This chapter was pretty short, and not that great, andthis will be the shortest section. Earth is soundin' better, though.


Section I

Cairo Station

Part II: Priority Shift

The Master Chief led the way into the next hangar. We passed through a broken bulkhead, and into a dark room, filled with debris and smoke. A dead Marine in a white-uniform greeted us; the MC kneeled beside the corpse and removed the dog tag before moving on.

We marched through a bend, and the Spartan continued into the hangar. Two barriers had been set up where I stood, just before the hangar; there were multiple human corpses, a turret, and a few weapons. Moving into Hangar A-02, I glanced at the MC as he sniped two Grunts on the walkway above. The room was almost exactly the same as the former; except it was missing a Pelican and no Marines dominated the catwalks. There were four plasma turrets above.

I ambled through the maze of cargo boxes and hugged the wall opposite the glass panels. While the huge green Spartan attracted the attention of the aliens, I moved through a broken bulkhead. I could now see the second part of the hangar clearly: the boarding ship, a few energy barriers, and many Covenant. I raised my SMG, and began to fire half-heartedly at them. Drawing attention myself was not on my priority list.

The Master Chief's fire brought down one Elite; almost subsequently, a second wave of Covenant began to file out of the craft. Two Grunts caught sight of me and fired with their plasma pistols as the Marines and the MC attacked from the side. I retreated behind a bulkhead and waited for the fire to discontinue. I poked my head back out; the Grunts were dead, but I caught sight of a shield-less Elite taking cover behind a cargo crate. I aimed my SMG and scored a few hits, but not enough to kill it. Instead, it stumbled backwards and right into the Spartan's line-of-fire. Unsurprisingly, it went down.

A third wave spilled out of the boarding craft. I sighed exasperatedly. So many waves . . .

A plasma blast whizzed past my ear. I screeched and leapt behind a crate, and listened to the sounds of gunfire. I heard a Marine cry out, and a few more Grunt sobs. I ducked out again and held down the SMG's trigger. A few Grunts went down, and the Elite's shields flickered. The Master Chief, now holding a Plasma Rifle and a Magnum, rushed forward and finished it off.

I put my hands on my knees and exhaled. That should have been the last boarding craft on our side of Cairo station. The battle was over.

Dread suddenly filled my veins as a Marine called, "Uh-oh. Hey, they're leaving the Athens . . ." A moment later, a shudder passed over the Cairo. I sprinted over to the glass panels, and watched the debris spiral through space.

I heard Cortana and Lord Hood converse over the comm. The AI – Cortana – believed the explosion to be a bomb, brought aboard the Malta and Athens by the Covenant. Fleet Admiral Hood ordered the Master Chief to find the one onboard the Cairo.

Crap, I thought glumly. Our boat could pop at any moment.

The Master Chief disappeared into the MAC storage room below. The Marines loitered around for the moment, reloading weapons, dragging corpses away, and collecting dog tags. For the moment, we were lacking in duties.

Only for the moment. Soon, Sergeant Johnson bustled into the hangar through the broken bulkhead. His white dress uniform was splashed with purple and blue blood. He still held a Battle Rifle, though.

Sighing, groaning, and complaining, the Marines assembled. Sergeant Johnson looked over them, called out a few insults before informing us of our mission. "More Covenant are holed up deeper in the station." He told us. "We need to dig them out.

"Locklear, Price, come with me," the sergeant ordered. "Alex and Rodriguez – stay here, guard the area."

I followed Sarge and the other Marine through the broken bulkhead and into a long hall. "This'll lead to Security B-01, where they're campin' out," Johnson told us, before plowing on. The hall was obviously a sight of battle; there were pockmarks from plasma, and bullet holes dotted the walls. Many dead Grunts and a few dead Marines littered the floor.

We passed by another door, and kept going until we arrived at another locked bulkhead. Johnson tapped on a nearby keypad until the door ponderously opened up. Two Grunts beyond the door hopped in surprise as they saw us; we immediately gunned them down. Sergeant Johnson led us up a staircase, and into Security B-01. Four Elites – two with red armor – were waiting, and a few Grunts were also waddling about. Johnson burst in guns blazing; Locklear leapt in, and immediately took two Plasma Rifle shots in the chest. I fired a burst of bullets before ducking behind a computer console. Self-preservation is always wise.

Closing my eyes, I unpinned a frag grenade and tossed it over the console. It exploded, though I did not see the results. There was a burst of plasma fire, and I heard Sergeant Johnson's muffled cheer, "Good job, Corporal!'

There was two more Battle Rifle bursts, and then silence. I glanced up, and saw the corpses, including the other Marine's. Sergeant Johnson still stood. He dragged me up, and I caught a glance of the room below: Commons R-02. Covenant troops were filing in, though I didn't mention it to Johnson. He didn't notice, and we continued into the next room.

"These are the umbilicals," Johnson told me as we entered the hall. I kneeled down behind two small boxes, and checked the passage for Covenant. Empty, except for the corpse of a uniformed sergeant.

The sound of gunfire exploded from ahead. Plasma fire erupted from a passageway leading off back to the hangars. Suddenly, hopping over a small crate came a slim female figure in the gray unisex uniform of UNSC bridge crew. She came sprinting full-speed toward us and ended in a sprawl. Two more white-uniformed Marines appeared from the passageway, slowly retreating toward us and firing Battle Rifle bursts toward the emerging Covenant.

"Ma'am," Johnson said to the woman, helping her up. "Corporal, this is Commander Keyes," he jerked his head at the black-haired commander. I blinked, and saluted. Johnson continued, "I want you to head back to the hangars, Price."

I nodded and glanced at the Elites and approaching Marines. Two Grunts fell, dead, as I watched. I raised my SMG and fired one the Elites, and plasma fire came at me in answer. Ducking behind the cover, I waited for the other Marines to finish the Elites before standing and running down the corridor. I banked to the right, and headed down the next hallway, leading directly back to the hangars.

As I entered, I listened to the lovely sound of silence. Hangar A-02 was empty; I proceeded to Hangar A-01, just as the Pelican within burst to life. A familiar voice called, "Nathan! Come on, we're heading down the Earth!"

I trotted to the back of the Pelican, and entered by stepping into the troop space. The familiar voice belonged to Vic Doyle; Zoë Stevens was inside, too. Surveying the Marines and strapping in, I asked why.

"A Covenant carrier is making a break for Africa, we've heard. We're being sent down!" He exclaimed excitedly. I gripped the metal bars beside the seat as the Pelican lifted off, and headed into space.