Fred dropped his combat knife for the hundredth time. It wasn't his fault this time; it was the Pillar of Autumn changing direction.
John walked to a COM panel as Captain Keyes's face appeared.
Fred looked to his right and saw Kelly doing hand signals to him. He stared for several seconds before Kelly gave up and opened a private COM freq to him.
"Looks like we are in for more surprises," she said.
"Surprises? Like a birthday gift surprise or getting glassed on our home world surprise?"
Even though he was being dead serious, Kelly chuckled. Creepy.
Fred returned his attention to John and Keyes. Even though a Spartan could hear a pin drop in a sandstorm, he didn't bother listening. Somehow he knew the Master Chief would send him on some mission where the probability of death was near certain.
He had no idea what the mission was but he wanted to be leader of it. He started forward-
-But Kelly beat him. Fred nearly gunned her right there but he remembered that he had only his knife with him. She was too fast.
Note to self: Poison her food. Let's see her run away from that. Heh heh heh…
"Master Chief, Permission to lead space op."
"Denied, I'll be leading that one."
Ha, ha. Rejected.
"Linda and James, you're with me." Fred swore he saw the Chief wink at James. "Fred, you're Red Team leader."
"Sir," Fred nearly asked the Master Chief why he winked at James but that would make it seem that he was jealous. "Yes, Sir!"
"Now make ready" Master Chief said. "We don't have much time left."
There was a brief silence before Kelly called out, "Attention!"
Every person in the room looked at her.
"I meant that to the Master Chief… Just… Forget it."
Fred then began to bitch orders to the Spartans.
On a Pelican headed towards Reach...
The Spartans were currently on a Pelican stripped of all of its insides. They covered every centimeter of the floor as the pilot flew them to the surface of Reach. Did I mention there were Covenant fighters chasing them?
A flash outlined the cockpit hatch and the pilot's biomonitor flatlined.
"OH SHIT! WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE! EVERYONE GATHER AROUND ME AND SHEILD ME FROM THE BLAST! NOO-"
Kelly slapped Fred.
"What? Can't you see I'm giving orders?"
"Well, this ship is breaking apart and we have two options. Either we break into the 'for emergencies only' box and safely parachute down with the equipment or the most logical option. Jump."
"Hmm… I say… we jump!" Fred opened a COM to all the Spartans. "Alright Spartans! Due to the current situation, we are forced to go the rest of the way without the aid of the Pelican." Flames from the Pelican suddenly erupted from behind him. "Any questions?"
No one said anything.
"Good. Now let's go."
Every one of the Spartans left until he and Kelly were the only ones left. Fred looked down.
"Are you sure this is safe?"
"Just jump. It's the only way."
Fred readied himself to jump but paused again.
"Are you positive?"
Kelly kicked him off.
-
Fred woke up. He remembered jumping out of a burning Pelican and falling right into a tree…
"Hey, Red-one, are you okay?" Kelly asked. She looked at his armor. "You're bleeding!"
Fred looked down and cursed. His juice box was crushed in the fall. How could he survive now? "We're all going to die!"
Kelly ignored him. She was use to it. "Four Spartans died in the fall and a couple are wounded. All our weapons and ammo were lost in the fall. We should spread out and head for the generators as soon as possible."
Fred reached for his gun. It was gone. Now this war was starting to get personal.
"Let's go. The Covenant might spot us." It took him several seconds to realize he was talking to a Jackal and not Kelly. Kelly was long gone.
It opened fire as he hid behind a rock. Fred asked himself, what would the Master Chief do?
Probably rush in the middle of the pack and take them out with an empty assault rifle. He would have traded the ammo for popsicles that he would keep cool in the cyrotubes. Good ol' John… An overloaded plasma shot whizzed passed his head.
Fred opened Kelly's private COM. "Not to rush you or anything but I need a little help… and my lower leg sections cleaned."
Kelly burst out of the trees armed with the all mighty rock. The pair of Jackals looked at each other before doubling over with laughter.
'Good idea!' Fred thought. 'Weaken them with laughter.'
She threw the rock at the nearest Jackal's head. It died while the other stopped laughing. Before it could react, Fred shoved his foot up its alien ass. The Jackal's eyes widened and he yelled out some strange alien curses at Fred.
Fred instantly brought back his foot and killed the Jackals with a punch to the face.
Kelly walked next to him and grabbed a plasma pistol. "Looks like we have to use these for now."
Fred fired his into the ground repeatedly. "Look at the lights!"
Pistol energy: -57
They regrouped with the other Spartans and slowly headed towards the generators. They reached a clearing that was filled with burnt bodies, both human and Covenant, destroyed vehicles and a group of four Marines.
Fred sent a transmission to them. "Marines, this is Spartan Red Team. We are coming from your six."
The group turned around. "Spartans? If you are what they say you are, we could use your help."
"Sorry we missed the battle."
"You sure as hell should be sorry!" The marine shouted.
"I was joking!" Fred shouted as well.
"Oh, we have over a thousand people dead but all you can do is joke!"
"Just forget it!"
"Forget all the people who died?"
"No, forget what I said!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"FINE!" Fred shut off the COM. All of his Spartans were staring at him. "That wasn't a private COM, was it?"
They shook their heads.
"…Damn." Fred handed the sniper rifle, which happened to not get lost in the fall, back to Joshua, much to the relief of the Spartans. "Let's move out."