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Attack on Sol (Part 13)
Posted By: Slit Throat
Date: 9 July 2004, 3:03 PM
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The Spartans crept down the long whitewashed hall. Along the walls, there were many pictures and newspaper articles framed, most showing the mayor taking office or reports of great human victories.
Down the left side of the hall, were many offices that had been evacuated when the Covenant took the city. Overturned desks, chairs and scattered papers showed that the Covenant had explored the area.
A left hand turn appeared a few meters ahead and the Chief cautiously moved up to it and glanced around the corner. Through a set of glass doors about ten meters away, he could see a sweeping staircase leading to the upper levels of City Hall. Cortana chose this moment to speak.
"The Admiral and others are located in the basement of the building. There is an elevator shaft that is located next to the receptionist's desk in rear of the main lobby. There is likely to be a large guard force so be careful."
"Don't worry," responded the Chief, "I'm always careful." Cortana processed the equivalent of a sigh as the Chief turned back to the other Spartans and relayed her information.
Linda moved slowly toward the door and looked to the left. She started to open the door but suddenly flattened herself against the wall. The Chief crept up beside her and glanced out just in time to see a line of Brutes walk across the lobby and exit through the main entrance. He then opened the door a few centimeters and looked to his left. The Brutes had not left City Hall undefended.
A pair of Special Ops Elites had taken up positions outside of the elevator leading into the basement. They obviously did not think anything would make it inside, however, as they appeared relaxed and were not watching the surrounding area very closely.
The Chief turned to Linda and pointed to her, then to the darkened staircase fifteen meters from the doorway. The only light came from the main entrance and, since the lights were out, the sides of the room were left in shadow.
Linda cautiously opened the door and, hearing no reaction from the Elites, moved silently into the open. She crossed the distance without attracting notice and took a position on the bottom step of the stairway, then waited for the Chief's order to fire. The order came quickly and the the echo of the sniper rifle's reports was lost in the noise of the Covenant force outside.
"All clear Chief," came Linda's voice over the com. "Those two were the only guards up here."
"Roger," replied the Chief. He motioned for Fred and Will to follow him and moved into the lobby. Linda immediately walked over to join them.
Not wasting any time, the Chief jogged quickly over the the elevator and punched the button to open the door. Fred and Will policed the bodies and moved them behind the receptionist's desk, then they joined the Chief and Linda in the elevator.
The door slid silently shut and the elevator rattled as it descended into the depths of City Hall.
The elevator ride was a short one. City Hall's basement lay about thirty meters below the ground floor, protected by layers of Titanium-A and hardened concrete.
The Chief felt the elevator slow and motioned for the Spartans to get ready. The door slid slowly open, revealing what appeared to be a storage room. There were filing cabinets along every wall, many of them had been opened and their contents spilled out by the Covenant. The room was lit by an eerie glow, courtesy of the portable lights used by the Covenant.
At the end of the storage room, there were three doors; two heading off to the right and left, the other, straight ahead. Upon investigation, it was found that the two side doors led to more storage rooms packed with boxes.
The center door, however, led into a large room with weapon racks along the sides. The racks were empty, the weapons had probably been taken when the Covenant took over the building.
At the far end of the room, however, was a large blast door that most likely led to the bunker the Admiral was pinned in. Getting him out was not going to be easy, though; the room was occupied.
A pair of Special Ops Elites had been studying the bunker door when they heard the door behind them swing open. They spun around, plasma rifles at the ready, and fired a burst of plasma bolts at the Spartans in the doorway.
A group of Special Ops Grunts had also heard the door open but, instead of firing at the Spartans, they began to run around the room screaming "they're gonna kill us all!"
The Spartans ducked out of the doorway as the plasma bolts slashed through the air. The Chief peeked back in and fired a burst of rounds at the Elites, forcing them to dodge. He withdrew and turned to Fred.
"Do you still have that Jackhammer launcher?" he asked. Fred answered by unslinging and shouldering it.
"I'm on it Chief," Fred said. He stepped into the doorway, ignoring the plasma bolts that splashed against his shields, and fired a rocket at the ground between the two Elites. They had just enough time to warble in surprise before the rocket blew them away.
The five surviving Grunts were thrown into a greater panic then before, but it was short-lived. The other Spartans moved into the room and unloaded on the diminutive aliens, killing them quickly.
The Chief walked over to the bunker door while the others searched the room and took up positions in front of the door. He stepped up to the intercom panel on the wall beside the door and pressed the speak button.
"Admiral Hood," he said into the mic, "this is the Master Chief, Spartan-117. My squad and I are ready to evac you to New Mombasa per the orders of General Ketin." It was silent for a few moments, then the blast door creaked and slid slowly open.
Five Marines stepped forward, Battle Rifles at the ready, but they relaxed slightly when they saw the Chief. One turned and called back into the bunker, "it's all right sirs, the Spartans are here." Three figures emerged out of the darkness of the bunker.
Admiral Hood's silver hair was rumpled and there were dark circles under his eyes, but he nodded, grateful for the evac. The mayor of New York City, Charles Hopler, had a bandage wrapped around his chest, and a Marine's helmet on his head. The last person to emerge from the bunker was one of the last people the Chief would have expected; Colonel James Ackerson.
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