Chapter XXIV

Red Squad had entered the Containment Fortress and discovered a massive environmental testing facility. All of the researchers had been killed by Sentinel robots, which were also destroyed. After leaving the strange place, they arrived back at the warehouse . . .

"Wow. That was totally unexpected, but it was really, really unexciting," Grif said. After spending all that time at Containment he had thought the teleporter would take them somewhere different. He was wrong.

"Well, it saves us the trouble of walking through God knows how many miles of frozen tundra to get back here, so I'd say it's plenty exciting," the Chief replied.

After he stepped away from the teleporter, Master Chief looked at the other labeled teleporters. Relic, Lockout and Colossus were left.

"Tex, you know anything about Lockout?"

"Only that it's a small facility built somewhere up in the mountains. Not sure what mountains though. Or how high up."

"Well, we might be in for more cold weather. Everyone, we're moving out again. Prepare for more cold temperatures."

He was answered by groans of disappointment. His disciplined band of soldiers sounded like a bunch of school kids who were taking a pop-quiz. The Chief would have none of that.

"Hey, at least we're getting it out of the way. We have a heated facility and a tropical island left on the list. After staying there, do you really want to go back to the cold?"

At that, everyone picked up their gear and trotted over to the teleporter.

"That's better. Let's go."

The Chief stepped through the teleporter and found himself looking out over a snowy mountaintop. What was apparently the Lockout Fortress could be seen below, and all that stood between Red Squad and the Fortress was a steep slope covered in ice that went on for a half a mile. The rest of the squad exited the teleporter behind him.

"We're setting up camp here, people," the Chief announced. It was night, and the extreme cold could kill them. "We'll hit our destination tomorrow."

Wyoming's one-manned stealth ship gently touched down in a forest. The bounty hunter exited the craft and passed through the dense foliage. Several yards ahead, there was a large wall and the man began to climb it. Behind that wall were the Red Army Special Forces and their secret weapon. Wyoming stopped on the way up and checked his gun; the tranquilizer darts were full and ready for firing. He wasn't sure why O'Malley didn't just have him knock out everyone and return the Rhinoceros to his Lockout Fortress, but he didn't question orders, especially with his pay. Wyoming's objective was clear; incapacitate the Red Army Special Forces and leave the Rhinoceros alone. If Wyoming did his job, which he always did, he would have front row seats to what was shaping up to be a very interesting show. Wyoming had reached the top of the wall and had made his way on top of one of the uncompleted buildings. His sniper was brought up and he aligned the targeting reticule with his first victim.

Like shooting fish in a barrel he thought.

Red Squad had set up their camp in a similar fashion to the previous night, with everyone's tents facing towards a fire and the Chief's tent out of the way. This night, however, there was one less thermally sealed enclosure.

Master Chief skimmed through the casualty figures for the Siege of Rose Three, a planet in a Red-controlled system. The Blue forces had been beaten mercilessly. The Chief glanced over at Tex, who was polishing her battle rifle. Since the MJOLNIR armor was too large to allow for two people to comfortably fit inside the tent, both soldiers had removed their suits and placed them in an unoccupied corner. And, since neither of them needed to wear any sort of underclothing to prevent chafing, as was Donut's case, both of them were sitting within a foot of the other completely naked, save for a thermally insulated sleeping bag and a few blankets. Despite his repressed sexual drive as a direct result of his augmentations, the Chief couldn't help but glance down at Tex's exposed chest. She had become so involved with cleaning her gun that she had let her blanket slip out from under her arms and fall around her waist, revealing more of her slender body. The Chief looked away, but Tex had seen him.

"Go ahead and stare, Chief, that's what they're there for."

"I shouldn't."

"You should, Chief, you really should," she said turning her full attention to him. "You're a battle hardened soldier and you look like a ghost. Here you are with a naked woman in your tent and you decide to read the news." She pointed to the data pad.

The Chief felt his temper flare.

"You're right; I am a battle hardened soldier. I've seen billions of people killed before my eyes, trying to fight an enemy that couldn't be stopped. For every small victory we had, we lost an entire system. That fighting took some of my best friends' lives, but I wasn't able to mourn their death. I couldn't, because I was a Spartan, and Spartans can't afford to have things like emotion. They have to be able to focus, to complete the mission, because at the end of the day, that's what matters most. I'm as pale as a ghost because I've died a little inside each time I lost someone I cared about, and each time I did, I wasn't allowed to show it. It would kill the rest of me if any of you died. We're like family. After I lost my first one, I thought I'd never get a second chance . . ."

Tears silently fell from his eyes. Memories he thought he's never have to bring up were unleashed in a single moment of anger. His squad, his family, killed at the hands, claws and teeth of the unstoppable enemy that had torn through the galaxy like a juggernaut. All of them had died in that final, futile battle to save Earth's last stronghold. He was the last Spartan. He lost his family.

Tex wiped a tear from her own eye.

"Chief, I'm sorry, I . . . I had no idea . . ."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Tex looked at the Chief as he tried to fall asleep, but the memories of his dead brothers and sisters would keep him awake for most of the night. Tex leaned back against her pillow and decided against snuggling up to the man. She pulled her blanket up to her chin and fell asleep feeling guilty for causing the Chief so much pain in such a short time.

Commander Schreiber had decided to move his troops to a Red Army testing facility that had recently come under attack by Blue forces. The Reds were holding their own, but the supply line was cut off. It would only be a matter of time before the Red forces ran out of ammunition and were defeated. Schreiber had just finished making the preparations to depart when he saw Weller grip her neck in pain and crumple to the ground. He was already checking for the source of the problem when Gonzalez gripped his neck in a similar manner and fell. Parker, Richards and Bond followed suit. Schreiber pulled out his sniper and was trying to find the assailant when he felt something bump into his neck. Suddenly, pain rocketed trough his throat and spread to the rest of his body. He fell to the ground and passed out.
Wyoming looked through his sniper's scope to make sure all of his targets were down. After he was positive, he contacted O'Malley on his radio.

"O'Malley? This is Wyoming. I have done as you have asked, and I am awaiting further orders."

"Excellent work, Wyoming. Are the cameras in place as well?"

"Yes sir. I even took the liberty to set up additional cameras, if that suits your fancy."

"Indeed it does, my friend. Soon, we shall see if my pet was worth all the effort put into it."

"I would also like to thank you for allowing me to witness these events personally. I will enjoy every second of it."

"Hmm, yes. Of course. Anyways, when the first combatant dies, neutralize the other and my men will bring it to the Lockout Fortress."

"As you wish."

Wyoming cut the connection before O'Malley could respond. He had hoped his extra efforts and flattery would get him a bonus, but he was denied it, as usual. Turning his attention away from himself, he peered down the barrel of the rifle and saw the Rhinoceros try to find what had taken his comrades down. A monster clad in blue-grey armor, almost the same height as the Rhinoceros, stepped out from behind a building and roared in the man's direction. The Rhinoceros decided that the creature was responsible for felling his fellow soldiers and roared back. The monster and the Rhinoceros lunged at each other, and Wyoming cursed himself for no having brought popcorn.

To Be Continued