Halo: Savior of the Battlefield Chapter Two
Jesse McCree gagged and spit the coffee out of his mouth and onto the counter in front of him. "Ugh, still tastes like trash," he reconfirmed to himself. "I don't know why I think it'll change each time I try it. Guess I'm a bit desperate for something to happen around here."
It's an understandable feeling for him to have. The gunslinging cowboy was isolated from the rest of the world with no method of contacting anyone. The temperature was always hot and the sun was always blaring high in the sky with nothing to obscure its smoldering rays. The train that dangled helplessly from the railroad tracks that towered overhead was still present with no signs of actually falling to the ground below it. McCree wished every day for something to happen; but he should have been careful for what he wished.
He heard a deafening whirr echo from the outside. "What the Hell?" He asked himself. He drew his trusty Peacekeeper and darted out the front double doors. A moderately-sized green aircraft was spiraling towards the gas station up the road from him. Both of its engines had erupted in flames and the port wing was absent. It crashed directly into the gas station; which initiated a massive explosion; completely engulfing the Pelican in flames. The cowboy rushed towards the crash site as quickly as he could. When he arrived, he attempted to peer inside of it, but couldn't see past the flames nor the smoke. "Hello?!" He called. "Is anyone alive in there?"
There was no verbal response, however, the feeling that somebody was watching him was creeping up his spine. He turned his head to notice a distorted entity directly behind him. Before McCree had adequate time to even perceive what was before him, the distortion quickly revealed itself to be a golden-armored alien wielding an Energy Sword. His eyes widened as the blade was swung expeditiously towards his neck. He barely rolled out of the way before hastily fanning the hammer on his revolver; unleashing all six rounds in rapid succession. Only three of the shots managed to land on their target, and their damage was nonexistent. McCree reloaded his weapon and aimed it directly at his opponent. "Now listen!" He commanded. "I ain't looking for a fight! I was just here making sure no one was hurt!"
The Arbiter maintained a threatening gaze towards the man. "You arrived wielding a weapon," the Elite recalled. "If your intent was to help, you would not have had it drawn."
Jesse looked down at himself, realizing the alien's point.
"Alright, you got me." The man admitted. "Thinkin' back, I guess havin' my gun out wasn't a great choice. I'm gonna put it away, and you put your fancy sword away; and no more of that disappearin' stuff! Deal?"
The Arbiter hesitated, but nodded shortly afterwards. The two gradually lowered their respective weapons in unison. McCree placed his revolver back in its hilt on his hip and the Arbiter deactivated his Energy Sword before placing it in a similar spot on himself.
The gunslinger's eyes found themselves looking back at the crashed Pelican. "Was it just you in there?" He inquired.
"Yes," the Arbiter replied. "My comrades fell out of the aircraft as it descended into the atmosphere. I was the only one present when it crashed."
"Sorry to hear about your pals. Happens to the best of us." McCree somewhat attempted to console.
"I am not worried." The Arbiter stared off past the cliff in the direction from which he arrived. "They have all survived much worse."
"Worse than falling from the sky?" He inquired doubtfully.
The golden Elite returned his sight to the man adjacent to him, changing the subject. "You do not seem surprised to see me. Most would tremble in fear simply from looking at me."
"Well, I've met a few strange characters myself; including a talking gorilla. You ain't all that weird, but I would like to know why you're here. I definitely ain't never seen something like you, so that means something's not right."
The Arbiter nodded before turning away. "Your planet is in danger. We must find my allies if we are to save it. We must move quickly if we are to find them in time."
"Woah woah woah," McCree stopped him. "Not so fast. Why is my planet in danger? And you aren't from around here, so why do you care?"
The Sangheili started to maneuver down the road and gestured for the cowboy to follow. "Come, I will explain the situation as we journey, but we must make haste."
Everything was in flames. Where Overwatch HQ once proudly stood, was now nothing but rubble and dust. It had been ripped to shreds by an unstoppable horde of robotic beings controlled by the Guardian still hovering high up in the atmosphere. They had since disappeared from the battlefield; off to slaughter whatever it is they were told to slaughter. Commander Morrison, with what little strength he had remaining, forced a pile of rocks off of his body and weakly stood on his feet; his rifle in his right hand. He limped across the beaten courtyard; his eyes locked on to every lifeless body he passed, hoping he wouldn't find anyone he recognized. Most of them were faceless agents that he hadn't seen before; valiant soldiers nonetheless. He vaguely remembered a few of his fallen comrades from training exercises, but he didn't really know any of them; not until he realized who was lying adjacent to where the doors used to be.
A winged valkyrie had her back resting against an arch that managed to remain standing. A massive boulder had landed on her thighs; completely immobilizing her. "Angela!" Jack cried out as he sprinted over to her. He dropped his rifle and kneeled down beside her. The old soldier gently shook his injured friend's shoulders. "Angela?" He whispered fanatically. "Angela, can you hear me?"
The eyes on the bloodied angel's face gradually opened to reveal two beautiful blue irises. "Jack…?" She softly replied. "I-I can't feel my legs. What color are they?"
Jack peered over the boulder to see that her legs were not present; they were no longer attached to her body. "They…" He stuttered. "They're fine."
Angela laughed through a painful cough. "You're such a bad liar. It's what I love about you."
He returned his gaze to Angela's eyes. "Come on." He encouraged as he leaned in to pick her up. "I'm getting you out of here."
She winced and shook her head. "I'm not going back with you this time."
"What?" He asked with a shock.
"I've lost too much blood. My heart can't compensate for it; it will give out soon."
Angela's eerie calmness frightened Jack. He had never seen such serenity from her when facing death.
"I am not leaving you here." He stated sternly. "I can carry you out of here."
"Jack…" Angela replied as she placed one hand on his cheek. She slowly removed his visor and smiled at his visible face. "That's quite a scar."
A single tear managed to free itself from Jack's eye and roll down the side of his cheek. "I can't lose you Angela- not yet. There's so much we haven't done; so much I haven't told you."
Angela gently placed a finger against his lips. "Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss in life is what dies inside us while we live. You're a strong man, Jack. You have to move on; stop those machines so that nothing like this ever happens again."
Angela's hand slowly lowered itself away from her friend's lips. "Take care, Jack. I was lucky to have known you."
His eyes widened. "No, Angela, don't do this to me!"
"Though the parting hurts, the rest is in your hands." Angela's beautiful blue eyes were once again covered and her hand rested on the ground.