Flesh colored blobs popped as a shotgun round tore through one, the force of one popping causing the other blobs near it to pop as well.
"Come on! We're almost there, boys!" Sargent Johnson shouted and shot at a larger, grotesque form in the head. Gun shots continued to ring out as the remainder of the squad scrambled through the hanger to an intact Longsword.
A scream tore through the noise and she turned to see one of the soldiers' flesh tear and warp, his scream turning into a gurgling roar...
Cassy gasped and her body seazed from terror.
"Whoa there!" someone said gently and held her tight, keeping her from falling. Her eyes darted back and forth, her mind not fully registering her surroundings until a medic gripped her hand and forced her to look him in the eye.
"Breath, kiddo, breath," the man said calmly. "In through the nose. Out through the mouth."
"The Flood!" she gasped out, still not registering her surroundings.
"You're safe, kiddo," the medic assured her and kept coaching her to steady her breathing. She did as he said, repeating the process a few times until her head cleared and her heart calmed down. The medic let go of her hand and stepped back.
"Let's get her back to her spot," someone said and the person holding her turned, allowing her to see where she was now.
"Where are we?" she asked groggily, looking toward all of the wounded soldiers lined up and down big room. "What happened?"
"We're on a ship called the Truth and Reconciliation."
"Which we stole from the Covvies!" a wounded Marine chimed in proudly from several feet away, and Cassy finally registered the fact that many eyes were on her now. Wounded soldiers slowly laid back down after they saw she was okay.
"You've been out for sixteen hours, probably more," one of the medics continued. "According to Alphamon, the network you were pulled out of poisoned you so badly you nearly died. Your friends worked their butts off to save you."
"You also downloaded a massive load of data from wherever you were rescued from," another medic said, eyes glued to a data pad. "Whatever you accidentally downloaded messed with your brain enough to overload it and cause it to slowly shut down."
"I downloaded something?" she tilted her head, confused by this revelation and trying to recall her time in the Halo's network. "How did that happen? I didn't notice anything being downloaded anywhere."
"Alright, Seraphimon's checking you over again. You can ask Alphamon for the full story once he's back. For now, just sit back and rest while you can."
She wanted to ask more questions, but her short burst of energy had run out. They got her to nibble on a ration bar before she drifted off back to sleep.
Fredrick braced himself as the Phantom broke through Reach's atmosphere. He, Kelly, Will and Dr. Halsey were rescued from what remained of CASTLE Base by the Master Chief, Admrial Whitecomb and a squad of Marines not even an hour earlier. No one dared to say anything out loud, except for John through Team COM.
"Fred, there's something you need to know before we dock on the Truth and Reconciliation," the Master Chief said in a tone that suggested that he might not like what he was about to hear. "Cassy is onboard and in bad shape."
"What?!" he turned to fully face his brother-in-arms. "How? And what the hell happened to her?"
"We'll give you and everyone else the full details once we're out of danger, but she's been through hell and back these past few weeks. She's been in a comatose like state for the past twenty hours."
Fred wanted to punch something. He had hoped that she'd gotten away. Didn't even dare to think of the worst case scenario. This may just be a close second to being the worst thing to happen.
"How did she even get stuck with you and the crew of the Autumn?" Kelly asked over Team COM.
"Hold tight everyone!" Pulaski's voice rang out from the pilot's seat, ending their private conversation. "We've got company!"
The dropship lurched, Pulaski performing maneuvers to avoid plasma fire and debris.
"Pulaski, status!" Captain Keyes's voice came over the COMs.
"Could use a little help out here, sir!" the pilot responded through gritted teeth, and then her tone shifted. Three muted fwumps were heard. "Thanks!"
"Get onboard, stat! We've kicked the hornets nest a little too hard."