"It's a box." Felicity said, staring at the strange object on the table. The group had been sitting around the table for twenty minutes trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"Thank you Felicity." Dean said sarcastically. Oliver looked at him sharply.
"This is a map." Cas said looking at the parchment.
"And this is a fucking table." Dean said angrily. "None of it means shit if we don't know how to use either of them."
"There are theories, totally unproven of course, put forth by Heavens scholars. That the multiverse is arrayed in a spiral, orbiting a central 'Core' world." Castiel gestured to the map in his hands." This map proves their theories." He said firmly.
"Okay. So you're telling me that ANGELS haven't mastered the art of interdimensional travel?" Sam said. "We've traveled to other dimensions before."
"We had better things to do." Cas said, sounding a little defensive. Oliver opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Castiel got up and approached the box. He appeared to be looking between the map and the golden box. He touched two runes carved into the top face. Everyone jumped back as the box vibrated and lit up.
"The fuck did you do?" Roy said.
"I'm going to check the rad levels. I have a hunch." Smith said, reaching for her helmet.
"Radiation? Should we be worried?" Digg asked.
"Yeah, should we like leave or something?" Roy asked.
"No. This makes sense. It's Hawking radiation. This is a Slipspace portal." Smith said in awe.
"It's harmless." Thomas added.
"UNSC F.O.F beacons coming through sir." Morgan said.
"Hold on. No fucking way." Thomas said excitedly as he lunged for his helmet. He hurriedly replaced it on his head and activated his comm.
"This is Sergeant Thomas with Charlie squad, is anyone receiving me?" He said
"This is Bastion forward operating base, Charlie where the fuck have you guys been?" A garbled voice responded.
"We had an unexpected detour once we hit dirtside. We will be en route shortly. "Thomas said. He ended the conversation to realize that the rest of the room as staring at the four ODST's intently.
"Are you guys gonna head home? If that is where this leads." Oliver asked.
"I took an oath to defend Earth and all of her colonies. Way I see it, I wouldn't be doing my job if I left now. I'm not gonna force my squad to stay with me however." He turned to the other soldiers.
"Sir, you know our answer." Cooper said, looking around at Smith and Morgan. They nodded.
"We shouldn't squander this though. This is a solid opportunity to pick up some weapons, supplies, maybe a vehicle if we can." Thomas said.
"That's risky. You guys are looking at a court martial if you get caught siphoning supplies." Dean said.
"It's a combat zone, if we get caught raiding the armory we're looking at a speedy tribunal and a bullet to the head." Cooper said grimly.
"We're going to need some extra hands to carry everything." Smith said. "They're going to stick out."
"They can just say they're with ONI." Morgan said.
"That would discourage questions." Thomas said. He looked over everyone assembled. "It's going to be dangerous. I know you don't really understand what our world is like but once you're on the other side of that portal, whoever we take needs to listen to us without question." He said.
"You need people who look military right?" Oliver asked.
"You guys will be posing as spooks. Spies." He said. After a brief debate, they settled on Diggle, Dean, Oliver, and Laurel. They took some time to acquire four black special ops thigh holsters for the people going. The ODST's handed out earpieces and their sidearms, the M6A's selling the illusion. They told Cas to open the portal in twenty four hours and come after them if they weren't back by then. With that, he reactivated the box, and after some trepidation, the group went through.
The first thing Dean noticed was the smell. It was something that threw him back to the time he had spent in purgatory. The smell of death. Then the sound. The fighting sounded distant, but it had been here recently. Spent shells and olive drab clothed corpses littered the ground. A burnt out truck laid a few feet from the rapidly closing portal. The ODST's are all business now, rifles up and sweeping the area ahead of them.
"No dead covies sir." Cooper said.
"Doesn't bode well." Thomas agreed.
Further back behind them, Diggle drew his M6A and clicked off the safety, Dean and Oliver quickly followed suit. Laurel looked at them.
"You guys know something I don't?" she asked.
"This is a war zone. It pays to be cautious." Diggle said.
"Tune to channel nineteen if you want to get an idea of what's going on." Smith called back to the group. They made the appropriate adjustments and were immediately inundated with the deafening wall of sound that accompanies battle.
"Taking fire! Going down!"
"Someone put some fire on that fucking Shade!"
"Command, where the hell are those Spartans? We requested support an hour ago!"
"Bravo be advised, Spartans are spread a bit thin at the moment. Fireteam Osiris is being retasked to support you." The situation sounded bad. Every radio contact more frantic than the last.
"Jesus Christ, Vanguard six taking fire from Promethean targets."
"Vanguard six say again?"
"Prometheans, coming out of the caves sir! Oh shi-"
"Vanguard six?"
"Vanguard six respond."
The ODST's broke in.
"Charlie squad requesting escort to forward operating base for VIP's."
"Nature of VIP's Charlie squad?"
"ONI personnel with some important intel regarding the Promethean presence."
"Classified?"
"Classified."
"We're a bit overwhelmed at the moment Charlie squad. If you move to assist the marine element north of your position, we can task them to escort you to the F.O.B."
"We'd rather not risk the VIP's Command."
"Not a lot of options otherwise Charlie."
"Acknowledged. Moving to assist the marines Command." Thomas sounded frustrated.
"I'll give them a heads up. Coordinates coming to your HUD."
Thomas stopped the group in the shadow of a destroyed office building.
"I'm assuming you heard?" He asked.
"Why is helping these guys a bad thing?" Laurel asked.
"I was hoping to avoid putting you guys in direct combat." He said. Cooper went around adjusting everyone's headsets again. "Cooper is tuning your headsets to our squad frequency. When I say drop, you drop. When I tell you to stay put, you don't leave that spot. Clear?" He asked
"Clear man. I didn't come here to get killed." Dean said. They departed again staying much closer together. The noises of combat growing louder. Heavy assault weapon fire, coupled with a high pitched whining sound, and inhuman screaming. The group arrived on top of a hill overlooking a pitched battle. A small human element was holed up in a burnt out building, firing in all directions at the approaching enemy.
"Those are…" Diggle couldn't finish the thought.
"Aliens. Like actual aliens." Dean finished.
"You guys weren't lying about the whole time traveling soldier thing." Laurel said simply.
"That's the Covenant. I need you guys to stay here alright?" Thomas asked.
"Sir yes sir!" Oliver snapped off a mock salute. Morgan snatched his SAW off of the plate on his back. The ODST's advanced rapidly down the hill firing at the Covenant. Diggle looked around before tapping Oliver on the shoulder.
"Let's find some cover." He said. Dean and Laurel followed them. They rush towards an overturned vehicle, burned to beyond recognizable. Dean sat down heavily against the vehicle.
"Where'd you serve Digg?" Dean asked.
"Afghanistan. My unit was based out of Kandahar."
"Marines? My dad was a marine."
"Rangers."
Laurel was pacing back and forth nervously. She glanced at them and finally stopped pacing.
"How the hell are you guys talking so calmly?" She asked.
"Laurel. Breathe. We need to stay focused." Oliver said.
"Don't talk down to me Ollie. Those were fucking aliens down there! I'm sorry, this is all too god damn crazy." She said, pacing again..
Dean jumped to his feet abruptly, training his handgun on a point over Laurels shoulder.
"What? What is it?" She asked.
"You saw it too?" Oliver asked.
"It disappeared." Dean said.
"WHAT disappeared?" Laurel yelled.
A flash of orange light blinded them briefly as a hulking metal figure appeared in the middle of them. It let out an inhuman shriek, face opening to reveal a glowing skull inside of heavy armor. Oliver pushed Diggle down as a flurry of energy rounds rip into the air above him. Dean started firing, heavy rounds staggering the creature briefly. Laurel started shooting at it from behind. Oliver tackled it at the waist, bringing it to the ground. He planted his foot on the arm that was holding what looked like a rifle. He jammed his M6A under its chin and pulled the trigger. A splatter of orange ichor, and the creature stopped moving.
"What the fuck?" Dean yelled. He kicked the corpse angrily. "They fucking teleport?"
"Apparently." Oliver said exhaustedly collapsing on his back. The ODST's show up again accompanied by the marines they came to rescue. The soldiers immediately tense up and bring their weapons up, searching the area.
"The Prometheans are getting bolder." Thomas said to a marine next to him. Oliver hurriedly extricated himself from the corpse and jumped to his feet.
"What was that thing?" He demanded.
"We need to move. We can talk when we get to the F.O.B." Thomas said. One of the marines approached the group.
"I'm Captain Ramos. My men are appreciative for the assist." He was a tall olive skinned man, blood running down his face from a cut above his eye.
"Oliver." He said offering his hand. "It was Sergeant Thomas's idea actually." He was playing up the tightlipped spy act.
"Right…neat job on the Promethean Soldier unit here." He nodded towards the body. Oliver shrugged. Captain Ramos shouted to the assembled marines. "Saddle up boys! We got a lot of ground to cover. We don't want the Prometheans catching us in the open."