- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Sorry folks, I intended to do this yesterday, but my sister commandeered the computer for her own use. This chapter has given me some trouble, describing a place in which the vast majority of people are already familiar with in a new way is difficult, to say the least. The chapter also turned out to be much larger than I anticipated, so I broke it up = two very close posts.
Chapter 2 part 1: "This is MY house!"
Eric and Roger looked at each other in disbelief. The Covenant? Here? Impossible. But then they felt the station shudder as it fired off a M.A.C. round, and they realized the truth. They both reached for their sidearms, and swore in unison. Their weapons were still on the Athens.
Roger stopped a passing marine, "Wait! Can you help us out? Where is the In Amber Clad docked?"
"Docking Bay 'B'." replied the Marine, "On the other side of the station."
"-blam!-!"Yelled Eric, "Listen, we were just transferred to her, and we didn't have time to get our weapons checked. Can you spare something for us?"
"Sorry, this is all I got," apologized the Marine, hefting his Batle Rifle, "But maybe you can come with us, we are headed in that direction anyway. I'll take it up with the Lieutenant when we link up with my squad. Lets go!"
The Marine turned and ran down the hallway. Eric and Roger had to push themselves to keep up. They couldn't afford to drop their rucksacks. Luckily, the rendezvous point wasn't far off.
"What in blazes kept you Richards!" screamed the Lieutenant, "Can't you see were at war!"
"Yes, Sir! But these two needed assistance." said Richards, gesturing toward Eric and Roger. "They transferred to In Amber Clad in the middle of all this, and they are unarmed, sir. I thought they could follow us as we head toward the Armory."
"Grreeaat, now I'm a baby sitter." said the Lieutenant, rolling his eyes, "Fine, but stay 30 feet behiind us in case there is trouble."
"Understood." Confirmed Eric.
"Alright boys, lets move out!" Yelled the Lieutenant.
The squad made good progress. They had covered much of the distance to the Armory without a single sighting of Covenant. Despite the repeated clanging of the docking Boarding Craft.
But their luck didn't last.
Roger and Eric were entering a cargo bay that the Marines had just cleared and exited, when a rookie Elite and two grunts dropped down off a docked Pelican. Obviously in hopes of catching the Marine force from behind.
Eric didn't stop to think, he just reacted. He dropped his ruck and bolted forward, yelling to the squad. Eric jumped a crate at a full tilt sprint, and leaned back into a double footed kick.
The Elite, hearing the yell, spun around to face the new threat, only to catch Eric's booted feet in the face. The combined force of the Elite's spin, and Eric's 190 lbs and momentum completely collapsed the Elite's shielding. Eric continued his flight, clothes-lining the Elite with his body, and landing on it's head with his shoulders. Eric rolled out of the landing onto his fet, and continued his run to one of the now terrified grunts. He reached out and yanked the methane mask off of it's face, and punched it in the side of the head with his free hand; knocking the grunt out, and leaving it with no way to breathe.
A crash from the left caused Eric to spin towards the commotion. Only to find Roger crouching on top of a crate, a grunt hand proturuding from underneath.
Roger grinned sheepishly and shrugged, "I guess the sky really does fall." he said laughing.
Eric shook his head and went to grab his ruck, but stopped in his tracks. The Elite had gotten up and, while shakily leaning on a crate, had it's plasma rifle solidly tracking Eric. It spread it's mandibles wide in a grin, and tightened it's finger on the trigger.
A shot rang out, and the Elite's eye disappeared in a haze of purple. The Elite collapsed to the floor, a 7.62 mm bullet from the Lieutenant's rifle lodged in it's brain.
Eric and Roger looked at the doorway where the Marine squad had gone, and saw the entire group coming from behind cover.
The Lieutenant walked forward and nodded at the Elite, "I would have helped you sooner, but that was the only clear shot I had......Nice job, and thanks."
"The door to the Armory is sealed," he continued, "And we can't open it because of the lockdown."
"SIR! Look!" yelled a marine, "The Athens has driven off her boarders!"
Eric and Roger ran to the viewport to see the happy news, but instead could only watch in horror as the Athens was blown apart by several gigantic internal explosions.
"NO!" yelled Eric, hitting his knees in despair; seeing everybody he had lived and become friends with over the past year immolated in the explosions.
"Mother -blam!-s!" yelled Roger as he pounded on the viewport with his fists.
The Lieutenant looked at the two ODST's, knowing what they were going through. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer for the crew of the Athens.
"Thibideau! Richards!" He yelled, looking up, "Help these two grab what they can off the bodies, and take them through engineering, it is the only way they can get to the In Amber Clad with the lockdown procedures in place."
"The rest of us," he continued, "are going to continue sweeping for boarders. There is no way in HELL I am going to let those bastards get away with this!"
The Lieutenant looked at Eric as he stood up, wiping away the tears, "You saved our asses here, and I wish you the best of luck. Now go shove it down their throats."
"MARINES, MOVE OUT!"
[Edited on 2/28/2007]