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The Flood Onslaught by The Grenadier
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The Flood Onslaught (Parts 1 and 2)
Date: 2 May 2005, 10:04 PM
Part 1
The year is 2674.
In 2567, the Humans, along with the help of the Elites, Hunters, and Grunts, all who joined the them when the Covenant Civil War started, defeated Truth and the rest of the remaining Covenant. The "Great Journey" was prevented several times over with the help of 117 and the Arbiter, but at the cost of many lives.
After defeating the Covenant, the rest of the "Halo" Installations were located, the Indexes found and destroyed after realizing what a serious threat they were to all life if somehow they were reunited with their control centers.
It was soon learned that those actions were a big mistake.
For several years, peace and prosperity flourished as the all of the races struggled to rebuild the mess that the Covenant left over. Grunts found their Methane rich paridise planet. Hunters went back to their normal way of life before being forced into joining the Covenant. And together, the Humans and the Elites founded colonies on new planets, the first of which named Reach II, in honor of all of the lives lost in the invasion of the original Reach.
That peace was short lived, however.
While the Indexes were destroyed, no one ever thought about doing the same to the Halos. No one ever thought about the Flood again, as they were never seen since High Charity. No one cared, they were happy without another enemy to fight.
No one knew what the they were planning.
From broken Sentinal parts and leftover Forerunner technology, the Flood constructed ships, hundreds of ships, to go to the darkest corners of the galaxy, to their homeworld. There they manifested and prepared a huge fleet to reach their one true goal - absorpsion of all sentient life. Soon after, they attacked.
For over one hundred years the war against the Flood raged on. But, John and the Arbiter soon became too old to fight and passed away.
The Flood continues to fight on. Their endless reproduction cycle and brutal guerilla warfare tactics makes them an almost invincible enemy. But there is still a glinter of hope. There is John's grandson. With each generation of a Spartan, the original augmented traits double. That, along with the MJOLNIR Mark VII armor, makes Andrew - Spartan 151, possibly the only hope against the Flood.
**Note: The Halos were not destroyed because they could leapfrog Human technology hundreds of years.
Part 2
Andrew removed his helmet and sighed.
He and his squad of SpecOp Elites - or Sangheili, as they prefered to be called - had been fighting for eight days straight against the vicious Flood. His squad had used every ounce of strength they had in them and fought with great courage - yet, it was still a minor victory compared to the heavy losses there had been in the last century. He remembered the stories his grandfather had told him... back in peaceful times, during his training on Reach.
He took his mind off the past and focused his attention on his injuries. Those Flood sure could inflict a mean wound - they did anything to try and cause harm. Whether it be using a weapon, assaulting you with their whip like tentacles on their arms, or even biting, one thing was for sure - they were determined to absorb or kill everything in their path.
This was actually the first time in days he could just sit down and think. Another war.... they couldn't handle this. Even with the added help of the Elites, Hunters, and Grunts, the situation was going from bad to worse. His grandfather, 117, had told him of the first big war humanity had been in, back when the Covenant existed. Humans had almost been wiped out entirely. But, thanks to the Covenant civil war, that had changed very quickly and they were able to over power them in a matter of years.
But, of course, when they finally found peace, another war erupted. One with a bigger, meaner, stronger enemy. Again they were whittled down to a few hundred planets and strongholds. Andrew wasn't sure they could win this one - but one thing was certain - he would do all in his power to prevent humanity and her allies from falling.
The door opened.
In stepped a marine, one that seemed like he was about ready to fall apart, in fact. Andrew wasn't suprised. The Flood could make even the toughest of soldiers beg for mercy. But, he pushed his fear aside and saluted. "Sir, Office of Naval Intelligence requests your presense, at 0850 hours, sir."
He returned the salute and said, "At ease private. Tell them I'll be there." The soldier walked briskly out of the room. That was in exactly 10 minutes. He would never make it on time at this rate. It didn't matter, though. These days ONI was up to it's ears in everything - damage reports, funding, etc... Even after the war ended, if they survived, it would take years to sort out this cluttered mess.
He picked up his helmet and it snapped on with a satisfying click. He carefully replaced his damaged armor components and made sure his shield generators were working properly. You could never be too careful with the Flood - they could be lurking anywhere these days and take you by suprise. That was a mistake too many people made, and that was part of the reason they were losing this war - just plain stupidity. He sighed again and walked out the door to his debriefing.
The Flood Onslaught (revision)
Date: 11 June 2005, 6:17 PM
First off, before I get to the story, some of you may remember me posting this before, and well... it wasn't that good. But now I've written some more chapters and 'revised' the old ones as best I could. So I'll post the story from the begining up to what I've written now. Comments are appreciated!
***
The year is 2674.
In 2567, the Humans, along with the help of the Elites, Hunters, and Grunts, all who joined the them when the Covenant Civil War started, defeated Truth and the rest of the remaining Covenant. The "Great Journey" was prevented several times over with the help of 117 and the Arbiter, but at the cost of many lives.
After defeating the Covenant, the rest of the "Halo" Installations were located, the Indexes found and destroyed after realizing what a serious threat they were to all life if somehow they were reunited with their control centers. But the Installations were still left intact, for the Forerunner technology could leapfrog human, and even the Elite's advanced technology hundreds of years - but it was soon learned that those actions were a big mistake.
The Indexes were destroyed, the Human-Covenant war was over, and the Flood had not been seen since High Charity. Everyone thought they were safe from another threat.
They were terribly mistaken.
For several years, peace and prosperity flourished as the all of the races struggled to rebuild the mess that the Covenant left over. Grunts found their Methane rich paridise planet. Hunters went back to their normal way of life before being forced into joining the Covenant. And together, the Humans and the Elites founded colonies on new planets, the first of which named Reach II, in honor of all of the lives lost in the invasion of the original Reach.
That peace was short lived, however.
On the call of some sort of "Queen", the Flood regrouped to one spot on each of the rings. Then, from broken Sentinal parts and leftover Forerunner technology, they constructed hundreds of ships to go to the darkest corners of the galaxy - to their homeworld. There they prepared a titanic fleet to reach their one true goal - absorpsion of all sentient life. Soon after, they attacked.
For over one hundred years the war against the Flood raged on. But, John and the Arbiter soon became too old to fight and passed away.
The Flood continues to fight on. Their endless reproduction cycle and brutal guerilla warfare tactics makes them an almost invincible enemy. But there is still a glinter of hope. There is John's grandson. No one thought it possible, a another generation of Spartan - for an unfortunate side effect of the original augmentation was a supressed sexual drive. Yet, defying all odds, it happened.
With each generation of a Spartan, the original augmented traits double. That, along with the MJOLNIR Mark VII armor, makes Andrew - Spartan 151, possibly the only hope against the Flood.
***
Andrew removed his helmet and sighed.
He and his squad of SpecOp Elites - or Sangheili, as they prefered to be called - had been fighting for eight days straight against the vicious Flood. His squad had used every ounce of strength they had in them and fought with great courage - yet, it was still a minor victory compared to the heavy losses there had been in the last century. He remembered the stories his grandfather had told him - back in peaceful times, during his training on Reach.
He took his mind off the past and focused his attention on his injuries. Those Flood sure could inflict a mean wound - they did anything to try and cause harm. Whether it be using a weapon, assaulting you with their whip like tentacles on their arms, or even biting, one thing was for sure - they were determined to absorb or kill everything in their path.
This was actually the first time in days he could just sit down and think. Another war... they couldn't handle this. Even with the added help of the Elites, Hunters, and Grunts, the situation was going from bad to worse. His grandfather, 117, had told him of the first big war humanity had been in, back when the Covenant existed. Humans had almost been wiped out entirely. But, thanks to the Covenant Civil War, that had changed very quickly and they were able to overpower them in a matter of years.
But, of course, when they finally found peace, another war erupted. One with a bigger, meaner, stronger enemy. Again they were whittled down to a few hundred planets and strongholds. Andrew wasn't sure they could win this one, but one thing was certain - he would do all in his power to prevent humanity and her allies from falling.
The door opened.
In stepped a marine - one that seemed like he was about ready to fall apart, in fact. Andrew wasn't suprised. The Flood could make even the toughest of soldiers beg for mercy. But, the soldier pushed his fear aside and saluted. "Sir, the Office of Naval Intelligence requests your presense at 0850 hours."
Andrew returned the salute and said, "At ease private. Tell them I'll be there." The soldier walked briskly out of the room. That was in exactly 10 minutes. He would never make it on time at this rate. It didn't matter, though. These days ONI was up to it's ears in everything - damage reports, funding, etc... Even after the war ended, if they survived, it would take years to sort out this cluttered mess.
He picked up his helmet and it snapped on with a satisfying click. He carefully replaced his damaged armor components and made sure his shield generators were working properly. You could never be too careful with the Flood - they could be lurking anywhere these days and take you by suprise. That was a mistake too many people made, and that was part of the reason they were losing this war - just plain stupidity. He sighed again and walked out the door to his debriefing.
***
Andrew stepped into the debriefing room.
The titanic Hunter guards stepped aside and let him through. The room was about twenty meters in diameter and had an elevated desk in the shape of a half circle in the center. This is where the members of the ONI-Council sat. Although the room was dark, he could just see the outlines of the Elites and Humans who conversed there. He saluted.
"Reporting as ordered, sirs!"
"As you were." A deep voice of an Elite said.
"We would like to salute you and your team for your sucessful mission. 3 KIA's, 8 Wounded, and the rest of your 25 Elite squad unharmed or with lesser injuries." A man said, but then sighed. "Despite the win, we didn't do so well overall."
"As you recall," another Elite said, "The Parasite finally pulled out. Unfortunatly, they decided to make a jump inside the planet's atmosphere, which resulted in...." A holotank sprang to life and showed a recording of the jump from space. A whitish blob of energy appeared on the planet's surface and expanded until it left a crater that took up a quarter of the entire planet. It then, from the sudden loss of mass, started to spin out of control wildly. The unfortunate people still trapped on the surface would either go too far from their sun and freeze, or get too close to the sun and burn. Andrew shook his head. So many wasted lives. "Luckily, we were able to pull you and your squad out just before they jumped. And, they have not found Earth yet - you may be unaware that we now train our soldiers to resist the Flood's ability to 'see' into the minds of others and gain the knowledge that particular person had." Andrew nodded in agreement.
"The Covenant, before their civil war started, would have nothing to do with our vehicles, weapons, or technology." The first man said. "We do not have that advantage over the Flood, however. They will use anything they can get their hands on - and sometimes combine them to create deadly hybrids. Do you have anything to comment on this, Spartan 151?"
"Sir, the Flood gained this ability when they started to take over some of the Engineers. With genetically enhanced Flood DNA, they learn even faster than they did before. This gives them an even bigger advantage over us." Andrew commented.
"151, how is this possible?" An Elite asked. "The Parasite needs a host with a spine. The Engineers are invertebrates. It seems unlikely."
"Unknown. It is rumored that the Infection Forms have somehow been genetically altered. There may be a higher intelligence at work here."
"That is all we need to know. You are dismissed, 151." another man said. "All information you have heard or seen here is classified."
"Yes sirs!" Andrew saluted and walked out of the room. After getting out, he exhaled deeply and started the long walk back to his quarters. The Flood.... it gave him shivers just to think about them. They could now improvise two different technologies, something they could never do in the past - which raised a new question. How? He had a strange feeling they were about to find out soon.
Morale was less than rock bottom now. Some people just gave up, and actually let themselves be infected. They knew the war couldn't be won. But, some people fought on, although the odds were against them. They needed those kind of people. His mind flashed back again to another tale his grandfather had told him. Back when there were other Spartans, just like him. They never gave up, they never lost. But now, a hundred years later, there were no other Spartans in existence except for himself. They all had passed away. This is the kind of time Andrew wished there were other Spartans left - he could use the help. He stepped into his room.
The hologram of Deja popped up on a holo-panel near the door. Deja was the original teacher for the Spartans. As the years went by, she worked in Dr. Catherine Halsey's office and then for other Section 3 projects. "Dumb" AIs, like her, were actually extremely brilliant - just limited to their fields of expertise. Deja was shifted from project to project, and now finally to being Andrew's personal AI. Had she been a "Smart" AI, she would have expired long ago, literally "thinking" herself to death. But fortunately, she wasn't - she had become extremely proficient at Flood intel. That's why ONI kept her around.
She spoke up. "Hello, Andrew. I trust the debriefing went well?"
"Yes, Deja. Just the typical -" He was abruptly cut short as the entire complex shook violently.
"Scanning... I'm detecting multiple Flood boarding parties." She said. "I can't tell with the short range detection gear what exactly are in those pods, but it can't be good."
Andrew put his hand near the holo-panel and Deja was transported from the system to inside his armor. He grabbed his Shotgun.
Time to get to work.
***
Andrew bolted out the door and around a corner. "I'm sending a Nav Point to your HUD. It will point you towards the direction of the nearest boarding parties. I'll continue to monitor activity." Deja said.
The entire complex he was in was actually deep in a cavern under water. Back when the war started, this was thought to be one of the best places to hide from the Flood. Technically, it was extremely safe. Safer than most land bases, anyways. But the Flood knew we couldn't hide forever. They started searching every square inch of human territory, leaving no rock unturned. Well, Andrew thought, they've found us here now, too. He guessed they had made modifications to the boarding craft normally used in space, but changed to propel itself through water. He rounded another corner and ran headlong into Flood.
He tossed a grenade into the midst of them and fired a couple of rounds from his Shotgun, effectively killing them. He took an SMG from one of the Combat Forms, just in case he needed another weapon to fall back on. Ah, he thought, a hybrid. The SMG had two barrels. That meant it had the power of two SMGs, but in one gun. This bullet hose would rip through them like tissue.
Looks like he would be able to use it sooner than he planned. Out of the boarding craft came hundreds of fleshy blobs, the Infection forms. He quickly fired the SMG left and right, so they didn't surround and overwhelm him. A grenade finished the rest of them.
"Good." Deja said. "That's all of them in that boarding craft. I'm detecting a big one heading for.... Oh, no."
"What?" 151 replied. "What's the problem?"
"They're heading for the bridge. If they take over, they'll be able to create a Brain form, hack into the system, and initiate a lock down of the entire station. No way out. We would all be infected."
He couldn't let that happen.
"I'm uploading another Nav Point. You're close - it's only a few hundred meters away. But hurry, we don't have much time." Deja finished.
The Nav Point as well as an overhead map in the upper right hand corner appeared on his heads up display. He had never been inside the bridge, actually - it was authorized personnel only. It looked like he was about to get his first look, though.
He shot down two unexpecting Flood Elites as he flew down the hallway and they blew apart like confetti. He continued, reloading his Shotgun as he went. Turning another corner, he saw something he had never seen before - a Grunt Combat form. It stood about a half meter taller than a normal Grunt, and looked a lot stronger too. It had no breathing aparatus either - Flood didn't need to breathe. They could loose entire heads and still be walking around. It gave a start - it's voice was a weird mix of a high pitched bark and the normal gurgling sounds Flood make.
The Flood Grunt fired it's Fuel Rod Gun. Andrew dove to the side and the blast hit the wall.- that would have killed him had he stood in the way. Good, he thought, one of the older models. It would have to be recharged, which gave him just the opportunity he needed. He jumped to his feet and hit the gun aside - the fail safe destroyed the weapon - and he stuck a grenade on his foe, and ran back so he would not be caught in the explosion. Three seconds and a dead Flood later, he continued his journey to the bridge.
"Odd," Deja said, "I thought the Flood only used Grunts for Carrier forms or other menial tasks. Apparently, the Infection form had other ideas." She paused, then added, "Good, we're almost there." His HUD read 10 meters to go. "I'll disable the security locks for the bridge - expect alot of Flood boarding parties. This is their top priority. If they suceed, we won't be able to get out, nor will reinforcements be able to get in."
"I understand." Andrew said. He entered the room.
ODSTs and Honor Guards were fighting back to back, defending themselves against the boarding parties. He heard a human scream - someone had been infected. Unfortunatly, the UNSC had never gotten around to giving normal Marines energy shielding. Though highly capable on their own, they could still be taken over easily - the Infection forms had razor sharp penetrators that could even pierce thick armor, given the chance - but with the energy shielding, they just popped on contact. There was a momentary cease in the waves of boarding parties, and he jogged up to one of the Elite Guards.
"Where is the Commander?" Andrew asked.
"We have been fighting the Parasite for ten full units - this has been the only cease in the fighting we've had so far." The Elite sighed deeply. "But the Commander was overtaken about half way through - we saved his body, but we can't find the Infection form in him." He jerked his head in the direction of one of the main control panels. "That is where he lies."
"Thanks." he said curtly. Atleast the body was safe. That would prevent atleast one diaster from happening - he was content with the current ones. A thin smile touched his lips.
"Sir, additional boarders!" one ODST said, looking up from one of the computers.
A Zealot ran up to him. "You may need this." He pulled out a small device, and activated it. An Energy Sword flashed to life. He offered one of them up, and Andrew accepted it.
"Behind you!" 151 screamed, but it was too late. A Carrier form had waddled out and exploded behind him. The force sent both of them flying, but the Elite took the mortal blow. He was dead. Just then, from the boarding parties came dozens of Comat forms - that might have been a little more than they bargained for. The Flood charged, but not before they heard a clunking noise coming from the ceiling. They all looked up, and then a pair of Hunters fell through to their level, crushing several Flood beneath their boots. Their Fuel Rod Cannons charged and then sent a white hot stream of particles through the parties, cutting them in half. No survivors surfaced. He gave his silent thanks to them.
"All boarding parties neutralized." an Elite said. "Well done."
Andrew walked up to the central platform to get a quick count of the total losses, when all of a sudden, he noticed something on the Commander's body. A slimy tentacle reached up towards the main control panel.The Infection Form! He dove toward the body, Sword in hand, and cut it in half. The body started to writhe, but within seconds stopped moving completely.
"That was a close one." Deja commented. "Too close." She sighed, but then continued. "I'm detecting one last boarding party in the launch bay. You'd better get moving before they spread through the whole ship. There's an elevator that will take you straight to it - proceed 5 meters to your left." He found it and entered. Deja took control and sent it to their destination. It descended rapidly. "Expect almost the same treatment you got in the bridge." she said. "We've got them pretty pissed now."
The elevator came to a halt and opened. He was greeted by several Combat and Infection forms, all of whom he put down quickly with a few grenades and a couple of rounds from his SMG. He causiously approached the center of the room, which was empty except for a single Longsword, capable of traveling through water. But before he could get there, even more Flood came out from the boarding craft. They kept forcing him into a tighter and tighter corner. Their numbers seemed to be endless.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, he killed the last of them. He walked towards the Longsword again. "All boarding parties neutralized. Well done." She added, "That Longsword is our ticket out of here. Let's get in." Andrew intended to do just that, but he saw a blur of motion behind him. He turned around, but could see nothing. He made toward the Longsword again, but saw the same blur speed towards him and knock him to the ground. He tasted blood in his mouth. Juggernauts.
The three Juggernauts stopped near him. These rarely seen form of Flood were incredibly deadly - they stood twice as tall as a normal human, looked like an over inflated Carrier form, and fought like Hunters. He jumped to his feet and stuck a grenade on one of them. It exploded, but it didn't take the other two with it. He frowned and drew his Shotgun.
He fired a few times at them, but it was no use - they could dodge the shells easily. Instead, he took out his Sword. He lunged towards one of them and scored a direct hit. Two down, one to go. Now, he thought, where could it - His thoughts were interrupted as the last Juggernaut hit him from behind. He dropped the Sword, and the fail safe destroyed it. He tried to move his left arm, but couldn't. Blood and hydrostatic gel bubbled from the new cracks in his armor.
I've got to move, Andrew thought. He ignored the pain and drew his Combat Knife with his right hand.The Juggernaut stopped again in front of him. Perfect.
He lunged with all the strength he had left at it's center of mass. He heard a screech and the Juggernaut fell to the ground, now utterly useless. He had destroyed the Infection form burried deep within it's chest. Without it, the body could no longer fight. A sigh of relief was exhaled as he walked into the Longsword. Deja entered the launch codes.
It was time to take the fight to the surface.
***
Septemper 22, 2552 - Aboard Covenant
Vessel Truth and Reconciliation
122 Years Earlier.
Mckay pulled out a grenade. She knew it was the right thing to do - she knew it was her duty to the bilions of people on Earth not to let the Flood Infection spread. She pulled the pin and tossed it under the Fiber Optic Cable. As a result, the Truth and Reconciliation's controls went beserk, and the ship began fall rapidly to the ground.
Several decks above in the Control Center, Wellsley said one last thing to say to Major Silva. "You taught her well, Major. Of that you can be proud." The ship did a nose dive into the ground, and explosions rippled through the ship like wild fire. Everything on the ship was utterly destroyed.
Except for one thing, a certain Flood called Jenkins.
As the ship exploded, Jenkins saw brilliant gold light flash all around him and heard a low, monotonous voice say, "This is not your grave...." as he left the Truth and Reconciliation and was transported to an unknown place.
* * *
Jenkins woke up.
His vision was blurry. Was he dead? Was this all just a dream? As his sight recovered, he could make out more and more of the room he was in. It was dark, dank, and had.... thousands of Flood! Jenkins struggled as much as he could, but to no avail. The giant tentacle restraining him just became tighter. Why? he screamed out in his mind. Why can't I just die and be rid of this horrible monster, this Flood?!
"You have a greater purpose than that." the same monotonous voice said.
Who... or what is this thing? he thought.
"I am a Gravemind." the creature said. As Jenkins' vision started to get better, this 'Gravemind' came into view. It was massive. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of tentacles had other Combat forms in their grip, while Carrier forms and Infection forms littered the ground below them. The room they were in was atleast 1000 meters wide.
No! Jenkins thought. I have to try to kill some of these so the Infection doesn't spread!
"Do not try and hide your thoughts." Gravemind said.
Okay then. Where are we?
"We are in a chamber, imprisoned deep below the surface of this ring." Gravemind explained. "But not for long." All of a sudden, Jenkins' sight got darker and darker, until he could see nothing. Then, a new image flickered into his mind. The Pillar of Autumn!
***
Who... or what is this thing? he thought.
"I am a Gravemind." the creature said. As Jenkins' vision started to get better, this 'Gravemind' came into view. It was massive. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of tentacles had other Combat forms in their grip, while Carrier forms and Infection forms littered the ground below them. The room they were in was atleast 1000 meters wide.
No! Jenkins thought. I have to try to kill some of these so the Infection doesn't spread!
"Do not try and hide your thoughts." Gravemind said.
Okay then. Where are we?
"We are in a chamber, imprisoned deep below the surface of this ring." Gravemind explained. "But not for long." All of a sudden, Jenkins' sight got darker and darker, until he could see nothing. Then, a new image flickered into his mind. The Pillar of Autumn!
Explosions ripped through the aged ship. Jenkins felt a shudder through the walls in the chamber. He could then see the ring slowly tear itself apart. Jenkins felt a surge of joy. Yes! I'd rather die than be infected by this monster! And it looks like I'm about to get my wish...
The Gravemind seemed to read his thoughts once again, and responded, "This is not the end. Watch." Jenkins then saw several images of Halo flicker through his mind all at once - the explosion from the Pillar of Autumn, the breaking of the ring into several large pieces, and it slowly tearing itself apart.
Jenkins somehow sensed that they were on a part of Halo that wasn't caught in the destruction of the ring. No... he thought with grief. I.. I can't believe it. We survived...
"Yes." Gravemind said. "We have."
But... Jenkins started to say, How did we survive? How did you know to teleport all of the Flood to a safe place right before the explosion?
"All Flood are one. I can sense your thoughts, your feelings, even your darkest secrets." Gravemind said. "There is no hiding."
Ha! Jenkins thought with bliss. You think we can actually get off? We're trapped here now. Nowhere to go. No one to infect.
"That is where you are wrong." Gravemind said. "We can get off this accursed ring. We will build ships, and regroup to our homeworld."
What?! There are more Graveminds? And more Halos?
"There are seven Graveminds." Gravemind responded. "One of us for each ring."
No!
"Yes. And now, you will be transformed. Transformed into a creature with incredible power. A creature who is feared even by those who accompany it. A creature only known as... a Juggernaut." Jenkins' vision started to get blurry again and he felt himself joined with other Flood to form this creature Gravemind spoke of. But even as his consciousness slipped away, he vowed to not let himself be taken over completely by the other presence inside of him. He would help humanity with this threat to his dying breath. Even if it took 100 years.
* * *
-122 years later-
Andrew woke abruptly. His neural implants said he had been asleep for about three and a half hours. Although he could still sleep longer, he decided against it, and sat up in his bulky MJOLNIR armor. It was required that all UNSC personel wear their full body armor, even when sleeping to prevent infection. He sighed and walked over to Deja's holo-panel.
"Have there been any alerts, Deja?"
"Not so far, but - " she paused briefly and said, "I've detected Flood just entering the city. You know what to do."
Ah, how he did indeed.
Deja transported into his suit, he grabbed his weapons, and dashed out of the building. He turned a corner and crushed a few Infection forms beneath his boots. As he reached the end of the alley, a Juggernaut stepped in his way, blocking his exit.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be a problem, since Juggernauts were only dangerous in groups of two or more, because they could quickly surround and overwhelm you. But as he approached it, he got a reading from... the Flood's neural lace. It had been a human at one time. That wasn't what was odd about it, though. This particular human had been, or should have been dead, because he had been on the first Halo when it exploded over one hundred years ago. Andrew had seen his name when he looked at the original crew for the Pillar of Autumn. This Flood was.... Private Jenkins.
***
Whoa! That was long. Sorry about that - I just wanted to get caught up with the other sites I'm posting this on. Anywho, while I continue writing the next chapter, your comments would be appreciated. Thanks!
The Flood Onslaught (Part 5)
Date: 23 June 2005, 5:33 pm
Chapter 5
Andrew knew what to do, but he'd have to be fast if he wanted to save Jenkins. He drew his Combat Knife and aimed carefully at the Flood's center of mass - where the Infection form was. He lunged and hoped this would work...
* * *
The other presence inside Jenkins screamed at him to dodge, but he resisted as much as possible. This was the chance Jenkins had been waiting for over one hundred years, and he wasn't about to give up so easily. He knew things about the Flood that they didn't! He could help them and possibly defeat this horrible monster once and for all. Jenkins forced himself to stand still, and waited for this Spartan to kill the Infection form...
* * *
151 heard a screech, followed by Jenkins falling to the ground. Or what was left of Jenkins. The Flood had already mutated him enough by turning him into a Combat form - as a Juggernaut he didn't even look anything like a human anymore.
There's got to be a way to save Jenkins, Andrew thought as Deja called for evac. They reached the end of the corridor, and a Pelican landed in the street in front of them.
"Hurry and get in - the Flood are swarming the city. " the dropship pilot said. Andrew threw Jenkins' body inside, and then jumped in himself. The hatch closed behind them. He looked out the window and saw what the pilot meant - thousands of Flood deluged the city, destroying everything in their path. They had gotten out just in time.
"We need to get to one of the orbital platforms." Andrew said. Hopefully the scientists there could return Jenkins to normal.
"Aye. Heading there now." the pilot said as they ascended through the atmosphere.
* * *
Andrew stood up and paced.
It had been several hours since they had reached the orbital station and left Jenkins in the hands of the doctors and scientists there. Perhaps his idea would work. The door opened.
"Spartan 151." the scientist said. "Work is complete on your... project. Follow me." They went through a set of double doors, and then entered a moderately sized medical lab. The doctors surrounding the two medical tables stepped aside to let them through.
"So," Andrew said. "It worked?"
"We don't know yet - we encountered a few... problems." a doctor replied. "The idea to 'create' an Infection form, but without the parasitic nature was a brilliant idea, but what if Jenkins were to somehow be taken over again?"
"That shouldn't happen if you follow the next part of my plan." Andrew continued. "Are you familiar with a disorder called Borens Syndrome?"
"Yes," the scientist said, "a treatable condition that basically scrambles the DNA so the Flood can't take over a body. Why?"
"My idea is that we put in the 'Infection form' inside Jenkins first. It will work just like a normal Infection form, bringing him back to 'life', but without another presence yearning to be in control. Jenkins would be free to control himself again." He paused and then continued. "Next, we would purposely give him Borens Syndrome, so he couldn't be taken over again."
"It might just work. We'll give it a shot."
* * *
"151? You may want to see this."
Andrew half walked, half sprinted across the room. His heart was in his throat - did it work? There was only one way to find out. He entered the medical lab.
The first thing he saw was Jenkins, slowly walking around the room, trying to regain full control of his body.
"As you can see," a doctor said, "the operation was successful."
"Good." Andrew said. "There's one more thing. We'll need some armor for Jenkins."
"I'm sure one of the ODST suits would work..."
"No." Andrew replied. "We need something more powerful. If we compare a Flood Combat form to say... a Spartan, you'll see the physical structure is almost identical. The Flood 'Super DNA' an Infection form injects into a host body, and the augmentation process for a Spartan is relatively the same thing."
"So, you're saying we should put him in a suit of MJOLNIR armor?"
"Precisely." Andrew said.
"Let's get to work, then."
* * *
Jenkins woke up again. This time he was surrounded by several of the same people that operated on him, plus the Spartan that freed him from the Flood. He tried to sit up, but couldn't.
"Jenkins? Jenkins, can you hear me?" a man said. He couldn't talk, so he just nodded.
"Good. In order to save you, we put you into a suit of MJOLNIR armor. Once we activate it, there is no turning it back off. Do you understand?" Jenkins nodded again.
"Alright. I'm activating the suit." Jenkins felt the air around the suit pop away. "The suit, along with the energy shield have been activated. Now, I want you to think, and only think, about moving your arm." Jenkins thought it, and just like the man said, he moved with lightning fast agility. "Do the same to move the rest of your body. You'll eventually get used to it."
"This is... amazing." Jenkins said, and then gave a start. "What? I can talk?"
"Yes." the man said. "When we modified the armor to fit you, we included an artificial voice box, allowing you to talk freely."
"I can't tell you how thankful I am...." Jenkins said, "To be rid of this horrible monster. I've been imprisoned so long, I can't tell you how good it feels to be in control again."
"For that you can thank Spartan 151, Andrew." the man said.
"I guess I owe you a..." Jenkins started to say, but was cut off. Deja appeared on the holo panel next to them.
"Flood ships, exiting slipspace. They're landing planet-side." she said.
Andrew stepped up to Jenkins. "Are you ready to join the fight?" he asked.
"Yes." Jenkins said bitterly. "I'm ready for a little revenge."
The Flood Onslaught - Part 6
Date: 12 July 2005, 10:54 pm
Hope you guys enjoy this as much as you did the last one.
Chapter 6
Andrew glanced to his left where Jenkins stood. He couldn't see his face, but he knew if he could, it would be rock solid.
Andrew had spent years fighting the horrific Flood, but deep in his heart, he still feared them. Jenkins, however, had spent over one hundred years living with the Flood, as a Flood. He was not afraid. They stepped into the elevator and acsended down.
They both carefully inspected their weapons and cross-checked the MJOLNIR systems. Andrew normally did this on his own, but it always helped to have a second eye. He sighed heavily. It was almost as if he had a brother again...
The elevator stopped abruptly and they were thrown to the floor. Getting up quickly, they hefted their Shotguns. There was an explosion, and a Combat form jumped down through the recently made hole in the ceiling. Reacting almost faster than Andrew did, Jenkins shoved the muzzle into the creature's belly and squeezed the trigger. It was dead before it even touched them.
"That was close," Jenkins said, wiping some Flood guts off of his visor. "We've got to find a way to get this elevator working before we get more unexpected guests."
"I was just about to say the same thing," Andrew replied. He took the piece of metal that used to be part of the ceiling and forced it back into place. "That ought to hold them. Now, about the elevator - "
"Working." Deja interrupted. "It's no use. The system is completely fried."
Andrew cursed under his breath. "You can't get it back up and running?"
"There's no way. Looks like you're walking." Deja said, sarcasm present in her tone. "We could... Uh oh."
"More good news?" Jenkins asked.
"Plenty." Deja said. "See for yourselves." Static washed across their HUD and a recording played. It was taken from the outside of the Orbital Platform. It displayed the main thrusters necessary to keep the station in orbit. Flood ships were heading straight for them.
"Quick!" Andrew yelled. "Brace yourself - " But it was too late. They felt a shudder throughout the hull from the crash and they were thrown into the wall. Their shields were completely drained by the blow.
"That was not good. We need those thrusters to keep ourselves in orbit. We are rapidly falling towards the planet - ETA to crash is fifteen minutes." Deja warned.
"Is there anything we can escape in?" Andrew asked, his heart racing.
"Yes. There are a few lifeboats in launch bay 4C. But, according to my calculations... the chances of making it there are slim to none." Deja said.
"We'll see about that." Andrew growled. He crouched down to the floor and let loose a lightning fast punch. A hole the size of his fist was left. He and Jenkins then slowly peeled back the reluctant metal. It was now big enough for them to jump through.
"What are you doing?" Deja asked.
"Making an exit." Andrew replied. He jumped down, feet first, into the dark chasm. Jenkins followed closely. They increased their shielding to the maximum on the bottom of their boots to soften their landing, and after a few seconds of free fall, they hit the bottom of the elevator shaft and felt a shudder as they dented the meter-thick Titanium A.
"Deja," Andrew said, "can you pull up the schematics and link them to our HUDs?"
"Already done." Deja said. "What exactly are you looking for? We can't reach the lifeboats now that we're at the bottom of an elevator shaft."
"Ventilation tunnels," Andrew said. "If we can find the right one, we might find that launch bay and get off of here in one piece." He pulled up the diagram and searched for a way out. His mind was racing.
Jenkins spoke up.
"Found it," he said. "This one, to our direct right. It leads to a launch bay, where there are a few lifeboats we can escape in." Andrew nodded in agreement. Before they could move, though, the elevator several meters above them fell.
* * *
In unison, the two Spartans sprinted towards the ventilation shaft. Jenkins dove in, but there was no time for Andrew to follow suite. He braced himself and prepared to stop the free falling elevator dead in it's tracks. A half ton of man and armor and the titanic elevator collided. Andrew made an unpleasant noise over the COM and slowly made his way over to the shaft. He jumped in and panted.
"Are you alright?" Jenkins asked.
The truth was, he probably was not alright. On the outside, his armor barely looked like it had taken damage. The inside was another story. Andrew could feel all of the internal bleeding and near-shattered bones screaming inside of him. They begged him to stay, but he shrugged the feeling off. Pain would have to wait.
"I'm fine," he lied. "We need to get moving." He waited for his shields to recharge, but they didn't. The generator was blown. Damn. he thought. Another snag.
He glanced at the timer in the left-hand corner of his HUD. It read 10:35. They turned on their flashlights and started to crawl through the dark tunnel.
* * *
"We're here." Jenkins whispered over the COM. "But it looks like we have visitors." They peered through the opening. A dozen Combat forms littered the area, along with exactly three bulbous Carrier forms amongst them. That was a problem. With a blown shield generator, just a few Infection forms could quickly overwhelm and penetrate his armor. Jenkins seemed to understand. "I'll take care of 'em." he said.
Jenkins jumped down and immediately began to fire his MA8B Assault Rifle. He quickly gunned down the Carrier forms and mopped up the Infection forms they left behind. He slung his AR and drew his Shotgun. The 8 gauge shells cleanly killed anything that happened to get in the way of the barrel.
That was when a Comat form weilding a hammer, albeit a crude one, got behind Jenkins and delivered a bone-shattering blow to his head. Andrew saw him fall to his knees and moan on the floor.
Shield generator or no shield generator, the other Spartan knew what he had to do. He jumped down from the shaft and raced towards Jenkins' attacker.
The Flood form seemed suprised to see another human appear out of nowhere, but hefted it's hammer anyways and prepared to meet his charge. Andrew side-stepped the menacing blow and launched a powerful open handed strike to it's rib cage. The Combat formed doubled over from the blow as the Infection form inside it was shredded to pieces.
Jenkins got up slowly and limped towards Andrew. "Thanks," he said, recovering his breath. "We need to leave soon if we're going to leave at all, though." He was right. The timer read 3:27.
"Okay," Andrew replied. "We just need to get to one of the lifeboats and -"
Deja cut him off. "There are no lifeboats. They were all launched."
"What?" Jenkins said, pain forgotten. "By who?"
"It wasn't a Brain form - I can tell you that much." she replied. "There seems to be some kind of higher intelligence onboard the station."
"A Flood AI?" Andrew thought out loud.
"No. That's not possible." Deja said. "Flood are smart creatures - atleast smart enough to reload and operate weapons, drive vehicles, and such. But creating an AI is way beyond their limits. I could search the station's computer system and find out for sure what's in here."
"I'd like to find out too, Deja," Andrew said, "but we have bigger problems. We have less than three minutes to get off."
"Searching..." she said. "All Pelicans, Drop Pods, Lifeboats, Phantoms, and Longswords launched. Looks like we're stuck here."
"I don't think so," Jenkins said. "Time for a rough drop." A rough drop was a very risky situation. However, there wasn't much of a choice. So together, the two Spartans pried open an airlock door, and were sucked into the black void of space.
* * *
Andrew and Jenkins tumbled out of the rapidly falling station. They had gotten out just in time, only to run into a bigger problem - landing.
They stretched their arms and legs out to slow their fall, but it wouldn't do them much good. In the half-ton MJOLNIR Armor, they flew like rocks. Plus, with Andrew's blown shield generator and Jenkins' hydrostatic gel malfunction caused by the hammer-weilding Flood, it would be next to impossible to land this without dying. That was when a Longsword passed underneath them.
Apparently the pilot knew they were falling, because the craft slowed down considerably. They grabbed on to the wing, and shuffled over to the air lock. The door opened, and they jumped in. It cycled them through, and walked into the cockpit. The pilot's chair swivled around. In it sat a Spartan.
* * *
Andrew could tell right away who it was. Spartan 155 - Lauren. After the success of the original Spartans, the UNSC decided to create a third generation. The only Spartan in the second generation was Andrew's father. Section 3 augmented him against his will, and forced him to become a soldier. He loathed fighting, but did it anyways to protect humanity and her allies from the Flood. He single-handedly killed thousands of Flood.
But on the Yros IV campaigns, he was overwhelmed and literally torn apart by several hundred Combat forms. His body was never recovered. That was when the UNSC realized how much they needed more Spartans if they were to ever win this war. They stole Andrew and twenty-nine other children from their families and started the Spartan III project. Twelve of the original thirty survived the augmentation.
Andrew couldn't dwell on the past, though. He pushed the memories aside and greeted Lauren by taking his thumb and forefinger and tracing a smile across his faceplate. She returned the gesture. It was the closest any Spartan came to an emotional outburst.
"Thanks," he said as he removed his helmet. "We wouldn't have made it without your help."
"No problem," Lauren replied. "I caught some radio traffic about the platform. I figured I could be of some help." She smiled.
"By the way, this is Jenkins." Andrew said. "The scientists up there were able to turn him back from a Flood."
"That's great," she said. "We could always use some more help."
"Sorry to interrupt," Deja said, "but I'm detecting multiple Flood craft landing on the planet's surface. If you're going to help anyone, they could sure use it down there."
"Alright." Andrew said, re-sealing his helmet. "Spartans: let's move in."
The Flood Onslaught - Chapter Seven
Date: 6 October 2005, 12:58 am
Hey all, it's been awhile. Sorry I haven't written a new chapter for a few months, but I've been pretty busy.
I noticed the last Chapter I posted, not many people commented or saw it. If you didn't see it, or you're just interested in the history behind this story, you can click on something, such as previous work, or other chapters, etc. Something like that. Now, onto the story...
Chapter 7 - Haunting Memories
There was a scream.
Running. Darting. Lurking in the shadows. A young human girl stuck her head out an opening in the crude shelter.
More running. Another scream. The girl was dead. He could see blood on his grotesque hands. He felt anguish as he helplessly watched the body being taken over.
He heard several other piercing screams ring out through the night and knew what was happening. This was a fate worse than death. This was...
Jenkins woke up in a cold sweat.
After he, Andrew, and Lauren re-took the city, he had undergone several surgeries to make him feel more like a human once again. Sweat glands, hair... he was almost back to normal. Jenkins looked like a normal human on the outside, but on the inside, the Flood tissue remained. It was needed for him to keep using the MJOLNIR Armor System.
He had been having these nightmares for weeks now. They were haunting memories of a past life. How could he redeem all of the blood he spilled?
No. It had not been him - it was the other presence that had once resided inside of him. But hadn't it been his body it was using? Jenkins put aside the thought. He would think about this later.
He sat up in bed and stode over to the sink. He splashed crisp, cold water on his face. It had been so long since he had felt refreshed, renewed... something he hadn't felt in one-hundred years.
Walking over to the window, his gaze fell upon the brilliant night sky. The Flood was still out there, and he would do everything he could to stop them.
A slender hand touched his shoulder. It was Lauren. Her short brown hair was pulled back tight, all except for two strands of hair, which fell down to either side of her face.
"Did you have the dream again?"
Jenkins nodded. She frowned and walked towards the door, but turned her head back.
"Andrew and I were going to head down to the cafeteria. Do you want to come?" Lauren asked. He glanced at his watch: 3:27 AM. He shrugged and followed her down the dimly lit hall.
They were on Reach. It had been almost completely glassed over by the Covenant in 2552, except for a small area around Menachite Mountain. But after Humanity and the split Covenant defeated Truth, artificial land and bodies of water were built over the bits of smoldering, broken glass that remained of the planet.
This was a top-level retreat, similar to Camp Hathcock. The three Spartans were granted a week of rest here after their heroic efforts to drive the Flood back through the galaxy. No one was there, though - they had the place to themselves.
They reached the mess hall. Andrew was already there, drinking a bottle of water at a table. As if provoked by some inner voice, Jenkins said, "I don't think I'm hungry right now. I'll see you guys later." He continued down the hall.
As he ambled, he thought about the past. Reach had been his home since he was a mere child. He was at a very young age when he arrived. All he knew about his past was that his mother and father abandoned him - he had been an orphan all of his life.
When he was 16 in 2543, he volunteered to be in the military. The Covenant was getting perilously close to the Inner Colonies - the UNSC needed every soldier they could get.
Jenkins was reluctantly accepted - he wasn't of age yet, and he had yet to finish school. But eventually, he got in. His first CO was Sergeant Avery Johnson. He drove his men hard, that was for sure - but he was a good man and taught you how to come out ahead. Jenkins managed to stay assigned to Johnson's platoon after they were shipped out to fight the Covenant.
In 2545, he graduated. Their first assignment was actually not fighting the Covenant - the UNSC was having trouble with rebel group on a Martian moon.
That was were he found his mother and father - they were the rebel leaders. Jenkins and a few other men surrounded them and forced them into a surrender... they were taken back to Reach and eventually setenced to the death penalty for killing so many UNSC Soldiers. They were responsible for hundreds of casualties throughout the last decade.
Jenkins was so shaken up from the incident, he had to be given a clean bill of health before he could fight again. Severe depression kept him bed-ridden for weeks. Finally, he got out and returned to his squad.
In August of 2552, he and his platoon were assigned to go aboard a station called the Circumference, locate a NAV Database, and then destroy it, as per the Cole Protocol. But they were delayed quite a bit - dozens of Jackals swarmed them. All but four of them were killed - he, Johnson, and two others survived.
That was when Spartan 117 and his team came aboard the station to finish the job. He told them over the COM that the database had been destroyed, and that they'd be getting out soon. They returned to the Pillar of Autumn.
Jenkins thought he was going back to the surface to fight, but then the ground situation turned sour. The {i]Autumn made a blind jump into Slipspace.
That was when they discovered the Halo. He, Captain Keyes, and Sergeant Johnson traveled to a distant swamp to recover a "weapon cache". But it had been anything but that. The Flood overwhelmed them, and he was taken over.
A few days later, he was taken prisoner by McKay and Silva onto the Truth and Reconciliation. The ship did a nose dive, and killed every last thing on board - except for him.
For the next 100 years, his life was a living hell. He killed tens of thousands of people... and there was nothing he could do about it.
Andrew finally captured him and managed to turn him back and give him control over his own body and thoughts again. He was put into MJOLNIR Armor, became a Spartan, and fought a few battles against the Flood.
And here he was now.
Was that all his life had been? A big scar? Perhaps. But maybe, just maybe, he could make up for it by saving lives again, by fighting against and defeating the Flood, once and for all.
Jenkins found himself at the cafeteria again. He looked up from his feet and saw Lauren and Andrew seated at a table. He smiled and joined them.
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