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Outlaw Chapter 1:Risky Rondevous
Date: 10 October 2002, 6:27 am
Authors Note: Any feedback would be appreciated since this is my first story, if you think I need to edit more, what kind of action you want to appear in the series, or just general comments. Thanks in advance.
The lone marine stood in a hallway, clutching his MA5B assault rifle with a death grip. He had received his orders; he just wasn't sure how he was supposed to carry them out. The radio had crackled a moment before, the Sarge telling him to get back to the mess hall and meet up with the rest of his squad.
The marine started to sprint knowing time was of the essence. He ran around several corners, turned another and ran flat out into a group of four Grunts, knocking their leader to the ground in a daze, trying to figure out what was going on. He immediately opened fire on full auto, the leaders' head splattered, and the other three soon fell with gruesome wounds in their chest. They had died before they even know they were under attack He looked around the floor, picked up four plasma grenades and a pistol. He test fired the pistol, but nothing happened, he threw it back to the ground where it clanked and bounced into the chest cavity of what had once been its owner. He put the grenades onto his belt, hanging next to four fragmentation grenades.
Still fueled with adrenaline the marine again started to run. For five minutes he encountered nothing but the bare base hallways with the occasional crate, finally coming upon a lone Jackal who wasn't surprised to see him. The fully charged plasma pistol fired and the marine jumped behind a crate. Unfortunately the plasma shot found a target and hit the back of his left ankle, the flesh vaporized and bone showed. If it hadn't been for the adrenaline surging through his veins increasing his reaction time right now, that shot would have hit his chest and probably gone out through the other side. Blinded with pain and rage he threw a plasma grenade that landed right next to the Jackal. The thing started to run backwards, keeping itself covered with the shield, but he opened up with his assault rifle throwing off its grip on the shield and slowing it down. The last thing the Jackal saw was a bright flash of blue light.
Hearing the commotion an elite in red armor ran in, seeing the charred hallway. It looked around in confusion, seeing nothing but jackal blood and a crate. The marine jumped up from behind the crate ready to run again, but stopped in his tracks the moment he set eyes on the elite, knowing this was probably the end. The red armored monstrosity let out a yell of rage and opened fire with deadly accuracy; a few rounds struck his chest armor and it bubbled and boiled, burning the skin that lied underneath. The marine opened fire as well, but his bullets pinged off the shield like a peashooter trying to punch a whole in battleship armor. One of the plasma shots found the strap that held his torso armor on, and his chest and back plates clanged to the ground.
The marine immediately jumped behind the crate once again, trying to figure out how he alone was going to defeat a red Elite! Several plans of attack ran through his mind, but he didn't see how any of them would work. Sometimes a grenade just wasn't enough to take those Elite's down, even if he did manage to live long enough to knock down its shields with the MA5B. Remembering the grenades, he looked down at his belt, four fragmentation grenades and three plasma grenades. The marine had an idea, a very stupid idea that may not work, but it was better than nothing. He once again jumped up behind a crate, holding his belt instead of a gun. He squeezed one of the plasma grenades to make it active and hurled the belt with all his might, it flew through the air and the sticky grenade promptly stuck to the Elites' shoulder.
The marine jumped behind the crate again as the grenades went off. A huge explosion went off, he felt microshrapnel tear though the crate and enter his back, his uniform started to form red dots, and the shockwave hurled the crate clear to the end of the hall. He stood up and where the Elite had standing there was nothing but molten metal and a crater.
He again started to run, not quite as fast anymore though. His left ankle had bone showing, his chest had several burns from the melting metal, and the tingling sensation in his back was fairly distracting. The wounded warrior turned a corner, and saw his objective, the mess hall. He ran in, and a room that had been buzzing with the activity of checking rifles, reloading, suiting up and various other duties stopped. Everyone gazed upon the wounded form of "Outlaw" as they called him, for his notorious ability to get separated from the squad and still come back from the mission in...somewhat one piece.
"Reporting as ordered, sir." Said Demolitions Officer Seth "Outlaw" Zex as he walked up to the Sarge, saluted, and collapsed to the floor.
Next, Chapter 2:MedEvac and Avenging The Fallen
Outlaw Chapter 2, MedEvac And Avenging The Fallen
Date: 18 October 2002, 3:16 am
Authors Note: Sorry for the long delay, my email adress changed and I've been editing the heck out of this chapter. I'm yet to receive any feedback, don't say "can't someone else do it?" don't worry I won't get hateful for any negative reviews. In the following chapter there is going to be a lot of action, if you can just wait until next Thursday or so.
"MEDIC!" screamed the Sarge running to look at the collapsed form of Outlaw, while a general murmur of pity ran through the ranks of the bases forty three marines that were still fit to fight.
Sniper Michael "Switchblade" Beckstead, weighing in at one hundred and twenty five pounds, towering above most with a height of six feet four inches, and with eyes that had the appearance of looking right through you, was the Outlaw's best friend and helped the Sarge prop Outlaw up as he tried to say something.
"I'm sorry sir, I tried to make it in one piece, to help you retake the base. I took down four of their Grunts, a Jackal, and a red Elite on the way here, sir. I'm..soo..rry..." said Outlaw in a choked voice as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"Damnit man, wake up! Wake up!!!" said the Sarge as the medics ran into the room with a stretcher, loaded up the wounded marine, and carried him off to medbay.
The Sarge sighed, stood up from the floor, and screamed out to the marines "Alright you lilly livered sacks of crap, time to kick some Covie ass!" he said as he walked over to a chart showing the corridors of the base.
"Here's the situation, at zero nine hundred this morning, the covenant launched a surprise attack on this base coming straight through the front door, inflicting eighty five percent casualties... WITHIN TEN MINUTES!" the Sarge screamed.
"I don't know if you want to take this lying down, but I sure as hell don't. Now, look to the chart, the blue area represents the covenant, the yellow area represents us, and the white area we don't know about." Said the Sarge.
Upon learning this, morale went through the floor. Most of the chart was blue; the only yellow things were the mess hall they were in, the medbay, and the corridor running between the two. The only white area of the map was the armory and the hall that led to and from it.
The armory had security measures that put a meter of Titanium A between it and the outside world, as well as an automatic minigun defense systems that would mow down anything it identified as hostile, if the alarm was sounded. That had happened roughly thirty minutes ago at zero-nine-ten hours once the base finally realized it was under attack.
"Ok marines, I won't lie to you, some of us won't be coming home today. All I can say is keep your eyes upfield and a quick finger on the trigger and we should come out ok. Now, break up into groups of four, one specialist and three Marines to a group. I'll join in, instead of staying behind and handing out orders today, to bring us up to forty-four, that makes eleven groups. Two groups go secure the armory, the rest of you follow behind mine, and I'll be taking the point. MOVE OUT!" said the Sarge
"Sir, requesting permission to use Outlaw's equipment, it doesn't look like he'll be needing it for a few days and my sniper rifle is useless in close quarters, sir." Asked Switchblade.
"Permission granted, this place crawls, we'll need the explosives." Replied the Sarge.
Switchblade found Outlaws locker, shot the lock off with his M6D Pistol and grabbed Outlaw's M90 Shotgun, M19 SSM Rocket Launcher, four bricks of C12 high explosive, and four fragmentation grenades.
His group would be one of the two going to secure the armory, and due to the explosive nature of his loadout he would take the point. The six Marines and the other specialist, a Heavy Assault officer carrying an M90 Shotgun and an MA5B Assault Rifle led three, while he took command of the other three and moved out.
The journey to the armory was fairly uneventful, one of the Marines dropped his rifle and the entire clip spewed into the wall, and, telling him to be more careful, they moved on. They arrived at the one-meter thick door to the armory a few minutes later, shut tight as they had expected.
"So how are we going to get through this?" asked the Heavy Assault nicknamed Boomer.
"I could blow it..." said Switchblade, hoisting a brick of C12.
"No, to risky, might set off the automated defenses, or worse, every piece of ammo inside there." Said one of the marines.
"Wait, I'll radio the Sarge, he should know the passcode." Said one of the Marines.
"This is Ammo Sniffer calling Big Dog, Big Dog do you read me?" said the Marine into his headset
"This is Big Dog, what is it Ammo Sniffer?" questioned the Sarge.
"Big Dog we have arrived at Bombastic without encountering any hostile's, the door is shut tight, we need the passcode to open Bombastic, over." Said the Marine.
"Passcode is Zero-Niner-One-One-Zero-One Ammo Sniffer, over and out." Said the Sarge as the radio link was cut off.
Boomer ran forward and punched the passcode into the terminal near the door, and it slid up while the automated defenses powered down. Inside, polished and new looking, were every little boy's dream and every Covenants nightmare. A complete, fully stocked, USNC armory.
"Alright marines, load up your packs with M90 Shotguns, M19 SSM Rocket Launchers, Shotgun Shells, Rockets, and plenty of MA5B clips, and lets go help Big Dog" said Switchblade.
The next five minutes were spent loading up packs to the point where the Marines were almost ready to collapse. When they walked out the six Marines were carrying two M90 Shotguns, one M19 SSM Rocket Launchers, and a crate of ammo for each, per Marine. Boomer and Switchblade were both carrying crates of forty grenades, as well as 60 MA5B clips.
Another uneventful walk, to the messhall this time, followed. They strolled in, deposited some of the ammo, and continued on. They stopped for a second to look at the chart, it had changed, now there was more yellow than before, including the armory. The path Outlaw had taken was now completely yellow, that must be where they were, where Outlaw had started, at his quarters next to the Command Center.
They again walked through the long path, seeing the still smoking crater where the Elite had died, the body of the Jackal and three more freshly killed Jackals, the bodies of three Marines near them, and at last the Grunts, one of them minus a head.
One of the Marines had stopped to crouch down and examine the Marine's, "Dead...all dead..." he said, and closed their eyes.
"Don't worry Marine. We'll avenge all that have fallen here today. To do that, we're going to kill every last Covenant we find between here and the front door." Said Boomer, gripping his shotgun and wearing a malice grin.
Right as Boomer was about to step out into the hallway plasma sizzled through the air outside, stopped, and then was followed up by a roar of gunfire and the sounds of several fragmentation grenades exploding, accompanied by the death cries of several grunts and jackals.
"Ok, better stay low everyone, we might have to crawl if those crates stick up, we don't want your backs turning into Swiss Cheese now do we?" Said Switchblade.
Boomer stepped out into the hall, and saw the remaining thirty-three marines, and the Sarge, crouching down behind several Covenant crates and radios lying on their sides.
They all let out a sigh of relief, as the crates didn't stick up above the line of cover provided by the Covenant crates the marines were hiding behind. Switchblade saw the Sarge and double-timed his crouched walk up to him.
"Oh thank god you're here, they've got us pinned down as you can see. They're at the other end of the hallway, behind another line of crates, we're estimating thirteen Jackals, twenty Grunts, two blue Elites, and one Gold Elite after the last attack." Said the Sarge.
"Ok, we've brought twelve M90 Shotguns, six M19 SSM Rocket Launchers, and plenty of ammo for the MA5B's and the new weapons." Switchblade replied.
"Good, MARINES! Listen up, go talk to those six back there if you need a reload or want something a bit more potent to kick some ass with. It's first come first served and this IS a limited time offer. Its time to take the fight back!" screamed the Sarge.
At this, Switchblade slapped a remote detonator into a brick of C12 and made ready to throw.
Next: Chapter 3, Medbay and Taking The Fight Back
Outlaw, Chapter 3: MedBay and Taking The Fight Back
Date: 24 October 2002, 5:21 am
Meet the Marines:
Specialists:
The Sarge: A gruff man of African-American decent whom usually chooses to stay behind and plan missions, while also giving real-time orders when the battle heats up by remote linking into the recorders in every Marines helmet.
Seth "Outlaw" Zecks
Rank: Major
Specialty: Demolitions
Description: If it explodes, he uses it. Brave to the point of being considered somewhat insane, he usually has absolutely no regard for his personal safety or well being.
Weapons: M90 Shotgun, M19 SSM Rocket Launcher, Four Fragmentation Grenades, and Four Blocks of C12 High Explosive.
Micheal "Switchblade" Beckstead
Rank: Major
Specialty: Sniper
Description: A crack shot with the SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle as well as the M6D Pistol, he specializes in high-damage long-range combat. With over three hundred confirmed kills, over seventy five of those Elite's, he has become well known among Covenant ranks as a large threat.
Weapons: SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle, 2 M6D Pistols.
Jesse "Boomer" Jameson
Rank: Major
Specialty: Heavy Assault
Description: Frequently runs ahead to cause maximum damage to the enemy ranks or to deliver the finishing blow, he is an excellent officer with a long record of bravery and courage, even against seemingly impossible odds.
Weapons: MA5B Assault Rifle, M90 Shotgun, and Four Fragmentation Grenades.
The Marines:
Jenkins
Rank: Corporal
Specialty: Hacker
Description: Ever helpful and ever present, there isn't a door he can't open, a code he can't crack, or a computer he can't hack.
Weapons: MA5B Assault Rifle, M6D Pistol, and Four Fragmentation Grenades.
Stacker
Rank: Sargeant
Specialty: None
Description: Full of witty remarks, even in the heat of battle, he keeps morale up without fail.
Weapons: MA5B Assault Rifle, M6D Pistol, and Four Fragmentation Grenades.
Mendoza
Rank: Corporal
Specialty: None
Description: A great shot with many kills, he's always a bit behind the group.
Weapons: MA5B Assault Rifle, M6D Pistol, and Four Fragmentation Grenades.
Chips Dubbo
Rank: Private
Specialty: None
Description: The new guy, still undergoing hazing even though he's proven himself in several battles, and its rumored he's well on his well to a promotion to Corporal.
Weapons: MA5B Assault Rifle, M6D Pistol, and Four Fragmentation Grenades.
The Twins:
Kevin Capps
Robert Capps
Ranks: Corporal
Specialties: None
Description: These two are identical twins and are rarely caught apart. Always sticking together, even in the heat of battle, they work together as well as the fabled Spartans.
Weapons: MA5B Assault Rifle, M90 Shotgun, and Four Fragmentation Grenades.
Outlaw, Chapter 3: MedBay and Taking The Fight Back
The Covenant were in perfect formation, a row of Jackal's with the two Blue Elite's at either end, with the Grunt's behind the Jackal's and the Gold Elite commander in the center at the rear.
The Marines scrambled back to get weapons, including the Twins, whom to no ones surprise both picked out an M90 Shotgun. Jenkins and Mendoza both got M19 SSM Rocket Launchers along with four others, and Chip and Stacker both got M90 Shotguns along with eight others.
Switchblade made ready to throw, hoping he could hurl the heavy brick of explosives far enough to land somewhere near the intimidating, multicolored, shimmering barrier that was the Jackal's shields.
The rest of the Marine's were crouched down as well, inspecting their new weapons and making ready to fire while waiting to hear the big plan.
"Ok guys, here's the deal. Once the explosives go off, I want all of the marines to stand up and mop up any survivors except the Gold Elite. Once all targets are confirmed dead, get back down. At this point I want the Twins to fire their shotguns until his shields die, then we go over the top and mow down that son of a gun like a lawnmower over grass." Ordered Switchblade.
Various confirmations crackled into his ear, including a sigh from Boomer. He wouldn't get to gloriously rush in and take all the credit for today.
Before throwing, Switchblade plugged a small fiber-optic probe, much like the one's used by the Spartans, into his eyepiece HUD and snaked it up over the crate so he could see where the explosives landed.
He stood up and hurled the heavy block with all his might, and it landed just short of a blue Jackal wearing a helmet, the highest-ranking Jackal of the bunch. The line of Covenant stared, confused, at the strange gray brick, one Grunt in the back remarked "Haha, they out of ammo throwing stones at us!" while two Jackals parted their shields so he could run up and grab it.
Much to Switchblades surprise, after picking it up he ran back behind the lines. It was perfect; he was right in the heart of the enemy unit. "Ok guys, here we go!" and hit the button...nothing happened.
"Come on man, punch it, he's in the perfect spot!" complained Boomer.
"The detonator's broken! It won't go off!" snarled Switchblade.
"Give me that...," said Boomer, ripping it out of Switchblades hand. "You gotta push it down hard, like this" said boomer, shoving the button down to the stop.
A loud explosion ripped through the halls, and the bodies of several Grunts and Jackals flew over the line of crates. The line of Marines popped up, spraying assault rifle fire at the remaining four Jackals, two Grunts, and the two Blue Elite's who were bent over, clutching their sides. All fell to the ground, not even resembling something that could live anymore.
As the Marines crouched back down, the Twins popped up in unison, spraying their shotguns at the Gold Elite until both chambers clicked empty, and his shields were gone. As they fell back down to reload, everyone else went over the top, as they had called it in an ancient Earth war, and mowed over the shocked Gold Elite, firing any weapon that wasn't explosive.
"Job well done marines, you almost looked like real soldiers right there." Remarked the Sarge.
"We try sir." Replied Boomer.
The unit walked up to the command center door that the Covenant line had been parallel to, it was now black and charred thanks to the numerous grenades and other explosive devices that had been detonated to retake this, the most important area of the base.
"Damn man, look at all this Covenant bastage..." whistled stacker, shooting the body of the Gold Elite a few more times with his M6D Pistol.
The ground lay littered with the bodies of seventy-five dead-Covenant, forty Grunts, thirty Jackals, four Blue Elite's, and the single Golden Elite commander.
"This is Big Dog to CC, we are outside, could you please open up. Its safe to come out now boys." Said the Sarge to the Command Center.
"Oh thank god, you're alive! YOU"RE ACTUALLY ALIVE! You've got to get me out of here, there are three Elite's, they've got some sort of cloaking device. The only way I can see them is their plasma swords. They sliced straight through the other door, slaughtered everyone, I'm pretending to be a body sprawled over the Communications Panel. I can reach the button to open the door from here, just get me out of here. One of them stabbed me in the left shoulder, I'm bleeding to death, please hurry!" whispered the panicked officer over the Com Line.
"Ok marines, anyone with a Rocket Launcher take point. The moment those doors open, I want rockets hitting any floating blue lines." Ordered the Sarge.
The doors slid open and they quickly spotted the invisible Elite's, walking together looking for anything that showed signs of life.
Switchblade fired first, shooting both rockets and emptying his tubes. One was aimed at the Elite to the left, the other at the one in the middle. The first rocket struck dead on killing the target instantly. The middle elite had seen the first rocket streaking towards his companion and dodged right... straight into the path of the other rocket. Mendoza fired his rocket launcher as well, aiming at the last Elite's feet. The first rocket knocked him to the side, and the second propelled him into the ceiling. He hit, stuck there for a second, then fell all three meters back down.
After all three Elite's were confirmed dead, they searched the room for whoever had let them in. He was already limping over to them, clutching his shoulder. He came to a stop, managed a loose salute, and fell into the arms of Boomer.
"This is Big Dog to MedBay, we've got more wounded in the Command Center. Possibly three live officers, get up here pronto." Said the Sarge.
"Roger that sir, Outlaw's going to be just fine."
Meanwhile, in MedBay...
For the next few hours, Outlaw drifted in and out of consciousness while being treated for his injuries. Alone they were no problem for modern medical science, but put together it would take a skilled surgeon to save him.
"Get this man hooked up to an IV, stat." Ordered one of the nurses.
"Burnt left ankle, multiple burns on chest, hundreds of micro-shrapnel penetration wounds in the back, probable internal bleeding." Said another nurse.
"Ok, first things first, get this guy on the table, lets open up his back and get that shrapnel out." Said the Doctor
Outlaw felt a mask go on his face, and he passed out once again. He heard various parts of the surgery, drifting in and out in a haze.
"So much shrap... back ripped to piec... losing pulse... only one..left to.." from the surgeon and various nurses.
He awoke with a start several hours later, after the battle was long over and the wounded officer was in the bed next to his. He also saw his friend, Switchblade, asleep in a chair between the two beds.
"Wak.." Outlaw tried to mutter something as his voice cracked.
"Wake up du..dummy..." he finally got it out.
Switchblade snapped forward in the chair, startled out of his nap. The officer let out a laugh, then clutched his stomach in pain.
"Outlaw your..your awake, finally. They doctor said that once your up and about you'll be better than you were before." He said, stroking the cast on Outlaws arm.
"What... what'd they do to me, why am I in a full body cast? The wounds couldn't have been that bad." Replied Outlaw.
"Well, considering all the micro-shrapnel your little stunt with the grenades generated, you'd probably be in one even if they hadn't done what they'd done." Said Swtichblade.
"What'd they do to me man? I feel different..heavy..." asked Outlaw.
"They um... gave you some of the same improvements they gave the Spartans. The doc said he gave you muscular enhancement injections and did something called uh... carbide ceramic ossification to your bones." Replied Switchblade
"THEY WHAT?! Why would they do that?" yelled Outlaw
"He said the wounds were to severe, even when he did fix you up your skeletal and muscular systems wouldn't recover on there own. If he hadn't done it, you would be a vegetable right now. Your lucky you had him, he's the Spartans personal physician." Replied Switchblade
The doctor walked by, and seeing their animated conversation asked Outlaw how he was feeling.
"Ah... Major Zecks, you're awake. I'm guessing you've learned what we had to do. I promise I only did what was necessary to keep you alive, I didn't perform any sort of experimentation on you, merely what had to be done to insure your recovery. Of course, if you desire, after you've recovered we can remove the modifications..." said the doctor.
"No...No, its alright, its just a shock is all." He replied.
"Well, good. With these enhancements your bones can't break, they'll even stand up to those nasty plasma pistol shots, heehee. Also, you can now lift 3 times your own weight. I could lay down on that bed and you could lift it above your head with ease." Said the doctor.
"How long is it going to take me to recover?" asked Outlaw.
"We can have you out of the cast in four days, three days of therapy and high protein meals, and you'll be back better than you were before within two weeks." Said the doctor, walking off.
"Well, what should I do now Switch?" asked Outlaw.
"Now... now I want you to get some rest. In four days you're going to be a very different person, but for now, just sleep. I'll come to see you once a day." Said Switchblade "Now, go to sleep", he said, walking off.
Next Chapter 4, Therapy and Becoming A Super Soldier.
Outlaw, Chapter 4
Date: 28 October 2002, 6:27 am
Authors Note: Despite breaking my right wrist on Friday I've worked over the weekend to crank this out. Still no feedback, all I want is one email people.
Date: 0700 Hours, September 12, 2552
Location: 3 Miles under the surface of Reach, Camp Hatchcock
Timeframe: 13 Days after the fall of Reach.
Atmospheric Conditions: No Atmosphere Detected
Temperature: -100 Degrees Celsius
The doctor once again walked up to Maj. Zecks in his full body cast. Four days had passed since his operation and it was time to remove it. He shook Outlaw awake and informed him that it was time for the cast to be removed and to start therapy.
"Alright doc, lets get this damned itchy thing off me." Grumbled Outlaw.
"All in good time, you don't still feel, as you put it, heavy, do you?" asked the Doctor.
"Nah, not anymore." He replied.
"Good, then your heart has adjusted to the changes and increased blood flow to the muscles. That's what made you feel heavy, your blood was spread thin. The bones should be long repaired by now as well, the ribs in your back had been completely crushed, that's why I had to do the ossification." The doctor informed.
"Ok, let's get this thing off already." Outlaw grumbled once a gain.
"Yes, yes." Said the doctor, starting the saw and putting it to his wrist to show that it wouldn't cause any harm.
For the next few minutes, they removed the cast one piece at a time, first the legs, then the arms, and the chest. At this they paused to let him air out, the stench was nearly unbearable. Then, at last, he removed the cast covering the head. Outlaw rolled over to get out of the bottom half of the cast.
"Whew, well, that was fun, let's not do it again." Said Outlaw, as he slowly raised himself up, only to fall back down onto the bed.
"Major Zecks your going to need a good week of therapy before you can stand up on your own. The muscles, despite the muscle condensing booster shots, have still atrophied. Most of your leg and back muscles were ripped to pieces anyway. Now come on, we're going to start you off in a one half gee environment." Said the doctor as several nurses rolled the cart down to the gravity training room.
They all felt a slight sense of vertigo and nausea as they shifted suddenly to a half gee. There, in the room, stood Switchblade, grinning from ear to ear at the sight of his friend, in one piece for the first time in five days.
"Ok Outlaw, this may come as a shock but I'm going to be your therapist." Said Switchblade, his voice dripping with sarcasm on the shock remark.
"Yeah, big surprise, so what first?" asked Outlaw as the doctor and nurses retreated back out the doorway.
"Well, how about we try standing up, eh?" he said.
At this, Outlaw rolled over and tried to stand up. He fell down a few times, but he could do it.
"Alright, now for today we're just going to do some coordination exercises, standing on one foot, closing your eyes and touching your hand to your nose, maybe some jumping, that kind of stuff." Said Switchblade.
After standing on both his left and right foot, they moved on to touching the nose, and a long day of therapy ensued. Day Three "Ok, time to stop jumping and standing on one foot, today we're bumping you back up to normal gravity. This morning's medical scans showed that your muscles are at half strength and ready for a one gee environment." Said Switchblade.
"Horay for me..." muttered Outlaw.
"Alright, change the spin boys, give us a full gee." Said Switchblade into a radio.
There was a slight humming noise and the room felt normal again to both people inside of it.
"Ok, stand up." Said Switchblade.
For the third time Outlaw got out of bed and stood up, a little unsure of him self. He wobbled a little bit, clinched his teeth, and at last got all the way up.
"Good, this means they don't have to wheel you in on that bed anymore, assuming of course you can still walk, give it a try." He said.
Outlaw walked around some, jogged a lap around the oval shaped room, than did a full out run, feeling for the first time in a week independent in his motions.
"Wow, that was more than any of us were expecting. A jump perhaps?" asked Switchblade.
"Ok, lets see what I can do." Said Outlaw
He jumped into the hair and nearly hit the ceiling...six meters above the ground, then landed with perfect grace on both feet.
"Alright, that was Grade A weird." Outlaw said, aghast at what he had just done.
Switchblade got the radio from his belt once again and said "Control, are you sure we're at one gee, I think we all saw that." Switchblade said in a state of awe.
"That's an affirmative Major Beckstead, all systems are running normal, we read one gee.
"Ok, time to get you back to MedBay for some scans. Something weird is going on." Said Switchblade, turning his friend around and walking out of the room.
"Good, I see he's walking, but are you really done so soon?" said the doctor.
"Uh, doc, we did a jumping exercise and he nearly hit his head on the roof." Said Switchblade.
"Major Zecks, stand in front of the scanner please." Ordered the doctor with an interested look on his face.
Outlaw walked in front of the scanner, and it hummed to live.
"Ok, all done, step away please, the scans are coming up now."
What the three of them saw didn't make any sense to Outlaw or Switchblade, but the doctor could read it just fine, and much to their joy never got an expression of worry on it.
"I should have expected this, its happened before. The operation is having a combined effect just like with the Spartans. This man can now function normally in three gee environments, lift three times his own body weight, and run at fifty five kilometers per hour." Said the doctor, obviously more than pleased with his work.
"But should he be adjusting so fast?" asked Switchblade.
"Well, frankly, I almost expected this to happen. Major Zecks is now better than he was, there is no need for further therapy. Now we have three options on the table." Said the doctor, cutting off at the end to add some fake drama.
"Well, go on, what are they?" asked Outlaw.
"Option one, we can undo the changes and have you back to your normal self by tomorrow morning, option two, we can leave you the way you are, or option three, we can give you the rest of the operation and make you a full blown Spartan." The doctor said "So what's it going to be, door number one, door number two, or door number three?"
Outlaw sighed, his brow furrowed in thought "I'll take door number three if you can do it to Switchblade too. If not, I'll take door number one. I can't work without him." Said Outlaw, giving Switchblade a friendly jab in the shoulder that knocked him to the floor.
"Damnit, sorry, sorry." Said Outlaw, gently helping his friend up.
"Well, both of you are 23 correct? That eliminates some of the risk, your in your prime. But, there are no guarantees, if you and Switchblade are willing to take the risk, I suppose I can go all the way with this." Said the doctor in a somewhat dour voice.
"How 'bout it Switch, wanna be a super soldier?" asked Outlaw jokingly, already knowing the answer.
"Sure, why the hell not?" said Switchblade, giving Outlaw a friendly punch in the arm, then grabbing his fist in pain "Oops...ok that was a stupid move." Day Five "We're ready to being if you are, gentlemen." Said the doctor, now in a full white surgical uniform.
"Doc, we both agreed to this beforehand, and I hope you honor this condition. If one of us isn't going to wake up fine, neither one of us want to wake up at all." They said in unison.
"Alright...I..I understand." Said the doctor as the nurses put the masks on and they both blacked out. Day Eight "Ok, physical therapy completed. Congratulations gentlemen, your bonified super soldiers. Lucky to, that was the last two sets of Spartan operation materials we had left. If Reach hadn't been glassed, we'd all be in a jail cell about now. But since each day is a fight to survive and we're cut off from human contact until Reach has stabilized, we're going to have to take some extreme measures to keep ourselves alive." Said the doctor.
They were now in a strange square room, unclothed except for their surgical robes. They had been through the operation and three days of physical therapy. It had been tough, but they were both glad that the operation had worked. They were now stronger than ever and could help their squad in ways they had never before dreamed of.
"Would you like some information on yourselves? You may not believe it, but during therapy we recorded all of the important information." Said the doctor.
"Sure, why not?" Said Switchblade.
"You can now both run at fifty five KPH, lift three times your own body weight, function normally in three gee's, see in the dark, and your reaction time is twenty mili-seconds." Said the doctor as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"Woah... that's great Doc, I never dreamed I could get this strong. I don't just know it, I can feel it pulsing through my veins. But why are we here, unclothed?" asked Outlaw.
"Yes, that. I went searching through the bowels of Camp Hatchcock, knowing that the Chi Cheti Four MJOLNIR research program had been moved here shortly before it had been glassed. It took some doing, but I found enough components in the three damage suits they had to make two full sets. These are the newer, shielded models capable of carrying an AI." The doctor said.
"Slow down doc, MJOLNIR? What's the hammer of the Norse thunder god have to do with us?" they both asked, confused.
"MJOLNIR are the green power suits worn by the Spartans. I already implanted the advanced chip you need in your skulls, and found two functional AI's in a damaged carrier that was being repaired in an underground facility during the attack." Said the doctor.
"Wait a minute, we get the suits? This is a pretty sweet deal." Said Outlaw.
"Alright gentlemen, just remain still while these techs suit you up." The doctor said, as the door to the room opened and two green suits were rolled in.
Fifteen minutes later they both stood there, now standing two meters tall and looking at each other, not believing their own eyes.
Two holotanks activated, one with the image of a muscular man holding a grenade, the other a slim man clutching a sniper rifle.
" Here are your AI's. They have renamed themselves to something that they believed more matched your individual fighting styles. Major Zecks, here is yours, C12. And Major Beckstead, yours, Sharp Shooter." Said the doctor, as he yanked the AI's out and extended his right hand, two small, yellow chips resting in it.
They both felt the typical cool presence enter their mind as the AI came online. Both of them greeted the AI's, got to know them, and learned how they could help them in combat. They had been refitted with the latest hacking and translation software, copied from the computer core of the damaged carrier.
"Now, remember to move slowly at first. Just think about your movements, don't try to do them. Once you feel comfortable, you may leave the room. By tomorrow you'll probably feel naked not wearing your suit." Said the doctor, strolling out of the room with the techs.
"Well, this is a change." Said Switchblade.
"That's an understatement. Two days ago we were just grunts in the trenches, now we don't even know our limitations anymore. I suppose we should uhh...move?" said Outlaw.
For the next half-hour they adjusted to moving, until eventually they were walking in unison down the hallways, now, thanks to the added height of the suit, towering above most of their comrades.
Little did they know it, the next day they would be involved in one of the largest attacks on a Covenant base, to eliminate the threat so as to wait for the ability to call for help in peace.
Next Chapter 5, Suicidal Attack and Learning Your Limits
Outlaw, Chapter 5 - Suicidal Attack and Learning Your Limits
Date: 3 November 2002, 1:59 am
The green silhouette stood tall, cloaked in shadow. It had been a long fight, nearly over. Two on three dozen at first, bad odds for the Covenant, but they wouldn't need to worry about that much longer.
"Running low on ammo Outlaw, any explosives left?" whispered a silhouette out of sight.
"Just one rocket, we used the rest of what was left of them on those three Red Elite's." the tall one replied.
Two small weapons, pistols, discharged four times each and eight Grunt's hit the floor, fluorescent blood oozing slowly from head wounds.
The last enemy figure in the room stood tall, cloaked in shadow, bathed in light. Wait...what wasn't right, the light was coming from the figure, reflecting gold and silver. The tall figure let out a roar of disgust and started to run towards the opposite end of the room.
"Switchblade, finish it, now." Said Outlaw, showing no fear at an enemy that could very quickly decimate a group of Marines on its own.
One shot rang out from a larger weapon, and the silver flicker died away "I'm empty" said the short figure holding a long barreled rifle "Use the rocket"
There was a flash of light, a smoke trail, and a small boom as a rocket launched. It struck it's target square in the chest, exploding on impact and vaporizing the target.
"Enemy forces eliminated." Said two disembodied voices that seemed to be coming from the soldiers, but from far away at the same time.
"Combat testing complete, end the drill." Said a voice through a speaker in the ceiling of the holo-training room.
The lights came back on, the Grunt's, Jackal's, and Elite's fizzled out of existence, and the door at the opposite end of the room opened, and an African-American man entered.
"That was incredible you two, three dozen Covenant hit the floor and you don't even get a scratch. Nice shooting in there Major Beckstead, I'd swear those bullets went through the same hole twice. As for you Major Zecks, nice use of um... overwhelming force." The Sarge said, speaking to them face to face for the first time nearly two weeks.
"Thank you, sir." They said in unison.
"Now its time to bring you up to date, I'll brief you in my office, follow me." The Sarge said, turning on his heel and walking out of the room.
The party of three walked down several corridors into a small room with a metal table and a chair cushioned only by a dirty uniform. The Sarge sat down in the chair and propped his feet on top of the table.
"Now, the engagement that Major Zecks damn near died in was a fairly heavy loss. Three marines got toasted, nothing compared to the seventy-eight, if you count those invisible Elite's, we wasted. But, they managed to kill a good deal of our techs and officers, especially those in our Control room. We did save the most important though, Communications Officer Menks." The Sarge lectured.
"All in all, sir, it sounds like a win." Said Switchblade.
"Yes, but they fried the communications console. We were going to call for a rescue once the radiation from the plasma weapons that glassed the planet faded, but we can't now. We're also getting tired of these weekly Covenant raids. Its time to attack the area of the base they're controlling. We're going to send in you two and the rest of the survivors, lead by Boomer." The Sarge said matter-of-factly.
"But..But, sir, with all do respect that's suicide. We estimate nearly two hundred Covenant remain in that area of the installation, they've got Shade's at every entrance, trip wire plasma grenades in the vents, and Hunter's around every corner." Outlaw said in a state of shock.
"That's why we're sending in you. You volunteered the moment you put on those suits. The only way we're getting off this rock is if we can get to the large dropship and its radio, in THEIR area of the base. Your both dismissed, go eat some breakfast, dinner, or lunch. I've been out of the sun so long I can't even remember." The Sarge replied.
"Sir, that would be lunch sir." Outlaw replied as he left the room.
The armored green figures walked into the Mess Hall, and the sounds of utensils falling onto tables and food trays dropping onto the floor accompanied them. They grabbed a tray, got some food, then sat down next to Boomer, whose eyes were as wide as his coffee cups.
The figures took off their helmets with a hiss as the pressure equalized, and two very friendly faces were behind them.
"You just can't talk in these things..." Switchblade grumbled, setting his helmet next to him on the floor.
"Uh...what the hell is going on. I haven't seen you in two weeks, then you scare me half to death by strolling in here wearing MJOLNIR power armor." Boomer said.
"It's a long story, one best told after we eat. This is the first normal food I've had in a while, a man just can't live on protein packets alone." Outlaw said, spooning chicken soup into his mouth.
So the Mess Hall returned somewhat to a state of normality, heads turned every now and then, who can blame them, it isn't every day you see a Spartan, even an unofficial one.
The rest of the day for our heroes was mainly spent telling the story of what had been happening to them over the last fourteen days and hearing the story of how everyone else had been holding up. There was also information exchanged on how repairs were going on the critical areas of the base, including the explosions, which had ripped through the armory.
Later that night yellow tinted shields sparked in the Mess Hall when Major Zecks saw the hole in the lid to his foot locker, then opened it up to see his personal explosives missing.
The next morning, plans were made and rifles checked for the attack. Jenkins had hacked into the covenant side of the base and determined that all of the automatic defense systems had gone untouched and inactive, and Boomer had passed out assault rifles to anyone strong enough to carry one. This was to be their final push, one last attack to get off a god forsaken rock.
"This is McBoomBoom group, calling Death Wish, come in Death Wish. Are you nearing the objective?" Boomer whispered into his headset, clutching an M90 Shotgun with a vice grip as he and a group of Marines walked in a crouch to a line of overturned crates, three Shade turrets visible in the hall beyond them.
"This is Death Wish, we read you McBoomBoom, we are three meters from objective, those turrets are about to go up in flames" Jenkins whispered from the vents, crawling slowly behind Switchblade and Outlaw.
A grate from the vent that ran over the hallway fell to the floor with a clang, a dent the shape of a fist in it, and the barrel of a rocket launcher poked through. The Special Ops unit at this entrance was launched into a state of confusion at the strange sound, the Elite's eyes scanning everywhere. One rocket fired, sailed to the ground and took out two of the turrets and their black-armored Grunt operators, then another took out the third turret and the Gray Elite standing nearby.
The two green armors dropped to the floor from above the ceiling and admired their handy work, followed by the skinny figure of Jenkins holding a laptop instead of a rifle.
"Ok Jenkins, work your magic, the wall port is right over their" said switchblade, pointing to a computer port on one of the walls.
He ran over, plugged in the computer, set it on a nearby section of broken wall, and started typing furiously, breaking through Covenant security like it wasn't there.
"Ok guys, every last autocannon is fully functional and I can activate them from right here. Whoever built this place hid them well enough that not even the Covenant haven't been able to find them. I've also got cameras in most of the rooms and halls between here and the shuttle bay, but they're broadcasting jamming signals from the shuttle bay itself like there's no tomorrow." Jenkins reported after just a minute of tapping away at the keys.
In the time it had taken him to go about his task, Boomer and the rest of the survivors had moved up and secured the area, not finding anymore enemies. The twins were standing guard over a room connected to this one, silent as usual. They never seemed to talk, except for the occasional grunt of pain if they took enemy fire.
"Alright, any details you can give us on what kind of resistance we can expect?" asked the Sarge through the radio. He was hanging back per usual, at the other end of the hall.
"I'm not getting much that we can't handle. Some Jackals beyond the door the Twins are watching, and in the room after that several Special Ops Elite's. The only problem I see is... oh my god." Jenkins cut off at the end.
"Spit it out boy, we haven't got all day" The Sarge ordered.
"I'm sending you guys the video footage I've got playing. You aren't going to believe this." Jenkins replied, looking like he had just seen a ghost.
The video popped up in the HUD's of Outlaw and Switchblade, and in the eye-pieces of the Sarge and Boomer. It showed the room behind that with the three Special Ops elites filled with fifteen hunters in black armor. Special Ops hunters, very rarely seen if ever, were the most ruthless fighters the humans had encountered. They could fire their Fuel Rod Cannons as fast as the M6D pistol, melting anything or anyone who got in the line of fire.
"Wait, it gets worse." Said Jenkins, clicking to go to a different camera.
The video footage changed and displayed a room that had no less than fifty Special Ops grunts, one Gold elite, and ten of the regular Blue Elite's.
"That's the last room before the shuttle bay, but I don't see how we can even reach it through fifteen Special Ops hunters." Jenkins said, his hope as crushed as a Jackal in a Hunters way.
"Well, I see three ways we can take them out. One, we use a LOT of C12. Two, we use our remaining rockets. Three, we turn on the autocannons in that room and see if they can do the trick." The Sarge said, giving them his ideas.
"Alright, I saw we go with the autocannons, how many are in that room?" Boomer asked.
"Uhh... there are ten in that room with five hundred rounds each, there are 2 on each wall, one in the middle of the floor, and the last one in the middle of the ceiling." Jenkins replied after several taps on his keyboard.
"Alright, time to kick some Covenant ass marines, lets move out!" The Sarge whooped, coming out of hiding at last and approaching Jenkins.
Next Outlaw Chapter 6, The Final Push and Impossible Odds
Outlaw Chapter 6 - The Final Push and Impossible Odds
Date: 15 November 2002, 8:19 am
Authors Note: Despite the title of this chapter, it is NOT the last one, I assure you. We haven't even met the Lancer's ye... I shouldn't have said that. You didn't just hear me say that. Any way's, after dragging you through a few boring chapters, this one is going to be pretty much one big fight scene, with plenty of explosions and flesh wounds, so go grab a cola of your choice. I know this chapter has been a while coming, I'm sorry. My computer was infected with 53 viruses. With Xbox LIVE! dropping today, don't expect to see another chapter until at least Wednesday, hehehe...
"Alright Marines, don't even think about the big bad hunters. We have to shoot a few Jackal's and Elite's before we take those bad boys on. Boomer, Major Izzy, Dubbo, Mendoza, give your Jackal friends a warm welcome." The Sarge barked.
"Sir, yes sir." Boomer replied.
The Twins opened the door and discharged their shotguns in unison into the back of the unlucky Jackal standing near the door, holstered them, pulled out their rifles, and stepped back to let the other Marines continue the fight.
"Damnit Boomer, I hate attacking with you. I always get shot, last time I got shot in the ass!" Said Major Izzy, an African American man, much like the Sarge, who had broken the record for Purple Hearts awarded to one man.
"Just be quite and stay low, after our shotgun calling card I doubt we can take any by surprise" Boomer grumbled.
Everyone entered the room, Boomer and Izzy in the lead, moving from bits of fallen ceiling for cover. This area of the base had sustained heavy damage, and cover in the form of debris was most plentiful.
"Hold up, I think I see an energy shield poking up over there, near the other door." Private Dubbo whispered.
"I see it to. Ok, I'll throw two grenades, if they try to run everyone stand up and spray your assault rifles. On three Marines." Boomer ordered, pulling two grenades from his belt and pulling the pins, getting ready to release the safety, and starting the countdown.
Two grenades flew through the air. One landed just behind the Jackal's, the other hit the shield that Dubbo had spotted with a dull thud and bounced to the ground. They let out their typical bird like scream, running and keeping themselves covered with shields. But, as they turned tail to run, no less than four MA5B Assault Rifles opened fire, reflecting off the shields, but at the same time making them lose their grip on the shields and throwing off balance. One fell to the ground, the others started to slip. Inside the grenades the delay was running short, burning down to the fuse, and boom. Several Jackals were introduced to the joys of shrapnel as their bodies flew up to the ceiling and back down again.
"Area secured Sarge, that was easy enough..." Boomer reported into his radio, letting an empty clip slide out and fall to the ground and slapping a new one in.
"Roger that, I saw the hole thing. We're going to let our resident super soldiers mop up the Elite's in the next room." The Sarge chuckled as Outlaw and Switchblade entered the room.
Boomer approached the cover of the Jackal's, surveying the damage. Not much, four dead bodies and some blackened floor, something still didn't feel quite right though. As these thoughts were going through Boomer's mind, a plasma pistol was charging to the left of him, and the Jackal that held it was ready to avenge the death of his comrades.
As it charged, Outlaw walked up to him and checked the bodies of the Jackal's to see if he could use their Shield's or pistols. A static hiss filled the air, and he reacted at twenty milliseconds, clutching Boomer's arm and pulling him to the floor.
"What the?!" Boomer yelled on the way down.
Switchblade ran as if he were a blur, and drove the handles of his pistols hard into the back of the Jackal as if they were hammers, and he heard and felt bones crack under the force of the blow.
"Sorry about that, I just didn't want some important area of your body getting incinerated." Outlaw chuckled, standing he and Boomer back up.
"Thanks I suppose..." Boomer replied, somewhat shocked at the speed of which everything had just happened.
The deadly duo approached the door and paused to see if Jenkin's could confirm how many Elite's were on the other side.
"Alright, I'm sure that there are six now. Its your lucky day, just like with the Jackal one is facing the other way right inside the door, easy prey for you two." Jenkins informed them, getting a somewhat malice grin.
"But that's an elite, we can't take him down with one hi...oh right." Outlaw said, somewhat embarrassed "Ok, open it up."
The doors slid open, and before the Elite could even turn to inquire what he thought was a Jackal making an hourly report, a fist cracked his spine, and his two jaws went limp. He had been dead before he could even activate his shield.
Outlaw kept the Elite propped up, took control of its hand, and fired its Plasma Rifle, using him like a big, deadly puppet, until it started to vent excess heat. He let the body slide to the ground but kept the Plasma Rifle, his Rocket Launcher was slung over his shoulder, as he side stepped behind the cover of the doorjam.
"Ok, I think they're mad now Switch, how about working a little high caliber magic..." Outlaw said, stroking his new toy as the ammo count appeared in his HUD, seventy six.
The Elite's were so tall that the ceiling debris didn't completely cover them, and even though they didn't know it the very top of their head stuck up above the jagged ridges of debris. Several loud shots fired, and two more Elite's fell to the ground with head wounds, more like holes really. The remaining three crouched a little lower, behind the cover provided by debris.
"Three down, three to go." Switchblade reported.
"Alright, three on two sounds fair enough, lets go." Outlaw said.
They entered the room, Outlaw holding his newly acquired Plasma Rifle, Switchblade his trusty Pistol's. They jumped and ran over and through debris, plasma from Outlaw fired and knocked out the shields of an Elite just as a hail of semi-explosive rounds from a Pistol tore his chest to pieces. At this, they both crouched down and the air around them sizzled and popped as plasma rounds zoomed over head.
"Ok, we've got two left, their grouped together, three meters ahead at ten o'clock." Switchblade informed Outlaw.
"Alright, sounds easy enough" He replied hoisting his rocket launcher.
"They're also right next to the structural beam for all three levels above and below this one, no explosives." Switchblade said, pulling Outlaw back down as he tried to stand up, Rocket Launcher over his shoulder.
"Ok then, stay here, I'll be right back." Outlaw said, running away in a crouch. Even in a group of two he ran off from the group...
Switchblade sighed and just stayed crouching, already figuring what Outlaw was trying to pull. He heard two plasma rifles fire, shields sizzled, an Elite let out a roar. The firing stopped for a moment, then that same Elite roared once again as his ribs were broken by a slap from a Plasma Rifle. There was a thud as it hit the ground, dead or in a coma, then several more pops as Plasma Rifles discharged once again. This time it sounded like plasma hitting the Elite instead of a shield, and there was another thud.
"Its safe to come out now, I only got hit once or twice." Outlaw chuckled, as if getting shot now was a joking matter.
"Even in a group of two you run off." Switchblade snapped back, examining the blackened bits of chest armor.
"C12, run a scan, is my suit compromised?" Outlaw said to seemingly no one.
"Negative, all systems are normal, slight burning detected to upper right chest armor." A disembodied voice replied.
"Damn lucky if you ask me, don't do that again" Switchblade grumbled.
"Sarge, we cleared out the room. Anyone who wants a Plasma Rifle or grenade should come in here now. We're probably going to need them." Outlaw said into his helmet radio.
"Roger that, move it up Marines, time to take on the big bad Hunters." The old warhorse joked once again.
They all knew that attacking this next room could be the last thing they ever did. They didn't care, after spending two weeks on a rock you'll do anything, even if "anything" is taking on fifteen Special Ops Hunter's. They all got in position, the doors leading to the next one were large enough that five of them standing shoulder to shoulder could move through, and there were two doors. The room was also quite large, a repair station for the vehicles kept in the shuttle bay.
"Ok, here's the game plan, stay low and out of sight, if your going to fire on a Hunter you should ALL fire on the Hunter, fire from just one of us at a time isn't going to do JACK to their armor. If you see a cannon charging up, let the intended targets know so they can get out of dodge. This fight won't be easy, and it'll end fast if we don't work together. Outlaw and Switchblade will be taking the point, Boomer and the marines in the middle, and I'll hang back to guard the Techs in the rear." The Sarge commanded.
"Sir, yes sir!" everyone barked.
Everyone stood together, waiting for the Spartans to go through their respective doors. Once they went through and got under cover, everyone would follow. At that point, Jenkin's would trigger the autocannons. Once their ammo was depleted, the fight would begin in earnest.
"Major Zecks, I feel the need to tell you that the probability of us winning this engagement is seven thousand two hundred and thirty nine to one." The AI C12 said.
"Shutup C12" Outlaw replied.
Outlaw and Switchblade crouched down, moving among debris silently. Once they found cover that suited them, they gave the signal. Switchblade chose to stay behind a table with debris scattered in front of it, so he could stay covered and have a base for his rifle at the same time. Outlaw chose a pile with a small hole, just big enough for a rocket tube, to crouch behind. They signaled the group and they moved forward, Boomer leading the Marines fearlessly per usual into a fight that could be their last. The Sarge was also following the normal routine, staying back and monitoring video feeds.
"Alright Marines, before we get the party started I just want to give you a little refresher course on what we're about to kill. Special Ops Hunters can fire their Fuel Rod Cannons just as fast as you can fire your M6D's, and the weak spot in the rear has a cover over it. Nothing short of a sniper round can get through that plate. The weak spot in front, however, is exposed, albeit covered by their shield most of the time." The Sarge lectured "Roll out the carpet, Jenkin's."
As the order was given, several hidden panels along the walls and on the ceiling and floor retracted, exposing ten Covenant killing machines, autocannons. They began firing, the roar louder than a Warthog's LAAG and just as deadly. The barrels spun faster than the eye could track, ripping into Hunter armor and flesh. Most of the Hunter's were caught off guard, and the four that had been standing near a wall, right in front of the cannons actually, were shredded instantly. There wasn't one recognizable bit of body left.
The rest were standing guard throughout the room, but there had also been two in the center, yet again right next to cannons. They took fire from above and below, bullets entering their heads and coming out their legs and vice versa.
After these first six were shredded, they finally realized what was going on and raised their shields. Most of them still took some damage, but the guns at last clicked dry and only one more had fallen. Thirty-eight marines and two Spartans against eight Special Ops Hunter's, not the fairest of fights.
A few moments after the room fell quite, the Hunter's were still looking around in confusion. Several lines of Marines stood up in various places and generously poured on MA5B fire. Rounds pinged off the thick armor until it wore away in some places and flesh became exposed to raw gunfire. The rifles depleted their ammo and they all fell down to reload.
Now, however, the Hunter's knew where the enemy was. Anyone looking could see the faces behind their thickly armored heads putting on what looked like a grin of insidious pleasure. A bright green glow started to come from various areas of the room, and some piles of debris were melted under a hail of constant plasma fire. Two of these Hunter's were standing right in front of a pile of debris Marine's had been behind. They jumped on top of it, and started to charge up their own cannons.
As this happened, a white streak crossed the room and a high caliber round bore into the back-plate of one Hunter. The other met a fiery death as a shaped charge hit his upper back, throwing shrapnel both from the rocket and from his own armor everywhere. The bullet, however, had not penetrated. He charged and fired eight shots before another round hit nearly the exact same spot, killing him. The four unlucky marines hiding behind that pile met a gruesome end.
One Marine, no one could fire out who it was even after the battle, started to sing the song this unit had always sang since the start of the Covenant war, when they went into battle expecting to die. It was a rather sad song that always gave courage to face they're fates with pride, yet no one could figure out who started it up all the time. Most believed it was the Private, but he always denied the inquiry.
"If this should be, our final stand, we sill stand together with pride..." as he started to sing, others joined in with him "... we will honor the past, and fight to the last, it will be a good way to die." Everyone had started now, even Jenkin's and the Sarge, who were in no danger "It matters not if the cause is lost, and we can-not stop the tide, we will fight to the end, and then fight again, it will be a good way to die." Their song was echoing through the repair bay now, the Hunter's looking around, confused, occasionally firing at random piles. "This moment will, live on through time, if anyone ever asks why. The Ma-Rines did not fall on their knees, you will know, they found a good way to die."
As the song finished, everyone stood tall, firing for all they were worth. Several more Hunter's fell dead, but now, as the line started to advance, the Hunter's could fire once again now that targets were in the open.
Six Marines were melted to near nothingness, and one more Hunter fell. There were just four of them left now. Another sniper shot, another rocket flew, killing one hunter. At this point both Spartan's realized staying under cover any longer was pointless, and they stood to face their fate whatever it may be.
Outlaw dropped his Rocket Launcher with a clank and surged forward, a streak that blew the hair of several soldiers into their eyes. He made a fairly daring move and ran straight towards one hunter, grabbing its shield. He slowly yet surely wrenched the arm that held the shield upward, bones snapping. The shield at last pointed straight upwards, and the beasts cannon couldn't do anything at this range. The shield came crashing down onto the Hunter's head, and its eyes widened in pain. All the weight of the beast began to wobble as it became dazed from the blow to the head, and Outlaw, now with both hands free, drew his shotgun and pumped several cartridges deep into the now revealed weak spot of the Hunter, and it fell dead.
Switchblade made an equally stupid move, taking out on of his pistols and running towards another Hunter. He jumped, nearly hitting the ceiling, and sailed in the hair above the hunter, landing a drop kick to its head. The two heavy warriors fell together, one on top of the other, and as the Hunter fell to its back six pistol shots went deep into its belly, shredding the beasts heart and destroying one of its lungs.
The two remaining Hunter's backed towards each other, firing non-stop. Most of them were misses, and the shots that did explode weren't killing anyone. Boomer showed his face, running and strafing against the fire. He continued this suicide charge, running between the Hunter's. It didn't look to them like he had done anything, but everyone else saw. His belt now sat on the ground, and one grenade was short a pin. Everyone jumped behind cover, and the Hunter's merely stood there, confused once again. Half a second later, four grenades exploded. Even their thick armor couldn't withstand the force, shrapnel ripped into the backs of both. The explosive force hurled them into a wall, where they made a rather large dent in the plating before sliding slowly down to the floor.
For a moment, everyone just stood there, staring. They had done it. Fifteen Hunter's were dead, and only ten marines had fallen. At this moment they all felt invincible. For ten minutes, everyone just stood. Eventually, they all dropped their guns and let out a cheer of triumph. No one had said anything during the course of the fight, and now the room exploded with noise that wasn't gunfire.
They gathered the bodies of the dead, they would be going with them for a proper burial once they hopefully got out.
"Alright, time to attack the shuttle bay..." The Sarge reminded them all, killing a rather dramatic moment.
"Sir, I think we should wait. If there's a computer port somewhere in this room they might have a direct link to the cameras and cannons in the shuttle bay. They shouldn't be able to jam that link, so we could see what we're up against and take some of it out, they sure as hell aren't transmitting those jamming signals for nothing." Jenkin's informed everyone.
"Sounds good, everyone start looking." The Sarge said.
Those who didn't look for a panel were resting, some of them using the dead Hunter's as pillows despite the cold, hard armor. It had been an exhausting fight, especially for those who had the wind knocked out of them by the near misses in the last moments of the fight. They would have to attack whatever was in the shuttle bay in a while, but for now, rest.
Next, Chapter 7:What Lies Within and A Narrow Escape.
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