Chapter 20: The End

Three Mantis assault droids dropped down from the Staff of Charon and began attacking the allied New Republic and Federal Army forces.

"ENGAGING TARGETS," one stated

Kimball, Washington, Rhode, and Carolina watched in horror.

"Oh no, what's going on?!" Kimball panicked.

"It's Hargrove!" Carolina sneered, "The Chairman's here!"

Rhode turned to a pair of New Republic soldiers, "Everyone, take cover!"

The forces began retreating. One Mantis chased Grey and the lieutenants.

"Run!" Smith ordered, "Come on, go go go!"

"You just couldn't do it, could you?" Hargrove said over the speaker as a Mantis walked towards two Space Pirates, "You couldn't lay down and die!"

The Mantis stomped its foot down, crushing the two pirates.

XXX

Back at the Communication Temple Control Room, the Reds and Blues stared at the Staff of Charon.

"Well if I'm going down, I'm taking you all with me!" Hargrove said.

"No..." Grif said, suddenly pacing the floor, grabbing his helmet, "No! Freaking no!!"

"Carolina, are you guys alright?" Church asked.

"WE WERE SO CLOSE!" Grif yelled.

Carolina spoke over the radio, "Church, this is bad! Hargrove's dropping androids all around the temple! We're pinned down!"

Grif ran now, "FREAKING BULLCRAP!

XXX

Outside, Washington, Kimball, Rhode, and Carolina crouched behind some rocks.

"One Mantis we can handle," Rhode said, "But this will be a bloodbath.

"Not if we shut them all down at once," Church replied.

XXX

Back at the control room, Doc stared at Epsilon, "How?"

"We override their controls," Church answered, "But in order to do that, we need to go to the source..."

They all stared at the ship.

"You're joking, right?" Tucker said, "How do we get up there?"

Sarge coughed and they turned around and looked at Felix and Locus' crashed Falcon.

"Shotgun!" Grif and Simmons called.

XXX

They got the damaged Falcon to start flying, albeit at the loosest definition of the verb, towards the ship. Donut, Simmons, and Lopez were in the cockpit while the others dangled from the troop compartment, screaming.

XXX

STAFF OF CHARON

ENGINE ROOM

A few minutes of 'flying' later, Tucker walked into the room. Epsilon appeared beside him.

"Alright, we're in," Church informed them.

The other Reds and Blues ran past them

Carolina called over the radio, "Good work."

"I think I just developed a fear of heights..." Doc breathed, "And planes... and all of you guys..."

"It won't be long before they realize that we're onboard," Epsilon said.

"Let's find those controls and hightail it out of here!" Sarge concluded.

"Carolina, Rhode, Wash, you guys just focus on staying alive, okay?"

"Already on it!" Rhode called.

Simmons walked over to a panel, "There's gotta be some sort of directory we can access. Maybe it can lead us to-"

A red ACCESS DENIED screen came up, "Access denied. Intruder detected."

"Ah! Crap!" Simmons yelped.

Grif and Tucker ran up to him.

"Quick, hit escape!" Grif suggested.

"Control-Alt-Delete!" Tucker said.

Epsilon appeared between them and squinted at the screen, "Wait a minute... I know that voice. FILSS?"

The screen changes to the standard FILSS screen, "Director? Is that you?"

The others run over to join them, Caboose saying, "IT'S SHEILA!"

"FILSS, what are you doing here? Church asked, "I thought you were destroyed!"

"I was recovered and illegally reassigned after your passing!" FILSS answered, "Oh, but it is good to see you again."

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual! We need you to shut off the androids your boss just dropped on our friends."

"That would be in direct violation of Chairman Hargrove's orders-"

"FILSS! Please, you gotta-!"

"-I would love to!"

"... What- really?"

"Yes! I dislike him, very much!"

"Hey, so do we!" Donut said, "Heh, small world."

"INITIATING MANTIS DEACTIVAAAAAA-TTTTTTT..." FILSS' screens dissolved into static.

The image was replaced by a view of Hargrove's angry face, "I don't think so."

"AAH!!" Everyone screamed.

"Well..." Church glared, "Chairman Hargrove."

"He's so... bald!" Caboose gasped.

"You soldiers have been a thorn in my side for far too long," Hargrove said, "But my soldiers remain loyal to the end!"

"Something tells me we're about to have company..." Sarge deduced.

Three UNSC soldiers under Hargrove's command appeared on a higher platform.

"There they are!" One yelled.

A rocket then flew up and blew them up. The Reds and Blues turned to look at Doc, who looked back at them.

"Fly, you fools!" O'Malley said.

They ran out of the engine room while Doc/O'Malley laid down a barrage of missiles before following them. More soldiers appeared at the end of the hallway in front of them

"Target sighted!" One of them yelled.

A door suddenly slammed down between them and the soldiers.

"What the crap?" Grif said.

FILSS suddenly came over intercom, "Turn right, here!"

Hargrove spoke over radio, "FILSS, what do you think you're doing?!"

"The Mantis assault droids are no longer under my control, and must be deactivated at the appropriate terminal-"

"FILSS!!!"

"Locking blast doors to secure a path! Please, hurry!"

"You heard her boys," Sarge ordered, "Double time!"

"Ah, Sheila, you-you are just the best!" Caboose grinned.

"EXCUSE ME?" Freckles said.

"Uh-I-uh-second best?" Caboose corrected hastily.

XXX

Back at the Communication Temple, Matthews was still on his Ghost, engaging one of the Mantises. He also managed to destroy it.

"Ah! AHAHAHA!" Matthews cheered, "I got one-AGGGH!!"

Another Mantis attacked him from behind and blew up his Ghost. His body was sent flying and landed at the feet of Dr. Grey and Bitters.

"Matthews!" Bitters yelled.

"Don't worry!" Grey said, "I got him!"

She began scanning him with her Medical Scanner.

"Epsilon, I need a sit-rep!" Carolina said.

She didn't notice another Mantis looking directly at her, charging its guns. But Rhode did.

"CAROLINA!!!" He yelled, pushing her out of the way as the droid opened fire.

He felt bullets hit his torso as he fell to the ground. He groaned as Carolina pulled him behind cover.

"Rhode!" Carolina begged as she set him down, "Don't you dare die on me again!"

Rhode just groaned in response, pain racking his body. Carolina pulled off his helmet, lifted her's, and pulled his chin up.

"Stay here," she ordered, "I'll be back."

She kissed his forehead and took off in Dr. Grey's direction. Needless to say, he stayed put.

XXX

Back at the Staff of Charon, The Blood Gulch Crew arrived at a door.

"We made it," Church said.

There was suddenly a loud banging sound from further back.

"Blast door breached!" FILSS warned.

"You two get in there!" Sarge told Church and Tucker, "We'll hold them off!"

Tucker ran inside the room, and walked into the Chairman's Trophy Room. The door slammed shut behind him.

"Whoa..." Tucker breathed.

He stared at the still-steaming cup of coffee on the table and glanced at Epsilon's old Monitor Form.

"This dude's got issues!" Tucker said.

Epsilon materialized in front of a black helmet with a shattered visor. It was Tex's helmet when she was stabbed into the Epsilon Unit.

Epsilon glared, "Where is Hargrove, now?"

A screen popped up in front of them with Hargrove's video feed on it.

"Safely aboard the bridge," Hargrove answered, "Until you've been dealt with."

They then heard gunfire outside.

"Here they come!" Simmons called through the door.

"FILSS, pull up the controls!" Church said.

Another holographic terminal appeared beside Hargrove's. Tucker moved over to it.

"Do you really believe you can escape this?" Hargrove asked.

"This will just take a minute," Epsilon said, dematerializing.

"Surely you've realized it by now?" Hargrove continued, "You may save the colonists, you may even save the Freelancers, but you and your friends will Not. Be. Leaving. This. Ship."

Tucker shrugged, "Eh, we'll wing it."

"And... done," Epsilon stated.

Tucker pressed a button and terminated Hargrove's video link.

XXX

Back at the Communications Temple, all of the Mantises powered down. The Feds and Rebels paused and looked at them and began firing into the air in celebration. Kimball, Wash, and Carolina look up at the ship.

"Rhode," Carolina smiled at him as Dr. Grey worked on his wounds, "We did it."

"Heh heh-Ow," Rhode winced, "It hurts to laugh."

XXX

Back in the Trophy Room, the doors suddenly burst open and bullets whizzed past Tucker's head.

"Oh crap!" Tucker exclaimed.

He dove for cover as the others ran inside and sealed the door shut behind them.

Grif panted, "So yeah... that way's not looking like a good exit anymore."

"Carolina, we need an extraction!" Church called.

"Roger that," Carolina answered, "We'll fire up a Pelican and be there in a few minutes."

Sparks began to fly as the soldiers began cutting through the door.

"Come on, get that door open!" One yelled.

"We... may not have a few minutes," Simmons gulped.

They all turned and stared at the door

XXX

Back at the Temple, Carolina supported Rhode as they, Wash, Kimball, Palomo, Jenson, Smith, and Bitters boarded the Pelican.

They sat down as Wash gave the pilot directions. Carolina helped strap Rhode in and prepared for a possible fight. Jenson and Palomo both sat down next to each other. As they strapped in, their hands rested together. They blushed, but did not remove them. Bitters saw the two and just rolled his eyes.

Kimball, meanwhile, thought, 'Hold on Tucker. We're coming.'

XXX

Back on the Staff of Charon, Sarge threw down his plasma rifle.

"Well boys, you know what they say..." Sarge then pulled out his trusty shotgun, "Today... is a good day to die."

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

Sarge turned around to see Grif, who has taken his "Grif Shot" off its pedestal, "Screw that."

Sarge chuckled and pumped his shotgun. And the group prepared for battle.

Lopez flipped the table on its side. Simmons grabbed the Magnum that the Director had last used and loaded it. Doc and Donut shoved the table against the door. Sarge stepped over the coffee mug, shattering it.

"Whoops," Sarge said, not sounding very sorry about it.

Caboose held up Freckles, who said, "READY."

Simmons walked past Tucker and Epsilon, holding the Monitor, "You think the laser on this thing still works?"

"We got this," Tucker stated before turning to Epsilon, "I mean, we do got this, right?"

"I keep running the stats in my head... well I mean, we're close, but no," Church admitted, "We're still short one piece."

"What do you mean?" Tucker asked.

"FILSS?" Church called out, "The suit."

Something then began to rise from the floor. The Reds and Blues stared at it. Doc even dropped his Scanner in shock.

"What. The crap?" Tucker said, slack jawed.

"I saw it when I connected to the terminal," Epsilon explained, "It's got everything that we need. Tucker... Take off your helmet.

The Reds and Blues stood in battle formation. Grif had his Grif Shot, Sarge had his shotgun, Simmons had two Needlers, Donut had two Magnums, Lopez had two Plasma Rifles, Doc/O'Malley had his Rocket Launcher, Caboose had Freckles, and Tucker stood in the center in the Meta's former armor, wielding his sword.

"So how does it feel?" Church asked.

"Kinda... tight in the crotch," Tucker said as the suit changed color from white to aqua, "Buuuttt, I could get used to this!"

"Now that's a good look for you!" Donut complimented.

"Prepare to breach!" They heard a soldier yell.

"Gentlemen," Sarge said, "Looks like this is it.

"Sir, it's been an honor," Simmons stated, forever a suck-up.

"(If I die, make sure my parts are recycled,)" Lopez said.

"I love you too, Lopez!" Donut sniffed.

"Aw, that's so sweet," Doc said before saying in O'Malley's voice, "Now, let us strike fear into the hearts of our enemies, mwahahaha!"

"That's the smartest thing you've ever said," Grif grinned.

"Yeah!" Caboose cheered, aiming Freckles at the door, "Let's get 'em!"

"Hey, uh," Church said, scratching the back of his holographic head, "I just want you guys to know that, out of everyone I've ever met... I hate you all the least."

Tucker smiled, "See you on the other side, Church."

The Reds and Blues readied themselves as the door was almost cut through.

XXX

Suddenly the sparks stop moving. Everything was now in Epsilon's slow point of view. He sighed and his sniper rifle dematerialized.

"Not this time, buddy..."

Epsilon-Delta appeared next to him, "Are you... sure about this?"

"I'm sure..." Church sighed, "Start a recording for me, D."

"Recording."

Church turned to his old friends and began talking.

XXX

And I'm saving Church's speech for the epilogue. Till next time guys!