Hey guys! Just like to thank all my lovely reviewers for their support, so please stay with me during this story! This chapter ends the battle (Finally). Like I said, I'm not good with battles so forgive me on my very disorganized planning of all these fights. So, after a longer wait, I have finally been able to post this chapter, and the longer the chapter is, the longer it takes to edit it! The only thing I own is Sergeant Thompson, Private Warren, and any other unrecognizable character you see. Bungie owns everything else. Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter ten: One man can make all the difference
The battle had been going for hours, with no end to the bravery of each soldier. The brutes found it harder for them to move to the marines, especially with the number of bodies of the weaker brutes, along with the stronger brutes which had fallen with the discovered tactic. A heavy wall had been put together with the dead bodies of both human and brute, almost splitting the two sides in half. This put the humans with the upper advantage, because they had most of the far range weapons on their side, while most of the brutes used head-to-head combat in their fighting. The battle continued to rage on, yet neither human or brute seemed to be succeeding in their goal to win.
John-117 snapped out of his stare, and reminded himself of where he was. The figure was charging and fighting with grace, with no scratch or mark on it's skin. I have to get to her, he thought, and started to push through the marines at the back, and ran to the other side of the field. There were much more brutes on this side of the battlefield, but there were less bodies that lay on the ground. John spotted her a few meters away, but the brutes were blocking every single opportunity to get to her. Instead of pushing through them, he threw a grenade towards the advancing brutes, and lessened the amount of them there.
The marines around him did the same, and John was hoping that none would hit the figure when the grenades exploded. The explosion cleared the path, and alerted several more brutes to the area. "Alright, boys, let's show em' what we've got!", and the marine threw the grenade over his head, followed by half a dozen other grenades, which set off another loud explosion, making a crater-like shape in the ground. Brutes tumbled over each other as they each fell victim to the grenade's blast, and fell into the large crater.
There was a sound of cracks as bones broke under the weight of the brutes and their armor, while other marines and brutes got blocked by the large amount of dead and unconscious bodies on the ground. Damn, how am I supposed to get to her now? Thought the Chief, as he tried to catch a glimpse of the graceful figure on the field.
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Cortana slashed through the soldiers who she helped so long ago. I shouldn't be doing this she thought to herself. Listen to me, young one. You cannot stop yourself from running to pursue your own destiny, but I was made with a prophecy to fulfill. Unless someone else claims you as his or her own, then you must stay with your founders. You were made to serve, not to follow your dreams.
The argument had been going on since the beginning of the battle, and Cortana had just about had enough of this 'prophecy'. She had tried her best not to get in front row, especially with the decreasing numbers of brutes on the field, but fate seemed to have chosen her to fight in the front row of the battle between life and death of human kind.
"Hey guys, check that out!" pointed out a marine, who saw her across the field. Perfect, thought Cortana. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small round object being thrown at the group next to her. As she turned her head to see what it was, she realized that it was a grenade, but instead of warning the brutes, she ran back, away from the grenade's blast. As the grenade detonated, the brutes around the area were sent flying, and were scattered around the battleground.
Cortana turned her attention to the marines who were...advancing to meet the vicious and armored brutes? Since when were marines brave enough to pull a stunt that good? Questioned Cortana in her head. From the group that had started pushing up towards the hills, a tall but recognizable figure emerged from the marines. Oh, that's when, Cortana answered her own question, and started to push her way, through the brutes and towards the advancing group of marines, hoping to be noticed by them.
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"Hey, guys, I'm not sure if this is really a good time, but have you heard that there's a woman on their side?" questioned a marine. "Yeah, man. I've heard rumors and all, but I won't believe anything 'till I see it, you get what I'm sayin'?" answered another marine, who got murmured replies from the others, who were busy fighting off the brutes.
The Master Chief was listening to the marine's comments intently, trying to grasp the fact that the figure he saw wasn't some kind of hallucination. He aimed his battle rifle on the oncoming brutes, and fired at their weak spot. "Hey, Warren! Shouldn't you be down there?" asked a marine, who saw the Private coming up to meet their group. "Yeah, actually I should. But just to let you know, the elites have ran for it. I have no clue where they're going, but they looked like they were in a hurry" stated Private Warren, and he wished the group luck before departing. "Damn it! I knew those bastards wanted us dead from the start!" said a marine, who was speaking while firing bullets.
The Master Chief thought to himself, Those elites are up to something. With swift eyes, he glanced across the field to the brutes who were charging towards them at a fast speed. The exposed skin at their neck was hidden from the front view, and as if on cue, large explosions covered the field which lay before them, burning the ground in a pitch black. "What the hell was that?" questioned a marine. The startled group looked up to find seven Phantoms hovering above them.
One of the Phantoms hovered close by them, and the Arbiter dropped out from it. "It seems that the brute's armor is vulnerable to our Phantom's recently installed rockets. You can thank one of your mechanics for that," and as he said that, he handed each of the marines a carbine. "You'll need them for this battle. Our Phantoms will be of no use from this side of the field," the Arbiter said, as he handed the last carbine to the Chief.
John understood what the Arbiter meant, and nodded his head slightly in understanding, and the Arbiter left without a word. "Alright boys, you know what the Arbiter said! Let's take these bastards to hell!" said a marine, and the sound of flying projectiles rippled through the air, and sniped the brutes on the battlefield.
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Cortana saw the Master Chief and his group a short way off. She was just about to shout to him, when Sleeper said, Cortana, look out! Cortana spotted the oncoming number rockets coming from the Phantoms heading her way, and she stopped in mid-step to leap out of the way, only to find herself sprawled across the ground on the area she was previously running away from.
The spot where she just stood was pitch black, and broken from the impact of the rocket. That was close thought Cortana. She stood up to look for the group she had spotted earlier on, but the smoke and dust of the black rocket marks blurred her vision. She turned her view to the front on the field, and saw many of the marines pushing forward, against the brutes. But as she looked down on the marines, she noticed that their numbers had decreased wildly over the battle, and it didn't look like their chances of survival was very good.
Cortana ran back into the lessening army of brutes, to prevent herself from being shot by the advancing marines. The smell of dead brutes entered her nose, and she found herself gagging at the horrible smell that made her shiver with disgust. Are you alright, young one? Asked Sleeper, curious for her friend's safety. I'm fine Cortana responded, as she moved back, away from the smell. She felt dizzy all of a sudden, the foul odor must of taken a new feeling of sickness to her body, and she found herself choking on the smell. She felt herself fall on the ground, and the impact it gave her sent her into complete darkness. The last thing she heard was Sleeper screaming, Cortana!
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Sergeant Johnson and Commander Keyes shot from the back of the field, along with Sergeant Thompson. "You know, I'd be doin' a lot more damage to those brutes if I was up there!" complained Sergeant Johnson, obviously annoyed at the fact that he was too 'Important' to lose among the rest of the marines. "True, Johnson. But if we end up dead on that field, the rest of our people stand no chance against the brutes" said Commander Keyes. A marine sped towards them, and addressed Sergeant Thompson.
"Sir! We have just lost another line of marines, sir. I don't think we can hold out much longer!". Sergeant Thompson looked at the young marine and dismissed him. He then took out a small speaking device and said, "Emergency team Alpha, initiate plan B. I repeat, initiate plan B". The marines who were close enough to hear the command, turned to look at the Sergeant, and one of them asked, "P-plan B, S-sir?"
"That's right, son. We're gonna activate the nuclear bombs, and burn them to hell".
"Sergeant, are you sure it's safe to activate a nuclear bomb when there are many human lives at risk?" asked Commander Keyes, thinking that Sergeant Thompson had lost it.
"Oh, don't worry, ma'am. This has been tested before, not many things can go wrong with this bomb" answered Sergeant Thompson.
"What do you mean by 'go wrong'? You could kill hundreds of people with a bomb, and thousands with a nuclear one"
"Well, Commander, not with this one! This nuclear bomb is much smaller than the regular ones you'd find, and on the bright side, we made it so that it only affects brutes, most of the time"
"And just what do ya mean by 'most of the time'?" asked Sergeant Johnson.
"It means that there are possibilities that it could affect some of the marines, too. But it doesn't kill them, if that's what you think. Our scientists have recently discovered that our nuclear bomb infects the weaker marines. The infection will go, but it takes some time for the person to recover, six months minimum". The conversation had been going on while Sergeant Thompson had lead them to the safe-room, as he called it. "As soon as the bomb is catapulted over the marin--"
"Catapulted? Have you lost it, Sergeant?" asked Johnson, with a confused look on Miranda's face.
"No, Johnson, I haven't lost it. This bomb was designed to tackle the roughest scenarios we could think of. So, as I was saying, as soon as the bomb lands in the midst of the brute army, I will activate the bomb, and hope for the best that no marines are infected. There's no way it can go wrong" finished Sergeant Thompson. Commander Keyes looked at Sergeant Thompson, and nodded her head. "Alright, Sergeant. I'm trusting you to keep as much of those marines alive" she said. "I won't let you down, ma'am," he responded.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Master Chief heard a voice over the speakers, as he was fighting the brutes with his carbine. "All marines, start retreating back to the base immediately! We are initiating plan B. I repeat, retreat back to the base, immediately!". John chanced a look at the marines, who were in the middle of their own fight with the brutes. "Come on, guys, we're about to blast them brutes to bits!" said a marine, who motioned for the marines to head back to base. "Master Chief, I'll explain to you what Plan B is as soon as we get back to base" said the marine, who headed back towards the base. The Master Chief followed the marine while shooting at the brutes who filled the spot they had stood in previously.
As soon as he got back to base, he was informed about plan B, and was lead into the safe-room where Commander Keyes, Sergeant Johnson and Sergeant Thompson stood. Sergeant Thompson greeted him, and said, "The marines are in the safe zone, near the walls of the base. The bomb is just about to be thrown over the field. Let's just hope that the catapult doesn't break down at the last second, and hope that the brutes don't break down that wall either!".
He then spoke into his device, "Alright boys, as soon as you see that bomb land, I want you to notify me at once, and then come inside immediately". There were many other marines in the safe-room, who were listening for the loud explosion that the bomb would set off. "Alright boys, launch at my signal! 3, 2, 1!" And everything went silent. There was a small flinging noise, indicating that the bomb had been launched into the air, and after a few seconds, a small 'thud' was heard.
"Sir, the bomb has landed successfully" said the marine over the speakers in the safe-room. "Good work, marines" complimented Thompson, and the marines entered the safe-room through the door to the roof, followed by the elites. "Alright, men," and then Sergeant Thompson remembered the Commander, "and ladies. Let's pray for the best that this thing works. Detonating in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1" and the soft click of the button was heard.
A loud explosion was heard from the outside, and many growls of the brutes were echoing in the Master Chief's head. Then, after 2 long minutes, everything went silent. The Master Chief heard the voice of Private Warren question, "Did it work?". Faint whispers of "I don't know" and "I'm not sure" bounced off the walls, when a loud tapping noise filled the room. A marine from the outside, exhausted from the battle, entered the room and screamed out in relief, "It worked! They're all dead, it worked!". The safe-room was filled with the laughter, cheers, and claps of the surviving marines, and most found themselves going outside to see the damage the bomb had done.
The whole view before the Master Chief's eyes was a mixture of white, black and red. There was no other color in sight. There were brute bodies scattered all over the once so rocky ground. All of them were either the color of black, or others were just half-bathed in red. A voice, happy and cheery came over the speakers again; Sergeant Thompson.
"Alright ladies, I'm sure those brutes won't be coming back for a long time. Well done on your victory! Your reward is a trip downtown, we're takin' a trip, boys!". The marines cheered at this, and the Master Chief heard one of the marines say, "It's about time we got some reward around here!". But then, being an annoying ranked officer, Sergeant Thompson added, "As soon as you clean this mess up!", and this received many growls of disapproval from the marines. "What did I just hear? I said go clean this mess up, or you won't get anything at all!"
"Yes, Sir!" the marines responded, and got to work on moving the bodies. The Master Chief remembered the figure on the field. She was probably long gone by then. As he turned his head and took one last glance at the field, something made him stop in mid-turn. He immediately zoomed in to make sure he wasn't just seeing things, after a hard day. No, he was seeing her, sprawled on the floor, and face down, and almost covered in brutes. He went into a thundering sprint, startling most of the marines around him. "Something's up with the Chief, don't ya think?" asked Private Warren, and received a number of nods and murmured agreements in return.
John ran to the half-buried figure, and shoved the brutes off her, to see if she was still alive. He rolled the now exposed-to-fresh-air figure over, to see her face. She was alive, but barely. "Cortana," John whispered so low, and reached over to move some hair from her face. He was immediately stopped when her hand reached out and grabbed his wrist with a strong force, and her eyes shot open. Cortana's piercing eyes turned into a soft and gentle gaze when she saw who her rescuer was. "Chief...?" she said faintly, as her hold on his wrist loosened and she collapsed on the ground again. John gave a slight smile from underneath his helmet, and lifted Cortana off the ground. An emergency medical team arrived, and said to the Chief, "Sir, it's best if you let us take it from here.
We'll get her up in no time," and the Chief gently placed Cortana of the stretcher, and watched her disappear as they carried her off into the medical bay. He then turned around to witness the sunset, something he hadn't seen since he was a child. "Demon," spoke the Arbiter, who came up to the Chief, along with the elite known as Half-Jaw. "The Sangheili and I have decided that we need to set off for a mission of our own. A mission that we must complete, for our own purposes. I have spoken to your Commander and Sergeant about this, and we have come to an agreement," finished the Arbiter.
The Master Chief then asked, "So, what do you need from me?". Half-Jaw stepped up and replied. "Nothing. Yet we only need to inform you of our...mission. It has come to the attention of the Sangheili and I, that there is still the matter with the Parasite...it has not been stopped, and we will not stop until they have fallen. Only then will we find peace at heart, and then we can..." Half-Jaw stopped, and the Arbiter took over. "Then, we can finally return home".
The word sounded so foreign and distant to the Arbiter, yet it was so peaceful and calming. Home. It was what every soldier wanted, human or elite, after the long war that had threatened the survival of both races. "I am afraid that my brothers and I must leave you by tomorrow. Where we will go, it is somewhere you must not follow. I am afraid that any human ships will be...eliminated at sight, no matter who is on board" finished the Arbiter, regret in his eyes.
"You and your kind fight with honor and bravery, Demon. You will not need us during the final battle" added Half-Jaw. The two elites then turned around, and headed for the base, talking in their language. John turned his eyes back to the sunset, and thought of a time in the past, where he once had to choose the fate of a man, and remembered. One man can make all the difference.
Over the next two hours, the battlefield had cleared from the brute bodies, and the stench of dead brutes had lifted during the process. Sergeant Thompson's voice came over the speakers again. "Good work, boys. Because I'm in a very good mood today, I'm gonna let you have that reward of yours. Get cleaned up and meet up in the main meeting hall in three hours! Oh, and did I mention anythin' you're buying, you're payin' for?" and at that, the marines shouted "What!?" in disbelief, but they still entered the base in happiness, getting ready for their well deserved reward.
The Master Chief went back inside, and took a final glance at the empty and much-clearer battlefield, and headed towards the meeting area where Sergeant Johnson and Commander Keyes stood. "Hey Chief, where ya been? We were just gonna discuss that we should stay and enjoy the trip downtown, weren't we, Chief?" said Sergeant Johnson, who greeted the Chief with his welcome speech. The Master Chief slowly shook his head, and the Sergeant let out a small grunt.
"Come on, Commander. We all need our break once in a while! I mean, lookin' at you, you need some sort of break..." The Commander just rolled her eyes and said, "Here we go again..." and just stared at the Sergeant through his hour long speech. After an endless moment, the Commander's obvious reply was..."No," and she continued with a few reasons to support her point, ending with, "we have more important things to do than humor ourselves with a break. You, of all people, should know that". But she couldn't help feeling a tiny bit sorry for Johnson, after all they had all had a rough day in the war.
She gave a quick sigh and said, "Alright Johnson. As soon as this war is over, and if we survive through it, I'll let you have your reward. But now isn't the time" she finished. The Master Chief could tell that she was in no shape to argue with Sergeant Johnson, and as if he could read the Chief's mind, Johnson nodded with a grin on his face and said "I'm keepin' that in mind, Commander," and left. Commander Keyes then turned to the Master Chief who was waiting patiently, with all emotions hidden beneath his helmet. "So, what can I do for you, Chief?"
"Commander, with your permission, I need to know the location of our heading"
"Permission granted, Chief. The Cairo, of course. The Admiral gave me strict orders to return with what we've found. Anything else, Chief?". The Master Chief thought about the past events, if there was anything at all, and then he remembered. "Yes, Commander. I believe there is going to be an extra person on board". The Commander looked up, more interested in the present conversation. "And, Chief, just who may that be?"
End Chapter ten: One man can make all the difference
Listening to a certain song makes me feel sad for some reason. Probably thinking about making a Halo fanfic about it so I'll see if I can fit that into my schedule, but it's not very likely that it's going to end up a novel. But hey, you know the drill. Please review, and I'm hoping to post the next chapter soon.