CHAPTER 2
1228 Hours, August 13, 2553 (Military Calendar)/ Surface of planet Raiek
He figured it was all over. Everyone ran as fast as they could, but Jason was much faster. Being so quick, Jason got there way ahead of anyone. Since he held the world's jumping record, Jason took a flying leap. He caught Brent in his arms just before Brent hit the ground. They both rolled in the air and slammed into the ground. Everyone else huddled around them.
In Jason's effort to save Brent, he had accidently rolled under Brent, who landed on top of him. His systems were crushed and damaged, and his pistol looked about ready to snap in half. But when Jason stood up, everyone was so happy for him that he forgot about the pain in his leg where Brent had landed, and his possibly broken ribs.
After Jason had been congratuled repeatedly, they both managed to stand all the way up. Bryce was slowly lowering himself by a rope.
"Great work, Jason," Alex said, slapping the young soldier on his back.
While everyone was celebrating, James was peering at the base. Always the silent one, he never partied with the rest of them. He was all business. Looking at the far edge of the base, he noticed seven large figures rushing straight towards them, at full speed.
"Oh, no..." James began, turning to face his fellow soldiers.
"What is it?" Brent asked.
"Commander Elites!" James cried.
The Commander Elite was the highest ranking Elite the Covenant had. They wore golden armor and carried long Plasma Swords that could take any Spartan out in one hit.
In what seemed like no time, the Commander Elites were on them. The Spartans fled. Alex shot a grappling hook straight up a cliff. Fastening the hook, he began to climb. Suddenly, the first Commander took a flying leap at him. Alex spun quickly and smacked the Elite right in the face with the butt of his assault rifle, just as it was about to land next to him. Stunned, the Elite fell to the ground, breaking his Plasma Sword. It was now defensless.
Brent had little trouble with the Elites. He whipped out his Jackhammer and began to fire. He obliterated three of them in a cloud of fire within seven seconds of the battle. The trick with a Jackahmmer was to aim at the ground below your target so the blast would take them out. Usually, if a soldier aimed at the target itself from far away, they'd miss. Also, if the ground wasn't possible, walls behind the target were effective areas to fire upon and hope the ensuing explosion would engulf the target.
James quickly scaled a ladder that was sitting on a cliff side as a Commander Elite came for him. It was out over the void, easily accessible by Elites. Struggling, he tried to pull himself up. Suddenly, the Elite took a flying leap and landed on the ladder below him. Pulling out his Plasma Rifle, he took aim, right at James's head.
Then, an incoming bullet took the Elite out in one shot, going right through its shield. Instantly dead, he fell from the ladder, into the water below. Looking up, James spotted Alex on a cliff across from him, just lowering his smoking sniper's rifle.
Back on the floor of the cliff, Jarrett and Jason were trying to outsmart an Elite. They were backed up on a ledge overlooking the water. The Elite took a running charge at the pair. Jason leaped high into the air and landed a powerful kick which sent the Elite flying forwards. Unfortunately, Jarrett happened to be in the way! He was taken with the Elite. Together, the pair traveled over the edge!
Bryce blasted the final Elite from a ledge and ran to aid Jarrett. He and Jason looked over the edge, as James, Alex, and Brent came up behind them.
"Heeeeeelp!" Jarrett cried. He was holding onto a tiny rock that stuck out from the cliff face.
"We'll be right down!" James yelled back.
Alex and Jason quickly planted an anchor in the stone face, while James threaded a rope through it. Brent took a hold of the rope and Bryce tied himself to it. "I'll be back." Bryce said. He slowly let himself over the edge, using his feet to support himself on the cliff wall.
Jarrett held on with one hand to the rock that jutted from the cliff face. His feet dangled beneath him, swaying back and forth. Looking down, he saw the Elite far below, impaled on the rocks.
Bryce reached for Jarrett, but he slipped from the rock. Jarrett closed his eyes and waited for it to be over, but realized he had stopped moving. When he opened them, he was surprised to find that Bryce had quickly slipped out of the harness and was hanging from it with one hand, and using the other to hold Jarrett.
Suddenly, there were sounds of gunshots! Alex and James looked up, to see that Sniper Elites were firing at them from above!
Reacting quickly, Brent tried to haul both of the guys up, but they were too heavy. Suddenly, they began to slip from his grasp.
"A little help down here, guys!" Bryce yelled up.
Brent felt the rope slide from his hands. He expected to hear screams of his falling comrades. But when he looked again, he saw that Alex had grabbed the rope and was holding it with one hand. Then, Alex pulled both Bryce and Jarrett back up with one quick yank of the rope.
"Great job, Alex," James said, slapping him on the back. "Now, we've got to get out of here!"
Everyone ran for cover behind some boulders that were covered with ice, as bullets continued to rain down from the fire of Sniper Elites. Jason bit his lip under his mask, as he knew it was only a matter of time before one of them was struck by a bullet.
Alex quickly pulled out his sniper's rifle and began to fire at the Elites. He hit each Elite, one by one. After about a minute, he had wasted nine of them.
"This boulder won't protect us for long!" Brent said. "We'll have to find—"
He was cut off. A Banshee was flying overhead. Next to that was a dropship. Everyone in the group knew what was happening next. The Banshee dropped a large bomb, that had sent everyone in the team flying in different directions. Brent's Jackhammer was freed from his pack. It skittered on the ground and rolled to the canyon edge. However, Jason's quick reflexes allowed him to catch it before it fell off.
Jarrett looked up at the passing Banshee. He had stolen a Plasma Grenade from one of the Commander Elites. These Grenades stuck to whatever they hit. He aimed upwards and hurled it at the Banshee, which was about twenty feet straight up.
James and Bryce watched as the Grenade whistled through the air and attached itself right onto the belly of the passing Banshee.
"Nice throw!" James yelled as they all ran for cover. Reason being that once a Plasma Grenade sticks to something, it has a three second fuse...
After the explosion, Alex found the control panel for the energy bridge that would lead them across. Jason tossed the Jackhammer to James, who snatched it in mid-air. As the bridge snapped on, everyone headed across. All except Brent. When he began to run, his foot became lodged in the side of the bridge after it activated. Now, everyone else was right inside.
Somehow, Brent freed himself. He came running across the bridge. Everyone yelled at him to hurry up. Suddenly, as he neared the door, it began to close. The Covenant had activated the blast doors to close, keeping more soldiers from getting in and from getting back out. Brent kicked it into full gear and ran as fast as he could possibly go. He heard a whistling sound behind him. The Banshee was crashing, and it's trajectory would send it right into Brent if he didn't make it in.
1228 Hours, August 13, 2553 (Military Calendar)/ Surface of planet Raiek
He figured it was all over. Everyone ran as fast as they could, but Jason was much faster. Being so quick, Jason got there way ahead of anyone. Since he held the world's jumping record, Jason took a flying leap. He caught Brent in his arms just before Brent hit the ground. They both rolled in the air and slammed into the ground. Everyone else huddled around them.
In Jason's effort to save Brent, he had accidently rolled under Brent, who landed on top of him. His systems were crushed and damaged, and his pistol looked about ready to snap in half. But when Jason stood up, everyone was so happy for him that he forgot about the pain in his leg where Brent had landed, and his possibly broken ribs.
After Jason had been congratuled repeatedly, they both managed to stand all the way up. Bryce was slowly lowering himself by a rope.
"Great work, Jason," Alex said, slapping the young soldier on his back.
While everyone was celebrating, James was peering at the base. Always the silent one, he never partied with the rest of them. He was all business. Looking at the far edge of the base, he noticed seven large figures rushing straight towards them, at full speed.
"Oh, no..." James began, turning to face his fellow soldiers.
"What is it?" Brent asked.
"Commander Elites!" James cried.
The Commander Elite was the highest ranking Elite the Covenant had. They wore golden armor and carried long Plasma Swords that could take any Spartan out in one hit.
In what seemed like no time, the Commander Elites were on them. The Spartans fled. Alex shot a grappling hook straight up a cliff. Fastening the hook, he began to climb. Suddenly, the first Commander took a flying leap at him. Alex spun quickly and smacked the Elite right in the face with the butt of his assault rifle, just as it was about to land next to him. Stunned, the Elite fell to the ground, breaking his Plasma Sword. It was now defensless.
Brent had little trouble with the Elites. He whipped out his Jackhammer and began to fire. He obliterated three of them in a cloud of fire within seven seconds of the battle. The trick with a Jackahmmer was to aim at the ground below your target so the blast would take them out. Usually, if a soldier aimed at the target itself from far away, they'd miss. Also, if the ground wasn't possible, walls behind the target were effective areas to fire upon and hope the ensuing explosion would engulf the target.
James quickly scaled a ladder that was sitting on a cliff side as a Commander Elite came for him. It was out over the void, easily accessible by Elites. Struggling, he tried to pull himself up. Suddenly, the Elite took a flying leap and landed on the ladder below him. Pulling out his Plasma Rifle, he took aim, right at James's head.
Then, an incoming bullet took the Elite out in one shot, going right through its shield. Instantly dead, he fell from the ladder, into the water below. Looking up, James spotted Alex on a cliff across from him, just lowering his smoking sniper's rifle.
Back on the floor of the cliff, Jarrett and Jason were trying to outsmart an Elite. They were backed up on a ledge overlooking the water. The Elite took a running charge at the pair. Jason leaped high into the air and landed a powerful kick which sent the Elite flying forwards. Unfortunately, Jarrett happened to be in the way! He was taken with the Elite. Together, the pair traveled over the edge!
Bryce blasted the final Elite from a ledge and ran to aid Jarrett. He and Jason looked over the edge, as James, Alex, and Brent came up behind them.
"Heeeeeelp!" Jarrett cried. He was holding onto a tiny rock that stuck out from the cliff face.
"We'll be right down!" James yelled back.
Alex and Jason quickly planted an anchor in the stone face, while James threaded a rope through it. Brent took a hold of the rope and Bryce tied himself to it. "I'll be back." Bryce said. He slowly let himself over the edge, using his feet to support himself on the cliff wall.
Jarrett held on with one hand to the rock that jutted from the cliff face. His feet dangled beneath him, swaying back and forth. Looking down, he saw the Elite far below, impaled on the rocks.
Bryce reached for Jarrett, but he slipped from the rock. Jarrett closed his eyes and waited for it to be over, but realized he had stopped moving. When he opened them, he was surprised to find that Bryce had quickly slipped out of the harness and was hanging from it with one hand, and using the other to hold Jarrett.
Suddenly, there were sounds of gunshots! Alex and James looked up, to see that Sniper Elites were firing at them from above!
Reacting quickly, Brent tried to haul both of the guys up, but they were too heavy. Suddenly, they began to slip from his grasp.
"A little help down here, guys!" Bryce yelled up.
Brent felt the rope slide from his hands. He expected to hear screams of his falling comrades. But when he looked again, he saw that Alex had grabbed the rope and was holding it with one hand. Then, Alex pulled both Bryce and Jarrett back up with one quick yank of the rope.
"Great job, Alex," James said, slapping him on the back. "Now, we've got to get out of here!"
Everyone ran for cover behind some boulders that were covered with ice, as bullets continued to rain down from the fire of Sniper Elites. Jason bit his lip under his mask, as he knew it was only a matter of time before one of them was struck by a bullet.
Alex quickly pulled out his sniper's rifle and began to fire at the Elites. He hit each Elite, one by one. After about a minute, he had wasted nine of them.
"This boulder won't protect us for long!" Brent said. "We'll have to find—"
He was cut off. A Banshee was flying overhead. Next to that was a dropship. Everyone in the group knew what was happening next. The Banshee dropped a large bomb, that had sent everyone in the team flying in different directions. Brent's Jackhammer was freed from his pack. It skittered on the ground and rolled to the canyon edge. However, Jason's quick reflexes allowed him to catch it before it fell off.
Jarrett looked up at the passing Banshee. He had stolen a Plasma Grenade from one of the Commander Elites. These Grenades stuck to whatever they hit. He aimed upwards and hurled it at the Banshee, which was about twenty feet straight up.
James and Bryce watched as the Grenade whistled through the air and attached itself right onto the belly of the passing Banshee.
"Nice throw!" James yelled as they all ran for cover. Reason being that once a Plasma Grenade sticks to something, it has a three second fuse...
After the explosion, Alex found the control panel for the energy bridge that would lead them across. Jason tossed the Jackhammer to James, who snatched it in mid-air. As the bridge snapped on, everyone headed across. All except Brent. When he began to run, his foot became lodged in the side of the bridge after it activated. Now, everyone else was right inside.
Somehow, Brent freed himself. He came running across the bridge. Everyone yelled at him to hurry up. Suddenly, as he neared the door, it began to close. The Covenant had activated the blast doors to close, keeping more soldiers from getting in and from getting back out. Brent kicked it into full gear and ran as fast as he could possibly go. He heard a whistling sound behind him. The Banshee was crashing, and it's trajectory would send it right into Brent if he didn't make it in.