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In the darkness descends a dimly illuminated disc. Through a mist the two figures can be seen sitting atop the spinning platform. Max, the hardened Covenant Elite peers across to a smaller figure -- John, Terran Spartan, last of a breed. Both don advanced powered armor whose energy shields flicker to provide some dim light. The main source of light, however, radiates from a large glowing sword that lies to John's right side.

Max in a calm voice, "How is it, the ankle?"

John looks more intensely at Max, "Not good, you cracked it with your ankle lock. It's all swelled up, won't be much good now. I'll have to fight on one leg."

"No need, John, I think the only way either of us can get out of this is to work together."

[Slurping sounds from below get louder.]

"Max, I don't know how much longer you can keep me in suspense. Out with it, what's the plan?"

"I've been observing that your armor's shielding system is similar to mine. If you ride on my shoulders and I turn on my cloaking shield, you might be partially cloaked yourself. Of course the sword will not be cloaked, but that's the beauty of this plan."

"I see no beauty in battle, but this plan has some potential. What's the rest, big guy?"

"You see John, most of the slime that is at the bottom of the pit are lesser demon spawn. I doubt that they have ever seen a Spartan. But they do fear warriors of the sword. With you on top of my shoulders, we'll stand some 4 meters tall. Larger than any elite they have ever seen. They may even believe that a new breed of elite has come down to test his blade. When we get down to the bottom, I will target the biggest and meanest looking demon spawn. I will shout the Imperial Elite battle cry as you slice a path through its stinging tentacles and thrust the sword through its largest eye in the center." Max pauses for a moment, a glint in his eyes. "Then the other scum will cower away like the slime they are. We will make our way through the tunnels and to freedom."

"That is beautiful, Max, I have to admit. One thing though, you said most of the slime is lesser demon spawn. What else is down there?"

[Loud buzzing and flapping sounds all around.]

John utters, "what the?" as hundreds, no thousands of winged creatures bite, rip, and tear at John. So dense is the cloud that all vision is blocked.

Max replies in a calm but loud voice, "these are razor wings, they can rip the flesh off a creature in seconds. But these are small ones. They can't harm us in our armor. Ignore them, they are more of a nuisance than anything."

These roughly foot-long creatures resemble giant caterpillars with bat like wings. Each with a slightly different color scheme. Some with spikes along the back, some without, all have a pair of sharp talons along the wings and many rows of sharp teeth in a protruding mouth. But indeed, their slicing and ripping is in vain. Despite all they try, they cannot penetrate John's MJOLNIR battle suit.

The razor wings depart as suddenly as they appeared, leaving a void of silence.

[Slurping sound gets louder.]

The spines on top of Max's head part and face forward.

"Is it time?" asks John.

"Yes, let's go."

John lifts the energy sword above his head. The dim light from the glowing sword reflects off of moving strands of demonic flesh.

Max lets out a battle cry and rushes the two of them through the darkness.

Strands of flesh that bite and burn, sucking the energy from John's battle suit; these must be the tentacles. John slashes a path through them.

The white light from the sword reflects off a set of a hundred eyes. In a flash it is over.

"Arrrggggh!" A hideous creature bellows as John rotates his sword that is now buried deep in the center eye -- Mixing the eye like the yoke of a scrambled egg.

[Murmur and slurping sounds moving away.]

John checks over his vital signs as he scans the area around. "Max, you okay?"

"Yes, they hurt me some, but nothing too bad. What's your status?"

"No worse for wear. Your arm shields protected my legs very well and nothing really seemed to want to challenge the sword." John stops and listens.

[Growling and slurping sounds get louder.]

"Max they're coming back, what's plan B?"

Max shouts, "RUN!"

In the rush, John has lost sense of direction. The world spins around. His arms tire from swinging the sword, he has lost feeling in his legs.

"Max, they never end, more come."

Max's smothered voice from below, "Uh! Something is driving them towards us." Max falls as the tentacles pull his legs out from under him.

John, falls with Max, with tentacles wrapped around his arms, the sword is pulled loose.

[Flashes of green lightning ignite the chamber.]

"Hah-t!" John utters as he and Max bounce around like a drop of water in a hot frying pan.

All around multi-eyed, tentacled creatures burst into green flames.

[Sizzle, the sound of fried things. Then a distinctive low thump, thump. The sound of drums.]

John grabs the sword and uses it to prop himself up in the knee-deep slime that engulfs him. Green flames light up the large chamber they are in. All around are walls of stone and glass. Horrid drawings cover the walls -- depicting grotesque acts only possible in nightmares.

A slurping sound is made as Max pushes his head up above the slime. "John, we still live, but don't count your blessings. The ground shakes not from good, I fear we meet our doom."

John looks over to Max. John utters, "Here, I believe this belongs to you," as he presents the sword hilt first to Max.

Max takes the sword. Stands up as tall and proud as he can, his arms stretched out with sword in hand.

John finds a long jagged rock, holds it like a club and stands up on one leg.

Boom! Boom! Here comes doom.

Many strange creatures approach in a loose formation. Some look almost human except for bat-like wings and fangs. The majority seemed to be armed with a bladed pole-arm. Behind them all is the bane of this world; a shadow creature some 10 to 12 meters tall, surrounded by green dancing flames.

John sees Max waiver and slouch as if all hope has abandoned the great warrior.

"Hey Max, look alive, this thing may be big, but if it's so tough, why all the body guards?"

Max, drops to his knees. "No it can't be, not here, so close to the surface. John, it's a Balrog. Don't you feel it, inside you? Utter devastation."

[The world shakes in beat with the Balrog's words.]

Boom! Boom! Doom! "Human Spartan, if that is what you are? And Covenant slave. Drop your weapons. No doom for you today, I come in peace."

Neither John nor Max make a move.

[Zap! Flash of green light.]

Max lies on his back, coughing up blood from internal injuries; his sword shattered into many pieces.

Boom! Boom! Doom! "I said drop your weapons. I come in peace."

John's rock disintegrates in the flash of light but otherwise he seems untouched by the attack.

John shouts, "You come in peace! Nearly kill us, in the name of what I don't know? But I wouldn't call it peace." Just then something clicks in the back of John's mind. This voice of doom, is the same voice from the Arena, the voice on his com. John continues, "but then again, it was you that spoke to me in the Arena, was it not?"

Boom! Boom! Doom! "Yes, I probed into your mind to find what I wanted, but I was stopped by a strange but familiar power. I could not steal what I wanted, so I sent to you a suggestion so that you might reveal your true purpose."

Always keeping the Balrog in his direct line of sight, John limps over and checks on Max. John looks back up and sternly says, "Balrog, what do you want?"

Boom! Boom! Doom! "Many years ago I probed this Covenant Slave, Max Rellius. I found much about the Ark of the Covenant. However, search as I might, there are still places I cannot see. Bring me this ark and I will grant you your lives and freedom."

John asks, "what would you do with the ark?"

Boom! Boom! "Escape from this forsaken place; escape the flood. I even will take you and others that would be loyal to me to the outer reaches of the web of Medusa. There we go our separate ways. I have no need for souls like yours."

John looks toward Max, "We're in no condition to go anywhere, let alone find this ark."

Boom! "Very well, I give you this servant. He will be of use."

Out peaks a tall creature resembling a man-sized gecko walking on his hind legs.

John starts, "Croaker?"

"Croaker (cough), you old lizard," Max speaks up. "You, working for the demons?"

In a deep voice, Croaker replies, "Green ambrosia not cheap, keep Croaker alive many years past his time."

John interjects, "speaking of the green stuff, got any?"

Croaker pulls out a small green vile and tosses it over to John. John takes a sip. As the liquid melts in his mouth, he feels a warm sensation moving down is throat. Almost immediately his wounds heal. The swelling on his broken ankle goes down and ruptured tendons reattach. He is fully healed; not even a scratch ails him.

John hands the vile to Max.

Max whispers to John, "we can't work with demons, it just isn't right."

John replies, "even demons can be unlikely allies, at times..."

[Time passes as our heroes travel through the tunnels to the surface]

John speaks to Croaker, "Croaker why do you keep referring to yourself in the third person?"

"Mighty Spartan, Croaker only talk this way when he scared. But not scared any more."

The party reaches the surface where their demon escort departs leaving them a large crate.

Max looks at the crate, "what's in it Croaker?"

Croaker opens the crate, "this be supplies and weapons."

Max, grabs a short rifle from the crate. "I'll take this, one C.E.R., in mint condition too. Right to factory specifications. By the way, John, if we are going to find the Ark of the Covenant, we should find that town priest, the one that showed me the diagrams of the ark. What was his name, yes I remember, it was Arthas. I heard that he escaped the purge of his town and might be hiding in the sacred lands somewhere."

John, without looking at Max replies, "no first we get Cortana."

"Who's that John, some girlfriend of yours (wink)."

"No can do," Croaker interrupts, "we find ark, not rescue girly AI."

John looks at his two comrades, "Look, Max, you know the Imperial Palace very well, you used to live there, and Croaker, you are very good at breaking security codes. We can get her back from the High Priest. Besides, I'm not finding any ark without her. Croaker, what do you suppose your Master will do when he finds out that I'm not going to find the ark because you aren't cooperating with me?"

Croaker takes a big gulp, "Croaker be good, Croaker help rescue girly AI."

[As the three travel towards the Imperial Capital in a Covenant land speeder, great clouds of black smoke rise above the horizon ahead.]

Max puts the speeder into overdrive. "John this is not good, there are no communications coming from the Capital. Something is very wrong."

John comments, "If it wasn't for the low radiation levels, I'd say your Capital has been nuked."

From over a hill, all that can be seen of the once great Imperial Palace is a giant crater. The entire Capital lies in runes.

Max, slows the speeder down to a crawl, "Oh my god, this was the home of over three million Covenant. No one is left."

John looks in awe of the destruction. For a moment thinking of the destroyed human colonies, the millions of human lives murdered by the Covenant. John thinks, no, that wasn't these Covenant, most of these Covenant have been trapped here generations before the massacre at the human colonies.

John sighs, looks at Max and says, "I'm sorry Max. Who would do such a thing?"

In silence, Max drives on to the edge of the large crater.

[Fires burn everywhere.]

At the crater, there is a small section that seems relatively intact. Perhaps it had some extra shielding, built more sturdy or something.

"Hey, there is an opening here." Croaker says as he digs through the rubble.

Max jumps into the opening. His voice echoes, "Yes this would be part of the God Emperor's outer chamber."

Croaker and John jump in the opening behind Max. All three turn lights on and move deeper into the chamber. They find they have entered a large dome shaped chamber dimly illuminated by two large orbs floating above. Smaller bullet-sized lights can be seen above the two large orbs covering the entire ceiling like stars in the night sky.

A voice from a side chamber, "No, it can't be. No!"

The three rush to the voice. In the light just a few strides away, kneels a lavishly robed Covenant with a large pointed head. He pays no attention to the three as he repeats his words over and over again while looking straight at a large smoking box. Exposed and broken circuitry can be seen everywhere.

"John, that's the High Priest" Max whispers.

Another voice from a side panel, "Chief, it's about time. I'd started to give up hope."

"Cortana! You're okay."

"Yes, initiating upload into your battle suit. This will take a few moments, I haven't completely figured out this machinery."

"Listen Cortana, what happened here?"

"We were hit by orbital fire from mass drivers. The flood is here Chief. They have taken over the orbital defense system built by the old ones who inhabited this system millions of years ago. The flood has turned some of the mass drivers around to point at the planet. They have started to bombard cities. The other mass drivers, they are modifying to launch spaceships. They think that they can use the mass drivers to escape the web of Medusa -- That's the field that our ship was caught in when we entered this system."

"Cortana, what happened to the High Priest?"

"See that box over there, that's their God Emperor. They never knew that their god was a machine, and not a very sophisticated one."

"Cortana, what do you know about the Ark of the Covenant?"

"There isn't one, well not anymore. The God Emperor destroyed it years ago to prevent the flood from capturing it. The God Emperor may not have been very sophisticated and may have doomed this world, but it did try very hard to not let the flood escape this system. Got to hand it to him, err, it; listen, Chief..." (upload completes)

Cortana is now in John's battle suit. "Chief, we need to get out of here, no telling if the flood will hit this place again with mass drivers."

"Right, let's get going, what about the High Priest?"

"No leave him," Max replies.

"Croaker say leave now, don't like rocks falling from sky."

John, looks around, "Max what are you waiting for, let's go?"

Max continues to gaze upon the High Priest, "You know, there wasn't a waking hour while I was in the slave pits that I did not think of what I would do to the High Priest should ever we meet again. He took my father away from me and I can never forgive him for that. Now I look at him, his false god revealed; he has nothing, no faith, no hope, nothing. This is a worse fate than I could ever do to him. Perhaps he can find peace in his solitude; I almost feel sorry for him... Yes let's get out of here."

[A land speeder racing toward the horizon.]

-- Next chapter, Bella Luna --

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