "Grenade!"

Ben heard the metallic clink of a frag grenade and watched as one bounced into the middle of the grunts. With a shredding explosion, it detonated and blew seven of the grunts into little pieces. One of the Elites went down screaming and clutching its neck, the other turning and ordering the remaining three grunts to open fire at whoever had thrown the 'nade. Ben tackled the Elite in front of him as it looked at the front door. Assault rifle fire filled Ben's ears from the front door as he wrestled the Elite and punched it in the face. Another explosion erupted and then more assault rifle fire. Ben was head assed and rolled onto his back. The Elite grabbed Ben's arms and pinned him to the ground.

"You die now," it said triumphantly. Suddenly Elias was standing over both of them.

"I think not," he growled. He grabbed the Elites head and twisted it a full 360 degrees. Ben pushed the dead alien away and scrambled to his feet, grinning.

"It is GREAT to see you," he said.

Elias looked at Ben's bloodied gown, "God Ben, that must've been one hell of a crap."

Ben laughed, "Shut up. So, what's going on? Is this a full in assault?"

Elias shrugged, "I don't know. The city was hit with plasma missiles from orbit and small groups of Covenant dropped in from space. There's not many. The marines are clearing them out as we speak."

"What about the forest? Are they coming from there?"

"I'm not sure. It wouldn't surprise me. If they're going to make their move, now would be the time."

Ben shook his head, "What a mess."

"We need to get back to the barracks. You feel well enough to walk over there?"

"I'm fine. Let's go."

The two marines sprinted the distance to the barracks, keeping an eye out for more Covenant, but seeing none. Elias guessed that they were only in the buildings they had bombed. Slaying the weak and wounded. How cowardly. As they ran through the streets, Elias noted that a lot of the marines were gearing up and Warthogs and Pelicans were being fueled and equipped with heavy weaponry.

They reached the barracks in ten minutes. Matt was seated in the driver seat of a Warthog, Miranda at the wheel. The entire barracks was in a frantic flurry of battle prep.

"What's up?" Elias asked, heaving in tired breaths of air.

Matt strapped on his helmet and cocked the assault rifle he was holding, "This is it guys. The Covenant are marching on Colossus. Their entire force."

Elias raised his eyebrows, "All of them?"

Matt nodded, "The entire force that was stationed in the forest."

Ben was putting on his armor, "It's going to be tough, but we can beat them I'm sure."

Miranda shook her head and whispered, "I don't know. They have the Scarab. It's working again."

Elias kicked the wheel of the Warthog, "Damn it! How? We blew their generators! The thing should be unoperational. What happened?"
Matt shrugged, "We don't know. More parts? The explosions didn't totally destroy them? Who knows?"

Miranda turned on the Warthog, "It doesn't matter. We're going out and meeting them head on. Be prepared for a long, tough fight. And guys…be ready for the end."
Elias shook his head, "Your father would be ashamed. Condemning a battle before it even happens? That's not the way a leader talks."

Miranda smiled, "Sounds like you should be an officer Elias. You certainly know how one should behave."

Elias shrugged, "It's just that I've served under so many, I know how one should act."

Ben finished the last strap on his armor, "When do we leave?"

"Within the hour," Matt replied.

"How's our strength?" Elias asked.

Matt sighed, suddenly looking tired, "We have approximately one hundred and twenty Warthogs, a battalion of seventy-five Scorpion tanks, and about forty Pelicans which, at the moment, are being equipped with laser guided Stinger missiles."

Elias took a deep breath, "Ho boy. Well I better get ready then. I'll meet you at the gate, ok?" Matt nodded and Miranda gunned the engine.

"They make such a cute couple," Ben said in a fake dreamy voice.

Elias chuckled, "Come on, fag. We got to get some ammo."

Ben walked to Elias's side and put on his childhood lip face as they headed towards the ammo room, "I think we should get married before we go."

Elias burst into a hysterical fit of laughter and he punched his friend in the arm, "Shut up you gay retard. Don't go saying crap like that."

Ben chuckled, "I'm kidding and you know it."

They entered the room, which was packed with marines, and they each grabbed an assault rifle. They stocked up on ammo for it and then went on to choose a secondary weapon. Elias selected a sniper and Ben took a rocket launcher. They snatched a few grenades each and then slipped their combat knives into the sheath on their calf. This whole ordeal took about a half-hour.

They left the barracks and started the walk to the city gates. The streets were filled with marines doing the same. Pelicans roared overhead and Warthogs crawled slowly through the marines. Elias noted that on each and every face was grim determination.

"You ready for this?" Ben asked as they walked down the street.

Elias turned and looked his friend in the eyes, "I think so. Heh…it's funny…this will be the first battle since your "death" that I won't be using Pentazemin."

Ben smiled, "How's that going for you?"

"I could use a drink to calm my nerves, but other than pre-battle jitters, I'm fine."

"You over the worst of your de-toxing?"

"Yea. I still have the itch for a fix, but I'm good."

They walked the rest of the way to the city gates in silence, each in a world of their own thoughts. Elias reflected back on the last two years of his life without Ben. They had been hollow and meaningless with no real friend to turn to. He had lost his wife and child to the Covenant, and his one friend who he tried to turn to for help, Matt, had been so occupied with his duties and responsibilities, that he had not been there to help much. So the drugs and alcohol had been his comfort for the past two years. Now that they weren't a factor anymore and he had his best friend at his side, he felt true happiness for the first time in a while. He decided that if today was the day he was going to die, well, that was just ok.

Ben was silent also, his mind going over his own life. He looked over at Elias and saw that distant look in his eyes and he knew he was going over his own life. Ben smiled. He remembered when he had first met Elias when they were early teens. They had been at a dinner party and they both had grabbed a drink and went outside and talked for a good while. They had immediately gotten along and had tons of sleepovers. They had gone to the same college and both graduated with Masters. Then the Covenant had invaded. Together they decided to enroll and had gone through two years of military training. After that they had gone to Halo and helped the Master Chief repel the Covenant. That's where he had been fatally wounded and then died. His body had been infected with a Flood parasite six hours after his death and he had been found by marines and sent back to Earth where he had undergone experimental surgery for two years. Finally, the Flood parasite was completely removed from his body and he had eventually found Elias.

Suddenly Elias and Ben were standing before the closed city gates. Elias turned around and saw that the entire marine force that was occupying Colossus was there. Waiting.

Matt and Miranda were at the front of the force, still in the Warthog. Matt climbed out of his seat and stood up on the roof of the jeep.

"Marines!" He yelled. "Today we take the Covenant head on! Today we fight against our mortal enemies! Today we fight for the human race! For Earth! For our families and loved ones! Today we fight for freedom! We fight to end this alien oppression! We fight so that innocent lives will not suffer under the wrath of these Covenant monsters! We must stop these bastards HERE and NOW! We will not loose! We will not die! We will not cower! We will NEVER surrender!" Matt's voice rose to a deafening roar, "WE ARE THE MARINES! WE ARE THE GREATEST RACE ALIVE! NOW LET'S SHOW THESE MOTHERFUCKERS WHOSE TURF THIS IS!!"

An earsplitting roar went up from the marines and five thousand fists pumped the air in honor of their leader and who they were. Elias was grinning from ear to ear and so was Ben.

"I knew he had it in him!" Elias yelled over the din.

"Let's kill us some grunts!" Ben yelled enthusiastically.

The gates slowly opened and Elias gazed out into the open plains and found that all the eagerness he had pumping through his veins drained out of him as quickly as it had come.

"Oh my God," Ben muttered, looking out at the plains, suddenly quiet,

The sight before them silenced all the marines. There was the Covenant in all its glory and power, about ten miles from the city gates.

"There must be fifty-thousand of them," Elias breathed.

"Not counting the Ghosts and Banshees," Ben said.

And there was the Scarab; right in the middle of the endless rank of Covenant. Banshees screamed through the air and Ghosts whirred silently above the ground. The thundering of fifty-thousand Covenant feet shook the ground.

"Warthogs to the front!" Matt yelled out. Even his voice didn't quite seem so sure anymore. The Warthogs lined up in single file length wise and the Scorpion tanks were positioned behind them in a two line formation.

"MARCH!" Matt roared. The human line of warriors slowly started to advance to meet their opponent. The Covenant had started a gruff war chat. The sound of fifty-thousand alien voices screaming "Murder! Butcher! Mutilate! Murder! Butcher! Mutilate!" was enough to make any man sweat.

"We're going to die aren't we?" Ben said suddenly.

Elias never slowed his pace, "Yes. We are."

"Are you ready for that? Have you made your peace?" Ben asked glancing over at his friend's stone face.

"I think I have…subconsciously," Elias muttered, "I've come to accept what's happened to my family and you. I think I've stopped blaming God. I've come to accept it as a test of my faith. One that I failed miserably."

Ben smiled and his heart warmed, "It's good to hear you say so Elias. Though I think God forgives you for being angry if you're really sorry."

"I hope so."

Ben felt a peace come over him, "He does. It's good to know that if we die today, I'll see you again in heaven."

Elias's eyes faded out and he looked distant, "Yes…" he smiled, "Heaven."

"It's beautiful Elias," Ben whispered. "Beyond anything you have ever imagined."

Elias smiled, "Well at least that gives me something to look forward to at the end of this blood bath."

Suddenly the Covenant forces let out a screeching roar and charged, still about five miles away.

Matt saw this and raised his gun into the air and bellowed, "MARINES! CHAAAARGE!" Five thousand human voices let out a cry of their own as they lowered their shoulders and charged towards the ocean of aliens. The Warthogs floored it and raced out in front of the pack, meeting the Covenant Ghosts in the middle of the war zone. The turrets tore through the purple machines, but the Ghost's blue plasma seared through the Warthog metal like it was made of paper. The Pelicans roared overhead and let the first volley of Stinger missiles fly. As Elias charged toward the mayhem, he watched with satisfaction as mushroom clouds erupted throughout the Covenant ranks. The marines grew closer and closer and each one readied a frag grenade. As soon as they got within throwing distance, the sky blackened with grenades. The Covenant weren't stupid though. They let their own volley of plasma grenades fly and in one second, an explosion rocked the very soil of the field. Bodies flew and blood sprayed. Covenant and humans died alike.

Then the two sides met and collided with such a force that Elias didn't really know what he was doing until he was surrounded by screaming Grunts and Elites. He battered and smashed, shot and killed anything that came on to him. Ben was at his side, giving the Covenant a look at the end of his rifle. Gunfire and plasma erupted in a mass of noise.

The soundtrack of death, Elias thought as he filled an Elite's face with hot lead. Marines packed in around him and downed Grunts faster than he could count. The two sides weren't so close anymore. The Covenant were backing up. Elias wondered what was going on when a massive blue ray of plasma swept through the ranks of marines and melted their bodies into shadows on the turf.

"Scarab!"

"Take it down!"

"Retreat!"

Elias looked to his side as he slammed in another clip, and saw Ben's eyes were wide.

"That thing is going to kill us!" Ben yelled.

"Just keep firing! The Scorpion tanks are coming!" Elias yelled back. The Covenant were advancing again. Marines fell dead and wounded as thousands of plasma shots peppered their ranks.

"Where the hell are the Pelicans?!" a marine was screaming. Elias looked to the sky and saw them coming back towards the field of battle. Each time they shot a volley, they had to go back to Colossus and reload. The Warthogs suddenly charged through the marines and hit the Covenant line at a hundred and twenty miles an hour. They opened fired as they plowed through the aliens, tearing their bodies to shreds as the heavy turrets spit out bullet after bullet.

Elias watched as plasma grenades flew and stuck to the hogs, turning them into a mobile bomb. He shook his head. This was going faster than he had hoped. The Pelicans roared overhead and let their second volley of missiles fly. These struck home and exploded in fiery glory, taking out scores of grunts as they hit. Then the Scarab fired again. The pale blue beam cut through the air and connected with the Pelicans, totally wiping out the human air support.

"DAMN IT!"

Elias turned to see Ben angrily throwing a frag into the ranks of advancing aliens. He pulled out his sniper and capped a few Elites as he backed up. The Scorpions had arrived and were letting loose with their heavy cannons while the gunner shredded the Covenant on the 50 cal. Elias hopped up onto one of the tanks and Ben did the same. He sat on the side and picked off the enemy with his sniper while Ben was firing rockets at them. Banshees screamed overhead and dove at the diminishing marine forces. A few went down in a fiery explosion, but the damage was just coming to fast. Dead marines littered the ground. The Scorpions ran over them as their blasting guns advanced. The tank to the left of Elias suddenly exploded as it was hit with three plasma grenades. Ben aimed his rocket at the Scarab and let loose. The rocket his the massive war machine in the leg, but no damage was done other than a black mark.

"That thing can't be stopped!" Ben yelled as the tanks fired towards the purple machine. No damage was done and the Scarab was preparing another shot, aimed at the tanks.

"Bail! BAIL!" Elias screamed towards Ben. They both hopped off and started sprinting in the opposite direction. The tanks were annihilated and the shock of the explosion threw the two marines off their feet. Elias hit the ground hard and felt Ben fly over him. They both tumbled and rolled and Elias felt as if his back was on fire. He came to a stop and moaned as he stood up, his legs shaking. Ben was getting up also as marines rushed by them towards the Covenant. Ben's face was bleeding and blood leaked from his armor.

"You ok?" He asked Elias.

"I'll live. Come on. Let's finish this. The final charge."

Ben smiled, "Yes. Let's end this. I'll see you in the next life, my friend."

Elias cocked his assault rifle and smiled back, "Yes. The next life."

With a roar, the two marines charged the lines of the Covenant, surrounded by their allies who were taking their final charge as well. The few remaining Warthogs were in the lead, gunning and shooting as they went. Elias felt adrenaline fill him, and he open fired as he clashed one final time with the Covenant. Ben was at his side, screaming and battering, shooting and killing the grunts in front of them. The marines advanced a full ten feet before the retaliation started and the marines started to get gunned down, stuck, and beaten to their death.

Elias felt a plasma shot take him in the side and he went down, feeling his burned flesh sizzle. Ben went down only seconds later, his back bloodied and burned. Marines rushed around them, frantic and scared as their lives ended.

Elias looked at Ben and smiled, "The after life, huh? I think I'm ready."

Ben grinned painfully, "Me too."

Suddenly the sky blackened and Elias looked up and saw thousands of black dots falling towards the Earth at amazing speed.

"What is that?" Ben croaked.

The dots became blobs and then thousands of metal containers hit the ground and popped open.

Elias closed his eyes with silent relief, "Well I'll be damned. Hell Jumpers." The black armored humans exited their transportation and open fired at the panicked grunts. Hell Jumpers hit the Scarab and piled into the control area where they slaughtered the pilots. With a creaking crash, the Scarab hit the dirt, squishing hundreds of Covenant under it.

A roar went up from the battle beaten marines as they charged the fleeing Covenant back into the forest, killing off thousands as they went. Through the din of battle, Elias spotted a single green armored warrior who stood out from the rest.

"It's Master Chief!" Elias cried out.

Ben smiled and laid his head against the dirt packed ground, "We live to see another battle, eh Elias?"

"I guess so."

Three weeks later, Elias and Ben were sitting back in Elias's apartment, kicking back and drinking a few beers. They were expecting Matt and Miranda over at anytime.

"I'm thinking about getting a place here," Ben said as he finished his second beer.

Elias grabbed him another one before answering, "Well you aren't staying at my place so you better."

"Aw you'd let me stay here wouldn't you?"

Elias rolled his eyes and smiled, "Just until you find a place of your own ok?"

"Jeez thanks pal," Ben said sarcastically.

There was a knock on the door and Matt and Miranda walked in, hand in hand. Matt was wearing khakis and a black t-shirt and Miranda had slipped into a pair of jeans and a pink tank top.

"Sup guys," Matt greeted.

Ben spotted the hand in hand thing Matt had going on and rolled his eyes, "Keep it in your pants while you're here, will you Matt?" Matt blushed a deep red.

Elias threw his head back and laughed then said, "He ain't got nothing to keep in his pants Ben! Duh!"

Matt, who was now blood red, put his hands up and said, "I didn't come here to get harassed by the gay couple."

Ben was about to yell something when Elias shushed him, "We deserved that Ben, so chill. Though you know we aren't gay."

Miranda pulled Matt down onto the couch next to Elias and said, "Are you boys done acting like you're in Boy Scouts?"

"No," all three of them said together. They burst out laughing and Miranda rolled her eyes.

Matt, still chuckling, put his arms around Miranda, "I'm sorry baby."

Elias grabbed Miranda and Matt a beer and sat down again, "Can we talk about the specs of that last battle Miranda?"

"Why do you want to talk about war?" she asked taking a sip.

"What was the deal with Master Chief?" Ben asked.

Matt was the one who answered, "Before we went out to battle, Miranda sent out a distress call that begged for immediate support from space. This was like jumping into a pool of needles and hoping you won't get pricked. In other words, it was a one in a million chance. Fortunately, Cairo Station heard us and immediately sent everything they had to help us."

Ben leaned back in his chair, "And how many was that?"

"Ten thousand. But they could've only sent one. Once the Covenant laid eyes on the Master Chief, they took off running."

"Talk about a lucky break," Elias said.

"How come they didn't send any sooner?" Ben asked.

Miranda answered this time, "They needed to get into the right position to make the drop. Once they were, they let loose. And also the Master Chief had just arrived at Cairo Station and when he heard that we were in need of assistance, he made the order to drop."

Elias nodded, "Interesting."

Ben sighed and took another swig before asking, "What were the damages we took?"

"Three thousand marines dead, seven hundred wounded. Only eight Warthogs made it out. Every Pelican and tank was destroyed."

Elias leaned forward now, "How many do you think we killed?"

Matt drained the rest of his beer, "We did a body count. We killed seventeen thousand of them."

Ben smacked his leg, "Holy crap! God we kick ass."

Miranda smiled, "Yes we do. That's another reason why I've come to see you two today."

"What do you mean?" Elias asked confused.

Miranda set her beer down, "This is the second war you two have come out of. How would you both like to become Hell Jumpers?"

Elias and Ben smiled, "Hot damn."