A/N:
Before you start reading, I want to make it clear that this is not a regular Halo story. As evident by the time period of this chapter, the story will take place decades before the start of the Human-Covenant War. Therefore, there will be no Covenant, Spartans, Halo Rings, Flood, etc. This story will mainly focus on the Insurrection aspect of the Halo universe and the original Spartan program aka Orion Project. Some Canon characters will still make an appearance (though not many since many aren't born yet in this timeline), but I will not spoil it for anyone. Therefore, if this is not the type of Halo story you're looking for, you may find yourself disappointed. However, if you are still interested in this, without further ado, enjoy!
Date: March 2, 2477
Location: Capital District - New Florencia, V-II System
POV: Henry Jensen
*Beep
*Beep
*Beep
The alarm continued on the broadcast before an artificial voice spoke.
"This is the Emergency Broadcast System. The following message is transmitted at the request of the New Florencia Government. A foreign invasion is in progress on the central region of the planet, targeting the cities including but not limited to Hurley, Pioneer Township, Reed, and the Capital. All residents are instructed to head to the nearest emergency service center. Military and law enforcement personnel will await you there and assist with your evacuation. Bring a form of ID and one baggage item per person. Be alert and avoid all contact with-"
"Useless bastards..." muttered Henry before turning off the holo-tv.
Henry went back to packing and proceeded to shove everything he could down his hiking backpack. He obviously couldn't take everything so he only grabbed the important items. He and his seven years old son William had to move fast and couldn't afford themselves being slowed down from extra weight. After double checking his list, he zipped up both his and William's backpack before grabbing the items on the table.
'Wallet... ID Card... Phone... Good.'
Finally, Henry grabbed the last item: his pistol. He unloaded the magazine, checking the ammo before inserting it back in and cocking the pistol.
"Dad, why do you have a gun?" said a voice behind.
Henry turned to see William, shaking with fearful eyes. Kids his age shouldn't have seen their father holding a gun like that. But neither should they be exposed to the horrors of war. Still, Henry hoped that William never had to witness any violence in front of him.
"It's just in case, son. We're going to be alright." assured Henry with a calm voice and holstered the pistol behind him.
"I-I'm scared, Dad...I don't want to go out there... I-" stuttered William, shaking even more.
"Hey." interrupted Henry and put both hands on William's shoulders. "I know this is hard, William. I don't want to leave home anymore than you do but we have no choice. We need to get to the evacuation site. The military will protect us there."
"But soldiers have guns too, dad. Guns are scary..." whined William.
"Yes, but soldiers are the good guys. I promise you, when we get to the evacuation site they will fight and beat all the bad guys while we're safe. And when this is all over, we'll be back home. Okay?"
"Okay, Dad." replied William, sniffing.
"It's time to go now, William." stood up Henry and grabbed William's backpack before handing it to him. "When we get out there, I need you to stay completely quiet and do exactly as I say. Understand?" He earned a nod from William and continued. "I'm never going to leave your side. You're going to be okay, I promise."
"Okay, Dad," repeated William.
"Alright, let's get moving." said Henry as he put on his bag, followed by William.
Henry quickly turned off all electronics before shutting down the entire smart system of the apartment. Soon, the entire place became dark. He then slightly pulled the window curtains before taking a peak outside. The surrounding streets were mostly empty. But he could still hear the firefights in the distance and see a few enemy ships floating above the main skyline of the Capital. Fortunately, it was night time with heavy rain showers. This would make it easier to move undetected.
"Okay William, let's go." hurried Henry before closing the curtains.
Henry and William exited the bedroom and proceeded down the hallway, reaching the main door. Henry holstered his pistol before attempting to open the door by hand since its automated system was down.
"Shhh, stay quiet." whispered Henry before slowly opening the door.
The hallway seemed dimmer than usual with the lights flickering. Slowly, he stepped out before quickly pointing his pistol at both directions; The hallway was clear.
"Take quiet steps." whispered Henry quietly before closing the door behind. "Stay with me at all times, got it?"
"Yes, dad." complied William and followed behind.
They continued on their path, checking around every corner and avoiding all the windows. The entire apartment building was eerily silent as most have already fled. Henry wasn't surprised if he and William were the only ones in the building. In fact, he hoped that was the case. Finally, they stumbled upon a door with a stair sign. This was their ticket to the ground floor.
Henry opened the door partially in the same slow fashion, aiming his pistol through the narrow gap. Once he was sure, he continued pulling the door. However, what he heard next made his heart nearly stop. What sounded like a door being breached followed by someone barking orders.
"Check every fucking floor! Round up the civvies outside and shoot them if they resist!"
Henry grabbed William before looking at him with serious eyes. "Don't move!" whispered Henry even more quietly.
"Got it, boss!" said another voice downstairs, followed by rapid footsteps.
William had the same fearful eyes again and began breathing rapidly. Meanwhile, Henry peaked over the railings and spotted about a dozen armed men a couple floors below. Half of them exited the stairwell while the other half continued sprinting upstairs. Milliseconds before one of them looked up, Henry immediately backed off from the railing and grabbed William, barely avoiding being spotted. They quickly stepped back through the door before quickly but quietly closing it.
"Dad, what are we gonna do?" panicked William.
Now, Henry was on the verge of hyperventilating as well. However, he quickly spotted a chair next to the door and had a solution. He then picked up the chair and set it against the door, jamming the handle. The old movies didn't lie. It was a classic and simple method for blocking doors.
"That should do it for a while. But we still can't stay, come on."
"But where do we go now?" asked William.
He began looking around for ideas and in truth, he didn't know the answer to that.
"Well..." wondered Henry, looking around. "Stay here." he said and walked towards one of the windows. As he took a slight peak outside, another opportunity appeared as he spotted a fire escape right below. "Get over here, William. We're going outside-"
*Knock
*Knock
*Knock
*Knock
Henry immediately aimed his pistol towards the source of the knocking. The stairwell door handle began struggling against the chair before the knocking continued.
Oh shit...
Suddenly, gunshots followed from the other side, though the door's steel frame blocked the bullets from piercing. Immediately, Henry forced the window open before picking up William and setting him on the fire exit platform.
"Dad, there's bad guys!" cried William.
"I know, son! We're getting the hell out of here!" replied Henry as he stepped over the window.
As soon as Henry stepped outside, he the felt heavy rainfall washing his face, followed by light thunder in the distance. It was good that they both wore rain jackets.
"Come on, William. We don't have all day!" said Henry as he closed the window.
As both walked down the fire escape, Henry scanned for threats on the ground. As much as the rain and thunder made it difficult for them to be spotted, it also made it tougher for them to glimpse the surroundings. It was a double edged sword and he was going to use it accordingly.
So far everything was going according to plan. But exiting the building was only the first step. Once on the ground, they still had to trek a couple kilometers more before reaching the evacuation site. One wrong turn on the streets could mean stumbling upon the middle of a battle. Therefore, until then they were in hostile territory. Still, Henry was determined to protect his son, even if it meant putting his own life on the line.
"Dad, the rain is too cold..." shuddered William.
"Just hold on, William. It'll be all over soon." assured Henry as he gabbed William's hand.
POV: Lance Corporal Wesley Perry, CMA Marine Corps
Corporal Wesley Perry could feel the cold raindrops run down his back through his BDU's collar. Though the heating system kept him warm, he hated being wet while wearing clothes. He brushed it off and continued focussing on the situation.
The invasion truly was unexpected, especially for a remote colony like New Florencia. Wes assumed being stationed here would allow him and his squad to loosen up and relax, away from the all the shenanigans in the inner colonies. At most, he expected to face nuisances like insurgent groups or pirates from the local system. But instead, there was a whole fleet of ships with an army equipped with military vehicles. With a third of the planet now occupied by the invading force, the vacation would have to wait.
"Your turn, Corporal." ordered Lieutenant Finnic.
"Copy, LT." whispered Wes. While his squad held position by a couple abandoned cars, Wes moved past his men and took point before signaling the Lieutenant. "Ready, LT."
"Let's move." ordered Finnic, leaving Wes to lead the way.
The Marines quietly walked along the deserted street and continued on their recon mission. Despite the heavy fighting, the city's building structures mostly seemed intact and there weren't as much debris, though the lack of power made the night time even darker. Their objectives for now were to find other scattered military units and direct them to the evacuation site for regrouping, as well as also marking the coordinates of enemy positions throughout their path. Combat was to be avoided if possible. So far it has been an hour and they've found no friendlies nor civilians. Instead, they found themselves narrowly avoiding frequent enemy warthogs patrols and rooftop snipers. Still, they stuck with their duties and continued moving.
"There's nothing but tangos everywhere, LT! Let's just call in a strike and blow this place!" complained Private Jay.
"There are potential civilians here, Private! Cut the bullshit!" retorted the Lieutenant.
Jay moaned before mumbling quietly, "To think I was actually going to chill on this backwater planet... Now here I am getting frostbites from this fucking freezing rain while fighting a goddamn army! I don't know which one is wor-"
"Shut it, Private!" interrupted Sergeant Hollande. "You joined the force and this is exactly the type of shit you signed up for! You're gonna shut up and enjoy it!"
"Thank you, Sarge." thanked Finnic.
"Hold!" whispered Wes.
"What is it?" asked Finnic as he stopped immediately.
Wes activated the telescopic feature on his HUD and zoomed in his vision on the approaching lights in the distance. As they cleared the fog, faint outlines of warthogs emerged and they were approaching fast. As soon as he saw the foreign markings, he motioned his squad.
"Enemy patrol, 12 o'clock!" warned Wes.
The entire squad ducked to a prone position and hid behind the parked cars before the warthogs passed. Their turrets continued to monitor the side of the street, hoping to catch any stragglers. Fortunately, the patrol didn't seem to stop and continued driving by. However, this patrol was different from the ones encountered previously as a voice came out of one of the hog's loud speaker.
"Dear citizens of New Florencia, we are not your enemy! As fellow colonials we are here to liberate you from the corrupt Kleptocrats of the Earth Government and its puppet by the name of the Colonial Administration Authority! They have exploited the colonies of our rightful wealth for their own agendas far too long! Join our cause and help us liberate the other colonies from the grasp of the tyrants on Earth!"
The loud speaker's voice soon became faint as the enemy patrol continued down the distance. As soon as Finnic determined the coast to be clear, he motioned the squad to get up.
"We're clear." said Finnic.
"What the hell was that?" asked Jay, standing back up.
"Just a bunch of bullshittery, that's what." replied Hollande.
"Cut the crap, boys. Let's keep moving." ordered Finnic.
Once again, the Marines continued their jog along the street, while vigilant of every alley, window and other blindspots along the way. Eventually, they reached an intersection and Lieutenant Finnic ordered to hold position before a corner of a building.
"Hold." ordered Finnic before signaling Wes. "Corporal, check the corner."
"Yes, sir." complied Wes and took out the snake camera.
As he activated the snake, its camera feed appeared on his HUD. He then slowly extended it out of the corner and began controlling it from his helmet. To his surprise, he saw a dozen enemy infantry simply standing around the sidewalk right around the corner, seemingly in boredom. On the other end of the street was a hotel building, which still had power and also had snipers on its rooftops.
"A dozen infantry right around the corner and three snipers on the hotel roof on the other side of the street, LT."
As Finnic looked looked through the snake's feed, he knew there was no way they could move across and continue their path. The intersection was mostly empty space and they could easily be spotted in the open.
"There's no way we can cross this road, sir. We have to find another way." added Wes.
"You don't say, Corporal..." replied Finnic.
"Shall we detour and seek another route, LT?" asked Hollande.
"Sir, we could enter one of the buildings and sneak by the tango group while also avoiding the snipers." suggested Jay.
"And do you have any idea where the buildings lead to, Private?" retorted Hollande.
"Uh, it's better than crossing the open, Sarge."
"Patrol! 6 o'clock! They're back!" interrupted Wes.
The other three turned around and saw car lights in the distance once more. They were now trapped.
"We have no choice, LT!" said Wes.
"Alright, everyone go in!" ordered Finnic.
Private Jay opened the entrance door to an office building and entered, followed by the rest. When everyone was inside, Sergeant Hollande quickly closed the door before the warthog patrol reached their position.
"Man, that's a relief..." said Jay as he dried himself with a rag. "I say, if we stayed out there longer we would've gotten a cold."
"So Private, where do we go now?" asked Hollande in a sarcastic tone.
"I-I haven't thought this far, Sarge..." replied Jay.
Meanwhile, Wes also took the time to dry his face and his rifle with a rag. Like the Private said, it was pouring outside.
"Cut it." interrupted Finnic. "We'll seek another exit and continue from there. We have a mission and we're sticking to it."
"Hoorah." uttered Jay.
"Let's take the stairs, see what we can find." ordered the Lieutenant and led the way.
The office building seemed completely deserted so far. The absence of power left the marines in complete darkness, leaving them to resort to their flashlights. Their wet combat boots left a squeaky sound every time they took a step, which risked them giving away their position. Still, they persisted and finally reached a lounge area. But no one still had any idea where they could find another exit.
"I don't like the feeling of this LT..." commented Jay, looking around.
"Quiet!" whispered Finnic as he heard squeaky footsteps from the hallway ahead.
The footsteps continued to get louder until he could hear faint voices from the other end of the hallway.
"We're screwed..." said Jay.
"Take cover!" ordered Finnic before the squad dispersed throughout the lounge.
Sergeant Hollande and Private Jay jumped over a service desk and hid under while Lieutenant Finnic ducked behind a sofa. Meanwhile, Wes got creative and hid behind a large curtain.
"Don't move a muscle..." ordered Finnic through the helmet comms.
The doors on the hallway finally opened. Through walked out six men dressed in rag-tag fashion and armed with outdated rifles. As Wes took a peak, he could tell these men were not professional soldiers. Unlike Wes and his squad, these men bore no uniformity in their clothing. They also handled their weapons in a clumsy manner and didn't seem to shut up with their conversations, being even more talkative than Jay. Only their leader appeared to be somewhat well mannered.
"I gotta be honest, this whole invasion thing isn't as exciting as I anticipated..." said one of them as he sat on the couch.
"Relax, Jenkins! After they resettle the civvies, this entire planet will be ours and we'll get our fair share of loot!" cheered his comrade.
"But what about the whole goal of liberation and such?"
"Ah forget that crap. These people are all mindless cowards anyways. They don't deserve to be part of our resistance movement."
"Shut it!" interrupted their leader. "If you two continue to act like idiots then both of you will join the civvies!"
"Yes, boss..." replied the two men in shame.
Meanwhile, the hidden marines formulated a plan for an ambush.
"Ha, amateurs..." whispered Hollande on the line, amused.
"They have no idea what's waiting for them..." commented Jay, smiling.
"Alright, men. There are six tangos present. Sergeant, you and Jay neutralize the three by the desk. The Corporal and I will drop the rest. Everyone copy?" explained Finnic.
"Copy, LT." complied everyone in unison.
The marines then gripped their weapons before quietly adjusting their positions.
"On my mark!" began the LT before taking a breath. "Three... Two... One! Weapons free!"
Sergeant Hollande and Private Jay were the first to break cover. Hollande quickly put two shotgun shells into two tangos' heads while Jay struck the third tango's neck with his rifle's butt.
"What the hell-"
Before the leader could finish, Lieutenant Finnic jumped out of the sofa's cover and dug a knife through his throat before slicing it. Next, Wes opened the curtains and gunned down the remaining two tangos with automatic fire.
All tangos were down in a mere five seconds.
"Everyone okay?" asked Finnic.
"Aey'okay!" replied Jay.
"Yes, sir!" replied Wes.
"Too easy..." said Hollande, smiling before looking at the corpses.
"Check the corpses for anything useful. You have one minute." ordered Finnic as he searched the enemy leader's body.
"Look at these imbeciles..." mocked Hollande while searching the pockets. "They're wearing paper armor and using two hundred year old weapons. They don't even have radios for god's sake... Some invasion..."
While Hollande and Jay continued poking fun at the dead bodies, Wes held tight his cross necklace and began praying silently for the fallen enemies. Wes was a devout Christian and always prayed after killing an enemy. After enlisting in the Colonial Marines, some of his religious peers denounced him for joining an organization that required killing. Although he had no joy in killing anything, he still felt a duty to do his part in protecting defenseless colonies against evil forces like the current invaders of this colony. Ultimately, it was up to God to judge them, not him.
"Hey Corporal! What the hell are you doing?" interrupted Hollande.
Wes snapped out of his praying thoughts but quickly finished the final verses before beginning the search on the corpses.
"Nothing..." replied Wes.
"This ain't a time to recite the bible, Perry. You'll have all the time in the world to pray when this is over."
"Copy, Sarge..." replied Wes, ignoring him.
Meanwhile, Finnic ripped off the badges from the dead leader before briefly observing them. He quickly stuffed them in his pocket before getting up.
"Alright, time's up! Let's move!" announced Finnic as he reloaded his weapon.
"Find anything, Sarge?" asked Jay.
"Some cheap cigars... Better than nothing." replied Hollande as he slipped the cigars in his chest pocket.
"Huh, well I'll take this fancy pistol!" said Jay as he held a revolver. "I've never seen a gun like this before though..."
"Looks like something out of a cowboy movie..." commented Hollande.
Jay then raised his eyebrows, "A what?"
"Move it you guys!" interrupted Finnic.
"Yes, sir!" replied them in unison.
The marines stood back up into combat position before marching down the hallway and continuing their search for an exit. Because of the previous encounter, everyone was even more cautious now.
After passing many rooms, they arrived at the other side of the building, finally finding a door with a glowing exit sign. Unfortunately, there were no windows to peak outside for any threats. They were going to have to take their chances.
"Everyone in position." ordered Finnic.
Hollande got on point and readied his shotgun while the rest positioned themselves behind him.
"I swear if it's still raining, I'm gonna be pissed." commented Jay.
"Shut up, Private..." replied Hollande before gripping the door handle. He slowly pushed down the handle before silently pulling it. As the door opened slowly, the sounds of the rain became louder, to which Jay sighed in frustration.
Abruptly, the doors suddenly blasted open, knocking back Hollande while stunning the rest. Before anyone could react, two armor-clad figures barged in before aiming their assault rifles. Regaining posture, Lieutenant Finnic and Wes raised their weapons as well, causing a Mexican standoff between the two parties. As Hollande's vision recovered, he saw what appeared to be two ODSTs with one of them pointing a rifle at his face.
"Whoah! Friendlies, friendlies!" warned Finnic, attempting to calm the two troopers.
"Identify yourself!" ordered one of the ODSTs as he shut the door behind.
"2nd Lieutenant Ronald Finnic, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion. We're a recon squad sent by Colonel Petraeus." introduced Finnic, still weary.
Both ODSTs looked at each other before one of them nodded and uncloaked his helmet visor, revealing his face. They then lowered their weapons, prompting Finnic and the rest to do the same.
"Apologies, Lieutenant. Couldn't take any chances." apologized the trooper.
"No worries, trooper. Just glad you didn't shoot us. Name and rank."
"Master Sergeant Hakim, 21st Drop Jet Platoon, sir." introduced Hakim.
"Gunnery Sergeant Phillips, same unit, sir." introduced Phillips and helped Hollande back to his feet before apologizing. "Sorry about that, marine."
"Ah no worries... I'm glad to see some Helljumpers." smiled Hollande while checking his weapon.
Wes has heard of the legendary ODSTs but never met any during combat until now. Just the prospect of free falling in a drop pod from space was unthinkable to him. Furthermore, he heard from somewhere that one ODST trooper could supposedly beat a dozen regular marines while having their hands tied to their back. Those were probably myths made up for propaganda. Nevertheless, their combat records and infamy among pirates and terrorists spoke for themselves. He was glad to see them on his side.
"So, what are you doing in a two-man team, Master Sergeant? Shouldn't you be supporting the front lines?" asked Finnic.
"Not my call, sir. I got assigned to the same mission as you. Satellites are down so we're trying to scout the area by foot before the main offensive. There's still a lot of baddies around town." explained Hakim.
"Well have you found anything significant to report?"
"Negative, sir. Just a bunch of rag tag patrol groups and roof top snipers."
"Not that different from what we've seen..." commented Hollande.
"Where are you headed now, Sergeant?" asked Finnic.
"We're heading towards the Market District. We had to detour through this building because of a hog patrol."
"That's exactly where we're going!" interrupted Jay.
"Would you mind tagging along with us? With combined arms we would have better chances of survival. We can part ways when we get there."
Hakim looked at the Gunny, who looked just as unsure.
"What do you think, Gunny?" asked Hakim.
"That may slow us down..." said Phillips. "But then again, we're heading to the same destination so we might as well stick for now."
"It's your call, Master Sergeant." said Finnic.
After a moment of pondering, Hakim decided before answering, "We'll go with you, Lieutenant."
"Alright then, let's move it!" ordered Finnic as he cocked his rifle.
"Yes, sir!" replied the rest in unison as they prepared to move out.
Now, the joint Marine-ODST squad exited the building, sprinting through the rain for the Market District.
POV: William Jensen
For William, this was something out of a nightmare. He vaguely remembered seeing his dad watch the news on TV about soldiers fighting a war against bad guys, which people referred to as 'terrorists' or 'rebels'. But never in a million years did William guess that this terror would reach his home. It was only a couple hours ago when his dad abruptly came to his school to excuse him from classes before they ended. William remembered asking Henry why he was going home so early, to which Henry avoided answering. But only a couple minutes into the car ride, he looked out the windshield to see multiple ships appearing from the sky. He did not give much thought to it until he saw the ships begin opening fire towards the city skyline. He then felt the car speeding up and turned to see his dad shaking on the wheel. From then, William remembered the chaos that ensued in the rest of the day.
Now, he was walking walking on the dark streets through the freezing rain and he has never been more scared for his life. Aside from the occasional gunshots in the distance, the city was virtually lifeless. He was used to seeing the street lights and the skyline light up the entire sky like beacons. But now, it was completely dark. But despite everything that was going on, he still felt somewhat safe as long as his dad was around. Ever since his mom passed away, Henry has been his sole caretaker and guardian. He has always been there for William when he needed him and right now, he needed him more than ever.
"Dad, where are we going?" asked William, shivering.
"Quiet!" hissed Henry. "Whisper, William."
"Yes, Dad..."
"We're heading to the police station. Once we get there, we will be protected by soldiers and get off this planet." answered Henry.
"How long until we're there?"
"I don't know, son. But we're going to get there."
As they continued down the street, the silence was disturbed by motor sounds in the distance. Henry immediately stopped and held a hand in front of William. Soon, headlights appeared behind the fog while the sound became louder.
"Get down!" whispered Henry and pulled William behind a trash bin before ducking.
William wanted to ask why and see what was going on, but he didn't. After the last encounter on the apartment, he knew it was better to not ask and just trust his dad. Out of the fog appeared multiple military cars with guns on their trunks. William never thought he would encounter them up close like this as he only saw toy models of them. Regardless, they were probably not friendly because otherwise, Henry would've tried to motion them instead of hiding.
As soon as the cars passed, Henry looked up to check if the coast was clear before pulling William back up his feet.
"Let's g-."
"Psst!" said a voice behind them.
Henry immediately pulled William to the ground before turning around to point his pistol at the source.
"Don't shoot!" said the man while raising one hand.
To William's surprise, it was a policeman hiding behind an alley. His blue uniform and badge gave it away and he appeared to be armed with a shotgun. Still, he didn't know if could trust this guy. It could've been a disguise to trick him. But suddenly, he turned to see car headlights appear again in the distance.
"Over here! Hurry!" motioned the policeman.
Not saying anything, Henry and William quickly walked over and entered the alley moments before another convoy of armed cars passed by. As soon as they passed, everyone sighed in relief.
"What the hell are you guys doing here?! It's crawling everywhere with these bastards!" asked the policeman.
"Heading to the police station! What do you think we're doing?" retorted Henry.
"No you're not." stated the policeman bluntly.
"What?"
"It's overrun by bad guys. I just came from there."
William could see Henry's face flush from what he just heard.
"How?"
"The entire station got massacred from the firefight. The fuckers murdered everyone, including the civilians... And I barely made it out alive..." explained the policeman grudgingly.
"What the hell is happening? Who the hell are these guys? Where'd they get all these weapons and gear? They're not fucking pirates, no! They're an entire army!"
"Look dude, I'm just as blind as you are with this! You can ask all the questions you want when this is over but until then, we need to get the hell out of here! Understood?"
Henry didn't even respond as he had nothing to say. The police station was the only hope he had but hearing it completely destroyed, he wasn't sure where to turn next.
"Can you please help us?" pleaded Henry.
"Yeah, there's another evac site a couple klicks from here. It's a little farther than the police station but we have no choice. Just stick with me and do exactly as I say. Got it?"
"Noted." replied Henry before introducing himself. "I'm Henry Jensen."
"Call me Tom." said the policeman while checking his shotgun. "Alright, let's move-"
Bullets suddenly ricocheted off the alley walls, almost hitting William. Henry immediately grabbed William while Tom turned around and raised his shotgun. William turned to see two men with guns down the other side of the alley.
"Targets acquired in the alley!" yelled one of them and both began firing again.
"Shit! Let's go!" said Tom, firing two shells before running out of the alley with Henry and William.
"Stay with me, William! Don't look back!" said Henry, tightly gripping William's arm.
Once again, William was in the street. But this time, everyone ran like hell instead of sneaking quietly along the sidewalk. In fact, both Henry and Tom were running so fast that William couldn't keep up to their paste and his feet simply skidded on the ground.
"Don't stop for anything!" said Tom, breathing heavily.
As the trio were about to make a turn towards another alley, what seemed like a flock of birds flew out of it before hovering still in front of the group. Tom's eyes widened and he immediately stopped, raising his arm to stop Henry and William. These flying objects weren't birds but drones. Their orange digital eyes instantly switched to red before they unleashed their weapons.
"Drones! Take cover!" yelled Tom and opened fire.
Henry and William took cover behind yet another abandoned car, barely dodging the hail of bullets. Tom followed behind and began quickly reloading his shotgun.
"Fuck, we're flanked!" spat Tom as he saw a squad of armed men catching up to them. He then took a quick glance around for an escape.
"What the hell are we doing here?! We need to get out of here!" said Henry, holding William tight.
Suddenly, a drone appeared out of the car's corner and hovered mere centimeters from Tom's face. William's heart sank as he gazed on the drone's piercing red eye on its center. That was interrupted when Tom immediately struck the drone with his shotgun's butt, shattering it to little pieces.
"We're sitting ducks! Let's go!" ordered Tom and stood up before crossing the open street. As foolish this move seemed, Henry had no choice but to follow and broke cover as well before tailing Tom. William on the hand simply followed whatever he was told. Regardless however, the situation seemed hopeless at this point. Everything was already falling apart and they were still nowhere near the evac site.
"Where the hell are we going?!" asked Henry, his voice filled with panicking.
"Shut it and follow me-"
A burst of bullets suddenly struck Tom's legs, leading him to crash on the asphalt street. Him laying on the ground caused Henry and William to trip on his body before falling face-down towards the ground as well.
"Fuck!" groaned Tom before firing his shotgun at the direction of the enemy.
Tom, seemingly unfazed, immediately stood up and began firing his shotgun again before groping a stunned Henry.
"Get up, Henry! Let's g-"
This time, another burst of bullets struck Tom's abdomen. His shotgun fell off his grip before he himself collapsed to the ground again.
As William regained his senses, he could hear Tom wheezing in pain before seeing his stomach leaking out blood. Meanwhile, Henry tightly grabbed William, pushing him behind his own body.
"Targets in sight!" said a gruff voice.
Both William and Henry looked up to see a squad of heavily armed men walking over, all aiming their laser sights on them. They did not look like the soldiers he saw on TV or real life. They were still clad in helmets and protective armor but underneath they wore regular clothing like leather jackets and jeans. Some of them wore skull masks while others had obscene tattoos on their arms. As he looked around further, he saw about a dozen drones surrounding his spot in a circular formation. Their eyes still showed a menacing red and all hovered perfectly still despite the heavy rain.
Tom, who Henry thought was dead, suddenly began twitching his fingers before lifting one of his elbows. He then began to slowly crawl towards his shotgun. But it was too late as the armed men now stood right in front of him, all aiming their sights on Tom.
"Don't do it, Tom!" pleaded Henry but to no avail.
By the time Tom reached his shotgun, his face was only inches from the men's boots. Before he grabbed it however, one of the men pulled the trigger, putting a bullet to his head. Tom's lifeless body now lied still with the rain washing his blood down the street.
Upon seeing blood leaking out Tom's head, William immediately closed his eyes and hugged Henry tighter. Meanwhile, Henry tried to remain still but in truth, he was powerless now and just as panicked. Even William could hear Henry hyperventilating.
"Stay behind me, William." whispered Henry.
Within the squad of men appeared someone donning a black beret instead of a helmet like the others. Unlike the others, he appeared more like a professional soldier due to his clean shaven face and orderly appearance. It was clear this man was the leader among this group. As he withdrew his sidearm, he stepped closer.
"I see! You're a father, huh?" asked the leader, to which Henry did not respond. "So was I! Had two kids back home... Until they were hit by an airstrike from you people!" growled the leader before pointing his sidearm at Henry.
"Wait, stop! please!" pleaded Henry as he raised his hand. "We didn't do anything! we just want to go home!"
"Sorry, bub! You get the bullet too!" smiled the leader as he was about to pull the trigger.
This was it now. Nothing else mattered to Henry but the safety of his son. And he was willing to die for him.
"Run, William!" cried Henry as he grabbed his pistol.
He wasn't fast enough. The leader pulled the trigger and a bullet minced through Henry's forehead. Like Tom, Henry collapsed to the ground, lying motionless with blood beginning to flow from his head. William's world instantly cracked upon the staring into Henry's lifeless eyes. He was too shocked at the moment to even grasp what just happened. Tears began falling down his eyes as he regained his senses.
"DAD!" cried William and started sobbing uncontrollably, holding tightly on Henry.
"Somebody shut that kid up, he's gonna attract snipers!" said the leader as he holstered his sidearm.
Upon hearing his voice, William stopped crying before looking at straight into the leader's eyes. Upon noticing, the leader smiled before chuckling. "What? You want an apology? Stupid kid..." he said before turning to his men. "You fuckers deaf?! Put him down!"
"Got it, sir!" said one of the men before raising his submachine gun. "Sweet dreams, kid." said the man as he aimed at William's forehead.
If the rain didn't make him shiver enough, staring down the gun's barrel made him shake like having a seizure. It was now William's turn to meet Tom and Henry's fates.
A gunshot rang through the entire block. The entire squad looked around in confusion as William's executioner dropped his weapon before collapsing on top of him. Out of nowhere, multiple grenade-like objects landed around them.
"What the hell-"
*Bang!
The objects released surges of electric sparks, causing the surrounding drones to fall like insects while also stunning everyone else. Soon, heavy gunfire rang, to which William instantly closed his eyes and covered his ears before curling up. As the gunfire continued, William could feel the ground slightly shake from the collapsing bodies. In mere seconds, the firing stopped, prompting William to slowly open his eyes. He then looked around to see all the men lying dead on the ground, covered in multiple bullet holes and even more blood on the ground. William flinched from the sight of so many dead bodies and began feeling sick of seeing so much blood. He especially gazed upon the leader, who had two bullet holes on his forehead. As he looked up however, he saw more men with guns running towards him from the distance.
POV: Lance Corporal Wesley Perry
"Tangos down!" confirmed Wes, analyzing the bodies of the enemy squad.
"Kills confirmed." followed Sergeant Hollande on comms.
"Master Sarge, you and Gunny stay put and provide cover. We're going to check it out over there." Lieutenant Finnic.
"Copy that, LT." replied Master Sergeant Hakim as he reloaded his weapon.
"The rest of you are on me!" ordered Finnic.
"Yes, sir!" complied the squad.
Wes and his squad broke cover and exited through the building's windows before sprinting over to the middle of the street.
"Drones, really? How the hell can these guys afford them?" remarked Jay.
"Private, shut the hell up!" retorted Hollande.
"And consider that a standing order." added Finnic.
"Damn..." whispered Jay.
As they continued towards the pile of dead bodies, Wes noticed one of them was that of a child's. He shook his head in disgust, appalled how one could do such a thing. However, as he came closer, he saw, or at least thought, that the child's eyes were open before blinking. Unsure if his mind was messing with him, he rubbed both of his eyes before getting another clear look. He could now clearly see the child's body shaking while he gazed his eyes on his squad with fear. The child was alive!
"LT!" called out Wes.
"What, Corporal?" replied Finnic.
"We got a live one!" said Wes excitingly.
"What?!" said Finnic as he raised his rifle.
"NO! NO! NO!" interrupted Wes and raised his hand. "It's the child!"
The squad reached the spot and Finnic and the rest saw what Wes meant. The child instantly began backing off before hyperventilating. His face was slightly covered in tar and had a bruise on the left cheek. Wes could only guess that he was no older than ten years old.
"What the hell's a kid doing here?" asked the confused Hollande.
Wes strapped his rifle on the back before raising both hands to reassure the child. As he looked around however, he saw that the dead weren't just that of the enemy squad. There were bodies of a police officer, as well as an adult civilian, who's arm the child grabbed on to. Looking back at the teary-eyed child, he knew what had taken place here.
"Holy shit..." said Jay, grasping his collar.
"Hey, kid. Shhh, it's alright. We're here to help." said Wes in a calm voice. The child shook his head rapidly and backed up even more. Not wishing to frighten him more than he already was, Wes stopped before slowly kneeling down. "We're not going to hurt you, okay? What's your name?"
Wes was never good with children, but his soothing voice helped relax the child a bit, who seemed to stop hyperventilating. But he still continued to sob softly.
Lieutenant Finnic followed and walked over to Wes before looked around. "What happened here?" he asked.
"This happened, sir." answered Wes as he pointed at the body of the child's father.
Finnic slowly kneeled down, startling the child, before laying a finger on the body's jugular vein. "Damn..." he said as he withdrew his hand. He sighed before looking up to face the kid. "I'm sorry, kid." he said softly.
"Can, Can you h-help him?" stuttered the child. "P-Please?"
Finnic and Wes looked at each other briefly before turning to face the child again.
"I'm really sorry. But your father's gone. There's nothing we can do." answered Finnic, causing the child the cry even more.
"LT, we're sitting ducks out here! We don't have time for this!" interrupted Hollande.
"Agreed, sir. I advise against standing too long in the open like that." commented Hakim as he eavesdropped.
"Copy, Master Sarge." replied Finnic before slowly standing up. "Come on, men. Let's move."
"Wait, we're not gonna leave him here, are we?" interjected Wes.
"We have an objective at hand and it's not a rescue mission!" countered Finnic.
"You're suggesting to abandon a child in the middle of a war zone?! With all due respect sir, where are your morals?!" challenged Wes, raising his voice.
"Quiet down, Corporal!" said Hollande, anxious of attracting danger.
"Yes, we're in the middle of a war zone! And the gravity of this mission is too great for your damn biblical morals!" retorted Finnic.
"LT, there's a vehicle patrol less than a klick from your position! You need to clear the streets, now!" broadcasted Hakim on comms.
"Got it!" radioed Finnic frustratingly before turning to Wes.
Out of impulse, Wes spoke up before Finnic could. "LT, permission to leave the squad so I can take the child back to base."
"What the hell are you thinking, lad?!" interjected Hollande.
"LT, a patrol of six warthogs, five hundred meters away! We have to go, now!" interrupted Hakim once more.
"Shit!" spat Finnic and looked around before turning towards Wes again. "Sergeant, you and Jay clear the street, now."
"Sir?" asked Jay.
"Now!" repeated Finnic and prompting both to nod hesitantly before running off. Finnic then grabbed Wes's arm before leaning in closer. "If you do this, you're on your own and you alone are responsible for the kid. And when this is over, I can't help you when you get court marshaled for desertion. Understood?"
"Sir, yes sir." calmly replied Wes.
Finnic, still hesitant, sighed before finishing, "Now go, Corporal."
"Yes, sir!" replied Wes, earning a nod from Finnic before he ran off as well.
Wes finally turned towards the child, who was quietly observing everything that just took place. He then quickly walked over and extended his hands to the child.
"Come on, kid. We need to get out of here. It's not safe here."
"B-but my Dad..." cried the child as he continued grabbed his father's hand.
"I'm sorry, we have to leave him! We're both going to die if we stay here! Would your father want that for you?" asked Wes, to which the child shook his head while sniffing. "Let's go, we'll be safe once we're back on base."
Finally, the child grabbed Wes's hand and stood up.
"Be advised, Corporal. The patrol is two hundred meters away and approaching fast. Get outta there, now." radioed Hakim.
"Copy, Master Sargeant." replied Wes.
"And Corporal, you did the right thing. Good luck out there, you're gonna need it."
"Thank you, Sergeant." thanked Wes.
Wes could now see the headlights in the distance and immediately sprinted towards the street side. Since he used one hand to grab the child's hand, Wes strapped his rifle behind him and instead took out his side arm with his other hand.
"Let's go, kid." said Wes and both began running down the sidewalk.
As they ran, the child continuously looked back to take glances on his father's body until they were too far away. Once they reached an abandoned mall, Wes checked the surroundings again before proceeding in. Though they could run into enemy contact like the office building previously, it was better than facing armed convoys in the streets. It was also a good opportunity to dry off as well.
"What's your name, kid?" asked Wes, never receiving an answer the first time.
"William..." whispered the child.
"Nice to meet you, William, I'm Wes. I won't let anyone hurt you no matter what, okay?"
"Okay..." replied William, feeling comforted.
"Everything's going to be alright." assured Wes.
A/N:
Hello, I am Preacher of Kepler and some of you may know me as the author of "The Spectre", which went on for two years before I abruptly deleted it from the site. I owe all of you explanations for my actions so bear with me.
First and foremost, I'd like to apologize for abruptly deleting it without any explanation. I realize I may have caused a lot of bleak and empty feelings to those who followed The Spectre, especially to those who grew attached to the story, and I really shouldn't have done that. So again, I whole heartedly apologize. I hope that this new story will rekindle that attachment since many previous characters will return.
Second, the reason I did so was because at the time, my passions changed (so I thought) and I believed it was best to quit my works in this site in order to focus completely on my new passions without any distractions. However, after getting started on my new passion, I still had that empty feeling, as if the work I was doing wasn't fulfilling enough. Part of me was still missing writing FF until finally, it came to me that this new passion I found wasn't something I wanted to do at all. My true passion was in worldbuilding like here and creating artistic works. In other words, it was expressing my inner imaginations in the real world. Therefore, I had to make some difficult choices to make the U-Turn from my previous decision. However, I am glad I'm back here.
Third, The Spectre in its form back then was heading in a direction I did not like. When I first wrote the story, I had no experience in fiction writing whatsoever. I was an amateur and that fact was pretty evident if you read the story more closely. The action sequences were pretty redundant and cliche, the characters were a bunch of Mary Sues, there was no clear plot or direction, thus becoming boring, and most importantly, it wasn't really a Halo story anymore. But by the time I wrote my latest chapter, the story already came so far to the point where it was impossible to retcon it. Therefore, I would've deleted it and started over from scratch anyways.
Now that we have that out of the way, what do I have planned for now and the future? For starters, this new story here is an entirely new version of The Spectre, with much improvement. For those who already read the previous version of The Spectre, many elements and characters of the previous version will still be present and retain their traits. However, there will also be significant differences, especially in regards to the plot.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. To any of my former followers, welcome back and I promise I will deliver a story much better than the last. I also hope my writing hasn't become too rusty. It's been way too long. To any newcomers, salutations and I welcome you to my worldbuilding.
Please review! Thank you!