 |
About This Site
Daily Musings
News
News Archive
Site Resources
FAQ
Screenshots
Concept Art
Halo 2 Updates
Interviews
Movies
Music
Miscellaneous
Mailbag
HBO PAL
Game Fun
The Halo Story
Tips and Tricks
Fan Creations
Wallpaper
Misc. Art
Fan Fiction
Comics
Logos
Banners
Press Coverage
Halo Reviews
Halo 2 Previews
Press Scans
Community
HBO Forum
Clan HBO Forum
HBO IRC Channel
Links
Admin
Submissions
FTP Uploads
HTTP Uploads
Contact
|
|
|
A Spartan's Path - chapter 5
Posted By: Myth
Date: 9 December 2003, 3:54 PM
Read/Post Comments
|
A Spartan's Path
- Chapter 5
"Open firing!" a leatherneck ordered as the combat forms were crippled and torn apart by the MA5B slugs. Snipers on the hill sides made the difference in the battle; the cover provided the other troopers some hope of living. Chris Xavier held his rifle high, though only with 47 rounds remaining; he didn't hesitate to pump the combat forms full of lead. Strange hovering assault craft flew into the battle, red particle beams searing though the Flood. "What the heck are those things?" a noncom asked as he raised his shotgun. Myth lowered it as the humans watched the creatures burn under the lasers. The other Spartans had arrived, giving the marines a chance to fall back to the pelicans. Ace and Arrow were with the other snipers, pushing back the Flood, then came the infection forms. One S4 round from Ace took out hundreds of the monstrosities. One of them jumped high, landed square on the back of a marine's neck. The man screamed as the tendril drove straight through his armor and wrapped around his spinal cord, the screamed came to an abrupt stop and the body crumbled to the ground. "Everyone, fall back, fall back!" The Spartans covered the defender's six, as more and more Flood came, and the Sentinels started disappearing in twos. Covenant troopships sped overhead, but didn't attack, passing by and into the atmosphere. The first pelican appeared from the bay, sawing down combat forms at the waist with the 70mm chin mounted guns. The Flood fell back for a few seconds, allowing eight marines to pile into the dropship as it ascended towards the "Athens". Rocket launcher bearing marines finished the last of the strike force, marines dead: 17
Myth sprinted inside, helping marines set up 50mm chain guns and pushing down containers and damaged computers for cover. Rocket jockeys and snipers lined the pelican racks, with the assault troopers down low on ground zero. Four more pelicans entered the atmosphere, leaving Myth with 12 Spartans and 72 marines. "Here they come!" a PFC yelled, opening up with his assault rifle, riddling the lead ex-Brute. Behind the grotesque were millions of infection forms. "FIRE!" Ghost ordered and hundreds popped. The some new breed of Flood came, a bulbous looking figure with a swollen body from the sternum up, along with a lower body that once belonged to a Jackal. A stray round struck the thing and it exploded, showering the area with wet flesh, spongy gore and infection forms. "Oh crap, pop those things before they get too close!" Ryan called. Marines acknowledged the order and a team of them focused on the carriers. Six pelicans remained...they needed nine. The last of the forms were disposed of and Myth signaled for the next two pelicans, now the marines, more eager to get off the ring, loaded 15 men in each.
First Lieutenant Jake Conley held on to the supports of his seat in the most recent departing pelican. His eyes were glued to the view port of the pelican watching the four other dropships speed towards the "Athens". Suddenly, a steady beam of red plasma speared the dropship next to them. The craft then self destructed, nearly smashing into another. Conley winced and closed his eyes. Nervous noncoms sat about him, all of them clenching their harnesses.
Razor sliced one combat form in two, and the next he beheaded. Scythe was next to him, using fierce and extremely fast combinations on the mobbing forms, so fast most Flood couldn't even raise their melee arms. The biggest quake had just hit, which felled most of the marines. Spartans covered the fallen troopers as they ran for the last pelican. Myth ignored the craft, cutting down the endless tide. An infection form leapt and landed right on Wraith's visor. The tendril broke off his helmet, revealing his bloody face. Wraith howled in pain as the tendril pierced his neck. For Myth, all sound drifted from his ears, a stunned look on his face. Wraith popped the form with his last strength and tumbled to the ground. "Nooooo!" Ryan screamed. Myth cradled the Spartan in his arms, Wraith's head lay back, limply, a strong face that would never change, and the Spartan was dead. Myth yelled a battle cry cutting down easily twenty Flood. Zero yelled to the other Spartans "We gotta get out of here...as of now!" The front line was littered with marines bodies. Dragon, Viper, Scythe, and Cobra covered the team. Viper jumped in front of Cobra, sacrificing himself for his fellow Spartan. The combat form stabbed the Spartan, and then shot him at point blank range with a captured shotgun. Scythe disappeared in a tidal wave of infection forms. Two more Spartans had just been killed, "Pull everyone back now!" Myth ordered. The Spartans filed into the pelican, along side the three last marines Dragon fell from a combat form whack, as did Sphinx. Ghost was feet away from the ship; he looked at the men inside who were motioning for him to get in, then at the two Spartans that would die soon. He turned and defended the Spartans. Myth slung Dragon and Sphinx over each shoulder dumping them into the dropship. "Ghost, we're in, let's go!" Zach nodded and turned, he parried two blows but was caught in the stomach, his helmet was already gone, and the melee arm without a body was stapled into his kidney. Ghost felt unimaginable pain as blood flowed from the breached armor, shields were gone and couldn't be recharged, and then the infection form grabbed his back. His fusion pack sparked and exploded and the tendril was still there. Ghost stared at the dropship, seeing Myth ahead screaming to him. Zach saw Ryan ready to get out but Ghost wouldn't let him die, Ghost ripped a fragmentation grenade off his belt and held it in the air. He could see Myth mouth "No" but no sound. He motioned for them to go and primed the grenade.
To be continued?
|
