Chapter 16: Meet your Opponents

Aboard the allied ships, staring Earth in all her beauty, Muffins stood twirling his moustache. He watched the audio loader connect to the receivers. "Wunderbar, hello my Blood Gulch Hommies! I wanted to let you all know that since I'm so nice, I'm sending down Pelicans with vehicle attachments to help you in your journey. Feel free to come back and thank me in more ways than one, PS I don't mind getting down and dirty in an orgy, oh lala!"

"Sarge, what did I just hear?" Simmons asked so very confused and fearful. Sarge braced his own fears and stated. "Obsession Simmons, an obsessed…I hesitate to use the term love, maybe sex maniac is more appropriate."

Washington looked up at the smoky objects descending towards the surface. The Pelicans stabilized and the pilots disengaged the boxed walls surrounding the vehicles to protect them from the atmospheric heat. "Rejoice boys for the cavalry is here!"

The Pelicans descended down to the streets and released the Warthogs. The pilot waved to the grey ex-freelancer and said. "We will give support to the ground troops. You guys go and do some serious damage!"

The ATSG soldiers all in the middle of an exchange with their enemies looked up at the thunderous echo in the sky. The Pelicans flew through the streets opening fire with their missiles and onboard machine guns against Cradle of Hope. Washington motioned for the soldiers to load up. "Let's go, we have been given a very useful gift, so make good use of it."

"Simmons," Grif got the maroon soldier's attention. "Shotgun."

"Ah dammit, I wanted to drive for once."

Sarge noted reloading his shotgun. "Mount up boys, the war gods have blessed us to mow down our enemies."

"Dark dude," Tucker noted walking towards one of the Warthogs. Donut jumped into one of the seats and said. "Almost as dark like the holes I saw on the streets a while ago."

"I don't even want to go into how many things are wrong with that statement," Bitters said lazily. Matthews mounted up on the turret. "Come on gang, we are wasting time. We have to fight to win!"

Grif agreed taking the driver position. Simmons and Sarge stared longingly at Grif. The orange soldier creeped out by their stares asked. "What is it?"

"No it's nothing really," Simmons said as Sarge explained. 'We have always ridden together, whether it be into war or just simple road trips. So it feels kind of strange to be riding in separate vehicles."

Andersmith manned the machine gun on the back of a Warthog. "Ready for action Captain Caboose!"

Donut sat in the driver's seat upon noticing his partner approach. Caboose rode shotgun and said to the pink soldier. "Go forth and spread our team glory to the rest, and then we can all find giant dinosaur eggs to eat together!"

Tucker turned towards Simmons and pointed a finger at the driver. "Dude, drive like you mean it this time. None of that goody two shoes follow the law to the letter shit this time."

Simmons whimpered at the prospect of breaking the driving laws. He pointed to the radio and asked. "Can I at least play Beethoven?"

"No."

Simmons whimpered with Palomo chiming in to help create some unison in their team. "I love a bit of Beethoven!"

"Psst, no you don't," Tucker held back the large laughter slowly crawling its way up his vocal cords. "You don't even read."

"Hey, I read!"

"Well I have never seen you do it in all the time we spent together on this journey. Trust me dude, I know you well in several ways."

"Um," Simmons shifted uncomfortably in his seat with Tucker punching his arm. "No homo man!"

Grif turned the keys and heard the engines rev up. He looked back and motioned to the rest. "You losers better not fall behind!"

Grif made a sharp left earning some complaints from the back. Simmons looked to the sides where they saw enemy soldiers confused and disorientated by the sudden line of Warthogs driving past. Those manning the machine guns opened fire mowing down their enemies without a second thought or remorse. The resistance in their way stood no chance at victory in a head on fight. Any enemy soldier that felt heroic today would be met with the ultimate fate of death. Bitters stood up from his seat and pulled out a pair of binoculars. He motioned for the orange soldier to stop, and the sudden stop sent the others into slamming their brakes. Washington looked ahead at the leading car and asked. "What's going on?!"

"Um…we see some roadblock set up ahead by the enemy," Matthews noted. Grif verified. "Hang on, I have an idea!"

"Want to explain the idea to us?" inquired Simmons as Grif slammed the gas pedals. I guess not, Simmons was visibly frustrated. He followed the lead increasing speed with every mile achieved by Grif. The orange soldier called upon his fragment for its aid. "Microsoft Sam, I need your help. Figure out how to make this jump happen!"

"Wait, jump?" Bitters nearly fell out of the Warthog in shock. Gamma took into account the various variables based on the satellite imaging, visor camera feed and information shared by the other fragments. He quickly ran silent calculations before mapping a visual jump pattern on Grif's visor. He saw the angle he needed to jump at, the speed he needed to approach with and the debris he could use to achieve their goal. Highlighted in red, Grif slowly steered the vehicle towards its direction. Tucker held the top of the windshield while holding his helmet with an exaggerated expression. "You better know what you are doing!"

Grif's Warthog made contact with the debris. The shock absorbers caused the vehicle to bounce with force as the occupants jolted back and forth. I hope I know what I'm doing to. Grif changed gears and increased speed. The car took off in the air. The time around the enemy soldiers on the other side seemed to slow down. The Warthog made it over. The vehicle stayed floating in the air against the terrified faces of the enemy soldiers. Two were unfortunate enough to meet the rubber muscle of the front two wheels of the Warthog. They went flying back as little particles of spit came flying out. Their bodies tumbled down to the ground on the sides and Grif landed hard. He looked back at the two bodies and shouted. "How do you like that taste of rubber you assholes?!"

Aria gripped the edges of her desk and glared at the reports on her screen in extreme disappointment. Our soldiers are doing worse than I thought they would. In fact, with the new reinforcements for the ATSG, they seem to have lost their morale. She dialed the contact line for every General and got them on her monitors. "They are headed for you."

"How many?" asked Dallas.

"Several, too many to count according to the report."

"Then I may finally get my wish for some action," Kabira grinned cracking her knuckles. "You hear that Kai, you won't be able to handle them all on your own."

"You never know, I'm a badass you know."

"I think you mean arrogant," argued Kabira with a condescending laugh. Kai held up a middle finger. "Yeah, fuck you to Kabira. Why don't you come say that to my face eh?"

"I can always do that after this is over, we can make it an intimate match up if you would like."

"Intimate you say? That probably involves one of us breaking the other person's arm or something right?"

"Aw, you know me so well."

"We will need to adjust our strategy for this event," Dallas said thinking of a new formation. "Instead of relying on the current structure, we will all need to become a wall of defense."

"And like that you just read my mind," Kabira nodded her head anxious to fight her opponents. Kai let out a whimpering sigh. "I was hoping to fight against uneven odds."

"You will still get to," Aria replied. "From the numbers I see here, even if they split up they will have more than what you four possess."

"But they are just numbers," Irene stretched her arms tiredly. "Skill is equally, if not more important."

"Be ready, I have sent more soldiers your way to act as support. Adjust your formation however you need to," Aria looked towards Dallas. "I will leave you in-charge of that."

As the screen went black, Dallas was quick to coordinate with the others. "You heard the boss, let's move people. Make sure you don't leave anything behind because I don't want anyone from our forces splitting off. We will create one huge defensive line."

"We have company," Andersmith reported as he spun the machine gun around. Three enemy vehicles chased them closely. The Chorus soldier opened fire at the road near their tires hoping to disable them. He managed to nail one in the front wheels and the enemy was derailed out of control. The other two however showed that they would not go down so easily. The occupants of the two enemy vehicles leaned out of the windows with a bazooka in their hands. Tucker looked back wide eyed and shouted to Grif. "What are you doing up there, fucking punch it!"

"Hey, driving in this debris isn't easy," Grif complained. "Why don't you try doing this shit?!"

"Watch out!" shouted Sarge as the Bazooka left a trail of smoke behind heading for the front most car. Grif made a sharp right and manage to dodge a direct blow only to be thrown off balance from the explosive force. He quickly stabilized the car and looked to the very back. "Hey, why aren't you guys shooting at that one?!"

"He is too close sir," Andersmith reported and explained. "If I shoot any of the explosives set around the car, we risk blowing up our own."

"Explosives?" Washington looked back wide eyed at the blinking red lights on the hood and the sides of the enemy cars. They are crazy sons of bitches alright. He turned back and engaged the radio. Tucker looked towards the grey soldier and asked. "Dude, what are you doing?"

"Calling for backup…hopefully."

"Hopefully?!"

"Did someone call for the cavalry?" and just as if someone had heard Wash's cries, a Pelican came descending down towards the road and opened fire. Three missiles opened fire and flew down to its target at the very back. Two missiles hit the sides of the roads creating for large explosions. The final one managed to hit the trunk of the vehicle causing it to catch fire from the back and slowly work its way up towards the front. As the soldiers inside hurried to put it out, they found no amount of effort could stop it. The car at the back derailed off the road with many of the soldier jumping out in time. The final remaining enemy car was however determined. The pilot licked his lips and squinted his eyes at the target reticule. "There you go, come into my view."

He pressed down on the lone button on his joystick and the built-in machine guns fired upon the safe zones of the car. The bullets pierced the top and worked down to the bottom. As the BGC got away from there, the car began leaking oil. The pilot continued firing until eventually the oil caught fire and exploded the car. The screams of agony, of those alive and on fire haunted the ears of the enemy soldiers on the ground. They stared in horror with one even trying to reach out. But he was quickly stopped by his more level headed comrade. "Do you want to go in there and die as well?!"

The pilot left them to mourn and spread such discouragement. Washington looked up at the pilot and waved gracefully. "Thanks for the help."

"No need to mention it Agent Washington."

"Okay, back to the original plan now right?" Simmons looked to those in his car. Tucker waited for a response before saying. "I guess so."

Tucker jolted back and forth in his seat as he glared at Simmons. "Dude, what gives?"

Simmons stared at the front vehicle and saw Grif exiting the car. The orange soldier rested his palm against the blockade and kicked it hard, so much so that he went hobbling back to the side of his car. "Ow, fuck!"

Washington approached the concrete debris and noticed the small man sized hole in the blockade. They had the time to set this up? He looked back and shook his head. "We are going to have to go on foot."

As they crossed the blockade one by one, they quickly found that the resistance would be fiercer here. From both sides to their front, enemy soldiers stood up with trained weapons on them. So much for a smooth ride, Wash ran for cover as did the rest. Donut took out a handful of grenades and smirked menacingly underneath his helmet. "Well, let's play catch!"

He stood up throwing every grenade one by one, at lightning fast speeds. "You get a grenade, you get one, and you get one! Everyone gets a grenade!"

"And I'm going to help everyone!" Caboose declared standing out in the open space and firing his rifle randomly.

The father and the young son looked outside from the safe confines of the shelter. They felt the tremors of a nearby explosion. Heard its echoes pierce their ears with a terrifying and thunderous noise. They saw the orange glow of the rising fire embers wave in the wind. With every explosion, murmurs of their safety grew and died down. This explosion was different however. This explosion was closer than the rest. The enemy was closing the distance. The son looked up to his father worriedly as he tugged at the man's jeans. The father bent down with a deceptively reassuring smile. "I'm sure things will be fine. I won't let anything happen to you."

The father then heard the propulsion sounds of several Pelicans descending from the skies. He noticed the American flag drawn onto the tail end. The father felt a glimmer of hope. The American army is finally here! He held his son close and repeated the words. "Things will be just fine son, I'm sure of it."

The Pelicans landed with every ship bearing a loud microphone. One of the soldiers from each ship exited with the device and prepped it for usage. "Attention all combatants, we request that you all stand down. You have nothing to gain by continuing this war. We know you no longer have the bombs. Let's avoid fighting any further, stand down!"

As the words finished, the firing had stopped at the piqued interest of many. The silence grew throughout the streets until all that there were the stares of the many. However it was becoming increasingly clear to the Cradle of Hope soldiers that the army was here to do nothing more than to disperse the fighting, not discuss any terms or conditions that could play in their favor. One raised their weapon and opened fire getting the drop on a squad of reds and the blues.

"Who fired that?!" one of the military personnel asked. But before he could get a response, he was met with the loud banging noises of several guns. "Stop this, stop this at once! Cease fire, cease fire!"

The announcers throughout the various streets looked powerlessly at the war. Their shoulders fell as did the device to amplify their voices. The various leaders of the military observed the situation from the comforts of the main base. One such leader cleared his throat and moved his finger along a clear cut route they could easily overtake. "A message to all our soldiers, join the fight and don't hold back."

Every military soldier ran into the fight screaming like warriors. They raised their rifles and took aim. With the click of a trigger, the guns opened fire mowing down many in the process. Amidst all this, they ensured the safety of the cops and the reds and the blues. The three sides united together to face the threat. The father in the shelter building hugged the boy closely. "It will be alright, they will protect us."

Siris looked to the military soldiers fighting by his side and requested that the commander be connected to him. He quickly expressed his gratitude to the military for taking action. "I believe it would be beneficial to both of us if we were to collaborate together Captain."

"And you are?"

"My name is Siris. I am the leader of the covert government organization known as the ATSG established to specifically combat the Cradle of Hope and the terror it poses."

"A covert organization, that's news to even us. I was sure the military would know all that there was to know regarding organizations related to the government."

"Believe me Captain, there is a great deal not disclosed even to the military," Siris explained as he spotted a few enemies to the northwest of them. He marked them on their maps and sent a squad of soldiers to take care of it. "So, will you help aid us in this battle against the terrorists?"

"Seeing as how we fight to protect the people, I would wager we will," said the Captain with an agreeable look. "Anything we should know?"

"The soldiers colored in red and blue, as well as some variation of colors fashioning the UNSC armor are allies. The cops have come out to fight as well. Please do not open fire on them, and be sure to give the reds and the blues room when fighting. They are a…strange bunch in their fighting methods."

"Well then, here is hoping to a successful operation," the captain nodded his head and raised a hand as if to make a toast. Siris replied with an agreeable nod of his own and with a slightly low voice he said. "It's unfortunate though that we could not stop the escalation. So many lives have been lost so far."

"And more will be if we don't start making progress."

Siris looked up at the transmission display and shaken out of his trance, he was finally getting a strong holding on his surrounding again. "Yes, of course."

He rested against the rough debris and took out his sniper rifle. With ease, he eliminated many who stood in their way, tried to flank them or get the jump on his soldiers. He expertly shot down the enemy soldiers in his line of view without fail. However this kill streak was about to end, he received an ear piercing static from the ear piece much to his frustration. "Sir, we have enemy soldiers flanking from our back!"

"I want one third of the troops here to go and ward off the flankers!" Siris retreated into the shadows into the general direction of the flankers. He saw the numbers and took out his knife. This should be interesting. Moving from target to target, from the shadows he assassinated them as quietly as he could. Should some be away from him in open light, he would use diversion tactics such as throwing a rock. As the unknowing targets would come closer, he would jump out and drag their fearful hearts into the shadows with him. One by one with the help from the ATSG soldiers, he managed to eliminate the flankers.

In the dark dingy underground sewer system, Alex of the trio led the group until they came upon a promising exit. He looked at the trace display and looked straight ahead. "We are getting close now."

"Wait, hold on," Chloe stopped the two locking her arms with theirs and crouched them down. Alex saw her focus her hearing and asked. "What is it?"

"Shh!"

Chloe could hear a faint but a familiar sound. There is no doubt about it. She took her left hand and motioned her two fingers in a walking animation. "I hear footsteps up ahead, several in fact."

"Okay, stay here," Alex gently started moving forward and poked his head out of the exit. In the wide open area where several dry tunnels connected to, he saw the room filled with guards to the brim. Uh oh, he quickly hurried back while minimizing his noises. "So we have trouble."

"Don't we always?" Carolina replied snarky and fed up with their rotten luck. Alex in his hurry failed to properly memorize enemy positioning, however he did his best to mark them on their maps. "As you can see, there is a huge group of soldiers in our way between the trace and Aria. We can always fight them, but then we would be making things extremely difficult."

"Or we could sneak past them," Carolina suggested as Chloe shook her head. "That option isn't any easier either and it will take more time to fulfill as well."

She let out a heavy sigh and stood up. I was hoping things wouldn't come to this. She stretched her arms and smiled widely. "Looks like I will have to go play catch with them."

"What? No, no, no, you are staying right here," Alex forced her back down. "Before when we did it, there weren't as many people to distract as there are today. Every odd will be stacked against you."

Chloe gently held his hands in her smooth palms and smiled. "Thank you for your concern, it honestly makes me happy. But even you should know that I have a knack for outrunning my foes."

"But-"

"Alex, I came with the intention of helping you get to your sister so that you may finally find the answer to your family problem."

"I know," Alex leaned closer with a determined expression. "But that doesn't mean that I will risk losing you over it!"

Carolina on the lookout heard the noises become louder. She gently pushed Alex on his arm and motioned with her finger towards the exit. "The footsteps seem to be getting louder."

He gritted his teeth and broke off her embrace of his hands. Alex gripped her arms in his and refused to let go. "We can sneak past them."

Chloe smiled amused at the level of stubbornness he showed. You are quite similar to Siris in this regard. She easily broke off his grip much to his surprise. It was partly no doubt due to the hours she put in into the gym. "You can stop with the tough guy act now just so that I don't have to go out there by myself. Even I know when you worry about these sorts of things, and how your body reacts."

She turned around to leave but was stopped by his grip to her wrist. "You really are determined."

She turned back and pinched a nerve on his arm. Much to the surprise of her comrades, the arm went numb and weakened. She took out her rifle and checked the magazine. "I hope you find what you are looking for Alex. Carolina stay close to him, and please make sure that both of you remain safe."

She moved towards the exit and looked at the helplessness in his eyes. She could tell the powerlessness he felt. With a comforting smile, she looked at him content with the decision she has made. "You know truth be told I had hoped to hear your answer to my confession before the fighting had started. But I guess it isn't meant to be right now, so until we get to see one another again…bye-bye."

Alex stood up and chased after her only to be halted quickly by Carolina. She shook her head describing the dangers of both of them heading out like this. "Respect her choice Alex as she is doing this mostly for you."

With loud footsteps she ran out. Loud whistles alerted the enemy soldiers who pointed their guns at her. She began running and the chase started. "Catch me if you can!"

As the BGC trekked further into the long pathway, they found the resistance from the enemy lessened. Aside from a few minor injuries, nothing that Doc wasn't able to help fix up, they were faced with four splitting pathways. Sarge looked to his right where Theta appeared on his skateboard zooming around his head. "Do you have any information for me?"

"Hold on Sarge!" Theta coordinated with their logical core Delta. "Hmm, it looks like while the path splits up, it will meet back up later down the line. I will mark it up on your maps."

"Thanks and good work Theta!"

"You are welcomed!"

Washington stood in front of the rest and stored the gun on his back. "So, we will need to split up. Dammit, I don't like the idea of doing so but it's time we put our squad formations to use people!"

"I never got put into a squad," Doc raised a hand with everyone rubbing their chin in thought. Sarge then suggested that he go with their squad. O'Malley took out the rocket launcher with a most maniacal laugh. "Let the fireworks begin."

Amidst the rubble, the smell of smoke, dusted down concrete and sharp jagged metal on the four paths, walked the BGC and their squads in a single file line. They all understood the dangers of making it so, but the thin paths afforded them no other choice. The one at the very front acted as their scout, and the ones at their very back acted as their bodyguards. It wasn't long however before the paths became wider and eventually met an exit to a large field. The reds and the blues stopped in their tracks with their mouths dropped open. We are supposed to fight this? They wondered gazing upon the immense number of troops. On a rock behind every enemy army stood the generals, some gave them a cocky look, others gave one to incite fear, one was neutral and the other could not be bothered to emote much of her feelings aside from laziness.

Simmons and Tucker looked at Kai's army with their arms shaking. Tucker looked back weakly raising an arm. "So, go team go, right?"

"We are fucked," noted Simmons quickly earning a glare from his co-leader. "Dude, I was trying to get their morale up."

"Yeah, but no point in sugar coating it."

"I promise to make it quick for you lot," shouted Kai upon noticing the aura of fear around his opponents. Kabira stretched her body from side to side, reached down for her toes and cracked the muscles in her neck. She pointed a finger at Sarge and Washington and said. "Only the strong survive. Anyone outside of the organization, people not strong enough to embrace our ideals are weaklings begging to be eradicated."

Irene stretched her arms and stood up from the giant hard rock that acted as her very uncomfortable makeshift bed. She tapped her mouth while yawning loudly and blinked her eyes several times with slumped shoulders. Caboose and Donut looked at one another and then to Lopez in confusion. She rested her hands on her sides and pivoted her hip from side to side. "I hope you can provide me with some interesting entertainment while you are here."

Dallas stood strong with his hands held together behind his back. His stern expression stared at the leader of the red and blue squads walking towards his. The orange soldier stopped alongside Matthews and Bitters. The three looked up at the bearded man. He closed shut his eyes and took in a gentle deep breath. "Coming here was a big mistake. You can still correct it by turning back."

He stepped forward with arms wide open. "No more blood will need to be spilled."

He pointed behind Grif's squad. "Just go back the way you came, both sides have suffered enough already don't you think? There is no point in continuing this conflict. We only want the best for the world after all."

"Yeah, because those who want the best turn the world into something like this," Bitters pointed to the many destroyed buildings. Dallas shook his head and answered. "People may label us as terrorists, in fact they already have. But what we want is best for everyone in the long-term. Short-term will be bad, but things only get better when they get worse. We will be in full control to help change things for the better of everyone."

"Would you listen to this bullshit?" Grif asked stepping forward with his rifle reloaded. Matthews agreed with a shake. "Even my motivational speeches aren't this much of a drag. Come on team, let's do this!"

If you choose to stand against me, then fine. Dallas reached for his helmet and snugly fit into it. I will become the one to dirty my hands with your bloods, for the sake of Cradle of Hope, and the world.

In the underground sewer system, Carolina and Alex were now past the room of trouble. He led her at a moderate pace throughout the tunnels until they eventually reached nearby their destination.

"The signal is the strongest here," Alex said in a mellow voice. Carolina stopped a few steps ahead of him and rested her hand on the wall blocking his way. "Okay, I know what's bugging you but we are close to what we came here for. I need you to have your head on straight yea?"

"I wonder if we will see her again."

"We will," she rested a hand on his shoulder and patted him on the back. "The target waits, we can't stay here for long."

"Y- Yeah you are right, sorry."

The two rested their bodies against the wall as Alex peeked around a corner. There were three guards who blocked their way guarding a metal door. She must be beyond that. Alex prepared his gauntlets and nodded towards Carolina. The two rushed out into the small room. Alex stabbed one repeatedly as Carolina broke the leg and arm of another. The third soldier drew his weapons and nearly opened fire. He was however quickly stopped by both Alex and Carolina punching him in his gut. The two alive guards lied rolling around in pain on the ground.

Aria was not deaf to such noises as she stared towards the metal door with a grin. It seems like things will finally get interesting. She stood up and took hold of her helmet just as the door began to rattle. She tightened it around her head and reached for the panel on her left forearm. Carolina kicked open the door just as Aria pressed the nano-injector button. Carolina and Alex stopped in their tracks to see Aria stand so boldly. So you are finally here my sweet little brother. She stepped around the desk and cracked her knuckles.

"Sister," he announced letting down the hood on his armor. She looked to his right and saw Carolina tremble. "Do I frighten you Agent Carolina, or perhaps you are remembering the time we spent together in my base?"

"Which one do you think?" The ex-Freelancer answered with every fibre of her being shaking with anger. Aria smirked underneath the helmet and sarcastically said. "I didn't know you missed me that much, because I certainly have missed you."

A/N: Now that we have met our opponents, the next chapter shall begin their epic showdown, I hope you look forward to it!

Constructive feedback/criticism is always appreciated!

Thanks for taking the time to read and support the story! :)

~ Monty