Chapter 16: The Control Room, Part 1

Author's Notes: Chapter 18 marks the start of the Halo 3 section of the book! The book will be coming along more slowly now because school started up not long ago. But, as the wise and powerful Jack Hargreave once said, "We've come so far, you cannot fail me now!" I am considering making another fanfic once I finish with the H3 section of the book, kind of as a branch-off to the main book. More details as we approach the end of the H3 section. As always, rate and review, and post on the forum. If you can't find it, give me a PM and I will get you the web address for it. You can also PM me if you want me to do any betareading for you, but I cannot moderate forums due to my lack of a consistent interwebs connection. For now though, enjoy the sort-of novelization of Uprising. REVIEW!

After their encounter with the creature beneath the Library, The Arbiter, Emile, and Carter were teleported to a cliff overlooking a large Forerunner structure, which Thel called the control room. "Come, Demons, the Icon must be inside." Emile did not move. The Arbiter wheeled around when he realized that he was not. "Would you rather stand around all day and let the Prophets activate this ring, thus killing us all, or put aside our differences and save both our species?" "I'd rather go alone than work with you." "You are a fool to think you can defeat Tartarus alone, Demon!" Carter walked back to Emile, and put his hand on his shoulder. "The Elite is right, Emile. Even if you could get to the control room, it's probably guarded by numerous Covenant forces. We need to work together to stop them. It's like I told Six when he joined NOBLE Team, 'That lone wolf shit stays behind.'" "Fine, I'll work with the split-chin."

The Arbiter made a sound like a growl of irritation. Emile turned to him, picked up a nearby shotgun, and cocked it. "Is there something else you would prefer to be called?" "You, Demon, may know me as the Arbiter." "Alright, Arbiter." No one heard him whisper, "Fucking split-jaw." The three moved on in silence, coming across numerous dead Elites but no Brutes, living or dead. At the first sight of Brutes, the Arbiter grabbed an Energy Sword from one of his dead brothers, and charged them. The Brutes turned at Thel, amazed at what they saw. "What, I thought he was dead!" This Brute was the first to die, and its pack brothers soon joined it in whatever they called oblivion. The three moved on towards a smaller structure, and a nearby door open.

An Elite came out wielding an Energy Sword. When it saw the Spartans behind the Arbiter. It ran at them. "Arbiter, watch out! There are Demons behind you!" "No, brother. They are our allies in this time of peril." The Elite's voice became graver. "Look what these Brutes have done to us, Arbiter. They have shed our brother's blood, and for that, they will DIE. If these Demons wish to help us, then I will follow you, Arbiter, and your companions." Just then, a group of Elite drop pods crashed onto the ground below them, carrying 2 Minors and a Zealot. "A Zealot. He's a little late for the party." The Zealot looked up at Emile. "I will spare your life, Demon, Only because the Arbiter tolerates your presence."

The group moved into the structure, entering a large cave-like structure. Carter noticed that the Arbiter had disappeared, along with the rest of the Elites. Just as he was about to snipe a Brute with his newly-acquired Carbine, the Arbiter appeared out of thin air, and stabbed the Brute through the chest. Carter thought, "Huh, Active Camouflage. I need to get my hands on that." The rest of the Elites did the same, and soon a firefight had ensued. Carter heard one Brute say, "The Demons are working with the scum? Warn the Chieftain immediately!" This Brute and the ones that ran to warn the Chieftain were promptly stabbed by Emile, who had taken a Sword from one of the dead Elites outside. A nearby Elite saw this, and yelled, "Good kills, Demon! I doubt I could have done that alone!"

Emile simply nodded at the Zealot, and they all moved through, killing numerous Grunts, Jackals and Drones, and Brutes. One of the Grunts ran at the group, holding a grenade from a nearby grenade launcher. "I'm gonna pop the top off a can of whoop-ass!" It was instantly rewarded with a plasma grenade to the face, causing it to run back at its Brute commander and Grunt peers, now yelling, "Get it off me! No, not again!" The grenade blew up, killing all but one of the Grunts, which cried, "No! They killed Yapyap!" This Grunt was rewarded with a swift backhand to the face, killing it instantly. "You didn't have to torture it that badly, Emile." "Shove it, Carter."(Insubordination at its finest.)

The group eventually exited the structure, and Emile ran towards a Brute Captain (The ones with the flags) and ran his sword through its gut. One of the Minors heard its dying screams and remarked, "I heard that over here!" They all found Ghosts around, and Emile restocked on shotgun shells from one of the dead Brutes. They rode on, and the Arbiter, Carter, and Emile left the other Elites behind to advance closer to the control room.

The three fought their way to the canyon floor, and encountered a Brute encampment. Two Wraith tanks came in from their left, and the Arbiter abandoned his Ghost, and boarded one of the tanks. He bashed open the roof of the control hub, and threw the Brute out, but not before running his Sword through it. He entered the tank, and blasted a group of Brutes that were pinning the Spartans down. More Elite drop pods crashed down into the middle of the encampment, and the new group entered what appeared to be a Brute armory.

"Looks like the Brutes were trying to dig in here, permanently." "Why do they have such a fascination with our shotguns? This is the second time I've seen them being used by the Brutes." "Stow the bullshit, Emile, and grab more shells. You'll need them." He noticed that the Arbiter had grabbed a shotgun as well, and a fuel rod gun. "Finally accepting our weapons, eh Arbiter?" "I only use this, THING, because it is abundant here." The three moved on through a cave, destroying a Ghost and a pair of Brutes and Jackals.

On the other side, there was another Wraith patrolling around. When it saw the three, it moved over to them, and R'tas Vadumee popped out of the hatch. "I suppose that these Demons are allied with us now, Arbiter." "They are." "What has happened to the Councilors? Were they…" "Murdered, by the Brutes." "Vile, disloyal, beasts! They shall pay for what they have done this I swear!" They all saw the two Phantoms heading towards the control room, and knew that Tartarus was aboard one of them.