- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
The master chief looked at the woman's face...
It was twisted in what looked like agony and fear. Her body was arched back and her arms were flung out on either side of her body. There was a sickly green color to her skin, and her eyes had begun to roll back in her head.
"Cheif...," Johnson said as he turned to look at the Spartan, " is this what I think it is?"
John didn't answer. Instead, he put his hand on the barrel of Johnson's sniper rifle and forced him to lower the sights from the woman's head. The master chief walked towards her.
"Easy, Calm down...," said the master chief. He held his hands out in front of him so as not to be threatening. The hangar was empty except for a handful of marines, and the one remaining medic. Everyone had gathered behind the MC and Johnson. The marines had their weapons drawn.
"Ree-owwngggg!!!" came a fierce growl from the woman as she jumped backed away from the Chief, and landed on all fours. Her face was a dark greyish green color now. She began to thrash, and as she did, her teeth began to cut into her own lips, spilling blood and bits of flesh down her uniform.
"You better do whatever you're gonna do now, chief," said Cortana, impatiently. "That's a Flood, and this is Cradle. Not a good combination. We do not want this thing getting- "
The master chief lunged forward , and grabbed the woman's arm. She tried to turn and pull away, and began screaming in a horrible and high pitched tone.
"Chief, all I need is one shot..."said Johnson.
"Do it!" shouted one of the marines.
The woman writhed and screeched. She wasn't completely over come by the parasite yet, so her strength was only slightly more than a human. John was having no trouble keeping her in one place, if only he could get a good grip on her. She wiggled out of his arms and threw her head back, slamming it into his helmet. The impact only jarred him, but the force crushed a portion of her skull. She started to run for the edge of the hangar platform, beyond which was a 50 foot drop into dense jungle foliage.
The Ruth/Flood got to it's feet and sprinted for the edge.
Johnson fired, and the high calibur round bolted from his rifle, past the chief's visor, and through the creatures arm and chest, spraying blood and bone. It stumbled, and dove towards the edge.
The master chief sprung from his kneeling position, and manage to catch hold of the woman's hand...
Silence.
MAster chief lay flat on his chest on the deck of the hangar with one arm outstretched, clutching the hand of the thrashing flood as it dangled above the forest canopy.
"Cheif?" quipped Cortana.
" I've got i-"
The muscle and ligament in the woman's arm snapped, making a sick wet noise.
Oh -blam!- thought the spartan
The creature's arm severed from just below the shoulder, where Johnson's shot had entered. The wieght of it's body dragged it down, and it fell writhing and screeching in to the jungle below.
The master chief stood up, still holding the rest of the creatures arm by it's hand.