Chapter 2: Smith
Later that same day.
I set to the task of removing the armor which would have been made easier had it not been raining. Eventually I was able to remove all the armor, leaving me with the task of removing the under suit. Normally you wouldn't need to worry about taking the under suit, but these aren't normal marines. The under suit is what allows the armor to interface and work together with the wearer. The under suits are skin tight so it was a bit of a challenge to take it off but I was able to get it off eventually.
However due to the suit being skin tight I had to strip down into my underwear in order to put on the under suit. Once it was on, I started moving around in order to get a feel for it. The under suit by itself was remarkably comfortable and breathable, similar to those thermal clothes you have to wear in the winter. I then set to the task of reconnecting the armor pieces to the under suit, a job that was actually much easier than taking them off.
I then picked up the helmet and once again looked into the helmet's visor, saying, "Well it's just you and me now, huh?" I then turned the helmet back around and slid it over my head slowly, waiting for the suit to lock onto the helmet and seal into place. I soon heard the hiss of the helmet sealing, and then I was stuck in a dark helmet. All of a sudden, the helmet interior lit up in a bright blue flash. Lines of code and programs began to flash across the screen in the same shade of blue, blinding me. After a few more seconds a few lines of text popped up. 'All suit functions: Operational. Warning: no weapons detected'. Reading that I decided to reach down and pick up the BR and other equipment. Once I did that, the text disappeared from the hud, then all of a sudden there were 3 new things being displayed.
The weapons, along with their ammo count were displayed in the bottom right hand corner of the hud. In the bottom left hand corner of the hud, the number of grenades and grenade types were laid out. Finally at the top of the hud, my health and a directional pointer, showing that I was currently facing the North, were displayed. I then decided to test the Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance which is also simply known as VISR, which is used to provide tactical data whenever and however available, whether it's through a city's secure files or the UNSC battle net.
This also appeared to be the latest version as I noticed that there was a line of texting off to the left stating that 'Low-vision enhancement: not available.' That setting is basically night vision and outlines various things in various colors depending on what it is, for example friendlies are outlined in green and hostiles are in red.
Once I knew that all the functions were indeed operating correctly, I decided that it was time that I started moving out and try to find any survivors, whether they were UNSC or fellow classmates. I looked off towards the football field, I could still make out the flashes of a fire fight going on. I then looked back at the school, thinking about how some of my classmates and friends could still be in there. I looked back at the glowing football field, which held my best chance of survival. "Well I'm going to regret this later, aren't I?" I muttered as I began my search through the demolished high school.
Once in the building I was greeted with darkened hallway prompting me to turn on the low-level vision enhancement. Once I turned it on, I regretted it instantly. I was now able to see all the bodies in perfect detail. I shook my head and continued on my way, checking each and every room I could find. Finding no one, I decided to move on to the next hallway. However when I peeked around the corner I saw two elites talking amongst themselves. They keep pointing and the way to their left. I looked over and saw a student laid up against the wall holding their side, while looking at the two aliens with a look of pure hatred in their eyes.
I raised my battle rifle, taking aim at one of the Elites' heads. 'Hmm, I wonder if they turned off their shields… probably not knowing my luck.' I thought, switching my rifle's firing mode to single shot. I took a deep breath to steady my aim and then, I pulled the trigger. The elite's head flashed in a color of blue, and then I heard their war cry. "Well, I freaking called it." I muttered as I quickly switched my gun to fully automatic, pulling the trigger yet again. The elites roared again and pulled out their energy swords. However one of their shields proceeded to fail and I took the opportunity to take the headshot.
The elite went down with a boom, his colleague going into a full sprint at me. My gun then made the sound all soldiers fear. Click click click. The clip was empty. I quickly darted my eyes between the gun and the elite who was about to ram. "Well crap-" Was all I had time to say before I was thrown against a wall. The elite wasted no time in rushing up to me and grabbing me by the throat, lifting me up so I was just a bit taller than him. My feet however were at least 8 inches off the ground and I'm 5' 6". Not to mention his sword was aimed directly at my heart. I tried to pull his massive hand off my throat, but to no avail.
"Pathetic humans, your destruction is the will of the gods! And we are their instrument." He said.
"Really… Gods?" I managed to wheeze out. "I… think… it's… their… will… that… you...die!" I managed to reply. I gave up trying to pry his grip and let my arms dangle.
"You dare insult not only me, but also the gods? Tell me worm, what makes you think I'll die?" He responded.
"This…" I replied. I grabbed the pistol from its magnetic clamp and shoved it underneath his chin and fired. Since the barrel was touching the actual armor, the shield did nothing to protect its user from the armor piercing round that tore it's way through alien metal and brain alike. Then, gravity took care of the rest, bringing the big alien corpse to the ground. Now able to breath I decided to catch my breath. I looked down and saw the energy sword the elite was carrying. I picked it up and threw it into my rucksack, then jogged over to the classmate to see who it was. To my surprise it was one of my life long friends, Thomas Smith. Thomas, though we usually call him Smith, is a bit of a redhead and white. He is about 6' and is relatively strong so he's not thin but not big either, we both were 18 and he probably knows weapons and equipment better than I do.
"Thanks-" cough "for the-" cough "rescue." he managed to say.
"Hey, anytime." I then depolarized my visor so he could see my face.
"Joe, what are you-" cough "doing in that armor?".
"Somebody needed to save your sorry behind." I responded, as I started looking him over checking for injuries.
"Yeah… That tends to happen doesn't it?" He managed to say without coughing.
"It does. Well looks like your ribs are bruised if not broken." I replied.
"Dang… I hate those alien-" cough.
"Come on," I said as I picked him up and leaned him on my shoulder. "We need to find the others or some of the UNSC forces."
"Agreed." He managed to say.
"Here take my pistol," I said as I reached down and grabbed it. "And cover me will ya?" I said as I handed him my pistol.
"I thought you'd never ask. Man, just like the old days of Airsoft huh?"
"Yeah, except this time we have real guns." I told him. He tried to laugh but his ribs hurt too much. Together we turned the corner and prepared ourselves for a fire fight. Instead of seeing a horde of aliens we found an actual ODST drop pod in the middle of the hallway. We got over to it as quickly as we possibly could. I set Smith down so I could open the hatch. I found the emergency release switch, stood off to the side so I could avoid getting hit with a flying door, then pulled the switch.
Looking inside I discovered medical supplies, such as biofoam, adrenaline shots, and painkillers. There was also some spare ammo for my weapons and actual weapons, including the famous M7S Caseless Submachine Gun and the M6C. Just as I turned my head to tell Smith what I discovered, a reflection caught my eye. It was another set of ODST armor, but it was on a rack… no wearer. Though weird, I wasn't going to complain.
"What's in there Joe?" I heard Smith say.
"Your birthday present." I responded blatantly.
"Dude that was 2 months ago." He complained.
"So you don't want a ODST suit and your favorite weapon? The-"
"The M7S Caseless Submachine Gun complete with a silencer?!" He interrupted.
"You know it." I replied "also found some meds for those broken ribs."
"Hand it all over man."
"Haha, I knew you'd come around." I responded, as I passed him the needed medical supplies, putting the rest off to the side. I then dug into the ammo and weapons, throwing the M7S and the M6C at Smith which he managed to catch. As I began to collect the ammo for our guns, Smith threw the pistol I let him borrow at me.
"Think fast!" I heard Smith shout.
"What?" was all I managed to say before "ouch!"
In a fit of laughter he managed to say, "I told you to think fast, and you're wearing a suit of armor how'd that even hurt!?"
"And you're back to your old self again," I threw him the undersuit and the armor. "Now put all this on, you'll need it.". As he set to work putting all his gear on, I filled his rucksack with the ammo he needed and supplies, doing the same with mine. Once everything was packed and ready we noticed that there were two spare weapons in the pod, an M90 Close Assault Weapon System (a shotgun) and the SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle along with 3 more M6S's.
"Well… what the heck are we supposed to do with these?" asked Smith.
"You grab the rifle and attach it to your back, I'll do the same with the shotgun and the pistols." I responded. As we set to attaching the weapons to the armor I had a thought. "Hey Smith?"
"Yeah Joe?"
"We have magnetic clamps on both sides of waists, right?"
"Last time I checked yeah, why?"
"Akimbo." I said as I held the two pistols in the typical raised form.
"Nice dude, it fits you."
"I know right? Anyways let's see if we can find anyone else, or more supplies. You can never have too many bullets."
"Haha, ain't that the truth."
"Indeed it is, let's get moving then." I said as we began to search the school.
Authors Note: Well the first chapter seemed to be pretty well received, a lot more people read it then I expected so you guys rock! Thank you,Kickinstorm and ASSNxGoDz for following the story! And thanks ASSNxGoDz for the review, and yes I will post the other 6 (I typed up another chapter) due to the amazing support form you readers, I honestly never expected so many people to read this. Currently it looks like I'll be posting Thursday's almost every other week. In the mean time, enjoy the chapter and enjoy the rest of your day everyone!
BattleFrontline signing off
