I kneeled behind a barricade, observing the armory casually. Most of the lighting systems in the In Amber Clad had been shut down, but a single overhead light lit the interior of this makeshift defensive position. Six of my fellow Marines were in positions facing the shut door that led into Commons A-04.

About half an hour ago, the UNSC vessel had landed just behind Sentinel Wall, and the commander had left the ship with over a hundred Marines to be deployed throughout the Wall. We haven't gotten word from Miranda Keyes, but garbled reports of enemy encounters could be heard over the communicator systems.

And now something was happening on the ship. It started just after the Containment Shield around this 'Library' thing was lowered - creatures were entering the vessel. I, nor any of the other Marines, knew exactly how it was being done, but the point was they were getting in. Even now, the squad located in security station B-02 came over the comm, saying: "We're reporting contact in all engine rooms, hangar C-01 and B-04, and security stations A-01 through A-05."

Damn, I thought. Security station A-03 was on the other side of Commons A-04. Right next to us. My thoughts were suddenly accompanied by a barking, guttural sound beyond the closed blast door. One of the privates started visibly shaking.

"God dammit, Tyson, keep yourself still and try not to wet yourself!" I murmured to him. He frantically tried to steady his weapon, whispering, "Yessir."

The radio chattered again. At first, I could only hear static, but then a human voice came through. It was eerily calm, and with this evidence I guessed it came from Sergeant Major Zoƫ Stevens, a good friend of mine. The moment recognized her, a feeling of loss swept through my body. "Command, this is security station B-01. My entire squad is down " - there was a sound of two shotgun blasts - "and these monsters are everywhere. I suggest reinforcing nearby defensive points. I'll hold here as long as I can." Another shotgun blast, and then silence.

I slammed my fist against the barricade. Nearby me was a table with an assortment of weapons lain across it: two SMGs, a shotgun, battle rifle, and a couple of frag grenades. I took the two sub-machine guns and pointed them at the blast door.

The highest-ranking officer in the room stood up a few minutes later, after a tense silence. His name was Second Lieutenant Doug Daniels, who was lucky enough to remain on our little pleasure-cruise yacht, instead of outside in what looked to be a rapidly-escalating living hell. "You heard the Marine. We better prepare for battle, 'cause however they got into security B-01, they'll probably do the same to us. Get your weapons and steady your nerves," he said, just before something started clanging on the air vent.

The vent fell open, and something with four limbs and a head dropped out. It landed with a crunch on the floor, and my two SMGs were already trained on it. Daniels had done the same with his BR55 battle rifle, and Private Tyson was screaming hysterically. Another Marine silenced him with some choice words.

I stepped forward and poked the thing. It appeared to be a human corpse, with some blood staining the fatigues. Slowly, I flipped it over and stared at the face: it was Sergeant Major Stevens. I pulled off her helmet, and gently inspected the corpse for cause of death.

"Flip her back over," Daniels suggested. I did so, revealing a hole wide enough to fit my finger in the back of her neck. I grimaced.

"Reminds me of a spinal tap," Daniels said, kneeling down beside me. "I wonder what happened?" He looked up at the vent, and told Tyson to close it. I wonder how she got into the air vent, I thought.

I picked up her limp body and set her down on a shining stainless steel table in the corner of the room. For a moment, I looked at the sergeant major, thinking of the days when the Marines weren't in combat with the Covenant.

The radio spiked, and the voice of the commanding officer on the bridge, an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper by the name of Colonel Jen Gregory, filtered into the armory, "Attention! All non-combat personnel, report to your assigned bunking quarters. Marines: begin guard shifts. Get some sleep, and the commander should be back soon enough."

Well enough, I thought, laying down next to the barricade. Daniels looked around the room and ordered Corporal Seoll to begin guard duty. Watching the Marines with one eye, I felt a wave of exhaustion fall over me; I hadn't gotten sleep since Earth had come under attack. Finally, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

It was Private Tyson's shift, and all had been quiet so far, except for the occasional roar of the things outside. I was still asleep, laying next to the barricade.

Occasionally, Tyson heard a small scratching sound coming from inside the armory, but he couldn't pinpoint it. With terror beginning to well up inside him, the young private back into a corner, next to the corpse on the table.

Suddenly, a pallid hand pressed over his mouth. He attempted to scream, but his head was twisted violently to the side, resulting in a broken neck. Tyson's head lolled to the side gruesomely. Standing up from behind him was Sergeant Major Stevens, with tentacles sprouting from very unlady-like places. Her eyelids were now fused to her skull, with vein-looking things masking her face. Four large, sharp tentacles were growing from her left hand.

Slowly, with a limping step, the sergeant walked to the blast door and pressed a button to the side. There was a beep, and the bulkhead opened with a swish. I awoke, leaping to my feet just as a wave of aliens entered the room. The Marines were scrambling to their feet, but small little blobs with tentacle-like feet were scuttling up the humans' backs and delving a long pincer into their necks.

Daniels stood beside me, with his battle rifle up and firing. I grabbed a nearby Magnum and shot at the bipedal creatures, ones that resembled severely mutilated humans. "Lieutenant, we need to get out of here. Forget about the Marines," I warned. The large ones were directing their attentions toward us.

Without further ado, I turned and ran. A moment later, Daniels joined me as we threw ourselves into the lift. I slammed my fist into the down button repeatedly, while the lieutenant covered me. Finally, the lift doors shut we began to descend.

"Where are we going?" Daniels gasped.

"Bridge, hopefully."

"Bridge is up, corporal."

"Shit."

We descended silently, myself occasionally hitting the up button distractedly. Finally, the lift slowed to a stop, and a few seconds later there was a wet smack, as if something organic had fallen from the armory and just landed on top of the lift. The doors opened, revealing a hall into a recreation area. It was empty, except for a smattering of human and alien blood on the walls. I hit the up button again, wishing that we were fighting the Covenant.