Never Alone

Oh my god this is sooo late and overdue! I am so sorry! Just been super busy and I have lost the file for this chapter about 3 times...so I had to keep re writing it.

The quiet thud of boots could be heard as Master Chief led the marines down the corridor of the covenant ship, they had just gotten out of a room where a group of covenant had been patrolling...they had lost. A few purple blood splatters showed that they had been in a fight but so far no alarm had been set off, maybe they could get keys in and out without it going off...but then again that was a slim chance. "Chief, are you sure we're going the right way? I could've sworn that we've been down this hallway..." Chief didn't answer as Johnson did for him, "All this halls look the same marine, now shut it and keep movin!" The slightly shaken soldier nodded but they all came to a skidding halt as they could hear a few of the covenant around the corner, their incoherent chatter drifting through the silent and slightly echoing halls.

"Alright, no one try and pull any heroics, these aliens will not hesitate to stick you with a grenade any fast than you would put a bullet through their skulls." They all moved back as the Master Chief signaled to them letting them know that he was going to move forward, "Chief are you sure? I'm picking up readings of two elites and three grunts." "I can take it." He held up his assault rifle and cocked it for emphasis, he knew what he had to do. He rolled out from cover and immediately lobbed two frag grenades right in the middle of all 5 aliens, making them panic and scramble around like headless chickens. Unfortunately for them though, an elite and two grunts couldn't get out of the blast zone and their bodies sprayed blood as they slammed against the wall forcefully. The marines cheered on and one by one entered the hall with the spartan and began to fire at the remaining to enemies, taking out the grunt and wounding the elite to where he bleed out around the corner.

"Yeah we kicked ass, hoo rah!" "Technically Master Chief killed most of them...and the ones before that..." "Well, we helped!" Chief heard Cortana chuckle as she listened to the two marines bicker over how well they did, "At least they've got spirit." "Huh, yeah. Maybe too much." She just chuckled again and signaled that it was clear to move on, "You should be coming up to a large docking bay room, but be careful this area seems to be heavily patrolled." Chief nodded and as they came up to a larger set of doors they opened with a ping and he looked around the large docking bay, already spotting a group of jackals and elites on the second floor. "We need to stay low and try not to alert them to our presence, follow my lead." They waited for the patrol to head down the other way and they snuck out, taking cover behind the large purple crates that littered the area, at least they had cover.

"Cortana, is there another door on the other side of this room that we can access?" She paused for a moment before responding, "It's locked, but I think I can override the controls and get it open. It may take a few minutes." "That's all we need." But just then he was cut off by the screeching of a few jackals and one of the marines to his side was hit several times in the head with plasma bullets, making a mixture of blood and plasma spray over the floor as his body fell to the side, "Move marines, lets take out those Jackals!"

(First person) The alarm had stopped about a minute ago but I could hear the shuffling and grunts outside as the covenant moved to try and take out whatever threat had climbed aboard their ship, fat chance at that if the Master Chief was here. But then another thought popped into my head, would they come to get me? Protocol calls that in a severe situation you get the top personnel out no questions asked, then the lower ranks if there's time. I knew this was a possibility but then again would it be so wrong? I closed my eyes as the last conversation I had with my brother ran through my head again and again, "Don't blame yourself, don't ever think that it was our fault..." But the problem was that I knew it had been my fault, my mother knew it had been my fault, and for that, she had resented me. I left like a coward and joined UNSC to prove myself and to eliminate the fear that had been the death of my brother, but the guilt and shame had never went away. I chuckled sarcastically as I tried to picture my mom if she could see me now, trapped and at the mercy of these monsters, "You will never be like him, and I could never love you like him. To me, your just a disappointment, a failure...a mistake." She had always seen me as something that was broken and I had come to terms with that, but I should thank her, because it is that intense anger and hatred that has driven me all these years, made me strive to become the best and never forget the past. I had used to try and think about what it would feel like to hear my mother say she loved me, to have her hug me close and kiss my cheek, but now, it is just a childish fantasy to me. I've never complained about how my life has been nor will I ever, no ones life is perfect and if I am destined to die here, then so be it. I lifted my head to gaze up at the glowing blueish purple ceiling, my bloodstained bangs falling away from my face to reveal the few scars along my neck and jawline, "I'll see you soon Michael, wait for me."

(Narrative Master Chief) "Hunters!" All of the marines warned one another as the hulking masses of armor and danger moved slowly out into the middle of the floor, looking for anything to blast to bits. Hunters were easily one of the most formidable foe because of their armored bodies and plated arms that acted as a shield against almost every weapon. The only sure fire way of taking these beasts down was with a rocket launcher, which none of them had at the moment, or a pistol, they had a weak spot on their unarmored backs that, with one shot from a pistol, could take them down. They lowered their heads as the hunters fired a few rounds against various spots where there was cover, trying to get them to come out of hiding, "Chief, we need to take down those hunters to get to that door!" "Affirmative." He turned towards Johnson and the other marines, "Provide some cover fire for me, I'm gonna take these hunters out." The marine commander nodded in comfirmation and turned to what was left of their squad, "Alright marines, the Chief has covered our asses for most of this mission and now it's our turn to cover his, lets distract those abominations and get our Captain back!" "Hoo rah!"

One after another the marines rolled out of cover and began firing at the large armored aliens, most of their bullets richocheting off of their armored arms but a few pierced their skin. The hunters grunted and shifted their bodies in the direction of the few marines, forgeting about the spartan, and started to fire off a few of their plasma rockets, the marines were dogding them by an inch or two each time. "Alright Chief, you have a clear shot on both of the hunters, take em out!" He nodded and pulled out his loaded pistol before jumping out from behind his cover and firing, managing to take out the hunter on the left, but in doing so, took on the attention of the one on the right. "Hrrrrrr." It growled loudly and shot a missile into the cluster of marines, making them scatter and roll into the crates, and moved rather quickly towards the spartan, charging its cannon all the while to try and take him out.

But the Master Chief was to quick and he ran and jumped onto several crates then on top of the wraith, taking a split second to judge the jump before backing up and leaping, time seemed to slow as he flew over the hunters head, missing it by a mere inch. He landed with a thud on his hands and knees on the other side and before the hunter could turn he had put a bullet in its back, effectively ending its life. As he wiped some of the blood from his suit and put his pistol away he heard the cheers of the marines, "Right in tha ass!" "That'll teach em!" Johnson ordered silence and they all waited anxiously as Cortana did the final steps to get the door open, "Alright, it should lead you straight to the Captain, just be on the look out for patrols." He nodded mostly to himself and they began to make their way down the hall slowly, trying to be catious of any patrols that might be headed their way.

Before long they came to a long hallway with a door at the end and doors to the left and right as well, fortunately the other two were locked so they only had one choice, forwards. "Stay low and move on my signal." The marines nodded and followed behind as they crouched and opened the door to reveal a large dimly lit room, it seemed almost empty, but after further inspection they saw that it not only had sleeping grunts and patrolling elites, it had a ramp to a control panel and atop that was a golden armored elite wielding an energy sword. "Well shit, we lose." "Not a chance marines, just keep your heads and lets get this done." Chief began to survey the area, looking for weak spots in the three patrolling elites path and waited for an oppurtunity, "Johnson, you and the other marines start to take out the grunts, I'll take care of the elites."

(Time Skip) "All that's left is another golden elite, watch out though he has an energy sword like the last one." "Easy." The spartan sneakily and quickly pulled out a plasma grenade and before the elite even had a chance to turn he stuck it directly on the head, smirking behind his helmet as it screamed in surprise before exploding. He began looking into the cells as he walked up to the control panel, trying to see if the Captain was in any of them, and to his luck Keyes was in the very last one, slightly injured but none the less alright. "Good to see you Master Chief, I take it you and the others have recovered Agent Dusk as well." He remained neutral toned but underneath his mask his eyebrows pulled together in confusion as the shield to the Captains celll dissapated, "I wasn't aware she was still alive and here." "Yes, she was taken to another room probably for intterogation and torture. Have Cortana-" "Already done." The Captain gave a crooked smirk as Cortana keyed them in to where she was being held, "She's in a holding room down one of those other halls with the locked door, I'll unlock it by the time you get there."

The spartan nodded and turned to Johnson, "Keep the Captain safe and I will meet you in the control room with Dusk, but if I'm too late go on without us." "You won't be." Then without another word the spartan turned and ran out the door and down the winding halls, determined to get everyone that was still alive off of this hell ship.

Omg finally! Again I am truly sorry about it being so late, but it's here now so enjoy :D Please review