Oooohhh. I left a cliff hanger. To be honest I don't think the last chapter was my best one but, if that is the case I'll just try harder this time. Onwards to glory!
Andreas didn't move as he saw the Wraith take aim. It was over, he knew that. For only the second time he could remember, Andreas felt fear. People thought that Spartans were fearless. They were not. They just knew how to master it. There was no way Andreas was getting out of this one. The Wraith was too close and the Mortar blast would catch him even if he ran. Andreas took a deep breath. This was it. He had left so many things unfinished. So many things unsaid. He heard Meghan scream his name. He waited for the blast of heat from the plasma and the cold embrace of oblivion
Neither of them came.
Andreas opened his eyes. He should be dead. But he wasn't. The reason for his second chance was just now dealing with the Wraith. It had come out of the shadows. Little more than a blur. As it moved faster and faster its camouflage started to fail. The image of a Spartan in Semi Powered Infiltration armour resolved it's self on Andreas's retinas. The SPI Spartan leaped onto the Wraith. With a savage stab of his knife thee Brute manning the plasma turret died. The driver knew something was wrong, the plasma build up ceased and he reversed the tank, trying to dislodge the Spartan. But the super soldier was not going to be beaten easily. He moved to the vehicles cockpit and pried of the lid. The Spartan then drew his modified Magnum pistol. He fired three heavy calibre rounds in to the cockpit. The resultant spray of bone and blood signified the end of yet another Brute. The Spartan hauled the corpse out of the Wraith and threw it onto the barren, dusty earth. He then Addressed Andreas.
"You should be more careful Captain. I don't know what gamma company would do without you. But I do know that some would be even more affected than myself." He said, nodding his head in the direction of Meghan G123, who was charging at Andreas. She slammed into him and threw her arms around his neck. Andreas struggled to keep up right. A fully armoured Spartan is not something that can be, or is meant to be stopped suddenly.
"You idiot! Didn't you check your motion tracker? You could have gotten yourself killed. What is this, the third time that Grant has saved your ass…?" She trailed off as Andreas hugged her back. Letting go he turned to face Grant, the Spartan that had saved him, again.
"She's right Grant. I owe you… again." He said.
"Don't mention it sir." He said before continuing. "Now do you want this or can I have it?" He said gesturing to the Wraith.
"All yours Grant." Said Andreas.
"Good. I was hoping you would say that." The Spartan disappeared inside the alien artillery and drove it off, launching a ball of plasma as he did. Zhao and Marcus arrived. The latter still cradling his stolen Plasma Mortar.
"You're a crazy bastard, staring down a Wraith." Said Zhao in his thick accent.
"It blinked." Said Andreas as he led his squad towards the brute chieftain.
Linda took aim and fired her last sniper bullet. The round tore through the head of a Jackal sniper. Leaving the weapon behind her she drew an SMG from her side and jumped down the slope and into the swirling melee below. She leaped over a startled squad of ODSTs. She landed gracefully and sprinted towards the shielded groups. They were holding out fine but Linda had spotted a group of Brute Majors coming from the refinery on the opposite side of Commonwealth. She pressed harder, piling on the speed. She was about to do something very stupid. Something along the lines of a stunt the John 117 or Staff Captain Andreas would pull. She pushed her muscles and her armour to the limit. She blazed past the bubble shields. Kelly would probably tell she was going too slowly. A second before she would hit the brutes she lowered her shoulder and gritted her teeth. The impact was like being hit by a falling Scorpion tank. Linda smashed into the lead Brute, driving him to the ground. Before he could rise, Linda fired her SMG into his head; she then grabbed his spike rifle and leapt up to the next one. She clubbed it in the head with the spiker, leaving two deep lines through the helmet and the flesh of its dog-bear face. The Brute responded by back handing Linda in the face, the blow was enough to knock her flying, and more importantly, to knock her helmet off her head. Linda tasted blood in her mouth. She rose and fired both her weapons at the Brute responsible. She didn't notice her helmet lift off the ground, seemingly of its own accord.
The lesser minister of Etymology lifted the demon's helm from the ground. It was disgusting to the San 'Shyuum. Why he, a servant of the High prophet of Revenge, should be made to handle it was beyond him. But his master had given him this task so he would see it done. His Brute bodyguards were keeping the human well distracted, but of course his cloaking field was helping him. He withdrew a small purple chip from his belt. He plugged the device into the slot in the helmet and waited. The minister was getting jumpy. It was taking to long. But then the device beeped, signalling that it was finished. The minister withdrew the device. He deposited the helmet on the ground and left. His anti gravity belt allowing him to float away. Thankfully the cloaking field was still active and nobody saw him leave.
Linda picked up her helmet and admired it. She thought it had landed somewhere else. She just shrugged and replaced it on her head, ensuring that no strands of her long red hair got caught. She then heard a cheer coming from the other side of the skeletal frigate. The UNSC had won here. She walked to join them, leaving five dead Brute Majors in her wake.
Andreas severed the Brutes arm at the elbow. He then sheathed his energy sword and let Zhao finish it off with a stab from his spear. They were at the base of the hill that the Brute Chieftain was standing on. He hadn't seen them. Andreas gestured for his team to stop. Andreas continued up the hill alone. The others fanned out to stop anything getting up the hill. Marcus blasted a jackal that strayed too close.
"Crazy bastard…" muttered Zhao under his breath.
"I heard that jackass." Said Andreas.
"Be careful Andreas." Said Meghan. Andreas noted about the tone of worry in her voice. She never sounded worried about him.
"I'll be careful. I always am."
"Bullshit." Said Marcus as he fired his mortar at a Brute with a needler.
Andreas reached the top of the hill. It was surprisingly flat. Andreas grabbed the attention of the Chieftain by drawing both his energy swords. The Brute turned around. He wore the traditional suit of chieftain power armour. It was a reddy-brown colour with the standard "V" shaped helmet. What wasn't standard however was the Brutes weapon. A long pole, similar to the one that made up Zhao's energy spear. The Brute flicked it and an energy blade appeared. What disturbed Andreas was the fact that the blade looked like that of an executioner's axe. The Chieftain seemed to grin before it lunged for the attack.