Yes, I know, it's been way too long since I've posted a chapter. I've just been dealing with a bunch of junk lately. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy chapter 6.

Disclaimer:

SJ: Sure did take your sweet ass time, boy.

Nemesis: Hey, shut up! I've been busy!

SJ: Yeah, yeah. Excuses.

Nemesis: Why you . . .

SJ: And the worst thing is, now some poor souls will have to suffer through reading this pile of crap you cooked up.

Nemesis: What! You were just complaining on how long it took me to post this!

SJ: So? I was hopin' that might make it less painful to read it.

Nemesis: GRAAAAHHHH! That's it! You've gone too far! ((Runs through a nearby door, and emerges few seconds later wearing green cardboard boxes)) Now you shall face the wrath of the MJOLNIR Mark VII!

SJ: . . . . . . . . . . . . . ((Bursts into wild laughter and drops to the floor, rolling around and holding his stomach))

Nemesis: Hey! Quit laughing!

SJ: ((Ignores him and continues to laugh hysterically))

Nemesis: YAAAAAHHHHH! ((Starts running towards Johnson, but trips and falls flat on his face, crushing the box on his head))

SJ: ((Laughs even harder))

Nemesis: ((Mumbles, still lying motionless on the floor)) And the worst part is, I do not own Bungie, Halo, or any of its related trademarks.

SJ: ((Keeps laughing))

Nemesis: Ahh, shut up already.

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Chapter 6

1235 hours, June 19, 2556 (Military Calendar)/

UNSC Vessel Aurelius, Salusa Primus System, near Planet Solitude

"Damn," thought Warrant Officer Phillerson as he ran through the corridors of the Aurelius, his boots clanging loudly on the metal while red lights flashed over his head in correspondence with the blaring alarms. He gripped his chrome-plated HE pistol in his right hand, his index finger wrapped a bit too tightly around the trigger. "Damn, damn, damn," his thoughts repeated over and over in his head, grinding his teeth each time the word echoed inside his cranium. "This is all my fault," he then thought, finally ending the cycle. "If I had only been paying more attention, I could have prevented this. I should have been watching the monitors more closely."

He didn't realize it yet, but even though it was his responsibility to be on alert for incoming contacts, watching the small screens mounted at his console immediately after the destruction of the Covenant cruiser would have been unlikely to avert the current emergency. He would not have been able to see the Covenant infiltrator ships being launched from the enemy vessel not long before it had been consumed in a massive fireball, due to the fact that they were hidden by cloaking devices as they headed straight for the human destroyer. Unnoticed, they had guided themselves up to the hull of the Aurelius, and proceeded to bore through the titanium-A plating into the bowels of the ship. It was only then that it came to the attention of those on board what was occurring, but by then it was already too late.

Now, Covenant warriors were running amok in the lower levels of the ship, wreaking havoc while the Marines and crew tried to contain them. Unfortunately, things weren't going very well. Most of the soldiers that had been on board the infiltrator craft were Spec Ops commandos, easily identified by their glossy black armor. Even though they were greatly outnumbered, they were giving the men and women aboard the ship a Hell of a time dealing with the threat.

As if in testament to this, the acrid smell of burned flesh filled Phillerson's nostrils as he turned a corner, and the body of a Marine slumped against a wall came into view. The young Warrant Officer retched, and was forced to cover his nose as he ran past the scorched corpse, trying hard to resist the notion of stopping to stare at the horrific burns that covered the fallen soldier.

Nearing the opposite end of the corridor, he reached into his uniform, and pulled out a small crucifix that hung from around his neck, clenching it tightly in a closed fist so the points jabbed sharply into his palm. "Our Father, which art in Heaven . . ." he whispered under his breath, beginning the Lord's prayer as he turned yet another bend. Ever since he had been a small boy, his family had encouraged him to embrace religion, but he had been quite reluctant to do such things as praying before bed and attending mass every Sunday. However, he could think of no better time to reinforce his belief in the good Lord than the here and now.

". . . But deliver us from evil," he was saying, almost finished. However, his appeal was cut short as he heard noises coming from up ahead, emerging above the incessant noise of the alarm. He could hear shouting, both in human and alien tongues, plus the discharge of weapons from both sides, coming from behind a closed hatch at the end of the passageway. Quickly, he slowed his pace, and moved up against the wall. Pressing his back against it, he creeped slowly towards the source of the noise, his pistol held readily at his side. Soon, he reached the door, taking a few moments to listen to the racket that issued from behind it. Then, reaching out, he touched the panel that would open it. Immediately it slid open, revealing the firefight that lay beyond it.

A few feet away, about half a dozen Marines had made a makeshift barrier in a corridor that ran perpendicular to the one he was currently standing in. It was made up of several different objects, ranging from the long steel tables that usually populated the cafeteria, to thin sheets of titanium-A that had most likely been liberated from a supply room. It was the only protection offered to the small band of soldiers huddling behind it, who occasionally popped over their blockade to take a potshot at the enemy every now and then, ducking down again immediately afterwards.

Because of the corner formed by the intersection, he could not see who they were firing at, but he had no need to set eyes upon them to know they were there. Green and blue plasma bolts flew wildly over the hapless soldier's heads, while the barks and yips of excited Grunts and the guttural roars of Elites rang through the frenzied air. Overall, it was a scene of utter chaos.

Taking a deep breath, Tom moved forward into the fray. Almost immediately, he was greeted by the Marines with cries of "Look out!" and "Get down!" He needed no warning, and was already crouching as he moved behind the barricade. It didn't make him any less wary of the plasma sizzling over his head though, and his heart was already pounding as he took up a position next to the nearest Marine.

Taking another deep breath, he pulled back the slide of his weapon and loaded a round into the chamber, muttering "For thine is the kingdom." He let it go, allowing the slide to snap back into place. "And the power," He held the gun straight out before him, preparing to stand up. "And the glory," He popped up and whipped around, aiming carefully as plasma sliced the air all around him. "Forever." He gained a bead on an Elite in black armor, a commando, and closed one eye as he lined up the sight with the creature. "Amen," he whispered, and squeezed the trigger.

Meanwhile, deep within Solitude, the Master Chief switched on his night vision as the doors slid shut behind him and the eight ODSTs. The room immediately plunged into complete and total darkness. He paused, shaking off the feeling that they were now trapped like animals, and began to study their surroundings.

The room was somewhat like the one they had just been in. It was circular, and the stone walls curved inward and upward, forming a dome above their heads. The similarities ended there, however. The room was at least twice as wide in diameter. About twelve feet off the ground, a metal platform ran all the way around the room. There were eleven other doorways besides the one they had just entered through. Ten of them were accessible only if one stood upon the platform, while the last one was set into the wall on the opposite side of the room from where John was standing. In turn, the platform could only be reached by coming from those doors. Lastly, several thousand mysterious symbols were in engraved in the walls from floor to ceiling, leaving not one square inch of stone uncovered.

Mystified, the Chief's head continued to pan back and forth as he observed the strange place. Suddenly, his helmet speakers crackled loudly and a voice erupted from them. Had it been a lesser, inadequately trained man in his place, they would most likely have jumped straight out of the armor at the unexpected noise. But, because this was a man who had spent nearly half of his life training for such things, and the other half battling the mighty Covenant, he simply paused as Cortana's familiar voice rang into his ears.

"Miss me?" she asked, a playful tone apparent in her voice.

"Not really," the Chief lied, allowing a small hint of humor into his response.

"Hey, that hurt," she replied jovially. Had she been using a hologram, it would have been smirking, its hands resting on its hips.

"Where have you been?" he asked suddenly, changing the conversation from a friendly exchange to more serious topics. "Why did you take so long to establish contact?"

"Covenant security A.I." she answered curtly. "They've been chasing me through the system. I sent a few thousand echoes down several electronic pathways exactly seven seconds ago to confuse them. That should keep them busy for a little longer." Her tone of voice was quite smug.

"Did you find anything helpful?" he asked next.

"A few interesting details, but nothing that would be useful to you." Her voice became disappointed, almost as if she was slightly upset that she had been unable to find something that could help him.

"Don't worry about it. Just keep searching," he told her.

"Okay Chief." She paused for a moment, sounding as if she was checking something, and said "I have to go. Those security A.I. are getting a little too close for comfort. I'll contact you whe– . . ." She stopped again, as if something had caught her attention. Without warning, the room was filled with light as several overhead projectors switched on. Suddenly she yelled "Chief! Look out!" His head snapped up immediately, just in time to watch as all the doors upon the platform slid open simultaneously, and Covenant warriors began to pour out of them.

His rifle came up at once, along with the weapons of the other eight soldiers with him, and opened fire. Within seconds, the lifeless bodies of Grunts, Elites, and Jackals were toppling from the platform to the hard floor below. However, there were too many of them. Even as three bullets fired from John's rifle tore mercilessly through the body of a Grunt, three more took its place. Within seconds, they were surrounded. Hundreds of plasma weapons pointed straight at them from several feet above their head. As the angry roars of Elites, whines of several overcharged plasma pistols, and rattling of battle rifles and SMGs filled the air, John could not help thinking he was about to die.