Chapter 2
Reunion Tour
I don't remember hitting the ground. All I knew was Nick shaking me awake.
"Hey, Tactic, wake up!" He said. I looked around. I was on the ground next to a dead Marine. Our life pod sat smoking on the ground a few meters away where the thrusters had burnt. We were the only one's to have survived the drop. I looked up. Other life pods flew overhead. I looked back at Nick. His leg had healed, and he was holstering a Shotgun.
"Chaos?" I said blearily.
"Yeah, it's me man. Are you ok?"
"Yeah.I think so." I mumbled. I got up off the ground and was amazed to find my pistol still in my pocket. I took it out and reloaded it. I looked back at Nick and saw he was wearing a Marines uniform.
"Dude, why are you wearing that?" I asked him.
"It's got body armor built in." He said. "I saved some for you, too." He said, pointing to an extra suit. I pulled it on over my clothes, which were singed black from the landing.
"Ok, first things first.what happened?" I asked him.
"Don't know," He said, "The TV turned into some kind of portal and pulled me in."
" Same here." I replied. "But how did this happen?"
"Maybe it had something to do with the glasses. I threw mine aside when I got on the ship." Nick said.
"I did too. That means we're probably trapped here." Both of us went silent. We were trapped in the greatest game in existence. If we couldn't get out, perhaps we could play through. A wide grin stretched across our faces.
"Cool." I said.
We just stood there for a few minutes. Then we heard a low rumbling, and a Pelican soared over the cliff edge and landed next to us.
"This is Echo 4-19. You guys need a lift?" Foe Hammer said through our newly dawned Marine helmet speakers
"Yes, Ma'am." I said as we boarded the craft.
"I'm going to look for other survivors, you guys just hold tight." She said as we took flight. We rode in silence for a few minutes. Then I remembered something.
"Foe Hammer, the Covenant don't use encrypted channels to broadcast their transmissions, can you hack into it and see what's going on?"
"Roger that." She said. We waited a few minutes, then she spoke.
"Yeah, you were right. It seems they've located the Autumn's crash site. They have the captain hostage and are transporting him on one of their Cruisers, the Truth and Reconciliation." She was silent for a second "I can't get anything else for now."
"Thanks, Foe Hammer." Nick said. We rode in silence as we listened to Foe Hammer help other Pelicans locate other survivors. When it seemed that they had all been collected, our Pelican started to fly back to the base camp they had constructed a few miles from where we crashed. Halfway there I got an idea.
"Hey Foe Hammer, you got In Too Deep, by Sum 41?"
"Sure do. Why?"
"You mind playing that in the passenger area?"
"Sure thing." The song played throughout the trip back, lifting my spirits a little.
* * * * *
We got to the base camp an hour later. Our Pelican touched down, and we climbed out. Echo 4-19 lifted off and flew out of sight. The base camp was impressive for the little time they had to construct it. Then again, it was around 2552. They probably had portable bases or something. We walked around the camp until we found some empty seats, and sat down.
"I'm going to get some food," Nick said, eyeing a table across from us piled high with chicken.
"Sure, go ahead." I said sleepily. I decided to close my eyes for a few minutes. I wasn't even asleep when I heard someone calling my name.
"Tactic? Tactic!" I heard her say.
"Huh? What?" I opened my eyes. John Edward, Ashley, and Steven were staring at me. All 3 were other members on Nick's Halo team. Steven went as Black Sabbath, Ashley went as Andromeda, and John Edward went as Tiny. Needless to say, I was shocked.
"Guys! What are you doing here?" I replied.
"I don't know." Steven said. "We were at my house playing Halo with these 3D glasses that Gamestop gave out, and all of a sudden-
"You were sucked into the game." I interjected.
"Yeah, exactly." John said. "You too?"
"Nick and I." I said. "You seen him?"
"More to the point, he saw us," Andromeda said. "Well, this is great! Now we have our team, and we have a chance of getting out of here! You do have your pair of glasses.don't you?"
"No, they went down with the Autumn." I said glumly "Nick's too." We all stood shocked at this information, then Nick came by with a plate full of chicken.
"Hey Tactic, look who I found!" He said smiling, until he saw our faces. "You told them, right?"
I sighed. "Yeah. I did." Nick nodded and sat down. I pulled up extra chairs for the rest. Nick handed out chicken. I was knawing on a bone when a voice came out over the loudspeakers placed everywhere.
"Attention Marines. Attention. This is Major Easly. Foe Hammer of Pelican Echo 4-19 has given us crucial information as to the whereabouts of the Captain. He is being held on a Covenant cruiser, the Truth and Reconciliation, and the Master Chief is still alive. The cruiser is approximately 200 miles from our location. Saddle up. I want all Marines ready for the trip. The Pelicans will be arriving in 15 minutes. That is all."
We all looked at each other. If we could rescue the captain, we could be one step closer to getting out of the game. After all, everything else was following the storyline. Plus, we might get to drive a warthog! I voiced this to everyone, and we all jumped up to get uniforms and weapons, trying to ignore the strange looks from the other marines.
Reunion Tour
I don't remember hitting the ground. All I knew was Nick shaking me awake.
"Hey, Tactic, wake up!" He said. I looked around. I was on the ground next to a dead Marine. Our life pod sat smoking on the ground a few meters away where the thrusters had burnt. We were the only one's to have survived the drop. I looked up. Other life pods flew overhead. I looked back at Nick. His leg had healed, and he was holstering a Shotgun.
"Chaos?" I said blearily.
"Yeah, it's me man. Are you ok?"
"Yeah.I think so." I mumbled. I got up off the ground and was amazed to find my pistol still in my pocket. I took it out and reloaded it. I looked back at Nick and saw he was wearing a Marines uniform.
"Dude, why are you wearing that?" I asked him.
"It's got body armor built in." He said. "I saved some for you, too." He said, pointing to an extra suit. I pulled it on over my clothes, which were singed black from the landing.
"Ok, first things first.what happened?" I asked him.
"Don't know," He said, "The TV turned into some kind of portal and pulled me in."
" Same here." I replied. "But how did this happen?"
"Maybe it had something to do with the glasses. I threw mine aside when I got on the ship." Nick said.
"I did too. That means we're probably trapped here." Both of us went silent. We were trapped in the greatest game in existence. If we couldn't get out, perhaps we could play through. A wide grin stretched across our faces.
"Cool." I said.
We just stood there for a few minutes. Then we heard a low rumbling, and a Pelican soared over the cliff edge and landed next to us.
"This is Echo 4-19. You guys need a lift?" Foe Hammer said through our newly dawned Marine helmet speakers
"Yes, Ma'am." I said as we boarded the craft.
"I'm going to look for other survivors, you guys just hold tight." She said as we took flight. We rode in silence for a few minutes. Then I remembered something.
"Foe Hammer, the Covenant don't use encrypted channels to broadcast their transmissions, can you hack into it and see what's going on?"
"Roger that." She said. We waited a few minutes, then she spoke.
"Yeah, you were right. It seems they've located the Autumn's crash site. They have the captain hostage and are transporting him on one of their Cruisers, the Truth and Reconciliation." She was silent for a second "I can't get anything else for now."
"Thanks, Foe Hammer." Nick said. We rode in silence as we listened to Foe Hammer help other Pelicans locate other survivors. When it seemed that they had all been collected, our Pelican started to fly back to the base camp they had constructed a few miles from where we crashed. Halfway there I got an idea.
"Hey Foe Hammer, you got In Too Deep, by Sum 41?"
"Sure do. Why?"
"You mind playing that in the passenger area?"
"Sure thing." The song played throughout the trip back, lifting my spirits a little.
* * * * *
We got to the base camp an hour later. Our Pelican touched down, and we climbed out. Echo 4-19 lifted off and flew out of sight. The base camp was impressive for the little time they had to construct it. Then again, it was around 2552. They probably had portable bases or something. We walked around the camp until we found some empty seats, and sat down.
"I'm going to get some food," Nick said, eyeing a table across from us piled high with chicken.
"Sure, go ahead." I said sleepily. I decided to close my eyes for a few minutes. I wasn't even asleep when I heard someone calling my name.
"Tactic? Tactic!" I heard her say.
"Huh? What?" I opened my eyes. John Edward, Ashley, and Steven were staring at me. All 3 were other members on Nick's Halo team. Steven went as Black Sabbath, Ashley went as Andromeda, and John Edward went as Tiny. Needless to say, I was shocked.
"Guys! What are you doing here?" I replied.
"I don't know." Steven said. "We were at my house playing Halo with these 3D glasses that Gamestop gave out, and all of a sudden-
"You were sucked into the game." I interjected.
"Yeah, exactly." John said. "You too?"
"Nick and I." I said. "You seen him?"
"More to the point, he saw us," Andromeda said. "Well, this is great! Now we have our team, and we have a chance of getting out of here! You do have your pair of glasses.don't you?"
"No, they went down with the Autumn." I said glumly "Nick's too." We all stood shocked at this information, then Nick came by with a plate full of chicken.
"Hey Tactic, look who I found!" He said smiling, until he saw our faces. "You told them, right?"
I sighed. "Yeah. I did." Nick nodded and sat down. I pulled up extra chairs for the rest. Nick handed out chicken. I was knawing on a bone when a voice came out over the loudspeakers placed everywhere.
"Attention Marines. Attention. This is Major Easly. Foe Hammer of Pelican Echo 4-19 has given us crucial information as to the whereabouts of the Captain. He is being held on a Covenant cruiser, the Truth and Reconciliation, and the Master Chief is still alive. The cruiser is approximately 200 miles from our location. Saddle up. I want all Marines ready for the trip. The Pelicans will be arriving in 15 minutes. That is all."
We all looked at each other. If we could rescue the captain, we could be one step closer to getting out of the game. After all, everything else was following the storyline. Plus, we might get to drive a warthog! I voiced this to everyone, and we all jumped up to get uniforms and weapons, trying to ignore the strange looks from the other marines.