"Move in hard and fast, we don't want to stay any longer than what we need to" The large Mjonlir clad Spartan IV spoke softly, raising his M9 magnum in anticipation for anything that would erupt out of the shadows and attempt to assault him, or worse; to infect him until he became the very enemy he had sworn to eradicate.
The ODST known as 'Robert' nodded quickly, stepping forward and flickering the safety function of his silenced SMG rifle as the duo entered the catacomb and walked forward through the smoke towards the communication relay. A light red haze could be seen at the end of the chasm, revealing the operational status of the required asset and once part of the USNC pelican vessel. But surrounding it, encased across the oddly perfectly burrowed catacomb; a collection of brown and yellow infected forms moved and breathed like demented puppets or even faulty replicas of nature.
Thick channels of hardened resin created the main structure of the entire tunnel, letting small goblets of diseased liquid and green hazy gas to explode out of the occasional elongated infected hair and yellow pus filled boil. Some of the walls contained more ancient and shrewd forms of resin, ending in finger like stalactites that moved violently as if they had a mind of their own.
The Mjonlir clad blue warrior took point initially, quickly creeping down the ominous hole and making sure not to awaken any dormant infected forms that resided inside the walls; large holes branched of the initial corridor; leaving a large maze of chasms all covered in hardened, living and breathing infected encasements.
Robert almost opened fire on one particular corner of the chasm; one large yellow oozing boil had opened abruptly like a venomous flower and released a toxic expulsion of green foggy gases into the tunnel's atmosphere. Luckily both humans were wearing large helmets and had their own built in air filters as well as reserves, but if the boil had detected them then more would definitely follow.
Finally both human warriors reached the large hunk of metal that contained the communications relay, a small imprint of red and blue light revealed the technology that would no doubt save all of their lives; if they could make it out of here alive and not corrupted by the flood.
"Cover me Robert" The Blue clad Spartan IV quickly spoke, grabbing onto the communications terminal and activating it swiftly; the speech and movement had started to create a reaction from all the hidden forms inside the catacomb like tunnels.
"Admiral Drafter of the Red Dusk, this is Gabriel of Golden Squad of the UNSC please acknowledge and go for secure." The Spartan IV spoke quickly; all too aware of the effect his voice would have on the activity of the flood inside the chasm. The sound of scraping limbs and chittering tentacles was starting to awaken, something that the ODST immediately picked up on and prepared to fire on anything that moved.
"This is Admiral Drafter, responding and going for secure." The voice replied with a powerful projection that seemed to not just disrupt the human forces but many flood spores in the vicinity.
"Admiral" Gabriel hushed his voice as he continued to speak, he had to make this short and sweet otherwise it would mean the death of them all, "We require immediate extraction from our position, I'm activating the communication beacon now."
"Spartan! I cannot risk any vessels to be sent throughout the universe" Her reply was forced and even more aggressive, increasing in volume and intensity, "I have given you direct orders to disruipt the covenant's movement and I…"
A screech echoed throughout the tunnel, clearly influenced by the increased projection of the Admiral's reply. Gabriel looked out quickly for anything that moved in the darkness while he slowly whispered, "Shhhhh"
"Did you just shhh me Spartan? I am your commanding officer and I demand a direct…"
"Shut up Drafter!" Gabriel whispered aggressively as a howl vibrated throughout the catacombs, quickly replied by another set of screeches and the sound of scraping limbs over resin, bone and flesh. After the ODST confirmed two silhouette's slowly crawling to their position, the Spartan IV quickly ordered the ONI Specialist to act, "Admiral, currently we are about to be swamped by a horde of flood so I really want you to send an evac bird right now to this current location."
A silence replied them both for a while, slowly the UNSC warriors looked back up to the tunnel entrance and evaluated how quickly they could run up the catacomb; with the flood forms slowly coming ever closer, moans and howls echoing throughout the entire maze of resin and flesh.
"I'm sorry Spartan but we can't risk it, good luck goes with you" The Admiral replied shortly without a slight fraction of complaint or self-struggle.
"Jesus Christ!" Gabriel roared in anger, throwing down the communications channel in absolute rage as he looked around at the incoming flood forms. Raising an arm, the blue Spartan IV fired full auto with his M9 magnum; successfully leaving holes the size of peas in the never-ending onslaught of diseased creatures. Howls and screeches now drowned out any normal noise, the flesh, bones and boils of the Flood overlapping the relay and covering the walls.
"Pull back!" Gabriel screamed to the ODST, firing a round at a flood spore that attempted to latch itself onto the weakened soldier; sending green gas in every direction as the soldiers fled straight up to the light, crawling and sprinting at the prospect of sunlight out of contrast with the cold darkness of the corrupted catacombs.
Meanwhile
One spectacularly large goblet of green plasma thundered through the air and impacted heavily against the silver floor; miraculously not harming it at all but sending the two Spartan IV's flying back into the wall. Sparks and lightning erupted out of the blackened smoke, leaving behind no crater but letting radiational gas dissolve into the natural air.
The Mgalekgolo hunter growled in a thousand voices as it charged up its cannon again, successfully managing to block a ferocious onslaught of brute shot grenade's with its heavy ornate shield. The second burly hunter lay at the white Spartan's feet, his exposed orange worm-like skin ripped apart and armour torn asunder.
Infuried with the sight of his bond brother's death, the large armour clad creature roared in a thousand voices and rushed forward with a surprising burst of speed. As the white Mjonlir clad human attempted to dodge the heavy ornate shield; the hunter spun around and smashed the Spartan IV across the chest, lifting the warrior up so he could impact heavily with the forerunner wall and fall back down to the ground.
South raised a fist from the ground, slowly lifting himself up as a rumble echoed from the many voices of the Mgalekgolo hunter in front of him. As the white Spartan IV stood up and grabbed the M9 magnum from his thigh and firing it at the large covenant storm shock warrior in front of him.
Then with a resoluting blast, the hunter raised its cannon and without pause or hesitation; firing a torrent of green plasma directly into the Spartan's chest, letting it smash heavily with an explosion of lime energy while sending the human warrior flying through the weakened wall to collapse on the other side.