Six hit the ground running, his assault rifle firing. This was it. Underneath the scorching sun he knew that he was the last of the last. They were dead, Kat, Carter, Jorge, Emile, all of them. But that didn't mean he wouldn't go down without a fight.

He lifted his assault rifle, the bullets making swiss cheese out of the grunts ahead of him, they died screaming, alerting the others. He was still running when an elite charged at him, mandibles quivering with saliva. The spartan dropped, sliding across the dirt, blue plasma arcing over his head. Taking out his knife he stabbed the elite in the leg, shoving his gun into his face and pulled the trigger. Purplish blue blood splattered onto his scarred armor. There was a sound behind him. Elites had come to inspect what happened to their brother, and the sight of his corpse filled them with rage.

So, Six did what he did best, he turned and fought. bullets ripped apart alien skin. Blood soaked the ground, but it wasn't his. Not yet. He was going to make sure they knew what fear was before he was finished. Covenant swarmed to his position, all intent on severing the head of this last enemy. But they should of known Spartans don't die easy.

A pile of bodies had collected on the ground before he finally ran out of ammo. He felt hot and sticky underneath his armor, his breath coming in ragged gasps underneath his helmet, its visor cracked. It had taken too much damage, and so had the rest of his armor. It got him through hell and back, and now it was finally beginning to show its wear and tear.

Grabbing his helmet, he flung it off, the scorching air of the burning planet forcing its way down his throat. There was a noise behind him, so he took out his knife and drove it into the neck of a jackal that was trying to sneak up on him. He smiled as it spazzed, then died.

"That all you got?" He panted.

Fiery pain erupted in his back, forcing him to his knees. He reached his hand around and felt the pink spiky tips that had ripped through his shield. He turned to face his attacker just in time to see the energy sword rammed into his stomach.

His breathing came in strangled gasps as the gold clad elite bent down, looking him in the eye with a cruel glee. His mandibles curled into what looked like to be a smile.

"Wort Wort Wort!" He drew his sword out, the spartan crumpled to the ground. More elites gathered round, hoping for a chance to stick their own swords into Six.

His vision was blurred as he feebly tried to push off the elites clambering on top of him, the searing pain slowly being replaced by the creeping numbness of death. There were too many, he couldn't fight anymore. It was time to join the rest of Noble Team.

"Wort wort wort, wort!" The lead elite drew back its energy sword, which sparked eerily in the setting sun.

The spartan let his head fall back onto the dirt, catching one last glimpse of the amber sky. Blood covered the ground, and this time, it was his own.

"Burn with this planet." He spat weakly as the elite brought his sword down...

and...

Stopped. An inch away from his flesh. The spartan blinked in surprise. The elites around him were frozen, in fact, everything seemed to have stopped. He looked at the dust particles, once swirling in the wind, now suspended like dirty ornaments.

"What the...?" his fading mind managed to think. Was that it? Did he die already...?

To make matters even more confusing, there was a rustle, then a figure popped out from behind a gold elite.

*creepy voice* "Boo." the word hissed out of his mouth as he straightened up, brushing off his blue suit. . If he wasn't so close to death, Six would of jumped in surprise.

"My, I believe that...my intervention was just...in time. *deep breath* don't you think?" His smile was cold as he brought out a mysterious brief case from behind him. "It appears...hmmm...that the, particular merchan-dise in...question"-he looked over Six with cold, multi-colored eyes, giving him the impression that the merchandise in question was him- "has sustained some, potentially fatal...damage, but it...can be re-stored. For the right price...hm...don't you think?"

Six tried to say something, but the only thing that came up was a blood choked gargle. The strange suited man gave a humorless chuckle. "I will take that-...as a, yes. Now...judging...by your, previous actions. here. We do believe that you have...the right, skill. for the job." He adjusted his tie before unlocking the snaps on his brief case. Six could only stare helplessly as the strange man opened it, and the world went black.

TOBECONTINUED!