35.

Location: New Mombasa, Kenya, East Africa, EARTH.
Timestamp: October 23rd 2552. 08:55 hours.
Unit ID: Corporal Jacob Matthews (Male, 25, 5'11"), Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, 7th Shock Troopers Battalion.
Status: Standing back up.

Jacob's legs buckled for a moment as he got up into a kneeling position, looking up to observe the large black smoke cloud in the distance. His vision of the cloud was then obscured by Thel'Watamee. The elite outstretched his hand to offer assistance for Jacob, but Jacob ignored him. He hopped back to his feet and continued looking at the large cloud.

The looming smoke cloud was rising from where the ONI Sword base had previously been standing. Something big had gone down and Jacob wanted to know what, but now was not the time. Right now he was more concerned about finding Curtis.

Jacob turned back toward where they were headed and said "Let's keep moving."

The pair of Sangheili followed him like the rest of his squad would follow David into combat. He was slowly beginning to find more trust for Thel'Watamee, and he felt that the trusting feeling was mutual. He wasn't trusting enough to act on his feeling however. Only more time with Thel'Watamee would tell if he were truly trustworthy.

After a few more minutes, the group of 3 unlikely soldiers was now growing very near to the drop pod landing site. Now about 50m away, the site being just around the corner, Jacob began to grow anxious. His thoughts of doubt about Curtis' safety he was having earlier were beginning to return from the recesses of his mind, and he didn't like it.

What if he's dead?

Shut up.

What if he's been taken by the covvies?

SHUT UP!

A bright purple strip flared across his peripheral vision, over his left shoulder. The loud hiss from the shot left a humming sound in Jacob's ear. "Sniper fire!" he called out to the others, only a few feet behind him. As Jacob leapt into cover behind the rubble of the corner building, he looked back to check on the others.

As the two Sangheili joined him, he noticed that the shot from the beam rifle had grazed past Thel'Watamee's helmet, leaving a burn mark in the side of it, and taking a decent portion of it away from the helmet. Not the first time someone's had that close a call with Kig-Yar Rangers. After observing Thel'Watamee's seemingly unfazed face, Jacob came to the conclusion that the elite did not give a damn.

After learning that the Sangheili was not a known giver of fucks, Jacob asked him to see where the fire is coming from. Thel'Watamee nodded, raised his weapon, and held it out in the open, waving it around a bit. After a shot tore past with another loud hiss, he retracted the weapon, his shields depleted and a new graze on his forearm.

"South building, 5th floor." He bluntly stated, before cracking his neck and readying himself in a crouching position for combat.

There was now more than just the sniper firing at them. Jacob could also make out the sound of brute spikers firing out their ruthless ammunition, and the spikes from said weapons slamming into the corner of the building and the rubble they were taking refuge behind.

"Right, there are roughly…" Jacob counted in his head, estimating based on the amount of fire, and the rate at which the sound of the shots were being fired. "4 enemies, one being the sniper in the building." He turned to Shay'est "How good of a sharpshooter are you again?"

Shay'est raised her carbine and huffed. "A better one than Thel'Watamee, that is for sure." She scoffed.

Thel'Watamee muttered something in Sangheili, and crankily leaned against the wall so the others could talk easier whilst he had a sulk.

"Three points is still all I needed to beat you." Shay'est teased, evidently making fun of something Thel'Watamee had just said.

"Alright, alright, now's not the time!" Jacob snapped "We'll take the piss out of each other later, right now we need to work out how to take these guys down. Shay'est, think you can take the sniper out, whilst we go for the brutes?" Jacob pulled out his pistol with his left hand, holding his SMG in his right.

Shay'est nodded and the plan was set in stone. Jacob gave a countdown and they sprung out from behind cover, guns blazing. The two men ran out first, and Shay'est jumped out a second later, so that the sniper had been distracted by the others. She lifted her carbine, and took a shot at the sniper, clipping his shoulder and shifting the weight in his torso back, causing him to miss his shot and send his beam rifle spinning off the side of the crumbling, burned out building.

Whilst this happened, the others ran at the brute patrol, consisting of one chieftain and three regular brutes. Thel'Watamee pulled out his plasma grenade and lobbed it at the chest of the chieftain, whilst running at the other one. The grenade would distract the chieftain and take down his shields, giving Thel'Watamee enough time to deal with one of the other brutes.

Jacob began firing his SMG at one of the brutes, whilst blindly firing his pistol in the general direction of the chieftain's head. One of his shots must have sunken into the Jiralhanae's skull, because he went down like a sack of bricks. Jacob continued to empty his clip into the other brute, whilst the beast tried to bring its arms up to cover its face. His last bullet took down the brute's shields, he dropped the SMG and ran for the brute. Jacob leapt into the air, pulling his knife out and gripping it with the blade facing down.

Thel'Watamee simultaneously pulled out his sword and took a swing at the other brute, taking down its shields. As he began to take another swing, Shay'est fired a carbine shot that landed in the left eye of the brute, causing him to fall backward and slam onto the tarmac beside his chieftain.

Whilst Thel'Watamee growled in frustration, Jacob thrust his knife into the top of the Jiralhanae's helmet, penetrating through to its brain. The beast dropped its lower jaw as its eyes rolled back into its skull, falling to its knees. Jacob tore his knife from the brute's head and it flopped forward onto the floor, joining its comrades in death.

After putting his knife away and picking up his SMG, he turned back toward the ODST drop pod that awaited them. The covenant had beaten him to it, which worried him. The fact that the enemies which were there were still alive worried him more.

Jacob began to jog toward the drop pod, the front of which was open. The glass on the door was smashed and the door was hanging from a power cable, about 4 feet above them. The screens inside of the pod were smashed and cracked, joints and electrics were sparking or on fire, as was most of the scenery around the crashed pod.

Jacob's heart sank as he made out the figure of an ODST marine, slouching in the harness of the drop pod, his head hanging and his arms dangling down, motionless. Jacob began to sprint, and once again dropped his SMG. "Curtis!" he shouted "Curtis we're here!" he screamed, his voice cracking under emotion with his last couple of words.

He gripped Curtis' helmet and raised it so it faced him. The visor had a crack reaching from the top right side down to the centre. Jacob gripped his shoulders and shook him a little "Hey buddy, wake up, we're here!" he felt his eyes begin to burn and his throat ache.

"Jacob…" Shay'est approached him, reaching out to rest her hand on his shoulder, but he pulled his shoulder away and took off his helmet, tossing it to the ground.

"No! No, he can't die!" he cried "We had a bet! You can't back down now, you asshole! You still owe me a round of drinks! … You asshole…" Jacob slowly fell to his knees, his head resting against his fallen friend's limp leg.

Shay'est crouched down behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso. "There is nothing you can do for him now. I am sorry for your loss, but we cannot stay here. There will surely be another patrol coming soon…" she felt Jacob shift his weight and begin to stand, so she gently let him go and stood up.

Jacob kept his head low and picked up his helmet. He then walked back toward where they had approached the pod from, retracing his footsteps, and picked up his SMG. "Let's go." He said silently, almost a whisper.

Thel'Watamee kept his gaze glued to Jacob, watching him as he walked past. Thel'Watamee had experienced loss like Jacob's and knew the pain of it. He understood how Jacob felt.

Hey guys!

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted, I've just been a little drained by my friend's accident, and had my exams all this week. I could barely find any time for myself, let alone to sit down and write. In apology for the wait, I've written an extra-long chapter for you!

On top of that, I've also come down with a bad cold over the last couple of days, so I'll just be taking it easy at home for a while. Maybe take the weekend off work, we'll see.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter! I just had a very fun game of halo 4 with Solid G3 Legend (I believe that was your GT, sorry if I got it wrong! :)), and I appreciate that very much. Thank you for the fun!

Remember to review and I'll remember to write!
Cheers!