Ok guys. Enjoy Chapter 3 of Atlas.
P.S: I just wanted to say thanks to edboy4926 Who cleared up some lore mistakes I made. Cheers, that helped out a lot.
It was very rare that John felt nervous, in fact, ever since he finished his augmentation, he hasn't felt a lot of anything. They were told beforehand that they would be faster, stronger, smarter. Everything about them would increase and a part of that would be the numbing of emotions, to increase battlefield readiness, adaptability, the processing of information. The lessoning of emotions that had no place on the battlefield anyway seemed like a small price to pay.
And yet he felt it. Nervous. It was odd, he is completely surrounded by the Spartans. His brothers and sisters in one of the many different locker rooms that the base held, he himself was already ready. Clad in full armour, assault rifle held against his chest and pistol on his hip. He looked around the room and he could see everyone preparing with their best gear. While they did that he worked, he couldn't be physically more prepared so he worked mentally. Tried to think of every possible strategy he would need to complete his mission.
A mission which they couldn't afford to fail, live fire. They've done it before but never with all of them at once. Though they did have the advantage, the mission will be taking place in 'The Back Yard' they've trained in those woods for years, they know it better than anyone. Whoever this 'Atlas' was, it wouldn't know the battlefield more than them.
"So, what do you think it is?" Linda asked as she looked down the scope of her rifle. John and a handful of others who started to finish gearing up also turned to look at her "Atlas" she clarified.
"It's got to be a type of drone" Douglas said as he cocked his weapon "or a mech or something"
Naomi finished herself and moved to stand next to him "could be another program like ours" she offered.
He gave a small shrug "anything's possible" was all he was able to give her. Which was true, they may be loyal but they weren't stupid, they knew very well just how little they knew ONI. With them it could be anything.
"we'll find out what it is soon" a deeper voice said and John turned his head to see Jorge walking towards them, his heavy machine gun held under his arm. Something he could use better than any other, which wasn't too surprising, he was without doubt the biggest Spartan that they had. Towering over the others, both in hight and bulk.
"Jorge is right" John said as he took a step forward "SPARTANS! FRONT AND CENTER!" he shouted and without complaint or hesitation, every single one of them moved forward in front of him and stood in a perfect line, their backs straight and weapons held ready "you know the mission, eliminate project Atlas by any means necessary and we will complete this mission. Fred" he announced, and his long-time friend stepped forward "choose three others to go with you on Red team for a flanking manoeuvre. The rest will march forward" he ordered.
It wasn't a hard choice to make, Fred was a great leader second only to himself and he was trusted by the others to lead as well "I'll take Kelly, Kurt and Daisy" he announced. Those three stepped forward and moved next to him.
John nodded at the choice and then turned around "Spartans, fallout" he announced and every Spartan around him moved in a single file line towards their destination. The primary entrance to 'The Back yard'
After a few minutes of marching, they reached the exit and the door opened before they stopped. They marched outside and once the last spartan stepped onto the soil the large metal doors closed behind them. John stopped just on the edge of the tree line and all others fell in behind him, they didn't move from that spot as they waited for the go ahead "alright Spartans" the voice of their trainer Mendez came through com they all wore "Project Atlas is stationed on the opposite side of The Back Yard. When you get the signal, the exercise begins. Your objective is to eliminate project Atlas however you see fit, his objective is the same. The exercise will end when all combatants on the opposite side are out of action. How you achieve this objective is up to you, there are no rules, there are no time limits. Good luck Spartans" he said before the com cut out.
John stood firm in the face of the mission and took a step forward while the others waited. Their helmets all held a heads-up display that would tell them when to begin "when we get the signal, red team goes on the left while all others move forward. Linda, I want you up high on looking for targets, Jorge be her spotter and watch her back" he ordered all present.
"Understood" everyone echoed.
The small red dot on the top right of their helmets suddenly turned green "move out" he order and everyone raised their weapons and started to move forward into the trees. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see red team moving to the left side under Fred and to his right he could see Linda sprinting forward before placing her sniper on her back and climbing up on of the large trees present, Jorge planting himself at the base of the tree, his large machine gun raised high and scanning the area for a target to fire upon. The rest of the twenty-seven Spartans marched behind him into the forest, all of which had their weapons raised and looked for their targets.
This was the best possible action, they had no idea what Atlas was or what it could do. If they were spread out too much they could be wiped out in one fell swoop, but in this formation they wouldn't be attacked with heavy resistance and once they get an accurate assessment on the enemy, they would adapt. Linda will start taking shots from her vantage point and those bullets are nothing to scoff at. When they encounter the enemy Red team will start the flanking manoeuvre and take them from the side. They'll be on the far left so there is very little chance of Red team encountering Atlas first but if that is the case then the primary Spartan force would move in and surround them.
"CONTACT!" Fred's voice came through the com and all Spartans stopped marching forward and turned to face the direction Red team where stationed a hundred or so meters into the dense forest "Daisy's down!" he added.
Before John even ordered it, all Spartans began to march forward towards Red team and a quickened "Red team, Status" he ordered.
"One target, light armour, has some kind of enhanced speed tech... KELLY" he shouted suddenly as the sound of gunfire could be heard.
When the Spartans heard the gun fire they all moved into a full sprint hoping to aid their brothers and sisters before it was too late. John was the first to reach them, bursting through the tree line just in time to dodge the quick fire that came from Fred, though the second he saw the chief he didn't lower his gun but instead turned to another direction hoping to catch Atlas. When chief moved forward towards him, the small army of Spartans behind him moved in sync covering the area.
When he moved forward and past the bodies of Kelly and Daisy who were unresponsive, but they were alive, he could tell that they were still breathing within a few microseconds of looking at them. Which made him feel better than he would care to admit "Status" he said as he stood beside Fred with his own weapons raised and after a few moments the entire area was surrounded with weapons pointed in every direction.
"One hostile, very fast and hits hard" Fred informed as they both aimed their weapons in different directions "took Daisy down by hitting her with a small rock. Kelly didn't even react she was down"
"Chief, you read me?" Linda's voice came through the com but John and all others could quickly tell that she was whispering.
"I read you" he said back quickly.
"I have eyes on Atlas, one hostile, not armed, about two dozen meters on your two o'clock" she informed and as one unit all Spartans turned to face that direction hoping to get eyes on.
"Do you have a shot?" he asked.
"Negative, to many obstructions. I think I... I..." she trailed off.
"Linda, status" he said quickly.
"I think it can hear me. CONTACT!" she shouted before the sound of Jorge's heavy machine gun could be heard echoing through the trees. When all Spartans turned to face the sound it suddenly cut off and there was complete silence.
"Linda?" John said through the com "Linda, status" nothing "Jorge, come in"
There was nothing heard around them, just the rustling of the Leafs. Knowing that he wasn't going to get an answer, he did the only logical think "form up" he ordered everyone and soon, this very small clearing was now full of weapons pointing in every direction. No-one said anything to the order and just did as they were told, and he trusted each of them to do what they had to.
Normally he wouldn't have been able to tell how much time had passed, he would have been too worried, too nervous to think about that, but due to his enhancements, one of which was a dampener to emotions, he was more than able to not panic. That was how he knew that he and the others waited for exactly twenty-four seconds before something happened.
It was quick and John almost missed it, but just to his right, he saw something small, minor and it was only thanks to the augmentations that he was able to see it. A small rock, no larger than then the tip of his finger. It flew right past him but it found another target and it smashed into the back of Freds head, he fell down without any effort on his part to stop, unable to.
Within the second it took for the others to realize what happen. They all turned and opened fire on the spot within the trees that they think they saw the rock fly from. The entire treeline was shredded though before they stopped and reload their weapons. That was when John felt something hard slam into him, he could feel his body fly through the air before it smashed against the trunk of a large tree.
Not being dazed by the attack, without even looking up at what can only be Atlas he pulled a small knife from his back and he raises it upwards, attempting to jam it into his neck but to his shock, the knife which in itself was a reenforced stainless and carbon steel blade, a blade that John himself has used before to jam into rock while climbing, not to mention the many different types of Jeeps, jets, transports and all manner of vehicles. As soon as the blade made contact, it simply grazed his skin and slid off of him.
When that happened, John looked up and saw the face of Atlas. He looked a little younger than himself and just before he could figure out what to do next. The sound of gun fire was heard and looking over Atlas's shoulder, he saw many of his brothers and sisters firing at him but to his complete shock, the weapons didn't seem to have an effect.
Spinning around, he threw John back at the other Spartans and when he crashed into who he saw was Niomi, he quickly looked up just in time to see Atlas turn spin around and raise his fist. It connected with the trunk and from what John could see half of the wooden trunk was completely wiped out. Then Atlas jumped into the air, well it was more of a hop, his hand gripped the trunk and then he pulled it down. The sound of wood breaking echoing through the forest as the rest of the trunk was broken apart, knowing what was about to happen John shouted "DIVE!" he orders and just before Atlas pulled the massive tree down on top of them, forcing the rest of Spartans to separate from each other.
But unfortunately, John was unable to pick himself up in time and the thick trunk slammed into his head, knocking him out cold.
Parangosky stood up straight in the middle of the observation box looking at the wall of screens in front of her, right by her side was Hood who matched her stance. The others were spread around the place with a handful of techs sitting at the computers making sure it all runs smoothly "hey, you and me. What are we?" the voice of Stevens came through the monitor on the further most right.
"we're a team" Atlas said back. A smile couldn't help but come on her face, to others it would be a loving one, one that was completely innocent. Though to most of those present, they can easily tell that it wasn't a smile at all but more a smirk. A cocky smirk that she gets when a plan works out. This. This was why she allowed Stevens to care for Atlas, because he wouldn't be able to stop himself from loving him like a son and vice versa.
"How sweet" the board voice of Halsey said next and all the heads turned to face her, she stood a few feet in front of the others. Her head practically glued to the monitor on the left which gave a view of the Spartans getting ready for the exercise "it's a wonder how it has any fight in him at all" she mused.
"I would have thought you would be grateful for that Catherine" the sarcasm in Ackerson's voice was hard to not notice. It was almost assuming to see her react to what could only be called a rival within ONI call her by her first name "If Atlas has the same mentality as the Spartans, I imagine they wouldn't last as long as they're going to"
"As I have already said before" Parangosky spoke up before an argument could start "the point of Atlas was to be something everyone can look up too, the Spartans while useful are machines meant to complete missions, they're not meant to be what he will be" that put an end to the argument before it could start.
A silence fell on all those present as they watched Atlas step into the trees and waited for the ok single to start. Stevens calmly walked in and stood next to the two admirals, he didn't say anything, just stood silently and watched the monitors. It took a few minutes but soon the Spartans reached the tree line of 'The Back Yard' just before they stepped in, they froze in line and waited for the order to be given.
Hood waited for one moment before he looked towards Mendez and nodded towards him, giving him the signal. The older chief walked towards one of the computers and held his finger down on one of the many keys "Alright Spartans" he started "Project Atlas is stationed on the opposite side of 'The Back Yard' When you get the signal, the exercise begins. Your objective is to eliminate project Atlas however you see fit, his objective is the same. The exercise will end when all combatants on the opposite side are out of action. How you achieve this objective is up to you, there are no rules, there are no time limits. Good luck Spartans"
When he stopped speaking, he quickly turned to give a glance at Halsey a nod and she herself typed something into a keyboard and the signal was given. Not even a second later, they all watched as the Spartans started to move forwards without any hesitation and with weapons raised. None of them spoke to each other, even when a small team of four broke off from the left and headed forwards on their own.
However, Atlas just stood there, he hadn't moved an inch since he got the single to begin. The only thing moving was his head and it was only just barely moving. After a minute of not moving, while the Spartans had reached the halfway point within the small forest, and the team four be even further forwards. Parankosky turned her head and looked at Stevens who didn't look all that bothered by the lack of action.
That was when he moved, he didn't run or sprint. Atlas just started to walk forwards but what surprised all those present was that he was making his way towards the team of four. Knowing that it could have been a coincidence, none of them said anything at the action. After he walked a couple of feet, he reached down a scooped up a small rock, nothing special and no bigger than what must have been the tip of someone's finger.
He began to toss it into the air a couple of times, something that was easy to see based on the hundreds of cameras that a dumb AI was charge of, causing the computer screens which showed the footage to constantly change, making sure those watching get the best view.
"Is he not taking this ser..." Halsey started but before she could even finish talking Atlas twisted his body and through the rock into the thick shrubs and bushes, it was so fast none of them could see it but it soon became clear what just happened when the body of one of the Spartans was knocked backwards and quickly fell to the ground.
"CONTACT" they heard Fred shout and raise his weapon in the direction Atlas stood but he was too far away from him to see him just yet "Daisy's down!"
"How did it know where they were?" Mendez said quietly, more to himself than anyone else but when he did say that the others thought the same, some of them already where.
Though before they could try and think about that, Atlas moved. This time, he ran or sprinted. For all Parankosky knew, this was a light jog for him. They still haven't really found his limit just yet. It was difficult to really see what happened, when one of the screens showed the three remaining Spartans all standing strong with their weapons raised "One target, light armour, has some kind of enhanced speed tech" Fred began to inform the others before Atlas struck and to all those present, it was just a blur "KELLY!" Fred shouted as Kelly, nick named the rabbit because she was by far the fasted of the Spartans was suddenly on the ground. Many of those present made a mental note to rewatch the footage on a much slower speed to get a better idea of what just happened.
But then Atlas reappeared at the exact same place he started from and he just stood there waiting "Johnson" Parankosky said and turned her head to look at the man who currently leaned on the wall with a cigar hanging from his mouth "what is he doing?" she asked calmly though there was a noticeable sternness in her voice, apparently not happy with how Atlas was doing this.
"What I trained him to do" he took one final puff before throwing it onto the ground, turning back to all the big wigs he walked forward and stood next to Hood before crossing his arms "creating a problem on one end, every goes to back up the ones in trouble, then he takes them all down at once"
Atlas walked forward as they could all see that the Spartans where converging on the remaining two Spartans "Status" John said as he and the rest reached them.
"One hostile, very fast and hits hard" they heard Fred say "took Daisy down by hitting her with a small rock. Kelly didn't even react before she was down"
"It seems his plan is working well" Hood mused.
"But what is he going to do about the sniper?" Cole wondered as he stroked his chin.
"Linda's the best shot we have" Mendez said as he stood near a monitor that held a good view of the sniper that was perched on top of a tree "if he gives her an inch, she'll take a mile from him"
"It won't matter" Steven's spoke up for the first time since he entered. The others turned to look at him while still keeping an eye on the monitors "unless that rifle is carrying anti-tank rounds, they won't even phase him"
Before any of them could continue to conversation, they saw Atlas make his way towards the remaining Spartans "Chief, you read me?" they could all hear the sniper speak through the com.
"I read you" he said back quickly.
"I have eyes on Atlas, one hostile, not armed, about two dozen meters on your two o'clock" when she saw Atlas stop mid step, Parankosky became confused. 'was he looking right at her?' she thought to herself, it was difficult to tell the exact direction he was looking but it was worth looking into.
"Do you have a shot?" John asked.
"Negative, to many obstructions. I think I... I..." she trailed off. All those present leaned forward slightly as they could see Atlas lean forward on one knee, almost as if he was getting ready to start a race.
"Linda, status" John said quickly to those present, it was easy to tell that there was a more nervous tonne, not too noticeable but for those such as Halsey and Mendez, it was easy to tell.
"I think it can hear me" as soon as they heard those words, that was when Atlas moved and Parankosky slowly moved her head, that was when her eyes landed on Stevens "CONTACT!" she heard Linda shout but she didn't turn back to look at the screens. Stevens eyes met hers and for the first time in a long while she could see a noticeable edge to him, like he was nervous about something. That was when she realized that he was keeping something secret from her, she couldn't help but sigh mentally. She really did think he was smarter than that 'I guess we're going to have a talk about this later Stevens' she thought.
When she turned back to camera, her eyes found the central monitor which showed 117 being held against a large tree. It was only for a moment before all of the present Spartans began to open fire on Atlas, even though everyone was expecting it. To actually see so many bullets from many different weapons just bounce off Atlas' back was... amazing and terrifying. Parankosky didn't need to look at Halsey in order to see just how angry she was, though whether or not that was because of her precious Spartans where being so easily beaten or hatred directed at Atlas for being the one to do it.
When he threw 117 at the remaining Spartans and brought the tree that must have been decades old down on top of them, the outcome the exercise was made abundantly clear, not that it wasn't already clear "maybe it would be better if we call it here" Ackerson said from his place near the back of the group.
"I'm inclined to agree" Hood nodded along with him.
When Parankosky looked on as Atlas started to make his was through the Spartans, he simply jumped from one to the other. From what they could see, it was a single punch to the head of each and they all went down without trouble "no" she said calmly as they looked on "this will continue until the rules have been fulfilled"
While clearly not happy with the decree, they didn't argue. Of sure, they could argue, but they didn't. Maybe it was knowing that it would just cause a bigger mess for them if they went against her word or it could just be that they wanted to see what Atlas would do "well, at least he's not killing them" Mendez commented, looking down to a small data pad which the head of ONI assumed held the Spartans physical status such as heart rate, blood pressure, etc.
"It seems you should be grateful to Stevens Doctor Halsey" she couldn't help but add with a small cocky tone in her voice "if he had raised him like you do the Spartans, they would all be dead" the woman in question turned her head to look at the Admiral and she had to admit, she was surprised that the look of anger she held not even a minute ago was gone. Replaced by something else.
"One Spartan remaining" a new voice said, all turned to see that Doctor Williams who was sitting at a computer underneath the primary monitor. Around the fallen tree where the knocked-out bodies of all the remaining Spartans but that wasn't what surprised her the most, no that was Atlas himself.
From what it looked and she will definitely need to double check to make sure, but it looked like Atlas was... smiling? Was he enjoying this? Glancing over to Stevens who also held a look of deep thought told her that he saw it as well. She was so surprised by it that she almost didn't notice the last Spartan, who's ID tag had her named as 'Alice 130' was firing a shot gun into Atlas' chest who didn't seem to mind as he quickly walked forward towards her.
When the weapon ran out of ammo, she dropped it to the ground and instead pulled out a large knife that was sheathed on her lower back. She moved forwards and made a jabbing motion towards his chest but within the blink of an eye, Atlas backhanded the weapon out of her hand and it was embedded within a tree. Before Alice could try something else Atlas quickly raised his hand and punched her in the face with a quick jab and she fell to the ground, joining her brothers and sisters.
There was a moment of Atlas standing there before he turned and looked at the nearest camera "Exercise over" Williams spoke "all Spartans have been eliminated"
Alt took a deep breath as he waited just in front of the entrance to the woods, waiting for the single to tell him to get started. As he stood, he tried to get a better understanding of the environment he was now in. One of Johnsons first lessons, know the battle ground like the back of your hand and you'll be fine. But it wouldn't do him too much good, sure it wouldn't hurt but he knew that if these Spartans lived in this base, then there would be no chance of him knowing more than them.
That was when he looked forward to the opposite end, using his eyes to see through all the obstacles in front of him and he could see his opponents. He had to admit, seeing all of the Spartans marching towards him and stop just on the edge of the treeline. It was an intimidating view and for a moment he doubted himself for one single moment. They he looked closer and saw them for what they were, he looked into them and could see just how strong they really were. Oh yeah, they were impressive to be sure but it wouldn't make a difference to him.
Then he got the single that it was time to begin, he watched as one all the Spartans started to move into the trees with their weapons raised. He waited for a few moments, Alt may not be a master tactician, but he had some basic lessons in it and he knew that if you can see what your enemies are doing like he can, it would be better to wait in order to formulate the best plan. Which was just proven right, as he saw four break off from the rest and move around on the left side... well their left, his right.
The plan started to form in his head and after a couple of minutes, when the team of four where far away enough. He started to move. He didn't run, didn't sprint, just calmly walked forward. He was nervous, there was no hiding that but he did his best to not let that deter him. After just a moment, something caught his eye. A small pebble, reaching down he calmly picked it up and tossed it up into the air a few times.
Looking forward he could see the team of four wasn't so far away now, thinking that it would be the best idea to get rid of one of these early, he tossed it up into the air one more time before he twisted his body slightly and threw it towards the target. He didn't throw it as hard as possible of course but it was enough, it zoomed through the air and slammed right into the head of one of the women present. She fell backwards not even a little bit conscience and hit the ground hard "CONTACT!" he heard one of the men shout 'he must be the one in charge' he thought to himself.
Alt had to admit, he was surprised that they weren't shooting. That was when he looked closer and his vision returned to normal. Which was when he realized his mistake, he could still see the group clearly. When he threw the pebble, he accidently created an opening in the bushes which allowed him to be seen by the other three "Daisy's down!" the Spartan added.
Alt had only just jumped out of the way, quite clumsily being honest but based on the way he didn't hear anyone shoot at him, he wasn't seen. That was when another deep defiantly male voice hit his ears "Red team, Status" he heard.
"One target, light armour, has some kind of enhanced speed tech" Alt sighed mentally as he picked himself up off the ground and peaked through a very small gap between some hanging leaf's, and he only had time to widen his eyes as he saw the second woman look right at him and raise her weapon, knowing that ducking down or trying to hide was pointless, so instead he charged forwards this time he used a speed he's never really used unless he's doing a ONI test. Not having done something like this before, he didn't even punch her, he was going too but he was too late and only had time to raise his arm which resulted in an elbow to her temple, and she fell down like a tonne of bricks, he didn't stop running until he was once again out of the way and right back to where he started "KELLY" he heard the guy shout just when he slowed down.
Alt was about to move forward again but just before he was about to move forward the sound of snapping twig caught his attention, and he turned his head just in time to see the rest of Spartans had arrive and he was forced to wait for a moment "Status" he heard one the Spartans say and he looked closer, based on the way the one who spoke quickly moved and had his back to the one he seemed in charge of the team of four, this guy was the one in charge. When he saw the 117 on his chest, it just made it clearer.
"One hostile, very fast and hits hard" he was told, and Alt rolled his eyes at how easily he made himself known "took Daisy down by hitting her with a small rock. Kelly didn't even react she was down" as the two talked Alt tried to think about the best way to go about this, he wanted to win this and considering they were going to try and kill him he needed to win.
"Chief, you read me?" a voice hit his ears, this one was new. It was another woman, but she seemed further away then all those in front of him.
"I read you" 117 said back and Alt turned his head to look around trying to find out where this person was.
"I have eyes on Atlas, one hostile, not armed, about two dozen meters on your two o'clock" that was when he found her, near the spot where the Spartans started, he could see that there was a Spartan still there, the largest one by far and he held a large machine gun. Remembering what Johnson taught him about warfare, knew what a look out looked like. That was when he looked up slightly and saw another Spartan, the woman who talking was perched near the top of a large tree with a sniper aimed right at him.
"Do you have a shot?" Alt almost didn't hear the one in charge say he slowly started to walk forwards towards the sniper
"Negative, to many obstructions. I think I... I..." that was when the final tree was past and Atlas path was now clear of the heavy obstacles. He stopped walking and slowly bent on his knee.
"Linda, status" he could hear the leader say back as he stood back with the other Spartans.
"I think it can hear me" then he moved, the ground under him crunched as he pushed off the ground with a great deal of force. He didn't go across the ground, no he jumped into the air, and he jumped high and he moved fast. His target got closer and closer, when his body was pushed through the final set of branches and thick Leafs. The sniper only had time to say the word "CONTACT" before Alt found his hands connecting with the woman's chest and he didn't even need to push himself, the force he already has was enough for the sniper to not only be knocked off the branch she was perched on but knocked to the ground through the central trunk of the tree.
Normally he would be worried about killing her but based on the grunts of pain she gave off as she landed heavily on the ground, churning up dirt as she did so. He knew that while hurt she was still alive. Before he could think about what to do next, the loud banging of a heavy machine gun was heard and he hissed as he felt the pain of heavy rounds impacting his skin. Then his foothold fell away and he started to fall.
As he did, he used his speed to catch up on what he just missed. To him, everything was happening in slow motion. He looked up to see that the branch he was standing on was shredded and falling with him. It took him a couple of seconds to turn his head to look at the ground and he saw that the large heavy machine gunner had his weapon pointed up at him and it was still firing at him now as he fell.
Thinking of the best way to do this, he turned in the air as he neared the ground and as time turned back to normal speed. Alt just finished turning in the air and with his leg extended he was able to knock it out of the hands of the Spartan who almost dropped to his knees trying to hold onto the weapon. Which didn't work, the second Alt landed on the ground he bent down and picked up the heavy weapon, turning around carrying the weapon like a bat, he slammed it into the Spartans chest. It breaking upon contact with the armoured chest and the Spartan flew through the air. Landing right next to the sniper.
The crumbled-up pieces of the broken weapon that remained in his hands didn't stay there for much longer. As the larger Spartan who was getting up off his back to no doubt try and fight him again, Atlas flicked what was left of the barrel from the weapon and it hit true, the small piece of metal bouncing right off his temple.
Deciding that it would be best to end this soon, Alt turned back to the centre group. He walked forward towards them and as he did, he tried to think about the best way to do this, he could just run in a blitz them but if that happened then there would be a chance that they could end up hurting each other in the crossfire or he could trip and crush someone, he could hit a little too hard and cause their hearts to stop or just crush their skulls.
He stopped walking and shook his head, he couldn't think like that 'remember what Johnson said' he thought to himself 'if you're in over your head, overwhelmed, outnumbered, out gunned or all three. Do the smart thing, break them up' said man's voice spoke up in his mind.
That was when his mind started to get to work, thinking of the best way to go about this. He had his first target, the leader, 117 seemed to be directing the others. He would need to take out that guy first, not impossible, easy even. It was the method of how he did it that mattered.
He could go and charge in but he didn't want to risk that just yet, as he walked and saw a small pebble that looked way to familiar as the last one he used, briefly going over it in his head, it seemed that was best way to go about it. Picking up the small stone he pulled his arm back and took aim, as he threw it through a small opening in the bushes that so far kept him from view. Time slowed as he saw the rock fly but his eyes widened as he saw it go in a different direction and he sighed mentally, how could he not consider the wind?
Knowing what was about to happen next, Alt ran to the sides as he saw the Spartan that was standing next to 117. The one that was with the group of four and had a 104 on his chest, he fell down quick and he only just managed to avoid the rain of bullets that shredded the cover he was just behind. #
He had to end this now, turning his body to face the group. Alt sprinted through the tree line, revealing himself to the remaining Spartans. He bashed himself into the leader and 117 practically flew through the air and he smashed into the tree. To Alt it was all slow and he wanted to make sure the leader was out before he moved to the rest, when the wood and bark splintered under the force of his back, he was surprised that he wasn't knocked out.
But he couldn't afford to let him give the others orders, before 117 fell to the ground he was grabbed by the chest and slammed him back against the tree. With a speed and reaction that honestly surprised him, he didn't even have time to stop the large knife before it bounced off his lower left of his chest and it was that shock which was the reason why he didn't react quicker. He couldn't help but hiss in pain as he felt... he didn't even know how many bullets bounce off his back.
When he saw 117 look up at him, he knew that he already waited to long. Quickly turning around he threw the leader at his men and Alt had to admit he was surprised that he wasn't shot as he flew over towards them. These guys really good aim, he really shouldn't be surprised by that but he was. Knowing that the best way to deal with these guys was to separate them, the idea was quick and this time he didn't hesitate. Twisting his body around, his outstretched hand hit the large oak that he was standing in front of. The sound of churning wood was heard and even some of the Spartans stopped firing to look up at it as it slowly moved.
Still thinking that it took too long, Alt hopped off the ground and grabbed a chuck with his hand and using his strength, he pulled it down right in the middle of the remaining Spartans "DIVE" 117 said before the tree toppled onto of him and he was hit head on by the primary trunk.
With the leader out for the count, Alt got to work. Bullets bounced off of him and jumped from Spartan to Spartan. A punch to the head of one and kick to another and they went down. One jumped at him from the side, seemingly hopping over the downed tree. Alt ignored the bullets being fired at him and instead waited for her to get closer, when she was, he reached up and grabbed her by the face and slammed her into the ground knocking her out completely.
After a brief glance he could see that other Spartans are clearly planning on doing the same thing, Alt acted quickly in order to prevent it. He lunged forward towards the tree with his leg extended, the force of the kick was strong and what was left of the massive tree after he was knocked down was kicked across the rest of the small clearing, the bodies of my Spartans where hit and knocked backwards by it.
With more out for the count Alt decided to just end it now. With one small jump he landed in between two other Spartans and grabbed them both by the chest, then he simply pulled them in a forced them to head butt each other, knocking each other out. Feeling a round from a shot gun hit him in the back, turning around he saw one final Spartan standing. A woman with 130 on her chest, Alt started to make his way forward, ignoring the rounds being fired at him. Hissing in pain as he did so, sure it didn't pierce his skin but that didn't mean it didn't sting, when he got close enough he backhanded the weapon of her the Spartans hands, embedding it within a tree. As the woman made to move forward and fight him with a melee. He didn't want to do that, so he simply raised his hand and gave her a quick jab to her face knocking her down.
When her body fell, there was a silence around him. Only the rustling of Leafs in the wind and the pained breathing coming from the down soldiers around him. Looking over to one of the camera's he could hear the ones in charge talking amongst themselves about what to do next, he didn't bother with that now, just closed his eyes and took a breath. It was over now.
Project Atlas just decimated the Spartan program.
OK guys we'll call it there, let me know what you all thought in the reviews and sorry in advance for any mistakes in grammar I just finished and in a rush so I don't have time to beta read, hell if someone want's to do that in future for this story let me know. Anyway, I'll see you all in the next chapter.
Next update: Return of Hope