The Silent Cartographer
The Spartan awoke to find the other marines lying around talking about what to do. He stood from his resting place, hopped out of the pelican, and joined them at the circle they had created.
The pelican's nose was stuck in the ground and one of its wings had been completely stripped off. One of the jet on the back had also been blown off. Trees were fallen and broken around the wreckage. The front still steamed from heat. Through the hole the pelican made he could see that the landscape went up into a mountain. He could see the facility that was built ages ago by the Forerunner dug into the side of the rockery.
"We should call for evac and get out of here." Suggested one marine.
"No, I think we should stay put." Argued another.
"What, and wait for the Covenant to slit our throats while we're sleeping?"
"I think we should go through the woods and attack that facility up there." Said the Spartan.
"That's suicide. We don't even know how many Covenant are in there." Said a marine.
"He's right. And even if we did we probably wouldn't be able to take them all." Added another.
"Then we should call for reinforcements." Another marine suggested.
"No. That'll take to long. Besides I'm the ranking officer here as well as the strongest of you wimps, so I order you to follow me and attack that base." The Spartan said.
"I don't care who you are out in the real world, out here your rank means nothing." Said a marine bravely.
The other marines cringed at the coming events.
"You will follow my orders Private!" The Spartan yelled.
"Over my dead b-"
The Spartan raised his shotgun and blew the marine to the ground. The other marines stared in shock at the shredded corpse of their comrade.
"Anyone else want to disobey my orders?" The Spartan said cocking the shotgun.
The marines followed close behind as the Spartan crept toward the door of the facility. It opened and the Spartan stepped inside. He knelt down and laid down cover as the marines came in after him. At the end of the hallway was a second door. Two marines went a couple feet ahead and laid more cover. Two more marines went a few more feet ahead, stopped, and knelt down. The Spartan and another marine came up from the back and stopped in front of the door. The marine stood and kept his assault rifle pointed at the gate that would open up a fight.
The Spartan moved closer to the door and it opened automatically. A grunt jumped and turned around.
"He's here!" Yelled the grunt.
The Spartan cocked his shotgun and pulled the trigger. The barrel blew into the air and the grunt screamed as the pellets entered his body.
He cocked it again. He then walked into the large room. Its ceiling was high above their heads. The room was wide and long. At the far end was a platform elevator. It was suspended at the floors height by some force, the marines nor the Spartan knew of.
There was only one problem stopping them from getting to the elevator. The room was filled with grunts. The marines filed in and formed a line parallel to the wall. The grunts began shooting their various weaponry at the human tank and his comrades.
"Fire at will!" Said the Spartan.
The sound of gunfire erupted and within seconds intertwined with the grunts' screams. The Spartan threw a frag grenade into the bulk of the group. A large blast of fire and smoke exploded and created a hole in the grunts defensive positions. More grunts from the back rallied to fill the empty space. The Spartan then held his shotgun firmly and began taking two or three grunts down with each shot he fired.
The marines' constant fire was not only thinning the grunts numbers, but also driving them back. The grunts started moving back far enough that the Colonel's shotgun was almost ineffective. Five purple needles penetrated the Spartan's chest. He grimaced. They exploded and his yellow shield became visible for a few seconds. He fired back and the grunt fell to the ground with a coat of blue blood covering its body.
He then stood from his knelt position and began walking forward while shoving some shells into his gun. The marines moved with him. They stayed in a perfect line and pushed the grunts back against the back wall. The marines then showered them with slugs from their automatics. A marine threw a frag grenade. It killed four more grunts. There were only three left. In an act of desperation, a grunt threw a plasma grenade wildly.
It flew well over the marines' heads and exploded behind them. The marines shot the grunts to the ground.
"We showed 'em." Said a marine.
"That'll put the fear of God in 'em." Said another.
The Spartan began shoving more shells into his shotgun.
"Okay let's move on and kick some Covenant tail." The Spartan said.
"That was quite a show." Said Sheeda.
"Well this Spartan never fails to disappoint."
"I'm sure."
The Spartan and the marines piled onto the elevator. He pressed a button on the holo controls and the elevator began its decent. The elevator lowered enough that they could see the large group of jackals scurrying about.
"Jackals," said the Spartan. "Use as many grenades as you can. Try not to waste ammo on their shields."
"You got it, sir." Said a marine.
The jackals started firing at them but their blasts hit the bottom of the platform. A marine took a frag grenade out and pulled the pin. He threw it down and it hit a jackal in the head. It fell to the floor with purple blood spilling out of its skull.
The grenade blew and jackals were sent flying through the air. The Spartan took a plasma grenade and tossed it down. It hit the shield of one and attached to the back of another. The elevator reached the floor. The jackal began running around with its arms flailing around in the air. The grenade exploded in a blue mist and completely destroyed the jackal's body. The marines hopped off the elevator and threw more frag grenades all at once. Eight explosions sounded throughout the room.
A marine fired his assault rife and killed a jackal. The Spartan fired and dropped two more of the covenant. He fired again killing another. A fully charged plasma pistol blast struck a marine and dropped him.
"Bastard!" Yelled another.
The marine threw one more frag grenade. Five more jackals were blown to pieces. The Spartan threw a plasma grenade and it hit the ground, bounced, and attached to a jackals arm. It tried furiously to get it off, but had no luck. It exploded and killed more of the jackals.
A marine rolled forward and sprung up into a kneeling position. His assault rifle buckled against his shoulder as he took out more of his enemy. Another took two frag grenades and threw them at the same time. The group was nine jackals less.
The Spartan ran up and brought the butt end of his shotgun down on the head of a jackal, he then pulled the trigger and filled another with slugs. One jackal charged its plasma pistol up to full and shot it as he muttered something in its own tongue. The blast hit the Spartan taking out his shield. He fired back and killed the bird-like creature.
After a moment, his shield began to recharge. He turned and knocked another jackal to the ground. He fired again killing two more. A marine threw grenade and it exploded in a ball of fire. The jackals fell and their shield disappeared.
The Spartan threw another frag grenade and killed the last of the group. The next elevator was at the far end of the room. The Spartan and marines got on and began going farther into the structure. The elevator lowered and the group got a look at their next challenge.
Three plasma turrents lined both walls and grunts were station at each one. Four jackals stood in the middle with two elites in the back. The Spartan took a plasma grenade and threw it at a turrent. It attached and exploded. The turrent became rubble and the grunt became a charred corpse.
The other grunts turned the plasma turrents at their attackers and started firing. Two marines fell to the ground screaming. Another marine threw a frag grenade at the group of jackals and killed three of them. One more marine shot the other one down. The Spartan rushed the second turrent and grabbed the grunt by the neck.
"Noooo!" Screamed the grunt.
The Spartan threw him out of the turrent onto the floor were a marine shot the helpless alien. The Colonel hopped into the turrent and fired at another. One exploded. Another plasma turrent in the back fired at the Spartan. His shields went up and he could feel himself slipping off the seat.
The elites came shooting their plasma rifles at the marines. They shot back. The elite's shields held off the bullets for only a short while. One marine toppled to the ground. Their shields went down and the last four marines blasted them to the floor.
The Spartan hopped out of the turrent just as it exploded. His shield collapsed as he hit the ground face first. He stood and cocked his shotgun. He fired and a grunt went limp in the middle of firing. A marine got a plasma grenade to attach to a grunt's head. It screamed as it jumped out of the turrent.
"Get it off! Get it off!" The grunt yelled running toward the last grunt in a turrent.
The grenade exploded and killed both grunts. The turrent blew into the air and crashed to the ground. The Spartan led the marines to the next elevator that would take them into the fourth level of the structure.
The next room was filled with elites. As soon as he could the Spartan fired his shotgun at the swarming beasts. The elevator came to the bottom and the marines shot in every direction. The marines' assault rifles took more to kill the elites than the Spartan's shotgun.
He pulled the trigger and knocked out two elites' shields. He fired again and sprayed blood on the floor. One elite ran toward him and hit him with its plasma rifle. His shield protected him. He pressed the barrel of his weapon against the elite's chest and fired. Its body was almost ripped in two.
One marine cried out as needler shots entered his body. They exploded and he fell to the floor motionless. The Spartan fired his last shot and began reloading. He rolled to the side, dodging plasma shots. He loaded the twelfth shot and cocked the gun. He dropped two elites with one shot.
Another marine fell.
The Spartan took a frag grenade and threw it at some elites nearby. It exploded and took out their shields. He fired three shots and killed the five creatures. He then shot again and killed another.
"Want some more?" Taunted a marine as an elite dropped dead at his feet.
Another came and tried to hit him. He leaned backward and put some bullets into its head. He fell onto his back with the elite landing next to him. He pulled out the empty clip and reloaded. After wiping the purple blood from his cheek he got into a kneeling position and resumed fire.
The Spartan threw a plasma grenade and it attached to an elite's leg. It began kicking wildly while screaming something foreign. The grenade blew and the elite became just another part of the gore. He fired his shotgun and took out an elite's shield. He then cracked the elite in the head with the butt end of his weapon. The elite's skull cracked and it toppled over backwards.
A frag grenade exploded in the middle of the dwindling group of Covenant. The Spartan pumped a few more shots into a couple of the elites. One elite slammed his needler into the side of a marine's head. The spikes stabbed into his skull as he fell over with his assault rifle still blasting a few rounds.
The Spartan fired two shots and killed the elite. The other marine threw a frag grenade and killed two more. The Spartan then pulled the trigger again and blasted away the last of their adversaries.
"Woo! Took 'em to school!" Said the marine.
"Yeah I thought I saw some of them wearing skirts." Said the Spartan.
"Let's not get too exited. If you forgot we still haven't found the Silent Cartographer." Sheeda interrupted. "My analysis indicates that there are still two more floors."
"Of course I haven't forgotten. I'm just trying to have some fun in a time where this marine knows he's going to die." He replied.
"We'll your really optimistic as I can see."
"Look Sheeda, I'm here to destroy the Halo or whatever, grab a little glory along the way, and I don't need you telling me how to go about doing it."
"Or whatever? You are very self-centered! This is a matter of saving the human race not a mission on satisfying your lust for glory! Now can we please move on?"
"Why certainly." The Spartan said smartly.
The Spartan and the last marine got onto the elevator at the other end of the room and started down. The first color the two soldiers saw was blue. Lots of blue. The marine raised his assault rifle to shoot but the Spartan stopped him. The marine looked at the Spartan's golden visor in disbelief and desperation.
"Don't shoot." He whispered.
"What? Why?" The marine replied.
"Keep your voice down!" He yelled while also whispering. "They're asleep."
The hunters stayed still as the elevator reached the floor.
"What should we do then?" The marine asked in a whisper.
"We try to make it to the other end of the room without waking any of them up."
"Alright, let's go." The marine whispered enthusiastically.
The Spartan and the marine began weaving through the bodies of the enormous group of monsters. Some times they would have to duck under spikes of two hunters whose backs were together. Or one time the marine had to crawl between a hunter's legs.
The Spartan reached the elevator and stopped to wait for the marine. He was stuck in between two hunters' spikes. He turned himself sideways and inched his way through. He made it and sighed in relief. He began walking again and turned to look back at the dreadful predicament. He then walked right into a hunter.
It awoke and looked around. The marine quickly ran around behind it. The Spartan ducked down behind another. The hunter's eyes scanned left and right. It turned and hit the marine with one of its spikes. The marine stumbled forward and knocked into another one. The first hunter turned around and spotted him. He fell on the floor and rolled toward the elevator. The second hunter woke from its sleep and saw the marine as well. It let out deep grunt. Other hunters around it woke up.
"Come on!" Yelled the Spartan getting onto the elevator platform.
The marine got to his feet and ran onto the elevator as well. The sound of the Spartan's voice echoed in the room. All the hunters were awake. The Spartan hit the button and the elevator started down. The green lights from the hunters' large weapons glowed bright.
The Spartan was eye level with the floor.
"Duck!" he yelled and grabbed the marine as he fell to the platform floor.
"Where?" Asked the marine in confusion.
The hunters fired and the large green plasma missiles hit behind them on the elevator shaft wall. The Spartan and the marine got on their knees and stayed that way until they were out of range of the hunters' guns.
They stood and held their weapons firm. The Spartan shoved more shells into his shotgun. The ride down was longer than the others but ended soon enough. The elevator stopped at a dark hallway. At the end of it was a room with the same dark blue glow as the other map room. A pillar was in the middle of the opening to the room.
The marine stood fearful at the shadowy walkway.
"That's it. The Silent Cartographer. Be careful, my motion tracker is picking up something." Sheeda said quietly.
"Alright let's go." The Spartan said slowly walking forward.
"I got a bad feeling about this." The marine said following close behind.
The Spartan's hands gripped the handle of the shotgun tightly. He kept his gaze ahead of him. When he was about halfway down the hall his eyes caught something run across the hall about fifteen feet in front of him. He stopped. It was big and blurry. It was almost like he looked through another being.
"What is it sir?" Asked the marine quietly.
"Did you see that?" The Spartan said.
"No, I didn't see anything amigo."
The blurry being moved again.
"There did you see that?"
"Si, I did. What is it?"
"I don't know. Let's find out." The Spartan replied walking forward again.
They walked about ten feet when the marine felt as is something were breathing on the back of his neck. He turned around and saw nothing. He kept walking. Then a war cry that sounded like an elite roared from behind him.
The Spartan and the marine turned around. Suddenly the marine was lifted into the air by what looked like nothing. Flashes of a plasma rifle lit up the hallway and the marine fell to the ground with nothing more than a dying moan. The Spartan then realized what it was; an elite wearing active camouflage.
The Spartan pulled the trigger of his shotgun and the barrel jerked up. The elite's camo disappeared and the Spartan watched as the elite fell to the ground. He then heard more footsteps from behind him. He turned around and pulled the trigger. The elite became visible as it moaned and toppled over.
The Spartan then began walking forward. He saw a blur and fired. The elite fell to the ground. Then he saw a glowing yellow blade. He cocked and fired. The elite became visible for only a second. Its gold armor shone in the glow of the plasma blade.
It disappeared and the blade rose in the air. The Spartan jumped back as the sword swung at him. He fired again and the blade disappeared while the elite blasted backward and became visible. The Spartan walked around the pillar and across the glass floor to the Silent Cartographer's controls.
The map appeared on the holo projector and showed various structures around Halo.
"It looks like the Control Room is located there." Sheeda said.
"Okay we got what we came for now let's get out of here."
"Agreed, but how do you suppose we get past all those hunters up there?" She asked.
"I kill 'em. That's how."
"Great your stupid too."
"Think what you will. I can handle them." He replied calmly.
The elevator rose closer to the up coming fight. The Spartan's shotgun was full of all twelve shells. He held a frag grenade in his right hand. The elevator reached the top and he stood in front of the many hunters.
"How many Sheeda?" He asked.
"Thirty." She replied.
"Piece of cake."
"Idiot."
The Spartan took the frag grenade and threw it. It exploded and killed one of the hunters. He hopped off of the elevator and blew a chunk out of the side of a hunter. It fell with a large crash. Some of the hunters charged their weapons and fired. He jumped into the air and left the explosion behind him.
He landed right in the middle of his opponents. He fired and blew a hole through one's stomach then turned and blasted another's head to bits. One tried to hit him and he stepped to the side and shot into its back.
He threw another grenade and it exploded under one of the hunters, launching it into the air. He shot again killing another. A hunter shot its gun. He ducked and the blast killed two others behind him.
He pulled the trigger and dropped the blue tank. Another came up from behind him and knocked him to the ground. His shield caused him to slide across the floor. He slid between a hunters legs and stopped right behind it. He pulled the trigger and it nearly fell on his legs. Another hunter swung at him. He fired and got to one knee. It crashed to the ground. Another charged. The barrel exploded again. The slugs slammed into the hunter's stomach. It fell face first and slid a couple of feet.
A hunter came from his right and swung. The Spartan fell flat and rolled. The large arm cut over his head. He got on his knee again and fired into the hunter's back. He stood and threw a plasma grenade onto the back of a hunter. It exploded and the hunter toppled over as a burnt corpse.
Half the hunters were dead.
A hunter swung up at him and missed. He cocked and fired a shower of bullets into its stomach. Another hunter took its place. He shot again but the bullets ricocheted off of its blue armor. He cocked and fired again. The hunter groaned and fell on its back.
His gun was out of ammo. He took it and swung the butt end like a bat and hit a hunter across the face. He dropped the gun and threw another grenade. It exploded and a hunter fell to the ground with a groan. He pulled out his pistol and fired into the stomach of one of his foes. One swung at him. He stepped to the side and went around it and shot. Orange blood sprayed onto the floor.
He turned around and dropped another one. Another hunter swung at him and missed. He pistol-whipped it in the head. It jerked up and grabbed its head leaving its orange stomach exposed. He blew a hole in it and went for another. He fired and missed. He shot again and the bullet bounced off its large shield. He shot once more and clipped its side. It groaned and kept coming. Another blast then tore through its stomach.
A hunter came and hit him. He flew back against a wall. His shields were completely gone and he dropped his pistol. It swung again and he moved to the left. Its enormous shield smashed into the wall then swung to the side and hit him in the head.
He fell on his back and watched the hunter raise its arm again. Orange blood splattered onto his visor and the hunter fell beside him.
"Let's go marines, let's go!"
Lieutenant Jackson stood with his pistol extended out in front of him. He had a company of marines with him. They began firing their weapons at the five remaining hunters.
"Thought you could use some help sir." Jackson said.
"Good job, Lieutenant." The Spartan said picking up his pistol.
One of the hunters was running around in a ball of flame. The Spartan took his weapon and shot it to the ground. A marine blasted the last hunter down with his shotgun.
"We have evac standing by, sir."
"Good. Are you ready for a real fight Lieutenant?" The Spartan asked.
"The Blackrocks are always ready for a fight sir!" The Lieutenant said saluting.
"Well then, let's begin our assault on the control room."