Halo Marine Story

by Paiyaku

A new recruit thrown into the conflict on Earth is surprised when his squad is given the job to find the Master Chief and his squad of Spartans that have gone missing.

In the underground tunnel dust would fall through the cracks as the cannons blasted from the tanks on the streets above. The marines were moving through the bodies of their comrades' lay scattered in the dust of the tunnel. The platoon sergeant kept his eyes sharp for the green glow of the lasers that would fly at him soon. He listened for the hissing of lasers. They came at an exit in the tunnel and saw a giant hole where the locks were on the doors and it gave a perfect sign that the enemy had been through this area and could go back in if they needed to.

"Higgins, set up that MG here, check your targets before firing, our boys are mixed in with the enemy."

"Sure thing sarge." The soldier said as he quickly set up the machine gun.

"Let's go down here! They are blowing us away up there!"

The doors were thrown open and five grunts came running down the stairs unaware the marines were there waiting for them.

"FIRE!"

Guns blasted and the Grunts were torn apart before they could even look up to see what was happening.

"Good job boys, this is a new front line, Higgins, you and Johnston stay here and man this MG I don't want anything coming through here unless it's human."

"Yes sarge." The two soldiers said nervously.

"Everyone else, we are heading up to the street, this position is safe if we need to rally. First platoon should be above us, so if they are in trouble then give'em a hand!"

Eight soldiers followed the sergeant out doors to the surface. There they found dead enemies everywhere, marines were clearing the area and fortifying the area.

"What's going on here?" the sergeant asked a marine.

"Oh, we owned 'em all the way down the street. We have most of the area under our control!" the marine said as he opened a bear and took a sip.

The captain got furious and knocked the beer from the marine's hand and shouted, " Several Grunts made their way down the stairs in that tunnel how did they get by you guys?"

"I can answer that sergeant, put him down he doesn't know anything." The Captain said as he approached the sergeant.

"We came through there so quick the Covenant didn't know what hit them. I can't believe we did it so fast, seemed almost too easy."

Get your team up here and get ready to move out, the covenant is going counter attack and we need every inch of soil we have.

"Hey look Pelicans!" a marine shouted as he pointed at a huge fleet of them.

"It starts…" the sergeant said as he walked off to his squad.

Meanwhile up in space the Covenant were battling the U.N.S.C. Ship to ship combat.

"Alpha one you have a bogey on your tail, pull up and I'll take him out!"

"I can't see anything! Where is he?"

"Behind you! Pull up! Pull up!"

"Oh my God! AAGH"

The Banshee blasted the fighter and it crashed into the side of a covenant ship.

"Alpha three fall back to our battle cruiser and we'll try to make another run on the enemy battle ship."

"Roger that Alpha two.

The ships through the scattered debris of bodies, scrap metal and rock then making a giant loop and flying at the covenant battle ship at full speed.

"Alpha two, I am getting a lot of flak from those cannons, I suggest we try a different approach!"

"Negative Alpha three, stay on target! Don't let up! Put all energy to your front shields."

Alpha two flew in close right over the battle ship and dropped thousands of pounds in bombs on the enemy ship tearing large wholes in it. Alpha three flew in and took a hit to the left wing from an enemy flak cannon throwing him into a spin.

"I've lost control! EJECTING!"

The space fighter was upside down and when the pilot ejected he was blown to dust by a flak cannon.

"Oh my-"

"Alpha two, your squadron can pull back now, squadron two is ready to go! Head back and refuel now."

The pilot relaxed in his cockpit and set his course for the U.N.S.C. Space cruiser hangar.

Hours later down on earth the marines were taking a hard beating. A Pelican is flying in with more soldiers every hour on the hour.

This is where our hero enters, no he is not the master chief, but he is a new recruit who everyone calls Jackson.

"Get ready troops! We are entering New York City as you have been told a little while ago. The area is going to be hot when we land chances are the pelican is going to be destroyed, you need to get out as soon as the green light turns on. When we land, I want you to head out and go into the nearest building, I don't care if that means getting separated from your buddy, you will enter the nearest building or get to the closest cover. I don't want to see any of you just standing in the open. You know the emergency drills, do not let your emotions or feelings affect you, I need marines not babies! Good luck gentleman! God be with you!"

The pelican began it's descend and it flew in for an intersection where the most fighting was taking place. I looked at my gun making sure it was good and ready to go. I watched the civilians who had no time to evacuate being shot apart. Marines were shooting and screaming and I knew I would be right in that with them, but I wanted to be those civilians down there that were making it away with out a scratch, they were running away and I was being thrown right at the enemy.

The green light came on, but then it went off and then followed a loud explosion that flung the doorway of the pelican to where we were looking straight at the ground.

"Hold on!"

I saw a soldier who was sitting next to me fall out then get knocked up into the air by the floor of the pelican doorway.

"Oh my God. What's happening?"

"We've been hit! Get ready! We're going down!"

I looked out the side window and saw buildings were now beside us and we were descending rapidly. We flew over a group of marines who were in horror of what flew over them.

"Zero-one, Zero-one come in, over!"

"Zero-one here"

"What's your status you are going down in a hot area I repeat hot area."

"We have been hit! I can't get pull up! Please advise while we are still in the air!"

"Zero-one, there is an old service tunnel that goes under the city. Marines are fighting through the tunnel and you can link up with any you find."

"Roger that!"

We looked out the door and saw a surface to air weapon system. It fired holes in the pelican and the pelican came crashing down it blew into the tunnel with flames and sparks shooting out everywhere. The wings had already broken off and were bouncing behind us. The pelican began to turn sideways as it got into the open tunnel area and went into a roll where marines were thrown out left and right. I held on tight as marines flew out screaming. The sergeant was missing he had to of been thrown out like the others. Eventually the rolling went into a tumble and I was thrown from side to side and whole parts of the pelican were busting off in flames. I could hear the pilots shouting to each other as they tried to handle the situation.

"Jerry! Reverse thrusters!"

"No man, they might launch us into the ceiling if I activate them at the wrong time!"

"Then activate them at the right time dangit!"

"No I can't do it! It's slowing down anyway!"

"Jerry it's not! If you don't I'm going to!"

"No Don't!"

The ship bolted backwards as the thrusters flickered on and off and the pilots stopped shouting and the ship came crashing to a halt.

I looked up from the floor of the pelican and saw a marine standing over me with his hand stretched out to me.

"You okay marine?"

"Yeah I think so, what happened?"

"We got breezed by the Covenant, I've seen worse."

I walked out of the door and saw parts scattered all over the service tunnel I walked around to the front of the pelican and saw the pilots had been thrown out of the cockpit and died on impact against the cement barriers of the road. The entire pelican was unrecognizable; it was a ball of twisted metal and fire. There was blood on the floor where the marine had been thrown out when we got hit the first time.

"Poor guy, I bet he's in a world of hurt right now." The marine said with a smile.

"What do you mean? He fell like fifty feet to the ground there's no way he could have survived it." I said.

I looked at the surrounding area; medics were helping the other marines who had been thrown out of the pelican.

"Has anyone seen the sarge?" I shouted.

"He left!"

"What do you mean he left?"

"He jumped out of the pelican, didn't you see him do it?"

"No, I was holding on for my life"

"Yeah, I don't know where he is, but he's not with us. Captain Osaka is the CO until we meet up with the rest of our boys."

I looked over and saw an Asian marine with a scar across his face and a serious look on his face.

"You! Get on that warthog turret! I need a recon down this road to see if it's clear!" he shouted as he pointed at me.

Two other marines were waiting for me and as soon as I got buckled down and strapped to the Gauss cannon the driver floored it.

Oldies music was blaring from the speakers as we flew down the road.

"Mind turning that crap off?"

"Yep! If I'm gunna die in this war I might as well go with my favorite music playing!"

We drove into a new area of the tunnel where covenant bodies were scattered all over and were charred.

"What happen to them?"

"Napalm! Out fly-boys dropped a couple thousand pounds of this stuff all over the service tunnel entrances for our cover."

"How often do they do it?"

"As often as they need to, they fly over this area once every twenty minutes."

"This battle pretty much is ours isn't it?"

"No not really, these areas of the city are just small skirmishes, an enemy cruiser went down in Manhattan Island and you can't get near that area. They got AA Guns up the anus there!"

"Can't our ships fire from space?"

"Heck yeah, but they are locked in thick combat up there."

"Must be pretty bad."

"Oh yeah, I'm glad to be a marine, I can control how I wanna die. Not just sitting in a ship pushing buttons only to have it all blow up in my face. I am always on the ball down here, ain't nothing gunna happen to me!"

A sniper shot exploded the driver's head and the car spun out throwing the passenger out and before he could get up, he was run over by the warthog.

I fired rounds into the debris and saw it all start moving with the enemy charging at me. I fired and fired each shot taking out more than I ever thought I would even get to see.

They kept coming, charging at me firing lasers in aimless directions as the gauss cannon blew holes in their ranks. I kept firing until the gun stopped; it started making a low click every time I pulled the trigger, which was a clear sign that it was empty. I jumped off and pulled up my Battle Rifle and started firing bullets into the horde of enemies. I was running backwards and firing at the enemies, but they kept coming and I was running low on ammo.

I tripped over a metal pole and my rifle fell out of my hands, the drooling bloodthirsty beasts were charging at me with beam swords being waved in the air. Suddenly a line of bullets cut through them from behind me. I turned around and saw the Sarge with a Chain gun laughing maniacally as he covered the enemy with lead.

"Jackson, what are you doing in this area?"

"On recon sir, what happened to you?"

"I jumped out."

"When?"

"About the time we crashed into the tunnel."

"I'm not even going to ask how you survived jumping out at that speed sir."

"Good, we need to get moving, The Spartans are moving up soon and the Master Chief is waiting on us."

"Spartans?"

"The elite special forces of the U.N.S.C. they are going into Manhattan."

He pulled me to my feet and handed my some magazines for my battle rifle.

"Did anyone survive the crash besides your private?"

"Yes sir, most of the troops made it, but the pilots are dead."

"Let's go, we need to get back to the ship."

We got into the warthog and drove back to the drop ship where the rest of the marines were.

"Sergeant Evers, Good to see you alive, I thought for sure you were dead." Captain Osaka said waving to us.

"Nope, alive and well sir, what's the situation?"

"Not good. Drop ships went down all over the area, the Spartans can't be reached they went down in Manhattan and no one can reach them. Fifty Spartans are down and not one of them can talk to us. As for the rest of the pelicans that went down, we fear they may be over run soon and others are not responding."

"Okay, How can we help?"

"There is a Pelican waiting outside for you and your men you have fighter escort so should you run into trouble you have plenty of cover. You will be landing in Manhattan as the first marines to enter the area; you will be near the pelican that was carrying the Master Chief. Find him, if he is dead then immediately retreat from the area with his body. Cortana is still plugged up to his suit and we can't afford to lose her."

"Yes sir, I will gather my men and we will be ready."

The sergeant saluted and then gathered us together for the briefing.

"Okay boys, listen up! The Spartans have been shot down in Manhattan; we can't reach anyone on the COM link. We are going in to find out what happened to them. Keep an eye out for the master chief, he is a survivor and chances of him being dead are very few. I don't want you guys wandering off alone, the area is hot, and we still don't even know what took the covenant ship down in that area. Expect heavy resistance, but check your targets. Let's get ready to go troops."

"Whoa, whoa, are you serious about this?"

"Yes I am, shut up and get in the Pelican on the street above!"

We took off running up the entrance to the service tunnel, there were about twenty of us. This was the first time we had been on the ground in New York since we left the ship. The carnage was widespread; cars were on fire, people bleeding and crying out as medics tried to help them. Bodies of covenant and humans were scattered all over the place, birds were also dead on the ground, and covenant prisoners being rounded up to be shot. A pelican was waiting for us; people were looking at it in awe of it.

"Let's go marines! Saddle up!" the sergeant shouted.

We quickly got in the pelican and strapped ourselves in for the ride. As soon as we were all in the pelican took off with a loud boom from the engines. Out the open door of the pelican I could see the fighting going on through the rest of the city, marines were just taking out the last of whatever was left in the area.

"Flying over crash zone one."

"Man look at that! Poor guys didn't know what hit them!"

I looked out the window behind me and saw marines sprawled out on the ground, some of them were on fire, and some were in pieces. The pelican that they were in was in several pieces. The wings were grinded in to the ground and the cockpit and most of the middle part was sticking into a building. The engines had fallen on covenant vehicles and destroyed them. There was a big black scorch mark around the middle of it all.

"Did any survive?"

"Not that I know of!"

"Approaching water, we are getting closer to Manhattan!"

I looked around, the other guys were scared, I could see it in their eyes.

"We haven't taken any enemy fire yet!"

That shocked us all when one of the pilots said that. We began to believe that the Spartans might have taken them all out. We were wrong of course.

"AMBUSH!"

Covenant cannon fire filled the sky, the ship was knocked around, but the pilots held their course.

"Escort what's your status?"

"Aaagh! Systems down, I'm being electrocuted by the controls! Ejecting!"

The pilot of the fighter ejected out and he landed safely in the city. The fighter spun out and crashed into an enemy cannon.

"We will have to find him when we land!"

"Get ready! Thirty Seconds!"

The ship was rocking from side to side, I held onto my gun afraid of losing it. Suddenly a loud explosion sounded and the ship went into a spin towards the ground.

"The Pilots are dead! We gotta jump!"

"No way I'm jumping sarge!"

"Get off your butt and Jump!"

As the ship continued to wobble and spin we jumped out activating our parachutes and landed perfectly on the ground.

"Sarge where are we?"

"Right where we're suppose to be," he said looking at his GPS.

"I don't see any Spartans, you would think that they made an impact in this area or something."

"That's why we're here. Now move out!"

We were in a park; one of the Spartan Pelican's could be seen in a clearing.

"There, ok Jackson, you and Higgins go check out that pelican over there, then report back to me."

"Yes sir," we said as we ran towards the clearing.

"So, what do you think man?"

"About what?"

"The Spartans, why the heck aren't they anywhere around?"

"You saw back on the Liberator, a four man squad retook the ship. How could they all just go missing?"

"They might have lost their radio or something, maybe covenant radio interference."

"Yeah sure whatever," Higgins said as he rested his gun on his shoulder.

We approached the clearing to find the Spartan Pelican in fair shape. There was something moving in the doorway, but we couldn't see what it was.

"Jackson, on point" Higgins said pointing at the Pelican.

I raised my gun and walked towards the Pelican, when I approached I saw a pilot with a broken leg.

When he saw me he grabbed a pistol and pointed it at me saying, "Get back! Get back! I won't let you get me!"

"What are you talking about? Where's everyone else?"

"The Spartans? Those idiots left me! Here to die!"

"They wouldn't do that."

"Yes they would and they did, they were headed for another drop ship, they said was having trouble. The would be back in a few minutes."

"It's been hours, I can't get anything on the Radio."

"Jackson, Higgins, What's going on over there?"

"We found one person, Pilot. Name says Jenkins."

"Is he hurt?"

"His right leg is broken, we need to get him out of here sir."

"Sit tight, medics will be on their way."

"Medics are coming, you stay here and wait for them."

"Okay, find those Spartans, I know they were headed north."

"Thanks."

We ran off back to the sergeant when Higgins fell into a ditch.

"Aw, you okay man?" I said while laughing.

"Shut up! Get me outta this ditch!"

"Freeze! I said freeze! Don't move"

"Whoa dude, take it easy!"

A Spartan stood up; he was wearing a ghilly suit.

"What are you marines doing here?"

"We were sent here to find you guys, we haven't reached any radio transmissions from you guys."

"Sarge, we found a Spartan,"

"I see you we're coming."

When the rest of the platoon showed up the sergeant asked the Spartan, "What happened to you guys?"

"It was bad, we landed, ready for anything. The master chief took a selected few with him and ran into the city. We were told to hold the park and this side of the island until reinforced. That's when it got bad. The covenant came at us with everything they had. Drop ships, Space fleet bombardment the works. Out of the Fifty of us, thirty of us were killed. The master chief is still out there, he has nine other guys with him, and the rest are underground."

"This is bad, any chance of reaching the master chief?"

"We have his location on the GPS, but he hasn't moved for hours, his vital signs are normal, but he isn't moving."
"Have you seen a pilot from a fighter?"

"We saw him go down that way." The Spartan said pointing down a trail.

We went down the trail where we saw a trail of blood leading up to the pilot, he was tied to a table and his insides were carved out and his hands were sliced open.

"My God, why would they do this?"

"No idea, let's get moving," the sergeant said.

We got back to the Spartan he was waiting for us.

"Find him?"

"Yeah, they got him."

"Pretty messed up right?"

"How do you know what happened to him?"

"Covenant always do that to prisoners who don't tell them anything."

"Dang."

"You guys need to rest? It's safe down here."

We followed the Spartan down a tunnel into a large room where several other Spartans were sitting.

"Marines? What are you guys doing here?"

"Searching for you guys." The sergeant said.

"Well you found us, you might as well hang out here, Master chief said to hold the area."

"Get on your feet soldier, you may be a Spartan, but I still outrank you. Now get up and let's move out."

Later we were heading out of the park towards the Chief's position. The city was in pretty bad shape, buildings blown in, cars scattered into pieces, burnt remains of people, and dead covenants piled up in heaps.

"Okay troops, the Chief is on top of this building. Remember he took some Spartans with him; this area has been ripped apart and anyone still alive is gunna be pretty shaken. Check your targets."

We rushed the building checking every room and as we got to the top floor, which had a human body parts scattered all over the place.

"What happened here?"

"We'll find out soon enough, get up to the roof and get to the Chief."

We rushed into the room that had a staircase leading to the roof.

"Who are you?"

"Marines! Don't shoot!"

"No! Your one of them! I wont let you get me!"

The Spartan fired several shots, but was stopped when the captain quickly got to him and knocked him out.

"Medic, sedate him, keep an eye on him. Marines lets get up top!"

We went up the staircase and once we were on the roof we saw the Chief. He was covered with covenant blood and body parts. He looked like a dead covenant abomination. He had a long sniper rifle in his hands and was staring down the scope. The sarge looked through the binoculars at the ship miles away that was crashed in Manhattan. The chief fired off a shot and a covenant fell off onto a pile of dead covenants.

"Master Chief, we need to get out of here!"

"Not until I paint that ship for the ships in space."

"Home base this is unit 2-1 in we have found the chief, I repeat we have found the chief."

"Good job, we are en route to your position hold the area until we arrive."

As soon as the sarge got off the radio with the pilot the streets filled with covenant.

"This is gunna be bad! Troops get downstairs and hold every floor!"

We ran down the stairs, we reached the second floor and locked it up tight, one entrance to the second floor made it easier to hold.

"Get ready guys, there's no way we are going to hold this building for long."

"Did you see all the covenant out there? Thousands."

The enemies blew open the door and they came running in.

"Blast'em!"

I opened fire on the grunts and blood was spewing out of them as they fell to the ground screaming. We continued to fire, but they were getting closer and pushing us up floor by floor.

"Jackson, your still alive, good, one floor above us then the room that leads to the roof. We can't last much longer."

A plasma explosion rocketed us up the stairs and collapsed the staircase. Some marines were trapped and the slicing of beam swords and blood curdling screams filled our ears only for a few seconds.

"Jackson, Higgins, get up here, everyone else has made it up top to the ship, get up here!"

We ran up the stairs and towards the drop ship. We boarded and it soared off the top, we flew back to base and were debriefed after, but were soon thrown back into the tunnel we had crashed in. This time to hold off against the biggest covenant attack we had ever seen. To Be Continued.