Alpha Down Chapter 3
Please note, this chapter is based on the Halo CE map Coldsnap, with the blue team base belonging to the Spartans and the Red base unoccupied.
Also note, the Spartans in this chapter have no relation to the Spartans in Halo Reach, their names were thought of before the game came out.
Katherine looked back at the Pelican as it flew off, back towards the base. She and Al, the other Spartan that had deployed with her, were supposed to be scouting for any possible enemy forces in the area. The canyon was a vast, snow covered wasteland, and anything could've hidden deep within the snow. As if something would want to...
As they walked on to a bridge that the UNSC deployed to clear a crevice in the ground, Al got a large heat signature on his scanner.
"Kat, there's a large amount of activity going on somewhere.."
"Where is it? And I told you to stop calling me that."
"It's... right where we are... above us? Maybe?" Al looked up, seeing nothing but a dark, starry sky. He checked below the bridge, and saw nothing of any interest.
Katherine thought she saw movement on the bridge ahead. Something had shaken the snow on the ground, and was causing footprints to appear. Al saw these too, and motioned for them to move back to the start of the bridge, and they laid down in the snow so they may be able to wait for whatever was making these footprints to cross the bridge.
Al called to their command, "General Forman, this is Scout team Charlie nine-two, come in, over."
"This is Forman, go ahead Charlie nine-two."
"There's something out here with us, but it's well hidden. Requesting orbital scan of the canyon."
"Request granted, commencing scan now," after a few moments, the General said, "We aren't getting anything for life signs except for you three."
"Excuse me sir, did you say three?" Al gave Katherine a look of concern, and she readied her rifle.
"Yes, there are three Spartans in your squad, correct?"
"No sir, it's only two, me and Kat."
Kathrine sighed.
"Well then, you've got very faint movement on the other side of the bridge. It's crossing, and it's bigger than an average Spartan. I was thinking maybe a Spartan II? You and Katherine are Spartan IIIs, though... I'm cutting out, in case it can pick up your signal. I suggest hiding."
"Yes, sir." The radio cut out, and Al flipped it into the off position. He needed an in helmet radio very badly, but had no time to make the upgrade.
"Al, there's something right in front of us..." Katherine pointed out footprints appearing in the snow, as if there was something invisible making them.
"But," Al whispered, "There's barely any heat signatures..."
"Yes, but look.." Al and Katherine watched as the footprints walked their way around a hill of snow, and Katherine said, "Maybe it's the Covenant? Some of their soldiers can cloak themselves."
Al moved out of his hiding spot, so he could get a better look at the footprints. It was a strange shape, almost like a human's boot, with the grip and all terrain features on the bottom, but was different in some way, that Al couldn't put his finger on. Katherine moved up, and looked at where the footprints lead.
They seemed to be going in a circle from where the bridge left off, so that meant that...
There was a flash of light behind them as something pushed Kat to the ground. As she reached for her dropped weapon, something was suddenly on her hand, probably a foot, crushing her arm into the ground. She looked over and saw Al getting his shotgun being snapped in two at the handle, by a Spartan-looking figure. It was big, like a Spartan, but had extra armor around the back and leg guards. The way the armor was styled was similar to a Spartan's, but it was something else. Kat realized that it was another one that was holding her arm down.
Her other arm went to the gun, but it was twisted behind her back. She was laying face down, with both arms bound, when she felt something press into her side, and push into her rib cage. It started to sting, then burn, not like a bullet, but like being electrocuted. As the pain steadily increased, she passed out.
Al kicked at the knee of his oppressor, and it stumbled forward. Picking himself up, he tackled the large body, but it easily overtook him. Now, he was pinned, and his enemy drew a small blade-like weapon and held it to his throat.
The other one said something, but Al couldn't make it out, and then he suddenly felt limp, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw nothing.