Chapter 4: The Fun Begins
Installation 07
The Brute lunged at Scott, howling with rage, swinging its fists in a grotesque roundhouse punch aimed at Scott's head.
Scott calmly dodged the clumsy blow and lunged with his Needler. He ducked and slammed his Needler into the Brute in a bone-crushing melee that snapped his head back. He fell over and Scott hit him again, breaking his neck.
Tanya rolled onto her back and fired long bursts from her twin Plasma Rifles, spraying the facility with superheated plasma. Grunts cried out piteously as they were hit and fell forward, blue blood pooling about their corpses. She rolled to the side as the other Brutes closed in on her, firing their Brute Shots. The grenades exploded harmlessly. She fired, dropping one and wounding the other.
Scott turned around and fired at the incoming Drones as they swooped down, claws bared, firing their Plasma Pistols, ready to rip them to pieces. They tumbled to the ground as the razor-sharp homing projectiles pierced their armor and exploded. He turned and reloaded, then fired 7 rounds into the wounded Brute.
The Brute's dying scream echoed through the facility as he exploded, spraying the facility with purple blood. The surviving Jackals snarled and turned tail in ignominious defeat. Tanya cut them down as they ran.
The facility was spattered with blood of all types. Only the Spartans stood.
In the forests…
The force of the Fuel Rod detonating threw the Brute Captain backward. He landed with a sickening thud, his arms, legs and head lying at unnatural angles.
"Good shot," Juliet remarked. Leo smirked.
"Let's take out those Wraiths. Cover me!" Leo crouched low and reloaded his Fuel Rod Gun. They ducked into the forest, moving swiftly through the undergrowth. Eventually they sighted the two Wraiths and the Covenant infantry. Leo placed the Fuel Rod Gun to his eye. He sighted briefly and fired.
The Fuel Rod impacted directly on one of the Wraiths, sending radioactive gel arcing in all directions. The weaker Covenant infantry, the Grunts and Jackals, scattered like quail. The Brute Minors and Majors tried to rally them, but at that moment, another Fuel Rod detonated nearby. The Brutes fell back, firing their Spikers and Maulers wildly at the bushes.
Juliet rolled to the ground as the Wraiths returned fire. The ground shook as the Wraiths' Fuel Rods slammed into the ground near them. Leo smiled grimly. The Wraiths could not depress enough to hit them. Signaling to Juliet, they charged.
Juliet sent overcharged plasma pistol shots at the Brutes and finishing them with melees while Leo leapt towards the Wraiths. As he got closer, the Shade turrets on the Wraiths and hidden Shade turrets opened up. He ducked below the crisscrossing fields of fire and sighted again.
The Fuel Rods impacted on the Wraiths and they exploded in twin balls of fire. Juliet fired with her plasma pistols and silenced the Shades.
In the vehicles depot…
The Jump Pack Brute fell over dead, three Covenant Carbine rounds between his eyes. He landed, spattering the ground with blood. The Brute next to him charged at Ricoh as Alexandra fired, and the Beam Rifle projectile splashed across his Power Armor.
The Brute roared and Alexandra fired into his open mouth. The Brute keeled over backward, a neat hole burned into his mouth and neck. Alexandra turned and fired at the other Brutes, driving them back as they returned fire. The grenades and hot metal projectiles snapped around her.
Ricoh fired at the Brutes' heads, dropping two more. He caught the empty magazine casing as it ejected out the back of the Carbine between his fingers and loaded a fresh clip into the Carbine.
Alexandra switched to a Plasma Rifle and leapt to one side as the Brutes brought to bear their Spikers and Brute Plasma Rifles. She clapped her hand to her shoulder as she was struck and saw blood. Despite her pain, she leapt at the Brutes, swinging the Plasma Rifle. It connected with one of the Brutes and he staggered with the impact. Ricoh put two rounds through the Brute's head and his struggles ceased.
The last Brute roared and leapt, switching to a Brute Shot. The deadly bayonet gleamed as he lunged at them.
The blade could easily cut both of them in half.
Ricoh rolled through the Brute's thrust and fired. But at that point the Brute was upon him, his hands clawing about Ricoh's throat.
Ricoh could feel the Brute's hot breath as he snarled at him, its eyes narrowed, leering at him. The Brute's strangling fingers of one hand squeezed relentlessly, the other bringing the bayonet to Ricoh's throat. Ricoh could not shoot or struggle. He felt his trachea being forced shut. He gritted his teeth as he struggled against the Brute.
And a burst of Plasma Rifle bolts flew over his shoulder, striking the Brute.
The Brute staggered back, and at that point Ricoh clenched his fist and hurled a Plasma Grenade down the Brute's throat. The Brute howled and exploded in a blinding flash of blue light, spraying the ground with blood.
Ricoh massaged his half-crushed throat. He turned to Alexandra. "Thanks, Ally. You really saved my life back there," he wheezed.
Alexandra smirked. "No problem, tough guy."
They commandeered the vehicles, heading back to the Avenger of Truth.
The Chieftain of the Jiralhanae Tyrannosaurus stood in the bridge of the lead ship in his fleets, the Savior Of The Prophets.
The Grunt Minor Sasap walked up to him. He was trembling with fear, as he always felt around all Brutes. He knelt, not daring to look up.
"Er…sir…" Sasap began to say.
"What is it?" Tyrannosaurus's hand tightened around his Gravity Hammer, the Fist of Rukt.
"W…We have found some Demons, Chieftain," Sasap explained, still looking down.
"Where?" Tyrannosaurus's voice grew to a snarl.
"On the Halo, Chieftain. That one."
"Which one?!" Tyrannosaurus roared.
"The one near to…" Sasap's voice trailed off as he tried to explain what he meant. "Er…the big starry thingy in space…"
"The Ark!" Tyrannosaurus looked out the window of the ship. He saw the ring that was Installation 07. Turning to Sasap, he growled.
"I know them! They have plundered the Installations of their Indexes! They MUST be stopped! The humans are planning something, I know!" Tyrannosaurus roared. "Call my lieutenants NOW!"
"Yes, sir!" Sasap ran away as fast as his little legs could carry him. Tyrannosaurus's lieutenants arrived a few minutes later. They were the War Chieftains Dangerus, Furius and Genius.
"Call your best strike teams. The Demons must be stopped! Send them to the Library of this installation. Secure the Index!" Tyrannosaurus commanded.
"Yes, sir!" His lieutenants tapped a series of commands. Within minutes, a whole battalion of Grunts, Jackal Snipers, Drones, Brute Captains, Jump Pack Brutes and Hunters was assembled. Dangerus and Furius moved in as the battalion's commanders. The Phantom drop ships prepared for liftoff.
"Do not fail me!" Tyrannosaurus snarled as the doors on the Phantoms closed.