Chapter 2: Jail Break
McHale was brutally awaken by a swift smack to his head, thankfully by a human hand. Al-Kali was standing above him, purple blood splattered across his armor.
"Come one Gunny, time to get moving," Al-Kali said. Still adjusting to his sudden awakening, Scott managed to utter "Report Corporal, what happened,".
"About ten minutes ago a brief power surge opened our cells, all of ours," Al-Kali answered obviously hinting to the purple blood that stained his chest. McHale staggered out of the cell and saw the carnage, all the rabid Jackals were dead, some with still smoldering holes in their head or broken bones. "Makes sense," McHale thought to himself looking back at Mohamed, "Al-Kali is a bear of a man and I doubt some wimpy birds would be able to take him."
Suddenly, thoughts of George's well-being surged in his mind, but he was relieved to see his other squad mate alive although something was amiss. Hodges was sitting down, head in his elevated legs. McHale walked up to George, placed his hand on the troopers shoulder, and said "C'mon Private, we're out of here". He was meet by the still helmet clad stare of George, but he could hint the signs of "What are you talking about?" on George's shielded face. Even so, George stood up and gave Scott a salute. Al-Kali walked up and handed them both Covenant Carbines and Plasma Pistols.
"Where did you find these Corporal?" McHale asked a little impressed that Al-Kali managed to secure weapons in such a hostile environment.
"They kept them in containers just outside the door" Al-Kali replied "Seems odd when you consider it what with the prisoners right behind the door and what not."
Scott smiled at the stupidity the Covenant employed with their jail security, but thanked God for the fortune it gave them. "Oh," Al-Kali said "I think you'll need this," as he handed Scott his helmet. The vacuum seal of the helmet hissed as it met his armor and he was ready to take the fight to the Covenant. Al-Kali walked up to the elevator console and attempted to summon an elevator. All he kept getting was an annoying beep and a red light, Al-Kali uttered a quiet curse in Arabic. That's when McHale noticed George making an "up" motion with his hand at the elevator already coming down.
"I didn't call that elevator, get down!" Al-Kali screamed. The trio crouched down behind the console to avoid being spotted. The hum of the anti-gravity technology that powered the elevator was getting closer and closer.
"On three, we attack whatever is on that elevator," McHale ordered as both Al-Kali and Hodges nodded. As soon as the elevator touched down, Scott and George opened a flurry of green projectiles and blobs of plasma on the unfortunate Grunts and Jackals that were on the elevator. Al-Kali, Needler now in his hand, lunged at a Jackal and slammed the needle side on the remaining Jackal's face. Puncture holes with purple blood oozing out dotted the dead Jackal's face as Al-Kali ripped the Needler from it's face.
"Well men," McHale said, "Lets get going". The ODSTs stepped up on the elevator and went up. Elsewhere on High Charity, a group of haggard Marines subjected to similar conditions as McHale's squad gazed in awe at the "Demon" that has liberated them.
