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Chapter 4, Hell’s Bells
Posted By: The Silver Spartan<Crazy_Carl_6@hotmail.com>
Date: 5 April 2004, 9:15 PM


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Chapter 4, Hell's Bells

Author's Note: This chapter will NOT make any sense unless you read
Chapter 3, The Day Hell Froze Over, because it ends while Diego is still playing over the day's events in his mind.

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0840 Hours, September 26, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
Approx. Loctn. 28.3 km west UNSC Base / (Compound 022)
Off. Des. (Alpha 2), Located / (Inner Colony 18), (Planet Tylon)


      Staff Sergeant D. Sanchez snapped out of his flashback and came to reality; he heard motors thrumming in the distance. Shit, they've got Ghosts on patrol, if they have thermal scanners we're fucked. His grim thought was interrupted by a low groan from a certain clump of shrubs that contained Corporal Michael Moore. He gathered his strength and turned his head to his nine O'clock and saw the Corporal's leg hanging out, it plain sight to passerby. He's as good as dead if he doesn't move, he thought. Diego struggled to his feet and recovered Moore's M-90 shotgun; lying just a few feet away. He limped over to Moore and started to push his leg into the shrubs. The cold barrel of an M6E pistol, pointed right at his forehead, met his efforts.

      "F-f-riendly." He stammered, and saw Mike poke his head out of the bushes,

      "Uh sorry, it wasn't loaded anyway."

      "Yah, no problem," Diego said and shook his head sarcastically.

      "Oh, right thanks." Mike said a grin on his face. He got himself up with the help of Diego and heard the distant thrumming of engines. "If those are what I think they are than we better get the hell out of here."

      "Glad you agree with me, if they see this 'Hog than they'll know we're here," Diego said as he gestured towards the battered LRV, "so we should initiate its failsafe and remote pilot it to a different area and detonate it."

      Moore grimaced at the idea of loosing a perfectly good vehicle but nodded anyway.

      The failsafe and remote piloting option was unusual for such a small vehicle, however nothing about Alpha 2 was "usual" by UNSC standards. The failsafe delivered a 1/1000 of a megaton blast, to the Marines this translated to a "big boom."

      Diego typed in the authorization codes and the RPD, or Remote Piloting Device popped out of the side panel of the 'Hog. Diego picked it off of the two chrome levers and pocketed it. He climbed in the driver's seat and taped the failsafe into the Command panel. He set the time for "On Zulu" and hopped out. He glanced at Mike, nodded and activated the RPD. The Warthog roared to life, than sputtered and died.

      "Shit, shit, shit!" Diego kicked the side of the hog and than stared at the RPD, it read, ......BLOWN FUSES: F1-U7-C14-U-21...... He looked at Moore and asked, "You wouldn't happen to have some fuses would you?"

      "No, but we might be able to use a round from this," he hefted his pistol in the air, "I heard a story about some guys that went hunting and--"

      "Just give me the damn clip already."

      "Yes sir, here you go," he tossed a clip form his belt to Diego, who caught it with his left hand. Diego climbed into the driver's seat and tried to open the fuse box. It was jammed in place, and he doubted if even Pvt. Williams could open it. He whipped out his knife and jammed it into a spot that was open. He pushed his whole body against the knife, the door of the box creaked... and the knife broke in half. Diego surged forward and a piece of the knife jetted out and stuck Diego in the ribs. "Ahhh!" he kicked the fuse box and the lid fell off and clattered to the floor. "Just my luck." He mumbled while he searched for the places for the F1, U7, C14, and U21 fuses. He heard the distant noise of engines grow not so distant. He cursed and instructed Moore to take off the M-41 LAAG. Mike scrambled to the back of the LRV; Diego saw that he was visibly shaking. He popped out a bullet and inserted it into the correct slot; he tossed the blown fuse off to the side, while mumbling "Seven hundred years and they still can't get it right." He did the same for two more and went to pop out another when his thumb struck air. His eyes widened and he looked down. There were no more bullets left in the clip. "Hey mike, you don't have anymore clips do you?"

       "Uh no, do you?" Mike responded cheerfully.

      Diego checked his pistol and saw the clips for the holster sheered off. He looked up and the sky and whispered, "Why, why, why?" He informed Mike of the situation and nearly lost his cool.

      "Well than why don't we just go detonate it from up there when the Covenant get here?" He motioned to a ridge a half click away.

      "Good plan lets go!" They took off and scrambled up to the top of the ridge in two minutes, they were carrying the LAAG and its ground-mount supports. They crested the ridge panting.

      "So how much ammo is there left?"

      "I don't know Radisson shot--" They looked at each other and said, "Radisson." "Where the hell is he?"





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