Chapter 10
Hunter or Hunted
"Jesus, were you just playing with me or something?" she said, taking his hand and being lifted to her feet, while her other hand gripped her nose, which she snapped back into place with a wince and a crunch.
"I wanted to know your limits…" Roger replied, handing her a bloodstained handkerchief from his pocket
The M.E.R.C's and the remaining three H.U.N.T.E.R's decided to start their search for the missing Covenant by searching the office block it had fired from. All they found was the discarded beam rifle it had used and a small packet which looked like a marine ration pack.
"Okay… well let's get some rest then, because I'm really tired for some reason" said Jackal stifling a yawn
"Chlorophome" said Roger, as he covered his face and brought out his knife. Jackal fell, Ziizika followed. Roger spun around with his foot, waited half a second for the familiar thump and then brought his blade down.
The only problem was, the thump he heard was Mia, collapsing on top of Boo-Boo and had slammed his between the invisible Sang-Heli's legs.
The Sang-Heli's active camouflage failed and Roger now stared into the face of a fully grown Covenant Elite, which was wearing the black armour of Special Operations.
It brought its own blade to bear, activating the energy weapon and rolling to its hoofs into a battle position. But Alexia was faster.
She tackled it, sending it crashing into the ground; Rogers's foot came lashing out and struck the beast in its armoured chest.
It lay unconscious with the Humans.
"Let's take him back to our base" said Alexia, stifling a Yawn, Roger picked up the hoofs of the Unconscious alien and Alexia picked up the shoulders.
Roger Noticed a small purple coin shaped device lying on the ground where the Sang-Heli had just dropped.
"What is that?" asked Alexia.
Just then a rumbling explosive sound came, quiet at first, but getting louder and louder as it got closer, coming from two different directions. And there was no doubt it was coming from what was left of the Long-sword's.
"And the horse we rode in on…"
Sorrung-Yaan awoke to the smell of burning meat and wondered:
'Am I the cause of this smell? Did I fail the forerunners so much that they set me here? Did I manage to destroy the unclean humans? No, I remember falling, then the foot into my chest'
He opened his eyes, and saw a campfire burning the carcass of a deer. Even though it was still daylight, the campfire set ominous shadows throughout the human camp
"Where am I?" he asked, and immediately realised his mistake.
"Ah… our friend has awoken, hey Ziizika" Said a female, as she looked at him, two blades protruding from sheathes on her back.
"I am no friend of yours Human" He replied, to which another female came over and said in a Mexican accent.
"I'd start talking if I were you, or my good pal Mia will stop being so happy, and she gats really mean when she's not happy" Said Ziizika
"Before the day is ended your blood will be spilled on the green grass of your planet. Pray the forerunners will be sympathetic to your cries for it to end. Where am I?" The reply came, as Sorrung-Yaan groggily started to move, only to realize he was tied to a dumpster.
"Tut, tut, we're right here, if I stood there I'd still be here, but if I stand here I'd be there. Okay, our turn. What's your name?" said he one called Mia, as she sat down.
"Sorrung-Yaan, You won't get anymore from me human, so kill me now or when I get free I will end your existence in the most painful of ways you can imagine." Sorrung-Yaan said, struggling to remove the inch thick, metal cable chaining him to the dumpster.
"Yeah, okay… well I've heard that one at least a hundred times before… and each time they still say more."
Ziizika came towards him holding a syringe in her hand, when Sorrung-Yaan noticed this he started to shrink away from it instinctively.
"What is that?" he asked, as the syringe went into his scaly skin.
"This? Oh… this is truth serum, just in case you decide to lie to us" replied Ziizika, removing the Syringe and stepping away.
"Now… why are you here?" Mia asked, in the kindest voice an interrogator could manage.
"To kill you" Ziizika scowled at its reply, and then started to mumble to herself, Mia asked another question.
"How did you get here?" Mia asked, crawling towards him, but he didn't reply.
"How…" she moved closer
"-Did…" even closer, behind her back she fingered the hilt of Rogers super-sharp Ka-Bar.
"-You get here?" the last two words were made point by the point of the Ka-Bar's hilt smashing onto the concrete only centimetres away from its elbow.
"Kill me then. I will stare back at you in the Great Journey and laugh upon your unclean race." said Sorrung-Yaan without turning or flinching, to which Roger walked up to the back of Mia, and pried the Ka-Bar from her unfazed hands.
"I give up" Mia stated, with her hands in the air as she walked away from the Sang-Heli.
Ziizika looked up at the sky. Watching as the last sparkles of light faded into the distance of beyond the city.
Everyone was asleep. All except for Roger and the alien they had captured, the whole unit were snoozing. Roger was on sentry duty, staying ever alert for any dangers.
"Aren't you going to feed me?" said Sorrung-Yaan shuffling against the dumpster he was tied to.
Roger moved close to the Sang-Heli, and removed his Ka-Bar.
Dog fell silently, blood pouring from a wound in her chest as the energy sword was ripped from the hand of the Sang-Heli by Drac who died second, as he jumped over the Semi-melted sandbags which had been protecting him, running towards Dogs fleeing Murderer. He was felled by a single shot through the torso.
Roger came closer to the beast, sliding the blade across its neck, but not letting the blade touch the skin.
"I should kill you now, for what your race has done." Roger said, as he gripped the blade tighter,
"We have done nothing but begin to exterminate your disgusting race human." Sorrung-Yaan spat. His Mandibles clicking as the hatred of Roger glazed in his eyes, matched only by the disgust of Sorrung-Yann.
"There was a time where Humans were like you. We fought many of our own to conquer pillage rape and control. Our leaders said their motions were purely done because our god commanded them to. Many cities were burnt to the ground under the banner of a merciful god." Said Roger, as he sheathed his blade and turned towards the campfire.
"How is a god a god if they command their people to do evil? How is mercy so painful?" he continued, picking up a stick, and stirring the embers back around an unburnt log.
"Your gods are false. And you as a race do not deserve to live." The reply came from Sorrung-Yaan, coating his words with the hatred that he had done so with many times before.
"You're Sentinels, haven't you ever wondered why they refer to humans as the Reclaimers? And why there is some technology that couldn't be activated with four fingers?" Roger said calmly, the disbelief burning on the Sang-Heli's face.
"How did you know that?" Sorrung-Yaan asked. Roger smiled before replying.
"Same way as I know about the flood, I asked the right… person."