The Flood has been awakened thanks to the loud noises the covenant and the humans have done, this has awaken the creature that lurks at the darkest place in the ring, getting the flood to go crazy and fight back. They started to make their way towards a location where the Master Chief and Frederic was, using the covenant bodies they killed and humans as hosts so they can start working their way back to the Forerunner structures towards the icon where they will get it before anyone else does. Most of the major places underground close to the icon are overrun by flood spores but the sentinels manage to hold them at bay, making sure they don't leave the quarantine area while some got through.

Master Chief and Frederic finally eliminated the prophet of regret but it also cause the covenant fleet to arrive, coming at thousands of them and the high charity as well coming forth and begins to mobilise their forces on the ground to deal with the flood and retrieve the sacred icon, if they get it then the world will be gone.

Frederic manage to escape but the Master Chief is now marked M.I.A due to falling into the water and there is no sign on him, Johnson gets Frederic to return to the frigate where they will begin their campaign to find the team on the ground that are already halfway of reaching the icon. Frederic and Johnson and Miranda and a squad of marines on the ship prepare to head down there to regroup with that team, they need all the help they can get down there.

Reaper with Kelly and Linda held their position with the squad of marines on the ground preparing a defence as the flood spores started to come out of the ground, charging towards them to feed on their flesh and control their bodies. Reaper standing on the high ground with his assault rifle firing down at the spores while Kelly and Linda stand nearby firing as well with the marines, pushing them back for a while until the sentinels arrived and started firing down upon the flood then towards the team, killing two of their marines and causes them to retreat inside the station. They can't wait for backup they need to push forward.

"Kelly this is Miranda what's your situation?"

"Were under attack by the flood and were moving inside to head further in, were going after the icon we can't wait for you guys to show up."

"Understood... ground teams two and three whats your situations?" She couldn't get any respond to the other teams on the ground. "Team two and three report now!"

Someone from team three quickly responds to her. "This is team three..." then static and gunfire "Were under attack by –" Suddenly it ends.

"Damn it..." Miranda looks at Johnson and Frederic who stands behind her on the bridge "I guess were going down there."

"Are you sure about that captain i am sure the Spartans can handle the flood down there."

"Yes but if we stay up here then they will not be able to make it back to the extraction point, plus the covenant fleet have arrived we can't afford them getting their hands on the button."

"If those bastards get their hands on it then were all dead..." Johnson said "Well what are we waiting for?"

"What about Chief?"

"I know he's still alive and i know he will return to the fight soon." She looks back to the consol "Let's do this now so that he won't have to join in the fight down here."

With the covenant preparing to land down upon the field to battle against the flood and the sentinels the team in the underground Forerunner area started to get attack heavy on all sides, standing on the side of the edge looking outside seeing the other side of the Forerunner structure where they have to go. Two large sentinels appears on that side firing upon them causing them to get into cover, the flood comes through and started attacking them and the sentinels, they now lost four marines now in this fight.

Kelly comes out of hiding and heads forward, firing her shotgun at the flood hosts while she runs into cover to avoid that large sentinels onslaught of red plasma on the ground, Linda heads over then Reaper stands behind grabbing one of the dead marines grenade launcher, firing it towards one of the sentinels and holding the trigger to send an EMP blast causing the sentinel to go offline and fall from the sky. Reaper was about to move but a flood host had a rocket launcher and fired towards him, hitting the side of him sending him on the ground and killing another marine, one more started open firing but a spore got him from behind. Reaper slowly gets up seeing his soldier turning into one of them consuming him until the flood inside of him takes control, he raise his rifle and fired through the head putting him out of his misery before getting up and running towards both Kelly and Linda, looking back and continues firing towards the flood that come running at him.

Linda activates one of the Forerunner objects causing this large cube to float up showing a pathway underground. Linda looks back and reloads her sniper rifle "Come on guys move it!"

"Coming." Kelly fired her last shell then runs towards her.

"You too Reaper!" She started firing towards the flood once Kelly jumps down there.

Reaper turns back and fires his weapon but a flood in front of him with an energy sword swings forward, cutting his Storm rifle. He stood there and ducks its next attack and punches through the flood host, pulling his hand out then lays a kick to send it on the ground and grabbing his energy sword, turning back and running towards Linda where the two both jump down there together before the floating cube falls back down.

(R.I.P Storm PSR)

Kelly stands at the bottom reloading her shotgun and looking out seeing more flood nearby but hasn't seen them yet, she has seen small sentinels floating around by the windows shooting their beams at the flood while they shoot back with covenant and human weapons. She turns her head back once Linda and Reaper lands on the ground, looking over to Kelly and out there.

"Too you guys long enough to get here..." She finishes reloading and takes aim

"This Spartan had to get a better gun." Linda looks at the energy sword he holds.

"They broke my rifle..." He turns off the sword and places it on his back, taking out a shotgun.

"Go get a new one once this is over." Linda walks next to Kelly and reloads

Reaper sighs and walks over as well. "It's not that easy..."

"Isn't there more?"

"I found that rifle at a weapons factory while i was fighting the rebels, which were the only weapon that i took before blowing up the factory."

"Oh... well... wait why are we talking about this?"

"Thought you wanted to know."

"You two can get on so well if i wasn't here." Kelly said and moves out "Come on..."

Linda lets a deep sighs then they head out, Kelly firing the first shot at the flood and started running through, standing together and firing rounds at anything that is in front of them, continues firing at the flood and the sentinels until they reach another cube where Kelly will activate while both Linda and Reaper looks back firing their rounds at the flood. The cube rises up and Kelly jumps in and so do Linda and Reaper, reloading their weapons before they hit the ground.

They make it to a dark place where more flood are occupying the area, hearing plasma fire knowing the covenant is nearby. "There close... it's best to wait for them to be dealt with before moving on."

"Afraid of fighting the covenant?" Linda asked and moves forward, placing her rifle on her back and grabs a DMR off a dead flood host.

The flood host suddenly gets up once she touched it, before it could attack Reaper fired and blasting through the chest. She looks back to him while Reaper looks out seeing the flood coming he takes point and started firing one round on each flood host in front of him, taking out five of them before reloading and leaving it to Kelly letting her take over.

Reaper looks at Linda while he reloads "Your welcome." Then looks back and joins Kelly.

"Bloody hell..." She moves out with them firing towards the flood.

Reaper kept firing and moving out but looks on his right seeing an elite zealot coming from the energy bridge, slicing through a flood host then looks over to Reaper, he roars towards him and charges while Reaper quickly draws his energy sword and clashes against his. Kelly moves to the side while the two fight it off but she got involve and fired two shells to the side of that elite killing him, turning back and firing at another host.

"We got to move." Linda said and throws he grenade out sending three flood hosts flying. Reloading her rifle and runs on the bridge with Reaper and Kelly behind her. She started firing rounds when the sentinels come moving above her, shooting two of them down.

While they continue heading through and going down another cube they soon end up appearing outside, seeing a battle between the flood and the covenant, seeing flood hosts of the humans controlling a scorpion tank, firing towards an outpost controlled by the covenant but are losing this fight. Four elites are battling against the flood and a few jackals on the tower shooting down at them, the team moves in position to wait before the covenant are finished before making a move, Reaper heads down there camouflage so he can take out that tank and Linda taking aim at the infantry on the tower, Kelly heading out to deal with them.

"You know i thought the flood would be in containment... instead there all over the ring." Linda said loading her rifle.

"Master Chief said that on the other ring he was on they were in containment but the covenant and the marines let them out, i don't think the covenant let the flood out so quickly."

"Maybe they weren't in containment." Reaper said and gets into position behind the tank "They could have been roaming across this ring while these machines try to remove them." He then charges and gets behind the tank, tossing a grenade inside of it and jumping back seeing it blowing up.

"Taking the shot." Linda fires taking out the snipers on the tower.

"Moving!" Kelly charges out firing rounds at the flood and pressing forward, Reaper catching up to her to assist her by drawing an energy sword and striking through some flood before fighting against the elites.

Linda gets back up and heads out there to regroup with the team while both Reaper and Kelly heads to the middle together firing and striking through the enemy, Linda catches up firing her marksman rifle at the flood seeing hundreds of spores coming towards them. Reaper takes a heavy machinegun off the ground and started firing like crazy at the flood removing them before they could go inside the hosts so they can bring the back again. Once this whole area was secure a pelican comes inbound and started to drop six marines to help them push forward, Miranda and the rest were on a different pelican landing somewhere else with two platoons with them.

"Finally we got some help." Kelly said and ditches her shotgun and takes up two SMGs

"Yeah..." Linda walks up to Reaper seeing the marines landing on the ground. "Won't be long now."

"Yeah." He looks back "It's probably going to get worse soon."

"Probably."

Few minutes later they started to move out, Frederic and his team will be landing in ten minutes landing somewhere close to the area but now it's a race to see who gets there first, knowing that the covenant will be coming soon by bringing an army of elites and brutes to fight their way through to win this fight.

The team heads over the mountain seeing the Forerunner structure up ahead but will be dealing with sentinels firing down at the flood nearby and covenant, an all out fight down there but they need to get through there. The area has two wraiths under covenant control and one scorpion under flood control, two large sentinels firing everything they got down at the vehicles while a phantom comes inbound to deploy more troops to deal with them. That scorpion just took out one of the sentinels and now it's started to take aim towards the covenant.

"Damn there hitting each other with all they got down there." Kelly said looking out on the field. "How far until we reach the icon?"

"We will have to go through a Forerunner tram in order to get to the other side of that structure over there." She looks out to the large structure area then looks back over the battlefield seeing the large door controlled by flood. "There's the door."

"We need to get through now." Reaper said and reloads his weapon.

"Yep." Kelly heads down there and so do the rest of the marines and Spartans, making their way towards the covenants position to deal with them.

They come shooting their way through the covenant with the Spartans leading the charge, Kelly firing her guns at the covenant pushing them back and throwing a grenade underneath the broken wraith, blowing it up while Reaper jumps on it once it was destroyed, firing rounds down at the grunts and jackals with Linda standing next to the wraith tank firing her sniper rifle taking out some of the flood on the other side. One of the marines armed with a rocket launcher fired towards that scorpion tank taking out the gun, causing the flood to jump off and started attacking but the large sentinel kept firing down at them removing some of them before turning towards the humans. Linda fired her sniper rifle a few times removing the left arm of that sentinel and causing her to run out of ammo, while Reaper moves forward she stays behind him switching to her marksman rifle and reloading it, running together through the team fighting through until they reach the door.

They lost four marines on this charge but was enough, Kelly and Reaper firing together at that sentinel until it blows up and falls from the sky, once it was secure one of the marines head forward to open the door but the moment he got close to it the door opens and two flood tanks comes out and punches the marine sending him crashing against them, the tanks comes walking outside and started to attack causing them all to disperse moving away from them while firing at them.

Reaper was force to reload but he throws his plasma grenade at one of them blasting to the chest but wasn't enough, he goes charging and drawing his energy sword, jumping up to strike through the tank killing it and dealing with the next one while it started hitting two marines back, Linda reloading her rifle but the tank hits her sending her on the ground so Reaper charges and slices through the arm of it then Kelly fires two shells through the back killing it, getting Linda to roll out of the way before it could land on her.

Linda gets back up looking at the two while the marines secure the area. "Thanks guys... you too Reaper."

He nods to her and ditches his energy sword as it ran out, switching back to his heavy machinegun and started to reload and so would Kelly as well. Once everyone was all set they head through the door but this time Reaper takes point, moving through seeing it dark he activates his night vision in his helmet, keeping his sights ready just in case something like that happens again. The inside looks secure for now but they can see a few dead covenant and flood on the ground, looking back hearing covenant landing party so they start to double time by running through the dead and reaching to this Forerunner platform where it will take them to the other side, once they got onboard they started firing upon the flood when they appear, suddenly more gunfire goes off elsewhere as Frederic and his squad of marines made it here with Johnson and Miranda with them, securing the area before heading through.

"Hey you guys made it." Linda said looking around before placing her rifle on her back.

"Thought we weren't gonna make it?" Frederic asked

"Something like that. Where's the chief?"

"He's... elsewhere... he will come back soon." He turns his head to Reaper when he looks over but doesn't say a word, walking back on the platform.

"We got covenant coming through, we need to push them back."

"I got this." Frederic said and reloads his weapon, looking back to Johnson "Johnson take the –" He looks back looking out at the outside seeing two phantoms incoming. "Incoming!"

They move in position and started firing upon them hitting some of the marines and causing half of them to retreat back inside, Miranda and Johnson stands on the platform hiding for cover while Reaper stands ready nearby.

"Reaper... activate the platform, you guys are sitting ducks in there! Go on without us!" Linda said to Reaper

"Linda –"

"I don't want to hear it... get the icon and protect those two."

Reaper looks over to Miranda and Johnson who started moving closer to him. "Got it... were heading inside." He looks back and activates the consol sending the platform towards the structure with eight marines on board while the rest of the platoon is stuck on the other side.

Reaper looks up seeing one phantom preparing to drop two zealots, drawing their energy swords and stabbing through two marines. Reaper started firing all rounds with his heavy machinegun at one then throws a grenade losing his shield, Miranda moves next to him armed with a shotgun firing two rounds at the zealot killing him then targets the other one while he started charging towards her. Reaper charges first and ducks to miss the swing then stands behind him, drawing his knife and stabbing through the back then again on the other side then finally through the side of the head killing him.

Linda stands on the edge looking out at them while they move away from them. "Good luck on your side Reaper... we will catch up soon..."

"You too Linda." He reloads his weapon and takes the knife out of the elite.

While they were close another platform started to head out as well, missing their chance. "Damn it... the covenant are onboard on that one." Frederic said

Linda takes her sniper rifle and takes aim, looking on board seeing an arbiter on board with two field marshals with him. She could have fired but she didn't have any ammo on her rifle so she lowers it. "I could have taken him..."

"It's too late Linda... let's take care of the covenant on this side while the platforms return." Kelly said and takes an assault rifle.

The first platform lands inside and they started to move out, Miranda was the last one to get off as she activates the console again to get it back to them. She runs off and was force to jump off the platform to land in front of them; once she was ready they move out to get it before the arbiter gets it first.

The team on the other side prepare a defence to battle against the covenant on their end while Reaper and the squad move forward, quickly running through and seeing flood hosts coming out of the tunnels charging towards them. The team stays as a diamond formation firing all out at the flood on all sides, some would get killed by those who carry weapons to use against them, three marines gets taking out and soon another flood tank comes out moving towards them, causing them to hold position to start firing upon them.

"We can handle these bastards... go get it you two." Johnson said reloading his battle rifle looking at Reaper and Miranda. "Watch over her you hear me?"

"Understand." He turns back and started moving, throwing two grenades in front of him to remove any flood in front of him to clear a path. He runs through and so does Miranda who stays behind him, reloading her shotgun.

"Say Reaper... is the story about you true?" Miranda said to him while they run through.

"Yes... why?" He looks back then forward firing his weapon at the flood spores coming towards them.

"Guess i can trust you with my life." She fired two shells at the flood then looks back firing again to remove another one. "Let's go."

"Copy that." He moves forward heading towards the room where the icon is.

As they made it inside seeing three destroyed sentinels and a few flood hosts on the ground, while the icon was just there floating above this black bottomless pit. Reaper takes position aiming out seeing if there is any flood coming, hearing gunfire going off in the distance but soon it goes silent. Miranda goes towards the icon but couldn't reach it, she drops her rifle and takes this long metal rope and started to jump over with it to grab it. Reaper looks back to her then started heading towards her just in case and he was right, the cord of it started to break off and almost sent her falling into the darkness but he grabbed it before she could fall.

"Knew you would do something like that." He help gets her out of there then looks back. "This is Reaper we got the icon... can anyone read?"

He could hear only static while he looks out in the open knowing the flood could be coming this way, he takes aim and moves forward while Miranda stands behind him waiting until it's cleared. Suddenly the arbiter appears behind him drawing his energy sword.

"Behind you!" Miranda shouts

Reaper turns back and he strikes through his weapon and his suit, giving a cut through his armour but didn't touch his skin. He moved back while the arbiter charges towards him to stab him but he moved out of the way and knees his chest to push him back, laying another kick to his chest and drawing a magnum, missing the arbiters attack again he tackles him to the ground and punches him across the face shooting off his energy sword then the arbiter rolls on top of him and punches his head in, getting up but got kicked off of him, grabbing his covenant rifle to take aim to fire but Miranda started firing her shells at the arbiter breaking his shield and causing him to retreat.

"You alright Reaper?" She asked while she stands ready holding her gun but was out of ammo without her noticing it.

"I'm fine... get back..." He stands back up and started moving backwards looking around to see where he's coming back.

While they move back the arbiter leaps down upon them landing in between them, punching Miranda in the chest and turning back to Reaper, about to hit him but he grabs his arm and punches him across the face but when he tries to punch again the arbiter moved and wraps one arm around his arm and stared hitting his face a few times and throws him across the area hitting the ground near the bottomless pit.

Reaper slowly gets back up while the arbiter grabs his energy sword again. "So ends your fight... warrior." He walks towards him with his sword ready.

"Not yet..." He slowly looks up at him and quickly attacks kicking his chest and wrapping his arm around his arm around his head, the arbiter tries to stab him but he grabs his arm with his other hand, kneeing his chest three times then swings him around, letting go of him and sending him falling into the bottomless pit while he stands there as the victor.

He stands tall but looks down seeing a little cut on the side of his chest, he looks back down the bottomless then turns back to help Miranda but suddenly he gets hit by a brute. Tartarus appears behind Reaper and lays a hit across his face with his gravity hammer, sending him falling back and landing hard on the ground with a crack over his helmet yet again but was harder, still alive in that suit but was unconscious as it hit him hard.

"So ends the arbiter..." Tartarus said and looks over to his brutes seeing one of them holding Miranda and another holding Johnson and two marines with him. "They will be perfect to activate the halo." He walks over and grabs the icon off Miranda.

"What about him?" One of them asked looking at Reaper.

"Hmmnn... take him with us... he can be a trophy of our success. The sacred icon is finally with us!"