Home Field
The Pelican soared over the tree line, its engines spitting fire in short bursts. The jungles of Africa disappeared abruptly, revealing an enormous hole in the ground. The Pelican stopped above the hole, and began to descend slowly down. I went over to the cockpit, and looked through. Several Marines were posted above the hole, next to bushes and shrubs, wielding rifles. A couple of them seemed to notice me, before hi-fiving each other. I smirked from beneath my helmet, as we descended lower, out of sight.
Inside, I saw steel girders all around, fashioned in a temporary floor as well as structures, and a control tower with Marines bustling about. I breathed a quiet sigh, relieved to be back in a base controlled by humans, and not the Covenant. I turned and left the cockpit, and sat back down. The Arbiter looked at me, before turning away, facing the slowly opening doors of the Pelican. His large frame occupied 3 seats in the Pelican, and his amber eyes scanned around, like tracers in the night. He was relaxed, but it seemed he could turn deadly in a moment. The Pelican bay doors opened as it landed with a soft thud. The ever-present sounds of the thrusters began to slowly cease, as we disembarked.
Several Marines sat on the landing pad, talking to their comrades and looking around. Several of them were injured, nursing wounds or even missing limbs. One of them had a large blindfold around his eye, rendering him completely blind. More casualties of war. They looked at us, bursting into quick, hushed tones of conversation.
"No way! Two Spartans!"
"For real? You better not be pulling my leg."
"No man, they're here! We're going to be all right!"
The landing pad had several large exits, burrowed out from the rock, leading to places unknown. From one of them came a woman. She looked older, more scarred, but her eyes still carried the fire that her father Captain Keyes had a long time ago. She looked almost a mirror image of him as she strode briskly towards us. We snapped to attention in a salute, as she smiled, and returned it.
Lieutenant Commander Miranda Keyes smiled, " Johnson. Where'd you find them?"
Johnson deadpanned back. "Napping. Out back."
"I'll bet. Good to see you both. Let's get you both back up to speed."
"Yes Ma'am." We chorused in unison.
The Arbiter looked around, seeing the unnerved expression that the Marines had as they saw him. He shook his head silently, before turning back to us.
Keyes beckoned for us to follow her, as she disappeared through several doors, and down a large hallway. Wounded marines littered the halls, groaning in pain, some asleep. Two marines guarded the last set of doors, chatting quietly. They snapped to attention as they saw us, staying stock still until we made our way inside. I heard a quiet 'holy shit' as the door swung shit, and couldn't help a small chuckle.
" The Prophet of Truth continued his advance on Earth after we left. Smashed what was left of our fleet. The Home Fleet was completely demolished. They went on to bombard Earth, attacking several key installations. Casualties were…"
Keyes trailed off as two Marines rushed past with a stretcher. The Arbiter looked with concern, and we watched as they turned a corner and disappeared from view.
"… Extreme. They could have landed anywhere. Oceania, United Asia, South America, but they decided to commit all their forces here, in east Africa, New Mombasa to be exact. Then they began digging."
Chief piped up a question. "What about Halo?"
Keyes stopped for a while in thought, before replying. "We stopped it, but only temporarily. Now, The Prophet of Truth is looking for something called the ark. A place where he can fire the entire Halo rings. If he succeeds, everyone in the Galaxy…"
The Arbiter quietly completed the sentence. "We would all be doomed."
I asked Commander Keyes. " Any contact with the rest of the UNSC? Lord Hood?"
A technician answered the question for me. "Ma'am, we have Lord Hood on the line."
"Patch him through"
Up in front of us, the main video screen revealed the gaunt face of Lord Hood. I'd never seen the man smile, but then again there hadn't been much to smile about lately.
"Good news Commander Keyes?" He asked, his hard voice echoing throughout the room.
"As good as it gets sir." Keyes replied.
Lord Hood turned to us. "I see. How are the both of you?"
Chief sounded out. "Green. Sir."
I replied. " Could use a nap sir. But I'm green."
Lord Hood's mouth moved in an attempt to smile. "Glad to hear it. Commander Keyes over here has come up with quite the plan. But without the two of you, I doubt we could pull it off. Commander?"
Keyes took over. "Truth's ships are clustered over the excavation site, completely occupied. His infantry forces have deployed AA batteries throughout the perimeter. However, the forces on the ground are spread quite thin. If we were able to neutralize one of the AA batteries, it would allow us to punch a hole through his defenses… and get right to him."
Lord Hood continued. "I can initiate a low level strike. The Navy is chomping at the bit to get a chance at Truth, but I only have so many ships. We'll have to hit em where it hurts. It's a big risk, but I hope-"
The power cut off, and the Arbiter, Chief and I immediately tensed.
"Goddamnit. Not again." A technician swore.
Keyes stayed calm. "Hit the emergency generators."
"Down and charging ma'am."
"Once they're up, re-establish contact, tell Lord Hood that-"
A face appeared in front of us. Alien, non-human, but I could see in its eyes the blinding hatred. The Prophet of Truth. He spoke his sermon through all the video screens around us, his voice chilling to the bone.
"You are, all of you, vermin. Cowering in the dirt, thinking what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire? No. Your world will burn until its surface is but glass! And not even the Demons, and the bastard Betrayer will live to creep, blackened from its hole to mar the reflection of our passage... the culmination of our Journey. For your destruction is the will of the gods! And I? I am their instrument. "
The power returned, and Johnson growled. "Cocky bastard. Loves to run his mouth."
I thought on his speech, and looked at Chief, before understanding the meaning. They were coming to us now.
"Ma'am, we need to go to Tactical Condition. Defence code 1, right now." I turned to Keyes.
The Arbiter followed. "You need to take all the ships you have. Evacuate your casualties. They are coming to force us out."
Keyes nodded. "Give the order, we're closing shop!"
She radioed her commands to all personnel on the base. "All Personnel, Defence code Alpha-one. Prepare for Evac."
I sighed. "Bad luck and trouble."
Technicians continued to communicate back and forth with Commander Keyes, and we mulled over the consequences of what Truth had said. When she'd finished giving everyone the order, she turned to us.
" Johnson, I need you here and a couple Marines guarding the Ops center. As for you three, I need you to help reinforce the main entrance downstairs. I'll brief you as you head down."
"Yes Ma'am." Chief and I answered, and the Arbiter simply nodded, as we headed downstairs. Two Marines met us, and crisply turned to lead us onwards to a makeshift armoire.
"This base was built ages ago, for some 20th centry war. It's still got door controls. Anyways, grab weapons and gear from here and set up Chief. It's going to get rough."
We both grabbed Battle Rifles, along with two pistols and the Arbiter kept his Carbine.
The Marine cracked the door open, and I nodded in appreciation as we set through. The door openend to a large cave, stalagmites pointing down like large fingers. There were several marines setting up defenses for the Ops center, turrets and claymore mines laid out in intersecting fields of fire.
Sergeant Stacker stood with the Marines helping command the layout of the turrets. "Get those things up! Watch your fields of fire."
Several Marines were talking to each other nervously.
"How'd they find us?"
"No clue man, but hey they probably just smelt you."
"Bite me asshole. Besides, I've been itching for some payback."
Stacker hushed the men in his strong drawl. "Cut the chatter boys. Enjoy the calm before the storm, and gimme some peace and quiet."
The cave suddenly shook, dislodging small stalagmites and causing most of the Marines to look up in concern.
The Arbiter said gravely. "They are here."
Stacker stayed calm. "Point of entry, best assessment?"
"The hangar sarge." a marine with a familiar voice piped up. It was the ever present marine, private Chips Dubbo.
Stacker looked to us. "Chief, Arbiter, Noble, we need you there."
We moved on towards the hangar, as Dubbo and another Marine linked up with us.
"We're with you, Chief." Dubbo smiled.
"How's the strength in the hangar Private?" I asked.
"Short-handed. If we don't get there soon enough, they're going to get overrun." He said grimly.
The other Marine handed us several frag grenades, before opening a door that most likely led to the hangar.
As we continued onwards, Commander Keyes pinged on a secure COM.
"Spartans? Good, this channel is secure. My squads are spread thin. We can't hold out forever. You need to clear the hangar for evac, ASAP. "
"Yes Ma'am."
The vehicle hangar was up ahead, and I could already hear the staccato buzz of assault rifles, and the sharp screeches of Grunts and Jackals.
The door openeed to reveal a warthog right in front of us, manned by three men firing the turret and their assault rifles. Several Plasma Grenades were tossed in their direction.
"GET DOWN!" I yelled, shoving the two Marines to the ground. Chief overclocked the circuits in his armor, increasing shield strength before bracing himself. The Arbiter simply dissapeared from view.
The grenades exploded, destroying the warthog completely and incinerating the men inside. The force of the explosions drained my shield strength to half, and the klaxon warning began to blare. I quickly pulled the two Marines to their feet, and Chief was already out the door, exchanging fire with the Covenant.
"Lets move!" I yelled, and charged out. Several Grunts cowered behind boxes, and Jackals behind their shields. Two Brutes led the way, screaming war-cries and firing their Brute shots. Chief had already done some work, a Brute and several Jackals lay dead on one side, but there were much more to go.
I tossed several grenades behind the group of enemies, forcing them to scatter. This gave us the opportunity we needed. "The Brutes!" I yelled, as the Marines followed suit and focused fire on the behemoths. Their armor dented, showing cracks and finally exploded in a burst of electricity. Chief fired, and the three bullets pierced the Brute, killing him with ease. The Marines quickly panned to the Grunts, wearing them down and pushing them back. The Brute tossed a plasma grenade, which I quickly detonated with a burst from my Battle Rifle. Chief fired at the Jackals, aiming for their exposed spots. Several of them hit the floor, wounds bleeding from their arm or leg. I fired at their heads, executing them quickly before turning to those still alive. The Marines tossed more frag grenades, helping to shatter the Brutes armor. Chief ran out of ammo with his Battle Rifle, and instead of reloading simply pulled out his M9 pistol, and fired one shot. The Brute hit the floor, a hole in its head.
"Good shooting Chief!" Dubbo glanced appreciatively.
We moved up ahead, expecting to see more enemy forces, but instead saw Arbiter, standing among a group of Covenant, pulling his energy sword out of a Brutes back.
"They were of no challenge." The Arbiter said confidently.
" Damn." I whistled. As we opened another door, several Jackals with Carbines appeared from a corner, firing. I absorbed several shots, darting back to let my shield recharge. The Arbiter managed to squeeze off a couple of rounds into the Jackals, before he himself was forced back. Chief rolled a flashbang into the room, before we pushed in for the last time. I pulled out my M9S, and it coughed several times, leaving the Jackals in a heap on the floor.
As we moved through the room, Arbiter grabbed ammo from the dead Jackals, and I grabbed the dog-tags of the dead Marines in each room. The Hangar was up ahead, and the sounds of a fierce battle echoed up ahead.
The Marines in the hangar numbered few, but they valiantly pushed onwards. Several of them used turrets to push back the numberous Covenant roaming around the Covenant, but they were quickly getting overwhelmed.
I saw a Grunt, preoccupied with firing upon the Marines in the main hangar. I quickly pulled out my Kukri, jamming it into the small aliens throat. Chief and Arbiter moved as well, silently. Arbiter faded from view yet again, and Chief used his combat knife. We moved to slit as many of the Aliens throats as possible without them knowing. A Grunt turned and saw its friend getting slaughtered, and yelled an alarm. Chief threw his knife and buried it into the Grunts facemask, but the damage was done. The remainder of the Covenant in the hangar turned to us, and began firing.
This, while unfortunate for us, gave the Marines the room they needed to fire back onto the Covenant. The Brutes were coralled into the center of the hangar, where they quickly deployed bubble shields to deflect fire. One of the Brutes went to open the hangar, in order to allow more of the Covenant to stream in. The open hangar door left a wartorn landscape, where Pelicans and Hornets engaged Banshees and several phantoms.
Chief manned the turret, and let loose a torrent of MG fire down on the Brutes. As their bubble shields detonated, they were left helpless as Chief mowed them down. Several of them retreated underneath the hangar, on several small maintenance tunnels. I quickly ran down to combat them. In close quarters, The Grunts and Jackals stood no chance. I'd break their knecks or slit their throats with my knife as soon as I saw them. One Grunt attempted to run but a quick double tap from my M9S served to deal with that problem.
The Arbiter had charged with his energy sword into the fray, rallying the scattered Marines to fight together with a chilling war-cry. He cut a swathe into the terrified Covenant, tearing them to pieces. Even the Brutes armor couldn't handle the sheer piercing power of his Energy sword.
The battle seemed as though to take a lifetime, but it was probably over in 2 minutes. I fired a burst into a twitching Brute to make sure, before linking up with Chief and Arbiter at the turret.
"Not clear yet, Phantoms closing in!" Cortana warned.
"Wipe those bastards off the deck!" Dubbo yelled.
Several phantoms broke off from the dogfight outside, and approached.
"Under the landing bay! Kill them as they come down!" I commanded, rushing with several Marines underneath. Chief continued to lay down fire on the Phantoms as they approached, destroying their plasma turrets. The Phantoms began to drop their droops, but as they landed, the Marines and I fired from the sides and beneath them, melting their forces quickly. Some smarter Brutes began firing before they got off, killing several Marines on one side before they dropped down.
One Brute made its way into the tunnel, and began ripping its way through the Marines. In close quarters, the Brute was terrifying as it tore apart Marines in its way. I called the Marines back, and laid burst after burst of Battle Rifle fire into its chest. It's shields flared and popped, but it continued advancing. It swung a vicious backhand that I barely swerved to dodge, before launching a rifle butt into the bastards chin. It fell backwards, but before it could counter attack I moved with my foot to kick it to the ground, before crushing it's skull with an armoured boot.
The Arbiter and Chief had been laying down fire from above, forcing the Phantom to bug out, leaving just a few Covenant behind. They promptly mopped up the stragglers above, and moved to the middle of the hangar bay to engage the remaining forces.
When the battle was done, A Pelican slowly slid out from the docks on the left side, ready to evacuate the Marines in the area.
"Move people, we don't have all day." I called out, carrying two wounded Marines into the "blood tray" of the Pelican. They filled up to capacity quickly, and took off. Several Marines would stay to hold the hangar till the next Pelican showed up.
Our COM crackled to life. "Chief, to the ops center, double time! The Brutes are pressing hard."
"They intend to use this base to further their excavation." The Arbiter spoke. " How much longer will they continue their façade."
"Long enough to wipe us all out." Chief replied.
We moved back to the Ops center, passing Marines which were headed for evac. We linked up with two Marines, staring at the ventilation pipes above. There was an intense beating noise, as well as bug-like screeches in the vents.
"You hear that?" One said.
"Yeah. I don't like it." His fellow marine replied.
"Yanme'e." the Arbiter growled.
"What?" I asked.
"Drones. Fire into the vents, now!" Chief commanded.
Without hesitation we began firing, leaving large pockmarks in the ventilation pipes. True enough, there were Drones hiding in the vents. Their screeches became louder, and loud thumps began to echo throughout the pipes.
"They're heading to the ops center. Through the cave, move!" I called out. We hurried to the cave, hoping to warn the Marines in time.
While we hurried, Keyes was attempting to hail the men in the barracks, to no avail.
"Barracks are under attack! All available teams, please respond!"
"Anyone in the Barracks, respond, over!"
We got to the cave in time to see a Marine get picked up by a Drone. The Arbiter raised his rifle and fired an accurate shot into the Drones head, causing him to drop the Marine, shaken but alive.
Stacker commanded his men in the cave. "Drones! Out of the vents, take them out, short controlled bursts."
A female Marine yelled. "Light em up! Light em up!"
I ran to a turret nearby, and fired into the swarm as they rained plasma and death from above, killing several of them, not before they were able to take out several unlucky Marines. They seemed to come out of the vents indefinitely, and for each one we killed, it seemed that three more would come to replace them.
After a bloodbath filled minute, the swarm was defeated, but not without heavy casualties. I stopped, to look around at the Marines dead around us.
Sergeant Stacker walked to me and somberly said. "We'll handle it here. Go on, you're needed up there."
The three of us continued past the dead drones, and into the ops center.
It was bustling with activity, Marines moving back and forth clutching datapads. In the forefront of the room there was a large bomb. Plastered all around it were the explosive warning signs, and in the front Sergeant Johnson was entering in several commands on an interface, chomping on his cigar.
Over the COM, Commander Keyes quipped. "Johnson. You might wanna put out that cigar."
Johnson grunted, then looked up to see Miranda on the Video COM. "Yes Ma'am." He crushed the cigar with his boot, then continued with the bomb.
Keyes then addressed us. "Have a look. A nice little going-away gift for the Covenant. We're linking it to smaller charges throughout the base. As soon as the evacuation is complete start the timer."
Johnson nodded. "Understood."
"Good luck everyone." Keyes signed off.
Johnson looked satisfied as he stood up, then beckoned for us to follow him up the stairs to the back of the room. There was a weapons locker situated right next to it, and Chief and I stocked up on grenades and ammo. Johnson explained to us our own mission.
"Brutes have taken the barracks. Marines are trapped inside. Get there, save those men, then escort them to the landing pad."
I slammed a fresh clip into my battle rifle, before I opened the door, Chief and the Arbiter following. The moment the door sealed, we went silent, only comminicating through our personal COMS and hand signals. The door led to the motor pool, and if the loud banging and guttural voices were any indication, the Brutes were in control.
I checked my TACPAD for the schematics of the motor pool. It was large, with several parking spots which would provide good cover for us, along with a ladder led to a good view of the entire motor pool that was straight ahead. I sent this to both Chief and the Arbiter, who studied it for several moments.
Chief indicated to Arbiter that he was to get up to the top of the ladder, and promptly use it to cover the two of us while we pushed on the lower floor. He lowered his head in approval, and we stacked up on the door.
I took several deep breaths, allowing the adrenaline rush to flow to my limbs. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Chief counted down from three.
As he hit the door, the Brutes turned to engage their newfound intruders. I tossed a grenade, forcing the beasts to scatter, as Arbiter sprinted forward, before stopping to pick up a strange contraption.
Up ahead, a Chieftain bellowed, raising his hammer in challenge towards us. Chief and I hugged opposite sides of the carpark, trading fire with the slowly advancing Brutes, taking out one or two that decided to leave their heads out of cover.
The Chieftain lowered its head, storming towards us, predator towards its prey.
The Arbiter knelt behind a piece of cover deployed by Marines, calling to us.
"Spartans, the Ladders is destroyed. Cover me!"
Two green acknowledgement lights winked in reply, as we popped out of cover, emptying our clips in a barrage of fire towards the charging Chieftain, staggering it back, and forcing it to activate its overshield.
"Aw shit."
I dove out of the way as the Brute swung its hammer in a vicious arc, and embedded the spiked end into the wall. With an enourmous show of force, it pulled the hammer out, showering the floor with rubble as it continued to charge towards us.
The Arbiter meanwhile had deployed the contraption, which had sent him up towards the top of the motor pool, where he rained death upon the Brutes. Unable to handle his unerring skill with his Carbine, the Brutes went into their bloodlust, which brought them closer to death as they charged headlong into his fire.
"Go for its legs!" Chief yelled, as he fired several bursts into the Chieftain, which attracted its attention. It turned away from me, as I pulled out my knife and stabbed the end into its legs. It roared, before swinging its hammer towards me. There was no way I could dodge it in time, so I threw myself towards him, hoping not to be caught by its end. The hammerhead smashed into the wall, detonating with the force of a plasma grenade, draining my shields and sending me tumbling into the Chieftain, knocking it over. Before it could react, Chief was on top, emptying round after round into its face.
After an eternity, The Brute finally ceased to move. I sighed, then looked towards the end of the motor pool, where the Arbiter was removing his sword from a Brute carcass, blood pouring from his right pauldron. He shook his head.
"Let us go."
I took point. "Corridor on the right should lead us towards the barracks."
We moved on, collecting grenades from the fallen Brutes and Marines in the motor pool. The corridor was caved in, a large hole on the floor, most likely burrowed through by the Covenant. We jumped in together, and found ourselves in a canal, water on both sides of us, flowing down to the river beneath crow's nest.
Chief stumbled again, before taking a kneel, his hand to faceplate. The pain I'd experienced when we first landed in Africa struck again, and I saw a flash of pink stream across my HUD. The Arbiter looked quizzically at us.
"What is the problem?"
"Nothing. Let's move on." Chief grunted.
There was something going on, something was invading our armor electronics, but it seemed to be affecting Chief much more than me. I was deep in thought as we continued down the canal, before dropping down into a platform, where several Drones hovered in the air, engaging us.
We moved and weaved, firing short bursts at the fragile drones, absorbing several glancing hits, and weaving to avoid their plasma.
The Arbiter cursed them. "Half-wit Insects! Rebel, or all your hives will perish!"
After they were taken care of, we regrouped towards a door that led to the barracks.
"Watch your fire, There are still Marines in there." Chief warned us.
"Make haste, Jiralhanae enjoy playing with their meals." Arbiter cautioned in reply.
I tapped the door, and we rushed in, rifles at alert. We saw a Marine getting thrown into a pillar, his body slamming against it with a bone-crunching snap. He dropped to the floor, limp and unmoving.
We sprinted forward towards the source, seeing a Marine held in a choke-hold by a Brute Captain, begging for mercy. Several other Brutes stood around him, laughing around more captured Marines.
"No! Please!"
I fired my Battle Rifle, the three bursts slamming into the Brutes head, forcing him to drop the Marine, as he quickly scarpered away.
Roaring in anger, The Brutes retured fire, forcing us into cover.
I tossed a flashbang, before firing several accurate bursts into the Captains head. Chief finished it off with a burst of assault rifle fire, before we swapped to the other disorientated Brutes. The Arbiter maintained a steady burst of cover fire as Chief and I advanced slowly on the Brutes, smothering them before taking them down. Their pack instinct once again proved to be their downfall, as within minutes, they were defeated. I pulled several Marines to their feet, as Chief began passing them weapons from the dead Brutes.
One Marine shook his head. "That was too damn close."
We continued our rescue throughout the barracks, engaging more Brutes along the way. Fortunately, they proved futile. There were too many of us, and the Marines that fought alongside us fought with fire in their hearts. For all that we could save, the Marines that lay throughout the barracks served as a grim reminder that were were more that we couldn't.
A Chieftain with a plasma turret blocked the exit of the barracks, along with several Brutes and Jackals. I commanded the Marines to focus fire on the Chieftain, as the three of us began to quickly take out his support. I threw several grenades over the top of the Jackals shields, killing and at least scattering their defences, allowing easy headshots from the Arbiter. Chief accurately fired several bursts through the sides of the Jackals shields, disarming some, outright killing others. Soon, only the Chieftain was left, but even he couldn't handle ten guns firing a symphony of bullets and plasma into him.
A lone Jackal attempted to run, but a plasma bolt slammed into its back.
"Payback time!" a Marine whooped.
"We saved all we could. The landing pad is upstairs, lets move." I declared.
The barracks were left behind, as we took the cargo lift towards the landing pad. It was slow, and everyone used the time to catch their breath, reload their weapons.
Johnson came over the COM, in a comminque to commander Keyes. "Ma'am, we lost the Ops center. Brutes attacked en masse, there was too many of them. We're falling back to the hangar, but don't wait for us."
"Bullshit Johnson. Hocus, hold position, we're not leaving."
There were several loud sounds that caused every one of us to look up.
Brutes, flying?
"Jump packs."
The elevator slammed to a stop, and we came out guns blazing. The Brutes were zipping around, peppering the pelican on the landing pad with their spiker rifles. I fired several rounds into one of the Brutes thrusters, causing it to spiral out of control and slam into a wall, the bone sickening crunch signifying his death. Chief had grabbed a Brute which was too busy to focus on a new threat, and sliced its neck with his combat knife, while the Arbiter did the same with his energy sword, albeit in a more brutal fashion.
The Brutes saw their numbers dwindle, then turned to face us, giving the Pelican some breathing room as they began to fire on us. The Brutes were already formidable foes, but their abillity to utillize height made them much more dangerous. Several Marines were killed by their Brute shots. A Brute landed, before tossing a device towards the ground that looked very dangerous.
The Arbiter yelled loudly. "Do not approach!" He tossed an item of his own before firing a carbine shot straight into the device.
A large bubble shield shot up, shielding and containing the sudden explosion. I turned to the Brute which just dropped the device, and put him down with several shots. Slowly but surely their numbers began to dwindle, but not before we suffered more casualties. Several times my shields dropped low, forcing me to duck back, but Chief and Arbiter were able to maintain their fire on the enemy, and finally the last Brute fell down into the canal.
Johnson had finally arrived, but he unfortunately brought several drones along with him.
"Drones! Go! I'll cover you!" He yelled to Hocus.
The pilot of the Pelican quickly brought the airship out of the drop zone, avoiding fire from the Drones that swarmed the landing pad. They were annoying, but thankfully they weren't as dangerous as the Brutes were. They were all dispatched quickly, and the Pelican slowly descended back into the DZ.
Johnson got to us, his face one of exhaustion and anger.
"Brutes. In the Ops center. They disarmed the bomb. Sorry commander, there were too many, even for me."
Keyes took a second to think, before opening a channel to Chief. "Chief, take six as well as the Arbiter and retake the Ops center. You have to rearm the bomb. I'll get these men out of here but I'll radio with another exit. Good luck."
Johnson boarded the Pelican, and gave us a nod before its cargo doors closed, and it flew out of sight. We looked towards the road Johnson had previously come from, littered with destroyed Warthogs and dead men.
At the end of the road, John and I staggered again.
You will be the protectors of Earth and all her colonies.
The Arbiter looked at the two of us, very confused.
I waved him off. "I'll explain later."
Arbiter stared for a second, before nodding.
At the end of the road was a door leading to another doorway. This one was defended. Covenant Plasma cannons were set up along the road, with one hapless Grunt looking the other way, unawares that three of his deadliest enemies were high behind him. Chief crept up slowly before jamming his knife right into the hapless aliens mouth. It struggled, before falling still. Up ahead there was another plasma cannon set up, but it was watched by several grunts further down the road.
The Arbiter looked to the grunts, and pointed to himself, before fading from view. I pulled out my silenced pistol and aimed a shot into the Grunt manning the plasma cannon. Two coughs burst out and the Grunt slumped to the ground. I looked to my right and saw the Grunts dead on the floor, energy sword wounds across their body.
We continued, moving as fast as possible while maintaining silence. The motor pool where we fought the Chieftain was repopulated with two plasma cannons maintaining overwatch, while Jackals with carbines patrolled the catwalk. Even more grunts roamed the floor, some sleeping in the corner, others just chatting in small circles.
Chief directed Arbiter to the catwalks, while I was directed to the plasma cannons. Chief would handle the remaining Grunts. The Arbiter and I moved to the corner, carefully avoiding the more vigilant Covenant. I snapped an unwary Grunts neck as the Arbiter climbed to the top of the catwalks, before engaging his active camouflage. I pulled out a knife and my M6S before I also slowly made my way on top.
The Arbiter snapped a Jackals neck, before turning and firing several accurate carbine rounds into the three Jackals remaining on the catwalks. As they fell, I threw my knife right into one of the Grunts heads, causing it to fall from its plasma cannon. I promptly fired another round into the other grunts head. I quickly rushed to the plasma cannon and opened fire on the Grunts below. They were in absolute dissarray as Chief opened fire with his assault rifle. It was over in a matter of seconds.
The Arbiter and I jumped from the catwalks and landed next to Chief, who waved us onwards. My TACPAD picked up a large amount of enemy contacts up ahead. No stealthing this one. Chief pulled out his shotgun and I readied my battle rifle. The Arbiter brought up dual plasma rifles, and pointed them at the door.
I pulled open the door, and Chief stormed in, the Arbiter following suit. I heard the staccato sounds of a shotgun burst out and came in as well. One Brute was already down, and the Jackals on top of the control center were dead. There were still a great deal of enemies left, one of which came storming up the staircase. The Arbiter poured fire down down the stairs, and the Brute dropped dead.
Several others took cover around the Ops center. A Brute Chieftain pulled out a plasma cannon and hosed us down with plasma fire. We kept to cover, taking small potshots but unable to get any confirmed kills.
We couldn't throw grenades out of fear of detonating the bomb, so we had to result to our wits. I directed Chief to the left side, and we quickly burned down a pallet that a Brute was hiding behind. He made to run away but we quickly focused him down and killed him. The Arbiter was able to catch a Brutes foot out of cover and destroyed his shields, sending the monster into a bloodrage. He Charged at us, forcing Chief and I to backpedal as the Brute charged upwards. He landed several hard melee blows on me, dropping my shields before he was sent down by Chief's shotgun.
The Chieftain grolwed in frustration as he slowly advanced on us, maintaining plasma fire. The Arbiter quickly called out. "He's overheating!"
On cue, the Plasma cannon suddenly beeped in protest, and the plasma fire stopped. We broke from cover, and three angles of fire rained down upon the beast. Even he couldn't survive the onslaught as it collapsed on the ground, smoking. The other Brutes were unable to hold on without their leader, and we found ourselves back in control.
I hit the switch in front of the bomb, and it came back on with a warm tone.
Keyes exclaimed. "That did it, Bombs armed!"
Johnson added. "We got your exit, theres a service elevator in the hangar, get to it!"
There was no time to waste, as we headed back through the caves. In them, Grunts ran wildly, no care that their mortal enemies had run right bast them. I quickly opened the door and saw as swarms of Drones and Jackals fled, all sense of fighting gone. Only one or two turned around, and were quickly put down.
Suddenly, before we were able to get to the hangar, ice again flooded Chief and my senses, but this time, Chief wasn't the target. Another Spartans voice flooded my COM, one that I thought I'd never hear again.
Six, Time's come to return the favor. Tell 'em to make it count.
Jorge.
Suddenly, I was rushed back into the hangar, where Chief pulled me up.
The Arbiter looked strained. "We must hurry!" as we waved us forward.
There were several Phantoms in the hangar that were in the process of bugging out. The Covenant below made guttural cries and shouts of protest as they were left behind by their bretheren.
Johnson called to us. "Get on the elevator! You're out of time!"
We ran past them, and into the service elevator. I slammed the button and the door began to shut. It didn't fully close, and there was a sudden explosion.
This place will become your home.
The elevator slowly descnded, before a massive boom exploded, disconnecting the elevator, and sending us plummeting towards the ground.
This place will become your tomb.
(A/N: One full damn year in the making. This was a struggle to complete. Life had gotten so greatly in the way, and I started to lose interest in writing. A chance conversation with a friend inspired me to finish this, and at least make an effort to continue. I am so sorry to disappoint some of you guys who'd been waiting so patiently for me to continue. I will try my best to continue writing. To update on my life, I'm still in the Army, but I have enough free time to start really putting some more writing out there. Thanks to all who have followed me this far.)