A REAL CAPTURE THE FLAG GAME

Written by: ACE

Training Participants:

Spartan 117 a.k.a. John – Red team leader (red 1)
Assigned firearms and explosives: MA5B Assault Rifle w/M330 Grenade Launcher (4 additional clips and two high explosive grenade rounds)
M-2D Pistol (3 additional clips)
2 fragmentation grenades

Spartan 104 a.k.a. Fred – Red team XO (red 2)
Assigned firearms and explosives: M90 Shotgun (24 shells)
M6C Magnum (3 additional clips)
4 fragmentation grenades

Spartan 087 a.k.a. Kelly – Red team member (red 3)
Assigned firearms and explosives: Objective Individual Combat Weapon Model II (4 additional clips and two high explosive grenade rounds)
M6D Machine Pistol (4 additional clips)

Spartan 058 a.k.a. Linda – Red team member (red 4)
Assigned firearms and explosives: S2-AM Sniper Rifle (5 additional clips)
M-6D Pistol (4 additional clips)
4 fragmentation grenades

Spartan 043 a.k.a. Will – Red team member (red 5)
Assigned firearms and explosives: M19 SSM Rocket Launcher (8 rocket rounds)
M6C Magnum (4 additional clips)
4 fragmentation grenades

Training Scenario: The five man Spartan team must successfully advance on the Covenant base and capture the opposing team's flag by any means necessary. Any member of the Spartan team gets captured or killed and the mission is an automatic failure.

Training Simulation:

Waterworks: Spartan base houses one lone turret while the Covenant base is heavily fortified with 1 Wraith tank, 1 Banshee, 2 Ghosts, 1 turret and over thirty Covenant Elites armed with miscellaneous weapons.

Simulation… activated…

John, Fred, Kelly, Linda and William found themselves inside a gigantic underground cave with stalactites hanging from the ceiling and a large alien device in the center of the structure. John turned to the rest of the team and began to speak…

BAAAAAAAM!!!!

The large device in the center of the cave let out a deafening, thunderous boom, which shook the entire cave, causing all Spartans to raise their weapons; ready to put a burst into anything that came near…

After several seconds they relaxed and realized it was just a normal occurrence and that they should think of ways to exploit this if at all possible. John studied the cave and had to make a choice. He walked to the top of the structure and noticed a teleporter. That was one way though and if he decided to use it he'd have to find an interesting way to get back. He didn't want to put his team in jeopardy so that was out. Now the left side of the cave housed plenty of cover. The only problem was there was almost no cover at all when you begin to near the enemy's stronghold… he thought for a second and called Linda over to him.

He began to point at the left side of the cave while obviously giving strict instructions. The rest of the team was completely ignorant of these orders but they trusted John and were ready to go into the depths of very hell and take it over for their team leader. Linda began chuckle as she entered the teleporter and began to follow John's instructions.

John then turned to the rest of the team.

"Red five, you'll stay back at base and cover us from anything heavy they throw at us. We don't want to go storming in there with the Jackhammer but they won't have the same thoughts abut us once we make our way back."

"Got it Master Chief." was William's reply.

"Red two and three, you'll accompany me to the enemy's base to accomplish the mission. We'll go in quietly and carefully. Then we'll make our way back quickly. Stay low, alert and keep your fingers off the trigger until I say so."

"Understood Master Chief." Was their reply in complete sync.

"But Chief, the area right before we reach the enemy structure is completely desolate of cover. How will we be able to sneak past that area with Covenant sentries on guard?" Fred asked.

"Red four in position Master Chief." broke the silence over the comms channel.

"It's covered." John replied.

The two nodded and began to walk down the ramp. John, Fred and Kelly jumped down off of the structure and began to jog for the tunnel area on the left of the cave. With their weapons at the ready they began to run through the tunnels, listening for anything of importance. The thud of the machine was like clockwork and John cracked a smile at the thought…

They continued forward past a bridge and then stopped near a teleporter. John studied the enemy's base and found it to be completely symmetrical to that of their own base. Initially he thought to sprint along the other side of the base… but this… this could work. Then John noticed the problem. Two Covenant Elites were patrolling the area they had to cross.

"Red four… when the next one comes… take 'em out." He mouthed into his mic.

"Yes sir." was the reply over the radio.

Several seconds passed and when the next Earth shaking pound occurred two sniper bullets soared through the air, ripping apart violently the heads of the two aliens.

"Targets eliminated." The team crack shot replied.

"Move, now!" John instructed the other two Spartans.

They started sprinting for the back area of the structure. Kelly reached the wall while John and Fred were still only half way there but all three made it without alerting a single sentry.

"Alright, red two, you go up the ramp there and when I say so, go in and take out any and all Covenant along the ramp. Cover us as we make our way up to their teleporter."

"Yes Chief." was Fred's reply as he started making his up, shotgun at the ready.

"Red Three, once we storm in, you'll grab the flag and make your way up the ramp to Fred's position. I'll cover your back." John said.

"Understood." was Kelly's reply.

Kelly and John began to make their way around the back of the base when they stopped roughly 4 meters away from a Covenant Elite. John told Kelly to crouch down while he pulled out his combat knife and walked over to the elite standing there with a Carbine. He put his arm around the elite's head, smothering the split mouth on the inside of his elbow while his combat knife penetrated the weak area of the shield and pierced the skin and flesh. With a heaving single slice, John cut through half of the Elite's neck spewing purple gore and blood on the Spartan's suit. The elite uttered not a single noise for it's voice cords were quickly sliced. The Covenant hit the ground, it's head hanging on by an inch piece of meat off to the side, exposing it's alien entrails to the moist air.

John motioned to Kelly to make her way over to him. He pulled out two grenades and loaded grenade round into his Assault Rifle. She did the same with her OICW2. They both pulled the pins out of two grenades and chucked them into the room.

"Red two, go now!" John instructed.

After the large, earth shattering explosion they rushed in; Kelly fired her grenade to the left ramp, killing an elite and unshielding another. She finished him off with several bursts of supersonic bullets. John fired his grenade round out of the door and continued to fire bursts of his Assault Rifle, keeping all advancing elites down so Kelly can grab the flag.

After emptying her entire clip, she let the weapon fall to the side by it's shoulder strap and began to run up the ramp while John was in the lead. Kelly was surprised at the weight of the flag. It slowed her down considerably but she continued up the ramp as John emptied the last of his clip into an elite, killing it instantly. Two more rushed the two while John was reloading. Kelly slammed the butt of the flag into one elite's face causing it to yell in pain while John threw his knife at the other, lodging it in the elite's shoulder, knocking the plasma rifle from it's grasp. While John jumped slamming his Assault Rifle into the elite Kelly weakened, she spun around, tripping the knife wounded elite and brought the flag straight up in the air just before jamming it in the elite's chest. She pulled it out allowing the purple blood to gush onto the flag, staining it with the enemy's remains.

John reloaded and made their way up the ramp. They found three elites with large holes in their bodies and one without a head, suggesting Fred's shotgun came in handy.

"Through the teleporter! Now!" John yelled.

The ramp was quickly swarmed with a dozen Elites running for the three Spartans while a Banshee screamed it's way over to 'em and the Wraith tank just fired a shot. Everyone jumped through the teleporter and watched as the dozen Elites just barely missed the Wraith's shot.

As the banshee turned their way, John saw sniper rounds penetrate the elites trying to near the teleporter. Everyone started running back for their own base as elites began to appear through the green vortex. John and Fred were firing rounds into the elites as they were advancing but there were just too many. Even Linda's sniper bullets couldn't do much. John then heard a whistling noise. Suddenly the group of Elites were scattered to the wind in a mass of purple fog with random limbs and chunks of flesh as he realized William has made one of the most difficult rocket launcher shots known to man. From a distance like that he might as well have been called a rocket sniper.

The banshee made it's way for the three Spartans but William heard a beeping noise and the Elite inside the banshee only heard a loud explosion as it's wing was blown off, sending the flying purple menace slamming into the ground, trapping the elite inside. It's yells of pain echoed throughout the entire cave.

They came out of the entrance but so did the Wraith tank. The two ghosts made their way around the opposite side of the cave and almost a platoon size of Elites began to run from the bridge in the middle, their plasma rifles and carbines firing away madly, trying to stop the flag from being stolen. William locked onto the Wraith and fired two consecutive shots, just enough to make the tank explode just as it was about to fire another wraith shot, expanding the explosion and killing the elites nearby.

The ghosts met their match by two quick sniper bullets to each of their heads. But That didn't mean one of the other elites couldn't hop in and rush for Kelly. She jumped up, slamming the flag into the elite's head just as John lunged, punching him out of the ghost and sending it slamming into a wall with a soft explosion.

"THEY'RE RUSHING THE BASE!!!" William yelled as he fired off two more shots into the swarm of Elites and then hopping onto the stationary turret, pumping round after round into the group but there were just too many. There was little he could do. The elites were actually jumping on top of each other trying to get to William but Linda kept them at bay as Kelly kept running under the cover of John and Fred. She jumped onto a large box and leaped into the air slamming her shoulder into the top floor of the structure and rolling into the hole sending her stumbling down.

She grabbed the flag, raised it into the air and shoved it into the flag platform.

SIMULATION COMPLETE

MISSION SUCCESSFUL

The Spartan team took off their VR Simulation helmets and met a very pissed off Admiral, Captain Keyes, Dr. Halsey and instructor Menendez. Everyone turned to the Admiral who let out a large heavy sigh.

"Very well… very well… permission granted."

He began to walk away shaking his head.

"They're still nothing more than freaks."