Garrett swapped through frequencies in all channels trying to reach the Captain as he carried along Mirie with both Shion and Jr. in tow. He had no idea he would run into any of them as he ran down the ventilation tunnel towards the grate wall before smashing into it, and now he had to take it upon himself to escort them out.
"This… One Three… calling… report… Corporal… you there?" Garrett heard from one channel as his slicing softs kicked in through the static.
"I'm here Captain, what's your status" Garrett responded, motioning for everyone to stop as he put Mirie down. He pressed against his right ear out of habit, as normally his com rig was attached as an earband.
"I'm on board a ship with KOS-MOS's friends on it, they picked us up, are you ok?" Archerson asked.
"currently escorting three civilians out of the bunker zone, we are being pursued by multiple gnosis contacts. You said you had a ship sir?" Garrett answered.
"yes, we're attempting to lead the armada of gnosis away from your location then double back quickly. We'll pick you up somewhere, but it still looks like your link location is… underground?" Archerson sounded bewildered.
"that is correct" Garrett said, looking around at everyone.
"alright… alright. This is what we're gonna do. KOS-MOS is currently still in her pod undergoing slight maintanence, only thing the professor on this ship can do with all the damage she's received. She's still active however. I'll take a few of the guys up here with me and meet you halfway down there, then we'll get back out of the shithole and figure out what's going on without having to fight. Are you Sound?" Archerson asked in command speech.
"Clear as a bell. I-" Garrett tried to ask how far away they were before Shion yelled out "Is Allen there?! Can I speak to him please?! Is KOS-MOS ok?!" as Jr. tried to make her be quiet.
"um, sir, is there an Allen… Allen Ridgley onboard that ship?" Garrett asked as Shion looked hopeful.
"yes he is Corporal, he's one of the guys I'll be attempting to bring along, but I doubt I'll have to drag him. Seems he's keen on regrouping with his wife down there. And he's fine" Archerson smirked on the other side.
"understood. I-" Garrett stopped mid sentence as his sensors picked up life signs all too well known for him before the teleport. IFF signals, mobile, and UNSC. All of them registered as ODSTs.
"Captain, are you reading my sensor feedback?" Garrett asked.
"yes I am corporal, and- hey! Don't push me out of the way! Of course I rigged your sensors to get a backwash of info from my soldier you retard!" Garrett heard Archerson yelp as another voice, who was being called Hammer in the background, groaned and looked over the systems.
"sir, permission to regroup with the Helljumpers as a detour? They may not last against the Gnosis" Garrett asked as he checked the clip in his rifle. Full lid, one in the chamber.
"do it son, and then we'll catch up. See you soon. Archerson out" the Captain said before the com channel closed.
"wait, so we're going to pick up some more of your friends before we get out of here?" Jr. asked.
"yes" Garrett answered as he picked up Mirie again, she putting her arms around his neck.
"will they look like you or?" Jr. asked eyeing him up and down. Garrett looked in his direction.
"they are Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, they are not Spartans. Trained Marines in atmospheric entry and infiltration, black ops. I need to link up with them and gain radio contact, then all of us will leave the hot zone" Garrett told everyone.
"sounds good, lead the way" Shion said as Jr. gawked.
"are you serious? We need to get Mirie on board the ship like now!" Jr. said.
"I'm fine, really, thanks to this man right here, but those men will not be if we leave them to die. This Spartan has helped us, we can do none other than help his friends" Mirie told them.
Garrett nodded and moved through multiple corridors, ripping apart a destroyed door halfway and pushing some debris out of their path.
Garrett stopped mid foot and put Mirie down slowly, then pulled his rifle. Jr. pulled his pistol and Shion crouched before Garrett motioned everyone to stay there as he inched up to a corner. He stealthed away with his active camouflage, becoming nothing more than a wisp of smoke as he disappeared, before a rifle slowly inched around the corner with Jr. waiting.
"don't even think about it" Jr. said as he aimed his pistol at the head of a man poking around.
"Jr!" Shion yelped as he turned around to find another man in black armor with his rifle to her head, Mirie with another man of similar armor standing over her.
"damn it…" he said before he put his pistol down, the soldier coming fully around the corner and pulling the pistol away.
"kid, did you really think I didn't have backup? Sheesh…" the first soldier said as he lowered his rifle, shaking his head. Two more came around the corner after him, one wearing slightly greenish tinted armor, another in a tan and blue with a red cross on his shoulder, obviously a combat medic.
"yo sir, this one's wounded, I think, maybe, I dunno, someone patched her up" the soldier standing over Mirie said.
"looks like the work of one of ours. Strange that rebels would have our combat surgery kits… must have gotten em from a stolen shipment. Ok… now… you three are going to tell me where…" he stopped suddenly as he heard a clink sound and all of them crouched.
"shit, it better not be those things again…" the medic said as he raised his rifle and looked around.
"calm down private, it might have just been a…" and his rifle was taken from him in the blink of an eye followed by the medic's rifle as something translucent and big slid in front of him.
"shit!" the soldier standing over Mirie yelled as he fired at the shape straight at his superior officer, only to hit energy shields as the thing turned off the camouflage, Garrett turning around and gaining another barrage to his chest. All the soldiers stared at him in disbelief as he looked down, then shook his head and told them to stand down.
"whose in charge here" Garrett asked as he made friendly symbol with his hands, telling them he was UNSC as well.
"er, Corporal Magen, sir?" one of the soldiers said.
"I'm in charge, who the hell are you asshole?" Magen said right behind him, her voice little annoyed.
"Corporal Spartan 003, I'm here to link up with your squad and escort you out of here, then regroup with Captain Archerson of the 105th" Garrett responded.
"Captain? Wha… so they sent a rescue team in after us… after we got used like guinea pigs…" Magen said grumbling.
"we all did. Now, link your squad detail up and let's move, I've been given temporary command until we get out" Garrett said as he pointed to his helmet. Magen pulled out a small crystal chip from her helmet and gave it to Garrett as he plugged it into the side, reading the datalogs and service records of his team. Private Michaels was the combat medic, Private Greys was the sniper, Private Helden was the close combat specialist, and specialist Wilson was the engineer in green armor, making five people in the squad all accounted for, no KIA.
"show the way sir" Magen said sighing.
All of them got up and walked back the way they came, only to find a huge tunnel with a large bridge going down the middle. On both sides were what looked like large nozzels, all inoperable.
"Helden, take point…" Garrett said as he motioned for the marine to move forward.
Garrett covered his back as they moved carefully in, watching the sides and the door on the other side. As they made it to the door, Wilson started to type in passcodes and crack the system, only to get errors.
"damn it, won't budge, no power. Shit is being diverted to other areas of the place. We need a control bypass" Wilson told everyone.
"can you do it?" Magen asked.
"I need an access code for the controls to keep the security off me" Wilson said.
"huh, got one?" Magen said sarcastically.
"ya, in my other pants" Wilson snapped.
"do it marine. We don't have time for-" Magen shut up as she turned around, hearing movement.
"contacts… nine of them… ten… thirteen… more coming…" Garrett said as he raised his rifle, all the hell jumpers aiming behind them.
"Wilson, get that door open yesterday…" Magen ordered.
"working on it" Wilson said as he popped the panel from the wall and handed it to Mirie as she placed it to her side, before checking crystals and pulled at wires.
The first horror walked around the corner far out from the door from a second path of rooms, then two more from the other side.
"here they come…" Helden said as he aimed his shotgun.
"and again we won't do any damage…" Michaels said.
"not this time" Garrett told them as his shields flexed and erupted out, the Hilbert effect merging the gnosis into their plane of existence.
"what the…" Greys said as he looked quizzically.
"don't ask questions marine! Shoot!" Magen ordered as she fired, spraying round after round towards the horrors as they shambled towards them, more pouring from the nearby rooms and funneling toward them.
Greys fired round after round from his sniper rifle as Helden pumped twelve shells in rapid succession down the tunnel, filling the air with pellets and tracer rounds.
"Wilson…" Magen groaned out as she reloaded a new clip in as the horrors made it to the tunnel entrance and started to move in.
"almost got it…" Wilson said as he poked and prodded through access controls.
"now marine! Now!" she yelled as Garrett rushed forward, bullrushed 3 horrors and knocked them back, only to leap backwards and get back to his old position, before firing again. The horrors went flying backwards, throwing a good portion of them off their feet, but more poured over them, slowly stomping over their comrades.
"damn there's just no end to them!" Jr. yelled as he fired his one pistol before pulling the sidearm of one of the marines next to him and spraying his own death.
"fucking flood if you ask me!" Helden yelled over his shots before Wilson popped the door open.
"we're green to go!" he yelled as he looked up to come face to face with a gnosis horror, and just as he backed away and the horror tried to strike him, a rifle round snapped out right through it's head as Garrett turned, firing his rifle with one arm before telling everyone to pull back.
The marines grabbed Mirie and Jr. and pulled them back through the door just as Shion was grabbed by her legs and thrown over the mass of horrors, screaming.
"shit! Damn it! There's no way!" Wilson yelled as he aimed, hoping against hope he'd see a hand pop out telling she was alive. No movement.
"she's a goner! We gotta move!" Magen yelled just as Garrett rushed forward, smashing into the wave of gnosis and throwing fast punches and kicks before igniting his plasma blades and going to work, clearing the front and reaching Shion just as three of the gnosis were about to finish her and impale her into the ground. She looked beat up, but alive, and covering her face with her arm just as Garrett slashed out, cutting the gnosis in two before grabbing Shion by her belt and throwing her out of the mass, the marines grabbing her just as Garrett leapt right over.
The marines stared at him in awe as he closed the door, before reloading his clip.
"whoa… I thought the rumors were false.. but they really did make another… a true blue Spartan…" Wilson yelped. Shion coughed as she felt her sides, the beating she received was harsh but not enough to break anything, and looked up with blood trickling from the side of her mouth.
"what is a Spartan?" Mirie asked Wilson as Garrett walked by them, checking the corrider further down for hostiles as they rested and reloaded.
"a Spartan is a super soldier from our past, during the major Covenant War. They're Genetically enhanced, Cybernetically Augmented Soldiers that have the strength to use an MBT as a club and absorb huge amounts of firepower before going down… if they go down… to this day the rumors still stand you can't kill a Spartan" Michaels said as he treated Shion's bruises.
"wait… so the Corporal is… one of those?" Shion asked.
"we don't know, unless he's over one hundred years old, which was when the Spartan IIs were made, which I seriously doubt" Wilson said.
"a two? How many types are there?" Jr. asked.
"technically? Three from what I heard, the first ones weren't even augmented, just children trained from birth to fight like soldiers. The twos were the ones given augmentations and then given powered armor, making automated combat drones obsolete and even most vehicular combat. The threes… dunno much about them… guess just better armored or something…" Magen said while staring out into space.
"mass produced…" Garrett whispered as he looked at the small thin band on the inside of his armored glove, remembrance of all the Spartans that came before him.
"we should get moving again" Garrett told everyone as Michaels finished up with dabbing Shion's bruises and cleaned up the medical kit, everyone reloading fresh clips in their rifles before getting up.
"hey, guys, check this out. There's a sensor richochete off the paneling… what the hell is that…" Wilson said as he looked at a small hand reader.
"it's coming from down that hallway… but our exit plan is in that direction…" Magen pointed in the opposite hallway.
"it's… bouncing off the wall sections around the corner there… it's an energy reading… fluctuating, but it's there. What do you think?" Wilson asked.
"it's the power rotation couplings the gnosis hit before we got here. It's inoperable, however we might be able to fix it and give us a clear exit" Garrett said turning to everyone, his goggle's coloring blood red before turning blue again, scaring everyone.
"alright… I guess… we're going that way…" Magen said before hearing footsteps nearby.
"take cover, inbound!" Helden said as he pressed against the wall and looked around the corner, everyone watching. Archerson ran forward and stopped with Allen in tow, Mary right behind along with Mathews and an auto defense droid from the cargo bay.
"Corporal, jesus it's good to see you again" the Captain sighed as he walked forward as Garrett did the same, everyone else watching them as Garrett saluted.
"sir, this is corporal Magen, she was in charge of squad 302 before we came in. you may want her report after we get out of here" Garrett told him.
"hmm, under the circumstances, I'm guessing it's the same as us, but right now we need to get everyone out of here. Those things are coming back after the ship, and we need to get airborne soon. Any wounded?" Archerson asked.
"none sir, thanks to your Spartan here" Magen thumbed towards Garrett as he looked around. Archerson motioned for everyone to go through the tunnel they just came from, and as Mirie was helped through by Shion, an airlock door slammed closed between them.
"crap, Wilson, what the hell is going on?" Magen yelled as they tried to force it open, with both the Captain and Garrett locked on the other side.
"shit, I must have triggered the close off when I opened the last one… hang on sirs, we'll get you guys out of there…" Wilson said as he pulled out his portable mainframe.
"no time. Get to the ship, we'll meet with you guys at the dust off. We'll find another way around" Archerson said before nodding to Garrett as he nodded back, both turning around and running towards the sensor ping they had before.
"son, you know where we're going?" Archerson asked.
"there was a power coupling in the next area, if we can get it operational again, we might overload the door locks and get out again" Garrett told him.
"and if we don't?" the Captain asked.
"we get flash fried from the power output" Garrett warned.
"just like old times huh?" Archerson chuckled.
"fond memories sir" Garrett said as they entered the power room, a huge cone shaped reactor, easily dwarfing most ships. Balconies and catwalks crisscrossed all over with access panels at different points, along with ladders and elevators on the sides to move from level to level to do maintenance on the reactor. Small machines flitted about performing what repairs they could, but gnosis were walking around as well, attacking whatever moved by them.
"Captain! Are you there?" Allen said over a com channel.
"ya Allen, we're still kicking, you guys at the ship yet?" the Captain asked.
"yes, Shion and everyone is back, how are you guys doing?" Allen asked.
"we're gonna blow the power control couplings and hopefully give us a way out of here, just sit tight" The captain said before trying to turn off the com channel. It wouldn't turn off.
"what the, this thing's busted…" Archerson grumbled.
"the power interference is ignoring all signal commands to the coms, they'll hear everything we say until we get out of here" Garrett said.
"wonderful, they can hear me bitch and swear as we blow up this damned place…" Archerson groaned.
"we're still here Captain, waiting for your go" Allen said.
(Apocalyptica, Path, Cult Version)
"ok Corporal, lets punch it" the ODST said as both climbed ladders, firing at gnosis along the way and disabling stations as they went, power readings rising slowly.
"how many more?" Archerson asked.
"spike levels are at 70 percent, we need six more before we've got enough burst power to overload the doors" Garrett said.
"hurry up down there guys! The gnosis reinforcements are coming back!" Mathews said as Archerson told him to shut up.
"you wanna come down here and help?" Archerson grumbled.
"4 more" Garrett said as he disabled another, the captain running towards him from another catwalk. They both reached the same one, but neither could get the control panel open.
"damn it! Try the others!" Archerson said as Garrett ran towards another before gnosis started to crawl up towards them along the walls.
"incoming" Garrett said as he pulled his rifle and fired, Archerson spinning around and primed a grenade before throwing it.
"3 more" Garrett said as more gnosis started shambling towards them, trying to close off their pathways just as emergence holes appeared on the ground, paneling caving in as the bugheaded creatures poured out, firing at them as they came.
"shit, we're so fucked!" Archerson yelled as he kicked the control panel, the thing turning on as Garrett rushed towards the second to last.
"two more!" Archerson yelled as he leapt from his level to the second tier balcony, slamming his rifle into the next panel as Garrett punched in a few override commands he knew from his training.
"we're clear! Power levels charged! Emitting in 10!" Archerson yelled as he leapt down, a stray ball of energy flying by his head as he rolled and ran.
"corporal! Move!" Archerson yelled as Garrett turned and leapt, Seven stories high, and slammed his feet into the ground, crunching the panels and causing a small crater before running in full speed towards him as he ran out of the room, the gnosis firing after them. Three grenades were left in their wake as they charged towards the door they wanted open, and just as they reached it the power controls overrode and opened, before a wave of energy started to build up behind them.
"GO! GO! GO!" Archerson barked as they ran up the tunnel and up a flight of stairs, turning a corner and heading to an elevator with a ladder heading up from the top. Both climbed on top and climbed up the ladder as fast as they could as the energy wave rushed towards them. As they got to the top, the wave hit below, sending a backwash upwards and frying the metal behind them, before they ran towards the entry tunnel as the wave hit the area, smashing and destroying the surroundings.
"Captain! Captain! Are you alright? Do you read me?" Allen yelled as he tried to gain contact again, hearing Shion behind him and Mirie asking questions.
"I'm not getting a response…" Allen said before hearing heavy breathing.
"Captain? Are you ok?" Allen asked one more time.
"you'd be surprised what you can live through…" Archerson groaned as he stumbled out of a cloud of smoke and debris, Garrett following unscathed holding him up where needed.
"Garrett… next time… let's not do that again… let's think up a better plan besides nuke the building ok?" The Captain said.
"understood sir" Garrett responded.
"Elsa, this is rescue team leader, pick us up at dust off, ready and willing, over" Archerson said then coughed.
"ready to go, we're… heads up guys! Gnosis inbound!" Hammer yelled as gnosis emergence holes started appearing nearby the two men.
"shit, Elsa, dust off is hot! Repeat, dust off is hot! Get the hell out of here! Save yourselves!" Archerson yelled as he pulled his rifle and fired, energy balls flying past him as he took cover. Garrett opened up as he slid behind a cracked piece of plating.
"Tony! Get them out of there! Now!" Mathews yelled as both men started to get flanked.
The Elsa flew in fast, trying it's best to land as the rounds from the gnosis started to hit the hull.
"no good! We can't get any closer!" Tony yelled backwards.
"damn it… they're goners if we don't get them now…" Mathews whispered.
"wait, where's Shion?" Allen asked.
"where's Mirie?" Jr. asked afterwards. All the men looked around before checking their life signs in KOS-MOS's maintenance room.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Shion opened the pod slowly as KOS-MOS lay there, and gasped. The damage was extensive, her legs were gone, nubs of semi closed holes and tattered clothing, her face grimy, but her eyes were so alive, finally seeing Shion once again.
Shion pulled her up and hugged her tightly, almost crying, not wanting to let go. KOS-MOS returned the hug as Mirie watched, before slowly pulling away.
"KOS-MOS, you and I, we were one and the same in the past, both of us wanting nothing more than Shion to be happy. We couldn't complete what we started, and now we have a chance. But now I am here, and you… you must be here as well" Mirie knelt next to the pod, taking KOS-MOS's right hand in hers.
"I gave you a piece of me as a gift, for you were the one who fought, not I, and for that I will always be thankful for protecting her. But, even now, I still feel you require more than just that, something I may be able to give you now, even in my weakened state. Are you ready?" Mirie asked KOS-MOS.
"yes. Please proceed" KOS-MOS nodded, smiling softly.
"very well, KOS-MOS" Mirie stood up, wobbling slightly, and took a stance with her hands raised towards KOS-MOS. Her hands started to glow brightly, KOS-MOS lifting out of the pod in the glow.
There was a bright light that came from the room, golden in glow, as two men, the professor and Scott, ran out, covering their eyes. As they sat on the ground, trying to see through the golden glow, KOS-MOS walked forwards and out of the room, followed by Mirie and Shion. Her legs were whole again, and she looked completely unscathed, the only thing altered being her visor, the two jewels on either side still being there.
"Mirie. Thank you" KOS-MOS said as she turned around, smiling.
"it is the least I can do for you, sister. Flesh and blood, at least" Mirie nodded. KOS-MOS hugged Mirie, then both pulled away.
"Something is happening outside the ship" Mirie said, being held up by Shion.
KOS-MOS and Shion looked at each other, KOS-MOS no longer a machine with sensors, but eyes and ears.
"oh no! The Spartan and his captain!" Shion gasped.
"they need help" Mirie said gravely.
"I believe… that they have all the strength they need…" KOS-MOS said, making both women look at her in confusion.
"we must get to the bridge. We must know more" KOS-MOS said before helping move Mirie down the hall and upstairs.
(Breaking Benjamin, Blow Me Away)
"oh my god… he's unstoppable!" Jr. yelled staring at the bridge as he watched the ensuing chaos caused by the Spartan down below, moving from cover to cover on the view screen as everyone saw the battle.
"down in front!" Archerson yelled out to Garrett as he turned and punched. He was waving in another direction before yelling an order to Garrett, who swapped to a Battle Rifle and aimed right at another gnosis, firing a three round burst that trailed, the other two rounds hitting two more gnosis nearby. His blue goggles stared down the sight of his rifle as he fired a triple round burst again, flying right by Archerson's ear as a gnosis behind him gained three bullets in between it's eyes.
"nice shot son" Archerson grinned as Garrett started to almost auto target multiple gnosis behind him as he turned back around to continue the fight, all headshots. He started to walk slowly forward out of his cover, reloading a new clip before continuing his onslaught as Archerson closed in behind him, covering his flanks. One gnosis attacked as Archerson barely dodged to the left, cutting his right arm and making him bleed, and also causing a very big question to come across Archerson's face.
"what the… huh? Wha, shit!" he was about to ask how these things were so clumsy right now, before he was attacked again and Garrett flipped his pistol from his armored hip armor and fired at the oncoming gnosis, before placing it back in the armor as the plates closed back up, sealing again.
"we need to mobilize, now" Garrett said as he put his hand out, tracing through his armory listing and finally saw (complete) on the diagnostic for vehicular maintenance. A warthog materialized in front of them, and Garrett got in the driver's seat.
"Mount up!" Archerson yelled as he leapt into the Gunner's seat, stamping his feet against the paneling in the back, and engaged the turret swivel controls.
"to your left!" Archerson yelled as he flipped the gun around, aiming where he warned and fired. The Elsa flew low as the warthog drove, right behind the large ship as the cargo doors opened again, gliding a few inches from the ground as worms exploded around them from the earth, attacking where they could.
Garrett weaved the LRV around the worms and slammed the brakes once before flooring it again, as the gnosis tried to keep them from leaving.
The warthog hit the edge of the Elsa's cargo door, barely on the landing pad before falling off of it and trying again.
"make it count! Drive!" Archerson yelled as gnosis came after them.
KOS-MOS suddenly appeared on the edge of the cargo door, her chain gun in hand and emptying round after round behind them for cover fire. Garrett suddenly floored the warthog to the maximum, and hit the bump, causing the warthog to arc and jump, clearing right over the woman with all four huge wheels slamming down behind her before fishtailing again and Garrett revved the engine, Archerson nonstop firing.
"get us the hell out of dodge!" Archerson yelled as Garrett nearly flipped out of the driver's seat, pulled his MA6B at the same time, and began to unload as the door slowly closed and the ship ascended.
As the ship closed the door, Garrett flipped his rifle upside down and ejected his clip before slamming another in and then forcing a round into the chamber before placing it on his back, the armor panels magnetic WHUMP! Sound emitting.
Allen and the rest of the group ran through the door on the second tier as Archerson got off the warthog, the huge LRV parked right next to a crudely repaired Monobike used for the Dinah controls, lights still bright, the chain gun still smoking. The hog looked out of place, the armoring and green plating was at a disadvantage in sleekness compared to the bike KOS-MOS drove, however, it looked far meaner, the tusks on the front showing it had some muscle.
"Archerson, good to get you out of there and… whoa…" Allen stopped in front of the huge Spartan, easily dwarfing the man. Garrett looked towards him and nodded before looking back at Archerson.
"he's… taller than I saw on the view screen…" Allen said before Shion nudged him, he rubbing his side.
"so, now that we've settled out of the way from the gnosis, can we sit down for a few and sleep? I could use a shower…" Archerson sighed.
"the men's cabin is this way, no worries man" Mathews told him as he guided him forward, Garrett following as everyone else seemed to stare at the armored man in disbelief. He was in the full sense of the word mythological in look, more greek war god than human. His walking was a strong and proud stride, showing honor and confidence.
"so, um, your name is Garrett?" KOS-MOS asked as he walked by, before Archerson and he turned and stared at the three women there.
"you shouldn't know that name" Garrett warned, as Archerson sighed.
"I guess I might have said it in the heat of the fight before… looks like the cat is out of the bag… look, you're not supposed to know a damned thing about him, he's a code black you got that? Leave it at that. Don't ask questions, just let him do his thing when he needs to. We sure as hell don't" Archerson told everyone. KOS-MOS nodded as she turned and looked at the huge man, the blue goggles staring her down.
((two hours later))
"alright, now, why were we called here?" Archerson asked as he rubbed water out of his hair with a towel, a clean pair of combat fatigues on as Garrett stood behind him, fully armored. No one had seen what he looks like under the paneling and Kevlar, and no one wanted to ask if he had a shower as well. The warning they all gained was very clear. Garrett would remain an enigma.
"well, we've both asked questions of each other, but now I think the best option is to pool our resources and help one another. The gnosis is a common threat, to both of us. If we can fix what has happened now, you may be able to go home. If not, we die" Mirie told him gravely as she sat in a chair in the briefing room.
"hmm, I agree, what needs to be done?" Archerson asked as he looked towards Garrett behind him, the other ODSTs outside the door, leaning against the walls.
"we need to find the Ark main operations room, and activate the controls" Mirie said.
"whoa, wait, hang on, Ark?! No fucking way! Your bat shit lady!" Archerson yelled.
"hey, be nice pal!" Jr. growled.
"over my dead body! We know what the fuck that thing does from personal experience! We don't want anything to do with that thing!" Archerson barked.
"but why? It will save humanity and this world if we do" Shion said.
"bullshit! The Ark controls the halos, making all of us get blown to fucking hell!" Archerson yelled at her.
"the halos? What are those?" Mary asked in the corner.
"wha? You mean… you've never heard of them? Weapons of mass destruction, kills everything within 25,000 light years, and there's seven of them in the galaxy. They blow, we die, and the Ark is the activation platform on Earth. Everybody knows… this…" Archerson suddenly lowered his voice and thought for a second.
"the Ark here does not do that Captain, far from it. It will save us from everything we have started, and fix what we have lost" Mirie told him.
"so… no halos?" Magen asked behind them.
"I still do not know what a halo actually is, but we have never seen one in the past, or detected one" Shion said.
All of the UNSC personnel in the room looked at each other.
"we need to talk amongst our military asses for a few, gives us a sec" Archerson told them before Garrett backed up into the hallway and they talked. The others watched them as they whispered and said things, Wilson gawked for a second before getting slapped behind his head, Garrett remained motionless and unobservable around the corner.
"I guess we have no choice, maybe the forerunners made different shit here, or maybe they just never got around to making the halos cause there isn't any flood" Magen said.
"hmm, your right corporal. Alright, I'm not gonna ask whose in, we're all here and you already volunteered for this kind of shit when you signed on to the marines apes, so your in for the long haul" Archerson said before turning around and looking at everyone in the briefing room.
"alright. We're in. what do we gotta do?" he answered as everyone behind him nodded in agreement.