Finish the Fight
The steam and mist from the Blue Mountains caused sweat to drip from Private Cooper's chin. Earth had just been invaded by the Covenant three days ago. When the news came some people cried, others laughed, but the rest of us watched in utter silence. All of the UNSC personnel were falling back to Earth for what we called our last defensive. All of the major cities were being evacuated, but here near Lake Burragorang laid something secret, something of awe, and something of great importance. Deep inside the dark depths of the lake hid a futuristic castle that the UNSC were calling Atlantis. The reason for its presence is unknown, but the Covenant had taken an interest into other structures like it. Their reason for their desire is unknown.
The Warthog accelerated through the jungle path violently. The .5O Caliber machinegun mounted on the trunk bounced up and down at every bump. The sound of distant birds could be heard and the strange feeling came when the lonely jeep was engulfed into darkness of the canopy overhead. The Warthog sped up at approaching hill and soared through the air. The jeep then spun wildly into the UNSC encampment. Private Cooper watched as soldiers were buzzing around left and right like a beehive. Some were carrying ammo crates while others ran laps around the camp. Private Cooper slowly hopped out of the Warthog and onto the soft gooey dirt.
The lonely private looked around for some sort of purpose. There were so many troops moving around on their daily objectives and the newly private was lost in a sea of confusion. Then, a muscular man with a thick brown moustache came up to him. His name was Staff Sergeant Thomas. He had a heavy southern accent and had a slight mischievous grin. He showed Private Cooper around the base to the best of his abilities. He would stop for a few minutes at every building or post to tell the private about its task and purpose. The Camp was named Defiant and it was just one of the five bases in the Blue Mountain Region. Then Staff Sergeant Thomas led Cooper to the barracks in which the platoon stayed in.
When the private entered the barracks he was barraged with thick smoke of tobacco and the stale smell of whiskey seeped through his nose. The combination made the private vomit in his mouth. He was a pure man that never drank nor smoked. But, to see all of the men inside doing it caused the private to have some pity. Everyone knew that there was no winning this fight against the Covenant so there would be no other option, but to drown themselves from their sorrows.
Private Cooper made his way through the crowded bunks and to the very back of the barracks. The brutal leader, Captain Ayers, stood laughing while taking a swift gulp from his flask.
"Who's winning," asked Staff Sergeant Thomas, walking up to the makeshift poker table.
"I am," said the Captain with a jolly smile. "Plus, I haven't had to cheat yet." Captain Ayers then looked up at the Private and asked, "Who is this?"
"He is the fresh meat the UNSC called up. He just came straight out of basic," said Staff Sergeant Thomas while playfully tapping the private on the shoulder.
"Come with me you two," said the Captain, as he made his way to the outside of the barracks. "Private we have had many soldiers like you come into this platoon thinking they are hard-ass marines. Now all of them are dead. Do I make myself clear private?"
"Yes sir," said the Private quietly. The scars on his right side of his face wanted to make the Private cringe, yet he knew that Captain Ayers was just waiting for him to slip and mess up.
Captain Ayers then strode into the middle of the base stumbling from the influence of the concoction that was in his flask. He mumbled a few words and spat his cigarette out of his mouth.
Suddenly, a purple glowing metal swooped down from the air; it was then followed by a stream of green plasma. Where the Captain once stood now was just a darkened glass stain. Captain Ayers was dead.
After the impact all of the troops rushed out of the barracks and to see the scene before them. The Sirens around the encampment of Defiant screeched loudly. The Covenant had attacked when the UNSC had least expected. Private Cooper sprinted towards the docks on the lake and hopped onto one of the Viper Patrol boat and manned the machinegun and let out a volley of fire. The other troops followed and armed the other empty boats. The six Vipers's roared to life as if they were waking beasts. The boats skimmed through the water as they fired at the incoming banshee's flying in a v-formation.
The banshees then broke out of formation as a spidery like Scarab plowed through the jungle floor and into the lake. Cooper jerked left and felt a sudden rush of heat engulf his body. The Viper in front of them took flak to the hull and exploded into a ball of fire. The boats were going to be sitting ducks if they didn't move quickly. Then, a radio flickered on.
"I have C-12 strapped all around my Viper. I am going to send this Scarab to hell," yelled Staff Sergeant Thomas.
"It's suicide! Are you crazy?" Replied Cooper, but there was no answer.
Private Cooper watched as a lone Viper zoomed out of the pack and into the oncoming fire of plasma. After a few seconds that lasted a lifetime, Private Cooper saw the explosion fling water and scrap metal everywhere, followed by the tidal wave of the gigantic Scarab plummeting into the dark depths of the lake.
Then there was a sharp pang and the Viper soared into the air. The boat had been hit with a stray plasma battery. Private Cooper had been flung into the air. His body hit the water with a hard thud. He was then flung around the current and the water was tainted with blood.
A few hours later Private Cooper woke on the beach. His muscles ached and his body felt weird. He felt around on his body, he was alive. The private opened his eyes and looked around. He was the only one that made it to the beach. Was he the only one left? The sound of the battle still raged on the lake. But, something had changed. The castle of Atlantis now stood above water. Smoke and fire billowed out of the towers.
Private Cooper heard the sounds of barks. It was a squad of grunts. The private slowly moved his arm through the grainy and creamy wet sand to his MA5B assault rifle. He then picked his body slowly up and took aim. The grunts had not seen the surprise attack coming. Cooper slowly crept around their bodies and hopped onto the purple ghost. After a few minutes of observing the controls he got it to start. The vehicle hovered up and a blue luminous glow came from its underbelly. The private knew what had to be done. It was time to finish the fight.