Chapter 12
The explanation continued
"Aw crap." He stated as he ran to where he last saw them.
"Aw crap, Aw Crap," He stated when he heard the sound he had come to dread, that of empty batteries, his hand slapped down to his ammunition pouch.
"Aw crap again." He said when he found he had run out of batteries for the T.A.T.R-14's he was holding. He began running backwards, towards the way which his Unit went missing.
Then he fell over the edge of the trench.
"Well look what we got here, another of the bloody cavalry falling from the sky" said an Australian O.D.S.T from inches away from him.
"Now I see why they used to call you folks Diggers." Ziizika said, with her Mexican accent almost challenging their Australian ones.
"G'Day to you too, welcome to the 31'st Australian Home defence unit." Another of the O.D.S.T said, giving her a hand up.
"Hello, how've you been 6-pack?" said Roger, shaking the hand of the O.D.S.T as '6-pack' removed his helmet, to reveal Blonde curled hair and deep set brown eyes, he looked the poster child for pretty boy.
"Same old shit as per usual eh? I see you got that promotion you were hoping for, Lieutenant-major now?" 6-pack said, shaking Rogers's hand, and nodding to the other people of his unit.
Roger looked around, saw that it was a full squad of twenty O.D.S.T.
"Hey, look at that. Big Boss has come back to sit and watch as the 31st takes care of the Charlies." Another said, removing her helmet as well, which revealed her as Silences sister. She looked a lot like him, except she was obviously female and the ponytail was replaced by a buzz cut to last the ages.
"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on earth" Said Silence, moving briskly towards his sister.
"Nice to see you too Joseph" she retorted, shouldering her battle rifle and cocking her head to the right.
"Jesus" said Silence, almost ripping his hair from his head, Roger Ziizika and Jackal met up with 6-pack and a couple of other people who were known by the nicknames of Roger as well.
"Hey, don't have a panic attack" she said, putting an arm around his shoulder.
"So, you're his sister? He's said so little about you." Jackal said, shaking her hand.
"You must be Jackal; he's said so much about you, did you really get caught on the loo in the middle of that uprising?" She asked, Cocking her head as she did so, which gave her the kind of innocence most of the other O.D.S.T were lacking.
"Yes and lets never speak of it again." He said while his cheeks turned a bright shade of red.
"You were supposed to stay back on the Sydney. You were supposed to be safe!" Stated Silence in frustration more than the false anger he was trying to put into his words.
"Yeah, well I'm here now so there!" She replied, as Roger came over.
"I hate to interrupt this happy family reunion but we kind of have a war to fight here. Please stop wasting time because we really have to move." He said, placing his hand on Silence's shoulder and his other on Jackal.
"Yes sir."
The twenty of the O.D.S.T and the Five M.E.R.C's moved through the tunnel system connected to the Trench.
"Where are we going?" asked Roger, curiously.
"The hole their digging, it's very precise. Whatever their looking for is the size of a basketball" Replied 6-pack,
"Uh… Okay… but why are we moving towards the hole rather than away from it?" Jackal asked, with his T.A.T.R-14 hanging loosely from its strap across his back.
"Our last orders before the EMP the covenant sent when they hit the Ionosphere, was from an ONI member by the name of Katherine. She said that we were to hook up with the Special Operatives of M.E.R.C and H.U.N.T.E.R and then proceed to guide them to the area for extraction of the Covenant's device and assist in any way we can." Silence's sister replied, putting her helmet back on.
"Well the way you can assist is by staying here" said Silence, facing his sister's hidden glare.
"Silence,
Just remember, here isn't exactly safe anymore anyway. The Covenant
will be coming through into the Trenches pretty damned soon. How do
you reckon your sister fare on her own?" stated 6-pack, leading the
group into a room, just off from the tunnel.
"God damn- okay,
fine. She can come with us" Silence said, his head hanging loosely
in defeat.
The crew moved with a reinvigorated pace, making it to the torn and ripped section of the tunnel that linked up with the deep hole that the Covenant were digging.
"Jesus Christ- oh crap …" Silence said, taking his blade from it's sheathe and carving a Maltese cross into his T.A.T.R-14's. 6-pack stared at him as he did it.
"I took his name in vain. Every time I do I carve a cross into the hilt to remind me of my imperfection" He stated in reply to 6-packs confusion.
"Whoa, it's so… uh… big" Stated Jackal, as he stared down into the hole. Roger stood next to him looking for a way down.
"Another stunning observation from the stating the obvious department" Ziizika replied, kicking down a stone from the edge.
"Wait for it…" Jackal said, watching the stone fall into the blackness. After a long wait Roger turned away, and pointed towards a circular blue pad on the ground which seemed to be glowing. It had a Covenant touch panel connected.
"There" he said, pointing towards it, they headed towards it.
"Looks like someone's going to have to stay behind and activate it" Jackal said, touching the panel, and activating a yellowish field.
"Ooh pretty lights" He said, stepping back.
"Okay sis, you just volunteered" Silence said, jerking his head to flick his hair out of his face.
"Hell no, I have as much right to be here as you Joseph!" She retorted, tilting her head and shouldering her battle rifle as she gave a grin that would have tamed a wild beast.
"Maybe you two should see a counsellor or something" said Ziizika her Mexican accent giving a kind of comical tint to the sentence.
"Are you kidding? It's only Sibling Rivalries. They'll grow out of it." Retorted Jackal with a grin similar to Silence's sister only a minute ago, to which Ziizika turned away in disgust.
"Get a room you two" Roger said, slapping them both on the chest as he past them onto the pad,
"Beam me up Scotty…"