Chapter 10
A/N: Awwww yeah, you already know what it is! I decided to bring you all a little something special for the tenth chapter, and what better to choose a franchise that everyone knows and loves. Everyone give a welcoming round of applause to our favorite Doom Slayer as he arrives in the Halo Universe! Reminder that I own nothing!
"Noble Six, activate the turrets and set up a perimeter."
Six winked his acknowledgement light from his HUD, signaling that he had heard and was in the process of carrying out the order. He glanced once more back up to the massive structure buried in the cavern before double-timing it to the first set of turrets.
What could Dr. Halsey have found here that was so damn important?
Six decided he would find out soon enough as he punched the activation command into the first turret's interface. He stepped back as the automated gun came to life. Its sensors designated him as a friendly, and Six double checked that all systems on the turret were operational before jogging to the next turret. Six repeated the process three more times before hightailing it back to the rest of Noble Team, who had set up fortifications outside the entrance to Dr. Halsey's lab.
"Turrets online, sir," Six announced as he took up position behind some of the sandbags.
"Just in time, Lieutenant," Carter replied over their COM. "We got phantoms incoming!"
Six could hear the ghostly whirring of the phantom in the distance. He had always assumed that all Covenant vehicles had been nicknamed after apparitions and spirits due to the eerie hum that they made. Six identified the phantom by sight just as a number of grunts and jackals poured out of the dropship. Six barely had time to take aim at the hostiles before Emile barked out a warning.
"Get down! Banshees, 12 o'clock!"
Six looked up to see a squadron of three banshees appear and take aim at their position. Six ducked behind the sandbags just before the aircraft opened fire. He felt the pulses of plasma turn some of his cover to glass before the banshees passed over head. Six's training immediately took over, and he rose out of cover and took aim at the approaching grunt and jackal horde.
Well-placed shots from his DMR quickly dispatched six of the aliens, but there were at least fifty of them approaching. If they reached their fortifications, there would be nowhere for the Spartans to run.
Luckily enough for Six, the wave of aliens had just come into the turret's range, and the mounted chain gun was music to his ears as the turret pelted ordinance into the swarm. The group quickly fell into disarray as the turret relentlessly pounded them, shredding through the jackal's shields and the grunts' methane packs. Bright blue and purple blood saturated the snow, melting through to the hard rock beneath.
The rest of Noble Team focused fire on the remaining aliens, quickly dispatching any stragglers.
"Six, grab a Jackhammer and take out those Banshees," Carter's voice instructed in Six's HUD.
Six winked his acknowledgement light and quickly hefted the launcher to his shoulder. The banshees had circled back for another pass and were already taking aim again.
Four banshees, the rocket launcher only held two rockets at a time, meaning Six would have to reload once if he wanted to take out all four.
He quickly did a calculation in his head, accounting for trajectory and time from firing to detonation, then took aim with the launcher and fired. The rocket burst from the weapon and arced in an intercept path. It made contact and detonated against the
banshee at the edge of the formation, blasting one of its wings apart. The sudden imbalance caused the Banshee to veer straight into the rest of the formation, crashing and destroying two other banshees in its path. The far aircraft was able to veer away from the wreckage just in time, but Six already had missile lock on the lucky survivor. The launcher kicked against his shoulder again, and another rocket burst forth, targeting the heat signature that the Banshee gave off. The small aircraft attempted to maneuver, but it was too late. The missile detonated against its nose, and the aircraft exploded quite spectacularly.
"Yeah! Nice job, Six," came Emile's voice from the COM channel.
"Look alive, Noble," Carter's voice drew the attention back. "We've got two more phantoms inbound."
Six looked and saw that indeed two more phantoms had swooped in. This time, the phantoms opened fire on the turret emplacements with their mounted plasma cannons, the explosive plasma quickly melted the fortifications, effectively destroying them beyond repair. Only when the turrets had been destroyed did the phantoms drop their cargo. More grunts and jackals poured from the sides, but Six saw a plethora of elites and Brutes drop from the ships as well.
"Brutes and elites!" Jun called out. He fired once from his sniper rifle. "Major-class, armor type and shield strength confirm."
"Roger! Noble Team, focus fire on the Majors."
Six acknowledged from his HUD. It was one of the earliest strategies devised to battle the Covenant. Grunts and sometimes Jackals would lose their nerve if their field commanders fell, and they would scatter and disorient. Which meant good things for the marines.
Six took aim at an approaching elite and targeted its head, where its shield was weaker. The first three shots rippled the shield, and the fourth broke through, beaming through the elite's light faceplate. The large alien fell to the ground, dead. Six instantly acquired another elite but was blasted to the side by a massive explosion of plasma to his right.
The heat blistered on his back, and Six immediately tucked into a roll as his training had taught him. Those who hesitated…died. As Six rolled back to his feet, Carter's voice barked in his HUD.
"Wraith contact, 200 meters out!"
"Sir, these fortifications won't stand up against that kind of firepower!" Emile's voice yelled over the COM.
"Hold this position Noble Team!" Carter ordered. "Stay mobile, don't let the Wraith lock in on your position."
Six acknowledged and hustled another section of cover: A thick steel wall built for just the purpose he needed. Peeking around, Six saw that there had to have been at least one-hundred aliens advancing on their position. Around three-quarters of that force were grunts and jackals, but none of that information offered comfort.
Pulling the Jackhammer back out, Six broke cover and fired directly into the center of the mass of aliens. The explosion blew a hole into the middle of the Covenant forces but had little effect on the overall odds of victory. Six moved out of cover to fire again but was immediately forced back behind the wall as the Covenant returned fire. Plasma burst against his shields en masse, depleting them to zero in an instant. The aliens continued to pelt his cover, bolts bursting and searing into the wall from the other side, and Six could feel the heat from the impacts through the dense metal.
Six pulled out a grenade and tossed it over his cover. A dull blast came from the other side, and Six heard cries of pain as the grenade did its job.
"Another phantom coming in!" Jun called. "Sir, we are being overrun!"
"Stand your ground Noble Team!" Carter commanded. "We fight until the last man!"
Six had no time to acknowledge, the advancement was nearly upon him, and Six could have sworn he heard the infamous plasmic hiss of an energy sword powering to life.
Another heavy plasma blast exploded next to Six, courtesy of the Wraith.
Six was a realist. He knew that these were nigh unbeatable odds, but Spartans felt no fear. He may go down today, but he was going to make damn sure that a few Covenant were going with him.
Just as Six leaned out of cover to fire again, he was greeted by a sudden burst of blue light and a loud bang between him and the encroaching threat.
Six's visor immediately compensated against the bright light, but Six found himself to be more confused than anything else. At first, he thought the light to be a plasma grenade exploding in his face, but he could feel no pain. Was he dead?
The light suddenly faded, and Six's visor brightened again. What he saw confused him. Before him stood a figure clad entirely in dark green armor. The fact that the figure was covered in armor was not surprising to Six, but a multitude of other things were. The first of which was its appearance. As far as Six's augmented vision could tell, the armor that this figure was human, and the armor it was wearing was certainly not of covenant origin, but it matched none of the current power armor or marine armor variants that Six knew of. The figure itself was not much taller than six feet, which made Six's best guess that this was an ODST from all of the armor it was wearing.
The biggest question on Six's mind was where the hell it had come from. It was as though a miniature Slipspace portal had opened and the figure stepped through, which opened a whole new line of questioning if that were the case.
Six noticed that the entire battlefield seemingly lulled at the unorthodox arrival, and all eyes were averted to the unexpected turn of events. Spartan and Covenant alike. Six was trained never to hesitate, but for some unexplainable reason, he felt it necessary that this figure made the first move. The rest of Noble Team seemed to agree. The cavern fell eerily silent save for the hum of plasma weaponry.
The figure was looking directly back at Six, its expression unreadable behind its helmet. After examining Six up and down, it turned and took in the rest of its surroundings. It examined the rest of Noble Team, then the Covenant that stood behind it. The closest alien to it was an elite major, an energy sword primed in its hand. The figure stared at the elite, an action that seemed to shake the alien from its stupor.
Yelling something in Sanghelli, the elite charged and swung the energy sword at the figure. Six watched in awe as the figure responded by preemptively stepping forward and striking the elite in the center of its helmet. The alien's shield failed, and the punch continued through and crashed hard against its skull. The elite's head snapped backward, and the rest of its body went with it, flying backward a few feet before landing in a crumpled heap on the ground.
It did not get up.
The figure had killed the elite with a single blow.
The action reanimated the entire battle field, and the Covenant forces yelled and fired at their new target. As Six ducked back into cover, he saw the figure produce what appeared to be a shotgun from nowhere and run headfirst into a pack of grunts.
"Who the hell is that?" Noble Six heard Emile's voice from his COM.
"Dot, what am I looking at?" Carter asked the AI.
Six heard the calming voice of Noble's A.I. inside his helmet.
"My apologies, Noble leader, this operative does not match any known personnel in the UNSC database. Nor does it match any category of Covenant files."
"What about the armor? Any idea where it's from?"
"Negative, it matches no design schematics for any armor in the ONI database."
"So, we're dealing with a ghost," Emile said.
Jun watched through his sniper scope. "Looks more like a demon to me," he said.
"Whatever he is, he's drawing Covenant fire," Carter said. "Light 'em up Noble."
Six didn't need to be told twice. He targeted the nearest elites and brutes and opened fire. The figure itself had disappeared form Six's view, but he could easily tell where he was, as the Covenant had seemingly forgotten about the Spartans and were frantic to bring down the newcomer.
Noble Six saw a bright plume of light burst forth in the distance. The Wraith. Turning back, Six opened a nearby hard case and pulled out a Spartan Laser, the UNSC's answer to any anti-personnel vehicle the Covenant threw at them.
Hefting the weapon on his shoulder, six looked down the camera sights and focused on the wraith in the distance. Holding down the trigger, Six heard the weapon charge with an electric hiss. A sighting light appeared, and Six trained it directly on the hatch that led to the pilot's seat. The armor was weakest there.
The weapon's hissing grew to a climax, then the weapon kicked, and a bright beam flashed across the battle field and into the Wraith. Six watched through the weapons sights and waited for the smoke to clear. As the black rolled away, Six saw that the shot had penetrated through the pilot's hatch and had hit the vehicle's plasma reactor. The Wraith had exploded into a pile of smoldering wreckage. It was out of commission.
Six then turned his attention to the Banshees in the sky. There were two left, and Six had three charges left on the Spartan Laser. Six took aim at the first Banshee, which was attempting to fire its pulse laser at something he couldn't see. The armored stranger most likely.
The Spartan Laser whirred up again, and Six braced as the weapon fired a red beam into the Banshee, which exploded in a bright purple fireball. Six repeated the process with the second Banshee as well. It was all too easy with them distracted.
As Six scanned the battlefield for remaining hostiles, he saw the figure emerge again from behind one of the rock faces. In one hand he held a struggling Brute by the throat, and the other held the double-barreled shotgun that Six had seen earlier.
As Six watched, the brute tried its best to free itself from the figure's grasp, attempting to peel its fingers away while gasping for breath.
The figure lifted its shotgun beneath the Brute's chin and blew the beast's head apart.
The figure then turned around to face an elite General wielding an energy sword, but the elite's progress was halted as Six blasted it to pieces with the Spartan Laser. The battlefield fell silent.
Six quickly scanned the area for stragglers but found none. They had either fled or were lying face down in the bloodied snow.
Six then looked back to the figure, which was approaching Noble Team, its shotgun still in its hands.
"Dr. Halsey," Carter said. "All Clear."
"Well done, Spartans," Halsey replied over the COM. "I'm opening the laboratory door."
The stranger reached Noble Team, and all four of them warily kept their rifles at the ready.
"Stay where you are," Carter said. The figure came to a halt a few feet away from them.
"Identify."
The figure said nothing.
"I said identify," Carter said a bit more forcefully. The figure still continued to stare at them.
"Do you speak English? You understand me?"
The figure looked at Carter, then nodded once.
"I don't think we're getting anything out of him, commander," Emile said. "He doesn't strike me as the type to talk."
"We need to know if he's a friendly. If that armor doesn't belong to us, then who does it belong to?"
"Bring that stranger inside with you, Spartan," Halsey's voice came on over the COMs. "I want to see this for myself."
Carter considered the odds for a moment, then nodded to Six.
"Get the door, Six. And you…" Carter gestured to the silent stranger. "You stay where I can see you."
The stranger said nothing, but started toward the door, bumping Carter none-to-kindly on his shoulder as he went by.
"Let's go," Carter said. The three other remaining members of Noble Team all acknowledged and followed their leader inside. Carter remained watchful of the stranger ahead of them, telling him where to go as they made their way through the facility.
Following a few more twists and turns, the five of them eventually arrived in a massive inner chamber. The ceiling rose high into the air and out of sight, and in the center, floated a massive orb glowing with power. The orb itself was constructed of semi-transparent energy, but it twinkled with spots of blue and gold, which appeared to be flowing in and out of it. On the ground sat a multitude of machines, each hooked up to the orb in some way, likely to study it somehow. And working furiously with the machines was Dr. Halsey, as though her ass was on fire.
Six had never seen anything like this in his life. This orb that floated before them was beyond anything human or Covenant that existed. The rest of Noble Team stared upward as well.
Emile was the first to break the silence.
"What is this stuff?" he asked in bewilderment.
"Knowledge," Dr. Halsey said without looking up from her work. "A birthright from an ancient civilization."
"Is it a birthright?" Jun asked. "Or are you meddling with something you cannot control?"
Dr. Halsey ignored the sniper and continued to tap away at the screens. Six thought he saw the stranger nod imperceptibly at Jun's words, but he couldn't be certain.
"This A.I. is its custodian, and she has chosen you as her couriers."
Six only then noticed the A.I. hovering about on a table. She appeared to be sitting inside a miniaturized version of the sphere above, and she glowed a bluish-purple as values and runes cascaded down her body.
"Chosen?" Emile asked. "By an A.I.?"
"By this A.I., yes," Dr. Halsey said, finally sparing a glance in Noble Team's direction. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the stranger, then she turned back to her equipment.
"Her measure of you carries as much weight as my own. Perhaps more," Halsey continued. "You are to take her to the UNSC shipbreaking yard at Aszod. There, you will find a Halcyon-class cruiser waiting to take her off-planet."
"I understand," Carter said.
"Do you?" Dr. Halsey asked.
A moment of silence filled the cavern.
"Mankind is outmatched," Halsey said. "When Reach falls - and it will fall – our annihilation is all but certain."
Six felt a chill run down his spine. He could not bring himself to disagree with the Doctor.
"Unless…" Halsey said. "…we can glean from this artifact a defense against the Covenant. A game-changer. On the level of the conical bullet in the nineteenth century, or faster than light travel in the twenty-third."
"And what if we can't?" Carter asked.
"What if we can, but the cost of doing so is our extinction?!" Jun asked a bit more forcefully than was necessary. This time, Noble Six was almost certain that he saw the stranger grow visibly angry at the possibility. He could only assume that this stranger had seen it happen before.
Dr. Halsey seemed to pause for a moment, Six thought he almost saw something in her eyes.
Sadness?
"Both are apt questions if there were somewhere else to place our hope," Doctor Halsey said. "But there is not."
She sounded almost tired.
Jun said nothing but turned his head and looked around the cavern. The stranger seemed to fix the A.I. with a curious gaze, as though the artificial intelligence was not what he expected. Was he expecting something else? Had he dealt with A.I. before?
Dr. Halsey tapped a button on the terminal the A.I. sat on, and the hologram disappeared. A handle sprung from the machine, and the doctor grabbed a hold of it and pulled. Six watched as Dr. Halsey pulled out a storage canister. The canister walls were made of glass and encased in hard steel, and Noble Six saw a deep blue light in the center which he assumed was the A.I. herself.
Doctor Halsey held the canister in both hands carefully, as though a single breath could shatter the glass. Slowly, she made her way over to Noble Six, who stood by the stranger. Halsey stopped and held the canister out to him.
"Take it Lieutenant," Dr. Halsey said. "She has made her choice."
Noble Six looked over at Carter, who nodded once. He then looked over to the stranger, who looked from the A.I. to him expectantly. Seeing no argument, Noble Six reached out and firmly grasped the canister in both hands.
"Do you have it?" Doctor Halsey asked him.
"Yes."
"Say the words, please."
"I have it," he said. Only then did Dr. Halsey reluctantly let go of the canister. Her gaze lingered over the A.I. a moment more, then she finally turned her attention to the stranger. Her eyes travelled over his form, and Six had no doubt that she was analyzing every aspect of his armor, from the color of the plating to the numbers stamped on the front.
"You are not wearing any armor that I have conceived or even thought of conceiving. I have never heard of you, and you appeared from a portal that was most certainly not slipspace. I saw it all on the cameras. You are not one of my Spartans, and yet you fight with such ferocity and vigor that you may as well be one. Who are you?"
The stranger looked at Halsey for a moment, then looked over at the A.I. that Noble Six held in his hands. He seemed to be considering something.
After a moment, the armored man seemed to come to a decision. Reaching behind himself, he popped something out of his suit. Bringing his hand back around, Noble Six saw that there was some sort of data chip held in his hand. Halsey saw the chip as well, and her eyes widened slightly, and her mouth fell agape. There was no doubt that she was itching to see what was on the drive.
She reached for the chip, but the stranger held its hand back for a moment. Doctor Halsey looked up at him, confusion in her eyes. The silent stranger gestured to the giant orb, then made a crushing motion with his fist. He wanted it destroyed.
"Yes," Halsey said. "This will be buried shortly after our departure, as much as it pains me so. You should even be able to watch if you so choose."
This seemed to satisfy the armored figure, and it held the chip out to Halsey, who took it in both hands.
"What is on this?" she asked, looking back up at the enigmatic individual before her.
The figure pointed to the canister in Noble Six's hands.
Doctor Halsey's eyes widened considerably. She looked as though she was about to burst from excitement.
"You…can't be serious?!" Doctor Halsey had always kept her composure in the past, but Noble Six thought he just might see her break at the possible contents of the chip.
"Doctor, we don't have time for this," Carter interjected. "We have to evac, now."
Doctor Halsey took a brief moment to compose herself, then nodded.
"Then I suggest we move, Commander."
…
The small group arrived outside the facility, right at the edge of the Pelican hangar. Two Pelicans awaited them.
"Doctor Halsey," Carter said, turning to face her. "Noble Three will escort you to CASTLE Base."
Halsey gave him a look.
"I require no escort, Commander," she said.
Carter ignored her.
"Jun, make sure nothing falls into enemy hands," Carter said, now looking at his teammate.
"I'll do what's necessary, sir…" Jun said knowingly. Noble Six hoped that Jun would not have to keep that promise he had just made.
"Good luck," Jun added sincerely.
"You too, rifleman."
Carter then turned to the stranger.
"If you're as good as you seem, then you're with us. We'll need all the firepower we can get on this one. As of right now, you're Noble Seven, got it?"
The figure nodded once.
"Welcome to Noble," Emile said. There was a hint of melancholy in his voice.
With that, the group split. Jun accompanied Doctor Halsey aboard one Pelican, and the stranger followed Six, Emile, and Carter aboard the second one. Six now had the A.I.'s canister strapped securely to the small of his back. It wasn't going anywhere. He followed the other three into the bowels of the Pelican.
Six watched as Carter made his way to the front of the craft.
"I need a heading, Dot," the Noble Leader said over his COM.
"At three kilometers north, turn right heading 050," the A.I. said into each of their COMs.
"Which leads to…?" Carter asked, simultaneously firing up the engines.
"The shipbreaking yards in Aszod," Dot replied calmly. "The only off-planet extraction point left on this continent. Small scale air attacks have decimated many convoys en route. An armada of Covenant Cruisers is hastening to the site as well. UNSC cruiser Pillar of Autumn is awaiting your arrival."
"Wouldn't be a Noble mission if it were easy," Carter said from the cockpit. The Pelican lifted off the deck and up in the air. Gaining speed and altitude by the second.
Six glanced over to the stranger, now Noble Seven, who was hearing Dot's voice for the first time. They had discovered that their COM channels were linked to his suit as well, effectively including him in each conversation. Upon observing his reaction to Dot, Six noticed no change in the stranger's posture. In fact, he only seemed more relaxed. It was almost like he was used to having an A.I. in his head.
The figure then watched out the bay door of the Pelican as the site detonated and buried itself and the artifact with it. He seemed satisfied.
…
Aszod, Eposz August 30, 2552 16:52 Hours
"Noble leader, seek immediate medical attention," Dot urged inside Six's head.
No reply came from the cockpit.
"Noble leader, please respond," Dot urged yet again. Six made his way to the front of the ship, but a burst of plasma fire flew through the open bay doors and the ship lurched as a result.
Noble Six glanced back just in time to see Emile fire an EMP round at the encroaching Banshees.
The round caught the Banshee, and its systems immediately ceased, causing it to crash into its partner. A third Banshee moved in closer, but the stranger fired a blast from his gauss cannon, blasting the vehicle apart like tin foil.
The weapon itself was a miniature MAC cannon, the likes of what Six desperately wanted to try out. But now wasn't the time.
"Sierra 259, you are alarming me," Dot's voice almost sounded worried.
Noble Six turned back to the cockpit just in time to see Carter throw his helmet to the ground. He was still in the pilot's seat, but he was struggling against the controls. The Pelican was resisting him at every turn.
"Not sure how long she's gonna stay together!" Carter called out. His blood was all over the windshield of the Pelican, the controls, his own armor…
"Skies are jammed up anyway. Gotta get you off her, Lieutenant," Carter said.
Six grasped the back of the pilot's seat.
"Sir," he started. "You-?"
"Don't wanna hear it," Carter said bluntly, not taking his eyes of the airspace. "Get the package to the Autumn."
Six was silent for a moment, then he nodded once in determination.
"Done," he said.
"Not yet, it's not…" Carter said. He turned in his seat and called back to Emile and the stranger. Both of which were still at the rear of the ship.
"You two, go with him! It's a ground game now."
The two of them turned to face the Commander.
"It's been an honor, sir," Emile said, pounding his chest in salute.
The stranger said nothing but nodded its head once in respect.
"Likewise," Carter called back.
Carter turned back and spoke directly to Six.
"I'll do what I can to draw their fire."
Six nodded and turned to prepare to jump.
"Six!" Carter called once more. The spartan turned and looked back to the cockpit to hear his Commander's words.
"That A.I. chose you…She made the right choice." His voice was hoarse from the blood.
Noble Six nodded to his leader, then turned and hightailed it back to the rear of the Pelican, where Noble Seven and Emile both waited.
Six removed the A.I. from its position on his back and grasped the canister tightly in both hands. He crouched down and prepared for the jump, facing toward the front of the Pelican. The other two did the same.
"On my mark," Carter said from the front, holding up three fingers. The three armored warriors waited expectantly.
Carter's fingers counted down.
3…
2…
1…
"Mark!"
Six jumped backward into open air.
At first, his stomach dropped with the sudden decrease of gravity, then he felt the wind being forced from his lungs as he made contact with the side of a hill. He held the canister tightly against himself as he slid down the hill, tensing hard until he came to a complete stop.
Noble Six waited for half a second when he stopped moving, then looked over at Emile, who had landed next to him. The stranger had landed not much further away. Both were picking themselves up from the ground, and Emile's shields had been completely depleted from the impact. Noble Seven's armor apparently had no shields, but neither of them seemed to be injured.
Six then glanced upward to see the Pelican scream past above them. One of its engines was on fire, and two Banshees trailed close behind it.
Six then picked himself up and checked the canister in his hands. Examination showed no outer damage at all, and the blue core inside still glowed brightly. Satisfied, Six secured the A.I. on the small of his back and drew his rifle.
He nodded once to Emile and then once to the armored stranger.
"Let's move," Emile said, taking point. Six and Seven followed closely behind. They had landed in a small crevice, leaving only one direction to go since up wasn't an option. The three of them followed the ravine until it opened up to a hill overlooking an even bigger canyon.
Noble Six spied the Pelican in the distance.
"Still with us, Commander?" Emile asked over the COM.
"Stay low," Carter's voice answered inside Six's helmet. "Let me draw the heat. Just deliver that package." Six winked his acknowledgement light in reply.
"There's our destination, Noble," Emile said, gesturing toward a massive structure in the distance. Six recognized it as a UNSC cruiser with his superior eyesight.
"The Pillar of Autumn…" Emile said. "Race you to her."
Noble Seven nudged Emilie and pointed to a pair of mongooses parked not far away. Only a small Covenant force stood between them.
"We got transport," Emile announced, before jumping down the cliff and engaging the Covenant at the bottom of the crevice.
Noble Six and Seven immediately followed after him, systemically killing every alien that stood in their way.
As they carved their way through the aliens, Six quickly learned that Noble Seven was somehow capable of holding more than the two weapons that his own Mark V could account for. Instead of switching weapons by placing one on his back, the weapon almost seemed to disappear, and another weapon took its place from the same thin air. It was a nifty trick, and certainly one that Noble Seven put to good use.
Another thing Six noticed is that while Emile and himself were more than capable of cutting a hole through these Covenant forces, Noble Seven seemed almost overqualified for the task.
Unlike Jun, who always had the mantra: "I kill the enemy, but do not hate them", Noble Seven seemed to truly loathe the Covenant. It was evident in his methods and amplified by his indestructibility.
He would charge straight into a mass of Covenant troops and empty his magazine into anything that moved. And when the magazine was empty, the gun was exchanged for another weapon, whether that was another firearm, a piece of metal, or his own fists.
At one point, Noble Seven produced a chainsaw and sawed a brute in half from its shoulder to its opposite hip. Dark purpled blood sprayed the Covenant around him as he halved the creature, and many grunts and jackals turned and fled at the gore they had just witnessed. Even a few elites took a fearful step backward. Six couldn't blame them. No matter what they threw at this nigh-mythical, figure he did not seem to go down. He didn't even appear to slow down.
"Save some of E.T. for me, Seven!" Emile shouted, brandishing his shotgun. Noble Seven's actions invigorated the close-range spartan, and Six too found himself growing more and more confident by watching the relentlessness of the newest member of Noble Team.
Soon enough, they had cleared out the Covenant presence and had reached the Mongooses.
"Let's mount up, Noble," Emile said. Six acknowledged and climbed on one of the Mongooses. He wasted no time starting it up. Emile jumped on the back.
"Noble Seven, grab a mongoose," Emile ordered. Seven looked at the mongoose then shook his head before breaking into a run down the road towards the Autumn. Six realized with a start that Noble Seven was running faster than any Spartan – let alone human - he had ever seen. He was running even close to what Six estimated to be this mongoose's top speed.
"No way…" Emilie asked as he watched the figure run. But Six heard him shake his head.
"Well, get after him, Six! He's leaving us in the dust!"
Six needed no more encouragement. He revved the engine and peeled off full throttle down the road toward Noble Seven, who was already almost a quarter kilometer away from them.
Six gunned the engine as they rounded the bend. Slowly, they caught back up to Noble Seven who turned to them and gestured to the road ahead.
Six glanced further ahead to see that the road crossed over a drop in the rock face via a bridge, but Six quickly saw what Noble Seven was gesturing to.
The bridge had been destroyed, most likely due to plasma blasts, as the metal twisted and melted in the middle, leaving a massive gap between its ends. Examining the situation as they approached, Six saw that the remains of the bridge on the bear side were bent in an upward shape. It almost appeared as a ramp.
"Put your hands up, Six. We're gonna have to jump it!" Emile yelled from behind him. He then turned to Noble Seven running alongside them.
"You got that jump, Seven?"
The figure put on a burst of speed in response, pulling ahead of the mongoose. Six braced himself and gave the mongoose all the throttle he could. The vehicle followed the curve up, and suddenly Six felt weightlessness again. The mongoose sailed through the air, and Six turned to see that Noble Seven had jumped from the concrete and over the abyss with them.
Six brought his attention back in front of him to see the concrete on the other side of the bridge rising up to meet him and braced for impact. The mongoose crashed hard, and Six felt and heard the chassis grind into the concrete beneath him before rising back up over the road.
The had made it.
"Noble," Carter's voice sounded inside Six's helmet. "Enemy forces blocking the road ahead."
Six immediately slammed on the brakes and the mongoose's tires squealed to a halt on the pavement. There was a deep grinding noise as Noble Seven ground to a halt next to him.
"Roger, sir. Looks like we're on foot, Noble," Emile said as he hopped off the back.
Six followed his lead. Checking the A.I. canister once more, he readied his weapon as a Covenant battle group approached from the road ahead. A standard twenty-five-man battle group. Mostly grunts and jackals with a few elites and brutes as well.
Nothing they couldn't handle.
"Got a Wraith! Southeast side!" Emile yelled warningly. Six confirmed his warning with a quick glance further down the road. That might be a problem.
"Get to cover!"
Six dove behind the nearest rock formation as the Wraith fired. A bright blast of plasma arced through the air and exploded where Six had just been standing, scorching the dirt and rock and rattling Six to the bone. Six immediately spotted Emile behind another rock face, quickly poking out and firing once before falling back into cover.
Six knew he had to move again before that Wraith locked in on his position. Wait, where was Noble Seven?
Six peeked out of his cover when he heard the Covenant personnel yelling in mixed cries of agony and surprise.
Noble Seven had charged straight at the Wraith, forgoing cover and personal safety for a direct shot at the vehicle. Anything that stood in his way had either been killed or destroyed, and the Covenant that had not been in the line of fire were struggling to regroup.
The Wraith itself saw the figure closing the distance, and it began hovering backwards at top speed, and Six saw the heavy plasma cannon on the back charge with energy. It intended to fire directly at Noble Seven before it reached the vehicle, but it was too late.
Noble Seven jumped forward and landed right on top of the Covenant tank. At the same time, the Wraith fired its main cannon. Noble Seven had been standing directly in front of it.
There was an ear-splitting boom, and a blinding light engulfed Noble Seven and the large Covenant vehicle. Six's visor adjusted immediately to the large photon input and dimmed the light down, but Six could still feel the heat of the blast. Covenant forces held up their arms and shields to protect themselves as well, but some of the unfortunately close ones had been engulfed by the blast as well, while others had been blown backwards by the shockwave.
The light faded down, and Six saw the remains of the Wraith. The armor on the front had been completely melted away, and whatever layer of circuitry that the Wraith had on the inside had been burned to a crisp. The cannon on the back had been vaporized, and the husk itself burned with a purple plasma fire.
The Covenant around the Wraith stared in awe for a moment, then Noble Seven burst from the charred wreckage, completely unharmed and with his shotgun in hand. Without hesitation, Noble Seven began thoroughly tearing through the alien force with extreme prejudice. Six and Emile immediately recovered, and joined in on the slaughter, pushing the surprised force back and eliminating them with efficiency.
Six finally finished off the last grunt with his combat knife, driving the blade deep into the smaller alien's neck. The trio quickly regrouped and broke into an easy run down the road, the canyon walls rose up again around them.
As they approached the next opening, Six heard Carter's voice again on the COM.
"Noble, you've got a…situation," his voice sounded apprehensive. Six immediately scanned the horizon for threats, but the subject of Carter's worry rounded the corner, showing itself immediately.
It was a Covenant Scarab.
"Mother fu…" Emile trailed off as the Scarab came into view. Six understood his reaction all too well. The Scarab was arguably the largest Covenant vehicle capable of ground combat. In addition to its massive size and durability, it was also capable of extreme maneuverability, making it one of the most feared forces to face. And it was looking right at them.
"We can get past it, sir," Emile said glancing sidelong at Noble Seven. His voice carried an air of uncertainty.
"No, you can't," Carter said. "Not without help."
"Commander!" Emile protested. "You don't have the firepower!"
There was a moment of silence on the COM, then Six saw the Pelican roar into view. It was a miracle it was still capable of flight, but Six watched as it zoomed past the Scarab before coming back around in a wide turn.
"I've got the mass," Carter said. He sounded resigned.
The Pelican came out of its turn directly on course with the Scarab. Six immediately understood Carter's plan. Emile saw it too.
"Solid copy," Emile said. "Hit 'em hard, boss."
"You're on your own, Noble," Carter said, firing the Pelican's chain gun as he closed the distance.
"Carter out."
The Pelican rammed the Scarab at full speed. The Scarab fell to the side against the momentum, and a massive explosion rocked the metal behemoth. The Scarab wobbled for a moment on its four legs, then a series of smaller explosions resounded throughout its massive form, and the Scarab toppled onto its side and fell into the canyon below. It was gone.
"Crevice to the East," Emile said. His voice was bitter. "Let's go."
Spartans were taught to never let their emotions show, but Six solemnly winked his acknowledgment light one last time. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Noble Seven. His grip was tight on his weapon and his shoulders were hunched in a gesture that Six could easily recognize as rage.
The remainder of Noble Team encountered minimal resistance on the rest of the run to the shipbreaking yards. When they arrived, Six saw that the facility itself was enormous, as he assumed it would be. This installation was capable of holding Punic-class carriers, one of the largest ships in UNSC history, so it made sense that it be as massive as it was. The jog to the drydock were the Autumn was located would be considerable.
Noble Six heard a new voice inside his HUD, one he had not heard before.
"This is Captain Keyes of The Pillar of Autumn. We are tracking you, Noble, and we've began our launch sequence. Proceed to Drydock: Platform D. I'll be there myself to receive the package."
"We'll be there, sir," Emile responded.
"Better be, soldier," Keyes's voice returned. "My countdown has no abort."
As Noble Team crested the hill to the yards below, the sight of a few dozen marines fighting the Covenant greeted them.
Without a word, the three armored heros leapt immediately down to assist.
"Spartans!" one of the marines said as they ran to the group. Six guessed him to be the squad leader. "Drydock is through that structure. If you can punch through, we'll back you up!"
"Roger. Take point, Noble Seven!" Emile shouted.
The unnamed stranger seemed only to eager to comply. He loaded his shotgun with malicious intent.
In no time at all, the trio pushed through the Covenant defenses and into the Drydock portion of the facility. As they sprinted to Platform D, Six noticed that a group of marines was already there and waiting.
"What's the situation?" Emile asked as they ran up to the fellow humans.
"We rigged a mass driver up top," the sergeant said, pointing. Six looked up and saw the massive gun already spinning up to fire. "We lose that…the Autumn has no covering fire. She'll never make orbit."
Emile nodded once to the marine.
"Noble to Keyes. We're at the pad," Emile said broadcasting to the Autumn.
"Copy, Noble," Keyes voice said back. "My Pelican is ready. Clear an LZ. We'll meet you there."
"Will do, sir," Emile acknowledged before switching to their local channel.
"Alright Noble," Emile said. "This is it. I'll man the big gun. You two just get to the platform and deliver that package."
"Roger," Six said, jumping down to the landing space. Noble Seven dropped down next to him. Emile nodded and ran up to the cannon.
Almost immediately, Covenant drop pods rained down on the platform. Phantoms appeared on the horizon as well, making course directly for the platform.
"Hold him off until Keyes gets here!" Emile yelled. Six heard the MAC cannon whirr to life behind him and glanced up as the cannon bucked and spewed a massive round of hot metal directly through an approaching phantom. The round penetrated through the length of it, and the dropship lurched to the side and plummeted down. The threat had been neutralized.
Six immediately focused back on the drop pods, using the cramped quarters to funnel any Covenant that appeared into a single line of fire. He heard the blast of Noble Seven's shotgun fire close by, and that noise alone gave him comfort.
Soon enough, the skies and platform were clear of all Covenant forces. Just in time too, as Six saw two Pelicans approaching form the Autumn's massive bulk. Six jogged up to the landing pad as Keyes's voice sounding in his helmet again.
"This is Keyes, on hot approach to Platform Delta."
The first Pelican turned around, opening its bay doors. The escort Pelican hovered nearby. Marines poured out and set up a defensive circle, and Six watched as Captain Keyes himself stepped out of the bird. Noble Seven stepped onto the platform behind him. Keyes jogged briskly over to the duo. Six grabbed the canister and held it out as Keyes approached.
"Good to see you, Spartans," Keyes said after sparing a glance at Noble Seven. He grasped the canister in both hands. "Halsey assured me I could count on you."
"Not just us, sir," Six said wearily. Keyes reached out and touched his arm reassuringly.
"They will be remembered," he said.
Keyes turned back to the Pelican, but his eye caught something on the horizon. Six followed his gaze and saw nothing good.
"Covenant Cruiser!" Keyes yelled, speaking onto his COM. "Adjusting course for the Autumn!"
Keyes was right, a Covenant cruiser was making a beeline for their position.
"Noble four," Keyes continued. "I need fire on that Cruiser or we aren't getting out of here! Do you copy?"
"I'll have your window, sir," Emile's voice came over the COM.
Keyes nodded towards the cannon before hastily boarding the Pelican.
"Bridge, this is the Captain. We have the package. Returning to the Autumn. Over."
No sooner had he spoke than did a Phantom suddenly appear from around the corner and rain fire down on the Pelican escort. The Pelican's metal hull buckled under the heavy plasma and went down hard on the platform.
Six and Seven both dove out of the way as the metal screeched by.
Immediately looking up, Six saw that the Phantom had moved over to the MAC cannon. Zealot class elites jumped down onto the gun, energy swords in their hands.
The first one to reach the cockpit was immediately blasted backward by Emile's shotgun. The elite fell down to the ground, wounded but alive. Emile pulled himself from the cockpit and finished the job with another blast. The elite fell still.
"Who's next?!" Emile shouted in rage. Without warning, the second elite jumped up behind him and impaled him through the back with his energy sword.
Emile grunted in pain but managed to twist around to face the elite. His knife was in his hand.
"I'm ready!" he cried out, burying his knife into the elite's neck. "How 'bout you?!"
With a heave, he pulled the elite to the ground and out of sight. Six heard on last grunt of pain, then his COM went dead.
Keyes's Pelican approached the Platform again.
"Spartans!" One of the marines aboard barked. "Get aboard! We gotta get the hell out of here!"
"Negative," Six said numbly. "We have the gun." He glanced sidelong at Noble Seven, who nodded once. He wasn't going anywhere.
"Good luck, sir," Six said to Keyes before turning and sprinting up to the cannon. Noble Seven ran beside him.
Keyes watched the two of them as they hightailed it to their station.
"Good luck to you, Spartans," Keyes murmured. There was a fine level of respect in his voice. The Pelican engines grew louder, and the aircraft pulled away as Six and Seven reached the MAC cannon. They paused a moment at the top, gazing over to where Emile lay among the bodies of the elites. His knife was still in his hand. Six allowed a brief moment of silence before turning to Noble Seven.
"I'll clear the skies. You got my back?"
The stranger nodded once without hesitation. That simple nod filled Six with all the courage he'd ever need. Even though he had met this man not but a few hours ago, Six somehow knew that he would stand beside him until the very end. That was what he had been missing during all his time spent as a lone wolf. God, did it feel good.
Without another word, Six climbed the ladder and dropped into the cockpit of the MAC cannon. Noble Seven immediately drew out another weapon and took up a defensive position next to the gun.
"Noble Six," Keyes's voice said. "That Cruiser is moving into position, I need it dead."
"Roger," Six said before taking aim at the Cruiser's midsection. He squeezed the trigger and felt the capacitors wind up to a deafening volume before firing the round directly into the Cruiser's shields. The shields themselves rippled at the impact, but the ripple faded quickly. The ship remained undamaged.
Six quickly initiated the reload sequence. He vaguely heard the sounds of plasma weaponry around him, but he also heard the sounds of rifle fire as well, meaning that Noble Seven and the marines were still fighting. So too would he.
Charing the capacitors again, Noble Six felt the weapon buck again as it fired another round directly into the Cruiser's midsection. The shields rippled again and settled. The ship had again sustained no damage.
"Damnit!" Keyes's voice came over the radio. "The mass driver can't crack those shields. Look for an opening, Noble Six!"
Six didn't even have time to respond before the Cruiser's shield peeled back over the middle of its underbelly, right where its massive energy projector weapon was located.
It began to glow with red plasma. They were going to glass the station.
"Fire now Lieutenant!" Keyes barked into the COM. "Hit her in the gut!"
The mass driver had already fired. Six had aimed directly into the center of the glowing plasma, and right as the round hit, the center of the Cruiser burst, tearing the giant ship in two.
"Good guns, Spartan!" Keyes said. "All stations brace for cast off."
Six climbed down from the driver as the Autumn's engines roared to life. The ship slowly hovered into the air, drifting away from the dock a short distance before fully activating its thrusters and propelling itself into the atmosphere.
Six watched Noble Seven kick one last grunt over the edge before turning to watch the ship's departure.
"This is the Pillar of Autumn," Keyes's voice said. The signal was weak as the ship grew farther away. "We are away, and the package is with us."
With that, the Pillar of Autumn disappeared into the sky.
…
Planet Reach, August 30, 2552 20:00 Hours
Noble Six stood on top of the hillside and watched as Banshees and Phantoms filled the sky. Noble Seven stood next to him. Six supposed it was a bit ironic: The last two additions to Noble Team were also the last two alive. He supposed someone could find a joke somewhere in that.
Six was roused from his thoughts as a Covenant patrol spotted them in the distance. A grunt yelled loudly and pointed, and the elite field commander began speaking rapidly into its COM. Noble Six drew his DMR.
"Looks like the Doctor was right," he said mournfully.
Noble Seven said nothing.
"Reach is lost, but we're still here. What do you say we finish this fight?"
Noble Seven looked over at him and cocked his shotgun in response.
"That's what I like to hear."
…
The battle raged on for hours, and the Covenant just kept coming. Nobles Six and Seven worked flawlessly together, like two cogs in a machine. One would reload while the other covered his back, yet neither spoke a word. For every elite they brought down, two more took its place. For every Ghost they destroyed, another Wraith would appear on the horizon. Seven's armor was indestructible, and he seemed to realize that Six's was quite the opposite, so at one point, the fearless warrior shielded Six with his own body against the tide of plasma and needles. The system worked for a while, but eventually, the two of them were completely surrounded.
Soon, firearms were forgotten as the duo engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. They had forced themselves behind a choke point, so that only a few Covenant could attack at a time. Six was capable of handling one or two elites at a time, but Noble Seven stood against at least eight or nine attackers at all times and seemed to have no problem disposing of them in a bloody scourge.
Six felt as though this was a stable solution until a Wraith's plasma round struck the ground right in front of them.
Noble Six's vision went bright white, and he felt the sensation of tumbling end over end until he hit the ground hard. His shields were gone, and his helmet was cracked in so many places that he could not see out of it.
With a grunt, he pulled the helmet from his head and discarded it. It was useless now. His vison was still a bit blurry, but he saw Noble Seven run up to him. Six took him in, his armor was still undamaged, and he seemed in no way hurt at all by the massive plasma blast that he had just taken at point blank range.
Six then realized just how much he himself was holding Noble Seven back. Had Six not been there, this juggernaut would not be constrained by the increasingly burdening task of protecting the Spartan. Six chuckled inwardly at the irony. For once, the Spartan was the weak link.
"Go ahead," Six said, picking up his DMR from the ground. "I'll hold this position as long as I can."
Noble Seven said nothing, but Six knew that they both were on the same page. Noble Seven stood silently for a moment, plasma bolts raining all around them, then raised his arm to his chest, saluting the final Spartan of Noble Team.
Six nodded once, then gestured for Noble Seven to go on and leave him be.
Noble Seven nodded to him one last time, then turned and ran headfirst into the Covenant horde.
Six watched him for a moment, then whirled around at the hum of an energy sword behind him. He ducked just in time as an elite swung the weapon over his head, then he lashed out with his elbow, catching the elite in the jaw. The alien roared in pain and stumbled back, giving Six enough time to fire a half magazine of rifle rounds into its chest, killing it. Six had barely enough time to turn again before another elite tackled him to the ground. The elite summoned a small energy sword to its wrist and attempted to stab at him, but Six kicked the monster off him with a heavy boot. The elite stumbled away, and another elite zealot appeared to his right with another energy sword, preparing to strike.
With no time to get up, Six reached out and punched the elite in the face before it could get to him. This stunned the elite for a moment, and Six desperately tried to stand before he saw the first elite plunge its smalle energy sword towards his face. His eyes barely registered the sight before the world went dark.
…
The Doom Slayer heard Noble Six die behind him as he ripped a grunt's head from its body. He could feel it in his bones. It coursed through his very being, and quickly turned into white-hot rage that boiled over in an uncontrollable torrent.
Within seconds, the Doom Slayer was upon the scene, slaughtering the elites that stood over Noble Six's body in the time it took to blink. His weapon was forgotten as his vision turned blood-red.
No Covenant forces within a five-kilometer radius survived the ensuing carnage. In fact, not much of anything survived. Each body was ripped to shreds, each vehicle bent into unrecognizable shapes, each weapon mangled beyond use…
He wasn't just rage, or brutality, or mercilessness, he was far worse. He was the void, and everything was erased within his wake.
When the dust cleared, a single Banshee flew from the scene. It set a straight course to a Covenant Cruiser in the distance, and as the Banshee drew nearer, so too did deliverance…
…
A single elite major walked with purpose through the halls of the Capital Ship. Unfortunately, he had been chosen to bear the bad news to the Fleet Supreme Commander, an act which dishonored him greatly. The major would have much rather given the task to an Unggoy or Kig-Yar, but news of this magnitude necessitated someone of higher rank. And so here he was.
Walking through a larger door than the others, the elite immediately saluted as soon as he entered the room to the chair located in the center.
"Supreme Commander, another cruiser has been destroyed…that is…five now."
The elite sitting in the chair clenched his fists angrily before speaking.
"It was my understanding that the fifth ship was to be destroyed without an attempt to board."
"Yes, Supreme Commander," the major said, doing his best not to bow his head before the Supreme Commander. To avert his gaze was to dishonor him. He continued.
"No attempts were made to board the ship, it was simply destroyed by our cannon fire."
"Were any transmissions recovered from the ships before their destruction?" the Supreme Commander asked.
"Yes," the major replied, glad to at least have a bit of good news.
"On screen," the Commander ordered. A holographic screen came to life across from him at his command, and a video feed began to play. An unggoy's face filled the screen.
"Help! Heeelp!" the small alien screamed at the camera. "Enemy has boarded ship! He kill all crew! Even big brutes are dead! AAAAAAGH!"
The grunt ran out of the camera frame, showing a long stretch of hallway behind him. In the hallway stood a figure in dark green armor that the Supreme Commander recognized as human. However, this human struck the Commander as something extraordinary. The figure fired a human projectile weapon at something off-screen, likely the grunt, as it immediately fell silent.
The human then approached the camera from the hallway, stopping right in front of it and staring into the lens.
Up close, the Supreme Commander could see more distinctive features. The armor that the human donned covered him from head to toe, and its helmet had a visor that completely concealed its face.
The figure then drew its fist back and brought it forward into the camera. The screen went dark.
"That is all of the transmission, Supreme Commander," the major said.
The Supreme Commander thought for a moment, then spoke again.
"This came from the fifth ship? The one that was destroyed?"
"Yes, Supreme Commander," the major confirmed.
"Very well. Bring our ships closer to the sacred ring, we must vacate the area immediately lest it still lives.
"Yes, Sir!" the major saluted once more before hastily leaving the chamber, leaving the Supreme Commander alone with his thoughts.
The Supreme Commander was at a loss. No human they had ever encountered had the capacity to destroy five ships. He had heard reports of teams of specialized humans taking down one, but not reports of a single human destroying five. The Supreme Commander concluded a truth from that evidence.
No ordinary human that had done this, this was the work of a demon.
Hopefully, his decision to destroy the fifth ship with the demon aboard had killed it, or at the very least had stranded it in space. The Fleet of Particular Justice could not afford any more losses.
With a shake of his head, the Supreme Commander pulled himself from thoughts of this demon. He had other matters to focus on.
Pulling up another view screen, the Supreme Commander observed their approach to the sacred ring with interest. He was scanning specifically for the Pillar of Autumn…
A/N: Whew! That was the longest single chapter I have ever written, but boy was it worth it. I decided to pick Reach because it gave the Slayer plenty of Covenant to throw himself at, but I know exactly what you guys are thinking: 'What about the flood? Why can't you make him meet Master Chief?' Well...I didn't want to say anything, but I have been maybe toying with the aspect of having our beloved Slayer somehow end back up in the Halo universe, but we will just have to wait and see won't we? Until next time!