The chopper had passed over various forests. A chain of mountains far in the west was the boundary of passage. And they were still going for an abandoned weapons factory not to far from the Kalacpo mountain range.
The chief, still looking out across the vast area before him, spied the mountains. They weren't tall, but barren. The forests abruptly stopped before reaching the roots of the tall landscapes, presenting dark or possibly singed mountains. However, the spiny mountains looked sinister, many canyons of mountains between.
"Kalacpo."
The chief turned, seeing that Marcus too was watching the mountains.
"The only place Gears so far won't go," Marcus said again, now picking at the barrel of his rifle, pecking off dirt from the many small lines across its complex shape.
"Why's that?" The Spartan said, still spying the man.
"… Even before locust came, there was always something there. A type of creatures that say are worse than armies. They live in the mountains for some reason. Probably to keep out of the light."
Master Chief had heard stories like this one back home. Creatures and monsters that defied imagination- things from nightmares. However, the monsters he had seen so far had been mortal, and arrived from a distant location in space. The Covenant had been the only real monster he had yet seen.
"Drop it," Baird said, looking down at the zooming by scenery," those are myths. Nothing is worse than armies of Brumaks. There aren't enough H.O.D.s in the world to stop armies of those things."
"What?" Richard also saw the mountains. "Oh yeah… I always thought Corpsers lived there."
"What?" Marcus responded. "Why would Corpsers live there!?"
"I dunno… I just always though of big spiders living on those mountains…"
A few uneasy moments passed. The chief found himself thinking again, but not of the mountains. But of this new enemy that had made itself known so fierce and powerful; The Locust. Cortana voice his mind.
"What started this?" the A.I. said, using the com systems to the others. "Why are you at war with the locust?"
Alpha squad all exchanged glances, and Marcus sighed, turned and faced the Spartan. "Don't know."
"There has to be some reason why it all started," Cortana pressed to man facing her and Chief, yet he still seemed stone faced. "Tell us then what you know.
"Everyone knows how it began. At least, when and what happened when it did." Again the other Gears seemed oddly quiet now, and the strange feeling of foreboding got thicker.
"About fourteen years ago…" Started Marcus, but he scoffed," no, before that, there was the Pendulum wars. That led to our rise. The Cogs rise. A war between nations for power sources."
"What does that have to do with-" Baird started, but stopped after a glare from Marcus.
"Once the war ended, the Coalition of Ordered Governments-"
"Or Cogs," Dom interrupted.
"Was at the top, and soon reshaped the world into one massive government. And that has lasted for a while. Then, fourteen years ago…" Marcus trailed off, thinking about the past.
"What?" The chief asked, unsure of what could cause hardened soldiers this much of a pause.
"Emergence day," Mark suddenly said, sounding as dark if not darker than Carey usually looked.
"One day fourteen years ago, in every major city, structure, or anyplace important, Locust just suddenly swarmed out and started killing people." Marcus continued as the Chief imagined what kind of scene that would have been like. "Unarmed, unprepared, and military forces too far off, it was a day of slaughter. The world's population was diced up like mince meat."
The image in his head was one of peace, and then blood. It reminded the Chief of the fall of autumn. Blood and death everywhere, but that had been a battle, not a slaughter.
"Prescott, our leader, decided to evacuate as many as possible, and then retaliate as well as we could. But even with the population in bad shape, he couldn't evacuate as many as we wanted."
"That's why they're strandeds man." Cole piped up.
"Then… we fired at the cities we left behind, our satellites burning the great cities we once had, and anything unlucky enough to be caught in the way."
"Yeah right." Richard said, moodily, while Marcus stared at him for such a verbal assault. "I remember the 'Fortification enactment," he turned to the chief," they put every human on martial law, then forced them away from their homes, separated families, and then said that everyone who could make it, thanks for your sacrifice! We'll just burn the world now! Bye!"
"That's terrible." Cortana replied, also taken aback at Richard's sudden aggression.
"Oh yeah, we 'won' the invasion, but we burnt what we had created to ashes in the process," Richard continued, and after a slight nudge from Mark, started to calm down. "I may have been young, but I remembered what I lost that year."
"Yeah, I think most of us do," Howard said lightly, almost sorrowfully.
"Alright guys! We've got our site coming up! Prepare for landing!"
The Gears readied themselves, watching as the ground got less and less high, the tress growing like weeds as a large industrial factory looking building appeared, and several topped towers having fallen over all get taller around them as the neared the ground.
"Go! GO!"
"I hope this is important, I have other things to be doing rather than a conference." Several military dressed men walked down a set of stairs, leading to a table placed in a large dim room. Surrounding them was many lit panels of light and large screens.
Major Frost stood, at the end of a table with a younger lieutenant standing next to him, a folder sealed in a strange green plastic like substance covering it. On the opening area, there was a small micro chip next to a tiny microphone. On the package was dark red letters 'Column Seven Secrecy'.
"At least you weren't getting any sleep General. I've just been interrupted from a long nap that I have planned for weeks." A buzz cut older General said, who sounded close to Colonel Hoffman but in a closer southern accent.
"Sir, Major Frost and Lieutenant reporting, sir!" Frost saluted along with the Lieutenant. "Colonel Hoffmam will arrive with the Chairman soon. Would you please take a seat…"
The various generals situated themselves around the set table, and the Lieutenant slid the wrapped paper across it, to a waiting hand. Hoffman had just arrived.
"Afternoon Gentlemen." He turned, facing sideways to the stairs. "All stand for the Chairman."
The major, before saluting again, slapped himself in the head for having the generals sit themselves, only to stand back up. Atop the stairs an elaborately dressed man, again in Military attire walked down the stairs to the seat held out by Colonel Hoffman.
In his mid-forties, Chairman Prescott had graying black hair that had been timed to a near buzz cut. Light pale skin with light blue eyes, he seemed like light hadn't seen him in ages. But he spoke with force.
"This meeting is officially over Top-Secret. All those without such clearance will leave immediately." The major and Lieutenant both hurried up and out of the room, and a loud lock was heard behind them.
"Colonel Hoffman will brief us on what this is about." The chairman said out loud again, tuning to the Colonel who had started to walk down the table, a small remote control in his left hand.
"This package here," he lifted the green envelope in his right hand," contains information that is beyond top-secret clearance, on the Pillar Seven Secrecy." The generals stared at the envelope. "Today we wont reveal its contents, but I was informed to bring it here. This," he clicked the control in his hand," is why we are here. Watch carefully."
A large panel on the wall turned on, taking up most of the wall, and showed a single image, the battle that had taken place by the fallen ship. Again, the colonel clicked the remote, and the scene continued from the point of the Chopper, far off, observing the Brumak as it fired on the two groups of Gears stationed behind a large log by the massive ship. No sound was heard, possibly from damage from the battle or not activated.
"We know what this is, Colonel," an irritable General stated, waving off the captured footage like useless information," Brumaks are weapons used by-"
"What is that??" a General situated next to him suddenly started.
On the film, a large red laser had began to grow, focusing on the large beast. After a moment, the red light shone brightly, and doubled in size, apparently hitting the Brumak in the chest; several men gasped at the effect it had. The film continued on, showing more of the battle as the beast was hit twice more, and then after the choppers past, actually had it's skull ripped clean off.
"Where did that light come from?!" the same general demanded.
The footage continued even after the two squads below surrounded the beast. A very tall man, apparently in green armor of some kind walked around the beast, dropping some sort of weapon on the ground as he did. The final footage ended as the chopper landed and the Colonel jumped off, leaving the picture to stop just as the Armor clad man to start walking over.
"This man," the colonel pointed to the semi-fuzzy image of the armored man," has identified himself as 'Master Chief' and 'Spartan John 117'. As of now, he believes that the year is 2553. He comes from a planet called 'Earth', and says he works for something known as the UNSC. He told me all this personally while I 'recruited' him."
The generals all stared as they absorbed this information.
"Twenty five thousand fifty three?" A larger, black skinned general stated, his deep yet calming voice reverberating as he questioned the colonel. "The year is thirteen thousand twenty seven."
"So is the man from the future?" the general next to him, a comparatively smaller man with tanned skin and unkempt hair, burst out. "I mean, from what I saw that sort of fire power is not too dissimilar to an over-clocked Hammer of Dawn Satellite. That thing however was hand held!"
"A shoulder weapon more like." responded Hoffman. "General Stride," he spoke to the general who had stated about Hammer of Dawn," the man in the picture," he again pointed to the image," had armor I have never dreamt about, let alone seen on future schematics. And from what I've heard about this 'Spartans' capabilities, he is, in all cases, super-human."
"So the future is not an impossibility." Stated another General, who had longer black hair and a thin scar across his face. He smoked a cigar as he sat. "He came down with this… ship?" he said, directing to the large wreckage of the vehicle in the background.
"From what I can also tell and from information provided from my two squads," the Colonel stated," he's the man of the ship."
"But we don't know for certain where he came from, who he is- do we even know for sure what his motives are?!" the General, who had pointed out that the Brumak was common knowledge, argued.
"That is correct. I cannot saw with absolute certainty. But he has helped our soldiers, fought the Locust, and has come forward without hesitation. A perfect soldier so far."
"Has he said anything in detail as to his purposes, Colonel?" Asked the large black general.
"No. He's a quiet man. Won't talk unless prompted really."
The men of the room all remained quiet for a moment.
"All right." The Chairman spoke up, drawing attention from the others. "I authorize this man's official entry to the Gears of War of the Coalition of Organized Governments. You will continue to order him as if he was any other soldier. I now what any and all other information regarding this thing that crashed on my desk or sent to my immediately. Understood? Dismissed."
The Generals all nodded and stood up, heading up the stairs. Hoffman remained, staring at the Chairmen.
"You did very good. I was surprised they didn't get suspicious of our lack of information." Prescott said, getting up and smiling.
"As you ordered, Chairman." Hoffman stared for a moment, then stated," do you think they had any idea this might be connected to the Last Hope, sir?"
Ack, so little really, but JAM packed with information. OMg like CHERRY jam. Or GRAPE JUUUUUUM!
Aha, I fee like just pressing buttons. The Arizona tea,….. OHAHAHA!!
Sorry for getting in a little late, but I will begin to post chapters twice a week, that way I will get such stories done faster hehehe. and again, do what i like- read my other story, OH dear god please! my latest chapter has been hailed as super-suspenseful, funny, and awesome! and then do me-poll-thing. Please (does bambi-eyes)
So, review- and YES I know its short (cries) SHOORRT! WAHAHAHAHAAAAAA- GASP! (get's sucked into a black whole originating from his mouth, then sucks in the rest of the universe, vacuum clear-like style!)