"Corporal, sir?"
Fitz took his eyes off the enemy for a second to glance back at Private Beck. "What is it, marine?"
"How are we going to take out those hunters, sir?"
"Don't worry, Private. I have something up my sleeve, I'm just waiting for the perfect moment to use it," he lied. Better to give the men false hope than make them panic and ensure all their deaths.
Fitz turned his head back to the enemy and ducked at the sight of a cloud of purple glass needles heading his way. They passed over his head, but Private Beck wasn't so fast to react. The needles penetrated every inch of his body, he screamed in pain, but the dreadful sounds was drowned out by the explosion shockwave that shattered his body into a thousand bloody pieces.
By the time Fitz turned back to the Private, all he saw was a scorched patch of snow where he had previously stood, and a thick purple mist that hung in the air above. Fitz was lucky enough to duck, but maybe Beck was really the lucky one, at least for him the whole nightmare of war was over.
A distant roar rose as the sound of the explosion subsided. What the fuck now? Fitz wondered silently, until the purple mist blew away on the wind, leaving the blissful sight of a warthog racing their way at full speed. Fitz didn't recognise the driver at first, it was just a green blur through the snowstorm, but as the friendly vehicle neared, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Could it be? Did the Master Chief really survive the attack on the Autumn? And now he's coming to our rescue when we need him the most? It all seemed very convenient to Fitz, but he wasn't one to complain about being saved.
The warthog skidded to a stop mere metres away from the marines' cover. The distant sun glinted off the Spartan's orange visor as he climbed out of the vehicle. "Who's in charge here?" The deep voice boomed through his external speakers and cut through the snowstorm.
"M- Me, sir. Corporal Fitz." He gave a nervous salute. He had never seen a Spartan in the flesh… or in the armour rather. He had heard the stories, of course, but seeing this seven foot tall monster of a soldier with his own two eyes was a very different experience.
"You got a good driver?" The green giant asked.
Fitz pointed to one of his men, Private Jones. "We've got the best from the whole Autumn."
The Chief nodded. "Good." A couple of glassy needles hit his armour and popped on his dreamy shields, he didn't even seem to notice as he climbed onto the back of the warthog, clutching onto the mounted chain gun with his giant paws. "Get in."
"Fuck yeah, Chief." Fitz signalled to Private Jones, who shouldered his assault rifle and jumped into the driving seat. Fitz turned back to the rest of his men as he ran around the vehicle to get in the passenger seat. "Let's show these animals a real good time. We'll draw their fire, move up behind us and pick off the stragglers."
The marines saluted their Corporal and gathered their supplies.
The Master Chief slammed a hand on the chain gun, preparing the weapon to fire. "Drive."
Fitz felt himself sink into the tough passenger seat as the warthog's treads threw up billows of snow behind them with the acceleration, temporarily masking the marines' advance. The Covenant army swarmed ahead, eyes and guns all pointed his way. Fitz loaded a fresh clip into his rifle and took aim.
Just a quick update because I've been busy with other things, but I'll finish the story as soon as possible, when real life has settled down.