Apologies life has been... mental recently. Time to continue this story hope you enjoy
Ten
After nearly a week of searching the ancient databases, the team had found what they believed to be the planet Alcyone which appeared as a locked-out address on the Atlantis Dialling Device. They had found stargates blocked off before normally due to a catastrophe on the planet this one like others the Atlantis crew had been able to override the lock out they had sent an unmanned automated Mobile Analytic Laboratory Probe (MALP) through and they had discovered nothing out of the ordinary, if anything had the cameras saw nothing, it appears the stargate was in some sort of low cave, the MALP had driven outside and it saw nothing but desolation, no animals, no humanoids and no vegetation. With no immediate risk and breathable atmosphere, the team had decided to investigate instead of waiting for the return of the Deadalus, the Atlantis database suggested the world suffered from extreme storms which could potentially cause issues for the Deadalus' transporters. Due to the low ceiling, they had chosen to take the Warthogs instead of a Puddle Jumper.
The first green warthog with the mounted machine gun exited the Stargate with Sheppard in the driving seat, Rodney in the side passenger seat and Teyla on the mounted machine gun, it immediately drove down a small ramp into the small cave. Behind it, moments later drove the second Warthog, this one a cargo variant carrying Major Lorne driving, the Master Chief standing in the back armed with an Atlantis issued M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), and Sgt Ava Shaler of Major Lorne's team was sat in the passenger seat. All five of them were dressed in standard Atlantis black coloured fatigues while the Chief was dressed in his MJOLNIR Power Armour. The two Warthogs moved slowly outside the cave.
"Lovely place" Teyla muttered scanning the immediate area outside. It was early afternoon on the world the sun was high in the sky but the world was cold, it almost felt like it could rain although there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
"No monsters" Sheppard remarked, given Teyla's description of the world he'd expected more, glancing at McKay who was looking at his Ancient Scanner "McKay?"
"No monsters yet" McKay corrected, "there's lifeforms that way" he said pointing to the right Sheppard glanced at Lorne and pointed towards the right which looked mostly flat but there was a rise on the far-right which Sheppard had indicated towards, the major driving the other vehicle had nodded his understanding. They had radios but had agreed that at least until they were sure about the situation on Alcyone, they would use it minimally it which had also resulted in the two Earth borne soldiers driving the two UNSC vehicles.
Sheppard's armed Warthog led the two vehicles as they drove, he like Lorne behind him tested the Warthog's traction on the ground, after a couple of tests he decided that Alcyone was like more worlds and the dirt was solid. At the bottom they stopped and Sheppard got out of the vehicle "Teyla stay on the gun, McKay, Chief with me" he ordered quickly they dismounted and made their way up the short rise. Crawling to the top they looked over and saw a sea of small bulbous forms on the ground, occasionally there were larger wobbling forms. There was no other vegetation, there were no animals. In the far distance perhaps five to eight kilometres away there appeared to be some structures but they couldn't make out any details. "What the hell?"
"Hell is right Colonel" the Master Chief said "we need to move immediately." He said turning towards the vehicles "this is the Master Chief, if you see any lifeforms shoot immediately." He transmitted to the rest of the team before continuing back down the rise towards the vehicles.
"Chief what the hell?" Sheppard said again chasing after the larger armoured man. "Chief, I need some answers…"
"Sir, those lifeforms are named the Flood. I do not know how they are here. Once they pushed the Milky Way to the brink of extinction." He said reaching the Warthog he grabbed an assault rifle and added it to his armour's back, he still held onto the SAW and he had a magnum as well. "A race known as the Forerunners wiped them and their food off the face of the galaxy by sacrificing themselves."
"Their food?" Major Lorne asked looking back from the driver seat.
"The Flood eat every living organism." The Master Chief explained "plants, animals, alien life forms" he added "humans everything is the Flood's food. Colonel, I do not know how this organism got here but it cannot be allowed to escape this world, we need to return through the stargate immediately." The Chief wished Cortana was here, from what he could remember the Flood originated from beyond the galaxy… could he have found their breeding ground.
"Can't we go around…"
"We leave now" Chief interrupted, Sheppard looked shocked that he had interrupted him but didn't argue further and quickly made it back towards his Warthog.
"Contact!" Ava Shaler called out just as they restarted their vehicles over the rise that the team had just returned from there were several small yellow bulbous forms appeared they seemed t have several legs and were moving rapidly down the hill. Shaler opened fire with her P90 cutting them down with only a shot or two for each but immediately they were replaced by twice as many. Teyla engaged them with the heavy machine gun on the back of the Warthog immediately more appeared from either side of the rise.
"Colonel, they are attracted by the noise and the vibrations!" Chief called out engaging Flood forms on the left which McKay, Teyla and Shaler engaged the forms on the rise and to the left. The Flood were living up to their name with masses of the forms.
"We can't chance going through the gate!" Rodney shouted "they are getting too close!" He said leaning out firing his own P90 at the flood forms.
"Agreed," Sheppard said activating the radio "we need to make a break for the city and hope to hook up with Ronin and the Arbiter if they survived. Deadalus will be back in galaxy in the next few days, if we don't make our check-ins Elizabeth will send them to look for us."
"Better hope she doesn't send any foot search teams." Lorne warned, quite often his team would be the team sent after Sheppard's team.
"McKay, send a relay message to the MALP warning Atlantis not to send reinforcements!" Sheppard ordered listening to Lorne.
"We're going to have to stay within range!" McKay replied over the roar of his P90.
"Fine do it!" He commanded "defensive fire!" He ordered stopping the Warthog close to the gate. "Chief, rundown on the Flood please!"
"Colonel, they are a Parasitic lifeform which will feed on anything." He said continuing to fire bursts of machine gun fire into the targets "if they are able to attach themselves to you, they will infect you. Your body will begin to transform into a flood combat or carrier forms." The Chief explained
"Message set up!" McKay shouted interrupting.
"Lorne stay close!" He ordered accelerating the Warthog, "make shots you can hit and conserve ammo." He said driving the lead Warthog around the rise running through the flood infection forms smashing them immediately.
"The carrier forms will explode with the power of a grenade if you get too close or if you shoot them." The Chief briefed further, moments later he threw a couple of grenades off to the right of the two Warthogs blowing up more than a dozen of the infection forms. "Best strategy keep moving!" The Chief continued to engage with his weapon as did the others but their speed was making striking their targets harder.
"We're pushing through!" Sheppard shouted keeping the Warthog accelerator slammed down behind a carrier form exploded near Lorne's vehicle throwing it up onto two wheels, the other man fought for control of the vehicle successfully bringing it back down onto all four wheels.
The two vehicles were clear of the group of Flood and speeding towards the buildings they had seen in the distance as the rain began. "Couldn't have you built these with roofs?" McKay complained as the rain got heavier. As they drove through the rapidly wetter landscape they quickly began to come up on the city now with the rain closing in the natural light was fading to virtually nothing. Both Warthogs switched on their main lights and spotlights providing them with their only light.
"Colonel, Lorne, we need to find somewhere we can defend for the night. We can't navigate like this." He said as the front Warthog smashed through a wall corner. "We're going to damage our vehicles, or cause enough noise to attract the Flood."
"Agreed, there off to the left" he said pointing out an alcove at the ground flood of a building. They drove into the alcove and parked up. "Everyone out take your weapons and get into the building."
The augmented team had headed up two levels in the building finding angular walls, there were no stairs just ramps between levels, the square tables and walls appeared to have computer consoles embedded into them but there was no power. Between the levels there were entire sections missing and glass sections instead of solid wall giving a very open feel. The Chief believed the architecture was forerunner. The Chief forced a secure door finding a room filled with boxes and only a single entrance. Due to the increasing bad weather outside they had chosen to spend the night within the room and wait out the storm.
During the night the Chief had stood watch. He was, out of all of them, best placed to keep watch his Spartan physiology would allow him to stand watch for days if need be without the need of additional food or water.
Roughly six hours later the radio within his MJOLNIR suit activated "Atlantis to Colonel Sheppard respond." The female voice of the expedition leader asked, she was clearly worried about the team.
"Weir this is Master Chief, do not come through the Stargate" he responded immediately warning them, he was completely calm but needed them to understand how serious it was. "Colonel Sheppard and his team are here alive and well and are resting."
"We received Dr McKay's message. What's your status?" Weir asked he could hear concern and her suspicion.
"All members of the team are accounted for and uninjured." He reported "we have discovered that this world is inhabited by a Parasitic lifeform known as the Flood." He said pausing "I think Cortana may have left information in your database." He said reaching over he touched Colonel Sheppard's shoulder, immediately the young Colonel was awake, he was immediately awake, his hand on his P90 but when he saw no he calmed down immediately. The Chief tapped the side of his helmet indicating to the radio and Sheppard switched his unit on.
"I found it" Weir answered a few moments later. "They look dangers, scarily dangerous."
"Affirmative Doctor" the Chief replied "the Flood are one of the most dangerous lifeforms that humanity ever encountered in our universe." He answered "on this world they should be less dangerous as there are no life forms to feed their creation of the "Combat Form" he explained naming the humanoid Flood form which was created by merging the Flood organism with fallen humans and Covenant. "The Flood are a threat to the entire galaxy Dr Weir they cannot be allowed to leave this planet under any circumstances." He said briefing her "we are in what I believe is a Forerunner building sheltering from one of the mega storms."
"Elizabeth, it's Sheppard, we are going to move out once the storm passes" the Colonel said he could still hear the building was being battered by wind and rain. "It simply wasn't safe to move last night. During the day we'll move out and see what we can find. We'll make a single sweep for the Arbiter and Ronin then we're going to try and return to Atlantis."
"The Arbiter has fought the Flood before, his shields will protect him against the Flood forms much like my armour protects me." He explained "Ronin will be more vulnerable, if we return to Atlantis via the Stargate we must stop the Flood from replicating at all costs."
"If you cannot return, I'll direct Daedalus in your direction and pull you out remotely." Weir offered
"We might need it" Sheppard admitted.
"Alright, get some sleep and be careful, we'll check in again in six hours." She said Sheppard checked his watch and nodded towards the Chief so he understood, inside his armour the Master Chief set his own timer.
"I can take this watch?" Sheppard offered but the Chief knew that it wasn't a good plan to tire out the Colonel.
"Negative sir, my stamina will allow me to stand ready longer than you. I'll alert you when the storm stops." The Chief countered "I'll be fine, sir." Sheppard nodded and tried to get more rest while the Chief continued to watch. The storm held up for another hour before subsiding and finally ending.
The team moved out slowly through the building daylight shining clearly through the glass panels of the building as they returned down through the levels to their vehicles below. Both Warthogs were exactly where they had left them, which wasn't a surprise the Flood had no use for the vehicles. "Where we heading Rodney?" Sheppard asked glancing over from the driver seat of the machine gun armed Warthog.
"There's sporadic lifeform readings throughout this area" he explained as the Warthog pulled out of their parking spot. All around them there were spires made of metal and glass. "Probably the Flood" he suggested "I'm also picking up what appears to be an energy reading" he said pointing in a direction "I'm hoping that we'll find out more the closer we get."
The two vehicles moved slowly through the grey dead city. Occasionally there would be movement but they avoided it instead they kept following phantom readings from Rodney's scanner until they came to a large open area with a single three-legged spire in the middle. The legs were placed equally around the spire with a hollow centre a blue beam rose from the centre into the heart of the spire while a middle platform slowly rotated around the spire. There was no sign of any connection between the rotating platform and the spire. Beside the energy beam suddenly a figure appeared having dropped down from above as it stood, they could see that it had back-canted legs, and it stood taller than seven feet tall. The creature was clearly a reptile of some sort and it had a four-way spilt mandible mouth. The armour it wore was a bright silver colour which was a direct contrast to the alien's dark skin. "DEMON!" It shouted in English, to all but the Master Chief it could have sounded like anger but it was far from it. "Come quickly, it is not safe!"
The two Warthogs moved slowly forward as they did the alien raised its large purple coloured rifle aiming it at them "MOVE!" It screamed a roar of anger and warning on the back of the armed Warthog Teyla spin the machine gun turret and saw the flood were advancing on them by the thousand like a wave down the street. She immediately engaged them as did the Master Chief with the SAW on the other Warthog. "There are too many Demon, MOVE!" The alien screamed again Sheppard, Lorne, McKay and Sgt Shaler were already near the large alien firing at the incoming flood in short bursts.
"Teyla, move!" the Chief ordered she unclipped herself from the turret and jumped off the side of the Warthog onto the stone ground firing her P90 as she retreated back towards the tower. Behind him the Chief could hear McKay scream as suddenly without warning the Arbiter pushed the scientist into the gravity lift which took him upwards quickly.
"GO QUICKLY HUMANS!" He shouted at them Sheppard nodded to Lorne and Shaler allowing them to rise up into the tower. As the Chief continued to retreat slowly "my armour can sustain damage from the parasite as the Demons can. Go now, I will not abandon him again." He promised Sheppard as both he and Teyla leapt into gravity lift and rose quickly.
"Arbiter" the Master Chief said as he stepped up beside the alien, the flood were moving past the Warthogs now and closing on them rapidly.
"It is good to see you again, come" the Arbiter said the two of them stepped backwards into the gravity lift and quickly rose into the facility behind them the gravity lift as if sensing the incoming Flood shut off stopping the parasite from following them inside.