Chapter 7: Rat Race
Scott and Tanya threw themselves to the ground as the hidden Hunters fired. The Hunters advanced slowly. They closed in, swinging their oversized shields and Assault Cannons at them.
Scott and Tanya nodded to each other and attacked. Scott ran, ducking and running circles around a Hunter as it fired and lumbered clumsily after him. Scott switched to two Maulers and returned fire. The rounds slammed into the walls and pillars, blowing chunks off them. He reloaded and fell back.
The rounds bounced off its thick armor as it had been fired from a distance, struck the Hunter in some chinks in its armor. The Hunter staggered back.
It snarled, a guttural growl, and charged at Scott like the proverbial steam train.
Scott stood, poised on his feet like a matador.
The Hunter came closer.
Closer.
Closer still.
At the last moment, Scott rolled out of the way, activating his motion boosters. He rolled behind the Hunter with the speed of a cobra striking.
The Hunter stumbled forward as its shield and Assault Cannon swiped empty air. Scott emptied ten rounds into the Hunter's back.
The Hunter crashed forward, orange blood and worms flying in all directions. It lay still, blood and worms spurting out of its ruined body.
Scott reloaded his Maulers. He shook his head at his fallen adversary, moving his hands across his bloodstained visor. "Next time, brother, try not to get too much blood on the paintwork."
Meanwhile, Tanya dodged the other Hunter's relentless blows. She ducked left and right, evading her adversary's crushing attacks. But one caught her on the side. She fell over, clutching her side. "Ow!"
She felt for any sign of damage. It might have cracked a few ribs. And her energy shields were down to boot. The Hunter closed in, cornering her. Gritting her teeth, she ducked as the Hunter fired its Assault Cannon and hurled a Plasma Grenade. The grenade stuck to the Hunter's shield.
The grenade exploded, driving the Hunter back, its arms flailing. Despite her injury, Tanya leapt with acrobatic grace, kicking off its shield and flipped behind it. Before the Hunter could react, she turned around and fired into its weak spot. The Hunter went down, blood and worms pooling about its corpse.
Tanya removed her armor and applied biofoam to her wound. Scott helped her dress the wound.
She regarded him with a rueful smile. "Lucky you. You're the one with the speed boosters. "
"Oh yeah? You're the one who blows things up. Ain't you lucky," retorted Scott.
Tanya looked him up and down. "And I like my job," she added, smiling serenely.
She put on her armor and removed a long flat object from her utility belt. Placing it at a vulnerable spot in the room, she surrounded the object with grenades. Scott checked that the coast was clear. When they were done, they moved on to the next room.
Leo explained the Lost Platoon's objective to 117649 Repentant Vector as he and Juliet rushed after the Monitor. When he was done, the Monitor looked at them, surprised.
"Oh. That is indeed quite strange, Reclaimers. You intend to capture the Index but you do not intend to fire this installation?"
"Not yet," replied Leo. He was taking chances on this one. On all the other Halos they had been on, they had had mixed reactions from the Monitors. Some had willingly complied, others had reluctantly agreed, and there were those who almost fired at them. They knew how powerful the beam that the Monitors possessed was. And 117649 Repentant Vector seemed to go into the last group.
The Monitor stopped and turned to face them. "I cannot stand for this, Reclaimers. I cannot violate Protocol."
"Yeah," Juliet cut in. "Explain that to our friend here."
There was a blinding flash of light, and another Monitor appeared. The most advanced Monitor of all.
032 Mendicant Bias, the Monitor of the Ark.
"Do as they say, Monitor," commanded Mendicant Bias.
"But…but…this goes against all Protocol! Even you can't break them!" 117649 Repentant Vector was clutching at straws, and he knew it.
"This is your new protocol! They are going to fire all Halos simultaneously. Just as the Forerunners did."
There was a long pause. Despite the fact that the Flood had practically owned the whole of this installation, everything was still. 117649 Repentant Vector issued a few bleeps as he recalibrated his protocols. Eventually he looked up at them.
"So sorry about that, Reclaimers. Very well," he gave an electronic sigh, "we move." Mendicant Bias was satisfied.
"Very good, Monitor. 343 Guilty Spark is a traitor to Protocol and Forerunner alike. I shall deal with him now." He disappeared in a flash of light. Repentant Vector summoned a few Sentinels and Sentinel Majors.
"We must hurry!" 117649 Repentant Vector shot down another tunnel at full speed. His Sentinels followed suit, cutting a swathe through hordes of Flood. Literally. Juliet and Leo fired as they ran, weaving left and right, blasting their way through to the Index.
Dangerus was already three-quarters of his way to the Index, fighting off more and more hordes of Flood as he slowly advanced. He noted grimly that the closer he advanced to the Index, the tougher the opposition. Well, he wasn't going to stand for that.
He roared, ordering his task force to fall back for a while. They took cover and healed their injuries.
"On my command, everyone fire at the same time," Dangerus instructed. "1…2…3…FIRE!!!"
The massed firepower of Plasma Pistols bolts, Needler rounds, Fuel Rods, Covenant Carbine rounds, Plasma Rifle bolts, Plasma Cannon bolts, Spiker and Mauler rounds and Brute Shot grenades came down on the Flood. They were so bunched up that every single one of them was eliminated. Blood and body parts flew everywhere. And behind them, a straight path free of opposition beckoned.
Dangerus grinned. Not the prettiest of sights.
"CHARGE!!" he roared, rushing ahead, his forces hot on his heels like an angry mob.
An angry, organized mob of Covenant warriors, that is.
Meanwhile, Furius was doing badly. His forces had taken a serious pounding due to stiff resistance from the Flood and his bad tactics, like rushing point-blank into a room full of opposition.
Furius ground his teeth. He was almost, well, furious. His task force had been all but decimated. He had only three Brute Captain Ultras, two SpecOps Grunts, two Drones and one Jackal Sniper. Snarling with anger and frustration, he ordered his task force forward.
Things were not looking up. He was the youngest ever War Chieftain. Similarly, he had the most to prove of himself.
He thought he saw a movement from behind. He turned, surprised, just in time to see a Zealot and a team of SpecOps Elites and Ultra Elites leap at them.
The Zealot came down on him and swung his fist round, driving it square into Furius's face, the second time that day. Furius reeled back, stunned. The Zealot, while still spinning in midair, drove his hoof straight into Furius's stomach, sending him flying backwards. The other SpecOps Elites and Ultra Elites fired their Plasma Rifles and Covenant Carbines, massacring the rest of Furius's task force. But the sole Jackal Sniper fired and a SpecOps Elite went down, steam whistling out of his ear. He was silenced by a melee to the back of the head.
The Zealot cornered Furius. Swinging his Gravity Hammer, trying to block the Zealot's deadly accurate lunges and cuts, Furius was driven back.
Yet he still wouldn't give up. He leered at the Zealot. "You cannot defeat me, heretic!"
The Zealot narrowed his eyes, his golden armor shining bright.
"My name is Zorro' Zamamee!" The Zealot roared and swung. Furius's head flew clear off his shoulders. His headless body pitched forward and twitched once. His Gravity Hammer clattered to the ground.
Zorro' Zamamee picked up the Gravity Hammer. He nodded to his troops and they charged into the next room.
Ricoh had answered the Master Chief's call. He looked at Alexandra, who was picking off Flood and Brutes alike one by one. She reloaded and nodded to Ricoh. They moved into the next room.
They entered a long corridor, which appeared to be clear. As the rushed through, hidden doors opened. The Flood surged in. They were surrounded.
Yet again.
Alexandra switched to her Plasma Rifle. To her surprise, Ricoh pulled out what appeared to be a hilt of some weapon. Her suspicions were confirmed when he activated the Energy Sword.
There was no time to ask questions. She fired on full automatic, blazing a path through the wall of Flood. Dark-greenish blood sprayed the air as they fell. Ricoh hacked and slashed as he ran, leaving a grisly trail of bodies behind him.
"Where did you get that?" Alexandra asked Ricoh once they were clear.
"Zor gave it to me. As a gift, when he first met us on Sangheilios. I never thought I would ever use it." His face grew grim. "Until today…"
117649 Repentant Vector whizzed down the corridors, his Sentinels and Sentinel Majors, leaving a clear path for Leo and Juliet. They rushed through chambers and corridors, firing as they ran. Flood Carrier Forms exploded all around them, and Flood Infection Forms leapt at them, only to explode in puffs of noxious gas upon contact with their Energy Shields.
They reached an elevator room. The Monitor beckoned them in. As they slowly ascended, the Monitor turned to them. "The Index is located on the fourth level. I will show you a shortcut. But do not allow any Flood to get behind us."
The door opened and the Monitor shot down the corridors, accompanied by the Sentinels. Leo and Juliet ducked as rockets whooshed over them, slamming into walls.
"In here, Reclaimers!" The Monitor beckoned them into another elevator room. He fixed his purple eye on them. "This elevator goes up two levels. We should be able to reach the Index now. "