(A/N) NicKenny back, with your usual Monday update. Big thanks to LanaLlama for putting Saturday's chapter up, as I was away with friends for the weekend. Now, however, I'm back and refreshed, and ready to bring you all something more...violent then you've ever seen before. After all, Penn, Maine and Alaska teaming up? That's not going to be a pretty sight. Think the MoI might just become flooded with blood.
New RvB episode out in less than two hours, and fingers crossed that it's not a PSA. Because that would just be cruel.
As always, enjoy!
Chapter Seventy - Dysfunctional but Deadly
Agent Pennsylvania
Written by Jerem6401
"Insanity in individuals is something rare – but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs, it is rule." – Friedrich Nietzsche
"Keep in tow!" Carolina screamed from up ahead. "Don't fall behind!"
I followed her through the snaking corridors, Alaska at my side, and Maine bringing up the rear. Even though Alaska and I had been here just as long, Carolina still seemed to know her way around better than any of us. I could have easily followed the signs to the main hangar, but there was no time for that. The MoI was shaking furiously as it was bombarded with plasma cannons from the Covenant Destroyer right at our doorstep.
I had been standing at the window, watching, when that thing appeared. One moment there was nothing, just the blackness, and the next, space itself just tore open and that fleet erupted out of it. That huge battleship, with phantoms and banshees buzzing around its surface like bees. I hate that demonic technology of theirs, that purple fire that sparks out of every weapon they use.
"What's our plan of action, Carolina?" Alaska called out. We all skidded to a stop just as we broke into the main hangar. We were on a walkway above a row of pelicans and warthogs. I looked out the main shield door in front of us, which allowed objects to pass through, but not our oxygen. We could see phantoms on approach, silhouetted by hovering banshees and seraphs behind it.
"We hold the hangar!" Carolina ordered. I looked at the pelicans docked in the hangar, being prepped to take off into battle. The pilots were scrambling around, trying to fuel up and prepare for take-off while the MoI rocked back and forth, knocking several of them to the floor.
"You there!" I yelled at one of the pilots. He turned sharply and looked up at me. "Leave some of the pelicans in the hangar! We can utilize their weaponry to take out some of the fleet! Those sons of bitches are more dangerous inside the MoI than attacking her surface!"
Suddenly I felt a hand grab my arm. Carolina ripped me around so I was facing her.
"The Director placed me in charge of this squad, Penn," she growled at me. "Not you. Don't be giving orders under my command!"
The nerve of her! I was trying to make sure the ship was protected, and she was going to let this ranking get in the way! I grabbed her wrist and gripped it as hard as I could, feeling her gauntlet armour crimple under the pressure. I pushed her away from me and stared into her visor.
"I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure those alien bastards don't flood our ship and murder its passengers," I angrily replied. "If you get in my way of doing that, you'll just be considered another threat to the cause." I took a step towards her and grunted. "And threats need to be eliminated."
She didn't back down, and instead stepped even closer to me. "I'm surprised you can't remember the last time you were in my squad with that thick head of yours," she snapped back. "You have a track record of not obeying my orders, and getting shot because of it. If you're willing to let it become a pattern, then be my guest. But until you wind up dead on the floor, I'm going to keep giving orders to mysquad."
She walked by me, butting me out of the way. I glared at her. I knew that this wasn't the time for our fight, not with an entire alien fleet at our doorstep. I looked at all the pilots running around the bay, panicked, and some even seemed to be weeping as they tried to fasten their helmets into place.
Maybe this wasn't mytime.
The time for me to run this squad.
I was in no position to pretend anyone on this team has a spotless past with me. Not that I cared. But I wasn't the one worrying about being dead at the end of this fight… no… that was all the helpless pilots, medics, and engineers on board.
"Carolina!" I called out. I turned and she looked back at me. I sighed and shook my head. "Don't take orders from me… but at least call it a suggestion."
She stared at me for a moment and then looked down at the hangar in front of us. The pilot was still standing in the same spot, waiting for a response from us. Carolina leaned forward and cupped her hand in front of her helmet.
"Do as he says, pilot," she ordered. "Leave two of the pelicans inside of the hangar and use their turrets to thin the oncoming attack."
The pilot nodded and ran to his pelican. I looked at the hangar doors, seeing the two phantoms getting closer and closer with each passing second. It would only be other minute or two before they were comfortably docked in this hangar.
"Alaska!" Carolina yelled. "You're with me! We're going to hold this upper walkway and take down the covenant from a distance, keep them in this hangar, soldier! No Covvie gets any further into the MoI than this. Understood?"
Alaska nodded and pulled out his DMRs, holding them both firmly at his side. Carolina then turned around, pointing at me and Maine. "You two are going to be down on the floor. It's going to be close combat… so take some shotguns from the supply racks behind you before going down there."
"Roger," Maine spoke deeply. He walked past me, staring into my visor while he did. He was heading towards the shotguns, ready to arm himself for the fight. Before he made it past me, I grabbed his arm, holding him back.
Maine stopped and turned to face me, squaring off with me. "Don't… touch… me…" he growled. I smirked at the cockiness of this guy. Pretending he could threaten someone like me. I didn't care if he was bigger than me. He had already lost to me in a fight once, and I certainly wouldn't let him walk away from a second.
"You forget," I started, "I've seen you in battle, very closely I might add." Maine snarled again as his hands rolled up into fists. I stayed perfectly silent, before throwing my arm forward and cracking Maine in the side of the head. I don't know what possessed me to do it, or if it was the right thing for the situation… but it made perfect sense to me… so it would make perfect sense to someone like Maine. He quickly stood back up and grabbed my chest plate, holding me tightly in his grasp. "
That make you mad, big guy?" I asked, happily. "How about this?" I ripped his hands off me and kicked him in the shin, knocking him to his knees, before throwing my foot into his chest, launching him onto his back.
"THAT'S IT!" he yelled. He leapt to his feet and ran at me, but before he could throw a punch, Carolina was between us, holding us apart.
"Penn!" she yelled, like I was some kind of child. "What the hell is wrong with you?! What are you doing?!"
"Look at him!" I yelled at her. "He's a monster, Carolina." I heard Maine hold his breath for a second, like what I said hurt him… but I know that could never be the case. "He's just like me, Carolina."
I looked up at Maine and nodded to him. "Get mad, Maine! Get angry! Look at yourself! You don't need some fucking shotgun in your hands, weighing you down!"
Maine seemed to loosen up for a moment. He lifted his hands into the air and looked down at them, before clenching them into fists once again. "We're clearing that floor, Maine."
He looked back up at me, staring into my eyes, with nothing visible through that massive domed visor. Then he slowly lowered his hands and nodded to me. He stepped closer, pushing Carolina out of the way and standing only inches from me.
"This," he said quietly. "Is not over, Penn." I smiled and slapped him on the shoulder.
"I'd be disappointed if it was."
Maine turned away and jumped down to the hangar floor, without grabbing any weapons at all. Armed with just his fists… the way it should be. I took my assault rifle and detached it from my armour. I looked it over for a moment. It was in pristine condition, like it had never been used. Then I threw it onto the ground and prepared to jump down to the hangar below.
"Penn," Carolina began. "Don't be an idiot. Take your weapons with you. We need all the firepower we can manage."
"Save it, Carolina," Alaska called out. Carolina turned to look at him. He was leaning against the railing between the upper walkway where we stood, and the drop to the hangar below. "Penn and Maine… they're the kind of people who carry their best weapons with them every second of their lives."
Carolina sighed and turned back to me. I didn't look at her, and instead watched the phantoms outside get closer and closer. The front of the first phantom began to poke its way through the hangar's barrier, and soon we were going to be flooded with covenant.
"Get down there, Penn," Carolina ordered. I nodded and climbed up, so I was standing on top of the railing. "And Penn…" I turned back and looked down at her. She nodded and lifted her DMR to its ready position. "Give them Hell."
I snickered and turned back to the hangar in front of me. "Make sure you're watching closely, Carolina."
I smiled under my helmet and leapt off the railing, falling for a short while before crashing onto the metal floor of the hangar. The phantom was now completely inside of the hangar. Maine and I watched the sides of the phantom unfold, as the troops within prepared to drop into battle. I held my fist in the air.
"Wait for it," I commanded. Maine knelt down, getting ready to charge. We could see the first of the grunts start to poke their heads out of the phantom, looking down at us.
"Wait for it." Suddenly, what seemed like hundreds of covenant jump from the ship. A motley crew of grunts, jackals, skirmishers, brutes, and elites, all raining down from the massive machinery above our heads. We could hear the plasma weapons spinning up and felt the ground shake as the brutes slammed onto the metal grating.
"ATTACK!" Maine and I took off from our positions, diving straight into the group. There could have been elites with swords in front of us, aliens with fully charged plasma rifles that could melt through our armour… but we didn't care. It was do or die. Just the way I like it.
"Spin them up!" Carolina yelled to the pilots. The giant mini-guns on the two pelicans started to spin into action and rain a hailstorm of bullets into the group of attackers.
Maine and I jumped into the mix, dodging bullets and falling bodies as we did. Sparks and blood showered over us as we expertly navigate through the crowd, picking our moment to strike.
Carolina and Alaska began tossing grenades into the mix, adding the danger of explosions to our run. I grabbed a grunt by his head and ripped him into the air, before using his body to beat a nearby jackal into a bloody pulp. The grunt's backpack suddenly burst a leak, and green smoke started to pour from it. I turned and hurled the dead grunt into a group of his friends, before his pack exploded and blew all of them to smithereens.
I felt a hand grab my shoulder as an elite tore me from the massacre and held a sword firmly in his hands. Small sparks of blue lightning leapt from it and danced in the air. I got ready to fight back, maybe sacrifice an arm to keep myself alive, when Maine's hands wrapped around the elite's head, and ripped it around, killing it instantly with an ear-splitting crack.
I nodded to him for just as second as we stepped past each other. Two brutes were on either side of us, both with hammers at the ready. The brutes ran in, swinging their gravity hammers like baseball bats. In unison, Maine and I put out one hand and caught the hammer in the air. The force of the swing embedded our boots into the metal floor below, but we both held our ground. I grabbed the handle of the hammer and swung it, taking the brute for a ride and launching him across the room.
I watched Carolina and Alaska fill him full of lead in mid-flight like he was a clay pigeon. Maine tightly gripped the other brute's hammer. The brute was trying to force it downwards to crush Maine, but he held his ground. Eventually the handle of the hammer snapped in two like a toothpick. Maine grabbed the top of the gravity hammer, and using it like a set of brass knuckles, smashed it into the side of the brute's head, making it erupt into a volcano of discoloured blood.
"Penn!" Alaska shouted. "You got more troops about to drop in! We need to take this dropship out before the next one shows up! We'll get overwhelmed!"
I looked up at the phantom as the pelicans began riddling it with bullets. Panels began to fall away, and eventually I could see it. The bottom section of the phantom's reactor core, flashing red as it took more and more damage. I needed an explosive in there… but I had none with me, and Alaska and Carolina didn't have an angle on the reactor. I looked down at the hammer in my hands and then at Alaska.
"Grenade!" I yelled. Without so much as a question, or even whether or not I wanted the pin inside, Alaska pulled the pin on a frag and threw it directly at me. I waited for the exact moment, making precise calculations in my mind. I slammed the hammer into the ground, the shockwave spinning the grenade into the sky and making it crash into the reactor.
The explosion rocked the entire phantom, which quickly began to back out of the hangar. Blue fire leapt from its sides, and more purple panels began to tumble onto the ground and out into space.
However, it was almost immediately replaced by another, which began to lower its gates as soon as it took its position above us. When they opened, Alaska and Carolina unloaded on its passengers. Bodies rained down over me and Maine. It was a beautiful thing. I looked at Maine, a smile on my face… which instantly vanished. Maine was looking back at me, but there was something behind him… or… was there? The air was shimmering, with no enemy in sight.
"Maine!" I yelled. "Your six!"
Maine quickly turned, just as the bright glow of a plasma sword shot out the back of his armour. An elite took form as his cloaking wore off, his sword buried in Maine's shoulder and ripping out the back. Smoke was rising from the wound and Maine's body shook every time another spark leapt from the weapon. It growled at him and pulled him so their faces were right next to one another.
"MAINE! NO!"
I took off running towards the two. The elite threw Maine to the ground, not knowing I was on my way. He stood over Maine and prepared to deliver the killing blow. However, before he could, he looked upwards seeing me directly in front of him. I had loaded up a punch on the way, and had the full momentum of my run behind it. I threw my fist into the elite's face, burying it between all four of his jaws. The punch was so forceful, I felt the elite's face give way, and it's neck crack against the pressure, killing it instantly. I held still for a moment as the elite's body crumpled and fell to the floor.
I was about to check on Maine, when I heard another growl behind me. I turned to see two more elite's closing it, their cloaking fading away. Suddenly both of their heads exploded into blood and horrible cries. They fell to the ground next to their comrade. I looked up seeing Carolina and Alaska both making another notch in their weapons. After giving a mock salute, I knelt down next to Maine and examined his wound.
"Penn," he started, attempting to stand up but collapsing almost immediately.
"You'll be fine, Maine," I interrupted. "The wound most likely won't be fatal. Plasma has a tendency to cauterize any wound it makes, so you shouldn't lose too much blood. "
"Penn," he said again. He was obviously trying to tell me something. Maybe he really thought he was going to die… maybe he was trying to deliver his last words.
He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me in a little closer. Suddenly he forced his arm back and threw me away, knocking me to my backside.
"Get the hell off me!"
He sat up and brushed himself off. It was amazing. Plasma wounds are among the most painful things a human can endure, and he had no reaction at all.
I looked up at the phantom, hearing another wave of troops getting ready to drop in.
"We need to take out the ship." Maine nodded to me and felt himself for grenades. He had none, and a quick lookover told me that Carolina and Alaska were out as well, using the last of them on the most recent wave of enemies.
I turned and looked at a Warthog behind me, waiting to be airlifted into battle. I thought for a second before running to it. "Maine, get over here!"
I grabbed the tow-hook and looked it over. I turned around and handed it to Maine. "Attach this to my back," I ordered.
"What?" Maine asked. "Why would I…"
"Do it!"
Without another question Maine hooked me up and took a step back.
"How good is your arm?" Maine looked up at the phantom and sighed. He looked down at the wound in his shoulder and rolled it out, giving himself a little stretch.
"Good enough," he replied.
"Penn," I heard over the radio. Carolina's voice sounded almost concerned. "What are you doing down there?"
"My job," I quickly replied. Maine grabbed the sides of my armour and took a step back. He lunged forward and rocketed me towards the phantom. I grabbed the side of the phantom's gate and crawled on-board.
"AAHHHHH!" I looked up, seeing a grunt run in fear away from me. A group of jackals jumped to attention as he passed by and got ready to open fire. I quickly got to my feet and ran in, slamming my fist through one of the jackal's shields. I grabbed its throat and crushed it, before taking hold of his shield and throwing it like a Frisbee at the others. It sailed towards them at neck level, tearing through their scrawny throats and dropping their heads to the floor.
I turned back around just as the last elite on the ship came charging at me. He was wearing bright gold armour which had glowing orange tubes along it. He tackled me to the ground and furiously began punching away at my armour. My HUD began to light up as my armour started to bend and buckle under the onslaught. My visor cracked and suddenly vision was a real issue.
I reached up through the onslaught and grabbed two of the elite's four jaws. I ripped them off of his head with two spurts of blood, sending him sprawling to the ground in pain. He reached to his hip in between cries and pulled out his plasma sword. He spun around, swinging at me, but I ducked underneath.
These aliens were skilled, and powerful, but clearly hadn't been expecting a serious fight when they began this assault, not knowing what lay in store for them when they attacked the MoI.
I threw my leg forward, kicking out the elite's knee. I put one hand on his shoulder and grabbed his wrist with my other hand. I yanked my arm back and tore his arm off of his torso. The elite roared again and fell to his backside. I held the elite's arm in my hands, spinning it around so the plasma sword it still gripped was facing its former owner.
The elite slowly tried to slide away from me, waving me back with his remaining hand and shaking his head in fear, like I was some kind of monster from a nightmare. Maybe I was. I slapped his hand out of the way and knelt down on top of him, pinning his chest to the floor with my knee.
"You attacked the wrong ship," I muttered. "We are the elite here… not you. You have no idea what war you just dragged yourself into! We are freelancers!"
I threw my arm forward and buried the plasma sword into the elite's forehead. He squirmed for a moment as the plasma melted his brain, filling the room with a deep purple smoke. Finally he stopped moving and laid flat on the ground. I slowly stood up and turned around, looking at the reactor behind me.
"Penn!" Alaska yelled over the radio. "That phantom is leaving the hangar! You need to get out of there!"
I looked out the gate of the phantom, seeing the barrier of the hangar passing by and giving way to the blackness of space.
"Aw shit."
I quickly ran to the reactor and took a deep breath, before slamming my fist straight into it. It started to spark as a small ball of blue fire formed and then shrunk for one second. This thing was about to erupt at any moment… and it was probably going to hurt.
"Double shit."
Suddenly the tow-hook attached to my back pulled tight and I was ripped from the phantom, just as it exploded into a huge ball of blue fire. I was in space, floating as pieces of debris shot past me and ashes covered my armour, turning it almost fully black. The oxygen supply in my suit kicked on as I spun myself around, seeing Maine pulling the cable back into the hangar with his one good arm. I chuckled a few times as I passed back into the hangar and dropped to the floor when gravity took over. I laid on the ground for a moment, taking some deep breaths, when suddenly my radio lit up again.
"Penn, look out!" Alaska yelled.
I looked up as Alaska jumped over me, tackling two more elite's to the floor. He started to fight them off, throwing punches and kicks, trying to knock them both out. Alaska was talented, but he wasn't like me and Maine. He couldn't match these aliens in physicality like we could.
I was getting ready to get to my feet, when I saw one of the elites pull out his sword. He swung at Alaska, but wasn't quick enough to hit him. Alaska rolled out of the way and regained his footing. I expected Alaska to jump back into action, this being the perfect time to strike… but something was wrong.
Alaska's eyes were locked on the floor. I looked at where he was staring and saw absolutely nothing. Just some metal grating, stained with the blood of those aliens. Suddenly Alaska jumped towards the spot on the ground and began screaming uncontrollably, the noise travelling through our radios.
"NO!" he shouted. "NO, PLEASE GOD, NO!" The other elite got ready to attack, but Carolina quickly sniped him out before he could strike the hysterical Alaska.
"Alaska!" I yelled. "What are you doing?!"
Alaska tore his helmet off and threw it to the floor. Tears were started to flow down his face as he placed his hands on the ground.
"NO! You'll be okay! Just hold on! HOLD ON! I won't let them kill you! I promise! Just keep breathing!"
"Alaska! Listen to me!"
"Please, oh God! Please keep breathing! Moi! MOI! Can you hear me?! Say something!"
"Agent Carolina!" the Director screamed over our radios. "Agent Alaska's vitals are rising uncontrollably. What the hell is going on down there?"
"Director," she replied. "He's just going nuts! He's screaming at nothing!"
I shook my head and took a step closer to him. "What the hell is a Moi?" I asked.
The Director fell silent, but I needed more orders. More aliens were sure to come pouring in at any moment. "Director? What do we…"
"Agent Pennsylvania, remove Agent Alaska from the battlefield immediately," he replied.
I looked at Alaska as he held his hands to his chest, like he was cradling something in his arms.
"But… Director…"
"That's an order, Agent! We have more dropships on approach." I sighed and ran to Alaska, before dropping to one knee next to him. He was still sobbing as he rocked himself back and forth, like he was consoling someone.
"Al," I started. "What the fuck are you doing? Get your act together or I'm going to have to…"
Suddenly his hand flew out and slammed into my visor. I fell to the ground as Alaska shot to his feet. He ripped out his pistol and aimed it at me. "Stay away from her!" he yelled.
I gasped and rolled to the side as Alaska fired again and again at me. The bullets sparked off the ground behind me as I went. I jumped to my feet and ran at him, swatting the pistol out of his hands. He kicked out my shin, knocking me to my knees and prepared to throw another punch into my visor. I reached out and caught his fist, holding it firmly in the air in front of me. I jumped forward and slammed my other hand into his chest, rocketing him backwards into the wall of the hangar.
I got to my feet and slowly approached him. He was still shaking off the attack, but there was no time for this. The Covenant were getting ready for another attack any moment. I sighed and balled my hand into a fist one more time.
"I don't know what's wrong with you, Alaska," I said quietly, "but I have my orders. I have to do what the Director says."
Alaska shook his head slowly and then looked up at me. "Penn?"
"I'm sorry, Al."
I threw my fist forward and cracked him in the side of his helmet. His head twisted to the side, making the sweat and tears fling off of his face. He shook for a moment, before collapsing onto the ground in front of me with a loud thud. I closed my eyes and slowly shook my head.
I activated my radio and spoke clearly. "I'm removing Alaska from the battlefield."
Carolina walked up so she was next to me, and also looked down at Alaska. "Maine can get him out of here," she stated. "I want you to…"
"No!" I yelled. She snapped to me, looking into my visor. "Maine can back you up. His wound isn't that bad. I'm taking Alaska. No negotiations."
Carolina sighed and slowly nodded. "Fine. But what the hell happened to him?"
"I don't know. I don't think I want to know."
"Nothing we can do now. Get him out of here, Penn. Apparently this guy's just another psycho on the team. Like we need more of those."
Why did it happen? I don't know, but impulse suddenly took over. I grabbed Carolina by her arm, and slammed my fist into her helmet. She fell backwards, crashing into the ground. Maine ran over and grabber her arm, holding her back before she could lunge back at me. I could tell she was ready for an all-out fight, when the Director chimed in again.
"Agent Pennsylvania!" he yelled. "Remove Alaska now! More troops are incoming."
I stared at Carolina and slowly bent down to pick up Alaska. "Roger."
I threw him over my shoulder and stepped closer to Carolina as she snapped herself out of Maine's grip. I leaned it, putting my face right in front of hers, even as the Covenant dropships began to enter the hanger. "Look at the three members of your squad right now," I growled. "And then tell me when it really counts… you wouldn't want someone a little bit crazy on your side."
