Chapter 20: Death of a Veteran

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Halo, Red Vs Blue or Any of their Respective Characters

A/N: Welcome to another chapter! And Merry Christmas Eve! As, I told all of you readers in the last chapter, you will get the rest of the chapters tomorrow, all throughout the day. Also, someone is going to die at the end of this chapter. And I guarentee that you won't see it coming. So, before you get started on reading, as always, please favorite and follow the story, as it really helps me out. Also, please drop me a review or PM me if you want to give me your input. So, without anything else that needs to be said, let's get into it!

Washington

Top Secret Freelancer Offsite Facility

Washington nailed a Flood Combat Form in the little tentacle things that the Infection Form left behind after a host was infected. Everything was going just great. Tex was being surrounded by Combat Forms and Carolina was currently running from a dozen Carrier Forms. Washington flipped to the left in the snow, gunning down three Infection Forms. He looked to his left as he slapped a new magazine into his Battle Rifle, to see Church just standing in the snow, not doing anything. "Church! What is wrong with you?! Open fire!" he called. But Church wasn't moving. He just stood there, staying completely still, unmoving, not even firing at the advancing Flood. "Church! Open fire!" Washington yelled, twice as loud.

Epsilon-Church

Elsewhere...

Church knew that he was supposed to be fighting the Flood. But something was simply couldn't move, he couldn't do a thing. All he could do was stand there, trying to figure out what was happening. He was stuck in somekind of limbo. He couldn't move, it's like he was floating in space. All he could do was 'float' and listen to his own overlapping thoughts. Oh, fuck! That sounds bad! Where's the temple? Boo, motherfucker! I am the best. My name is Leonard Church, and you will fear my laser face! Holy crap! Who is running this army?! There is a fine line between not listening and not caring. I like to think that I walk that line everyday of my life. Yeah... That's right... I'm a gay robot. Go ahead, and hop in Tucker. What the hell? Where the hell am I? Dibs. Hey, Rookie. Did you just call my girlfriend a cow? The Meta is a Freelancer?! Your name is now, Doc. Do whatever you want. I'm going home. Is it possible for a memory encased inside a robot body to piss it's pants? Because I'm pretty sure I just did that.

My body fought hard for this war and it deserves to be put to rest! Whoa! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh shit, you scared the crap out of me! It's a planet made entirely out of ice. It's really fucking cold! You know what? I fucking hate you. I'm pretty sure I would know if Tex was a guy. And I'm definitely sure I would know if she was part-shark. Church began to regain feelings in his cyborg body. He looked around him, as he tried to figure out what was going on. He finally tried to speak, and it worked. "D! What's going on?" Church asked. Since Epsilon was the memories of the Alpha, he remembered the fragments. Such as Delta, Theta and so on and so forth. "Warning! Warning! Epsilon, you are just beginning to enter the Rampancy stage! If we are to survive longer, we need to clear our storage space!" Delta's voice rang in Church's head. "Rampancy? Didn't Cortana go through Rampancy as an AI?" Epsilon asked himself. Wait. I'm an AI. Oh, fuckberries. That's also Tucker's line. God damn it.

John-117

Blood Gulch

John-117 emerged from the tunnels that took him and his team back up to Blood Gulch, and came out behind Red Base. John began to sneak, as his team did the same. John looked up at Red Base, to see two Flood Combat forms just standing up there and just keeping watch. John held up his fist, signaling his team to stay put, as he began to sneak up the ramp to Red Base's roof. One of the Combat Forms turned to the other Combat Form and began to speak. "Blarg." he asked. The other Combat Form looked at him and spoke. "Honk?" he said. "Blargitty blarg blarg honk?" Combat Form One asked. "Blargitty blarg blarg blarg. Blarg blarga blarg. Blarg blargitty blarg blarg? Blarg blarg blarg." Combat Form Number Two said. "Blarg?" Combat Form Number One asked, sounding like it was in a confused tone. Their argument continued for several minutes, until John got fed up with it and stood up. John opened fire on the Combat Form on the left and he fell down, dead. "Blarg?" the Combat Form on the right asked in confusion, as he looked over at John. "Blarg!" He bellowed in agitation, as he leaped towards the Master Chief.

John shot at the Combat Form, killing it in matter of seconds. He signaled for his men to join him. "That was odd, even for the Flood." Grif said, as he and the rest of the squad ran up to the roof. "Yes. But that was the least of our concerns." John-117 said, as he placed his Assault Rifle on his back, walking to where the Combat Forms were standing. "They'll be all over us in less than a minute." Tucker laughed. "Bow-Chicka-Bow-Wow!" Tucker said. John realized that this may be their last day on Earth. Or Blood Gulch, in this case. "Oh shit." Simmons said, as he approached the edge of Red Base's roof. "We about to be to fucked monumentally!" Donut exclaimed, as he walked up with the rest of them. John looked out at Blood Gulch. What he saw actually terrified him. It was the Flood equivalent to a Covenant Fleet. Sure, there were no ships, but there plenty of troops. They hadn't noticed them yet, but they wouldn't be hidden for much longer. "Simmons." he said. "Sniper Rifle, now!" Simmons tossed John a Sniper Rifle, and John caught it. "Alright." John took a deep breath. "Let's see what we're up against." John aimed down the sight to survey the battlefield.

"What have we got, Chief?" Sarge asked. "A lot." John said. "We're looking at Infected UNSC Marines, Infected Elites, Flood Tanks, otherwise known as infected Brutes, Carrier Forms and Infection Forms. At least five hundred each it looks like. Minus the Infection Forms." He turned around and placed the Rifle against the wall. "Men, I'm not going to lie. This very well may be your last day in Blood Gulch. You have fought hard and well. But today, I need each and everyone of you to give it all you got today. If we fail, we lose Blood Gulch, but ultimately, the human race will fall. So, we need to fight to our very last breathe. For all human life. For Earth." John saluted his fellow soldiers and everyone returned the salute, even Sarge. "Men, lock and load." John said. Noble Six slammed a new mag into his DMR. Grif and Simmons put fresh magazines into their Battle Rifles. Donut reloaded his Magnum. Tucker activated his Energy Sword. "Sir, let me just say that this is the worst, craziest idea ever, but you can count me in." Grif said. John allowed himself one last smile. "It is a crazy plan. Unfortunately for us all, I like crazy." he said. John aimed with the Sniper Rifle and fired at a Flood Carrier Form. It fell and exploded, sending every Flood Form in the radius flying. Not even five minutes later, all of the Flood Forms in Blood Gulch were running towards Red Base. The Battle of Blood Gulch had begun.

Doc

UNSC Tartarus

After guards aboard the UNSC Tartarus found out about Mendez and Co. had taken 343 Guilty Spark from his "cell", they weren't to happy. Doc was taking cover behind a crate in one of the ship's cargo bays, just as the ship's security force had found them again and opened fire. "Dufresne!" Mendez called from his cover. "I need you to give us covering fire!" Doc wasn't into fighting. After all, he was a pacifist. "Oh, no. I can see everything just fine from back here, thank you." Doc said. "Dufrense, you are carrying a modified version of the Plasma Pistol!" Mendez exclaimed. "Yes, yes! What's your point?" Doc asked. "My point is that the UNSC got ahold of Covenant Firearms, notably the Plasma Pistol. It was reverse engineered into a medical device! But it still has the power to harm others!" Mendez said. "Um, yes, but Mendez, in case you have forgotten, I'm a pacifist! I'm not killing, let alone harming anyone!" Doc protested. Mendez let out a growl of anger. "Fine!" Mendez said in an angry tone. "Sparky! Get over here, now!"

343 Guilty Spark let out a hum as he hovered over to Mendez in his new Sentinel body. "Yes, Officer! How may I be of service?" he chirped. "You are now in a Sentinel body! So, is it possible for you to utilize the Sentinel Beam that they use on the Flood?" Mendez asked. "Of course I can!" 343 Guilty Spark beeped. "Then, by all means, Sparky! Open fire on the enemy!" Mendez exclaimed. "Activating Sentinel Beam." 343 Guilty Spark said robotically, as he turned to face the enemy. 343 Guilty Spark fired his sentinel beam, incapacitating the guards firing at them.

Mendez

As 343 Guilty Spark kept their enemies at bay, Mendez radioed ahead to Lopez. "Lopez, do you read?" Mendez said. A few moments later, the Spanish robot responded. "Si. Como estas?" Lopez responded over the radio. Since Mendez understood a little Spanish, he responded so. "Muy bien, Lopez. I need you to meet us at the hanger, we need extraction on the double!" Mendez exclaimed. "Ok." Lopez said, before the radio cut out. "Okay, men! We have extraction coming in! Lopez will be around to the hanger to retrieve us anytime now! We must get there!" Mendez replied. "Aye, aye, sir!" Doc said, as the rest of the team acknowledged. "Spark, keep us covered as we move through the ship!" 343 Guilty Spark beeped, acknowledging the order.

John-117

Blood Gulch

"We have to get to Blue Base!" Sarge said, as he Shotgunned multiple Combat Forms. "Why?" Tucker asked, as he slashed and hacked the Flood with his sword. "What's so important about our base?" Sarge just grunted. "There is a nuclear device that Red Team hid in your base, that is designed to wipe out all inorganic life!" Sarge said. "So, you mean to tell me that you predicted the war with the Flood, and created a nuke designed to destroy it?" John asked. "Yes, exactly." Sarge said. "Whatever you say, Sarge." Tucker said, as they continued to push deeper into the canyon. "Well, it sounds like we have found a way to exterminate the Flood and take back Blood Gulch." John said. "Let's escort Sarge to Blue Base, men!" Just as a Flood Combat Form lunged towards John, the Chief hit with the Combat Form with the Assault Rifle, downing the Form. John walked up and put his boot on the Combat Form's chest, and began to shoot at the remains of the Infection Form that were still in it's chest.

John lifted his Assault Rifle and began to fire at the Flood Combat Forms that were surrounding them. John ran out of bullets in his current magazine, and with more Combat Forms approaching, he tossed his Assault Rifle aside and switched to his Magnum. John fired at the incoming Combat Forms. One of them got too close and John grabbed it by the throat and continued to fire, as it slapped him harmlessly. John fired all of his bullets, all except for one, and he put the barrel of the pistol against the bristles of the Infection Form and fired, killing the Combat Form instantly. John dropped the Combat Form's body and reloaded his Magnum. John watched as Sarge was attacked by a Combat Form. Sarge struggled against the Combat Form, before eventually bashing the Form's head with the Shotgun. The Combat Form fell to the ground and Sarge began to stomp the Form's chest with his cybornetic foot. Holy shit, John thought. They are actually doing it! They are fighting like honest to God Spartans! "Don't back down now! We can do this!" John said, as he began to fire again.

Agent Maine/The Meta

Blood Gulch

The Meta stood up on the cliffs of Blood Gulch, observing the fight and listening to the Reds and Blues, via radio. The Meta couldn't help but feel sorry for the Reds and Blues, knowing damn well that victory was far-fetched. He shook his head in disappointment. He thought that this Master Chief would be smarter than to engage an entire Flood fleet. He loaded his Bruteshot, getting ready for a open window. Like sheep to the slaughter. Meta thought to himself. He listened in on the conversation and heard John-117 speaking. "Don't back down now! We can do this!" John spoke via the radio. The Meta let out a growl. No. You can't. The Meta lifted his Bruteshot and fired.

Tucker

Blood Gulch

Tucker watched, just as John finished speaking, he was hit with an explosive device and was sent flying. "Chief!" Tucker called in worry. "We can't win this fight without him!" Noble Six intervened. "No! We can! We just have to believe in ourselves! Keep pushing towards Blue Base! I'll stay with John to ensure he doesn't get infected!" he said. "Why you, fucker? We shouldn't trust you!" he said. "You'll have to trust me! It's impossible for me to die, remember? As long as I have this immunity, I can protect the Master Chief. Go, go, go!" Noble Six ordered. Tucker already noticed that his team were moving. Tucker knew he had to move too. He began to pursue his team, stabbing any Combat Forms that got in his way. He eventually caught up to them, to see that Grif had a Infection Form latched to his helmet. Tucker quickly made the switch to his Magnum and shot the Infection Form, saving his ally. "Ow, motherfucker!" Grif exclaimed, rubbing his helmet. He looked at Tucker. "What'd you do that for?" he asked. "Hey, jackass! Do you want to die with me in a few minutes or fifty years from now?!" Tucker asked.

Grif just stared at Tucker. "That's what I thought, lemon head!" Tucker said, as he and Grif jogged to catch up to the rest of the team. "Hey! I'm not yellow, I'm not gold either! I am fucking orange!" Grif exclaimed. "Oh, quit your bitching! I'm just messing with you!" Tucker said, as he laughed. Grif said nothing. They eventually caught up to Sarge, Donut and Simmons. "How's the Chief?" Donut asked. "Noble Six will look after him until he comes around. If he comes around." Tucker said. "Don't say that, Tucker." Simmons said. "The Master Chief is tough. He'll get back up." The Flood began to advance again and the five of them opened fire. Grif fired a burst of fire from his Battle Rifle. Three Combat Forms dropped. "Hey..." Simmons said. "Do you hear something?" They all averted their attention to their surrounding area. Tucker didn't really understand what Simmons was talking about. Well, then again, he never really understood what Simmons was talking about. "Um, Simmons?" Grif asked. "I don't hear anything." Then, the cavalry arrived. Tucker heard a very faint rumbling sound. That's when he looked up and saw two Warthogs coming from the cliffs. Washington was driving one of them, while Church rode Shotgun. And Carolina drove the other, while Tex manned the machine gun turret.

"The cavalry's arrived boys! Let's lend them a hand!" Sarge barked. They all acknowledged the order and spread out. All except for Grif and Tucker. Grif just stood there and Tucker just opened fire on the incoming Flood with his magnum. As he was doing that, he heard a sound from behind him. He turned around to see Wash's Warthog driving towards him. "Oh, fuckberries!" he said, as he flipped out of the way. "Grif, watch out!" Grif turned around but it was already too late. Grif got hit with Washington's Warthog and he went flying upwards, then forwards due to the impact. Tucker watched as Grif sailed through the air. He was heading towards Carolina's Warthog. And he wasn't going to hit the front of the Hog. Tucker watched seconds before Grif landed on the turret. "Oh, fuck." Tucker said, a second before Grif impacted.

Grif

Blood Gulch

By now, Grif's balls were most likely numb. But as he impacted, an all-too familiar feeling jolted through his lower body. He slumped over forward a little bit and he rested his head on Tex's helmet. "Why don't you just kill me?" he said. "Get off, fat-ass! I can't see!" Tex grunted as she pushed him off of the Warthog. Grif just laid there, not sure what to do, after he was pushed off. "Why, God! Why!" Grif wailed, as he covered his balls. "Why does this always happen to me?!"

John-117

Somewhere

When John woke up, he had no idea where he was. Or what had happened. "What the hell?" he asked, as he rubbed his helmet. "What happened? I don't remember anything. We were fighting in Blood Gulch and then? Poof. Nothing." He got up and found himself still in Blood Gulch. "How -?" John began to ask himself a question, but he stopped himself. He found himself on the cliffs of Blood Gulch, near the cave tunnels, next to Church and Tucker. Only problem was, the were wearing old generation Armor. John was pretty sure that they were wearing Mark V Armor. "Tucker! Church! What's going on? Why aren't you attacking the Flood?" he asked. Neither of them responded. "Hello?" John asked, beginning to get irritated. Again, neither of them responded. Tucker kept standing there, with his Pistol lowered. Church stood there, looking through the scope of his Sniper Rifle. "What are they doing now?" Tucker asked. "Excuse me?" John asked. Tucker ignored him and Church turned to look at him, without lowering his Rifle. "What?" he asked, with a slight hint of irration in his voice. "I said, 'What are they doing now?'." Tucker said.

"God damn! I'm getting so sick of answering that question!" Church said, his voice full of irration and anger. "You have the Rifle, I can't see shit! So don't bitch at me, because I'm not just going to stand up here and play with my dick." Tucker said. "Okay, okay, look. They're just standing there and talking, okay? That's all they ever do is stand there and talk. That's what they were doing last week! That's what they were doing when you asked me five minutes ago! So five minutes from now, when you ask me what are they doing, my answers gonna be, 'they're still just talking and they're still just standing there!'!" Church exclaimed. Tucker just stood there for a second. Then he looked to his left for a second and then looked back at Church. "What are they talking about?" Tucker asked. Church just stared at Tucker. "You know what? I fucking hate you." Church replied. The scene shifted, so John was behind Blue Base. Tucker, Church and Caboose were there. The Blue Team's tank was also there. "Yeah, I'll let you in on a little secret. I've actually got a girl back home." Church said.

"Oh, yeah? Girlfriend or wife?" Tucker asked. "No, man. She's just my girlfriend. You know, we were going to get married, but I got shipped out, and ah, you know how it works." Church said. "Well, are you going to marry her when you get back?" Tucker asked. Before Church could answer, Caboose spoke. "I'm not going to get married. My dad always said, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?'." Caboose said. "Hey, Rookie!" Church said, as he approached Caboose. "Did you just call my girlfriend a cow?" Before Caboose could say anything, Tucker spoke. "No, I think he called her a slut!" he said. "I'll tell you what Noob. I could sit out here and listen to you insult my girlfriend all day long. But as it turns out, I have a lot more important job for you to do." Church replied. "Great." Caboose said. "See, we got this general." Church said. "Right, the general guy." Tucker said, with an uncertain tone. "Who like's to come by and make random inspections of bases. And what I'm going to have you do, is go inside the base and stand right next to the flag at attention, just incase he decides to come by." Church said. The UNSC soooo does not do that! "When is he coming by?" Caboose asked. "We never know. It could be today, it could be a week from now." Tucker said. "You want me to stand at attention for a week?" Caboose asked.

"You know, you don't sound very grateful. This is the most important job at the whole base. You're gonna be right there with the flag." Church replied. "What's so important about the flag?" Caboose asked. "Oh, come on! Didn't they teach you guys anything in training?" Church asked. "They didn't tell us anything about a flag. Why's it so important?" Caboose asked. "Because it's the flag, man! It's the- it's the, it's the flag! Tucker, you tell him why the flag is so important." Tucker looked at Caboose. "Well, it's complicated. Uh, it's blue, we're blue." he said. "It's just important, okay? Trust us. So when the general comes by, the first thing he's gonna want to do is inspect the flag." Church replied. "Right." Tucker said. "So go in there, you know, far away from us, and wait for him." Church said. Caboose turned around and ran towards the base. He got halfway there, then turned around to face Church and Tucker. "How will I know when I see him?" he asked. "There's only three of us out here, Rookie. He's gonna be the guy that doesn't look like one of us." Tucker said. "Now get in there and don't come out!" Church said.

Church turned to look at Tucker. "Man, that guy is dumber than you are!" he exclaimed. "You mean he's dumber than you are!" Tucker said. "Wow, Tucker. That was a great comeback." Church said. A few seconds passed and Caboose came back outside and stopped a few feet from Tucker and Church. "Hey, Mr. Church!" he said. "Oh my God, what? I swear Tucker, I'm gonna kill him!" Church said. "Uh, sorry about calling your girl a slut." Caboose said. "Rookie! Shut up! Just shut up, you're driving me crazy! Get in there!" Church shouted. Tucker laughed a little bit. As Church began to speak, Sarge ran up behind Church. "Tucker, are you laughing at me?" Church asked. "Excuse me, sirs, may I ask you a question?" Sarge asked. The only problem was, it sounded like Donut. Wait. If that's Donut, then why is he wearing Red Armor? "Dear God in heaven Rookie." Church said. "If I turn around and you are not inside, I-I can't be held responsible for what I'm going to do to you!" Donut just stood there for a second. "What did I do?" He asked. "One!" Church began to count. "Ah, give me a break!" Donut said. "Two!" Church continued to count. "Fine!" Donut exclaimed, as he headed into Blue Base.

A few minutes passed and Church spoke. "Well, enough gabbing out of us. Let's take this bad boy out for a spin. Go ahead and hop in Tucker." he said. "Me? I can't drive that thing." Tucker said. "You're telling me you're not armor certified?" Church said. "I don't even know how to use the fucking Sniper Rifle! Don't you know how to drive that?" Tucker asked. "No!" Church exclaimed, his voice full of surprise. "Holy crap! Who is running the army?!" Caboose ran back outside. "Hey! Just wanted to let you know, the general stopped by and picked up the flag!" he called. "Yeah, okay. Whatever moron!" Church said, as Caboose ran back into the base. "Why would they give us a tank if nobody here knows how to drive the damn thing?" Church asked. "Wait a second. What did he just say?"

John-117

Blood Gulch

"Chief, Chief! Wake up!" John heard a voice, that sounded far away. John opened his eyes and let out a hiss of pain. "God damn, what happened?" he said, as he slowly began to get up on his knee. "You were knocked out by a grenade! Are you okay? I can give you medical attention!" Doc said. "I'm fine." he said, as he grabbed a nearby Assault Rifle. "What's our status?" Sarge cleared his throat. "We activated the nuke that wiped out the Flood." Sarge said. Then, an all too familiar voice entered the conversation. "Affirmitive. The Flood has been eradicated. For the time being." John knew that voice, all though he had reason to believe that the AI construct was "dead". John got up and ran over to the Sentinel that 343 Guilty Spark was residing in. "What are you doing here?" he asked, as he pressed the barrel of his Rifle into the AI's underside. "Chief! No!" Cortana said, as she ran over to him and placed her hand on his Rifle, forcing him to lower it.

"Cortana! This thing killed Avery Johnson and tried to kill me! Why are you supporting it?" John asked. "Because this 'thing', could be the only thing that can help us destroy the Flood!" Cortana said. "Attention!" 343 Guilty Spark beeped. "To effectively destroy the Flood, we must fire the Halo Array!" John looked back at the AI. "We are not going to fire the Halo Array! That's enough! I'm done talking to you, you fucking light bulb!" John rarely cursed, but he was not happy. "Chief, what's the Halo Array?" Grif asked. "What the hell is that thing?" Tucker asked. "Will everyone stop talking to me at once and just let me think?" John said. Just then, as if he needed anything else to worry about, explosive rounds start to go off around them. "Son of a bitch!" Simmons and Grif said at the same time. "Madre de dios!" Lopez exclaimed. "God damn it!" John said, as he ran to cover behind a rock. "What the hell is that?" It took a few seconds for anyone to answer. "It's the Meta!" Carolina said, as she fired her Battle Rifle at it, before taking cover.

"I got this." Washington said, in solemn tone. Washington put his Rifle on his back and pulled out his Magnum. "Cover me." he said, as he reloaded. "Are you sure about this?" John asked Washington. "I'm sure." Washington said in a firm tone, as he jogged off to meet the Meta. "Trust me John. He can do this." Noble Six said, as he took shelter next to John. "How can you be sure?" John asked, turning to face Noble Six. "Because, I know. Trust me. I was once part of the Flood and so is Maine." he said. "You're still infected. Which means I can still kill you at any moment." John said, as he pointed his Assault Rifle at Six. "No. You can't." Noble Six replied in a cool tone. "He can kill Maine, because I know he can. He doesn't have the immunity to death anymore like I do. The nuke that the Reds activated took it away some how." John thought about that for a moment. "If he doesn't have the immunity to death anymore, than why do you?" he finally asked. "You know, I don't know why that is. I think it's because it's fate. That the Gravemind wants to see that I get punished himself." Noble Six said.

"Whatever." John said. He got up on his knee and aimed at the Meta. The Meta had seemed to lose all interest in the Blood Gulch Crew. The Meta was now focused on Washington. They weren't that far away, so John could hear everything that was going on. "Meta. Maine. It's me." Wash said. "It's Washington." The Meta just stood there and John could barely hear the Meta's growls. "I know that you are infected. I know you can understand me. If you still use that knifle thing, then you should remember me and Carolina." Washington continued. Then, for some odd reason, the Meta took off his E.V.A. Helmet and looked at Washington. "It's still you." Washington observed. "Even under that infection, I know it's you, Maine." The Meta seemed to understand. He wasn't showing any hostility. "Maine, I'm sorry this happened to you." Washington said. The Meta let out a growl full of hostility and lifted his Bruteshot to fire at Washington. But before the Meta could attack, Washington pulled something that shocked them all. Washington leveled his Magnum towards the Meta's face and shot him in the forehead. The Meta went down instantly, not moving again after that. "I'm sorry." Washington said, in a tearful voice.

Later...

"Okay," Mendez replied, standing up on the Blue Base's roof with John-117, Cortana and Doctor Halsey. "We were successful in taking back Blood Gulch." Grif spoke up. "Wow. What an accomplishment." he said. "No one asked you, Grif." Simmons replied, turning to look at him. "Both of you be quiet, please." Mendez replied. "Okay, I'm going to go ahead and give out orders now. Doctor Halsey and Medical Officer Dufresne, you are on medical duty. Tucker, Carolina and Washington, I want the three of you to patrol the caves, in search of any stragglers. Church-" Mendez looked around and eventually stopped talking. "Where's Church?" he asked. John looked among the group and saw that Church was not among them. "He'll turn up, CPO. Keep going." John said. "Roger that. Grif and Simmons, I want you to patrol the cliffs. Keep an eye out for any Flood invaders." Grif and Simmons looked at each other, before nodding. "Master Chief, Cortana, I would like to have a talk with you. It's about a little something called Project Resurgence." Mendez replied. Cortana and John exhanged glances, before John saluted, to which Mendez returned the salute.

"Alright people, let's get m-" It all happened so fast. There was the sound of a firearm going off and blood sprayed all over John's faceplate. Mendez fell to the floor of the roof and John just stood there, staring off into space in complete shock. He could hear Cortana screaming next to him, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. John looked down at Mendez's body, blood gushing out from the golf ball sized hole in the side of his head. He caught sight of the M6D Pistol strapped to his belt. John grabbed it, unclipped it from his belt and turned around to face the crowd. They all freaked out and started to move around in fear. John finally spotted his target and jumped off the Blue Base roof, running towards Noble Six. John started shooting Six in the head with the Pistol. Six's shields flared and John didn't stop when he reached Six. He grabbed Six by the throat and pushed him to the ground, pushing the barrel of the Pistol into Six's visor and began to fire the remaining ammo in the Pistol's magazine. Once he had run out of ammo, John alternated hitting Six with the butt of the Pistol and punching him.

John eventually tossed the empty M6D Pistol aside and looked around him. He saw Grif holding the Bruteshot. John bolted towards Grif and grabbed the Bruteshot. "Hand it over!" John hissed, as he pulled on the weapon. "Fuck off! It's my Grifshot!" he Grif exclaimed, pulling on his side of the weapon. John kicked Grif in the stomach, forcing Grif to let go of the Bruteshot. John ran back to Six with the Bruteshot in his hands. Six was just beginning to get back up, when John sliced into the "stomach" of his Armor, causing Six to fall back over. But John wasn't done yet. He walked over to Six, above his head and lifted the Bruteshot, with the blade facing Six's visor. "No, wait! Pl-" John slammed the blade into Six's helmet, effectively silencing him. He backed up, huffing and puffing. "John." Cortana said, walking beside him. John couldn't even think. He just closed his eyes and tried to push the pain away.

John-117

Blood Gulch

One Day Later...

John stood in front of Mendez's grave as he listened to the old style music played on bag-pipes that played during the service. This music, Donut had told him, was played hundreds of years ago, when Earth was the only planet humanity lived on. This music was used to honor the deceased soldier. There had still been no sign of Church since he had mysteriously disappeared yesterday. Everyone had filed out of the service they had created for Mendez, but John refused to leave. Cortana stood next to him. "John..." she began to speak, but her voice trailed off. "It's okay." John replied, as he placed his gloved hand on Cortana's forearm. "You go. I'll stay a little longer." Cortana nodded without saying a word and walked off to where everyone was gathering. They had buried Mendez behind Blue Base and to make a long story short, Noble Six survived his injuries, due to the fact that he had that immunity thing. John saluted his fallen comrade, tears threatening to come, but he didn't let them.

John stopped saluting after a few seconds and reached into one of the storage compartments in his Armor. He fished something out of the storage compartment and placed it on the makeshift gravestone: the silver coin that Mendez had given him several years ago. "Good-bye, Sir." John said. He heard something behind him and turned around, to see Tucker standing behind. "Yes, Private Tucker?" John asked. "Sir, what are our orders? What do we do?" he asked. John took off his helmet, so Tucker could see the serious look on his face. John gritted his teeth before he spoke. "We declare war. We're declaring all-out war on the Flood." he said.

A/N: So, that's it. Mendez is dead. And in case you all didn't notice, John is pissed off. In the next chapter, the crew starts making preperations for the impending war on the Flood. Also, the unforgettable 343 Guilty Spark has returned, and is being housed in a Sentinel body. Also in the next chapter, they will learn of where the Gravemind is hiding out and commanding it's forces. I hope you did enjoy this chapter, and as always, please follow and favorite the story. If you want to give input, just give me a review or PM me. I'm going to go though, so have a Merry Christmas Eve and bye.