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Hitting Home: The Home Front (Chapter 1)
Date: 25 June 2004, 9:37 PM
Prologue
I was nearly 16 when the UNSC Recruiting Center located in my hometown, Portland, started asking for volunteers. I remember walking through the courtyard of the military compound. I walked in a filed line of many young, clean cut men, much like my self. I remember the golden sunlight bathe the grounds as the lush trees swayed from the wind.
I remember tightening my gray uniform that been assigned to me with one hand as I walked into the round office, while gripping my papers in the other. I walked up to a woman clad the standard UNSC dress and shirt, who was manning a wooden desk. Stray papers littered the area as she looked up at me. I locked eyes with her stone cold gaze and snapped stiffly to attention, my hands tight at the seams of my pants. I looked forward and peered through a large window into the beautiful garden moving with warmth. It was golden.
"Name?" she stated in a flat voice.
"Hicks, Gerald, P., ma'am." I replied my voice strong and clear, as I handed her my papers, not bothering to look down.
I heard dull banging on her desk as she stamped the papers, trying to control myself not to avert my eyes.
"Congratulations," The women said in an almost sympathetic tone, as she handed me the papers "You're now in the 33rd UNSC Marines."
I gently took the papers from her hand and mustered a salute. I held the motion there for a full minute before the women looked up. She sighed and returned the salute, her eyes glittered, as water layered them. I remember thinking about how many young men and women she had signed to their fate everyday, but I quickly dismissed the thought and knew that I would not be one of them.
I snapped my arm down to my side and strode out of the office. I opened the door and squinted as the sun washed over me, and the smell flowers filled the air. It was golden.
Little did I know that all lush things in this world would be gone, and war that seemed so distant would hit home.
November 13th, 2552
Portland, Oregon, Earth
I smiled as I peered through my tactical scope and squeezed the trigger. In an instantaneous response my HA871 Battle Rifle cracked as a bullet leapt from the end of its barrel, lunging forward, contacting with a lone Grunt's shoulder. Bullets sparsely traveled alone however, and soon blue blood blossomed from a half dozen impacts across the Grunt's frail body. It twisted in the air before drifting lazily to the ground, its bright blood slowly beginning to puddle on the cement. I stood and ran across the rubble to the fallen Grunt, kicking its body to confirm that the creature was in fact dead. Satisfied that my rifle had stole its life I leapt over his body and slid down from a mountain of cement boulders.
Some of the smaller rocks followed my descent, as well as light plume of dust. The sounds of the smaller rocks ended shortly after as I shuffled around the remaining base of the building to the next corner. I ran a quick check of the new standard rifle, satisfied I took a moment to breathe. I relaxed my shoulders, my rifle ready, and pressed my back against the corner of the building. Nervously, I peered around the end of the block. There was wreckage strewn about burning and smoldering, cars and shopping carts littered the street as well. The feeling sunk in that the Covenant had finally hit the homefront, as I saw the pale Moon outlined in the sky.
I didn't however see any Covenant soldiers, convinced that my survey of the area couldn't unearth any hidden foes I continued to cross the street, nearly trotting. After I successfully walked to the next block I heard the nearby chatter of gunfire, accompanied by the orange glow of the muzzle flashes bathing the riflemen with light.
For a moment I considered cowering and simply turning back, but I was compelled by what duty and honor lie within me to help my fellow man. Fueled by the valor and pride that had been sewn through me, I charged around the corner. Bullets whirred in the air, dancing with plasma bolts to form a both, beautiful and deadly spectacle of light. A wounded soldier hobbled past me to escape the battle, and I remembered the infinite costs of the art ahead. Keeping first at a safe distance, I began to fire at misfortunate Grunts that were so unlucky as to have exposed their head or one of their tiny limbs. Eventually, after around four striking kills, I was noticed by the enemy.
I ducked behind a score of twisted cement and steel. My back pressed to cold concrete I tried to consider what to do next. I tried as best I could to ignore the gunfire passing over my head in either direction, and to reload. When we were in training I hadn't realized how hard it would be to reload when I was trembling with sheer terror. Within a half-minute I had managed to reload my shaking weapon, slamming the clip home and cocking the action back with a satisfying click. I cradled the rifle and pulled it into my shoulder as I carefully exposed my forehead and eyes from the only cover that separated the bloodthirsty enemy and me.
The squad of unearthly soldiers who had begun to proceed towards my position were concentrating on killing the last of the original Marines in the area. I could make out two Marines huddled behind a makeshift bunker like structure. They ducked down and reloaded nervously just as I did not a moment before. I willed my self to help the poor men but I couldn't do it. One of the Marines stood form his cover and unloaded half a clip on the oncoming hoard when a stray plasma shot caught him in the chest. The force of the blast sent the man back into a cement wall. There was a gruesome sound as his limp body hit the wall and fell in a heap on the ground.
His companion crawled over the man and checked him for signs of life. The lone Marine looked down and cursed a word that was drown out by the explosions and fire fights that scattered the street. He growled in anger as he appeared from his cover pouring all he had against the aliens that had murdered his fellow Marine. His muzzle flashes highlighted his battle hardened face. Three of three Grunts that were advancing dropped under the man's hail of bullets. Suddenly his rifle ran dry. I could see the blood drain from his face as he hopelessly cocked the action to get his weapon to work, thinking it might be a jam. He looked up, his face filled with fear, as a wave of plasma raced toward him. Three bolts struck him in his upper body. His body jolted with every impact as he tripped over his fallen comrade. The man grunted with agony as he tried to move, the group of twenty aliens approaching fast. The man looked at me with dreadful eyes that seemed to cut through me like butter. I looked away from the dying man not able to accept that I had let them die. I looked back at him, as he propped himself on the cement wall of the building behind him. His gaze caught mine and he forced a smile, the sight shot chills up my spine as I stared at him. He reached behind him and pulled a grenade from his web belt. The pack of mixed Covenant continued down the street toward the bunker. Two Grunts and a lone Elite approached the barricade not knowing what lay in wait for them.
The Marine primed the grenade and held onto it tightly counting down the seconds. The three aliens were no more than two feet away from the dying man before they knew what was happening. The Marine laughed and dropped the grenade where he lay. The Elite reared back and began to scream but was cut short. A large plume of smoke and dust engulfed the three soldiers as red, purple and blue blood sprayed the street. As the dust settled I noticed that all four of them were gone.
The remaining seventeen aliens growled as a Grunt triggered one of its own grenades and tossed it in the barricade. There was a bright blue flash of light as the grenade exploded inside the bunker, harmlessly. Satisfied the remaining Covenant continued through the intersection at the start of my block and into the street directly ahead of me.
They were ten feet away from the score of rubble that was my only refuge. My muscles tensed and I started to shake uncontrollably as I could hear the chatter become louder and the heavy footsteps approached. I closed my eyes and hoped that the creature not more than four feet away would disappear. I held my knees to my chest and hugged them tightly as I heard the low voice of the Elite only three feet away. Tears started to itch their way from my eyes as I felt death close in around me. The Elite growled to its kin as it approached me, sensing that I was there. The footsteps stopped and the feel of its warm breath on my neck sent my brain a sharp warning and I instantly scrambled to my feet to flee the monster, solely fueled by fear. I managed to get a two steps from it before tripping, helplessly, on my own feet. I peered over my shoulder as the ugly Elite's head poked over the rubble, it's helmet reflecting the sun. I heard a noise pierce the air, realizing that I was screaming in sheer terror. It stared at me for a brief second, and growled hatefully in return.
I crawled pitifully away from the foul beast, nearly crying. I scraped at the hard cement as I felt my fingernails start to break and bleed, pain piercing my fingertips. I glanced over my shoulder squinting through the tears and the bright sun and saw the anger that filled its dark eyes as it leveled its rifle toward me. I helplessly tried to crawl away from the beast to no avail. He gave a loud battle cry as I saw the hot blue plasma form in his barrel. I felt the end draw near locking eyes with the alien. I glanced back down to the rifle, the blue ball of plasma growing larger, a slight motion caught my eye as I noticed his finger tighten around the trigger.
Hitting Home: Siege (Chapter 2)
Date: 1 July 2004, 2:52 PM
... I glanced back down towards his rifle, the blue orb of plasma growing larger, his rifle heating. A slight motion caught my eye as I noticed his finger tighten around the trigger.
Suddenly the windows in the building across the street exploded with gunfire. I felt a burning sensation across my cheek as the blot of plasma strayed away from my face. I winced in pain and lifted my hand to face, rubbing the charred skin that now covered it. I noticed the Elite swivel around to the new target, dismissing me for the stronger enemy. I followed its horrible gaze as I stared in awe, watching dozens of strange figures in metallic armor repel from the fifth story windows. Each of the strange beings were cradling a rope in one hand and a rifle in the other as they sprayed the unexpecting Covenant soldiers below them with a hail of hot metal.
The second story window exploded, showering glass and hot lead spontaneously. The Elite's eyes widened with fear as it heard the screams of its kind, courtesy of the hot rounds that ripped through them from the tall building. The Elite's shield cracked as gunfire splashed across it.
First, the Elite lifted its weapon; arrogantly expecting his shield to hold. Its foolish overestimation of safety cost it, however, as a stream of bullets shattered the shield and plunged into the Elite. It toppled onto the rubble, its alien purple blood filling into the air. As it fell, emotionless, his beady black eyes stared upon me. The evil inside me took over as I laughed cynically at the sight of the creature dying before me.
I crawled to my feet, disoriented from the surprising attack. I watched as blood from the Covenant form a sickening rainbow in the sky. My knees shaking, my face searing with pain, I slowly scooped up my fallen rifle. I looked at the Elite slumped on the barricade and hit him in the stomach with my rifle's butt. Blood sprayed from the blow as the Elite yelled in pain. Gloating, I spun my rifle, and pressed the blood-soaked butt against my shoulder and took aim at the Elite's chest. I squeezed the trigger, and watched with gratitude as a dozen bullets ripped through the Elite's armor and flesh as its life ceased to exist. A careful smile crept across my face, I felt good about killing the creature that, not a moment before had tried to do the same to me. I tightened my lips and spit on the creature before I spun on my heels and looked at the armor clad humans that had saved my life. The figures marched through the now empty street, stepping over Covenant bodies when need be.
They wore helmets that reflected the golden sun back into my eyes. I squinted and raised my hand to my forehead to protect my eyes. One of the Marines walked toward me, his armor shifting with him. The man was about six feet tall, towering over me by a full seven inches. I wiped my face, nearly screaming when my hand brushed up against my wound that the Elite slumped beside me had inflicted. I held in my breath and shook away the pain, trying to straighten for the Marine, that had no doubt, saved my life. I squinted and noticed that the large man had a gold emblem etched onto his armor. I focused on it and saw the picture of a burning comet trailing fire. I immediately recognized the insignia as Orbital Drop Shock Troops, well known as Helljumpers or ODST's for short. I immediately straightened up for the trooper as he walked over to me and stood by the dead Elite.
"Love at first sight eh?" the ODST, asked me with a faint Brooklyn accent creeping through.
"Ya' shoulda' seen the weddin'" I told him coming up with the smartest answer I could muster for the battle hardened Marine.
He gave a hardy laugh, though it was slightly muffled through the armored helmet he wore. He stuck out a gloved hand toward me and I returned the favor by shaking it firmly.
"Hell of a thing, huh?" the Marine said to me looking over the horizon at the brilliant blue and orange explosions dotting the sky.
"Ya," I said quickly glancing at the spectacle, "hell of a thing..."
That hell of a thing was actually men and women dying in the skies trying to "fight the good fight" as the UNSC put it, which to me didn't seem to be worth fighting for at all. All of the main UNSC compounds were wiped out during the initial bombardment. The orbital cannons stationed around the planet were nearly overrun, which is the only thing stopping the Covenant from ripping Earth to shreds. In the back of my mind it felt that maybe this may be humanities last battle.
I shrugged the thoughts off as I quickly moved with the ODST and began to help the rest of the Drop Shocks look for surviving humans to help, and any surviving Covenant to slaughter. I stopped at a corpse, only identified to be a Marine by the army green fatigues that surfaced from the blackened body. I sighed and looked away from the body. I saw a burnt courtyard at the end of the street, my mind struggled to remember the place that had caught my gaze. Then a thought hit me of the golden sunlight warming my body as I walked through a path that flowed through the lush yard. I remembered that the courtyard was once a school where, a mere, four years ago I inlisted. I smiled slowly filled my face as the smell of flowers filled the air. I breathed in the heavenly sent and gently closed my eyes... it was golden
Something brushed up against my back, forcing me to catch my fall. Instinctively, I brought my rifle up and directed it towards the new threat. I soon found out that the threat, wasn't a threat at all, as a man clad in armor stood with his hands high, his weapon on the ground.
"Easy boy..." the man said. "It's Ok, I'm a good guy."
It took me a full minute for my brain to register that the man was indeed, a man.
"Sorry," I told him, lowering my rifle, unsure what had just happened "I guess that scene back there made me a little jumpy."
"It's all right kid" The ODST said to me resting a firm hand on my shoulder, "We all get scared."
"I'm not scared," I told him, my voice slightly shaking, trying to convince him as well as myself that I wasn't. "I'm not scared..." I repeated dully, more to myself then to the Marine.
The man cocked his head, unsure if I was Ok. He then nodded, patting me on the shoulder, and began to turn.
"But... even the toughest men get scared," He halted his turn and faced me again, "You may not believe it, but under this helmet, past this armor," He said pointing at his chest for emphasis "there is a man, just like yourself, screaming with fear." He said, his tone low and serious. "It's just a matter of how we deal with it."
I stood there for a moment dumbfounded by the "tough as nails" ODST's speech. I always thought that "Helljumpers" were nothing more than bloodthirsty maniacs; though I was sure many of them were, the one man changed my view on them, and myself. My mind crunched on the man's words, and put them to use, as I suddenly felt like an enormous wait had been lifted off my shoulders.
I'm not scared... I thought to myself, more confident, a slight smile crawling across my face.
I straightened up and walked behind the Marine, helping him uniform the bodies that littered the war torn street. I glanced back over my shoulder and saw the burnt courtyard. I smiled as the beautiful thought of that day once more and I couldn't help but think that it was in fact... golden...
Just as we finished searching the bodies, my collect thoughts were broken by the sound of three Helljumpers down the street, start fire their weapons, the noise of the fast chatter of sub machine guns filled my ears. I snapped my head toward the sound as the new Covenant patrol that had just emerged from an ally, this time with two Creeps. The long, bus-like craft hovered across fallen rubble and bodies alike as it began to rain hell itself down on the unexpecting ODST's.
The three ODST sub-machine-gunmen killed one of the Creep's gunners and several passengers before the craft managed to pass into our block. Two of the Marines that had opened up on the oncoming threat had run for cover, but the last of the three lost his footing and fell to the ground. He cursed loudly as he twisted his ankle from the fall. He faced away from the Creeps that were approaching fast on his position as he scrambled to his knees. Some of the Troopers yelled at the man, some motioned him forward and get him out of the way from the approaching vehicle.
He must have heard the hum of the machine as he turned to face the noise. Just as he faced it, the lip of the Creep slammed into the man's face, red blood painting the purple craft. I winced as the sound of his skull connecting with the vehicle churned in my stomach.
I heard the rest of the Marines that were stranded in the middle of the street open fire before ducking for cover. Most of the Helljumpers in the street had managed to run to cover, but the remaining half dozen that were firing at the convoy were slaughtered by the purple lances of plasma coming from the flanking Creep. As the each of the men fell, I crouched behind the blood-soaked boulder, which had become my new home for the past half-hour. I appeared from my cover and began firing at the new threat.
I'm not scared... I repeated in my mind as I peered nervously through a trembling scope, firing at the driver of the closest Creep. Sparks erupted and danced from dozens of impacts with the metal of the purple machine, a manifestation of my inaccuracy. They seemed to crawl over the unearthly vehicle, mocking me with every quiver. However, two lucky bullets managed to plunge into the pilot. The bullets struck the Grunt in the stomach as its limp body keeled over and fell from the its previously occupied vehicle, crashing to the ground, the alien Creep following in suit shortly after. It's nose scraped against the ground, the sound of metal grounding added to the chatter of gun fire and screams that echoed through the small street.
Disorganized Covenant panicked and leapt from their fallen APC, the vehicle still sliding along the pavement. After sliding a good thirty feet it toppled to one side, crushing almost half of its previous occupants that had decided to jump off at the wrong time.
I'm not scared... I thought again, my confidence lifting from the sight of the chaos. I continued to fire at enemy soldiers, as they wondered aimlessly, some were trying to flee while others were firing blindly across the street. One by one, they fell under the sheer firepower that had been unleashed on them.
I stared endlessly through the scope and saw a Grunt try to pull himself into the turret of the fallen Creep, which was still very much functional unlike the alien bus it sat atop of. I squeezed the trigger as a lone bullet strike, the Grunt in its fragile back. I saw blood and bits of bone erupt from its limp body as it slid down the side of the vehicle outlining his trail with a bright streak of blood.
I glanced to my right and noticed that the first Creep had crashed into a building and was burning as Covenant soldiers scrambled about, some on fire, some simply dazed from the accident. I ducked down behind cover, and quickly reloaded. The ODST beside me primed a grenade and tossed it over the metal slab he was hiding behind. I could make out the sound of the grenade hit the ground followed by the surprised yell of a Grunt. There was a large thud as the small alien's phosphorescent blood hosed the rocks around us. There was a faint second explosion as a twisted body that once formed an Elite, was hurtled over me showering me with its purple blood. The beast tumbled to a stop directly behind me, its blood pooling around its mangled body. The blood was cold to my skin, as I felt it drip from my nose and start to soak through my thin layered combats. My heart began to race.
"I'm not scared!" I yelled aloud, the words forced from my mouth.
I rose from cover and killed a Grunt that was within two meters of me, the bullets tore the Grunts apart as my finger locked on the trigger, out of pure rage, my heart pounding. I started to scream in anger as I fired into the mutilated corpse, blood and bone erupting from the small alien. My finger stayed tight on the trigger as the heated weapon ran dry. I held it for a full ten seconds, listening to the steady click of the action in response the empty magazine.
A firm hand grabbed my bicep. I swung around in surprise to see the Marine that had talked to me not a moment before.
"Snap out of it kid!" The ODST yelled at me through gritted teeth as he fired at the stray Covenant that littered the street.
My eyes widened as my mind began to settle and focus. I shook my head and grabbed for another magazine from my webbing. As I reloaded I noted that only a few muzzle flashes scattered loosely throughout the street indicated the surviving Marines. The few surviving Covenant of the crashed Creep were nonexistent, along with the flipped Creep that was closest to my position. A wicked smile played across my face and for a brief moment I thought we had won... I was wrong.
Hitting Home: Mocking Bird (Chapter 3)
Date: 5 July 2004, 3:18 AM
...My eyes widened as my mind began to settle and focus. I shook my head and grabbed for another magazine from my webbing. As I reloaded I noted that only a few muzzle flashes scattered loosely throughout the street indicated the surviving Marines. The few surviving Covenant of the crashed Creep were nonexistent, along with the flipped Creep that was closest to my position. A wicked smile played across my face and for a brief moment I thought we had won... I was wrong.
My hopes of victory were destroyed as I had realized that another Creep had reinforced the position. It, unlike its predecessors, was fully operational and it had dispatched all of its troops, every one of them driven by revenge and each of them craving for blood. The turret atop it rained fire on a group of reg force Marines. The men pinned by the hot plasma, hid behind a hastily melting cement barrier just 70 feet away from where Helljumpers and myself were hiding, the Covenant separating our forces.
I fired a full magazine into the turret, though it wasn't till the last half dozen bullets that I managed to vacant the vehicle. Blood outlined my success as it ran down the side of the turret. I glanced toward the Marines behind the barrier as they waved a short thanks, before diving back into combat against a dispatched team of Elites.
A few Grunts began to fire towards me, catching my attention. I dropped behind cover, and killed two of the Grunts as I descended, my aim increasing with every shot. I shot the remaining Grunt in the methane tank as the small creature grasped and clawed at its machine, as it bubbled and leaked out of the sealed tank. The Grunt fell to his knees, its eyes wide in its tiny head. I smiled grimly at the sight when a feeling grasped me that had never touched me before... sorrow. The thought haunting me I aimed at the suffering Grunt's chest and tightened my trigger finger. The bullet hit its mark, phosphorescent blood responding to the sudden impact, putting the creature out of its misery.
A spine chilling scream came from my left as I spotted a lone Brute standing over a fallen ODST, the ape-like creature hefting a large weapon with a sharp blade, curving outward from the underbelly of the weapon. I noticed red blood staining the silver blade as the Brute growled at the dead Marine. I wasted no time with the dreadful creature and brought my rifle to bear toward the foul beast. I peered through the scope and sighted the large animal's head. Its beady black eyes locked with mine, barely visible under his helmet. The Brute growled and began to lift his weapon toward me; I didn't give him the chance to fire. My finger locked on the trigger as bullets plunged into his touch skull. Dark purple blood sprayed the cement wall behind him as the large creature collapsed in a heap, blood soaking the ground around him.
I cursed as I noticed the dead Helljumper lying on the ground his red blood staining his armor, a deep gash in his lower back. I looked at him and gave a silent prayer for the man before I pressed my back up against a metal beam and cranked my head around, to look at the lay in wait further down the street. Tens of Covenant and human bodies alike littered the street, painting a grotesque and horrifying rainbow of blood on the cement. I finally caught a glimpse of movement, as a small force of three Elites pressed their attack on the group of Marines I had "saved" not a few minutes before.
I swiveled my body and appeared from my cover to face the three Elites, their backs to me. I wasted no time and squeezed the trigger as the hot pieces of metal leapt from my barrel and peppered their shields. The nearest of the creatures turned and fired his weapon as the heated blue plasma streaked toward me. I retreated back behind the warped metal beam as I felt the hot bolts of plasma vibrate through my cover slowly heating the metal conductor.
I stood again and leveled my rifle toward the Elite that had fired. I noted that one of the three Elites were already dead, but that didn't concern me. I looked through the scope that had ceased to shake like so many times before, as I took a quick breath and squeezed off six shots. I heard the shots echo in my ears and the growl of the doomed Elite as his shields flared and went dead.
The rest of the Helljumpers around me broke from their cover as well to unload their anger, and revenge on the Elite warrior. The bullets ripped through him, gore filling the air as he crumpled in a bloody mess on the cracked pavement... but we didn't cease the gruesome attack. Some reloaded their empty rifles and started the onslaught on the mangled pile of blood and bone that was once the Elite. I ceased the attack as my brain remembered the sole remaining Elite. My eyes widened as I quickly shifted my attention from the grotesque heap and leveled my rifle toward the last of the Covenant soldiers. The last alien growled and faced me. I lined up my sights with the foul creature's head and squeezed the trigger twice. Two bullets instantly left my rifle and impacted with the Elites faceplate, penetrating it's weak shields. The first bullet entered its gaping jaw, blood and bits of bone exploding from the exit wound at the back of his neck. I couldn't look away from the horrifying, yet satisfying sight as the second bullet ripped through his faceplate, stopping as it slammed into the back of its helmet, tearing through his skull. I continued to watch the creature with both fear and entertainment as more bullet holes ripped through its chest, blood bursting from the impacts. The Elite jolted and fell backwards onto a fallen Creep. Its head propped against the base of the wrecked machine. Blood from the dead Elite ran down the side of the alien vehicle, courtesy of the several holes that now filled him.
There was a deafening silence as the fierce battle came to sudden stop. I slowly walked down the street, having to ovoid stepping on both Covenant and human bodies alike. I closely followed two of the Drop Shocks as they slowly walked up to the dead Covenant kicking them or putting a single slug in each of their heads to be sure that the job was done.
The sound of moving grabbed my attention as I moved toward the source, behind a Creep. I held my rifle close as I moved forward, crouched and ready for the enemy. I moved around the vehicle and finally came to a mangled Elite, half of its body pinned underneath the fallen Creep. It tried to growl when I had appeared but was only rewarded with a slight gurgle and mouthful of blood. The dying Elite coughed up its own blood, spraying its blue armor.
At first I laughed at the sight of the squirming alien, like a bug under my thumb. Suddenly the distant feeling of sorrow reached out to me again as I saw liquid form in its black eyes. Fear played its face as it started to whimper. The struggling Covenant reminded me of a stray dog that was hit by a car. I sighed slowly and watched the liquid from its eyes run down its faceplate. I knelt down by the creature an rested my hand on its large forehead, it's faceplate cold to the touch.
"Hush little baby don't say a word," I sang lightly to the dying warrior "I'm gunna' buy you a mocking bird."
The Elite began to squirm as I sang to it. I don't know why I did, I knew that they would never do it for us but something compelled me to comfort him.
"Now, if that mocking bird don't sing," I continued locking eyes the alien, as he started to settle. "I'm going to buy you a diamond ring." I gently rubbed its helmet as I saw the life slowly slipping away from his body.
"If that diamond ring turns brass," said softy, his eyes gently closing, "I'm going to buy you a looking glass..." I gently trailed off and stood up from the alien as death took him.
I smiled, not really knowing why I had just sung to a dying enemy. I knew he didn't understand me and I knew that he had killed many humans probably just like myself before, but the sight of the suffering creature overwhelmed me and caused pity to take hold of me.
I turned away and returned to the street, following the Marines, checking the Covenant bodies as I went. After they had checked and rechecked nearly one hundred bodies, they looked back and gave the "all clear" signal.
Some hurtled their helmets, rejoicing. Others simply yelled thanks to the sky; thanking god for their victory. I simply grinned, at the fact that I killed the enemy and had even saved human lives, and had comforted a Covenant life. With good memories however, bad memories soon follow as the memory of the two Marines in makeshift bunker that I had let die, rushed into my mind. The sound of the Creep hitting the Marine skull echoed through my mind, and the picture of the Brute standing over the dead ODST with the blood soaked blade haunted my eyes. I winced at the thoughts but quickly dismissed them, concentrating on the lives saved rather than the lives lost. The thought however lurked in the dark corner of my mind itching its way to the surface causing tears to from in my eyes.
I shook my head and looked up to the sky, the sun bathing me, warming me from my insides. I closed my eyes and pushed away all thoughts as I breathed the cool air, smelling the stench of burnt flesh. I gagged at the foul odor but my smile held still, the sun piercing my eyelids, and the thought of victory still filled the air... it was golden.
I worked on uniforming the bodies of my fallen companions, and collected the dog tags.
Hush little baby don't say a word... I thought to myself as I turned on my heels to face the battleground. I walked toward the rest of the unit. I met up with the fatigued men and began to gather up my supplies and ammo and readied to move out.
I'm gunna' buy you a mocking bird... I continued, humming the soft tune quietly as the last of us started to walk down the war-torn street.
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