Chapter 2

The sounds of gunfire, explosions and screams of both Covenant and UNSC soldiers alike echoed throughout the Autumn. The SPARTANs, Keyes and a handful of UNSC marines were stationed on the bridge guarding all entrances. As the Chief listened to the screams and cries of the dying crewmen, he grew more and more impatient of waiting. He knew just as well as the others that those men needed help ASAP. He couldn't just stand by and watch them die like his late fellow SPARTANs on Reach.

"Sir! Permission to leave the bridge." requested the Master Chief

"That's a negative Master Chief," said Captain Keyes "I know you want to save the crewmen as much as I do but if the enemy gets to Cortana first they'll learn everything. Force deployment, weapons research… Earth."

The Chief hesitated.

"I understand, sir." he said

"Sir! Here they come!" said a UNSC marine

"Alright men, brace yourselves," said Keyes "Do not fire until I give the signal."

Everyone on the bridge aimed their weapons at the entrance to the bridge. The footsteps of one of the Covenant's platoons grew louder and louder as they came closer. After they came directly at the door, a moment of complete silence had filled the room. The marines were fiddling with their guns fearfully wondering what was going to happen next. Then, a small yet sudden CLANG hit against the door. And within a few seconds later… BOOM! The door had collapsed and a large cloud of smoke had covered the area where the door once stood. From out of the smoke came several lasers aiming for the humans.

"Fire at will!" said Keyes

Without a moment's hesitation, all of the humans returned fire and peace was immediately shattered on the bridge. Within a few minutes into the battle, a sky blue and white object that looked as if it was releasing some sort of mist landed in front of the humans.

"Plasma grenade!" cried one marine

Everyone immediately scattered in different directions as the plasma grenade started to go off. When it detonated, only two marines died in the explosion. Captain Keyes wasn't very sure if they were going to make it since the Autumn was outmatched by the number of troops that the Covenant had. It was then decided; everyone was either to abandon ship or abandon hope.

"Cover me!" said Keyes to several of the remaining marines

Keyes immediately raced to the Autumn's main computer and began typing on the keyboard.

"Captain, what're you doing?" asked Cortana who's holographic image appeared

"Getting you off this ship." said Keyes

"What?" asked Cortana

"I'm initiating code protocol article two," said Keyes "We're abandoning the Autumn. And that means you too, Cortana."

"While you do what, go down with the ship?"

"You could say that. I'm going to try to land the Autumn on that object we found."

"With all due respect sir, we already have enough dead heroes."

"I appreciate your concern but it isn't my decision. The protocol is clear: destruction or capture of a shipboard A.I. is unacceptable which means whether you like it or not you're leaving this ship. Now, lock in a selection of landing zones, upload them to the neural lace and then get ready for a hard transfer."

"Aye, aye, sir."

After Cortana disappeared and followed the list of instructions that she was given, she reappeared with a solemn look on her face.

"Alright sir, landings uploaded." she said

"Excellent work, Cortana," said Keyes "Are you ready?"

Cortana looked around at her surroundings. This was surely the last time she would see the Autumn in one piece. After taking one last glimpse of her now former home, she closed her eyes, lowered her head and sighed.

"Yank me." she said

After pressing a few buttons, Cortana's hologram, functions and everything else was uploaded into a small computer chip. Keyes removed the chip and headed out to rejoin the others. When he did only seven humans were still standing; all of the SPARTANs and two marines.

"Master Chief!" called Keyes "Catch!"

Captain Keyes then threw the chip over to where the Chief was standing. Just as the Chief was about to catch it, an Elite came, knocked him down and caught the chip. Master Chief then pulled the trigger on his MA5B assault rifle and effectively wounded the enemy from the head down to the waist. After the Elite collapsed dead, the Chief grabbed the chip out of his enemy's cold, dead hand and inserted it into his helmet.

"You alright?" asked the Chief

"Yeah I'm fine," said Cortana who then changed the conversation "Say, your architecture is almost the same as the Autumn's."

"Don't get any funny ideas." warned the Chief

"Chief!" said Fred "Captain Keyes has initiated code protocol two!"

"Hmph, and I was just starting to have fun too." muttered the Chief to himself "Alright, 104 you go with 625 and the marines. 043, 049, you're with me."

"Yes sir!" said the SPARTANs

The Master Chief along with Evan-049 and Will-043 exited the back of the bridge through a series of hallways while killing some annoying Grunts along the way. Eventually they came across a couple of surviving marines who were having some Elite and Grunt problems.

The Chief fired his assault rifle covering Evan and Will as they headed for cover. One of the Elites were so close to hitting him in the head but luckily, the shot missed by only a couple centimeters. The Chief then rolled to Will and Evan and took cover.

"Jesus are you crazy!?" asked Cortana "Watch your head! There's two of us in here remember?"

"Hehe, sorry." said the Chief

Evan, who was busy reloading his M90 Mk. I shotgun, came out of cover and quickly fired and reloaded in a rapid yet accurate pattern. CH-CH BANG, CH-CH BANG, CH-CH BANG went the shotgun. Evan had successfully taken down the Elites and Grunts that were present in the room.

"Yeah, boy! That's what I'm talking about! Oo-rah!" cheered Evan

The Chief walked by him and repeatedly glanced from Evan to the corpses lying on the floor.

"How long have you been a SPARTAN again?" asked the Chief

"Fifteen good, long years sir," said Evan "Why?

"Just… asking." said the Chief

"What he means is," said Will "Nice shot."

The trio then ran out of the room and eventually caught up with some marines at the end of a hallway. But as they did meet up with them, a sound of a canon hitting its desired target erupted followed by the ship shaking. Some of the marines were startled and began looking around the ship chatting amongst themselves.

"What the hell just hit us?" asked one marine

"Everyone! To the airlock! Move it!" said another marine who was their current leader

The SPARTANs and the marines headed towards the airlock to find that two crewmen were guarding the door. However, the door exploded killing the two men which was now left with no one guarding the door now. A small group of Elites and Grunts began to burst into the hallway and the humans immediately took action. Just in case there was more of them, Will threw a frag grenade into the airlock where they came from. When the grenade exploded, it sent a couple Elites flying into the wall.

The Chief first knocked an Elite out with the back of his assault rifle and then shot one… two… three Grunts one at a time, all in the head. As the rest of the group were finished off, the SPARTANs found a window that showed the life pods outside being launched and shot at by a Covenant fleet.

"They must really not want us on that ring." said Evan

"We have to move before all of the life pods are launched." said Will

Thinking that the airlocks could be a possible shortcut to the lifeboats, the SPARTANs moved through the pitch-black airlocks killing all enemies who stood in their way. When they came at the other side of the airlock they encountered several Elites who were just about to kill a panicking marine. 043 and 049 took action and fired at the Elites while the Chief took the panicking soldier and threw him into the nearest (and last) life pod there was.

"SPARTANs! Into the lifeboat!" ordered the Chief

"Alright but hang on a sec," said Evan "I almost got this one gu-"

"TODAY!!" shouted the Chief

"Alright, alright, we're coming!" said Evan-049 "Geez, cranky."

As soon as the two SPARTANs moved into the life pod, the Chief immediately closed the door and turned to the pilot.

"Punch it." he said

"Aye, aye sir," said the pilot who then punched in a few keys on the keyboard that dispatched the pod from the ship "We're disengaged. Goin' fer a safe minimum distance."

"Sir, are we gonna make it? I don't wanna die out here!" said the panicking marine

The Chief put his hand on the marine assuring him that everything was going to be okay.

"Heads-up everyone, this is it!" said the pilot "We're entering the ring's atmosphere in five!"

"Hey, shouldn't you take a seat?" asked Will who was already seated

"No." said the Chief

"Alright but if you crash right through the window don't go crying to me." said 043

"I'll be fine." said the Master Chief

"If I still had fingers, they'd be crossed." said Cortana as the pod entered the ring's atmosphere