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Archive - Chapter Two: Reason (Part 2)
Posted By: Bodie<bodie_bumm@hotmail.com>
Date: 9 November 2006, 11:10 pm
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0600 Hours, May 1, 2542 (Military Calendar)/ Fire Cross System
Planet Germaine.
The light sprinklings of rain made the vast leafy forest floor glisten in the morning sun. Hope stood at the mouth of the cave, watching Gamma Camp. She shivered, partly because of the cool wind snaking down her spine, partly because she was concerned for the ground team, Wood and his team had just left, and she could make out their slow movements underneath the low plants. Hope whispered a small prayer to the wind, "Stay safe, and come back."
They would reach what ONI considered the safe perimeter around the camp in a little over an hour. Until then, Hope would sit and watch Gamma to record any changes in the occupation of the camp and report them to Wood via radio. A Spirit dropship had landed not long ago, unloading two more Grunts, methane tanks and food. It seemed Gamma was staying operational for a long time.
Wood stifled a yawn, and crawled through the wet plants on the forest floor. Sang and Sowell were up ahead, while Birchall and Tudor brought up the rear.
Wood's com earphone crackled with static.
"Com check. You good?" Hope's voice resonated in his ears.
"Reading you loud and clear," Wood whispered back, "I'll radio back in when we reach the perimeter."
An hours trekking brought Wood's team to the perimeter, where they had a full view of Gamma Camp. Their objective was to circle the camp and make sure they recorded everything they could via cameras attached to their helmets.
"Sowell, you go up ahead, we'll follow behind." Wood said quietly. Sowell obeyed and sprinted up further. The rest of the team crept forward, and slowly edged around the base.
Wood had a plan. It had been going though his mind since his little 'encounter' with the lone Grunt. If it went off without a hitch, he and his team would be heroes. If it didn't, his career would meet a gruesome end. Wood's mind reeled back to the night before. His own words sounded in his ears; "No Elites, just Grunts." He had decided. He and his team would attack the camp.
Hope knew something was wrong. Movement from the distance caught her eye, and she looked through her sniper scope. The trees were moving; something was heading towards Gamma at high speeds. Small bursts of blue light escaped through the foliage, along with flashes of purple armour.
Two Ghosts were arriving, and on them were two red clad Elite warriors.
Hope's eyes widened, she had to send a message to Wood. He had to get out of there.
She keyed her mike. "Wood. Two Elites are entering Gamma. Copy?"
There was no response. She hoped he had heard, otherwise Wood and his team weren't coming back.
Wood decided not to tell the Corporals all of the details of his impromptu plan; he'd only tell them the things they had to know.
"We're going in. New orders," Wood lied, watching the confused faces of the Marines.
"There are fifteen Grunts in there, sir." whispered Birchall.
Wood lifted his battle rifle. "We can take them."
"Yes, sir," Sang gloomily announced, "I'll follow you in."
"Good man," Wood smiled, "Who else will?"
All of the others nodded their heads, still looking confused.
"Good. We move now, fast."
The team ran forward, getting closer to the camp, while Wood stayed a bit further behind. Roots sprung up from the floor and plunged back down again, creating snags in which a person could trip over.
Wood did exactly that. He landed face down, while his team kept on running. His gun skidded into a tree a few metres away. Getting up and brushing the dirt from his armour, Wood looked in the direction the Marines had run. His radio crackled to life.
"Wood. Two Elites are entering Gamma. Copy?"
It was Hope's voice. He was about to reply when he heard twigs snap. He turned his head and saw two Grunts walking towards him.
Fortunately they didn't see him. Wood ran and crouched behind a small cluster of rocks, and waited for the Grunts to pass.
The Marines would have reached the base by now, and he needed to warn them. But if he did, the Grunts would hear him, and kill him. Wood turned off his mike, in case anyone tried to talk to him and gave him away. He made up his mind. His life was worth more than theirs. Wood waited, and in the distance he could hear his Marines screaming.
Sowell rushed into the camp, spying a Grunt emerging from a Methane Tent.
It was facing him, its small blue arm outstretched. At the end was a small weapon glowing green. Sowell instinctively got out of the way, firing his Battle Rifle as he dodged the overcharged bolt of energy flying past his head.
His bullets tore through the Grunt's head, cutting its methane chamber hooked onto its back.
He heard a low humming sound, and it was getting louder. He looked to his left, and saw two Elites riding Ghosts, glide into the camp. As soon as they saw him, one yelled in his alien tongue. One Ghost sped towards him, while another went around the rear of the camp.
The Ghost stopped five metres in front of him. Sowell fired at it, aiming for the engine. He should have run, because the Ghost's dual plasma cannons open fired, burning and melting the Battle Rifle and Sowell.
Birchall came in right after Sowell, but after seeing the Grunt shooting at him, he dived into a bush. After watching the Elite brutally murder his comrade, he ran back into the forest. He ran for a few minutes, not looking back. One second, he was looking forward, and then the next, he was falling to the ground.
His foot had been caught in a root. Birchall got up, and sensed something moving behind him. He reached for his Battle Rifle, but it had gone. So he twisted around and pulled out his sidearm. He looked down the barrel of his M6E, and saw a red armoured Covenant Elite looking at him. The Elite's chest rose and fell quickly, and a huffing sound escaped its mouth. "Is it… laughing?" thought Birchall. It raised Birchall's Battle Rifle.
The Elite fired before Birchall could react. The bullets entered his chest and head, killing him instantly.
Corporal Sang was third into the camp. He was alive for just long enough to see an Elite standing over Sowell's burnt form. He tried to run, but it was too late. The Elite raised a Plasma Rifle as Sang raised his Battle Rifle.
They both fired, and Sang's rounds bounced off the Elites shielding. The plasma however, continued on its course, hitting Sang in the chest. A blood curdling scream escaped his burning lungs. The elite fired again, ending the scream, and ending Sang's life.
Tudor, the last man to enter the camp, ran in a few seconds after Sang. After seeing two of his team mates die, hid behind a Methane Tent, and keyed his mike. "Wood! Wood!" he yelled. He needed extraction, before he was killed. But there was no response. He tried contacting Hope, ironically, she was his last hope.
Tudor changed frequencies and pleaded into the mike, "Hope! Hope! Please come in." He felt pain in his chest and looked down. Two points of energy were sliding back in to his blood splattered chest, and out his back. An Energy Sword. He took two quick breaths, dropped his gun, and then rolled over, dead.
Hope jumped when her radio screamed, "Hope! Hope!" She couldn't identify the Marine who was calling out her name. She grabbed her mike and asked, "Hello. Who is this? Hello." There was no response.
But in the background she heard a scream of pain. She stood there stunned, when a voice from behind her woke her from her trance. "Hope." She turned and pulled out her sidearm, pointing it towards the voice. It was Wood. She lowered her weapon, holstered it slowly and looked at him. He was exhausted.
"What… happened," She asked slowly, her face having no trace of emotion, "And where are the others?"
"They're dead, all dead. I barely escaped." Wood whispered in between gasps of cold air.
"How? Why?" Hope asked in her emotionless voice. She was fuming and Wood could tell.
"I…" Wood thought about lying to her, but couldn't formulate a lie to cover up all of his tracks.
"I sent them in. They-"
"To Gamma?" Hope cut him off, her voice showing signs of shocked disbelief.
"Yes. I thought we could take-"
"Take on over twenty Grunts and two Elites with four soldiers, and still expect to get out alive?" Hope asked, her voice quivering with anger.
"They didn't know about the Elites." Wood pathetically whispered, and looked to the floor.
Hope looked at him. "Why didn't you tell them?" she asked, shaking her head. The volume of her voice was growing. She wanted to kill him at that moment.
"I would have given away my position, there were Grunts behind me," Wood rambled. "Hope, I could do nothing! It was me or them!"
"Oh don't you say that. Just… Don't. I'm calling for evac." Hope started to walk back inside the cave. Wood could see the burning anger in her eyes. She hated him.
"Hope." Wood said. She ignored him.
1108 Hours, May 2, 2542 (Military Calendar)/ Epsilon Eridani System
Planet Reach, Reach UNSC Military Complex.
Wood sat in the small hall outside the interview room. The two silver doors leading in to the room looked menacing. He felt hot, and sweaty. Wood shut his eyes and remembered the last few days, especially his last hours with Hope.
She hadn't spoken to him during the Pelican ride back to the Taramadia, a destroyer orbiting Germaine, and she had avoided him all the way back to Reach. At first he liked her, but now, he could tell they weren't going to be friends.
He heard doors hiss open and jumped up. He had to go in. But when he opened his eyes, the two silver doors were still shut tight. He turned around, and Hope, in a black navy dress uniform, walked into the hall, her head held high. Wood sat back down. She stood in front of him and just looked at him with her cold blue eyes. Minutes passed, and finally she spoke. "I know everything."
Wood opened his mouth to speak, but Hope cut him off.
"You should dread the day we meet on an op together, because I'll be there at the first moment you screw up. I'll be waiting, with a gun, to make sure nothing like this ever happens again." Hope told him, hatred lining her calm voice.
"You're overreacting-"
"You should be discharged, killed even. I wouldn't care. But mark my words," Hope scowled with a look of pure malice on her face, "Next time; I'll be there at the first moment."
She walked out of the room, leaving through the white doors near the end of the hall. Wood was left alone for a few minutes. He contemplated Hope's words. Then he dismissed them as the silver doors hissed open, and he reluctantly walked into the darkness to meet his fate.
If it was Hope's version or not, he knew it would be bad.
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