"That makes no sense. Why would the covenant bother capturing those two? Odds are its a trap. And I don't like to looks of it." Master Chief pondered
"We can't abandon our teammates." Takeo persisted.
"I cant bring myself to either. I'm certain they'd do the same thing for us. Though probably because Richtofen knows he and Nikolai would be useless without us." Tank said.
"What a model team member." Cortana said to Master Chief.
"Yeah I know." Chief said to her. He turned his attention to the other two.
"I actually think we might be better off with them. Strength in numbers. Despite being captured they have proven themselves to be competent fighters." Cortana said.
"Chief you said you knew your way around this kind of space ship right?" Tank asked. "If those alien freaksacks wanted to take Nik' and Edward prisoner then you'd know where the ship's brig is, right?"
"I do, heck I've once rescued my commanding officer from it one time."
"Really, when the heck was that?"
"A long time ago." Master Chief replied. "Let's get moving."
"Wait we're helping them on this ludicrous scheme?" Cortana said to Chief alone.
"Weren't you the one who suggested I help get their friends back? We're going to need every ounce of firepower we can get to blast through the flood. Speaking of which, What's the status with the flood on this ship.
"I've scanned the ship about ten minutes ago. The covenant are holding, barely. Eventually they're going to run out of ammunition and fighting spirit and that'll just be the end of them."
"All the more reason we have to destroy this ship and escape it." Chief said, readying his MA-5 assault rifle.
Richtofen and Nikolai sat together in the prison cell they had been tossed into. Just three purple walls and an energy field was all they could see. The field pretty much obscured all view
"Well... time to drink." Nikolai dug into his satchel and produced a half empty bottle of what Richtofen assumed was vodka.
Nikolai took a quick drink. "mmmm." He said in delight. "Want some?" He asked, holding out the bottle.
This was a rare event, Nikolai voluntarily sharing his vodka. Richtofen nodded.
Nikolai reached into his satchel; rummaging around a bit before he produced a single shot glass. He placed it on the purple metal floor and poured into it. Then, slid it across the polished purple floor to where Richtofen was sitting.
Richtofen took it up and drank. He finished it, but coughed afterwards. It was some powerful stuff, it had to be over 130 proof.
"Zis is rare for you." Rictofen said. Still gagging a little on the strong liquor.
"We're in prison, I have no idea how long those aliens are going to keep us alive for. If they're going to execute us I'd rather not be sober for it."
"You're not sober most of the time anyway."
"Touche." Nikolai drank deeply from the glass bottle.
Richtofen slid the empty glass back across the floor. Nikolai filled it again and slid it back.
Richtofen took the glass up again. "If they we're going to kill us they would not have bothered with capturing us. They've got plans and we've got to figure out a way to escape. Assuming there probably vont be a rescue." Richtofen turned up his glass and drank.
"You're right about that." Nikolai said, drinking again.
"Hunters!" Master Chief called out.
A hail of green plasma streaked across the hallway at them. Exploding as its journey ended. The three Spartans hid in the alcoves of the hallway braces. Master Chief and Dempsey on one side, Takeo on the other.
From the enter of the long, slightly inclined hallway were a pair of hulking blue armored aliens. Larger than any they had seen so far. Behind them other covenant were visible. Mostly grunts and jackals. Using their two huge comrades as a shield as they tossed grenades intermittently between salvos of fuel rod cannons.
"Where's a rocket launcher when you need one?" Dempsey yelled.
"I'm fresh out of grenades too." Chief said.
"Well I guess I could take a more direct approach." Dempsey stepped out from cover and opened fire with his SAW. Though he was certain he had hit the blue armored behemoths dozens of times or more, his shots had no effect."
It was then the pair of aliens returned fire, a green bolt of plasma landed only feet from Dempsey, throwing him back to where he had came from. Shields drained and himself battered.
"Fuck me, that hurt!" Dempsey yelled out.
"They aren't your average covenant." Chief said.
"Tell me about it." Dempsey spat, getting back to his feet.
"You, Takeo, put that rifle to use. Hunters have one weak spot, and it's right in the neck." Chief ordered.
"I'll need an opening." He responded.
"Tank, I need you to draw their fire. One thing you're consistently good at."
"Forget that." Tank responded.
"Oh what are you, Chicken?"
Being accused of cowardice was something that really struck a nerve with Dempsey. Like other similar nerve strikes -emotional or physical- the result is usually impulsive.
"Like hell I am!" Dempsey emerged from over doing his best to put a continuous chain of lead on the armored beast's position.
The hunters kept up their barrage the plasma bolts landed right in front of Dempsey. The resulting explosions knocked Dempsey onto his stomach. Right as he fell, Takeo also jumped from his cover and quickly scoped in on the two hunters. From the green cloud of plasma fumes, two vapor trails streaked across the hallway. The bullet's found their mark, the unarmored portions of the hunters.
Both of them crumpled to the ground. At this moment, Dempsey leaped from prone and charged across the hallway. Yelling and shooting from the hip mowing down the other Grunts, Jackals and Elites that had been using the hunters as cover.
"Wait! you're too far up!" Master Chief called out. Running to where Tank was. Takeo following.
Just then Tank ran out of ammunition, a red Elite ripped his machine gun from his hands and pushed him to the floor. Then a short energy blade appeared on the Elite's wrist, ready to stab Tank.
Chief smashed the butt of his rifle into the back of the Elite's neck, pushing him off. He then unloaded the rest of his clip into the downed elite.
Master Chief then pulled Tank off of the floor. "Just chill out, you did good." Master Chief patted Tank's armored shoulder.
"Hmm, thanks I guess..." Tank mumbled the last part.
"ONWARD!" Takeo called out, sprinting down the hallway.
Master Chief noticed that his MA5 was completely out of ammunition. He stowed it on his back, and tore a carbine rifle from the Elite Major he had just killed. Then ran to keep up with Takeo.
Tank gathered his machine gun and followed the other two.
In the space between spaces, the essence of Samantha Maxis hovered above the prison cell watching her target, Edward as he drunkenly gabbed with the one called Nikolai. Richtofen's death was what she desired, all others were just obstacles, his trusted bodyguards included. So, her spirit entered his body, intent on internal sabotage.
Richtofen gripped his head as he fell to the floor moaning. "My... head... hurts."
Nikolai looked across the cell. "What? Is time for hangover already?" Nikolai said.
Nikolai got no response, other than more screaming. Richtofen had crumpled to the floor, spasming at random. For that he had only one response, a size 13 boot to the head to silence Edward for the time being.
"Sheesh, what a lightweight." Nikolai said, returning his attention to his vodka.
"Where the hell are they? This is the third cell block we've raided, and it's getting old." Dempsey said as he strode up the ramp of the prison cell. Walking past the pile of alien corpses.
"Dempsey, look! We've found them!" Takeo shouted.
"You did?" Dempsey stopped when he got to the doorway. Perk a' cola machines. Perk a' cola machines everywhere throughout the whole cell block. Not all of them were upright, but they were still clearly lit up and ready to dispense enhancement drinks. They may not have been his two teammates but hot-damn they were a sight for sore eyes.
Master Chief had no idea what he was looking at. Some kind of outdated vending machines.
"Cortana, what exactly are these?" He asked.
"I honestly have no idea. Vintage soda venders? That's my best guess." She said to him.
Dempsey held a freshly purchased bottle of Jugger Nog in his hand. "Where have you been all this time my love?" He twisted the cap off and chugged the red beverage down.
In a second he felt his muscles flex involuntary. Like he had just eaten a can of Popeye's spinach.
Takeo and Dempsey kept buying from the machine's. They hardly looked at what drinks they were buying, only spending like terrified consumers.
"Be sure to get enough for Richtofen and Nikolai." Takeo said, stuffing another speed cola into the leg drop pouch on his armor.
"Yeah, yeah I got ya'." Tank stuffed two more Jugger nogs into his pockets.
"Shipmaster, The demon and those fools have located the two prisoners we took."
"I hereby order the execution of the prisoners. Send all available teams not preoccupied with containing the pestilence to Cell block 38. We'll stamp out these humans permanently."
The energy field that made up the fourth wall of the prison cell dissipated. A white armored elite and a blue armored one stepped in. They attempted no communication.
Nikolai had suspected that they were here to transfer the two of them elsewhere on the ship. He had heard sounds of battle not far outside his cell block. By his guess it was his other teammates. He had a plan of his own though.
The other elite prodded Edward with it's twin toed foot. His teammate did not budge. The elite then drew a plasma sword his hip.
Nikolai leaped up and got a grip on the alien's head and neck. The blade came down but only one of it's two prongs impacted on Edward. Nikolai succeeded in breaking the elite's neck before the blue armored one could pull him off of his leader.
The other elite grasped Nikolai at the neck and hoisted him off of his feet. Then landed a punch directly into Nikolai's gut, causing him to vomit inside his own helmet. The yellow bile covered his visor, effectively blinding him.
Nikolai heard a salvo of gunshots and felt himself drop to the floor.
With his hands free Nikolai took his helmet off. But as he did so he fell to his hands and knees and vomited again.
"Came just in time didn't we?" Tank stated. Seeing that Nikolai was about to have his ass kicked.
"It is a fool who drinks till he is sick." Takeo chided as Nikolai's stomach was emptied onto the floor.
It was rare sight, but if Nikolai drank enough (judging by the completely empty bottle of vodka in the empty prison cell he defiantly had drank his limit) he did get nauseous and puke his guts out. Much to the ire of anyone unfortunate enough to be near him.
"What's wrong with him?" Master Chief asked, getting on his knees near the fallen Richtofen.
"That creepy alien shoved that glowy' blade into him." Nikolai said.
"Plasma blade, by the looks of it. Right in the kidney." Cortana said, scanning the spartan.
"Hey I just said that!" Nikolai yelled between heaves.
"And I know a little more than you do. And I'm not drunk."
"Sheesh, you're a know it all, just like 3rd wife."
"We've got to stabilize him." Master chief rolled him over onto his back. Sure enough there was a gaping hole that bore the tell tail signs of a plasma sword; melted armor and cauterized flesh.
"Here," Dempsey tossed one of the soda bottles. Master Chief caught it. The bottle had a blue label and read 'quick revive'.
"Just pour some of that stuff onto the wound. I have no idea how it works but it does heal pretty serious injuries. I once had a finger bitten off by a zombie, dipped the stump in that stuff and it grew back in about a week."
When the Chief finished pouring the entire contents of the bottle into the hole in Edward's armor, all that remained was the question of 'who carried Richtofen?'.
"One two three, not it!"
"Not it."
"not it."
"What the? Oh come on!" Tank protested as he had been beaten in the countdown. "I don't even had a weapon that can be fired one handed!" He looked at the display on his SAW machine gun, it read:'09 rounds' That equated to just a little more than half a second of continuous fire from the weapon. "Or have ammo left." He did recall that he was still carrying the commando assault rifle but it had been ammo-less for a long time.
Nikolai had finished vomiting and wiping clean the inside of his visor and dug through his satchel and produced a 1911 he had acquired earlier. "I picked this up around chapter three; I bet you all forgot about it huh?"
It was almost like nothing, but he took the pistol anyway. Tank then scoured the floor of the prison cell and took one of the blue, double hulled rifles off of one of the two dead elites.
"Now this is more my speed." He said looking at the plasma rifle.
"Now that that's settled we can indulge in these perk-a-cola's we found."
"You found perk drinks? Perfect, just what my hangover needs." Nikolai said.
Dempsey tossed him a Jugernog Nikolai caught it opened it with his teeth and started chugging it.
The three still conscious members of the merry band took part in sucking down moderately chilled perk drinks.
"What the hell are they drinking?" Master chief asked Cortana.
"You do not want to know. Judging by the fumes alone it's stuff you do not want to be ingesting willingly." She answered.
"Yeah well when you're fighting for your life against hordes of undead you'll take what you're given." Tank replied, just as he finished sucking down a Speed Cola.
"Is there a goddamn person on this ship that can't hear what I say to John?" Cortana yelled out to everyone.
"Did she say something?" Takeo asked obliviously.
Nikolai laughed so hard he started gagging on his Stamin' Up.
Tank joined in the laughter as he Takeo, and Nikolai simultaneously opened a bottle of Deadshot Daiquiri toasted each other and drank quickly.
Then when they were done drinking Tank scooped up an unconscious Richthofen and slung him and his machine gun over his shoulder and put the plasma rifle on his hip armor. Then loaded his 1911 pistol.
"Cortana what's the status of the flood on this ship?"
"They're everywhere, I'd say our best chance at destroying the ship would be to sabotage the reactor and have it explode. Thing is, it's a long trek from here to the engine room." She said.
"I think we're up for it." Tank said, cocking his 1911.
"Those bastards made me lose my vodka. They'll all paaayyyy." Nikolai slurred, getting his 8 gauge shotgun back out.
Takeo nodded silently.
And Richtofen just hung unconscious, slung over Dempsey's back.
"We made it this far, if I were a gambling A.I. I'd go all the way. Forget logic at this point." Cortana said. She was still confidant that this group of misfits could pull through in the end.
The group jogged out of the brig, all weapons ready.
Okay. That's that. I won't make an excuse other than the word College. I thank anyone who is still reading this story. It does mean a lot to me that you like it that much to wait so long. I do not have an ETA for the next chapter. Nor can I guarantee that I'll continue it at all. But regardless of the future, I am thankful for your reading. Peace.