The two hornets set down on a small beach which rose up into a grassy plain. In front of them was a giant metal structure. It had an opening that went down to the basement.
The eight passengers jumped off the sides of the hornets. The one in good condition left, But McCaw's needed repairs so he had to wait.
A spartan with the exact same colors as Lay came out of the structure's basement. He wore Mark VI armor.
"Well what do you know? Rusejambon!" said the spartan
He walked casually to the elite with his arms wide open.
"Jumper!" Ruse said with the first joy in his voice for a while. "How have you been?"
"Ah, same old, same old." Jumper replied. "Where's the general?"
"Well..." Ruse began "Apparently, you're looking at him."
"Wow, you really have moved up, I'm still just a major." Jumper said. He then cupped his mouth piece with his hand, jerked his thumb towards Lay and asked "Who's the clone?" in a very loud whisper.
"You're the clone! You look as useless as one!" Lay snarled
"I'm sorry if I'm breaking something up…" McCaw broke in "But, ah could you, uh get someone to fix up my, uh hornet, here?"
"Yeah sure" Jumper then yelled down to the basement "We need maintenance!"
An elite and a spartan ran out and started working on the hornet.
When they were done McCaw tried the hornet. "Works like a charm." he said
"Oh yeah, by the way..." Jumper began "Lookey what we found!"
He then ran up to a scorpion tank, parked beside the structure.
Jumper climbed on top of it and proceeded to show off.
Then there was a very faint sucking noise, and the scorpion burst in to flames, incinerating Jumper with it.
Ruse was shocked, but it was the second sound of an explosion that threw him out of the trance.
He turned to see the hornet that McCaw was in, bloom into a fiery flower.
He couldn't move, two of his best comrades, destroyed in seconds.
A gunnery sergeant came out of the structure. "In here!" he yelled
Ironwedge took the two elites and three spartans to the front of the structure to fight off the infection, while Lay, Dindin, Watt, and Ruse followed the sergeant into the basement.
"General!" the sergeant began "I'll explain the battle plan; your squad mates can go join Corporal Chipper over there." Ruse waved them off.
"And who might you be?" Ruse asked. "I am Gunnery Sergeant Cabbage." he replied. Cabbage started to explain the plan. Ruse listened attentively.
On the other side of the basement Lay, Watt and Dindin talked with the corporal.
"Hi, you guys must be the majors of Alpha Squad." The Corporal said
"Commanders…" Lay replied "We've been promoted."
"Lucky, I'm still at the bottom of the ladder; by the way I'm Corporal Birch"
Birch wore all Mark VI armor, colored a dull cream and beige.
"Me and Cabbage over there have been instructed to escort you safely." he said.
"Oh, we don't need escorts, but we will be happy to escort you." Lay replied
"I'm sorry commander, but I'm just following orders." Birch said regretfully
"Well, guess what you're following our orders now, Birch." Lay growled, his visor just centimeters from Birch's.
Watt and Dindin snickered behind Lay.
"Men form up..." Ruse announced "Here's the plan we're making a convoy, all we have is a warthog, a mongoose and two ghosts."
Ironwedge walked into the basement, "Their dead." he announced.
"The zombies?" Cabbage asked.
"Yup, and the men you sent up with me, but don't worry you'll probably be there with them soon, and your friend too." Ironwedge replied and motioned to Birch.
"Anyways, our destination is a building similar to this one across this gully. We have information that there's a teleporter there that can get us out of this hellhole, and return to a UNSC base." Ruse continued, "I will be driving the warthog at the front of the convoy..."
"What!" Cabbage interrupted "We didn't agree to this!"
"I don't need to agree to anything with you, Sergeant." Ruse replied softly
"No! I am escorting you and I will not let you drive in that leading warthog!" he screamed.
***
The warthog cleared the gap over the river and landed with a loud thud on the adjacent piece of land.
"I love driving." Lay said
"Yeah, well I love finding loop holes." Ruse said in the warthog's passenger seat.
Cabbage scowled, he was in the machine gun turret of the warthog.
Behind them Ironwedge drove the mongoose with Dindin on the back with a rocket launcher. Behind them was Watt and Birch in the two ghosts.
The convoy came to a halt on the peak of a hill. The building was in sight, a clear path, but it seemed too easy. To the right, a cliff with the river at the bottom, to the left, an indent in the gully's side, with a crashed pelican. Ruse studied the pelican.
Cabbage noticed Ruse's examination and said "Flight 756."
"What?"
"Crashed two weeks ago, a small group from Base 1 came to investigate it…" He paused "When I arrived it was on fire, corpses were scattered all around the crash sight, there were two survivors, but we were too late, one had a seizure and died on arrival the other one crawled out of the wreckage, his legs were crushed. He whispered 'Help me'. His armor then turned black and pale green he started screeching, a zombie got him. I shut my eyes pulled out my magnum and fired at him, killing him instantly…" He paused again "The zombies infected the rest of the corpses and then proceeded to attack Base 2, the one were heading for."
"So, you're saying it's an up hill fight?" Ruse questioned
"Yup, and be warned this gully is infested with zombies, there are so many hiding spots, you don't see them but they sure as hell see you."
"Well then we should keep moving."
The convoy started again slowly. They proceeded down the hill; they were in enemy territory now.
There was a crushing sound; they turned to witness a zombie clawing the top of Birch's ghost. Birch drove the ghost in circles firing the plasma cannons on the front of it, another zombie jumped down from a tree onto the back of the ghost, there were now zombies surrounding the convoy, everyone human, alien and zombie open fired.
The zombie on the back of Birch's ghost grabbed him and threw him off, his limp body hit a boulder and he lay there unconscious. The zombies then drove the ghost into Birch's unconscious body crushing and killing him in a plasmid explosion of purple and blue fire.
The two zombies emerged from the ghost's wreckage screaming. Dindin immediately fired a rocket into the smoke, exploding the two zombies and Birch's corpse.
Across form the wreckage a zombie ripped the front plating of Watt's ghost off and clawed its way up to the cockpit. Watt pulled his mauler from the ghost's weapon holder and blew the zombie's head off while yelling "Go back to where you belong douche bag!"
"Go!" barked Cabbage, "We can fight these damn things 'til the sun goes down and we'll still be out numbered! So just drive!"
Lay smashed the acceleration pedal with his foot and the convoy was off at full speed. A zombie jumped in front of the warthog just to be exploded into chunks. He was ripped in two and his torso was shredded in the warthog's grill. His green oozing blood splattered across the windshield and Lay let out a hardy laugh.
"This squad is ruthless." Cabbage remarked
Ironwedge came in over the helmet com and said cheerfully "And that's why we're the best."
The convoy came to a halt at the building's side.
"Last stop, everybody out!" Dindin announced.
"Shhhhhh, this building is a zombie haven, were screwed if they find out were here." Cabbage whispered
Something hit Lay on the top of his head.
"So do you think they know were here?" asked Watt
Lay was hit on the head again. "Quit it." he ordered
No one was listening to Lay. He turned around and looked up at the wall behind him.
"I don't think they know were here yet." Cabbage replied
"Oh yes they do..." Lay interrupted.
There clinging to the wall, about 25 feet above them was a spartan, his armor was black and a heavy amount drool was dripping out of his helmet.
He lunged landing in the middle of them and started screeching a high pitched screech, it was deafening, they couldn't move, it was so painful.
The zombie stopped and jumped at Cabbage and loud blast went off. The zombie landed with a thud. Smoke rose from the barrel of Ruse's shotgun. "Let's move!" he ordered.
The group of soldiers moved to the main floor of the building, it had no roof. Zombies were climbing the walls on the outside and jumping from the tower down on to the main floor.
"The teleporter is in the basement." Cabbage said.
Ruse looked at Watt and Ironwedge "You two clear out the basement."
Cabbage looked at Ruse "We must hurry."
"I know." Ruse replied
Lay pulled out two magnums and was blasting away the zombies; Dindin had a flamethrower and was just spurting flames everywhere. Ruse had his shotgun and Cabbage had an assault rifle.
A zombie snuck up behind Dindin, Ruse ran up to it and snapped its neck. While Ruse was vulnerable another zombie hit him in the back of the leg with a spiker.
Ruse crumbled and let out an elite cry. The zombie stood over Ruse with its spiker, but then Lay jumped Ruse's gimp body, smashed his magnum's barrels through the zombie's helmet visor and fired. Two holes appeared in the back of the zombie's helmet, draining all the green liquid in its head out of the holes.
Lay then picked Ruse up and carried him into the basement; Cabbage followed shooting down the pressing zombies. Dindin then went into the basement lighting the door way on fire behind him.
Watt ran up to Lay "All clear." he announced.
"Good, now...Lets get the hell out of here!" He screamed.
Loud footsteps were heard, a dark figure came into view through the flaming entrance. "Go!" Lay screamed.
Watt and Ironwedge went through the teleporter.
An infected elite walked through the flaming doorway as if the flames weren't there. He ignited his energy sword, and let out an elite battle cry.
"Go!" Screamed Cabbage "I'll fight him off, just save the general!"
"No, were all coming out alive." Lay hollered
"My mission was to escort you to safety, not to live so go!" Cabbage pointed his assault rifle at Lay, Dindin and Ruse "Now!"
Lay and Dindin looked at each other and then sighed, "Fine." Lay sighed, he grabbed Ruse's arm and Dindin grabbed the other and they pulled him through the teleporter.
Cabbage turned to the elite, "Just you and me now bitch." He whispered.
The elite let out another cry, and charged.
Cabbage pulled the pin out of a frag grenade and threw it at his feet.
The frag exploded, collapsing the floor above him, and burying him, the zombie and the teleporter in a giant pile of rubble.