Autho's Notes: I'm experiencing a glitch while uploading this chapter. Sorry if you see duplicate chapters or keep getting pinged.
Flooded City
Varu ignored the rain and gazed upon his surroundings; the city ruins and decrepit buildings were a sorry sight to behold, their walls crumbling, windows shattered, and glass littered the streets. The roads were cracked and damaged. Pieces and chunks of concrete were missing, and holes riddled the pavement. In some areas, the water reached his knees. The sangheili shook his head. It was a despicable sight. Pathetic. These humans couldn't even care for their world, their cities. Even their most grand and glorious achievements were nothing more than rubble and ruins, now. Abandoned and left to decay.
Phantom engines roared in the distance, hissing and thrusters burning, as the dropship lowered the final piece of an anti-aircraft battery. The large and cumbersome piece of equipment was carefully positioned and placed upon the side of a building. "Hurry up, you pathetic slugs!" Varu shouted to the unggoy below him, who struggled and cursed as they pushed other equipment like methane tanks, boxes of supplies, and power generators into place.
"Yes, leader!" they shouted back. Their voices were strained as they worked and moved the heavy objects into position, but they obeyed his command, and worked faster, moving with more urgency and haste to his orders. He smirked and nodded his approval.
With the final piece in place, the Phantom's engines fired once more, lifting off and leaving them behind; the sound of the ship's engines faded and grew quiet before eventually disappearing altogether. With the dropship gone. Varu gazed upon a Jiralhanae approaching him, his face a hard mask of indifference. "Finished scouting the perimeter?" He asked the brute, who nodded, crossing his massive arms. The jiralhanae looked displeased and uninterested as if this entire affair bored him.
"The scent of humans wasn't found, but oil and rust are heavy in the air," his deep voice growled, a frown appearing on his features, "Although some game does roam nearby, with your permission, I'd like to take my pack to hunt."
Brutes. The thought of their kind filled him with annoyance. But he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. Besides, keeping jiralhanae busy and occupied, away from the other species and himself, was for the best. "Fine, but return within the hour." he waved a hand dismissively.
Without a word or second glance, the large jiralhanae walked off, motioning and calling for his brothers to his side, their hulking forms leaving and disappearing behind a ruined building. With that matter out of the way, Varu began walking, his steps taking him toward the newly placed AA battery.
The temporary outpost on this alternate Earth was coming together nicely. Varu had decided to establish the site here within the city ruins due to its proximity to the ocean. Which would allow Solemn Penance to drop in additional supplies or reinforcements as needed.
It was a strange place, however. The planet was a near mirror image of its counterpart. The one that the sangheili had come to know so well. The same continents, some city locations, and land masses were all the same. But, it was different in other ways. For instance, there were no humans, no ships, no aircraft, and buildings with rather primitive designs.
The sangheili found that perplexing. He wondered if perhaps the humans had all died off or moved on to a different world. It was strange. And Varu couldn't help but wonder about the mystery and unknowns of this place. He shook his head. It mattered not. He was here for one purpose and one purpose alone, to create a foothold and hold this location.
As he approached the newly erected anti-aircraft battery. He saw a pair of sangheili in blue armor standing and watching over unggoy as they worked. One was leaning against the battery, his arms crossed. A plasma rifle was attached to his thigh, and he wore a bored expression.
Seeing the Commander approaching, the other minor tapped the first on the shoulder, making him stand straight. "Commander!" the first shouted, snapping a salute and bowing their heads in respect.
Nodding, Varu glanced at the two before looking to the unggoy, who was still fumbling and trying to get the power generator attached and set up, "How soon until we have the AA operational?" he asked, his voice sounding annoyed.
"A-as soon as possible, sir." one of the Unggoy replied, "The generator is tricky, and-"
"Do not make excuses, you pathetic worm!" Varu snapped, glaring down at the unggoy, his voice a sharp hiss.
"Y-yes! Sorry, leader!"
"Sorry, leader!" the other grunts echoed, their voices sounding terrified as they worked and pushed the massive power generator into its slot and position, the machine humming and whirring to life.
Smirking, Varu nodded. He was pleased at the fear in the unggoy's voices. Good. They needed to learn their place and their role. "Excellent, I want this outpost operational by the time the Sun sets," he ordered. He then turned to the two sangheili. "I want patrols around the area and a watch on the skies, if even one human, or any creature, approaches the perimeter, you kill it."
"Yes, Commander!"
"A few Jha'kaar are with us. Have them stationed in the nearby skyscrapers and rooftops. I want their snipers active and ready." He added, turning his back to the group as he began to walk off. "Alert me of any developments," he commanded.
"By your word."
Varu walked away, leaving them to their duties, and began to move towards the center of the camp. Passing a pair of kig'yar who were setting up a turret. He gave them a passing glance, before heading to his tent. It was a spacious shelter made of purple-colored tarp and alien metal. Entering, the Sangheili moved past a table and chair, and towards a small pedestal. Reaching, he grasped and picked up a holographic projector.
Activating the device. A glowing blue image of his shipmaster appeared. The large sangheili's face was neutral, his features betraying nothing as he spoke. "Report," he ordered, his voice deep.
"Construction of the outpost is almost complete; the anti-aircraft is operational, along with a few other defenses. My sangheili are scouting the perimeter and establishing a basic security patrol." Varu said, his mandibles flexing. "If the Gods will it, we may have this camp fully operational within the hour."
The holographic Rhul 'Salmutee nodded, his voice calm and steady, "Excellent. With your outpost in place, the prophet will be pleased," the sangheili stated. "He has been most...vexed lately, with his plans and schemes being delayed and interrupted."
Varu nodded, "Of course. But what of the Solemn Penance? How are the repairs?"
Shaking his head, the hologram frowned, "The huragoks are slow in their efforts," he began, "But we are making progress, at the very least." Rhul's voice held a trace of annoyance as he mentioned the huragoks, but the emotion disappeared quickly, as the holographic figure cleared his throat. "It appears the damage to the engines was greater than I anticipated. But it should be nothing our huragok cannot handle. I expect the ship should be repaired within the next three days." He finished.
"By the will of the gods," Varu added, nodding in approval. "What are your orders until then?"
"Remain vigilant. We still know little of this world and its inhabitants. If there are humans or any hostile species in the area. Deal with them. And report back immediately." The shipmaster ordered, his holographic form turning its head for a moment, his attention on something the sangheili commander couldn't see. "I must go now," Rhul uttered, looking back to Varu, "Do not fail in your duties." the shipmaster warned.
With a wave of his hand, the holograph vanished. The machine powering off. Placing the device back down on the pedestal, Varu let out a soft sigh, his mandibles pressing and closing, as the sangheili thought to himself, a faint scratching and clawing sound made him pause. Turning, he was surprised to see a small rodent near his feet. Its beady eyes are staring up at him, its nose twitching.
Grunting, the sangheili kicked at the creature. His foot struck the small animal and sent it flying and out of his tent. The tiny rodent squeaked and scurried away in a hurry. Shaking his head. Varu sighed. "Filthy thing..." he grunted.
The sangheili peered outside his tent, the rain had lightened up a bit, but not by much. He could hear and see the unggoy and other species milling about. Their bodies were moving to and fro, as they worked to finish the outpost. Things were going smoothly and as planned. But still, there was an unease that settled in his stomach, and he couldn't quite figure out the cause.
Perhaps it was this world? Its strange nature, the odd feeling in the air. The way it just felt so different, alien, and yet, the same. Varu growled. It was confusing and hard to explain. Shaking his head, the sangheili chided himself for his foolishness. This entire thing was pointless. A mere distraction, from the important task at hand. His mission, the Prophet, and the Covenant's will were of top priority, nothing more.
Peering through binoculars atop a high rise. Jackass watched the camp and Covenant outpost below. His binoculars focused on the large anti-aircraft battery in particular. She had intended to do some fishing in the ocean and was heading down the road when she saw the strange alien ships descending into the city ruins. Needless to say, the sight had disturbed her. She'd dropped everything she was doing and quickly ran and climbed the nearest skyscraper to see what the hell was going on.
At first, she thought it was a new machine model, or maybe some fancy new YoRHa weapon or equipment, but nope. It was not that at all. She wasn't even sure what to make of this. This was something else entirely. Aliens? The ones that started this war?
That couldn't be right. There was no way it was them. It just wasn't possible.
Jackass' thoughts were racing, her mind trying to process the different races she was seeing, and the advanced technology that they possessed. The large gorilla-looking ones, the ones in blue armor, and the short little creatures carrying the equipment. She wasn't sure what they were, or where they came from. But she knew one thing. They weren't from Earth. No, these were aliens, and they were ready for a fight.
Shaking her head, Jackass pulled the binoculars from her eyes. She couldn't linger here. Not for much longer. She needed to get back to the resistance camp and warn the others of the situation. They'd know what to do. And if they didn't, Anemone sure as hell would. That woman had been fighting this war for a long, long time. If there was anyone who knew how to deal with the aliens, it would be her.
Jackass wasn't sure what was going on, or why the aliens had decided to show up now. Maybe the machines had finally gotten so desperate they called them in. Or maybe these aliens were here to destroy the machines and take over the Earth. Jackass didn't know, nor did she care. All she knew was, that they weren't human, and that put them on the enemies list.
Unknown Forest
Thick forest trees snapped in half and scattered, a loud thunderous crack roared through the greenery as the armored frame of the Master Chief crashed and tore through. His impact created a small ditch as dust and debris blew up and away.
Getting up on one knee. The spartan shook his head as warnings blinked. Plastering over his hud and making his head ache. A red dot appearing near the edge of his motion tracker's radar range caught his attention.
In the misty cloud of dirt and grime. The pale android swiftly ran at him, lunging with blade in hand and poised to strike.
"Chief," the worried voice of Cortana pierced through his mind.
"I know," he uttered, rolling to the side as the android's blade was embedded into the soil.
Stepping to the side. The Master Chief sunk his digits into one of the nearby tree trunks he'd collided into and broke apart, his hands sinking and wrapping around the bark.
Pulling her blade from the dirt and spinning. A2's eyes widened in surprise as the spartan, in one swift and fluid movement, swung and smashed the tree into her.
Wood and splinters erupted. The android flew through the air like a baseball hit out of the park, spinning and flipping before colliding a few dozen yards away. A crash of metal, stone, and wood echoed as her body struck and plowed through the dense forest.
Standing, Master Chief tossed the now eviscerated, broken log. His hud marking where his discarded Battle Rifle landed."Cortana, she-"
"An android. Scans show she's similar to 2B and 9S. The readout isn't exactly a match, but they all have that same energy signature," She informed him, sounding perplexed as he picked up his weapon, "I think she's an older model, though," she muttered.
Checking his rifle. Chief gave it a once-over, "Why is she hostile?" he asked. Eyes moving to where he'd sent her flying.
Cortana hummed, and her voice dropped a tone. "Perhaps-"
Twig snapping behind him. The Chief swung around, rifle raised, and ready to fire.
"Sister..." the pink ribboned robot was standing at the end of the trail. Fear apparent and evident in her expression.
"The machine..." his companion commented.
"It needs to leave, now." the Chief voiced, keeping his back to her as he watched the treeline where he sent the android. "This isn't the place for an escort mission," he spoke, eyes narrowing as a figure moved along his radar's periphery.
The soft glow of her green eyes dimmed. Shoulders trembling in fright, "B-but, I'm s-scared. I want to return to my f-family." she uttered in a whimper.
An angered roar sounded as the white-haired android broke through the woods and sprinted at them, surging with intent to kill. It wouldn't be long before she was on their position.
Rushing the 'child', the Master Chief pushed and moved her forward. Cortana's voice coming across. "Now! Get moving! Just follow the path forward and you'll be safe!"
Without a word, the giant machine took off, lumbering off, leaving them behind. Her fearful cries echoed out and filled the forest.
Swiveling his rifle around. Chief positioned his firearm at the tree line. Finger poised and ready to take the android down.
Just like before a red dot appeared on his radar. Then, a white blur jumped out, rushing at him, a blade was swinging and aiming at him. With his gun raised. He pulled the trigger. The gun kicked as rounds fired from his rifle's chamber.
Bullets whizzed through the air, and streaks of lead soared at the attacking android. A2 ducked and weaved her body around them. Avoiding each projectile she closed the gap and swung her blade across in a sweeping arc across his armor.
Shrugging off her blow and staggering back a tad. Master Chief held his ground and was met with another passing swipe. This one aimed against the thick and reinforced armor of his thigh. The blow was enough to draw sparks as he stumbled backward a touch. Giving her just the advantage she needed as her attacks came in, harder and more frequent.
Using her small form. A2, like a blur, disappeared and appeared before him again, striking him every time she zipped and reappeared. Her speed was incredible and beyond what he was used to facing. Each strike was more powerful than the last, and her accuracy was spot on.
The Master Chief was practically being pushed backward with each blow, forced to give ground and yield his position. His motions were sluggish compared to hers. Shoulder out to absorb most of the damage and lessen her blows, the spartan was quickly realizing her battle experience, skill, and prowess were high. A deadly foe, indeed.
"Cortana," he warned, needing to act quickly. It was only a matter of time before his shields gave in and depleted.
"Working on it," She called back, voice clipped, and focused. "I'm just trying to locate her... Bingo! Her network system is odd, but this should buy us time to land a hit!" her voice cheered, confident as the android's body froze and seized up, shuddering and shaking; she dropped her sword.
Without hesitation, Master Chief spun his rifle and slammed it forward. Bringing the butt of the rifle and striking across her skull.
Yelling from the sting of the hit. The android jerked and stumbled back, as Chief continued his assault. Dropping his rifle to the ground, he delivered a series of quick jabs to the girl, striking hard at her abdomen and making her bend over in agony. A resounding crack of his fist smashed and connected with her jaw, knocking the android backward as she tripped.
With the tables turned. John took the advantage and moved to press forward. His body, much larger than hers, blocked the sun, looming and towering over her. His visor glared down at A2's smaller form, and his stance and weight shifted.
Grabbing her by the face. A2 struggled as the spartan kicked her leg and shoved her downward, slamming the android's head into the dirt. Cracks formed in the earth, spidering outward as he held her there.
He could hear Cortana's voice, sounding pleased," See? Easy," she said, the sound of a smirk on her face. "Now then, I have some questions to ask you-"She was cut off.
The android's flexible legs and thighs were suddenly wrapped around his arm, locking his limb in place. Pulling and yanking. A2 forced herself into a backward roll. Chief felt himself being dragged along and thrown overhead in a powerful flip.
His body soared and tumbled through the air. The wind howled, whipping past his frame. Landing with a loud thud. Dirt, grass, and leaves scattered. His suit's shields flickered and strained from the impact and strain.
Standing on her feet. A2's eyes narrowed, heels digging into the soil as she dashed at him. Her body was a blur as it sped and closed the distance.
Reflexes kicking in, Chief raised his forearms and blocked the oncoming dive kick as her heel struck his armor. Pushing himself back, his boots slid. Digging a small trench and kicking up gravel and dust. He grunted from the blow, feeling and hearing his shields weaken further and struggle from the force.
Dashing in, and following up with a jab to his gut. She then threw another blow, a right hook. Taking the hit like a champ, the spartan moved with a quick burst of speed. Pivoting his body, he shifted behind her. Armored gauntlets interlocked around her waist, squeezing and locking in place. Chief lifted. Picking the android up and over his head. Surprisingly heavy. The spartan thought as he slowly suplexed the android onto her neck and back, crashing her into the earth with a thunderous boom!
The earth groaned, cracking and splitting from the hit. Dirt upturned and sprayed out.
Rolling her off, and standing on his feet. The Master Chief knew that would be enough to disable most enemies. But his gut was telling him it wasn't the end. A2 was still in this fight, and the look in her eyes told him she wasn't giving up.
Sure enough, he watched as the android's fingers twitched, her legs shifting and pushing herself upright.
Standing on wobbly feet. A2 spat to the side. Rubbing her neck, her eyes glared and bore into him. Her features were twisted into a scowl. "You're no ordinary machine..."She growled.
Crouching low. She took off. Legs moving, and pumping, burning and pushing her to where her blade had fallen. Scooping the sword off the ground, she twirled and spun on her heel. Lunging, she slashed and swung, trying to cut him down.
Master Chief's reflexes and training kicked in as he leaned back, watching the tip of the blade nearly catch him on his visor. Ducking and weaving. He avoided another slash of her sword before blocking a few blows on his armored forearms, the sound of metal against metal clanging and reverberating in the air.
Their battle was a dance of movement and footwork, the spartan was being pushed and forced to give ground once more. A2's attacks were relentless, ruthless, and without mercy. The android was like a buzzsaw, cutting and slicing, attempting to draw blood.
"Cortana, another hack," he grunted. The sound of his armor's metal screeching and grinding as she scored a blow off his left pauldron.
"I know, I know! Just a second! Her network system is different, I need to locate a new access point." she spoke.
The UNSC AI went through and processed terabytes of information, combing through the endless sea of code and data; a simple hack would only give a brief window of a couple of seconds; she needed to find a way to completely disable or subdue the android.
Or else these two were going to be battling each other for hours. She thought, shaking her head as the Chief's right pauldron was cut; sparks flew as the blade's edge skidded off his armor. "Almost...there!" Cortana uttered, her voice strained. She just needed to break through this firewall. She was so close! Almost had it.
A full shutdown or perhaps a—
Information flooded Cortana's systems, one particular bit caught her eye. "Oh my! That's it!" She felt foolish, given what she knew about 2B and her pod, the answer was so obvious and staring right in front of her.
Blade swinging and poised to slice the Chief. Cortana spoke through Chief's helmet speaker system. "He's human!" she exclaimed, A2's eyes widened. The android froze, and her attack halted. Sword stopped short of his armor and body. The tip of the blade rested on the metal.
Warriors standing still, the noon wind blew and swept about, leaves rustled, and birds chirped in the distance. Silence filled the air as they stared and eyed one another, unmoving, and unblinking. Both were ready and waiting for the other to move, to strike, to act.
"Human..." the android parroted. Her tone was rough and low, her gaze searching his visor, "What?" she questioned, voice sounding doubtful. As if trying to process and comprehend what had been told. Head tilting to the side, she seemed confused and taken aback by this claim.
It couldn't be true, could it?
Stepping back, A2's hand holding her sword loosened. Her gaze darted back and forth. Searching and scanning over his form, her head turned as she studied and observed him, "Human." she repeated, as if trying to make sense of the claim, to understand the information given. "Human."
They were on the moon. She'd walked these lands. Scoured its surface. And found nothing of humanity. No trace of human life or sign. Nothing but a barren, hostile wasteland of only machines and the occasional animals, and she was to believe this large armored behemoth was a person. A living, breathing human being.
A2 looked at him, her gaze narrowing. Eyes hardening, jaw clenching, her sword hand shook. Her knuckles were white underneath her gloves, and the hilt of her blade creaked from the added pressure of her grasp. Teeth grinding, her voice rose, "How—"
Before she could continue. A horn blew through the forest. Breaking the tense air between the two combatants.
Head tilting to the side, both of their gazes moved in the direction the sound came from, passed the dense shrubbery and trees.
Cracking and breaking branches were followed by a rush of movement, and then suddenly, there appeared familiar machines like those found in Pascal's village. These, though, were bigger, stronger, and in metal armor. Each toting some manner of spear or sword.
"Engage battle mode! Now fight for your king!" the machines cried, rushing the battlefield, weapons held high.
"For the King!" another shouted, their metallic voices sounding aggressive and excited, eager for a fight.
Scoffing in pure and utter annoyance, the female android paused and withdrew her blade, taking a step back. Glaring, the android and spartan locked eyes for a moment. Her's furious while he stared back blankly through his visor.
Her curiosity was peaked. Something inside was eating away at her, gnawing and chewing, demanding she not only learn the truth but also if it were true. If this... thing before her was a human being. The first one she'd ever met. Well, a sense of protectiveness, duty, and responsibility began to fill her, flowing through and bubbling inside. Something besides vengeance. Something she hadn't felt in so long. A2 wanted to know, needed to know.
But first, she needed to deal with these machines. As always, their timing was terrible.
"I'm not done with you," she murmured, flicking a brow, studying him. Taking her gaze off the 'human'. She pointed a finger, her motion being clear, as her digit was aimed at the machine hordes. Tensing, the nameless android leaped away toward a pair of machines, easily smashing through them and cutting through several more as she carved a path through their forces.
Whistling through Chief's speakers. Cortana spoke. "Gotta admit, her skills are quite impressive when they aren't being directed towards us."
Chief didn't comment, watching the battle unfold before him. His hand grasped the fallen Battle Rifle, and he readied his weapon. He didn't have time to reload. Seeing a few machines charging his position, their weapons raised. Master Chief fired, letting loose a barrage of bullets. The rounds tore through their frames, scattering sparks, shrapnel, and debris. Their broken and mangled forms tumbled and fell, collapsing and skidding to his feet.
Reloading his weapon, Chief spoke through his continued bursts of fire. "Did you find out anything about her? Anything useful?" he questioned, as a few machine corpses littered the ground at his feet.
Cortana's voice sounded in thought, "Well, yeah. I got a name, A2; that's all I managed to get before the firewall shut me out again."
"For the kin-ack...Ahg..." A machine's words were cut short before they collapsed. Its comrades by their side toppled as well from the force of the Spartan's rifles.
The AI sighed, "She's differently a YoRHa combat unit. But she seems to be cut off from the larger YoRHa network," Cortana uttered," there's certainly a story to her, but from her attitude, I doubt she'll be the sharing and talking type," her words ending with a little scoff.
"Perhaps. But that's for later," Chief commented; a machine was rushing him, larger than the rest, arms raised to cover its head, as it blindly ran, barreling towards him. The spartan fired low, aiming for the machine's legs. It cried in pain before crashing and falling flat on its face.
A few meters away, a group of machines formed a crude phalanx formation. With their shields up, they marched towards the android female. A2's expression appeared bored and unimpressed.
Jumping to the base of a tree. She pushed off. Air whizzed past her, as the android drilled into the shield wall. Her feet struck, and her momentum sent the machines flying, scattering and tumbling about. Their formation breaking. She landed, and in one quick and fluid movement, she spun and sliced, cutting through the remaining few.
Not wanting to let her do all the work, the Chief glanced at his motion tracker. Sidestepping a thrusting spear, he gripped the handle of the machine's weapon and brought it up, smacking the machine with his rifle across its face.
Dented and caved in, the machine fell backward, and its grip faltered, allowing the spartan to take possession of its weapon.
"We've got more incoming." Cortana alerted, her voice sounding a tad exasperated, "They don't give up."
Looking to his left. John spotted a group of four machines charging. The group of machines was quickly approaching. Their forms rushing and dashing forward; they were coming fast.
Setting his stance, the armored man pitched, throwing the spear. It flew straight and true, puncturing the lead machine and embedding itself into the one behind it; both flew back, landing hard on the dirt, a cloud of dust forming around them.
The other two were upon him. Swinging their swords. They took wide arching slashes at him. The spartan backed up, avoiding the blows, as his rifle came to bear. Firing into their frames. Their bodies grew limp and flopped to the forest floor. Their weapons clanged against their bodies.
Soaring through the air. A few flying variants of the machine came at him. Their lower bodies were that of a saucer with a small head and torso attached to the top of the disk. A turret on the side of their body swiveled and fired at him. Strange red orbs of energy shot forth, racing at him. Dodging, the spartan leaped and rolled away.
Smashing into the ground where he had been standing, the red orbs of light and energy fizzled and popped, dissipating.
"Woah! What are those!" Cortana asked, her voice filled with surprise and curiosity, "I've never seen anything like that!"
"Does it matter?" the spartan asked, firing at one of the flying machines, his bullets tearing through the saucer and sending it crashing to the earth, its body smoking from its damaged components.
"It most certainly does! The readings from my scans are off the charts!" Cortana exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement, "The energy signatures are similar to that of pods that accompanied 2B and 9S, but there's something else; I can't quite put my finger on it yet."
Dodging another orb of red energy. Chief fired at the machine that shot him, his bullets tearing into the robot's body and sending it to the ground.
"Wonder what'll happen if you get hit by one of those." Cortana mused, her voice filled with curiosity and interest.
"I'd rather not find out," the spartan replied, firing at another sword-wielding machine.
"Come on, just take one hit, for science."
"No."
"Oh fine. Spoilsport."
Hopping to the side, the spartan dodged an attack, the blade of a sword skimming past his chest. Kicking the machine back, the armored man quickly dispatched it with a burst of fire to the face.
A moment of silence passed between the two, as a lull in combat took place, the Chief reloading his rifle, "I'm assuming these are the Forest Kingdom Machines." he stated, eyeing the destroyed husk of a dead machine.
"Yep. They've taken the kingdom part a bit literally," Cortana quipped, "shields, swords, and spears, talk about being outdated."
Shaking his head at her comment, the spartan gazed to his right, the sound of metal stomping and clanking was heard. From the treeline came two groups of machines in phalanx formations, their shields up and locked together, as they marched forward. Their steps were in perfect sync and line with one another.
Raising his rifle. The Master Chief aimed at the nearest formation; Cortana's voice came to him, "Save the ammo, Chief. We got a better option," she advised him; the spartan slowly lowered his rifle, eyes narrowing as he waited to see what she had in mind.
"For the kin-ack...Ahg..." A machine's words were cut short before they froze, their movements halted. The group of enemies had stopped dead in their tracks. Time had seemed to pause, as their frames seized and shook.
"There we go," Cortana's voice sounded pleased, "Their framework and network connections are similar to our friends from before, but their defenses are a tad trickier. Luckily, nothing I couldn't handle," she boasted. "Give them a warm hello for me." Cortana urged.
Nodding. Chief reached behind him, his hand grasping a frag grenade, throwing the small explosive in place between the two groups. It rolled and tumbled. Coming to a stop at the center of the two formations. Their bodies were still frozen and unmoving.
With a thunderous bang. The grenade exploded, sending a shower of dirt and debris up, a plume of smoke rising from the area. Pieces of metal and shrapnel flew. Scattering across the ground. The remains of the machines were eviscerated, and their broken and mangled corpses were sent flying as they flopped and fell, crashing back down to the ground, their bodies sizzling and sparking from the blast.
"Nice." Cortana chimed.
The Chief grunted, his gaze moving to the now empty battlefield. The sound of the wind blew and howled. Leaves rustled, and the trees groaned and swayed. All signs of combat were gone.
Scanning, his eyes searched for their temporary ally. A2 was no longer in sight, her presence gone, like a ghost or spirit. "And not a word of thanks," Cortana huffed in annoyance, "typical."
Motion tracker confirming his suspicions. Chief raised his gaze. Eyes narrowing, as his HUD focused and zoomed on a particular tree. His instincts screamed at him that something or someone was there. But then it passed, like a shadow in the night or the chill of the wind. It disappeared and vanished. The forest was still and calm, peaceful even, and once more he and Cortana were alone.
"I'm sure she'll turn up again," Cortana murmured, her tone a bit dry, as if the prospect was inevitable.
"Perhaps," he replied, his mind still on their fight. Cortana hadn't been kidding about the android's skills. A2 was an impressive warrior. Her speed, reflexes, and strength were all remarkable, and her battle experience only matched his own, if not surpassed it. He wondered just how long the android had been fighting, and how many battles she had lived through. There was a quiet sense of respect and admiration inside for the android.
"Come on, Chief, our business here is finished. We should return to the Pascale before any other machines show up," Cortana advised, the spartan nodding at her words. Turning and walking away, the spartan left the battlefield behind, the sound of his armor's metal fading and growing distant as he disappeared into the forest.
A figure watched from a nearby tree branch. Her white hair blew in the wind, sitting perched and hidden upon a tree. A2's gaze watched them, following their form until they disappeared behind the veil of green and brown.
"Human...?" She wondered, eyes narrowing, and a small frown appeared on her features.
Author's Notes: If this was a versus story, I'd probably have written the fight between A2 and Chief differently. Hopefully you don't mind the even brawl they had.