Outside. He was outside once more. And there was golden sunshine. Dawn had come and driven the rain away. As promised, another pair of darkly clad Helljumpers waited for them outside. They stood at attention, faces hidden behind dark visors. The group came to stand near a broad, messy street. The signs of conflict were everywhere. Not so far in the distance to Jason's right, a huge Covenant energy shield burned brilliantly.
"So, is that the asset?" one of the men, Cooper, asked.
"Yes. It's incredibly important that we get it away from the city," Veronica replied.
"Understood," Payton said. "We've got a route planned out. We'll get you there."
Jason hefted his silenced SMG, eager to get moving. He wanted a break. And a nap. And a bed with Veronica. That would be really nice. He took point with Payton as they began making their way down the street. They headed left and came to an immediate fork in the road. With Cooper and Shepard bringing up the rear and Veronica and the Engineer hanging back, they broke right and pressed onwards.
Immediately, Jason found himself in the shit again. The next area, a huge roundabout, was occupied by Covenant. A hovering scout tower dominated the area, manned by a pair of Jackals. More Jackals, Grunts and Brutes were scattered throughout the area, preparing for the oncoming assault. Even as Jason rushed forward and ducked down behind a derelict vehicle, he felt way better about this battle than the past several dozen. Not only was he no longer alone, he had three more Helljumpers with him. He peered over the hood of the vehicle and opened fire. The gun spoke in his hands, rattling out silenced rounds.
The others helped Jason make quick work of the local Covenant. They shot the Jackals out of the tower, exploded Grunt methane tanks and overloaded Brute shields. Jason felt almost useless as the last Grunt fell out of the watchtower, the back of its head blown off with a well placed pistol shot. He had spent the last eight or so hours doing all the work, the killing, the slogging himself, for the most part. It felt almost...easy now.
No, no. He couldn't let himself slip, let himself lose focus and get lax like that. That's how soldiers died in the field. He paired up with Payton as the Sergeant broke right while Shepard and Cooper went left, both curving around the huge roundabout to make sure that everything was truly dead. Veronica and the Engineer hung back.
"Don't worry," Payton said. "We aren't far now."
Once the area was made safe, the group gathered on the opposite side of the roundabout. The Helljumper squad led the way, with Jason and Veronica drifting behind with the Engineer. While they navigated the desolate, ruined streets of New Mombasa, Jason found himself drifting into the dark depths of his mind. He still couldn't believe that the Squad had never existed. He had dreamed up five individuals, given them names and faces and personalities. Voices and histories and eye colors. He'd had conversations with one of them, and heard his painfully bitter tale of death...
Jason had never been one for creativity. He'd never written poetry or short stories or novels...hell, he'd never been very good at writing assignments in school. While he enjoyed reading, it was more to just take his brain off of things than anything else. And while Jason was an advocate of serious, monogamous relationships, most of his imagination was dedicated to imagining what attractive women looked like naked and would do with him alone in a bedroom. But he was insane...although sane enough to realize it.
That counted for something, right?
With those last few thoughts, Jason glanced over at Veronica. She was beautiful, in a unique kind of way. While he had always preferred redheads, her blonde hair didn't bother him. It was actually very nice. That, combined with her pale skin and fantastic body made her all around pretty damned attractive. While her attitude might be a little abrasive, and the age thing still threw him off slightly, he was certain he could make this work. Their relationship was already off to a rocky start, though, what with the fact that he had repressed their first sex together.
"See anything you like?" Veronica asked, noticing his intent gaze and smiling at him.
"Lots," Jason replied.
Veronica's grin widened. "With that darkened visor, I have no idea where your eyes are wandering."
"I'm staring at your chest. But, honestly, your armor leaves too much to the imagination."
"Well, I will be certain to give your poor imagination a break once we get some downtime," Veronica said.
Jason was glad for the helmet, he was still 'innocent' enough to feel heat rushing to his cheeks at that last comment. He wondered if the others had heard that.
The group came to a somewhat enclosed area, moving towards a structure. They hadn't run into any more Covenant so far. Jason wondered if they'd get a clear run to their pickup zone. He doubted it, but a man could hope. Payton activated the door and pointed his gun within, waving Cooper in. The Corporal moved forward, checking left, then right.
"Clear," he called back. The others moved into the darkened room beyond.
"There's an elevator at the end of this corridor," Payton said as he broke left, staring down the length of the hallway he'd stepped into.
The group moved swiftly and silently until they reached a pair of sealed double doors at the end. Shepard let his gun hang by its sling and knelt by a small control pad built into the doors. He tapped it. Nothing happened.
"Shit," he muttered.
He tapped it once more, then began to press several buttons. A soft, chirping sound caught his attention. He glanced over his shoulder. The Engineer had hovered up behind him, and was waiting for him to move. It let out a low echoing noise, not all that dissimilar from a whale.
"Uh...okay," Shepard murmured. Jason watched as the Engineer raised one pink tentacle, and suddenly the doors opened.
"Well...son of a bitch," Payton murmured with a smile.
"This thing is important for a reason, I guess," Cooper replied. They all piled into the elevator and hit the up button.
"How far are we from our ride?" Veronica asked.
"About four stories. We stole a Phantom dropship. My man Gallow is piloting."
As if on cue, the elevator doors opened and brilliant sunshine spilled in. Jason heard the subtle rumbling of a nearby Phantom. Sure enough, as he stepped out, he spotted it hovering a good five meters off the rooftop.
"Let's move, people!" Payton shouted. As the group began rushing across the top of the building they were on, an intense sound ripped through the air and the entire structure shuddered.
"Holy God!" Veronica cried. Jason looked up as a vast shadow fell over them and realized what the problem was. A Covenant Cruiser had just dropped in.
Even worse, several more were backing it up.
"Jesus, they're invading the city!"
Jason was in awe, he had never seen such power...not since New Jerusalem, at least. He shook his head, focusing hard. They needed to get the hell out of there. Now. He gathered with the others beneath the Phantom, in the blue beam that allowed them access. Payton and Shepard were already aboard. Jason watched Cooper rising into the ship, already halfway up the beam. He paused to help Veronica push the Engineer into the beam, as it seemed reluctant to do so. But it hovered up silently when they pushed it enough.
"All right, let's get the hell out of this city," Veronica said.
She took his hand as they entered the beam together and hovered upwards. Once they stood within the purple belly of the Phantom, Jason felt his legs give out. He sat with his back to the rounded wall, half tugging Veronica down with him.
"Are you okay?"
"Fine. Just tired," Jason replied.
Veronica smiled and sat down next to him. "Well, you can relax. We did it. We won. It's over. For now, at least."
Jason nodded. He looked out the side of the Phantom, which was open to the world. He took off his helmet, setting it down next to him, revealing his sweaty, pale face. He ran his hands over his head, knowing that he'd need to shave it again. Outside, the city of New Mombasa burned. Covenant Cruisers, dozens of them, darkened the sky.
They were digging.