Chapter 7

The Rookie kept wandering the city, still searching for his lost team. Along the way, he had found a gauss turret, and the ONI building, completely destroyed. He had hoped that Ruby found her mother, and all three got out safely. As he made his way back into the city, searching for more clues, and being helped by Vergil, he had found a destroyed Olifant, which made the Rookie worried. He decided to go inside, finding a corpse inside. He searched through the garbage truck, until he found a set of videos.

As the Olifant made its way through the streets, Ruby and Weiss heard the Propaganda Man speak through the PA.

"Stay strong, Mombasa," he said. "Our noble militia is hitting back hard! The enemy has begun to retreat!"

"Oh…I think I'm gonna puke," Weiss said, groaning.

"Might make it smell better," Ruby said, trying to reinsure the ex-cop.

"Why do we have to ride back here again?"

"It's the safest way to the ONI building. If we sit in the cab, we're targets. If we let Vergil drive us to the ONI building, the Covenant thinks we're just a harmless machine."

"RECYCLING! DO YOUR PART," Vergil said over the Olifant's radio.

After a few moments, they heard the Olifant's access-door creaks open.

"Uh oh," Weiss said, getting in front of Ruby. "Company! Get behind me!"

As they waited, a man with black hair came in, saying "Finally! Something between me and all the shooting! Guess we all had the same bright idea, huh? Name's Tuskon. Damn glad to meet you! Married right? I don't judge. You two own a house? Of course you do! Say, when this is all over, if you're in the market for a ceramic siding? Hey now-I'm your man!"

"Tuskon? Shut up," Ruby said, before speaking into her Chatter. "Vergil, can you raise Dad on this Olifant's radio?"

As Vergil chimed, Tuskon said to Weiss "Wow! Is she a tough customer or what?"

"You have no idea," Weiss replied, as Summer spoke into the radio.

"Ruby," the worried mother began. "You had me worried half to death!"

"I'm okay. What about you," Ruby asked.

"The fighting is spreading, damaging all sorts of systems. Power, data… The entire Superintendent infrastructure is close to collapse. I'm doing all I can, but…"

"Mom, you've done an incredible job keeping Vergil together."

"Ruby, it's not me… it's the Covenant."

"Mom, it's hard to hear inside this Olifant. Say that again," Ruby asked.

"A plasma bombardment collapsed one of Vergil's tertiary data-centers. I was assessing the damage through the underground cameras, and I saw Covenant splicing cables, patching switches-"

"Wait," Weiss interrupted. "The Covenant are helping us?!"

"Well, I'll be damned," Tuskson replied.

"Mom, I just met my first Brutes. They didn't seem to helpful."

"No. The ones in the data-center weren't Brutes-or any of the Covenant I've heard about. It's a whole new species, Ruby, and they're actually quite…beautiful," Summer stated. "They have some sort of automatic defense system, but as long as you don't get too close…"

"You know," Tuskson started. "And I'm just thinking out loud here-maybe this whole invasion is just one, big misunderstanding!"

"Shut up, Tuskson," Ruby shouted.

"Vergil's observing another group of them now, inside Kikowani subway station. Hang on a second. I'll connect the audio feed."

After a few long moments, Tuskson said "Number one rule of sales? Understand exactly what the customer needs. Not what he wants-what he needs. You understand?"

"Tuskson. Seriously. Zip it," Weiss said.

Summer began to speak again. "It's dark in the station. Switching the camera to … There aren't any Brutes around. Usually they never leave them alone. Alright, I see six of the new aliens, floating in a circle. They're surrounding a seventh, touching it with their tentacles…Amazing! You wouldn't believe how fast they can move their limbs. They're working…doing something to the explosives in the seventh alien's armor-'

She was interrupted as a series of loud explosions were heard.

"Mom, what were those explosions," Ruby asked. "Vergil, can't this Olifant go any faster?!"

"I'm not sure what just happened," Summer began. "Six of the aliens are dead. But I think… Ruby, I think they gave their lives to free their companion. Yes! Yes, I can see it! Floating away down the subway tube! Vergil, keep an eye on that one!"

As the call ended, Weiss said "Covenant with feelings, huh? That's a first."

"What was I saying," Tuskson replied. "They're friendly! Don't you see? We gotta negotiate!"

"Negotiate," Ruby said, confused.

"We shoot at them, they shoot back at us! That's just bad business!" He started to yell out "Hey! Hey, aliens! We're in here! We want to surrender!"

"Settle down, you idiot," Weiss growled.

"Tuskson, don't you get it?! The friendly Covenant aren't the ones doing all the shooting," Ruby explained.

As she said this, Tuskson started to climb up, saying "To hell with demographics! This is a down market! Time to bargain if you want to make the sale!" As he opened the door, he spotted a Wraith. "You! Yeah, you in the tank! Over here!"

"Close that hatch," Ruby ordered. "Get down from there!"

Weiss grabbed Ruby's hand, and said "Leave him, Ruby! I'm opening the back ramp! We're out of here!"

As the ramp opened, Tuskson yelled again. "That's right! Up here! What Say you and me make a deal?"

"DON"T WALK! DON'T WALK," Vergil said over the PA.

"Ruby! It's a Wraith! Move!"

"Where to," Ruby asked.

"Alleyway! Come on!"

As they ran, they heard Vergil say "Clear the street! Oncoming traffic!"

"You don't understand!" Tuskson tried to say, before the Wraith shot a plasma round at him, destroying the Olifant, and killing the man.

"Surrender accepted," Ruby said, as they kept running to safety.