The Spartan's Return

The Spartan opened his eyes. The bright light of the desert sun blinded him. The wind had blown the sand to half bury him. For a second he wondered why it was so bright. Then he remembered his visor had been shattered by the covenant creature. The sand blew across the battlefield. He lifted his head and dirt fell off his dark green helmet.

He raised his arms out of the ground. He stood and lifted his helmet off. Glass fell to the ground. He had a terrible headache. Bodies of fallen marines and covenant lay scattered across the battlefield unmoving and lifeless. He ran a sandy glove through his thick dark black frayed hair.

He grabbed the knife that was still lodged in his chest plate and pulled it out. He let it fall from his hand onto the sandy ground. His eyes scanned the rotting corpses of his comrades and enemies. His gaze stopped on Green. His body hung impaled on the spikes of a hunter. One spike was stabbed through his neck and shoulder area and the other was sticking through his leg. The blood from his wounds was dried and crusting.

The Spartan felt the ground shake lightly. He looked off into the distance and could see the drop ship heading toward him. He turned back toward the Sergeant. He was breathing! The Spartan's mouth dropped in disbelief. He dropped his helmet and grabbed the Sergeant's leg. He pulled it off the spike. Green let out a cry of pain. The Spartan then pulled him off the other spike. There was another cry of pain.

The drop ship was right above them. The Spartan supported the Sergeant with one arm as he picked up his helmet with the other.

"Clear the drop zone." He heard from in his helmet. The transmission was fuzzy and full of static.

The drop ship lowered and two marines jumped off and covered the Spartan as he drug Green on board. The marines hopped back on and the drop ship took off over the desert landscape.

"We need to get this man to an infirmary at once pilot." The Spartan said.

"Don't worry sir a group of marines have set up camp not to far from here." The female pilot responded.

The Spartan watched as the land below went by. He had to go back. He needed to get that map. He must destroy that Halo. He wanted ultimate glory.

"This is Black Raven to desert post do you read?" The pilot said.

"I read Black Raven. Go ahead."

"I'm gonna need a medic standing by. We have a badly injured soldier here. Over."

"Roger that Black Raven. Will have medic standing by. Over and out."

The Spartan looked down at the Sergeant. He was lying on the floor of the drop ship. His eyes were closed and his head moved back and forth with the turbulence of the aircraft. He then took his helmet and examined it. There were pieces of glass still stuck and on one side the vents were bent.

He set it on the seat next to him. Then he noticed something about the marine's armor. It was black instead of the traditional gray. He thought for a moment. Then he figured it out. They were part of the Black Ops. A rare site among marines. He could use this to his advantage.

He could have a couple of these squads go back and waste the covenant at that base. Then he could go in and take that map.

He was going to do it.

The drop ship lowered and the back end swung around and the Spartan got his first look at the base. Tents were scattered across the desert floor. Most had walls to protect from the dust. The ship landed and two medics grabbed Green and put him on a stretcher. They then pushed him off to the infirmary.

The Spartan hopped off and was greeted by a tall young marine.

"Welcome to Desert Post sir, I am Lieutenant Jackson." The marine said.

"Thank you Lieutenant." The Spartan said shaking the man's hand. "Now listen, that Covenant base has a map in it. A map that is vital to the survival of the human race. I'm going to get straight to the point. I need five squads of marines to go and take that base."

"Five squads! But sir that's fifty men."

"I know. Believe me, your going to need that many. How soon can you get those squads ready?"

"One hour."

"Do it." The Spartan ordered.

"Yes, sir." The Lieutenant replied. "By the way do need your helmet fixed? We have a very good blacksmith on the premises."

"Yes that would be nice." The Spartan answered putting the helmet in the extended palm of the Lieutenant.

The marine then jogged away. The Spartan began walking around the base observing the other marines scurrying about their tasks.

"Sir the marines have left the base a few minutes ago." The Lieutenant informed the Spartan.

"Good." The Spartan replied turning around.

"If you want to watch their progress, follow me to the control tent."

"Lead the way Lieutenant."

The Lieutenant led the Spartan through the many tents until they came to one that was filled with computers. Screens lined the walls of the tent and marines sat at each control panel that was visible.

"The marines are just arriving at the base Lieutenant Jackson." Said a marine at one of the panels.

The Spartan scanned the screens and found that some of them were live images from the marine's visual recorders. The Spartan watched as the five squads made their way toward the door.

"Okay privates move it up." Black Ops Sergeant Freeman ordered.

One of the squads moved up against the wall. The door opened and the first squad filed in. Then in moved the second squad. Followed by the third fourth and the fifth. The hallway was dark. The marines turned on the flashlights on their assault rifles. A ramp led down into the facility.

"First squad go." The Sergeant commanded.

The ten marines slowly walked down the ramp. At the bottom there was another long hallway. The first squad motioned for the second to follow. They stayed in a scatter pattern as they made their way to the end of the hall. It turned and had yet another long hallway. They kept going. The hallway opened up as they walked farther in and it had tall pillars lining the walls. One marine saw a bright yellow flash from behind one of the pillars.

He split off from the group and walked toward the tall concrete structure. He leaned around it to find an elite with plasma sword standing and waiting. It let out a war cry and sliced the marine in two. His scream did not go unnoticed as marines came over to investigate. The elite sprung out from behind the pillar and killed two more marines.

The yellow blade glowed eerily in the darkness. The room lit up with the flashes of gunfire. One marine threw a frag grenade at the beast. It exploded blowing the elite's leg off. The other marines gathered around and shot it until it was dead.

Then as the first squad was moving forward again, two hunters slid out of the darkness and fired their enormous weapons. The marines flew in all directions with their screams echoing down the hall. The second squad moved up and fired their assault rifles. The bullets had no effect on the monsters as they came up and began to beat the marines black and blue. One marine rolled around the back of one hunter and fired a full clip into its back. It fell over with a groan. The other hunter turned around and knocked the marine to the floor.

The other marines shot into the hunter's back. The four remaining men from the second squad lead the way. The hallway came to a door. It opened and the four marines stepped in and laid down cover for the third squad. It was a large room. The corners were dark and a light mist covered the floor. The third squad secured the room and let the fourth squad move on toward the next door.

When it opened an elite smacked the first marine to the ground.

"Kill that S.O.B.!" Said a marine pulling the trigger.

The elite fired his needler at the marine. He yelled out in pain as the purple spikes stabbed into him. They then exploded all at once. The marine's body blew to pieces soiling the floor with blood and guts.

"There's another one." Said a marine pointing toward the doorway.

More elites piled out and began cutting down the marines.

"I'll take you all on!" Yelled a marine as he threw a grenade.

The explosion lit up the room and the Sergeant could see an elite fly through the air. He fired and dropped and elite. He then turned around and saw more elites coming from behind them. He took a grenade and tossed it at the elites. Another flash lit up the room along with the flashes of the bullets exiting the Sergeant's muzzle.

"I'm hit!" a marine screamed.

The marines shot and fired their guns until all the elites lay motionless on the ground.

"Work of art people." Freeman said.

There was only twenty-two marines left standing. They had lost over half of their men. The Sergeant split the men into two new squads. The first squad moved through the door. The second followed close behind. The next room was large and had a holo map in the middle. There were two pillars along each wall. There was a glass floor that glowed a dark blue.

The squads moved up and went toward the center of the room. Before the marines could make it to the map two hunters came out of the darkness. They shot at the marines killing the first squad easily. The sergeant threw a frag grenade at one of the hunters. It exploded and killed it. The second hunter ran toward a marine and knocked him to the floor. Another marine took out a pistol and blew a hole through the hunter's stomach.

"Alright. Let's get this map and get the hell out of here." Sergeant Freeman said.

He made his way to the holo map's controls. Then was knocked to the ground by an enormous furry creature that resembled a gorilla. The other marines fired at their attacker. The Sergeant crawled away and hid behind a pillar while he listened to his men die.

"Lieutenant, get me a squad of marines. I'm going down there myself." The Spartan ordered.

"Yes, sir. Right away." Jackson said turning toward Major Dern who was standing behind him.

The Spartan grabbed an assault rifle that was lying against a table and made his way toward the drop ship out in the landing zone. When he arrived at the ship the marines were already on board waiting. The Lieutenant was standing near the vessel holding his helmet. The Spartan grabbed it from him and slipped it onto his head.

"Good luck, sir." The Lieutenant said.

"I'm a Spartan, give the luck to the marines." He replied.

The ship lifted higher into the air and took off toward the Covenant facility.

The Spartan jumped off the pelican and onto the desert floor. The bodies of the other marines still lay on the ground. He moved toward the door, with the ten marines close behind him. It opened and they slipped inside. The Spartan led the way down the ramp as he and the marines turned on their flashlights.

He walked down the hallway and turned and walked down the second hallway where they stepped over the bodies of marines. They then entered the large room. Three hunters awaited them. They fired their guns killing six marines. The Spartan threw a grenade at the hunter in the middle. It exploded and the hunter fell over as a steaming corpse. One marine fired his shotgun at point blank range blowing the hunter's side clean off. The last hunter fired his gun again. Three marines went down. The hunter then smacked the Spartan sending him sliding across the floor. His shield collapsed. The last marine fired his assault rifle as the hunter came and crushed his skull.

The Spartan got up and ran toward the hunter. He slid on his feet until he was right in front of the blue cat like creature. He pressed the barrel of his assault rifle to the head of the hunter and pulled the trigger. His shield recharged as he reloaded.

The door to the map room opened and the Spartan stepped inside. The room was filled with bodies. There was only one sound and that was the whimpering of the Sergeant. The Spartan walked to the center of the room and looked around.

Freeman came out from behind the pillar and crawled across the glass floor until he was about six feet from the Spartan.

"You can't stop him. You'll die just like the others! All of them gone! He'll get you! He's four times as strong as a hunter! He's invincible!" Screamed the Sergeant.

The Spartan watched as the large creature came out of the darkness and grabbed the Sergeant by the neck and snapped it. His limp body then toppled to the glass floor with a clunk. The Spartan fired his full clip into the beast's chest. It was slowed none. It punched the Spartan in the face sending him flying over the control panel of the map. He pulled out his pistol and fired at the creature's face. The shot missed. The covenant knocked the gun out of his hand and punched him in the chest.

Air exited his lungs. He rolled, grabbed the assault rifle, stood, and cracked the creature in the chin. It grabbed the weapon and broke it in half. It then pushed the Spartan up against a pillar and tried to punch him in the face. He ducked and the creature's fist broke a chunk out of the concrete. It then knocked him on the ground.

The creature once again picked him up by his neck. The Spartan pulled a plasma grenade out. The covenant roared in his face and as it did so the Spartan shoved the plasma grenade down its throat. It dropped him and he scurried away. It let out a small whimper right before his body blew to chunks of meat. The Spartan wiped a piece of liver from his visor as he stood at the controls for the map.

His lust for glory was about to be satisfied.