Chapter 14: Finishing the Score
Flashback
Anvil Gate
Marcus lowered his head and buried his face deeper into Anya's neck and held her tighter than ever, shattered by grief in the destruction of his entire family; his brother, father, his lover and every Gear he knew and served gone. Chocking with sobbing as the entire covenant army listened like music to their ears and Thel the one who took his Anya away was still standing and watching.
Letting the last of his tears dropped from his battle harden face as he glazed at the Covenant army surrounded him in the courtyard while others took positions on the walls with weapons at the ready. He watched every single human being murdered by the Covenant even Anya , his hatred grew intensive at the Covenant 40 times than the locust. He failed to save the ones he loved and painfully watch as Sera burned by their fleet in the skies. His reward was an agonizing rage.
Every Grunt , Elites , Hunters , Jackals , Brutes and Drones were advanced toward him with energy weapons for the kill. He turned to Thel who draw again his energy sword defensively.
" Come on !" shouted Marcus opening his arms wide at Thel. "Finish this."
" Finish this !" screamed Marcus " God dam it . Kill me."
Thel frowned at such a request from the human and agreed to the demand. Thel slowly approached Marcus and raised the energy sword the in the air ready for the final blow. Marcus lowered his head in defeat and accepted his fate to have his head cut.
" No." shouted a voice interrupting the execution as the Coveanant turned to see the prophet of regret making his way through the crowd. The alien in the hover chair glanced at Marcus first then Thel.
" Withdraw from this fight, let the last savage burn." boomed out the Prophet. " Let him burn." Thel obeyed while he distinguished his energy sword and stepped away from the Sergeant then turning away. Marcus watched as the entire Covenant army began to dispersed away from the fort. Covenant troops neither made their way down the walls and the rest exited through the explosion torn gaps in the fort. Other covenant soldiers picked up weapons, dogtags and armor of the fallen COG soldiers as trophies.
Covenant troops headed for the waiting shuttles and dropships.
"No! FINISH THIS !" roared Marcus at the Covenant desperate his efforts to kill himself. Thel just stood there and then he walked away. He could hear the human screaming at him to kill him as he kept on walking but his warrior code strongly urged him to deliver the death blow. Instead Thel left the human alone with all of his dead comrades in arms alone and crying.
From a distance, a pair of Covenant warships begun their bombardment while a fleet of dropships were returning to the waiting carriers.
" NO ! NO! NO! "screamed Marcus as the last of the Covenant disappear "Just kill me ! Kill me."
Marcus just lowered his head in defeat and tears as he wrapped his arms around Anya's corpse sobbing in a mixture of traumatized, grief-stricken and comatose.
He then turned on his left to see four armoured green humanoids and a dozen black armoured troopers came running from the smoke with weapons at the ready.
" Serria 117 to Pillar of Autumn , we are too late. Found one survivor." reported the Spartan with the 117 tag on his armor to the tac/com. "Understood sir , Evac us now."
The UNSC squadron took a look at the destruction of Anvil Gate and saw no survivors left. The Master Chief approached the last soldier of the COG and glanced at the dead woman in his arms.
" Come with us we get you to safety." said the Chief.
" I can't leave them." chocked out Marcus pointing to the bodies.
"We need to go now." said the other Spartan next to the Master Chief " Covenant just began orbit strike."
"Okay we can't fit all into the Pelican-" The Chief was cut off when Marcus yelled in anger "They are my friends ! I wouldn't leave them. Cole , Baird , Anya I am not leaving them."
"Okay, we can arrange that, Blue team identified individuals Cole and Baird by dogtag. Bring them to the pelican now."
The pelican arrived moments later as the UNSC fire team hurried inside the dropship along with the bodies of the fallen gears and last to enter the pelican was Marcus carrying Anya in a bridge style with tears streaking down his eyes.
Marcus turned to see a Covenant warship from a distance begun its bombardment in the region before painfully entering the dropship. During the flight, he glazed from the deployment bay to see the landscape in a sea of flames and carters. Covenant Ships raining plasma nonstop cleansing the entire region. Marcus closed his eyes with sorrow as the pelican flew towards the UNSC cruiser before retreating to slipspace.
Present Day
UNSC Infinity
"You get it." shouted Marcus "Do you Chief ? We are all in this together. You kill millions of Covenant everywhere for the entire dam human race until the end. Did you? Hell I am going finish what you started."
"I don't think so." answered the Chief as he kept a tight aim at Marcus from the tip of his assault rifle.
" You kill covenant for the UNSC right? So did I . You made a purpose to kill every last one time" snarled Marcus then echoed a dark chuckle and a sadistic simile "What difference does it make?"
" Not like this, we are not same !" shouted the Chief "You are nothing but a murderer." The former gear locked daggers at the Chief.
"I didn't come here to settle the score." said the Chief "Stopping you from making another war."
"You think you can stop me after the shit they put me. They took everything from me and I am taking something from them," yelled Marcus as he steadily moved forward with his hostage in his hand.
" War never changes. Doesn't it," shouted Marcus pointing hatefully at the Chief who stood there unfazed.
" You underestimate humanity !" retorted the Chief
"I fought for the goddam human race, I watched billions die by the Locust, the lambent and the goddam Covenant. People killed , starve to death and shit." Tears poured from his eyes.
" My goddam squad is one of them and Anya they are dead because you." ratted Marcus before choking sobs lowering his head.
"My fault ? I got nothing to do with this." answered the Chief as he lowered the assault rifle.
" Yes it is your damn fault, where were you when we need you," shouted Marcus.
"That is not true, I was only following order. We did our duty no matter the cost. Your Squad did their-"
" Don't you say that shit !" roared Marcus "They die anyway and nothing happens."
" You got no way off , o Sergeant ," the Chief pointed out "Infinity knows you here and I have people on the way to stop you."
" The only thing stopping me is a bullet in my head. "snarled Marcus.
" Listen to the chief. " plead Lasky.
" Shut up." growled Marcus at his captive.
" This has to stop sergeant." called out the Chief " I wouldn't let you take any more lives."
" You are wrong, you start this fight and now I am going finish it. Just ask me why I am doing this ?" shouted back Marcus " How could you get to be the fucking hero of the war that you didn't even ask for and I get stuck in a cage with nothing! Nothing!"
The Chief frowned inside his helmet as the crazy gear ratted on. " You have no idea how much Anya, Sam, Cole, and everyone means to me."
" You won the locust war and then the Covenant came to your world. It wasn't my fault, we came too late. We didn't know." protested the Chief as his attempt to talk down Marcus was slowly faulting. Marcus gritted his teeth shaking his head. "I read about you sergeant , I know."
"You don't know shit." growled Marcus "I am not afraid to die."
"I know what is like to lost everything; your planet, family and those you served with." answered the Chief with pity in his tone."I swore to defend humanity or die to try. I lost people too and we both did. I see it."
Marcus didn't answer as he slowly listens to the Chief. " We both fight the enemy and I don't hate the enemy. I am not like you Marcus Fenix and I've never been like you. But killing off the Covenant one by one will not bring your loved ones back. " said the Chief " This has to stop. I wouldn't let you take any more lives. It is youhatred, , it's consuming you."
" Put down the weapon if you can. Stop this before it is too late." said the Chief lowering the rifle. "You are afraid to live are you ? Why hurt yourself when you can hurt other people. "
"Never." snarled Marcus "I want off this ship now because if you don't . I will blow this ship back to hell and I take you with me." Taking a step forward with Lasky in his grip as Marcus grinned.
"You are bluffing. "growled John raising the rifle slowly.
"Hell yeah." snarled Marcus "But I am going take you with me." as he walked forward towards the Chief.
"Kill me. "taunted Marcus "Shoot me and take me , Lasky and you and this ship to hell."
"No." snarled John back with defiance. "I wouldn't take another life if you are human."
" Do it and send me to Anya." Marcus returned with a smile on his face."They are waiting for me."
"You are sick and psychotically you need help now." the Chief snarled in return refusing to yield a step back. " Last chance to turn this around. This has to stop Fenix."
" You know what else ?" roared Marcus "Anya, she the only person that means to me some dam much and I remember she….. Chocked on her own blood by the Covies. I remember something else, you feel nothing."
Ignoring the bluff from Marcus, The Chief refused to back up but kept his rifle on Marcus who continued ranting. " You get it, we are both soldiers, we do the dirty work so the entire goddam human race doesn't know a damn thing about the covies."
"This has to stop! Listen to me." snarled John almost losing his cool "You are obsessed. Revenge isn't going to bring them back. Your hatred is consuming you."
"You don't Know nothing !" roared Marcus throwing Lasky forward to the ground raising his assault rifle firing wildly like a happy triggerman. The rounds slammed into the Chief's shields; suddenly the Chief sees red.
The Chief lured forward as he fired twin round from his assault rifle; one round knock the assault rifle and the other bullets exit through the detonator's hand. Marcus roared with rage and pain as the Chief seize the opportunity tackled Marcus to the ground before delivering a hard punch right into the insane man's face. Knock the man out cold. With his handgun level on Marcus's face as the Chief secured the perpetrator; kicking the rifle away from Marcus.
A dozen Marines appeared at the hallway along with the rest of blue team and other Spartans TVs . Lasky slowly rose up wiping the blood off his face but in bad shape.
"Hostile down ; ship secure." reported the Chief as he rush to Lasky's aid as more arm men show up to take Marcus into custody. It was over now. Lasky's arm around the Chief shoulders as Lasky limped slowly the captain glanced at a Spartan IV placing handcuffs on Marcus while the rest kept their weapons on the former gear. The Chief escorted Lasky to the medics waiting for him at the corridor with a stretcher too.
"Thank you." whispered Lasky squeezing the Chief's hand before the medics hurried him to the infirmary.
Now to deal with Fenix himself.