Chapter 1

"So what happened from when I left." Chris asked as soon as the battle had finished.

"Short version or long? Basically We are using the assault rifles again, the other weapons are becoming more powerful, and the flood, the brutes and Elite bastards outnumber us about a hundred to one." John said.

"Ok, that didn't sound right, what's the long version?" Chris asked.

"That was the long version the short version was we got the sweet weapons and the enemy is still gonna kill us!" A marine said.

"Nevermind I'll use the long version." Chris reloaded his assault rifle, how he loved it so much more then the battle rifle, and picked up a shotgun.

Cocking the weapon Chris said, "Let's roll! Get me a warthog!" Chris didn't ask before hopping the drivers seat. A marine hopped in the passenger side and 117 hopped in the turret seat. Chris drove to the point that his new AI, Nitro, had put in his helmet HUD. Nitro was a fine AI, a "smart" AI as the fall of reach book at home put it. He wasn't as smart or daring as Cortona but it wasn't bad.

"What happened to Cortona?" Chris asked to Chief now.

"Still trapped in the covenant network. We've had no word from her." John said. Chris looked at him for any reaction, but he got none. Spartans were apparently trained to hid emotions. Yet weren't they still part human? Or had they been so altered they were all machines of battle? He shook it out of his head and hopped out as soon as they reached the marker, the chief started nailing down jackals and grunts, and Elite caught Chris's eye and he saw that it was wielding an energy sword with two holding brute shots beside it, a commanding elite, this was new for Chris he hadn't faced these before. John didn't have eyes for it, and it cost him.

Chris heard, "Kill the demon!" A plasma grenade hurled through the air and landed right on John's helmet.

"What the--" His sentence was cut short as Chris yanked the helmet off his head and hurled it down the street. the grenade exploded in blue plasma. Chris then grabbed john and yanked him down from the turret to push him behind the warthog for cover.

"Starting to slip up?" John didn't answer in words but started firing off his sniper rifle he'd brought. Chris's Shotgun joined in bringing down one of the Elites with the brute shot collapsing unto it's fellow. Suddenly three large cargo drops appeared behind him. He turned to face what might be a threat. Three figures came out of the cargo. Chris saw one of the figures and smiled. It was the other Spartans, Fred who had lead red team and kept a few other spartans alive when the disaster of reach happened. Kelly who was the fastest of any of the spartans. And Linda who was the best shot with a sniper rifle known. John made a smile gesture, and Chris frowned. He'd read about but he hadn't thought it looked like that. He didn't really care though now five spartans were together, they didn't stand a chance.

"Lose something?" Kelly asked holding up John's helmet, which was somehow, undamaged from the plasma grenade. John grabbed it and placed it back on his head.

"Ok we are back in business. I'll take up as blue leader. Fred your Blue-three. Linda take up as Blue-Five, Kelly Blue-four. Chris your Blue-two." John said and everyone nodded. Chris looked at all their weapons, Linda used a sniper rifle as her primary with a pistol for her second. Kelly had a primary Assault rifle, and a M7 SMG for the second. Fred had the Classic Assault rifle with the pistol for the secondary weapon. John had the dual pistols for primary fire and an assault rifle for his secondary.

"Warning detected several hunters from the north." Nitro said.

"Show me." Said Chris, a new distance meter appeared. 27.3 Km. That wasn't good, they didn't have much time. John apparently had the marker in his HUD too.

"Blue-two, Blue-Three. Stop those hunters!" The call came and Chris responded automatically. His shotgun cracked at the sight of one of the fuel-rod wielding foes. Orange blood landed on the ground but the hunter wasn't quite dead, It raised the large gun and doing so caused it to throw the shield on it's arm back leaving the belly of the beast unprotected. The shotgun cracked and the foe fell back on the ground quite obviously dead. Fred meanwhile was using his pistol to repeatedly shoot another hunter in the head it yelled seeing it's companion fall. Fred's plasma grenade landed in the hunter's gut an exploded. Four more hunters came running down the street, and a brute. Chris picked up the fuel rod that had been dropped and shot at the Brute. Luckily it was a narrow street, one shot ended the ape's life, another got two hunters to stay down.

"Double kill!" Chris called out. Fred looked at him.

"You act oddly for a spartan."

"I am a odd spartan." Chris responded.

"What's your number?" Fred asked.

"106, but now if you don't mind. We have guests." Chris flipped over the hunter on the left to stick a plasma grenade to the back of it's head. The explosion rattle the beast. A shotgun hit to it's side ended it's life. Fred stood by his hunter bashing it's dead body.

"Come on let's get John out of trouble again." Fred and Chris ran back towards the battle Chris swapped his shotgun for the assault rifle and let the bullets fly free from the gun's

barrel. The bullets cause Elites to topple and grunts to die. John was giving orders again.

"Blues Five and three, get up on that rooftop, drones approaching don't let them get in here, then pick a fell of these guys."

"Yes sir!" Fred and Linda used grappling hooks to climb up the nearest building.

"Blue-three, Blue-two. Take out that commanding Elite. He hasn't done much but I don't want him being a problem later." Chris nodded and pulled out his shotgun again. Kelly looked at him.

"I may not look like it, but I'm the fastest of all the spartans here, so I think I should distract them it'd be easy for you to assassinate the two idiots."

Chris shook his head. "It would work but what then we are in the middle of a killing festival."

"Well what do you suggest?" In answer, Chris held up a bomb he'd found on the passenger warthog floor. I wasn't a nuke but it was strong enough.

Now Kelly shook her head. "That's way too loud how do you think we are going to plant that without being noticed?"

"We aren't. You can run you say? So fire a few rounds at them turn run backwards fast so some small resistance, nothing big enough to be a real threat just enough to catch attention. I plant the bomb, we call for evacuation. Bye bye Elites."

"And if John doesn't like the idea?" She asked.

"Well then we're screwed aren't we?" Chris responded.

"Sound just like anything else we do. Ok, you win." She jumped up and fired three shot right into the Elites shields, The Elite growled and threw a finger forward clearly giving orders. Chris set the bomb and back peddled to John firing the shotgun twice.

"Sir we need to get out of her now!" John didn't ask but looked at the bomb Chris had planted.

"Blue team follow evacuation procedure bravo." Chris didn't know what John was talking about but followed the other four to two warthogs one being the one Chris had driven to this location. He hopped in the side seat, John took gunner and Fred took the wheel. In the other warthog, Kelly was in the side seat and Linda had the drivers seat. Chris turned around in time to see the explosion and laughed along with Fred.

"That'll teach them to mess with earth!" Chris cried out happily.

"I wish. Maybe if they hadn't been here for almost a year now." Said John. As soon as the Spartans reach a HQ base. Chris removed his helmet to wipe his sweating face, he heard the breathing of Fred and Linda change.

"Calm down, I may be a teenager, but I am a spartan. Ask 117 if you want." Kelly didn't really seen surprised.

"You seem a lot like a teenager anyway. Just the things you do are the sort of things we don't think to try because they are absolutely stupid. Maybe that's a good thing for you."