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Emperor's Children: Flood Survival: Part III
Posted By: Forever Forerunner<puppetofkorn@yahoo.com>
Date: 12 November 2003, 12:21 AM
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FLOOD SURVIVAL: PartIII: The Icarus
Well there I was, still laying in the dark eyes shut and barely whispering breaths. I could feel the heavy shifting feet of the flood walk around me as if in some sort of trance or daze. My senses went numb, my eyes totally in darkness, and my body felt dead as it itself had joined their ranks. The crass sounds of gurgles and weapons made my mind squeeze with tension and sweat as I not dare breathe. My body then felt great pressure, a heavy foot on my back slowly sinking into my skin. I heaved in my mind about the weight my body couldn't handle until the foot lifted off and the pain subsided.
I breathed a sigh of relief as the pain faded from my back like the fog does going from morning to afternoon. Time passed by as the same scenario took place, me on the floor and the flood cluttered around me, my mind grew weary of all the trouble. Feeling tired of all the same things repeating like some giant record, I fell asleep, I didn't know I did because my eyes were surrounded in darkness and my sense were numb.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked my body awake and my mind flung open its senses to the ear splitting explosion it had witnessed. My eyes flipped open automatically making me take in the environment around since the unfortunate fall. I saw purple, and blue, bodies piled in sloppy stacks of 2 or 3. I still lay silent in case any one was nearby but alas no one was heard. Cautiously my hand slowly moved from its dormant state to the side of my face, the other copied its brother. From there I pushed up with my palms and managed to get my aching chest off the ground. My head swayed in the air as I turned my neck, which was aching in response, to see the room I was in.
On my elbows now I constantly watched the room for any surprises while I was continuing to stand up. The floor, walls, and ceiling was a tinge of blue and purple, purple crates lined the walls in nearly neat stacks. Furthest wall away from me had a door with a small white light around its edges. The floor had fresh piles of Grunts, Jackals, Elites, and even a Hunter; their wounds were clotted and cold.
How long was I out? Where am I? My brain could generate no response but I knew I had to get on my feet fast. So I did, but cried out as a shearing pain in my thigh reverberated to my brain. On my feet now, I started to walk gingerly through the bodies of the deceased and dead like an acrobat on a thin wire.
I couldn't believe the death I saw, the destruction, the total annihilation of a force. Elites had their helmets bent in and grunts were missing some chunks from their bodies. The door that was far away from me was now just yards away, I could hear muffle alien jargon wit the occasional scream that would fall silent in a few seconds. At my feet lay an AR rifle with spare clips, no grenades though; I could have really used them at a time like this. I flicked the safety off for good measure, nestled the butt in my armpit, and walked with caution to the door I felt I was destined to go through. As if sensing my presence like a ghost to a new victim the door slowly creaked open. The rusted tracks groaned and tore from the door, it stopped about 75% opening and slightly moved off its tracks.
The hall was dormant, still the same purple and blue, a tinge of green could be seen on the floor. The side walls still had their pipes intact and the hum of the energy through them was nearly silent. The hall was elevated to lead to the next floor and turned right about two meters down. Carefully I walked to one side caressing the sleek walls in all their colorful glory, sometimes a door would interrupt the pattern, some were dented or torn, others just left alone. I started to get chills as I was the only one in this hall that made a sound, my boots clanking on the hard metal floor of the hall. Surely it seemed odd to me that the Covenant would see a lone marine just walking half anxious and half suicidal. The end of the hall and more shouts could be heard, the alien dialect of the elites was thick but the Grunts could easily be heard.
"...The Icarus is dead!"
"The last drop ship... you must go!"
"Save yourself!"
Luckily for me I was paying attention in language filter classes and fumbled with the microphone attached to my helmet, I switched it two ways until I could fully understand anything the Covenant said. My other hand grasped the barrel of the rifle for extra security as I listened in just sitting in the hall.
I glanced up to see the door that originated the yells was the one that was open; the white lines pulsed with green fluid.
"You must go Prophet Caza! The last drop-ship is waiting!" The lumbering grunting of an elite.
"Foolish Commander, I must fall with the ship, we cannot give the diseased ones out ship!" Came the frantic reply that echoed in the microphone.
"The Grunts are falling back too fast, the more we send, the more fall victim!"
"Get out of my way!" A Grunts scream of protest. A moment of silence was heard before I heard the Prophet issue something I would never have believed if I hadn't heard it from some one else.
"Issue a call to arms! If there are humans still alive in the brig get them out and fight for their freedom! This ship must not fail!" I guess the Elite was also taken back by that request.
"Sir they cannot be trusted, for they could turn on us then turn on the Flood"
"Nonsense," He interrupted, "the humans have seen the Flood act like we have, I'm sure they will lend their fighting talents."
"Prophet I need a small regiment of fighters, preferably Spec. Ops. Elites."
"Very well, you may have what's left in the hangar." Stupid me, hearing the news that they were going to have a truce to humans I barreled out of the door smack in front of the commander and Prophet. The Elite bellowed a challenge and came towards me with sword drawn, I quickly started to retreat backwards mind reeling of how such an idiot I was with the rifle pointed at the beasts head. As if instantly the Prophet himself held against the commanders' attack and let me fall backward. He looked at me with his alien eyes and his wide throne chair.
"Speaking of humans..." I looked at him with shocked and sputtered expression to speak but he put his hands in front of my mouth.
"Obviously you must have heard of our conversation human, tell me, why you came forth." The gold armored elite still bellowed in protest, so I quickly and timidly explained.
"H-h-hey, its just m-m-me fighting for m-m-my life right n-now, I surrounded by a bunch of hostile aliens a million miles away from home."
The Prophet shook his head as if he understood, then swiveled to the open hangar that I had emerged into.
"This is the Icarus, a mighty capital ship of the Covenant Armada, and now she has fallen prey to the Diseased Ones. You, human, may join the ranks of our forces in hope to rid ourselves of these warriors. Along with Commander Osheena and me, we can take back this ship and spare our lives." The elite muttered a grunt of protest again.
"This stupid human could not kill a maggot, let alone a Flood Warrior." That insulted me; I could tell this elite never heard of 'friends'. Still he scowled at me for most of the time which made me want to talk.
"I heard you need someone to take back the ship, I'm game as long as Goldy Locks here can keep up." The elite looked at me with a strange look but still growled when I said 'catch up'. The Prophet smiled and looked at me again with those big blue eyes, "you shall help Osheena and his men to find more of your kind, then you shall fight to the bridge, and that is where we will make our stand."
"What about you Prophet-"
"I'll be fine Osheena; I have many Grunts and Jackal groups to defend for me...."
TO BE CONTINUED....
Next: Battle for the Icarus: Part 1: Hangar Warfare
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