ODSS Chapter 25
Kathleen stared across the phantom at the elites who all stood in silence. She felt uneasy in the Covenant troop transport. She'd wanted to take a pelican, but out of courtesy for the fact the elites wouldn't be able to sit down in one they'd taken a Phantom. It sort of felt cramped in the ship. Not only were there her soldiers, Enre, and his four Zealots, but on top of that there were four ultra elites and five majors that had come with them. It seemed like overkill to Kathleen
Really she didn't care how many soldiers Enre brought. She was much more interested in the behavior of the elites. Maria had instructed them on a few basic customs of elites and oddly, they weren't practicing those customs.
They had been told about something called the write of union, which they usually recited before going into combat. Kathleen was wondering why they were not following that tradition. "Hey ,can I ask a question?" Kathleen looked back at Patrick who was looking at the elites.
Enre turned to look at the soldier. "Ask your question, human." He didn't seem at all happy, and Kathleen was glad she hadn't been the one that spoke up. If she had he probably wouldn't have been willing to even take the question.
"We were told about how you guys sometimes recite something about union or something. Why aren't you doing that?" Patrick was trying to be careful about how he worded the question.
The Field Marshal turned on him. "That writ of union is nothing more than a fallacy. A lie that we never should have lived." The elite turned back to the front of the ship. "Besides, we've never been that observant of the Covenant customs."
Several of her soldiers exchanged looks but none of them said anything. "You still follow the elite customs?" Kathleen had convinced Maria to teach them more about the basics of elite culture, what had originally been the elites customs alone, though they'd learned plenty of those customs from fighting the elites.
Enre glanced over at her. "Those are the only customs we have ever followed." The elite turned his gaze to the floor. There was an odd hint of sorrow in his voice. Kathleen let it go. There was no point in asking. She doubted that he would ever answer her question.
The phantom slowed and started to decent, and Kathleen checked over her weapon. Rather than their usual weapons she carried her standard SMG and a shotgun. She glanced back at James, Edward, and Tym who both were checking over the lines of their flamethrowers. If they did find the flood, she could take no chances.
The ship settled and the sides opened up. As one the elites and humans all moved out, jumping down to the ground. They were right outside a large gaping hole in the side of the wreckage. They scanned the area, looking for any signs of attack. "Would you like to take the lead or shall we be the ones?" Enre glanced over toward Kathleen, waiting for her reply.
Kathleen motioned to David and then Emile and waved them forward. "We'll take the lead." She moved in after her two soldiers. As soon as she had entered the darkness she flicked on her VISR. The space looked odd in the outline of the VISR. It had a bit of trouble for a moment following all the curves of the hallway. She glanced at her motion tracker, thrown for a moment by the large number of dots behind her. It seemed like a lot.
They had made their way down a few hallways before Emily gave a signal to stop. The soldiers froze and crouched; ready for whatever might be a threat. "What you got?" Kathleen scanned the area, trying to see what Emily had.
"Well, I'm not sure exactly what the Flood looks like, but I can see a sort of odd fleshy growth on the walls ahead." Emily edged forward. "I think it might be moving."
Kathleen eased her way forward until she was right behind Emily. She finally caught sight of what the other woman had seen. On the wall ahead was a large blob of brownish red which seemed to be moving slightly. Long roots spread from the blob out over the wall, clinging to the metal. She edged a bit more forward and saw that the growth continued on down the hallway. It spread over the walls, around the ceiling, spreading over the ground and around the space.
"Yeah, we got flood." Kathleen stood, looking around. "I don't see any infection or combat forms. I think we can move in, but we now know that we are fighting the flood." She paused for a moment before turning to the Field Marshal. "I don't know much about the structure here. If we wanted to blow this place into a ball of fire, how would we do that?"
Enre thought for a moment. "There is a storage room on this part of the ship. There should be some power cells there. If we place explosives there then it should make a big enough blast that it will burn all of the flood here."
Kathleen nodded. "I can go with that. Why don't you take the lead then, since I have no idea where the storage area is?" Kathleen took a step back, allowing Enre to take the lead.
"Very well then. I shall lead the way. Be careful, though. I do not know what touching those masses with cause." Enre moved forward, being careful to keep away from the blob. The others followed after him.
As they moved down the hallway the blobs became more and more frequent, and bigger. Kathleen was careful of them, and she could see her soldiers being the same. It seemed like they would make it to the supply room without any issue. That was until there was a loud popping sound behind them. Kathleen turned to find infection forms shooting through the air. The elites opened fire, plasma hitting the forms.
Kathleen opened fire with her own SMG, cutting down the small forms. A stray shot hit a second blob and it exploded, causing more to burst and the hall filled with infection forms. "Run!" Kathleen turned and started to run. She grabbed the shoulder of Enre's armor pulling him to follow with her. The soldiers took off at a run and Enre took the lead, turning corners until there were only a few infection forms left.
Tobias moved toward them. With precision his fists and feet struck the forms, causing them to burst. When the forms were all gone Tobias readied his rifle. Kathleen was a bit surprised by it. She hadn't thought that simple strikes like that would be enough to take out the Flood. Didn't seem as threatening to her now.
"Sir." Kathleen turned to one of the ultra elites who was kneeling. "I do not want to become one." He looked up and Kathleen saw the infection form that was burrowing its way into him. "I do not want to become a part of it."
Kathleen looked to Enre. The Field Marshal moved to the ultra elite and pulled out his energy sword, flicking it to life. The Ultra stood up as tall as it could, though it was obvious that he was having trouble keeping control of his body. "Die with honor." In a flash Enre struck. The energy sword cut through the elite's chest, cutting all the way through. He collapsed to the ground and Enre swung again, being sure there wasn't enough body left for the flood to use.
Kathleen looked at him as he moved over to her. He stared at her, seeming to lock gaze with her though her visor. He started to move away but Kathleen spoke. "So is it honorable for me to shotgun them in the chest?" He turned to look at her. "Or is it only honorable for you to use your sword on them?"
Enre didn't answer right away. "We are one team, to die at the hands of a superior warrior is honorable." Enre moved past her and started to move toward the storage room.
Kathleen sighed. That wasn't really a complete answer. She didn't know if they saw her as a superior warrior, or if, because she was human, she wasn't considered such. She was snapped out of her wondering when Luke spoke. "Sarge, I have a question." She looked to him. "If the flood is smart, since it can talk, then it should know we're here now. I'm kind of wondering, is it smart enough to lay a trap?"
Kathleen thought about that. "I don't know. Just because something can talk doesn't mean it can plan out a trap. We should still be careful." Kathleen moved to catch up with Enre. "We need to be keeping an eye open. We don't know exactly how smart the flood is."
Enre nodded. "We do not have much further to go. It is just a bit down this hallway. If we can then we will get in and out before the flood can do much. We should be more worried about whether there are any combat forms heading toward us now."
Kathleen nodded, following after the elite. They were stopped about ten yards down the hallway as Enre hit the controls. The door slid back and the soldiers moved in. The soldiers waited while Tym got to work setting the explosives. It took him five minutes before he finally gave Kathleen a thumbs up.
Kathleen nodded to Enre and they moved to the doorway. Kathleen motioned for Tym, James, and Edward to be ready with the flamethrowers. The door slid open and Kathleen moved out into the hallway. Enre mirrored her, checking the opposite direction.
"Should we go back the way we came in?" Enre looked down the hallway. There was no real noise in the area except for the movements of the soldiers. "If it would lay a trap then it would be the way we came in."
Kathleen shook her head. "If it was smart enough to lay a trap, it wouldn't just put it one way. If we go that way it will probably still have a trap set." She looked both ways. "I'd leave it up to chance but we tend not to have good luck."
"Well then tell me, what way does your instinct tell us to go?" Enre stared at her as he waited for an answer.
Kathleen thought about it for a second. "My instinct tells me back the way we went, and my head agrees. We know that way out, and we have swords, shotguns, and flamethrowers. We can fight out way out." Kathleen didn't know if it was the right choice, but it was what her gut told her.
Enre nodded. "A warrior should trust themselves. I will trust you. We will go back the way we came." The elite started to move and Kathleen fell into line behind him.
Kathleen kept her eyes open for any sort of signs that the flood was smarter than it had seemed. Still, she didn't see it coming. The bulk landed in the path before them, causing Kathleen to skid to a halt. The form before them had thick legs, a thin midsection that lead up to the bulky upper body and arms. There was a sort of protrusion that looked like it was supposed to be the head, complete with pincer like appendages from the side of the head. Kathleen wasn't sure how it was standing. The waist seemed to thin, even with the two side supports to try to keep up the large upper body.
The monstrosity raised the larger of its two arms and swung down. Kathleen pushed Enre to one side and dove to the opposite direction. Kathleen rolled to her feet, just in time to see the air fill with infection forms. The tank let out an odd roar-like sound before it started to turn toward Kathleen. She could see infection forms crawling over the tank as they leapt out toward any target. Kathleen heard the roar of elites, and the fire of bullets and plasma. For now she would stay more focused on the tank trying to kill her.
The tank had turned toward Enre, who's energy sword was at the ready. It seemed that the tank saw the sword as the greater of the two threats. The elite jumped out of the way as the tank struck, Enre's blade slicing through the tanks misshapen hand. Kathleen wasn't just going to stand by. She grabbed a grenade from her belt and tossed it. The grenade broke over the tank's back and fire spread over the creature's body. It flailed and tried to turn on Kathleen, but Enre stuck, sword cutting through the creature's head.
The tank fell and Kathleen turned to her soldiers. They were fighting off the infection forms as best they could, though the small enemies were hard to track. She turned to Enre to instruct him to have his soldiers run. Just as she did infection forms fell down from the sky above like rain. They landed on her and Enre, trying to get past their armor. Kathleen moved without even thinking. She ran toward the elite, tackling him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly as they fell to the ground. She heard the pops as the infection forms broke under the force. She rolled over putting Enre above her and then once more under her. She sat up, turning toward her soldiers. "Flamethrowers up front, burn our way out." Her soldiers snapped to action, Edward and Tym taking the lead while James covered their rear. They bellowed fire as the infection forms tried to swarm them.
"Not really the right time to pick a fight." Enre struggled under Kathleen, trying to get up.
Kathleen stood up and got off of Enre. "Not the reason why I did it." She reached down, grabbing his chest armor and hauling Enre onto his feet. "Let's get moving. Just run for the exit, don't stop." Kathleen turned and started to run after the ODSS who were burning the lead. She had to slow as it was slower running with the flamethrowers. She fired on any infection forms that slipped past and threatened them. "Maria, have the phantom waiting for us."
"Understood, Sergeant," Maria replied.
It took them a while to finally reach the hole that they had used to enter the wreckage. When they reached the outside the phantom was waiting. Kathleen stood at the entrance, waiting until the flow of soldiers stopped before she moved toward the transport. She reached the underside of the phantom and was lifted up by the gravity lift used to pick up troops. When she landed inside she moved to one side. "Head out."
The phantom started to move away and Kathleen nodded to Tym. He pulled out a detonator and hit the button. She felt the ship shake and a bit of heat as the shockwave radiated out from the explosion. Kathleen let out a long breath and looked to the Corporal. "Will it burn the surrounding area?" Tym nodded. Kathleen was a bit more at ease. If any flood had gotten out, then it would have been burned by the fire.
Kathleen turned to Enre. "You all right?" He didn't reply and she frowned at his silence. She noticed that he was looking back at his troops. Out of the thirteen elites that Enre had brought, only four still stood. "What happened?" She didn't understand. The majors were all gone, only one ultra remaining, and three zealots still alive.
Tobias spoke up. "The infection forms started falling and they latched onto a lot of the majors. There elite armor isn't very guarded on the neck. They kept burrowing in." He looked to the Field Marshal. "We couldn't save them."
Enre finally looked up, looking over to the ODSS. "Did you let them be consumed?" Kathleen could feel the weight of his gaze. It was unsettling.
"We didn't let it take them." Tobias shifted his shotgun, indicating what they had done.
Enre nodded his head. "I am glad that they fell honorably. Better then becoming a part of that plague." Kathleen looked at him, wondering if he had just realized that by saying the deaths were honorable he was admitting he had some respect for her team.
Tobias turned to the Zealot beside Enre. "What happened to you? I thought an infection form got you but next thing I know you're fine."
The Zealot scratched at his neck. Kathleen could see where there was a cut in the armor. Blood seeped from the wound. "I do not know." The elite seemed disturbed by his own words. Kathleen couldn't blame him. She'd think it would be unsettling for an infection form to attack her, and then decide that it didn't want to.
Enre placed a hand on the Zealot's shoulder. "You are alive, that is what matters. Put it from your minds." The Field Marshal looked to Kathleen. "I have to admit, this could have gone worse."
Kathleen shrugged. "We could have all been killed and the flood take over the Earth." That was the worst case scenario that she could come up with. She shook her head a bit. "Looks like they might have chosen right. We do seem to work well."
Enre chuckled a bit. "I think you might be right." He reached out and Kathleen took the offered hand, clasping it. "At least when we work together I get to keep my jaw."
Kathleen smirked. "And I don't lose more of my armor." She paused for a moment. "Well it was nice working with you again."
Enre released her hand and turned toward the front of the phantom. "I do not think it will be the last time." Kathleen wanted to ask more, ask him to clarify, but she didn't. She let it be, just glad to have made it out of her first contact with the flood in one piece with all her soldiers.
