Chapter 23- Storming the Ship
The rush was something new to Veil, something she was glad she'd only have to experience once. She had no idea how Jack did this for a living.
Veil felt as her pod crashed through the hull of the ship, then struck solid ground. Her door flew open, letting Veil jump out. She looked forward to see the pelican sitting in the middle of the hangar, surrounded by a small crowd of men, all carrying DMR's.
They were staring at her, stunned, but were quick to point their weapons and open fire. Veil was able to point her carbine and kill one before she was forced to jump behind her pod and use it as cover.
As bullets struck and raced past her pod, she turned to the left to see two more pods crash into the hangar, stunning the men again. Veil used the moment to spin around her pod and fire at the men. She was able to shoot two more dead until they began firing at her again.
She pressed herself against her pod, then turned to the two new pods. She watched the closest one's door fly open, then watched Jack leap out, assault rifle ready. He immediately opened fire, gunning down two men before he was forced behind his pod as well.
As Harry's pod burst open, she watched him sprint forward, charging directly into an Insurrectionist. He grabbed a hold of the man, then threw him into another one, making them both tumble across the hangar. It didn't take long for the hostiles to focus fire on him, squeezing their triggers as quickly as possible, pounding the Spartan full of lead. He hid by the side of the pelican, using it as cover while his shield recharged
Veil used the Spartan to her advantage, placing her carbine on her back and pulling her energy sword out. She sprinted around the corner, and aimed herself for the closest Innie. He turned in time to see her, but couldn't get a shot off before her blade cut him in half by the waist, a cloud of red mist shooting out of the wound.
The Insurrectionists were starting to panic. Veil was able to close the distance between her and her second target in a single leap, pushing her blade through his chest. Her shield was getting struck, but the Insurrectionists were turning their guns back and forth between her and the Spartan, so it never broke.
As she closed in on her third target, who was backpedaling from her, firing off as many rounds as possible. Before she could reach him, bullets tore through his head, his limp corpse stumbling downward. There were now only five Insurrectionists left in the hangar, and they all were ready to run.
She watched as they all turned and ran, heading for the nearest exit. Veil was about to give chase, but then watched as Jack walked out from his cover and opened fire with his assault rifle. They all dropped dead before they could open fire, their bodies tumbling past Jack. He quickly turned his rifle to the exits, making sure no one entered.
Veil turned to the Spartan, who was walking into the pelican through it's open back door. Jack noticed, then jogged up to Veil and said, "Cover the entrances for a sec. Gotta help the Spartan rig the pelican."
Veil nodded, then placed the hilt on her thigh. She grabbed her carbine and aimed at the entryways she could see, ready to drop anyone who came through.
Jack jogged into the pelican to see the Spartan rip open the door to the cockpit. He watched the Spartan stare into it for a second, then he raised his battle rifle and fired into the seat. Jack entered the cabin behind him to see the corpse of a pilot in the seat. He then turned to the Spartan, who was staring at the controls and terminals.
Jack tilted his head and asked, "Did you even bring explosives? How are we gonna disable the pelican?"
The Spartan turned to him, then looked back at the controls and threw his fist into them. He kept crashing his fists into the controls until sparks and parts started flying. Massive dents and cracks were left in the control panel, then the Spartan lightly shook his fists.
Jack shrugged his shoulders as he started backing away and said, "Guess that's one way."
They were interrupted by the sound of Veil's carbine going off, and more gunfire filling the hangar.
Veil's shields broke as a group of six men entered the hangar, firing at her with assault rifles. Her shield broke, forcing her to throw herself behind the pelican for cover. She watched as Harry and Jack jumped out, Jack staying behind Harry, firing around his side. Three of the six men fell over, dead, from their gunfire. The last three jumped backwards, letting the door shut in front of them.
Veil stepped out from cover once her shields recharged, then watched Harry point to an entrance near the end of the hangar and said, "That's the way to the drop pods. Get moving."
Veil and Jack both nodded, then they followed the Spartan as they ran for the entrance. As they ran, over a dozen Insurrectionists entered the hangar. They quickly spotted the three running, then started firing at them with their assault rifles and DMR's. Veil naturaly jumped to Jack's left side as they ran, her shield blocking any bullets that would've struck him.
Harry slowed down, pointing his rifle at the group and opening fire as Veil and Jack continued to the door. The two raced through the doorway, their weapons raised. There were two men jogging down the hall, most likely heading for the hangar. They froze for a second as they saw Jack and Veil. Their mistake cost them their lives as Jack and Veil both shot them through their heads.
Veil turned to watch the Spartan slowly walk backwards into the hallway, then he grabbed the door and forcefully pulled it shut. He turned and said, "This ship has the same layout as ours. Head for the drop pods!"
Veil and Jack both raced forward, the Spartan following behind them, his eyes trained to the door behind them. As they moved forward, another pair of guards rounded a corner far ahead, but they were quick to open fire.
Veil stepped in front of Jack and fired back. They weren't able to fire too many rounds before she shot them both dead. She turned back to Jack, who let out a sigh of relief and said, "I almost fucking shot you, Veil. Good thing I got great trigger discipline."
Veil nodded, then continued forward. Soon they reached the correct entrance. Veil let Harry take the lead as the door opened up. The three entered the empty room, and luckily all the pods were still inside.
They started walking forwards, then Harry pointed towards a console against the middle of the wall and said, "That's the console we need to use to launch them. Cover…"
Before he could finish, the entrance on the other side of the room opened, revealing Noble Six and two Insurrectionists. The two groups stared at each other for a moment, then they opened fire on each other. Jack was able to shoot down one of the men before Veil pulled him to the side, moving him out of the way of Six's barrage of bullets.
Harry shot down the second Insurrectionist, then pointed to the console and said, "Jack, launch the pods! I'll get Six!"
Jack nodded, then watched as Harry burst around the corner. Jack jumped out after him, heading right for the console. Jack naturally dove forward into a roll, hearing a stream of bullets fly right over his body. Then, he heard the sound of a metallic crash. Jack jumped up and landed right in front of the console, turning to see the two Spartan's struggling against the wall.
Jack quickly activated the console, then activated all the pods and set them up for launch. He turned to watch all the pods start moving into launch position, then silently prayed there wasn't a city of innocents below them. Once they were all set, he slammed the button and heard them all launch out of the ship. Now Six was trapped.
Jack turned to see Six kick Harry off him and into a wall, then pointed his assault rifle at Jack. Before he could move, Veil slammed her body into Six, tackling him onto the ground.
Veil was quick to throw her head back, narrowly avoiding his fist. She grabbed Six by the throat, then lifted him up and slammed him against the wall. A gasp came from Six, but he was quick to slam his knee into her gut, causing her grip to loosen. He was able to grab her hands and rip them off his throat, then threw his head forward, slamming it into Veil's face.
She stumbled backwards, but before she could go for him again, Harry tried to grapple Six. Six ducked under Harry's arms and spun into the entrance he came from, then started running off.
Veil grabbed her carbine, then followed behind Harry as he grabbed his shotgun and ran after Six. As they entered the hallway, they were met by a group of Insurrectionists on the other end of the hall. They had thrown crates in the hall to use as cover, and opened fire on the two.
Harry and Veil jumped backwards as a flurry of bullets struck the wall in front of them. Veil reached down for her plasma grenade, when Jack exited the drop pod room. He had two grenades in his hands from the ammo racks in the room, then activated them. He lobbed them both around the corner, the sound of them striking the ground and bouncing towards the group making the men panic. There was a loud yell, then two explosions went off.
Jack then spun around the corner before her or the Spartan, opening fire. She turned the corner behind him to see him shoot down the last of the Insurrectionists who had survived the blast.
They all continued forward, trying to follow Six. Veil knew the Frigate wasn't the largest ship, so he had few places to go. Once they reached the end of the hall, they had to jump over the corpses to round the corner. As they did, Veil could see a new group of Insurrectionists at the end.
Veil could see Six behind them, then watched as one handed Six their assault rifle. Before they could fire at Veil, Harry threw one of the crates they passed over in front of her. The bullet's struck the crate, then she lowered herself to a crouch to hide behind it. The tight space was something she wasn't used to, and everything felt far more chaotic.
She lifted her carbine over the crate and started blind firing, hoping to catch someone with her shots. As she shot, she heard Jack say, "Six seems to be moving up towards the control center. I know a shortcut, we can pull back and head through the mess hall."
Harry nodded and said, "If we're fast enough, we can catch him in the mess hall."
Harry was quick to turn the corner, then he covered Veil as she dove away from the hall. Once she was safe from the gunfire, Jack turned around and said, "Follow me! Mess is close!"
Veil nodded, following closely behind him. She turned to see Harry run from the hallway, his shields flashing from the gunfire he took. She turned back to Jack, who kept jogging until he reached a door. He lifted his rifle up, then stepped towards the door.
It swung open, revealing a large room with flipped over metal tables and scattered seats. It seemed empty as the three carefully stepped in, then Jack pointed at the door on the left end of the room and said, "That door leads to a long hall heading directly for the control room. We need to…"
Before he could finish, another door slid open, and Six came rushing through. He stopped and turned to them, then lifted his assault rifle. From behind the table, Insurrectionists rose and opened fire.
Veil grabbed Jack by the collar and slid him towards one of the tables. As he slid, he aimed his rifle up at the two confused Insurrectionists and shot them both in the head, now using the table as his cover.
Veil and Harry both slowly scooted towards the same table, their shields taking a beating as they tried to shoot down as many hostiles as possible. Veil tucked her head down under the table as her shield broke, listening to the bullets violently ram into their cover.
Jack peeked around the corner and fired off a few shots, managing to blow another man's head open, only for bullets to force him back into cover. They were stuck, then Harry spoke up and said, "I'm about to do something dangerous. Veil, keep Jack behind you."
Veil nodded, then Jack spun around and asked, "Wait, please explain what…"
Harry ignored him as he stood up. He took a step back, then kicked the table they were using as cover forward. It flew across the hall, decapitating two Insurrectionists peeking from their cover. It flew right into Six, knocking him and the table into the wall.
Jack jumped behind Veil using her shielding as cover, then the three started firing at the stunned hostiles. Harry rushed forward, heading straight for Six, shooting down men as he passed them, but not all of them. Most of the hostels kept their fire aimed at Veil and Jack as the two rushed forward for new cover.
Veil knew her shield was about to break, and was about to grab Jack and dive for cover. Before she could move, a bullet flew right under her arm and cut through Jack's thigh, making him let out a yell and stumble to the ground.
Veil spun around and grabbed a hold of him, then her shield broke. She felt a bullet skim her neck, then one cut through her side. She dove backwards, pulling Jack with her as she barely made it behind another table. She aimed her carbine upwards as an Insurrectionist hopped over the table, ready to shoot them, then let out multiple shots into his stomach.
The corpse dove head first past the two, rolling limply across the floor. Veil turned to Jack, then saw him trying to get on a knee and fire around cover. She put her hand to her side, feeling blood running out of her wound. Right now, it felt less like a gunshot wound and more like a cut, but that was her adrenaline. They were injured.
Veil waited until her shield was recharged, then rose to a knee and started firing more shots. She was able to shoot down three men, then took the time to try and find the demons. She turned to the back wall to see the two struggling over Six's assault rifle, throwing punches over it while trying to rip it from each other's grasp.
She watched as Harry let out almost a growl, then he raised his elbow and shot it downward, breaking the gun in two. Harry pulled the disc off his waist, then dove for Six. Six was quick to realize what he was up to. He grabbed Harry's arm and pushed it away, then sent a fist right into Harry's face, sending him stumbling backwards.
Veil turned to hear a loud grunt, then turned her head to see an Insurrectionist rushing her and Jack with a shotgun. Veil swung her carbine around and pulled the trigger, only for nothing to happen. She grunted, then threw her carbine at the Insurrectionist. He dove out of it's way, then rolled past the cover and raised the barrel of his shotgun at her. He let out a shot, which immediately broke her shield. Veil was about to dive forward and tackle the guy, only for her to feel Jack grab her for support and throw him into the man's shotgun.
He grabbed the barrel and pointed it downward, making the man's shot go right into the ground. Jack then yanked the barrel, pulling the man's stomach right into Jack's knee. The man let out a loud cough, then Jack pulled out his knife and drove it into the man's neck. The man coughed out blood, then Jack pulled out his knife and kicked the man backwards, leaving him to squirm and bleed out on the ground.
Jack spun around to see the room was now clear, then turned to face the two Spartans. They were both deep in a fight, Six pinning Harry against the wall, throwing his fist into the Spartan's helmet before Harry ripped himself free and tackled Six.
Jack pointed at them as he stumbled back to the table and said, "If you can, help Harry! I need to stop my bleeding."
Veil nodded, then she leaped over the table to help the two. She watched as Six was able to kick Harry off him, then he rolled backwards back onto his feet. Veil was able to run up behind him, then grabbed both of his shins. She yanked his legs back, causing him to fall flat on his face.
Six was quick to roll his body around, then freed one of his legs and kicked Veil across the face while on the floor, knocking the helmet off her head. Harry tried to slam the device into Six's chest, but Six rolled away from Harry, then jumped up. Harry lunged forward with the device, only for Six to move his body behind the arm and catch it. Six was about to shoot his right fist into Harry's face, but Veil caught his arm before he hit Harry.
Harry shot his foot out, kicking Six in the shin, forcing him to a knee. The second his knee struck the ground, Veil raised her leg and kicked him fall in the chest, sending him into the wall, leaving a large dent.
Harry rushed into Six, placing his forearm across his neck and trying to get the device onto his chest. Six grabbed onto Harry's arm and kept him from putting the device on his chest, the two stuck in a stalemate.
Veil didn't have any room to help, and could only stand close and watch.
As the Spartan's struggled, Jack pulled his backpack off and grabbed a few things. He was quick to place the nozzle of a small biofoam canister into his wound. He grunted as the substance filled the wound, then he tossed the canister away and wrapped the wound in gauze.
He heaved himself up, feeling the pain slowly dying away, then turned to the Spartans. Harry moved his arm from Six's throat and tried to pull his arms away, only for Six to headbutt Harry. Harry grunted, stunned only for a moment. That moment was enough time for Six to maneuver the device past his body, throwing his knee into Harry's gut. Six, still gripping Harry's arm, kicked his legs out and flipped him onto the ground.
Six jumped back, only for Veil to throw her fist into the back of his head. Six stumbled forward, then spun around as Veil moved in to punch him again. Six easily dodged under her punch, throwing his fist into Veil's stomach, then pushing her into the ground. The pressure from the punch caused more blood to shoot out of her wound, painting some of Six's chest armor in her blood.
Six went to punch her in the face, but Veil was able to dodge his strike, making him punch the ground. Veil was able to use his miss and placed her powerful legs against his chest and kicked as hard as she could. The Spartan flew up and slammed into the roof.
Veil jumped up from the ground as Six dislodged from the ceiling and fell downward. She grabbed him as he fell and threw him into the ground, making him skid across the floor into the wall. Six grunted as he slowly stood up, only for Harry to throw his fist right into Six's face, making his body slam into the wall.
The Spartan thrust the device forward, but Six barely dodged it as he dove forward, landing near the exit. Six was about to run for the door, but Harry grabbed him by the back armor and tried to attach the device to him again.
Six threw his torso downward, making Harry thrust forward right over Six's body. Six kicked his leg back, hitting on of Harry's legs, forcing him into a kneeling position. Six ripped Harry's arm from his back as he spun around, then grabbed the device in Harry's hand.
Gripping the device, he placed his leg against Harry's chest and pulled with all of his might. After a second of struggling, Six was able to rip the device out of Harry's hand. Veil tried to grapple with Six, but Six spun around her charge, then kicked her in the back, sending her into the wall. Harry tried to punch Six, but Six simply dodged to the side and stuck the device onto Harry's chestplate.
A shield surrounded Harry as he froze in place, stuck in armor lock. Veil turned from the wall and lunged at Six, who simply jumped backward to the exit, dodging her. He didn't waste another second as he spun around and ran.
Veil was about to give chase, then felt Jack grab something from her waist. She turned to ask him, but he simply ran past her and yelled, "Just get that thing off the Spartan! I'll make sure he doesn't get far!"
Veil watched as he disappeared out the exit and yelled, "I told you we'd stick together! That's a demon you're chasing!"
He couldn't hear her as he ran out of the mess hall and turned right. He watched Six running towards a doorway that he knew led to a long hallway. As the door flew open, he watched the Spartan throw his fist into the control panel, making it spark and malfunction.
Jack knew what would happen, then picked up his pace and dove through the doorway. He could hear a yell behind him, but the door slammed shut, locked, before he could process the yell. He looked up to see Six running down the long hall, an open door at the very end. Jack, acting off his gut, grabbed his pistol and pointed it forward.
He fired off three rounds. They all raced past Six, each one punching into the control panel of the far door, causing it to start sparking as well. Before Six could reach the door it malfunctioned and flew shut. Six slammed into it, only leaving a small dent. Six grunted, then tried to pry it open, only for a bullet to strike him in the back of the helmet. His shield took the damage, then he turned around to face his assailant.
Jack stopped where he stood aiming his pistol at Six. Slowly, his adrenaline began going away, and he was better able to process his situation. He was so pumped with adrenaline he had forgotten what exactly he was chasing, and now he was locked in a hallway with a Spartan. An angry Spartan.
Six and Jack both stared at each other for a good second, then Jack said, "Stand down, Noble Six. This is your last chance to give up peacefully."
Noble Six barely reacted to his words, then he shot forward towards Jack. Jack started backpeddling and shooting at the Spartan. He was only able to let off four shots before Six was on him.
Six grabbed the pistol and punched Jack in the stomach. All his breath got knocked out in one strike, but he didn't let it get to him. Jack used his free hand, grabbed his knife, and thrust it into Six's previous knife wound. This time, he was able to cut past the suit and all the way into Six.
Six let out an audible grunt, then grabbed Jack's hand. With a grip on both of Jack's hand's the Spartan swung Jack right into the wall. Jack fell to the ground, still gripping both his weapons.
Jack couldn't stop moving. If he did, Six would either kill him or knock him out.
Jack rolled himself away, hearing the Spartan slam his foot where Jack was lying. Jack jumped onto his feet and hopped backwards, watching the Spartan throw himself at Jack.
Six threw his fist at Jack's face, though Jack barely dodged under it as the fist slammed into a wall, stuck As he dodged under, he pointed his pistol at Six's chest and fired off a few more rounds, damaging his shield.
Six then backhanded Jack with his free hand, sending him spinning out backwards. Six freed his hand, then turned to watch Jack reload his pistol. Jack started shooting again as the Spartan started running at him.
Six's shield broke, but before Jack could shoot another bullet, Six slammed his fist into Jack's side, sending him flying into the wall. Jack's helmet flew off his head as he flew into the wall, then he fell to the ground. He coughed out some blood, which made it quite clear that he probably broke a rib. Though, a broken rib was probably the least of his problems at the moment.
Jack was stunned from the strike, basically sitting against the wall. He saw his pistol sitting a foot away from his hand, but before he could reach for it, Six picked up the pistol. Six then grabbed Jack by the throat and raised him up against the wall.
Six stood close to Jack, his helmet close to Jack's face, the pressed the gun against Jack's head.
Jack let out a cough, then said, "Hey, wait big guy. I know you're gonna kill me, but at least tell me this, veteran to veteran, why?"
Six stared silently at Jack, the gun still pressed against Jack's head. But he wasn't dead yet, so Six must be thinking.
After a few seconds, Jack felt Six's grip slightly loosen, then Six said, "I'll tell you why. Because of those Elites, like the one you're working with."
Jack was about to question him further, then Six's grip tightened and he said, "I gave my life for humanity, so that they could survive and defeat these alien adversaries. I survived Reach, no one even coming to see if I survived. And when I make my way back to the UNSC, do you know what I'm told?"
The two stayed silent for a second, then Six pressed the gun harder against Jack and said, "That the UNSC allied themselves with the Elites. The same Elites that glassed billions of innocents! The same Elites that burned my home! The same Elites that killed… my team."
His grip seemed to loosen as he said that last part, his head lowering, Six obviously thinking about his past.
Six then shook his head, his grip tightening, then Six said, "They need to know who the enemy is. And if they can't figure it out, I don't want to work for them."
As Six spoke, he failed to notice Jack's hand slowly rising from his waist.
Jack felt the gun press his head again, then squeezed his eyes shut as he prayed he'd work it right. Before Six could fire, the sharp sound of plasma filled their ears. Six spun his head around, looking for what made the sound.
When he couldn't see anything, he instantly knew what happened. He let go of Jack, who quickly dropped to the floor and covered his head. Six ripped his helmet off his head and threw it down the hall. The helmet blew up the second it left Six's hand, sending him flying over Jack, landing near the locked door.
Jack raised his head to look, then turned to the Spartan. Six was on his back, gritting on his teeth. The front of his armor seemed charred black, and half his face had been burned by the plasma explosion.
Jack turned to see his pistol sitting a few feet from him, then dove forward and grabbed it. Jack jumped up and pointed his pistol at the Spartan. Six was slowly trying to get up, obviously injured from the explosion.
Jack kept his distance, then heard a banging on the door near Six. It must be Veil and the Spartan, as he heard the sound of the door trying to be pulled open.
Jack looked back at Six to see him lunge at Jack. Jack let a shot off, which grazed Six's charred armor. Six gripped the pistol, and the two struggled for the gun. Even injured, the Spartan was still far stronger than Jack.
Six pulled Jack close, then threw his fist into Jack's stomach. The punch was far weaker than before, but Jack wasn't going to last long.
Jack pulled himself backwards, trying to get as much distance from the Spartan. Six was gripping onto the pistol with one hand, then Jack got a perfect angle. He pulled the trigger, sending a round right through Six's unarmored side.
Six let go, putting his hand on the wound. He looked down at it, then looked back up to watch Jack pistol whip him across the face. Six stumbled towards the wall, then watched Jack walk toward him.
Six threw himself under Jack's arms and pistol, grabbing him by the waist. He lifted Jack up, then slammed him into the ground, knocking the air out of Jack. The Spartan grabbed the pistol and ripped it from Jack's grip.
The Spartan stood up as Jack tried to recover, then Six slammed his foot onto Jack's chest. Six cocked the gun, making sure there was a round in the chamber, then they both heard the sound of loud metal creaking. They both turned their heads to see Harry and Veil ripping the locked door open.
Six quickly pointed the gun down at Jack's head, but Jack slapped the pistol to the side, making him shoot right next to Jack's head. Before he could shoot again, Harry flew into Six, the two tumbling off Jack. Jack let out a deep breath as he watched Harry slam Six into the wall, then he slammed the device into Six's chest.
A shield enveloped Six as he froze in armor lock, then Harry let out a short laugh and said, "Who's the shit Spartan now?"
Jack let out a loud sigh as he watched Six go into armor lock, then he rose into a sitting position. He turned to look at Veil, then watched as she wrapped her arms around and squeezed him in a tight hug. Jack winced as he felt the pain in his ribs, but he didn't want to ruin the hug.
He then felt something wet drop onto his head, followed by another drop. Jack lifted his head to see a tear rolling off Veil's cheek.
She moved him in front of her, then she said, "You are insane! I said we needed to stick together, you could've died!"
Jack held both sides of her face and said, "I'm sorry Veil. I should've listened, but I was too caught up in the moment. I…"
Before he could finish talking, Veil pressed her shut mandibles against his lips, catching him off guard. It took him a second to process what they were doing, then his face turned a bright red. Despite this, he didn't want to pull away, so he returned the kiss, pressing his lips against her mandibles.
After a few seconds, they both pulled apart, eyes locked to each other. Neither of them said a word as they simply shared the moment. After a few seconds, metal tamping pulled their attention from each other and they both turned to see Harry, lightly tapping his foot and staring at the frozen Noble Six.
Jack chuckled and said, "So much for figuring this out away from the demon."
Veil nodded and said, "As I suspected, he is quite uncomfortable."
Harry sighed, then grabbed the frozen Spartan by the arm and said, "Guy's, I get it, but we are still in a hostile filled ship. Wrap it up and help me get to the control room. We need to open up the hangar for evac."
The two nodded, then Veil ran forward and helped lift Six up with Harry. Jack walked across the ground, then grabbed his helmet. He put it back over his head, watching the HUD start up again, then grabbed his pistol from the ground.
He walked over to the other end of the hall, then said, "I kinda locked this door up too."
He heard a grumble come from Harry, then he turned to Veil and said, "Help me. These doors are way fucking tougher than I expected."
Veil nodded, then they both carefully leaned the armorlocked Six against the wall like a statue. They walked past Jack to the door, then grabbed opposite ends and started pulling. The metal creaked, and he watched the doors slightly budge, but it was obviously a slow process.
After about a minute of pulling, he heard something metallic snap, then the door opened up. On the other side were two Insurrectionists, who were both messing with the control panel on the other side.
They both let out a yelp, but before they could shoot, Jack sent a bullet through both of their heads. Veil and Harry both grabbed Six by the arms, then lifted him up and carried him behind Jack, who led the way with his pistol.
Soon, they reached an elevator that led directly to the control room. As they entered the elevator, Jack hovered his finger over the button and asked, "Ok, the second we reach the bridge, there will be a firing squad waiting for us. Plan?"
Harry looked at him, planted the armorlocked Noble Six in front of the elevator door, then grabbed his battle rifle and rested the edge of the barrel over Six's shoulder.
Jack stared at Harry, then shrugged his shoulders and pressed the button. The elevator door shut, then it slowly started going up. Veil pulled out her energy sword and activated it, while Jack aimed his pistol forward, hiding behind Six.
It didn't take long for the elevator to stop, then the door opened. About five men stood on the other side with shotguns and assault rifles. They immediately opened fire, their bullets striking Six's shields, doing nothing. Jack and Harry both were able to shoot all five dead, then they moved in, weapons raised.
Veil dragged Six out of the elevator, then checked the room, energy sword ready. All the people controlling the ship stared at them, then they rose with pistols.
Veil lunged over a console, sending her sword through the closest crewman's throat. She pushed the body off as bullets struck her shield, then she ducked and simply watched as Jack and Harry shot down the rest of the crewmen with ease.
With the bridge now empty, Harry put his battle rifle on his back and rushed to a console. He began tapping away, then turned to Jack and said, "I'm putting this thing on an auto pilot course back into orbit. You know how to open the hangar doors?"
Jack put this pistol on his hip, then pointed at the nearby control console and asked, "I clickity clack on this console, right?"
He didn't wait for a response as he turned and started tapping on the console. After a few seconds, Jack turned to Harry with a thumbs up, then Harry walked to the elevator and said, "Ok, I'm calling in our pelican."
He pulled Six into the elevator with them as they started back down, then Jack looked at Harry and asked, "What if there are more up there, and they just turn off the autopilot?"
Harry shook his head and said, "Trust me, they couldn't turn the autopilot off if they tried. Either way, we have our target. What happens to this ship afterwards is not our problem."
Jack nodded, trusting the Spartan. The elevator stopped, then they exited it, Veil and Harry carrying Six. No one was there to meet them, making Jack think they either cleared most of the hostiles, or the Innies didn't know where they were.
They carefully walked down the halls, Jack checking each corner before motioning Veil and Harry forward. As they walked down one hall, a door next t Jack opened out of nowhere. Jack turned, but before he could do anything, arms wrapped around his throat and pulled him in. Jack was thrown to the ground, then he watched as a crewman quickly locked the door. The crewman turned back to Jack and tried to climb on top of him, about to throw his fist. Jack didn't let him, shooting the man in the neck and kicking his body away from him. Jack slowly stood up, only to feel another pair of arms wrap around his throat. Jack grunted and threw his elbow back, striking the man in the ribs multiple times. After about the fourth strike, the man let go, allowing Jack to spin around and aim his gun.
Before he shot, a fist punched him directly in the gun, knocking it from his hands. Jack spun to see a large crewman wrap his hands around Jack's neck and slam him against a crate. The man was trying to choke Jack out, but Jack was able to slam his knee right into the man's crotch, making him let go and grab at his crotch in pain. Jack jumped behind the man, then grabbed his head and yanked it backwards, making the man bend backwards. Jack used all his force, then was finally able to snap the man's neck, letting out a large snap.
Jack let go of the body, letting it drop to the floor, then heard shuffling near him. He turned to see the third crewman going for his pistol. The man grabbed it, only for Jack's boot to step on his hand. The man winced, then looked up at Jack. Jack lifted his foot and kicked the gun away from the guy. Jack watched the man slowly rise, and was thinking about letting the man live, when he lunged for Jack. Jack dodged his lunge, sending his elbow into the back of the man's head as he passed, knocking him directly into the door.
Jack turned to face the man, then watched an energy sword pierce the door,cutting through the man's chest. The man let out a long breath, then fell forward, dead. The sword quickly cut through the door, making it fall into two pieces. Veil entered, only to see Jack standing over the three corpses.
Veil let out a sigh of relief and said, "Thank goodness you're ok. We we're caught off guard by your sudden kidnapping."
Jack chuckled as he picked up his pistol and said, "Yeah, thought I was getting taken to the shadow realm for a second."
As he walked out, he turned back to look at the room, then back at the bodies. They had no weapons, so they were msot likely just hiding from the fighting. And the room lacked weapons too. It only had supplies and devices, like some holograms, crates of food, a jetpack, and other random objects.
After seeing nothing of interest, Jack left the room, and they continued thier trek to the hangar. With no further interruptions, it didn't take long for them to reach the hangar. One of the hangar doors was open, revealing the storm from earlier had mostly passed.
They all walked near the disabled pelican and started waiting. They all kept turning to check their backs, making sure no one would come from behind, but they were clear for the most part. As they waited, excitement started building up in Jack. They actually got Six. He was their's now he just had to hand him over to ONI, then he and Veil can go to Earth and leave their military lives behind. They can live peacefully, enjoying each other for the long life they had ahead of them.
Though it would be nothing like the military, he highly doubted their life on Earth would be without excitement.
After a few minutes, Jack could hear the sound of a Pelican approaching, then watched the Pelican appear outside the hangar door. As the Pelican slowly entered, the pilot spoke over the coms and said, "Well fuck me sideways and call me Sally, you got the guy! Wow, working with the ODST and split-lip really did the trick, huh Spartan?"
Jack could hear Harry let out a sigh and shake his head, but the sigh was one of relief. In the end, Jack was glad he was able to help the Spartan bring Six in. It was obviously eating at the guy, and now he completed his mission.
As the Pelican landed and opened it's back door, Six began lightly chuckling. All three turned to Six, then Harry grabbed him by the arm and asked, "What's so funny? You lose?"
Six's chuckling slowly stopped, then he said, "Trust me, I have backup plans. I'm not going back to ONI, and if I am, it will be as a corpse, along with the rest of you."
Harry let out an angry grunt, then he grabbed Six with both arms an angrily threw him into the pelican, his armorlocked body banging around the back. The pilot angrily shouted, "Don't break her, big guy!"
Harry pointed at Six and yelled, "Not funny now, huh?"
Harry then walked towards the pelican, but before he could enter, the ground below them exploded. All three of them flew backwards, slamming into the wall at the back of the hangar. Jack looked up to see the hangar explode again, this time almost completely blowing off one of the Pelican's wings.
The Pilot grunted over the coms as he slowly rose the Pelican and said, "If I don't get going, I'm not gonna make it back to the Frigate at all!"
Jack rose to see a massive hole in front of them, completely seperating them from the Pelican, which now had a large amount of fire and smoke pouring from one of the engines.
Harry stood up and yelled, "It's fine! Get the target back safely! I'll get us outta here just fine!"
Jack watched the Pelican hover almost hesitantly, then the back door shut and it flew out of the flaming hangar. Suddenly, the ship shook violently as more explosions went off in the ship, making the three stumble around.
Harry walked forward towards the gaping hole, then looked down. The hole was large enough that it cut all the way through, revealing the sky below them. And the surface. He grutned and said, "The ship was booby trapped. From what I'm seeing, the ship's going down. Engines have been blown."
Harry carefully took a few steps back, then Jack asked, "So what is the plan to get out of here? Without drop pods or a pelican…"
Harry was silent for a few seconds, then he sighed and said, "I… I don't know. I don't see any options other than pray."
Jack almost laughed at the comment. He had already prayed to God twenty times while he watched the pelican leave.
Veil turned to Jack and said, "Our mission may be complete, but it appears our time together is about to come to an end. Jack, I want you to…"
Before she could finish, Jack almost let out a scream. He knows how to get Veil out of here. The entire reason they were on this mission was her, he had to get her off at the very least.
Jack turned to Veil and said, "Don't worry. I have a plan to get you out of here."
Veil tilted her head and asked, "What is it? And please be quick."
Jack nodded, then grabbed her arm and led her towards Harry. She was confused, then he placed her arm around Harry and said, "The plan is, you squeeze this Spartan in the tightest hug you can fucking muster. Don't let go, don't look back."
Veil tilted her head and asked, "How will this get us off the ship?
Harry let out a small gasp, followed by an almost depressed sigh, then he said, "I think I know."
Jack then grabbed Harry's arm and said, "I heard stories of Chief doing this, and that was from orbit. We're still in atmosphere, so you can definitely do it with a passenger."
Veil grabbed Jack and asked, "What's the plan? What is about to happen?"
Jack stared at Veil, then he took off his helmet and said, "Veil, Spartans can survive falls from orbit. If he carries you, and you use him as your cushion, you'll make it out alive. Hurt, but alive."
Veil stared at him, then could see tears slowly forming in his eyes. Veil shook her head and said, "You can come. If…"
Jack shook his head as he pushed her into Harry and said, " No, there's only room for one passenger. You have to get out of here!"
She watched as Harry stepped in front of her, then he tightly wrapped his arms around her. She shook her head again, then turned to Jack and said, "We have to stay together! You keep leaving me! I can't go without you!"
Jack stared at her, then he nodded and said, "Yes you can. Do this for me, Veil. Hold onto him."
He then grabbed the Spartan's arm and said, "Don't fucking let her go, got me Spartan?"
Harry turned to him, then nodded and said, "I won't, Jack. I promise."
Jack stared at him, nodded and said, "Alright. I trust you. Now get going!"
Suddenly, the ship slowly started lurching as it's nose started dipping. Jack wobbled, then watched Harry and Veil slowly make their way to the edge. As they reached the edge, Jack and Veil's eyes met. Jack got to look at her beautiful purple eyes, then watched as they disappeared over the edge.
Jack stood there, satisfied that Veil would be safe, then felt the ship violently rumbled again. Jack could feel the ship slowly tilting, then put the helmet over his head. He turned and ran towards the nearest door. If he had even a chance of surviving the crash, he had to find somewhere safe, though he already accepted his fate. This ship was going to implode from the impact, and there were few safe places.
As he jogged, an idea struck him like a speeding truck. He froze in place, then felt himself slowly falling. The ship was almost in a full nose dive, and Jack had to slide on his ass down the hall to keep from going into a full tumble.
Soon, he reached the cut up doorway to the small supply room, when the ship went into a full nose dive. Jack was about to fall down the hall, but he quickly grabbed the edge of the doorway and held on for dear life. He heard clattering from inside, then heaved himself over the doorway.
Inside, all the supplies and devices were piled against the wall. He could see the tip of exactly what he needed, stuck under a crate. Jack dove into the room and slammed into the crate. He used all his strength to pull the crate off to the side, then looked down at his only chance of survival.
He ripped the backpack off his back and grabbed the jetpack, then strapped it on. It only had limited fuel, and he wasn't exactly very well trained with it, but he had to make due.
He jumped back to the doorway, and as he heaved himself to the hall, he could see flames slowly spreading through the ship. Jack had to use the jetpack to make his way up the hall, using as little fuel as possible and simply crawling up the wall.
He reached the hangar, which was now fully engulfed in flames. The disabled pelican was missing, most likely falling down the massive hole in the ground.
Jack held onto the doorway leading into the hangar, knowing that this was his one chance. He let out a deep breath, then let out a burst from the jetpack. He flew into the hangar, then fell right through the hole in the ground.
His body flailed in the wind as he fell. Jack positioned himself to move as far away from the ship as possible. Once he thought he was far enough, he turned to look at it. Almost every inch of the ship seemed to have flames pouring out of it. It would be a glorious sight to stare at if he weren't racing towards the ground.
"The ground!" screamed Jack in his mind. He ripped his eyes from the sight of the flaming ship to look down. He passed through a cloud, then saw the ground below them. There was a city very close, but luckily it looked like the ship was going to crash in a large clearing near the city.
Jack was used to falling towards the ground at terminal velocity, but right now was very different than usual. Now that he was outside the pod, he could see the terrifying fall in all it's glory.
The ground was getting closer a lot faster than Jack thought, and he had to start preparing. He moved his body into position to use the jetpack. As Jack raced towards the ground, Jack silently prayed to God he at least died quickly.
As he prepared, he watched the ship finally slam into the ground, immediately exploding apon impact. The rest of the ship broke apart due to the impact, breaking apart as more flames roared out of it's metal corpse.
Jack looked back down, then activated his jetpack. It roared to life, and he used everything it had all at once to slow his fall. He watched as his descent slowed to almost a full stop and the ground got closer, then the jetpack ran out of fuel. Jack grit his teeth as he put his legs into position to land and immediately put him into a force cushioning roll, then he prepared for either immediate darkness or complete agony.
Hello and hi! It is I, writer guy. I'm going to be honest, I got this chapter done pretty early, just had a lot of time and inspiration to get it done early, but I might just wait to post it later. Meh, we'll see.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, probably the most action in one chapter I've written, like I wanted. Hopefully the action was found enjoyable. Weird thing, this was originally going to be cut in half, it was supposed to stop with Jack getting stuck in the hallway with Noble Six, but both of the chapters would've been short if I did that, so I just kept them as one chapter, making the longest chapter in my story, actually!
And news on the lemon. Actually, I'm not gonna say anything about it at all. If it shows up, it does, if it doesn't, call me a pussy all you like, I will happily agree. All I know is that if it were to happen, it would not be as intense as some things I've read.
Anyway, hope you find this enjoyable, and I hope you have a good day or night!