Chapter 7
Location: Congo Basin, UNSC Weapons and Vehicles Research Facility.
John dropped his two empty Dominators and picked up a Shark. He also dropped his Punisher for a MA8B rifle. When all the Marines had gathered up around the table he placed miniature models of vehicles and infantry on the map.
"I want the Rippers, patrolling these areas here." He told the Ripper drivers and he pointed to four different places on the map. "I want the Locusts to patrol the perimeter of the base. I want the Lions to guard the Gazeeb Cover. I want 1st Squad inside the Gazeeb Cover along with twenty Medics, thirteen Snipers and I want the two Battle Fortresses to patrol there. The other BFs can patrol this are here. 2nd and 3rd squad patrol here. And 4th squad can stay in this building here. Are we clear?" John yelled.
"Sir, yes Sir!" they yelled back. And they all ran to their assigned posts.
John heard the roar of Pelicans outside and he helped the wounded to get there. There were five of them and John stepped into one. He manned the turret and once everyone was on board it took off. John saw hundreds of Marines and ODSTs cleaning up Covenant corpses that littered the ground. There was a big roaring fire that was burning all of the UNSC soldiers that had died during the fight. Locusts whizzed past his view. One of them was chasing an enemy Banshee and was ripping it to pieces with its two chain guns. Behind him he heard the moan of wounded. He looked around and saw that one of them had their stomach ripped open. The Medic was trying to stop the bleeding but was having no luck. The floor was covered in blood. John quickly turned back. He couldn't look anymore. Just then three Phantoms rushed by. They had a Wraith and two Ghosts attached to them. He quickly opened fire with the machine gun. The closest ones guns fell off but it continued heading towards the base. John opened the radio,
"Attention, you have three Covenant Phantoms approaching your position. They are loaded with vehicles. I have blown ones turrets but get your Rocketeers to take out the others before anyone approaches them. We can't afford anymore casualties. Do you copy?" John said down the radio.
"I hear you Chief. We can see them comin' in now. Well give 'em a warm welcome. Over" SGT Hudson's voice replied. John turned off the radio and went back to the turret.
"We have contacts!" the pilot shouted and eight more Phantoms flew past. John pulled the trigger and the closest ones Ghosts fell off along with a turret. John ran back to the radio,
"Base, this is Master Chief. You have eight more Phantoms approachi-." John stopped as seven more flew past, "Correct that. You have fifteen more approaching your position. There are bound to be more. Over"
"Chief. We need your help. They're everywhere. There shooting everyo… AHHHHH!" and the radio became filled with static. Two Banshees then flew behind them and started to shoot at them. Their aim was really off target. John grabbed the turret and tore one to pieces. The other however could come in useful. He told the pilot to increase the speed. John felt the ship lurch forward. So did the Banshee. John ran towards the ramp and leaped out. He landed on the Banshee with a thud. He grabbed onto the back of the hood and yanked it open. He shoved the Combat Knife into the back of the Brutes skull. He flung the limp body from the flier. He lay down in the cockpit and banked around. He came level to the nose of the Pelican. What he then saw made him freeze.
The cruiser that had been blown up had landed in the sea. Its bulbous section was still pointing out. But that wasn't it. It was the hundreds of oncoming Phantoms and Banshees that he was more concerned about. From a distance they looked like a swarm of flies. But that swarm kept on getting bigger until he could see them all clearly. The Banshees fired at the Pelicans and two of the transports burst into flames. They roared as they lost altitude. They landed in the sea and then sank. John fired his plasma cannons at the oncoming swarm. Two Banshees were set ablaze. One of them collided with a Phantom and sent it spinning out of control. They roared past John and his Banshee got blown back by the force. He quickly levelled it out though. He turned around and followed the swarm. He then opened a COM to Lord Hood.
"Sir, we need reinforcements now. There are approximately one hundred and fifty Covenant aircraft heading towards the Congo Basin." John yelled.
"Chief, this is Hood. They're already on the way. The Longswords I already sent are returning. And I have another thirty-two Pelicans on their way. The Pelicans have some Rippers on and some Lions. We were going to send them to you on Delta Halo for help but we figured you wouldn't need them you need them now so, here they are. There is a special surprise on the way as well. Hood out." And the COM snapped off. John pushed the boost button and tried to catch up with the on going convoy that, if it reached Congo Basin, would surely wipe them out. The Longswords and Pelicans had better hurry up, he thought to himself.
He rushed through a patch of trees, swerving and rolling and banking until he reached Congo Basin. It was hell. Fires were going off, buildings were exploding and Marines were screaming and dying. John fired his cannons towards a cluster of Jackals. He saw them die and there skin started melting from the heat. John then quickly landed, got out and walked to the nearest corner. Around there were two Wraith tanks shooting at the Living Quarters. Within seconds the building exploded, showering John with bits of dust and bricks. He took out his Shark and blew the first one to bits. He sprinted for the second one and jumped on top. He belted the Brutes head with his Combat Knife and fleshy bits fell out of his skull covering John with purple blood. John hauled the body out and dropped it off the tank. He got in and the hatch sealed. He hovered forward towards a group of ODSTs. They all followed him and he led them towards the Gazeeb Cover. He took out a Phantom with six consecutive bursts from his mortar. It landed on the Brutes and spiders it had just unloaded, crushing them. It exploded in a ball of flame. John turned towards the oncoming Ghosts. Seven of them all fired their Plasma turrets. John fired his turrets and launched a mortar at them. Three of them got caught I the blast and two got blown up by his turrets. The last two were blown up by the ODSTs. John hovered over to the next Wraith and he launched three mortars, each impacted on it and created a blossom of illuminate blue light. When the light had cleared the Wraith had vanished from sight. But it was replaced with a swarm of the spider like creatures. John activated the turrets before they could move. More than half of them were burned up but five were still coming. The ODSTs opened fire and two of them fell. The last three jumped at the ODSTs. One was knocked out of the air by ones gun and it flew into the wall and slid down it, leaving a trail of oozing green blood. The two that survived had already shoved their tubes through the ODSTs armour and were sucking them dry. One man tried to grab one off them but it sprung out and the tube hit him and impaled his face. Blood oozed from his eyes and he fell to the floor. One man shot it and its bones broke through its skin before it slid off the fallen ODSTs sideways. The last creature was shot and then stamped on until its head popped. Green blood and a fleshy bag poured out over the floor. One person turned away and threw up. John moved the Wraith forward again.
He got out and then three Banshees attacked him. His shields drained and he had to dive behind cover. A Fuel rod cannon flew into the ODSTs and sent them flying. One landed next to John and he was clutching at a leg that wasn't there anymore. He was screaming with pain. John aimed for the closest banshee and fired a rocket at it. It blew into pieces. The next rocket hit the other ones wing; it spiralled out of control before slamming into a building. The last fired its plasma cannons and John had to dive out of the way to avoid getting burnt. He turned around the corner to find that the Banshee was lying on the ground. John looked at it. He then walked over to it, but there was no-one in it. He heard a roar from behind him and there was a Brute, charging at him. John fired a rocket at it and it blew into strips of flesh. John ran back to the wounded Marine but he was lying on the floor motionless. His bio signs were flat lined. John hurried to the Wraith and got in it.
He moved forward taking out more Brutes and Jackals until he eventually came towards the Gazeeb Cover. It was burning and there were craters the size of cars in it. Just then the Longsword squadron swooped around blowing stuff up. John saw one that had just crashed. He ran to it and found the pilot dead. Luckily the Longsword was still working. He jumped in the driver's seat and strapped himself in. He hit the control for take off and he hovered in the air until he could move. He pulled the joystick and he arced up into the air. He found a Phantom that was shooting at a Ripper. John flew above it and dropped a YUH-89 bomb onto it. It was engulfed in flame and fell to the ground and exploded, killing everything that was underneath it. John quickly flew around looking for Covenant. Then he saw a mass of Brutes and spiders heading towards the Gazeeb Cover he flew over them and dropped a bomb. He was shot and he had an engine failure. Behind him was an enemy Phantom. He hit the eject button and he was flung into the air. He landed on top of the Phantom. He found a grip and dug his gauntlet into it. He then dropped down to its GravLift. He swung himself inside. Despite the force pushing him out, he managed to grab onto something and haul himself in. when he was inside he encountered two Brutes and a Jackal. The Phantom was much more roomier than it looked. He flung a Plasma Grenade at the closest Brute and ran into the other and they were both covered with luminous blue light before exploding. John took out his MA8B and shot the last Jackal in the head. He headed towards an archway and through there was the cockpit. There was a single Brute in there. John crept up behind him and stabbed him in the neck with his knife. He fell to the floor howling. John quickly stamped on his head and put an end to his pain. The Phantom swerved violently. John ran back to the GravLift and jumped out. He landed on the floor and managed a roll so as he wouldn't become injured. He looked up and saw the Phantom race into another Phantom. They both fell to the floor and exploded. John turned around and two Ghosts came boosting at him. He launched his MA8B Grenade Launcher at the closest one. The Grenade ripped straight through it. It swerved off and hit a wall. John shot five bursts at the oncoming one. He then jumped up in the air; he landed on the hood and booted the driver in the face. The Brute was sent flying and John jumped in the driver's seat. He launched the plasma cannons at the brute and one tore through him. He fell to the floor and was thrashing about until he stopped and lay motionless. John boosted over to a Battle Fortress. He signalled the driver to stop. Once it had stopped moving John climbed aboard the machine gun.
There were dead Marines scattered over the floor. A spider creature was lying on the ground with its tube stuck in an ODST, John fired at it and it got shredded into ribbons. The BF rumbled slowly forward. They drove straight the biggest Covenant gathering John had ever seen. He fired the machine gun until his hands burnt. Rockets and bullets flew out of the portholes. The BF was shot and had grenades stuck on it but it still held. They drove straight through it and John got shot twice. He had to drop down the ladder to let his shields recharge. Plasma slashed at the air. Rockets exploded and sent bodies flying. The yell and growl from Brutes and Jackals. Drones filled the air and they dropped like flies as John cut them up, he aimed for a Banshee and it got caught by his machine gun. Its wings blew off and it arced up and nosed into an unfortunate Brute. His entrails were smeared across the floor. John then hopped off and found a Ripper. He got in the drivers seat and drove towards a group of Marines. Two hopped onto the machine guns, and one with a Shark hopped in next to John. He sped off.
The two Marines were firing like crazy. They managed to take down at least thirty Jackals and two swarms of Drones. ODSTs flew into air because they were hit by a Wraith. Flaming vehicles littered the ground. John turned around the next corner and saw a pair of Hunters fending off three Jackals and two brutes. John told the gunners to only shoot the brutes and Jackals. They tore through the Jackals shields and their bodies fell to the floor. The brutes were then ripped apart by the Hunters Fuel Rod guns. John thought that this must be the surprise although he still keyed a COM to Lord Hood,
"Sir, this is Master Chief. I have just found two Hunters. Are they on our side or theirs?" John asked down the COM
"They are now on our side. A Covenant ship has just entered our space and it was full of Elites, Hunters and Grunts. We were going to shoot but we intercepted a message from Truth. He said that the Heretics, the Hunters, Elites and Grunts, had invaded High Charity. It said that they were being led by someone called The Arbiter. You'll just have to trust them for the moment. They could be the thing we need to turn the war in our favour. What exactly are they doing?" he asked.
"They are fending off Brutes and Jackals." He replied.
"Well then. Trust them." And the COM snapped off. John drove past the Hunters and carried on back towards the Gazeeb Cover. He came back to it and he ran over two Jackals and hit a Brute. The Brute flew into a Ghost and sent it flying into the wall. It exploded and killed two unfortunate Jackals that got in its way. John quickly turned to give the passenger a better angle on an incoming Banshee, he launched two rockets and the flier was engulfed in flames. He then fired at two Brutes who were firing at the bunker. Just then a Phantom passed overhead. It had something new on it. It was like a massive claw that hovered. It turned to a Battle Fortress and it released a massive blue spear of energy. It flew towards it and it glowed bright yellow then exploded. John quickly told them to concentrate all fire on that machine. Another Phantom came and dropped another one off. One turned directly to John. He pushed down on the pedal just before he could fire and the spear missed him by meters. The ground where it had struck now had a crater the size of a Scorpion tank. John swerved in and out of debris of Banshees and burning corpses. He hit a rock and the jeep flipped over. He quickly got back to it and grabbed the frame. He pulled it and eventually it tipped over. The ODSTs got back in. John manned a machine gun this time though. He told the driver to patrol the Gazeeb Cover. They needed to protect it at all costs. They set off and John spotted a group of Grunts led by five Elites. They had their swords out and were slicing the Brutes in half. He helped them by pulling the trigger and cutting them up. The Grunts that wore green armour ran to the front of the bunker and set up turrets there. They started firing at the Covenant. The Elites ran up to a group of Marines, who stepped away but then, came back as they started to shoot a swarm of Drones. They all ran off towards a gathering of spider creatures. John yelled at the driver who was focusing on the new members of their side rather than watching the road. He skidded into the wreckage of a downed Phantom and the vehicle rolled over. John looked up through the dust and heard the Phantoms engines still humming. He ran towards the GravLift and beckoned the Marines over. They ran towards him.
"Climb into the lift and when you get in there clear it and I shall be behind you." John told them. They climbed up the upside down Phantom and dropped in. they disappeared very quickly. John followed.
He landed on the roof of the Phantom. He got up and looked around,
"Looks all clear Chief." the ODST said. John ran over to the pilot's room and swept it. It was clear. He told everyone to hold on to something and he tapped one of the holographic controls. The engines whined and the turrets heated up. On the display it showed that one of the turrets was disabled. He ignored it and flew up and over the Gazeeb Cover. He fired the turrets and each plasma bullet found a target. They burned holes through Jackals and it blew up a Spectre. The Brutes commandeering it flew into the air and slammed into the wall. John turned the vehicle around and flew to a group of Marines. He opened up the GravLift while still firing and they all jumped aboard. He flew to the nearest cluster of Brutes who were advancing towards the bunker. He opened up with the turrets and stopped them dead in their tracks. He then flew towards three Wraith tanks who were holding up against three squads of ODSTs. He placed the GravLift on top of them and the ODSTs jumped pout on top of them. They grabbed the hatches and clubbed the drivers to death. Suddenly, an alarm went off and a picture of eleven fuel rod missiles came into view and they were heading for him. He yelled at everyone to get out. He made sure the ship was empty and was knocked off his feet as the missiles impacted. His stomach lurched as the ship spiralled out of control. He was forced to the edge of the ship and he couldn't move. He braced himself for impact and he was thrown forward. His vision became blurred and he then blacked out.
