Chapter Forty-Nine: New Mombasa, Act III
0457 Hours, February 12, 2553. City of New Mombasa, Kenya. "The Luck of the Draw," Planet Earth. Day Twenty-Nine of the Fate of Humanity
The streets of New Mombasa weren't like the ones of Cote D'Azur, full of dazed, ambling civilians. Any civvies who'd been here before the invasion began back in August were long evacuated or dead by now, and I was sure that the burial squads had already been through here months ago to remove the bodies of the unfortunate. But neither were the streets devoid of anything that hinted at the previous comfortable existence people had enjoyed in the city, like Salzburg had been.
Kenya was different.
It was almost like the middle ground between the extremes – there was evidence of the life that had once been lived here, but the scenery it displayed now made it clear that that was no longer the case, that the circumstances were now permanently changed. The civilian bodies may have been long gone, but there were other corpses that now littered most of the eerie-quiet blocks instead. A lot of dead Covies, but also – predominantly – a lot of dead Marines.
I took in an unsteady breath inside my helmet, grateful for the barrier I had between my filtered air and the tainted one outside. We'd known the fighting here had been fierce before we arrived. We'd even known that we were being sent in because most, if not all, of the UNSC forces that had already been posted here had been taken out or overrun. But I couldn't say I'd been ready for something like this.
"No sign of the parasite, human," Atalom 'Kuatee commented beside me as I glanced around, seemingly unperturbed by the awful view. "While they can appear at any time at any place, it is good we have not come across their kind yet. Still, we must remain vigilant."
I nodded without saying anything in reply. As if it weren't disturbing enough to walk through the streets of an utterly devastated city full of dead in the dark, early hours of the morning, I also had to worry about the Flood showing up.
"Cooper?"
Though I was slightly startled by the voice suddenly flooding my helmet over the COM channel, I tried my best not to let it show. Keeping my eyes scanning the block ahead, I gripped my submachine gun tighter and answered, "Yeah, Hayden, I'm here. Go ahead."
Captain Hayden didn't release a long sigh as I'd expected him to, or relay the fact that the sector of the city his company had been dropped into was just as dismal-looking as mine was. Instead, he surprised me with some much-needed good news. "Charlie's just made contact with one of the ODST platoons that came in ahead of us, Natalie. This place is definitely looking the worse for wear, but it looks like the Helljumpers've been able to give us a pretty decent head start on clearing out some of the smaller pockets of resistance." He finally let out the sigh I knew would come; there was always a catch to any lucky break we managed to get, so I listened as he continued. "The larger ones have proved tougher to crack, though, so that's something we're going to have to coordinate if we want to get to the roadblocks within the next couple hours. Anyway, keep moving forward for now, and let me know if you run into anymore troopers. I'll give you additional orders once I talk to the CO of the ODST group."
"Got it, Oliver. How've the streets been looking so far on your end?"
"Pretty damn quiet, actually…except for the bodies. You?"
"Same. It was a mess getting to the RV point, but since we've been in the city, nothing much. Although that makes me more nervous than if we'd been attacked from the start. The Covie bastards are up to something, Hayden."
"Don't I know it, Cooper. Stay sharp and keep in touch. Hayden out."
I glanced over at 'Kuatee once Captain Hayden cut the connection and gestured at the landscape. "No Flood yet, huh? Well, I'm inclined to approach this the way you do, alien boy. Hope for the best but expect the worst." I heard the Elite let out a snort as I opened a COM channel of my own. "Bravo Company, this is where we split up. I want second and third platoons on the flanks, first platoon out in front. We're going to be making our way to the main roadblock north of our position, where we'll regroup again, and see if we can't pick up some Helljumpers along the way to back us up. Remember that our objective right now is to get to the highway, not clear out the city. So try to keep a low profile and only engage when absolutely necessary. Questions?"
The COM remained silent.
"Good. First platoon, fall in behind me then and let's get moving. Frederick and Lewis, I want updates every half-hour on how your platoons are faring. Is that understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," came the automatic replies in unison.
Satisfied with how things were set up, I began to lead first platoon up the street, quick but cautious, with 'Kuatee watching my six. Going down yet another deserted alley, I held my hand up in a fist and crouched when we reached the end. Based on the maps I'd been going over all this week, most of these back roads opened up to much larger street squares – and that was likely where most of the fortified Covie positions were.
"Rear guard, watch the rooftops for movement. Point squad, form up on me. The rest of you sit tight and keep your eyes peeled. Fire only if you have a clear target – we can bypass a lot of trouble if we stay under the Covies' radar."
Pressing my back hard against the side of the building that formed the entryway out into the square, I took a deep breath and slowly edged closer to the corner to get a look of the area beyond. So far my HUD didn't register any hostiles, but I'd gone without it enough times in recent months that I'd learned to trust my own instincts more than my helmet's electronics. And my instincts told me that this wasn't just another dead street.
I watched Atalom approach now on the opposite side, lifting his particle beam rifle with mechanical precision as he took a look down its sights.
"Atom?" I whispered, wondering if he was seeing anything out of the ordinary.
He shook his head almost imperceptibly, but returned to his task of scanning nonetheless. Relieved by his response, I did the same.
I got to the corner of the long wide arch I was standing under and checked the right side before leaning over to get a look at the left. In the meantime, 'Kuatee moved up accordingly, tagging the right in case any Covies suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blew me away while I scanned the other side. Before I was able to assess the open square, however, I heard a sudden burst from a BR55 behind me. The sound ripped loud through the quiet streets, and I immediately ducked back into the archway, fuming.
"First platoon, I said hold your damn fire! Who the hell was that?"
There was a moment of hesitation over the COM, but then a timid voice replied, "L-Lance Corporal Avard, ma'am."
"You'd better have a damn good excuse for breaking silence, Lance Corporal. The whole Covie fucking army would've heard that."
"I'm…I'm sorry, Captain. I thought…I thought I saw a Jackal up on the roof but…it was some trash picked up by the wind, ma'am."
"Lieutenant Hillburn!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Keep your Marines in check, Lieutenant, or you will be relieved of command, do you understand?"
"Y-yes, ma'am."
"I can't have jumpy replacements shooting at the wind and revealing our position over a piece of wandering trash. When I say maintain a low profile except in an extreme circumstance, I mean it, Hillburn. And within your platoon, it's your job to make sure my orders get obeyed."
"Yes, ma'am."
I didn't have time to say anything else. As if summoned, a group of Grunts had suddenly appeared on the far side of the street when I turned back. The Covies saw me at the same time I saw them, and I went instantly into a low crouch and fired.
The rapid spray of bullets had the small aliens scrambling for cover, but ultimately they were still a little too far out of range for my gun. I cursed under my breath and, after taking another quick look around to get an updated view of my surroundings, I risked sprinting for the next bit of cover. As I kept my chest pressed against my raised knees, SMG held tight, I leaned over the edge of the half-blown out car I'd run to and glanced back. 'Kuatee had stayed where he was on the other side of the archway, but he fired three pulses of purple light from his sniper weapon. The three Grunts down the street squealed.
"Hillburn!" I shouted through the COM then, noticing a number of red dots pop up on my HUD out of nowhere. "Get first platoon up to the archway and spread out into the street! There's plenty of cover out here, Lieutenant, so use it!" Plenty of cover left over by the dead who'd formerly held these positions, that is.
Mentally shaking my head to rid myself of the thought, I looked up and across the once-empty street and saw where the red dots were coming from. There was a small covered side-alley between shops, and the Covenant were making full use of it, spilling out into the open now, as if they'd been waiting patiently there all along for us to approach.
Probably, they had been. And the lance corporal's wayward shot had just alerted them to our presence.
A Jackal's sniper round sizzled above my head as it struck the top of the wrecked car I was hiding behind, denting the already-thrashed hood of the sedan. I threw myself instantly to the dusty ground, coughing a little as some of the airborne debris entered my lungs before my helmet's filtration systems could compensate. In the moment of haze I heard 'Kuatee let out a combination growl-moan behind me, and I turned back to see his translucent outer shield flickering white. The Jackal's second round had apparently struck him.
"Atom!"
"I am unhurt, human! Keep your focus on the others, they are on fast approach!"
I could tell by the strain in the alien's voice that he was anything but uninjured, yet I didn't have a choice. Atalom was right; the Covies pouring out the building needed to be taken out, and they were moving fast. But still, none of us could move until that Jackal on the rooftop was gone.
"Lance Corporal Avard!"
"C-Captain!"
"Now's the time to use that weapon of yours, Marine. Target that Jackal and take 'im down!"
I could have done it myself if I'd been equipped with a longer-barreled weapon, but as it was, if I popped out to lay some fire on the Jackal from afar, it wouldn't do anything but reveal my position and make it easier for the Covie to kill me. So I kept myself low to the ground, ordering the rest of the platoon to do the same, and hoped our last surviving replacement would take care of the Jackal as well as he'd taken care of the imaginary trashbag enemy.
I watched from my low position as the lance corporal dove behind a concrete planter ahead of me in the street. The Jackal on the rooftop fired another tight beam, this time at Avard, but the Marine was already well behind cover now. Without emerging from cover myself, I raised my SMG high above my head and fired a blind burst, trying to draw the Covenant sniper's attention back to me so the lance corporal could get a shot.
It worked. I felt a heated pulse pierce the air between my arms, giving them a momentary sunburned sensation, but otherwise I was able to get away with the maneuver unharmed. The Jackal, however, had his torso torn straight through with 9.5 x 40mm X-HP-SAP bullets from Avard's battle rifle. With its blood spattering onto the sides of the rooftop, the dead Covie's body pitched forward and fell the two stories to the ground, landing with a muted wet smack about fifty meters away.
The corpse ended up hitting dirt just in front of the oncoming mass of Covenant, making the lead Grunts pause for the briefest of seconds as they glanced down at the bloodied carcass of the alien who'd been watching their six. But that was just the edge I needed to get first platoon moving again, and since there was no way to avoid this skirmish now without taking these alien bastards out, I rose from my cover once more and pulled the trigger.
Some of the Grunts at point were within extreme range of my submachine gun now, and the bullet hose lived up to its nickname. Although less powerful and accurate than some of the other guns the UNSC had to offer, the shear amount of lead pouring from the weapon made a hit nearly impossible to miss, especially up close. And though the Covies were still pretty far for my current gun of choice, my aim wasn't quite as bad as when I'd been ready to give up on the Africa mission during training in Denmark. The first four Grunts were nothing but freshly added bodies beside the dead Jackal by the time my clip ran out.
"Let's go, first platoon! Don't let those Brutes get too close, and let's get those Jackals' shields down!" I yelled, swinging my spent weapon across my back fast as I pulled a frag grenade from my belt. I yanked the pin out with my free hand and tossed the explosive, watching as it sailed behind the new head of the Covie formation, bounced once, and burst at chest-level amid an assorted group of Jackals and Grunts. The alien closest to it had its neck ripped to shreds by the shrapnel, its blood hitting its dazed comrades; the Jackal hadn't brought its shield up fast enough. Now that the rest were momentarily disoriented, I slammed a new clip home at the base of my gun and jumped out of cover. The point squad of Marines came up behind me as we charged at the Covies.
"We need to plug that hole, Marines!" I shouted, pointing at the space the Covenant had first appeared from. Now that they knew we were here, there was no use keeping quiet, and we had to contain the situation before it got worse. "Heavy weapons, take out the entrance to that path between buildings and make sure no one else comes out of there!"
While most of first platoon joined the fray to get rid of the enemy fighters ahead of us, I knew that somewhere in the rear guard were the two Marines with SPNKR rockets. The faster they took out that small pedestrian causeway, the faster we could continue moving towards our next objective.
But the alien bastards weren't going to make any of this easy. I had no doubt in my mind that while they'd been alive, the Marine forces stationed here in New Mombasa had given the Covies a hell of a run for their money, even if they had been outnumbered and outgunned. The Covenant had to be tired by now, but they were tenacious and they didn't seem to have a shortage of supplies yet. Acting fast - as fast as my Marines reacted to find cover - the head Brutes deployed shields and barriers for their troops. Suddenly, the fight was at a standstill.
Until the whoosh of rockets broke the sudden quiet.
I ducked my head instinctively at the sound of loose rubble collapsing, and so did the Marines beside me. I stifled a groan as I pressed my bad shoulder against the concrete wall without thinking, but remained in the uncomfortable position rather than risk exposing myself. I stayed there until I could see past the thick cloud of dust that enveloped the area in front of me because of the blast.
Even before the air cleared, though, grenades were sailing into – and out of – the billow of smoky debris. I held onto my helmet hard and shouted, "Stay down, Marines!"
All the while, explosions rocked the ground seemingly everywhere around us, plasma grenades sticking and frag grenades bouncing before they detonated mid-air, landing and going off in an indeterminate pattern. I was grateful as hell when I opened my eyes and realized I'd been spared amid the chaos.
Much to my surprise, 'Kuatee was already on his feet and wading with a bloodcurdling roar through the surviving Covies. Having slung his particle beam rifle, the SpecOps Elite weaved through plasma rounds meant for him and drove his blade first through a dying Brute, then sliced neatly into two frantic Grunts. The last Jackal squawked from behind its shield and released a pulse of green light from its plasma pistol, hitting Atalom firmly in the stomach, but the Elite kept going. Lost in his rage, 'Kuatee didn't stoop until he'd slapped the Jackal's shield away and gripped the Covie's neck so hard it crunched. He tossed the dead Jackal to the side.
And then, Atom dropped to his knees.
When it was safe, I rushed up to my former enemy. "Hillburn!" I cried as I ran, wincing against the pain in my shoulder. "I want a casualty count, now! Set up defensive positions and sit tight for a minute while I get to Atom. Reynolds, you're up!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the two replied at once.
By the time I reached the Elite, he was clutching the armor plating at his abdomen and breathing hard. I could see his blood dripping down his mandibles, dotting the front of his armor. I'd never seen 'Kuatee like this before, and the sight was a little shocking. I tried to keep my mounting fears to myself, though, as I knelt down beside him.
Atalom turned blazing eyes on me at once, but I could see the mark of intense pain behind them. "Why do you waste your time staring at me, human? Do we not have more Jiralhanae to make bleed?"
I chuckled, even though it came out sounding hollow when I noticed that the claws he held to his stomach were trying to cover a deep crack in his armor. "You're a tough son of a bitch, Atom. You could get hit by a freight train and not bat an eye. If you want to go shank the hell out of the rest of the Brutes, then let's go. Get up."
The feeling of dread came back when I watched the Elite struggle to rise. All Atalom could do, however, was get up on one knee before he wheezed, coughing on the blood in his throat.
"I…I cannot," he said after a while. His eyes shut for a moment and his mandibles clicked in frustration, but despite his wounds, his voice remained strong and rough. "You will continue this without me, human. Boteem is young but a good follower, a fast learner. He may come to aid you more than I by the war's end."
"Don't play games with me, 'Kuatee. You're a damn Elite. You going to tell me a couple plasma wounds are stopping you?" But inside I already knew; one of those plasma rounds had been from a Covenant sniper. Atalom wasn't going to make it. Blood continued to seep from his face, and it poured out of his stomach at an alarming rate. And even though I'd called for Doc Reynolds, I doubted Atalom would accept a human medic's help.
"I am not disappointed by this, human. To die on the battlefield is a just honor, not a regret. My only lament is that I can do no more to rid the universe of the hated enemy of my people. That task is left to you, Captain. You have the powerful need to protect the lives of your mate and your offspring driving you, and that will serve you well in your endeavors. I…had that, too, once. Long ago. Now all I have is a need for vengeance, but I do not have the strength to carry it out now." He fixed his gaze on me. "Be well, Cooper. Fight well. The end of everything is coming, and you should prepare."
Before I could reply, a sniper round from the far corner of the street rang out. 'Kuatee's helmeted head burst in a spray of dark blood, and his body jerked forward with a quick, quiet movement, almost in deference to his end. Caught out in the street with little cover around me, I had no choice but to use the large, armored Elite's corpse as cover. I shut my eyes tight and tried to keep my emotions under wraps as I felt 'Kuatee's body buck as another sniper round – one that had been meant for me this time – struck the shell of his chest armor. Propping the Elite on his side a moment earlier to duck behind, I'd only just avoided Atom's same fate.
"Doc, belay my last!" I shouted through the COM channel. "Get the fuck to cover! Hillburn! I want a fix on that sniper, now!"
"On it, Captain!"
Not a minute later, the anonymous Covenant sniper went silent.
"Captain Cooper? First Lieutenant Marshall Dennison, ma'am, 301st ODST Battalion," the young trooper in front of me said. I could tell he was trying hard to resist the ingrained urge to come to attention, but he was disciplined enough to overcome it. He continued in a steady voice, "I'm sure glad you got here when you did, ma'am. I thought we were done for. I mean, I've got one platoon to what? Sixty, seventy Covies in a large, well-defended position with air superiority and tanks? Hell, if we weren't Helljumpers, we would've been screwed, Captain."
"Ninety, Trooper," I replied.
Lieutenant Dennison cocked his head at me. "Ma'am?"
"There's another company from my battalion coming up on the left flank. They've estimated enemy strength on their side of the roadblock at ninety, Lieutenant."
"Their side, ma'am?"
"That's right. So that means if you've got your numbers down on this side as about seventy, that makes the total one-sixty."
The blond Helljumper's face paled.
"You got a company commander of your own, Trooper?"
"No, ma'am," he answered slowly.
I sighed. "I guess that makes me in charge then, huh? I know I'm not an ODST so I'll stay out of your hair, but I might need to place your platoon if my company needs help. Understood?"
"Yes, Captain."
"All right. Sit tight for now then and stand by for orders. I need to get into contact with my acting CO."
Tactically, things had gone as well as could be expected after 'Kuatee's death. The other platoon leaders in my company had contacted me at each half-hour interval in the past three hours as ordered, all while first platoon and I made our way to the roadblock. Each had reported in to let me know of several skirmishes, but none had ended with a significant number of casualties. Tactically, we were more or less on schedule.
Psychologically, Atalom's death had left me a little jarred – and with an unexpected feeling of emptiness. How could someone so powerful and unbreakable die? How could a former enemy I'd come to rely on in the months since be gone? A large part of me still hated 'Kuatee for what he was, for what he had been. For what he had done to the human race in the past. But another part me was trying hard to keep from mourning the loss of a formidable ally. We'd never been friends – never would have been, either – but I felt his absence.
Especially now that we'd finally reached the last few streets before the main roadblock.
The COM channel crackled then, just after I'd issued orders for Bravo to stay put while I waited to learn what we were to do next.
"All right, Cooper, this is it," Captain Hayden said over the radio. "Charlie's already in position on the far side, and we've picked up the help of a couple of leftover ODST platoons. How's your side look?"
"A little less fortified, but daunting as hell. We only ran into one platoon of troopers, Hayden."
"Damn. Ok, anything else I should know before I give you your orders?"
I raised my helmet's faceplate for a moment to pinch the bridge of my nose. "'Kuatee's dead."
"'Kuatee...'Kuatee as in the Elite?"
"Yeah."
"Jesus."
Tell me about it, was what I wanted to say, but I couldn't seem to get the words out. I remembered the ex-Covie's last few moments, what he'd said to me, and then having to use his body as a shield. I remembered listening as another sharp round cracked through his armor after he was already dead, and a lump formed in my throat.
"Hey, Natalie? You still there?"
I swallowed and said, "Yeah, Hayden. What're your orders?"
"Let's rip these bastards a new one, Cooper," the captain said with what I could hear was a smirk on the other end. "Hold for now and wait for my order to engage. We'll have to do this in steps if we want to be successful, and with all the Covie eyes on us, that might be difficult. But we can do this."
I sure hope you're right, Hayden, I thought to myself as I brought my visor back down over my face. I sure hope you're right.
Because I'd believed just as fiercely that nothing could touch Atalom 'Kuatee.
And now Atom was dead.
