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  • Subject: Mr._Clark Pwnd You!
Subject: Mr._Clark Pwnd You!
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Alright, last minute editing/revising has been finished, and the PM's will be sent now. The chapter is coming soon, so please stop posting for the good of mankind. As it is I think this chapter will be split up over two pages in the post, but hopefully fanfiction.net can put it up fast enough so I can just give you guys a link to read it there.

Anyways, PM's are being sent out now. Now if only this process didn't take over an hour.

  • 06.18.2005 2:50 PM PDT
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The sites moving a tad too slow for my liking, so I'll postpone the PM sending for awhile. Probably later tonight. Anyways, I'll just post the chapter now. Here's a link to the story on fanfiction.net, where you can read the chapter with it being censored, I'd recommend doing that, or you can still read it here if you want. If you do read it on fanfiction.net though, feel free to leave a review too, cause I love those.

Chapter 18 - Uncensored!!!! And also nicely formatted.

My own PM inbox has been messed up for over a month now, so if you've sent me a PM in the last while I more than likely never got it. Just telling you all so you don't think I'm a jerk.

Onward to the chapter!

Author’s Notes: Not much to say, other than ‘Read and Enjoy’.

I suppose I should cover a certain factoid about this story though. There is no romance here. The Master Chief is forty one years old, and Janissary James is seventeen. I’m not that much of a pervert. The relationship between these two characters is deeper than some simple contrived romance. If you want to classify it, though I wouldn’t recommend you do that, it would be as Father and Daughter. Read between the lines, there’s plenty of symbolism in scenes with Jan and the Chief together, you just have to look closer.

Another interesting thought. Way back in Chapter…um….15 I think? When ONI informed the Arbiter that he would be put on trial for crimes against humanity once the Covenant Human War was over? Well it wasn’t the entire Covenant that would be put on trial. The Arbiter only agreed to allow himself to be tried for his actions. Any and all other Covenant members are more than likely going to go free, though I’m betting several other high-ranking officials will be put on trial as well.

Since its been awhile I’ll remind everyone of a small fact that you may have forgotten, and one I would most certainly not blame you for doing so. Fred, Will, and Linda are all incapacitated in the HighCom Facility Hospital, which is located several miles from the military ‘Hive’ or base, whatever you prefer. The room number they are in is G14. Remember that now. G14.

Also, there is a fair amount of foul language in this chapter (use your imagination as to why...), so consider yourselves warned. This is probably the hardest to stomach chapter, but its necessary to get the emotion across. I’m not much for writing gory scenes, but when the situation arises, I pull it off with a flair. So I’d say for those that are squeamish, this chapter would most certainly fall into the ‘R’ rated category.

And yes, I know this chapter is huge, but I’m sure that’s just the way you guys like it right?


The End of a War

Chapter 18

Salvation Lost…

It had only been a few days since the air raid sirens were silenced. The civilians on Earth slowly began to slip back into a normal state of life, albeit with the constant urge to look towards the sky, and wonder just when the sirens would be sounded once again. As much as ONI and Section III wished for the true state of humanity’s survival a secret, the destruction of the Outer Colonies, and the systematic approach towards Earth had given away mankind’s fate.

With this mindset, the reemergence of Covenant battle ships in the skies came as no great surprise to those on Earth. It was not until leaked footage of what was onboard those Covenant ships that the civilian population realized that something was different this time.

The parasitic life forms were different from any of the documented Covenant species that ONI provided, and when no explanation was produced from the Office of Naval Intelligence, widespread panic much greater then when the first Covenant ships appeared gripped the planet.

Janissary James was witness to this fact, as she had been sitting inside a café a few miles from the HighCom facility in Sydney, Australia. Under Commander Keyes’ direction, Jan had been put up in an apartment building in downtown Sydney, where she was within a reasonable distance from the ‘Hive’.

Keyes had explained to her that while Jan was probably privy to more classified information than many of the political leaders on Earth, she was still a civilian and as such couldn’t be allowed inside the base any longer. This hadn’t bothered Jan much at first, seeing as how without the Master Chief around, and Commander Keyes constantly attending meetings with Section III, she had not felt very welcome inside the base. Now that a few days had passed however, Jan had come to realize just how boring it could be sitting around and doing nothing. It had taken awhile for public areas to open up again, and when they did the sparse crowds had ensured her that she was nearly the only person up and walking about. Solitude was a feeling Jan was becoming far too familiar with lately, and she had nearly welcomed the air raid sirens as she sat in the café; her head slumped forward on the table.

There had been a few confusing moments, much like when she had first heard the sirens, back when she was talking with Gilly and Gladys, but she decided that there was really nothing she could do right now. Running back to the apartment Commander Keyes had rented for her would just mean she’d be sitting around inside. At least at the café she’d have a little human interaction.

The employees in the café had been distraught when they heard the sirens, and a few of them even ran from the place of business.

Jan sighed as she pushed away from the table, getting to her feet and walking slowly over to the television and turning it on to the nearest news network. On her way back over to the table at which she was sitting, Jan grabbed a crème dispenser from a nearby tabletop, adding the liquid to her latte as she turned her attention to the news anchor speaking.

As the anchorman spoke in an excited tone, explaining the crash landing that one of the Covenant cruisers suffered in eastern Africa, Jan absently stirred her drink with a finger. The view of the anchorman faded, and was replaced with live feed from the event that had prompted the newscast.

What the hell?

Jan felt her body freeze as she watched the screen, which showed the downed Covenant cruiser. The ship had been damaged heavily, and the large destroyed portions of the ship were numerous. It appeared as if nothing would have survived such a traumatic landing, but the video feed which was from a Longsword fighter, showed something spilling out from the ship.

As the pilot maneuvered his ship for a closer look, the words of the Master Chief, speaking with the Arbiter suddenly came back to her. Before the Spartan had removed her from Honor Without Mercy, she had been privy to a conversation between the two warriors.

The majority of the conversation had been on topics she had no real comprehension of, but one comment made by the Arbiter had caught her attention.

“We must be prepared for the event that the parasite leader was not killed.”

The Flood were something Jan hadn’t known of before meeting the Master Chief, and even then the information she had received from the Spartan and Commander Keyes was very limited. The only information she had been able to gleam from the two was that the creatures were created by the Forerunner, and they were the reason the Halo Installations had been built.

As her gaze remained riveted to the screen, Jan had the sudden notion that perhaps sitting in the café was perhaps not the best place to be at the moment. Returning to the drab apartment however, was an equally less attractive notion.

Why is it that whenever something bad happens I’m everywhere but where I want to be?

The incessant vibration of her chatter startled Jan from her reverie. Mechanically she retrieved the device from her pocket and answered it.

“Hello?” she said.

“Where are you?” a gruff voice greeted her from the other end. It took her a moment to place the voice, and then she remembered. The Sergeant from on board the Covenant ship, the one who had his arm reattached. Why on Earth would he be calling her?

“At a café,” she replied.

[Edited on 6/18/2005]

  • 06.18.2005 4:38 PM PDT
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“Pay for your coffee, girl, and then wait outside,” the Sergeant ordered, and Jan heard the audible click as the connection was severed. A few moments of indecision followed before Jan slid her card beneath the small icon displaying her total charges in the center of the table, and got to her feet. With a short glance behind her at the terrified patrons and employees, Jan stepped out of the café, and onto the deserted downtown Sydney streets. Once outside she needed to wait only a few minutes before the sound of a solitary engine appeared from behind her.

Jan had seen a M12G1 LAAV Warthog before, but never in person. The imposing Gauss cannon situated in the back of the vehicle was unmanned, but even so Jan felt the urge to duck back into the café as the Warthog pulled up beside her. Sergeant Johnson was at the wheel, and the passenger seat was empty.

“Get in,” the sergeant said. Without a word Jan climbed in beside him. As Johnson pulled away from the curb and spun the Warthog around, he took a moment to give Jan a once over.

“Um, do you think you might be able to tell me just what’s going on?” Jan asked, feeling uncomfortable under Johnson’s scrutiny.

“We had a hell of a time tracking you down,” Johnson said, as if he hadn’t heard Jan at all. “Commander Keyes gave us the address to the apartment she set you up with, and when you weren’t there I had to contact an old friend in the Signal Corps to find your number. You’re lucky he was able to set me up with the number, otherwise you’d be stuck in the city.”

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

“Back to the HighCom Facility. it’s the safest place on Earth right now. Every city in the world is getting locked down. Covenant cruisers packed to the gills with Flood are crashing all over the planet. The Marines are being scrambled to start cleaning them up. If even one city gets infected, we’re really going to be -blam!- out of luck.”

“I want to help,” Jan said sternly. Johnson turned shortly and gave her an incredulous stare.

“Listen girl, the Flood ain’t like the Covenant. What they do to you makes getting roasted alive by the Covies seem like sweet mercy,” Sergeant Johnson said, one hand unconsciously rubbing at his neck.

“Please, don’t leave me behind, I can fight,” Jan earnestly pleaded. The thought of sitting back, as another battle raged on her planet brought forth thoughts of the Master Chief and her father. The warrior fighting to save humanity, and a man who had given his life to save his daughter.

I don’t want to be protected anymore.

A short laugh came from Johnson as he swung the Warthog onto the freeway. Traffic was nonexistent as the air raid sirens blared.

“Commander Keyes was right, you really do have some guts. Guess that’s why the Chief actually put up with you,” Johnson said, and his face settled into impassiveness once more. “If you really want to help, then I know where you could do some good.”

Jan was about to inquire as to where that might be, but Johnson turned his attention back to the road and Jan knew that the subject was closed.

He’s about as hard-nosed as I thought he would be, Jan thought as her gaze slipped from the passing buildings to Johnson’s arms, which were currently gripping the steering wheel of the Warthog.

Its almost like his arm was never separated at all.

“There’s still some stiffness, and it can hurt like a sonofa-blam!- at times, but aside from that I’ve got no complaints,” Johnson said, startling Jan. She glanced up at his face and saw that the Marine hadn’t even taken his eyes from the road once.

“Um, can I ask how it was still able to be reattached?” Jan asked nervously. “Cortana said I didn’t have the clearance to know when we were aboard the ship.”

Johnson remained silent for a long moment, and Jan thought that he was going to ignore the question when he suddenly spoke.

“Eleven years ago I was on Paris IV when the Covenant decided to drop by. They weren’t interested in glassing the planet right off the bat, so the Navy sent the Marines out to be ready and waiting for when the Covenant began deploying planet-side. It just so happens that my squad was situated exactly where the Covenant wanted to be. We put up a good fight, but they came in too fast. Three hours into the battle it was over, and we were pulling out. Me and this skinny guy, Private Hiate I think his name was, he was a mean sonofa-blam!- that really knew how to -blam!- a Covie over with a knife. We ambushed a Covenant squad and managed to steal a crate of plasma grenades.”

“I was covering the company’s retreat and I must have used every last grenade in that damn crate. By the time I was loaded onto the ship and had bootlegged it out of the system, I was sick as a dog from the plasma radiation I was exposed to and the medics were telling me that I had something called Boren’s Syndrome. I was just a kid back then, but I knew after that little taste of action I sure as hell wasn’t going to head back to Reach just so I could lie in a bed and get prodded at by doctors. I talked it over with my ell-tee and he fixed it with the Colonel that the report from the medics was lost, and had my records changed.”

“The syndrome didn’t kill me, so I figured I made the right decision. When Reach got attacked, and we escaped aboard the Pillar of Autumn, I knew for certain that refusing treatment was the best thing I could have done. On Halo the only thing that saved me from getting turned into one of those Flood freaks, was that my nervous system was so -blam!- up the little bastards couldn’t create a match, so they passed me over. I didn’t know this at the time, the Chief told me when we got back to Earth, he also told me that I got a little present from my run-in with the Flood as well.”

The Sergeant turned and grinned at Jan, flashing a mouth of white teeth that were more prominent against his black skin.

“The Flood have a regenerative property, some scientific -blam!- about how they can pull themselves back together even after they’ve been ripped apart. It would seem that that characteristic has been passed onto me now.”

Jan watched Johnson, speechless after his revelation to her. What he said seemed like something out of a science-fiction novel. Then again the entire Covenant War could be described as such.

“This isn’t exactly common knowledge though girl, so don’t go spreading it around,” Johnson added.

“My name is Jan, Sergeant,” Jan bristled. Before she could continue she glanced outside the Warthog and realized where Johnson had taken her.

“The HighCom Hospital? I don’t know what you’re thinking but I’ve got about zero medical experience.”

Sergeant Johnson laughed roughly and continued towards the facility.

“Don’t worry, you won’t find yourself at the operating table,” the Sergeant said before turning somber. “If the Flood land anywhere in Australia, Jan, than there is going to be wounded. Nothing will stop the Flood’s progression through the civilian population, and the injured will need every bit of help they can get. If the hospital gets hit and taken out, then people that would otherwise have lived will die.”

Jan was still certain that the Sergeant thought this would be an easy way to keep her out of harm’s way, but she guessed correctly that it was probably as much leeway he was willing to provide.

Johnson pulled right up the front doors leading into the hospital and let Jan out, before she turned he reached into the back and tossed her something. Jan caught the MA5B Assault Rifle smoothly as she stared at it in surprise.

“Keep yourself safe Jan, I’d hate to see what the Master Chief would do to me if he gets back to Earth and finds out I let something happen to you,” Johnson said, handing her an ammo pouch along with a duffle bag to store everything in. As an afterthought he handed her a disposable chatter.

“If it looks like the Flood are going to take the hospital, call the preset number on here. It’ll take you right to my personal com channel.”

Before Jan could think of anything to say in response, Johnson put the Warthog in gear and peeled away from the hospital. Still feeling bewildered, Jan watched as Sergeant Johnson slowly disappeared from view.

Well, that was unexpected, Jan speculated, her gaze dropping to the duffle bag in her hands. Realizing the incredulity of her predicament, she quickly stuffed the gun along with the ammo pouch inside of it, hoping no one had the chance to see just exactly what she was doing.

The hospital is going to have metal detectors, and something tells me if they find out I’m walking in with an MA5B along with ten or so ammo clips, they might find it a tad out of place.

Thinking quickly Jan decided to do a short walk around the facility, hoping to find the emergency entrance. It was located around the back of the building, and it was fairly busy. Obviously people had seen the news broadcast about the arrival of Covenant cruisers once again, and civilians would undoubtedly panic.

  • 06.18.2005 4:39 PM PDT
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The abundance of confusion and rushed personnel allowed Jan to slip in through the entrance with ease. From there it was only a short walk to the nearest rest room. Several women were inside, and Jan’s arrival with the oversized duffle bag didn’t cause too much of a stir, so she discreetly popped into a stall and waited for the room to empty.

As soon as the last woman left, who took forever to retouch her makeup, Jan emerged from the stall and quickly scanned the room. Whatever advancements may have been made in interior air circulatory systems, there was still a need for a ventilation system in washrooms. Especially in a hospital, where oftentimes very sick people frequented them.

Aha! Jan spotted the vent, located above the center stall. The diameter of the vent would be just enough to accommodate the MA5B Assault Rifle and ammo pouch, but the duffle bag would need to be ditched later on.

Working swiftly Jan had removed the vent grate off without disturbing the plaster along the roof too much, and had it back in place just as the door to the washroom swung open. Smirking to herself Jan flushed the toilet and exited the stall; washed her hands and walked out of the washroom, the duffle bag now significantly lighter.

I wonder if I could somehow swipe a set of clothes from an orderly. If I’m really going to find myself fighting hordes of parasitic monsters, something tells me a stretch cotton skirt and matching blouse isn’t the best apparel, Jan smiled to herself, turning down a random hallway and moving forward in search of a changing room.

---------------------------------

Sergeant Avery Johnson was at the moment very unsure over mankind’s future. His past involvement with the Flood had been in contained areas, but when they had moved into High Charity, a Covenant military base, it had been only a matter of hours before tens of thousands of Covenant were infected. Earth had potentially billions of parasitic hosts. He may have been a low-brow soldier, but even he could do the math.

The Flood needed to be eliminated, and any stalling only meant more innocent civilian deaths, and in turn their deaths would become the stepping stone for an even greater army for the Flood. There was no end to the cycle, and until the last human on the entire planet was infected, the parasite would not stop. Like a plague from biblical times, the Flood would consume humanity.

Christ, if I take any more of this stress I’m going to become a basket case.

Shaking his head ruefully, Johnson pulled the warthog to a stop outside of the HighCom facility and stepped out of the vehicle. Instead of entering the facility, he accessed the communications frequency for Captain Keyes’ replacement frigate, Lewis Puller which was named after the famous Lieutenant General Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller of the United States Marine Corps. The Lewis Puller, a Halcyon-class cruiser, was much in the same design as The Pillar of Autumn.

In recognition of her services at Delta Halo, and the extermination of the Covenant fleet in the Sol System, Fleet Admiral Hood had granted Miranda Keyes the rank of Captain. The appointment reeked of favoritism, but Johnson knew the promotion was deserved. Miranda Keyes had performed in the same manner as her father had in the face of overwhelming odds, and while the promotion might have been premature, it wouldn’t necessarily matter if they couldn’t fight off the Flood.

“This is Sergeant Johnson requesting immediate dust-off and return to the Lewis Puller. Lock onto my coordinates and send a Pelican,” he ordered over the private com channel with the cruiser.

Half an hour later, Johnson was stepping off the Pelican and onto the deck of the Lewis Puller’s docking bay. Flight attendants and technicians set toward the Pelican, intent on servicing the ship.

“Is Captain Keyes on the bridge?” Johnson asked one of the passing technicians, who gave him a short nod before returning to his duties. Johnson didn’t blame the Navy tech for wanting to get back to work. Right now he’d kill for something to take his mind off the thought that the Flood were on Earth.

Hitching a ride on a service warthog, Johnson passed through the extensive structure of the cruiser. The ship had been pulled from the UNSC naval graveyards and been restored only a year ago, and Johnson observed much of the ship with a critical eye.

It looks a hell of a lot better than the Autumn did when the UNSC dumped it on Captain Keyes back on Reach. The jackass’s running this army must have realized that giving ships about to fall apart from the inside, to skilled commanders isn’t exactly the best way to win a war.

-blam!-, if they would have taken a few more months work on the Autumn maybe Captain Keyes could’ve been able to fight the Covenant off before landing on Halo.


Sergeant Johnson winced slightly to himself. Thinking about what could have been was a good way to get his ass blown away. Captain Keyes was dead, and nothing anyone could have done would change that. Not even the Master Chief and Cortana were able to save him.

The driver of the warthog dropped Johnson off near one of the service elevators that would take him into engineering, and from there he would need to traverse through another few kilometers of hulls and access ways before he arrived on the bridge.

As he made the trip, Johnson mused at the back of his mind that whoever had originally designed the Halcyon-class of cruisers must have really wanted to keep the soldiers stationed on them in shape. The number of times a Navy tech or a Marine must have had to walk the circumference of the ship in a single day was numerous.

The insides of the ship were a flurry of activity, even though Johnson knew that there had yet to be a standing order to engage the Covenant cruisers still in the air. Three more had touched down in Kenya, where the first cruiser had crash landed, and the remaining ships were simply flying around. General Strauss and Admiral Hood had ordered the ships to be destroyed, but the enemy ships had been firing the massive plasma cannons as warning shots to any ships that got too close. For now the UNSC cruisers had backed off, keeping a safe distance while the Covenant cruisers circled over the African continent.

Nobody wants to take the chance and shoot one of the cruisers down, just in case it hit’s a populated city. The Flood must have figured this out, cause they’ve been circling over Nairobi and Kampala for hours now with the rest of their cruisers.

The brass don’t know why the Flood haven’t turned the plasma turrets onto the cities yet. They ain’t realized that the Flood won’t take the chance and destroy so many potential hosts, not unless they don’t got a choice.


As a mere Sergeant, Johnson hadn’t been given many opportunities to see the bridge of UNSC cruisers. That right was typically saved for the Commander or Captain, and the Navy personnel that operated the ship’s weapons, navigational equipment, and life systems. The mystique that surrounded the singular room was shattered to some degree when Johnson stepped through the hallway that led into the bridge.

While Sergeant Johnson may not have been expecting a room filled with Roman statues and archaic fountains, he was at least anticipating some amount of flourish. Instead he was greeted with a substandard UNSC halcyon designed room. If it weren’t for the outer bay window, and the animated radar display, the bridge could have been mistaken for any other maintenance hanger.

Captain Miranda Keyes was staring out the front bay window, which was currently giving a view of the Atlantic Ocean. Johnson marched purposely towards her still form and stopped a few feet from her. His footsteps were loud, and Keyes turned when she felt him come to a stop.

“Reporting as ordered ma’am,” Johnson said with an impassive look on his face. He felt the urge to salute, but knew the Navy regulation prohibited salutes while indoors.

“Sergeant Johnson,” Keyes acknowledged with a smile. “Did you get Jan back to the base?”

“Yes ma’am,” Johnson replied, knowing it wasn’t much of a lie.

Nodding absently Keyes turned back to stare out the bay window.

“Admiral Hood contacted the bridge a few moments before you arrived,” Keyes said. “He’s ordering that we prepare a company of Marines to deploy groundside where the Covenant cruisers touched down and begin the extermination.”

Turning, Captain Keyes moved to her left and accessed the radar display. With a few commands it showed a video feed of a downed cruiser lying in charred rubble.

“The first cruiser that crash landed seemed like it was intent on landing in this exact location,” Keyes explained. “I’m sure you’ll recall that the Covenant also desired to land here.”

“New Mombasa?” Johnson asked, confused. “But the whole city’s nearly been wiped out when the Covenant hauled ass out of here and headed for Delta Halo.”

“Indeed,” Keyes replied. “But whatever it is the Prophet of Regret wanted to find there, it seems the Flood are interested in it as well.”

Pain suddenly lanced up Sergeant Johnson’s arm, making him gasp shortly. A tingle of anticipation and apprehension filled his body, and Johnson had to steady himself.

-blam!-, what the hell was that? Felt like somebody stepped on my grave.

“Sergeant?” Keyes questioned, concerned. “Are you all right?”

  • 06.18.2005 4:40 PM PDT
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“Yes ma’am, just felt a little woozy for a second,” Johnson remarked, mentally shaking the cobwebs from his mind. “I was about to say, I’ll volunteer to go with the company of Marines.”

Keyes looked at Johnson for a moment, visibly debating his request.

“All right, but I expect you to keep me abreast on the situation.”

Johnson smiled lightly.

“Will do.”

---------------------------------

Ugh, how could anyone actually get used to this stuff?

Jan shifted uncomfortably as the thick material of the scrubs she had donned after discovering a female changing room started to chafe her thighs. After getting changed, she had silently made her way back to the waiting room of the hospital, and taken one of the very few empty seats. The hospital was busy, and Jan was certain if she could just keep herself from causing anyone to notice her, she could wait out however long she’d need to stay at the hospital inside the waiting room.

Glancing around, Jan saw that the majority of the people sitting around were families, mainly young children with their mothers. There weren’t many men, something Jan immediately took notice of.

Guess the UNSC is more interested in conscripting males. Not that its much of a surprise.

With a sigh Jan slumped back, letting her head fall against the wall located behind her. Closing her eyes she tried her best to block everything out; the war, the noise, the memories…all of it.

After a few moments she realized the futility of it, and was about to sit back up when she felt something tugging at her leg. Cracking one eye open, Jan peered down at the small girl beside her. The girl’s dark auburn hair and black eyes were a sharp contrast to the brightly colored clothes she was wearing.

“Umm,” the little girl released Jan’s pant leg when she saw that she had Jan’s attention. The child fidgeted slightly as she suddenly appeared nervous.

“Can I help you?” Jan asked, careful to keep her tone light, and not let her fatigue seep through.

“Umm,” the girl said once more. “Big sis, do you work here?”

Eh? ‘Big sis’? Jan thought, confused. She stared back at the girl for a moment before she realized what the child meant. Its just a way of addressing me, like how I used to call Dad’s friends ‘Uncle’.

I sure do,” Jan lied with a smile. “Is there something I can do for you?”

Oooh boy, here’s hoping she doesn’t blow my cover.

“My mom got in an accident yesterday, and my neighbors brought me here, but I went to go get some juice and now I can’t remember what room she’s in,” the girl explained quickly, her eyes earnest as she stared into Jan’s face.

Jan smiled softly at the girl as she patted her lightly on the head. Without any preamble she got to her feet, reaching one hand down to lightly grasp the girl’s left hand within her own as she began to lead her out of the waiting area.

I may regret this, but I just can’t say no to a face this cute, Jan thought as she approached the front desk.

“So, can you tell me what your name is?” Jan asked.

“Shiratori Kozue,” Kozue said, her voice small as the girl fidgeted with shirt. Jan felt a smile grace her face once more, and she turned to speak with the nurse managing the desk.

“Could I get the room number for Shiratori? Her daughter wants to see her,” Jan said as confidently as she could.

The nurse looked up for only a moment before accessing the terminal situated in the main nurses station.

“Shiratori Yuki, Room C34.”

Giving a quick thanks to the nurse, Jan steered Kozue away from the desk and down the first corridor she saw, hoping to find some kind of indication of where an elevator might be.

“So, Kozue, what happened to your mother?” Jan asked absently, scanning a distant hallway.

“She…she,” Kozue hesitated, and Jan looked down at her, puzzled. “She got hurt.”

Jan sensed there was far more to it than that, but wisely kept her mouth shut as she finally located the elevator that would take them to the third floor. They waited in silence as the elevator made its way to the ground floor. Once they were boarded Jan hit the icon that would take them to the third floor, mindful of the looks she was receiving from the other occupants of the elevator.

The moment the doors parted to reveal their stop, Jan moved off quickly, pulling Kozue with her. After a few minutes of wandering, they came to a halt outside the room bearing the indication of C34. Jan rapped her knuckle lightly against the door and, hearing no response, opened the door.

While Jan wasn’t one to believe in premonitions and visions, she would have found it hard to disagree that the room automatically gave off the feeling of death and gloom. The drag olive white color seemed to only accentuate the depression the room seemed to be radiating with. Slumped on the medical bed was a woman that couldn’t have been more than thirty years old, yet her face seemed aged beyond her years.

Kozue slipped her hand free from Jan’s and quickly moved next to her mother, who gave no indication that she had noticed the girl.

“Mom, you didn’t eat your dinner,” Kozue pointed out, and Jan’s eyes were drawn to the full hospital tray lying on the table next to the unmoving woman. Kozue’s mother turned on her side, away from her daughter, and clutched a drawn blanket to her body. The sight of the bandages on the woman’s wrists automatically changed Jan’s attention away from the food, and she felt a growing sickness develop in her stomach.

Confirming her suspicions, the utensils on the food tray were made of plastic, and there were no other medical instruments in the room. Even the woman’s IV tube was shortened, so as to not allow one to wrap the tube around a vital area.

Swallowing roughly, Jan cleared her throat to get Kozue’s attention. The child shouldn’t see her mother like this.

“Kozue,” Jan said, and waited for the girl to turn around. “How about we go get some food from the cafeteria?”

Kozue looked at Jan for a moment before turning to her mother, uncertainty written across her face.

“Kozue,” Jan urged. “I’m sure your mother needs her rest, lets leave her alone for awhile.”

“Okay,” Kozue finally relented, and walked towards Jan, dejected. Jan quickly took the girls hand once more and lead her from the room, closing the door behind her.

Oh God.

Jan looked down at the child next to her in astonishment. Her mother had obviously tried to take her own life, but how could she do that when she had a child to take care of.

Trying to stem her thoughts, Jan led Kozue from the hospital ward and back to the elevator they had previously used. Once they reached the ground floor again, Jan followed the navigational signs that eventually led them to the hospital cafeteria. It was large enough to accommodate almost all of the patients and staff, so finding seats away from the crowd was easy. Jan used the last of the credits that Commander Keyes had lent her to pay for Kozue’s food, and watched the child in silence as she ate.

“Kozue?” Jan asked, and the girl looked up from the hamburger she was devouring. “Where’s your father?”

The question was hard to ask, as Jan knew that more than likely her father had been pressed into service, and perished, which would explain why her mother had decided to end her life.

“He went away, that’s what Mama always said,” Kozue responded, her voice light. “The aliens came while he was away though, so we had to leave.”

“You’re not from Earth?” Jan asked. Kozue shook her head in response.

“Nope, we used to live on Sigma Octanus IV. Papa went away to fight the aliens but they came and they attacked our town. Me and Mama hid with our neighbors, and we thought they might find us, but then the robots came.”

“Robots?” Jan questioned, confused.

“Uh huh,” Kozue said, nodding earnestly. “They were big, and covered in green armor. They spoke like robots and moved very fast. Some of them took Mama and me to a big spaceship that flew us away. That’s how we came to Earth, they put us in these camps, but then Mama got hurt so we came to the hospital.”

“I see,” Jan said. “You’ve been through a lot haven’t you?”

“I guess so,” Kozue responded, uncertainly, and returned her attention to the food.

Robots in green armor huh? Jan smiled to herself, before remembering that three of the ‘robots’ were inside the very hospital she was in.

I wonder if I could persuade the guards to let me see them?

The gentle silence that had overtaken the two girls was shattered as twenty or so Marines suddenly poured in.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I need your attention please!” the Marine up front shouted. As Jan stared at him, she recognized the twin silver bars of a 1st Lieutenant on his epaulettes. He climbed up onto one of the cafeteria tables so that those at the far end could see him.

“A Covenant capital ship has just touched down a few miles outside of Sydney. ONI has set up an evacuation transport group that will get you all out of the area. Please remain calm. I ask that you drop everything. You are not permitted to take any material possessions. Just the clothes on your back. If you have any family members in this facility that are capable of being transferred, I ask that you bring them with you.”

  • 06.18.2005 4:41 PM PDT
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Jan got to her feet.

“What about the patients who aren’t capable of being moved?”

The Marine Lieutenant looked at her, somewhat annoyed, and shook his head.

“I’m sorry but we don’t have the time or the resources to ensure their safety.”

“So you’ll leave them here to die?” Jan asked.

“We’ll be setting up our base of operations out of this hospital, if and when the Covenant come, the patients will be defended.”

The flurry of activity that occurred after the lieutenant stopped speaking was impressive, and Jan decided she had best get Kozue out of the hospital as soon as possible.

Picking the girl up into her arms, she sprinted to the collected group of Marines who were addressing the somewhat panicked questions from the other people. The Lieutenant who had been speaking before was standing without anyone accosting him, so Jan dumped Kozue into his arms.

“Make sure she gets on the transports,” Jan said quickly, before moving off into the crowd. The surprised questions from the Lieutenant, and the shocked cries from Kozue were quickly drowned out as Jan navigated through the dense multitude of people. The gathering before the elevators was large, despite the vast majority of people that seemed to have decided to abandon their family members incarcerated in the hospital, and were dashing out the front doors.

With a frustrated groan Jan dashed for the staircase, taking three stairs at a time as she climbed towards the third floor.

When I was six years old, and an alien invasion was happening for the second time, only this time with parasitic creatures that will possess and wipe out the human race, I’d want my mother with me even if she was suicidal.

Jan snorted to herself.

That’s not a very far off description of Gilly actually.

The upper floors of the hospital were remarkably less crowded than the main floor, which didn’t surprise Jan much. The thought of being overrun by the Covenant was probably a big incentive to leave your family members behind and try to get the hell out of the Covie’s path.

Arriving back at C34, Jan threw open the door with significantly less care than before. Kozue’s mother was lying on the bed, though she was at least showing some signs of life. The woman had obviously been surprised by Jan’s sudden arrival.

“Get up, the Covenant is about to roll right over this hospital.”

Not exactly the truth, but I don’t really have the time to explain what’s really coming.

Yuki simply turned away.

“I said, get up,” Jan ground out, forcibly. When Yuki gave no signs of life, she marched over and ripped her blanket off the woman and upturned the bed, dumping her to the ground.

“Go away,” Yuki moaned back pitifully.

“The Covenant are coming, your daughter is terrified, and you’re telling me to ‘Go away’?” Jan asked angrily. Stomping over to where the woman lay, Jan gripped the front of her medical gown and pulled her up.

This is for her own good.

The loud crack echoed inside the dimly lit room, and Yuki’s cheek began to redden. Jan pulled the hand she had used to slap the woman across the face back to her side. The move seemed to have an effect, as Yuki stared back at Jan in fear.

“Now, you’re going to get on the transports evacuating everyone right?” Jan asked, and Yuki nodded back frightfully.

Jan helped her out of the room, and quickly hunted down another medical attendee that had yet to evacuate. Jan passed Kozue’s mother off to him and he helped her into a waiting elevator. Jan decided to skip the likely uncomfortable ride down the packed device and headed back down the stairs.

The Marines had obviously done their job well, as the main floor looked noticeably less panicked, as patients and medical personnel exited the hospital through the main entrance in an orderly fashion.

It took Jan a few minutes but she managed to locate the Marine Lieutenant she had passed Kozue off to. He was standing near the entrance/exit of the hospital speaking with several other Marines as well as talking into the mouthpiece on his helmet, most likely speaking with other Marines located around the hospital.

Jan swallowed her uneasiness and quashed the growing fear building in the pit of her stomach, then marched over to where the Marines were gathered.

“Can I help you?” the Marine 1st Lieutenant asked as he saw her approach.

“Are the Flood really heading towards this hospital?” Jan asked, and almost felt a smile grace her face as she saw the Lieutenant and other gathered Marines do a double-take. The Lieutenant quickly grabbed onto Jan’s arm and dragged her away from the doors and into a nearby corridor.

“How do you know about the Flood?” he asked, his tone hard. “I wasn’t debriefed on the matter until a few hours ago, when the first carrier touched down in Africa.”

“I have a couple friends in high places,” Jan said. The Marine looked at her for a moment in confusion.

“Explain,” he demanded.

Jan did a short recant of her involvement with Commander Keyes and Sergeant Johnson, making sure not to mention the Master Chief or the Arbiter, as she was quite sure the Marine would decide she was lying, and have her detained.

“Not many people know Sergeant Johnson enough for him to actually put his balls on the chopping block, and if it was anyone else I’d probably say you were lying, but I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt here.”

“Thank you,” Jan said, sincerely. The Marine nodded briefly.

“To answer your earlier question, yes the Flood are heading towards this hospital. We presume their target is the HighCom facility, but once it goes into lockdown they won’t be able to break in, so its been estimated that the parasites will move from there to this facility. Seeing as how ONI isn’t being completely heartless these days they’ve dispatched us, ‘I’ Company 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division. Unfortunately we’re only at half strength, as some of my men were caught up in the action that took place on the Malta and Athens when the Covenant first decided to show up.”

“So you have about seventy five men?” Jan asked.

“Right,” the Lieutenant grunted, his voice showing slight surprise over her knowing the traditional size of a Marine Infantry Company.

“So that would mean you’d be willing to take any kind of help that was offered?” Jan asked, a slow smile building.

“I suppose,” the Lieutenant said, his voice wary. “But unfortunately I don’t have any spare weapons.”

“Oh that’s quite all right Lieutenant,” Jan said. “I just so happened to have brought my own.”

The Marine Lieutenant fought the urge to chuckle when he heard an incoming transmission over the secure battle net that had been set up. He accessed the transmission from his helmet, tuning out Jan for a moment.

Once the transmission was ended, he turned back to Jan, any amusement that had once graced his face was now gone.

“If you have weapons stored here girl, than I’d suggest you go get them. The Flood just passed the HighCom Facility without stopping. They’re heading straight here.”

-----------------------------------

“What have you got for me Sergeant?” Captain Keyes spoke over the communications network setup between the Lewis Puller and the ground units that had been deployed to New Mombasa.

*Touchdown is in five ma’am,* Johnson’s voice carried over the com net. *You’ll have a live video feed once we touch down courtesy of the helmet you forced me to where.*

“Its all for the sake of documentation Sergeant Johnson,” Keyes replied with a smile in her tone she knew the Marine would detect.


[Edited on 6/18/2005]

  • 06.18.2005 4:41 PM PDT
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*Yeah I hear ya,* Johnson grumbled back, adding “Ma’am” as an afterthought as he switched off the com.

Miranda Keyes ran a hand briefly through her non-regulation length hair and sighed.

Three Flood-filled capital ships have touched down in and around Kenya and the rest of Africa. One more just hit near the HighCom Facility in Australia. Three others have hit in China and eastern Russia, and that’s not even counting the number of ships still in flight.

If any Gods feel like bestowing a miracle on the human race, now would be the time.


“Ma’am?” one of the senior radar operatives spoke, breaking her away from her thoughts.

“What is it?” Captain Keyes asked, careful to keep the fatigue from her voice.

“We’re detecting an unauthorized ship launch from eastern Australia, sensors show its destination is headed out past Earth’s atmosphere.”

“Give me its call sign. Run a scan and check for any human CNI signatures,” Keyes ordered.

“Right away ma’am,” the radar operator replied.

Just what I need, another problem.

“Call sign is KFG-102, or The Operator. CNI scan is complete and there’s one signal aboard, though it can be presumed there is also a crew aboard. Its still active so we can presume the ship is not Flood controlled.”

Why does that call sign sound so familiar?

“Run the CNI data through ONI’s databanks and tell me who it belongs to.”

Several tense moments passed as the radar operator carried out her latest order.

“Ackerson, James. Office of Naval Intelligence, Colonel, head of special weapons…”

“Get me Admiral Hood now!” Keyes demanded, cutting the sailor off.

“R-Right away ma’am,” he stuttered. Admiral Hood’s voice filled the bridge instantly.

*Something I can do for you Captain Keyes?*

“Sir, a UNSC-class frigate is preparing to exit Earth’s atmosphere for an unknown destination. It has been confirmed that Colonel James Ackerson is aboard.”

*Ackerson?* Hood’s voice carried his disbelief. *Thank you Captain Keyes, I’ll deal with this situation.*

“Aye aye sir,” Keyes replied. She turned to the radar operator that had originally passed on the information.

“That was some quick work,” she said with a smile. “Good job.”

Next Miranda Keyes moved back to the head of the bridge where she had a view of the video feed that would be operational once Sergeant Johnson and the other Marines were on the ground in New Mombasa. The moment the feed appeared, Keyes heard Admiral Hood’s voice over the personal com channel between the Lewis Puller and Cairo Station.

*Captain Keyes, be advised that Colonel Ackerson’s vessel, The Operator has an onboard cloaking device. We have since lost visual contact. It is believed that the fugitive will attempt to enter Slip Space. If he does so, all UNSC ships navigating at a high enough altitude will have their communications disrupted.*

“I understand sir, thank you for the information,” Keyes replied. Her gaze moved back to the display that would be activated in a few minutes.

What the hell is Ackerson thinking? The bastard better not make a jump while the Marines are clearing New Mombasa.

--------------------------------

The steady thrum of the Pelican’s thrusters lulled Sergeant Johnson into a relaxed state. The seasoned Marine let his eyes drift close as he listened to the chatter between the other soldiers.

His arm had begun to grow numb soon after he and the others departed from the Lewis Puller. The brief pain he experience aboard the bridge while talking with Captain Keyes hadn’t resurfaces as of yet, but Johnson felt as if it was constantly there. The dull ache that seemed to rise throughout his entire right arm.

Grimacing to himself, Johnson forces his eyes open and glanced out the open bay door of the Pelican. The wreckage of New Mombasa lay below as the squadron of Pelicans flew overtop. Staring down at the blackened Earth and shattered buildings, Johnson wondered briefly how many civilians had managed to evacuate the city before the Covenant arrived.

Shaking his head warily Johnson realized that the Prophet of Regret had decimated the city only two weeks ago. It felt like a lifetime to Johnson. Back then things had been simpler. The Covenant weren’t hell-bent on killing off all life in the universe, or at least Johnson hadn’t known about that back then. Fighting the Elites had been a natural urge, instead of having to fight alongside them, and probably the biggest change. There was no giant-mutant-plant-freak leading the Flood to dominion over all life.

“Hey Sarge, looks like we’re heading up to the LZ.”

Johnson turned his head to see a young Marine pointing out the front of the Pelican. Johnson got to his feet and marched towards to the cockpit. Peering out past the pilot, he spotted the downed Covenant cruiser. Surprisingly it looked to be in much better shape than he thought it would be, which leant a little more evidence to Captain Keyes’ theory that the Flood specifically chose New Mombasa as a landing zone.

The pilot turned momentarily in his seat to glance back at Johnson.

“I’ll set her down a little ways away from the carrier Sarge, I don’t want those little bastards climbing in here.”

Nodding slightly to the pilot Johnson turned around, and looked at the assembled Marines inside his Pelican.

“We’ll be put down a few clicks from the carrier. I want everyone to be alert! If even one of the infectious forms gets the drop on one of you that’s it. You’ll be turned into a walking freak and you’ll be shot down by your own squad. So stay alert, and keep your weapons on the ready. Communication is key here people! If one squad -blam!-s up we’re all in for it.”

The Pelican shuddered as the pilot lightened up on the thrusters and leveled off with the ground. Slowly the ship began a vertical descent towards the charred ruins of New Mombasa.

Johnson marched back over to his seat, threw an impatient look at the helmet waiting for him, and then deposited it onto his head. The HUD (Heads-Up Display) reticule was easy to navigate and he activated the video feed and started an uplink to the Lewis Puller so Captain Keyes could get a first hand look at what was going on ground side.

Walking to the edge, Sergeant Johnson looked down towards their targeted LZ. It looked to be the remains of an intersection. Pieces of shattered buildings and cars were strewn about, which would make traversing the streets towards the downed cruiser that much more difficult.

When the Pelican came to a stop only four feet from the ground, Johnson turned to the other Marines in the Pelican, and activated the com channel for the other Pelicans.

“Touchdown boys, stay with your platoon and don’t wander off. We need to move fast and light. Engaging the enemy is low priority for now. We’ve got to get to that cruiser first.”

  • 06.18.2005 4:43 PM PDT
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Turning Johnson grabbed a large case, nearly as wide as he was tall, and almost a foot thick. With it secured in his hands he checked to see the M6B Pistol was stuffed in the holster attached to his waist, and then grabbed the M90 Shotgun lying across his seat and swung it onto his shoulder. The only other weapon he carried was a combat knife strapped to his left leg. With that finished he turned to the inside of the Pelican bay once more.

“Its go time Marines! Let’s hit ‘em hard and fast!”

---------------------------------

The gravel beneath Jan’s feet crunched loudly as she lightly jogged towards the front entrance of the hospital. Overhead the clouds darkened, as if they were a reflection of the mood that had begun to descend upon the collected soldiers. The scrubs Jan had borrowed from a resident in the hospital had been replaced with a flak jacket and trousers, which had been loaned to her from Lieutenant Barnes.

After much protesting that I didn’t look like a soldier wearing medical scrubs, Jan thought with a smirk

Waiting at the hospitals entrance for her was said lieutenant, and his crossed arms and stoic posture made him look like a bronzed statue. Jan jogged towards him before finally coming to a stop just inside the hospital doors.

“What could you see?” Barnes asked.

“They’re moving through the residential areas, just like the Longsword pilots reported,” Jan said, only slightly breathless. “There doesn’t seem to be an attempt to actually enter any of the homes or buildings though.”

“And? What about the Flood? Were there any…infected hosts?” Lieutenant Barnes asked, keeping his tone cautious.

Jan nodded even as she shuddered internally. The Longsword squadron that had been coordinating with ‘I’ Company had been called off to go assist in Nairobi, where another carrier had landed. Without air support, Lieutenant Barnes had decided that unless they wanted to be caught off guard by the Flood, it would be best to send a scout down the gravel road that led into the small residential area located between the HighCom Facility and the hospital.

Volunteers had been forthcoming, but Jan felt the need to prove to them that she would be an asset, and not a liability, so with the assurance from Lieutenant Barnes that if she encountered any trouble she should run instead of trying to fight, she had set out. The residential area, which strangely enough was considered a part of Sydney despite it being almost three miles outside of the city limits, had been a short run from the hospital, and from a high ridgeline lined with trees and shrubbery, Jan had observed the area.

The last report from the Longsword squadron before they departed had detailed the Flood’s progression from Sydney and then past the HighCom Facility. Apparently the entire division of Marines deployed in Sydney hadn’t been able to stop the Flood, or couldn’t completely contain them.

The Flood had done some damage in Sydney though, the twisted and mutilated corpses rushing through the streets along with the infectious forms was tantamount to that fact. The wave of nausea Jan had felt when she first saw the infected bodies had been large, and even now, recanting on the subject was enough to make her feel ill.

“Damn,” Lieutenant Barnes muttered. “How much longer until they get here?”

“Ten minutes at most,” Jan said, her hands beginning to tremble slightly at the thought.

Barnes nodded as he turned to look at the entrance foyer of the hospital.

“We’re going to have to stop the Flood here. The Brass don’t want the Flood getting any further, so we’ve got orders to finish them off, or at least impede their progress enough that we can finally get some goddamn air support again. Those parasitic bastards are smart enough to move through residential areas, where they know we won’t risk dropping any kind of ordnance to wipe them out,” Lieutenant Barnes ranted, running a hand across his jaw.

“So what are your orders?” Jan asked. Barnes stared off into space for a few moments, before finally turning around to face her.

“There’s three main entrances into the hospital. The front foyer here, the emergency entrance out back, and from the rooftop. Going in from the roof will take time, and it’ll be much easier to defend than the ground floor entrances. I’d say dividing up the platoons and squads, I could place two squads up on the roof, and split the remaining force in half, putting one at each end of the hospital,” Barnes said, thinking out loud.

“Where do you want me?” Jan requested, shoving her hands into the pockets of the trousers, hoping that Barnes wouldn’t notice they had been shaking.

“You’re going to be staying near me,” Barnes said. “You may know more about the Flood and what they do than anyone here, but fighting them is a different matter. Also I’m afraid of what Johnson might do to me should he find out I let you go off on your own.”

Jan smiled at Lieutenant Barnes before moving off to where she had lain the MA5B on a countertop. She appreciated the Lieutenant’s efforts at trying to make her feel more at ease, especially after seeing the Flood first hand. It was hard to place her finger on exactly what was troubling her. It wasn’t the prospect of fighting an actual battle. She had seen her fair share of action onboard the Covenant fleet when the Master Chief had detonated a nuclear weapon aboard a Covenant ship.

Perhaps it was the thought of seeing others die. No matter how skilled the Marines that would defend this hospital were, it didn’t change the fact that some of them, maybe even a lot of them would wind up sacrificing their lives.

It hadn’t even been a month since Jan had watched her father get murdered before her. Shot to death as he lay ensnared in a trap laid by Thin Kinkle, witnessed by his daughter whom he had come to rescue. Left to bleed to death on the floor while his daughter watched, screaming her pain as she watched the one constant in her life slip away into lifelessness.

Jan felt her hands clench tightly into fists and she bit down hard on her lip.

-blam!-! Goddamnit don’t lose it now girl!

“Jan?” Lieutenant Barnes’ voice pierced through the haze that surrounded her and Jan spun around, careful to blink away any of the tears that had collected in her eyes.

“Yeah?” Jan responded, her voice hoarse as she fought against the lump in her throat.

“I’m going to go fill everyone else in and get everything set up. Can you keep watch here? If I’m not back by the time the Flood show up get on your chatter. I’ll be here in a flash. I promise.”

“Okay,” Jan nodded, watching as Lieutenant Barnes collected his rifle and moved off out of the foyer. Once he was gone she turned her attention out the front doors.

It won’t be long now.

----------------------------------

“Langdon get the -blam!- up here!” Sergeant Johnson shouted as he fired a buckshot round through the window of the collapsed building that was currently blocking off the platoons forward progression. The Flood had been assaulting the two Marine Companies the moment they had dismounted from the Pelicans. The rough terrain had forced the two groups onto separate paths, limiting them to communication over close personal com channels, and from the sounds of things the company opposite of Johnson’s was getting a real beating from the Flood.

Private Gordon Langdon came huffing towards Johnson’s position against the fallen building.

“You called Sarge?” Private Langdon asked, his voice in stark contrast to the situation. Below their position the sounds of continuous gunfire echoed throughout the city.

“Get that Jackhammer off your back and put it to use soldier! We’ll be overwhelmed if we can’t get by this goddamn building. Get a good view through the window here and fire off two rounds at the back wall. Don’t worry about accuracy here, we just need holes big enough to fit your skinny ass through!” Johnson shouted, making sure he was heard over the gunfire.

“I’m on it!” Private Langdon shot back. He quickly dumped the webbing pack he had thrown over his shoulders and removed the M19 SSM Rocket Launcher, otherwise known as the ‘Jackhammer’. Getting down to one knee he primed the weapon, making sure the shoulder guard was firmly rested against his body, and then adjusted his sights.

Sergeant Johnson positioned himself behind and off to the left of Langdon, and he watched intently over the soldier’s shoulder as he let fly one rocket propelled grenade after another. The rockets screamed through the open window Johnson had indicated and passed right through the collapsed floors of the building before slamming into the far side. The advent of light into the darkened building was all the indication Johnson needed to see that his gamble had paid off.

  • 06.18.2005 4:44 PM PDT
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Getting onto the com channel reserved for the company of Marines he was assigned with, Johnson informed them that the way was now open, and if they would be so kind as to join him it would be greatly appreciated.

Johnson stopped to pick up the case he had taken from on board the Pelican, and he awkwardly climbed through the window and began trenching through the interior of the building towards the large hole Langdon’s shots had made in the far wall.

“What have you got in that thing Sarge? Looks big enough to carry a Warthog,” Langdon commented as he joined Sergeant Johnson in the interior of the downed building. Johnson turned momentarily and flashed a grin at the Private.

“It’s a little surprise I’ve got for the Flood. I had to get down on my knees to beg the ordnance officer on the Lewis Puller to get it.”

“So that means you won’t tell me huh?” Langdon asked.

“You bet your ass I‘m not.”

-----------------------------------

“Control your base of fire Goddamnit! Hit the big ones when they’re in the open! You’re wasting ammo aiming only where you think they are!” Lieutenant Barnes berated a Marine Private who had been spraying the courtyard outside the hospital foyer haphazardly with his sub-machine gun.

The Flood had wasted little time arriving at the hospital. The girl’s estimate had been spot on, as he had just arrived back at the foyer with a group of Marines when the parasitic forms had shown up.

Any semblance of order and control over the battle was quickly lost, as many of the Marines opened fire blindly at the creatures, too horrified to do much else. There had been several moments where it seemed like they would be overrun, but the girl, Jan, she had managed to get everything under control.

Tables, chairs, anything that could be used to create a line of cover for the Marines had been lain out in the center of the foyer, giving the Marines a good field of view of where the Flood would be forced to enter, but also supplying a fair amount of cover if the combat forms carrying UNSC weapons were actually able to use them. Jan must have set it up quickly, but when Barnes had given it a quick once-over it looked to be in good shape. Whatever doubts he may have had about her were removed when he saw the methodical thinking she was capable of.

The confusion and fear that had gripped most of the Marines was eased when Jan opened up with her MA5B. The concentrated bursts of fire took out groups of seven to ten of the infection forms, and a steady stream of rounds sent into the chest of a combat form was enough to take one of them down. Seeing that the enemy was indeed capable of being repelled with superior firepower and a steady trigger hand, the panicking Marines calmed themselves and moved into standard positions of cover.

Half an hour into the fight things had been looking good, that is, until the Flood combat forms appeared that had been formed while the Flood moved through Sydney. The Marines there had taken a beating, and judging from the amount of weapons the combat forms possessed, the Flood wanted them to know it.

The upturned tables and other debris weren’t very good at stopping bullets, and some of the Marines defending the entrance had been wounded.

Barnes had thought ahead though, and made sure a medic had been deployed to each of the three defensive zones in the hospital, and because of this not one Marine had lost their life as of yet.

No matter how hard they press, we cannot fall back, not one inch. Giving the Flood access to the many different hallways and internal ventilation would be the same as being overrun. We would be at their mercy.

“Hold the line!” Barnes shouted, even though he was certain not one of the Marines heard him. A lull in the waves of Flood gave him a chance to check up on the downed soldiers.

Two of the Marines had taken hits in the chest, and while their chest plates had caught the bullets, splintered bits of plastic and wood from the tables and chairs had managed to slice up their neck and face. Several others had been hit by bullet fragments on exposed parts of their bodies, and despite their protests that they could still fight Barnes kept them under the tight watch of the medic, who was using the hospitals near endless supply of medical tools to assist the injured Marines.

“How are we doing for ammo?” Lieutenant Barnes asked the assembled Marines, who were taking the break to catch their breath.

Aside from Jan, no soldier had more than two clips of ammunition remaining. This would cause trouble if the Flood didn’t back off eventually, and judging from the parasite’s tactics so far that wouldn’t be happening any time soon.

Returning to the impromptu cover they were fighting behind, Barnes cast a glance at the courtyard, which was littered with torn bodies of infected human forms, and the putrid flesh of the small infectious Flood forms.

Lieutenant Barnes was about to take a moment to rest when the twisted screams of the Flood echoed into the foyer from outside once more.

“Alright boys, here they come,” Barnes said, getting back into stationary firing position, kneeling down on one leg. “Remember to keep your shots controlled. Spraying wildly isn’t going to work here and all its going to do is make sure you run out of ammo that much faster.”

Once more the fighting resumed, near continuous fire from the line of Marines into the massive hordes of Flood that charged into the hospital foyer without delay, their speed inhuman as they rushed the line, hoping to catch a break in the bursts of gunfire and to smash through the defensive line.

In the midst of the fanatical battle, Barnes’ eye caught the sight of a lone combat form approaching from down the main road. In its lone arm the creature carried a Jackhammer rocket launcher. From the range he was at, hitting the creature with an M7 would be near impossible, but Lieutenant Barnes fired nonetheless.

The creature must have sensed that getting closer would be tantamount to death, so from a range of close to a hundred yards, it raised the weapon it carried, and fired.

Barnes had hoped the shot would go wild, perhaps it would slam into the upper section of the hospital entrance, but it was not to be. The combat form’s aim had been dead on, and the rocket headed straight for the Marines’ position.

“Hit the dirt!” Barnes shouted, just as the rocket cleared the foyer doors, and only a mere second before it slammed into the defensive barrier that had been so hastily erected. The rocket had hit to the right of the line, only several feet from where Barnes had been kneeling.

The force of the blast was sufficient to send Barnes skidding across the ground, his eyes darkened as the concussion blast sent stars dancing through his vision. He noted vaguely as he finally came to a stop twenty feet away from where he had originally knelt, that the sound of gunfire had stopped.

It took several moments for Barnes to gather his bearings, and he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, resting his back against what he presumed to be the visitor’s information kiosk.

Why isn’t anyone firing?

The world slowly blurred back into shape, and Barnes looked to where the twenty five Marines had been lined up, and was surprised to see that nothing was there any longer. Scattered around on the ground were the Marines, many of which weren’t moving.

Near the end of the room he spotted Jan. She looked to have escaped the rocket blast unscathed, and was helping pull some of the injured Marines away, as if she could somehow get them far enough away from the Flood, who were beginning to pour in through the foyer.

Opening his mouth to yell at Jan, Barnes finally felt the first tendrils of pain wash over his body, and he groaned painfully as he looked down to where his right leg should have been. His upper thigh was shaking uncontrollably, and he became dimly aware that pieces of his femur bone had ripped through the layers of flesh, and were protruding through the skin.

  • 06.18.2005 4:45 PM PDT
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-blam!-, where the -blam!- is my leg?

He spotted it shortly, just as Jan started to open fire with her assault rifle. It was lying near the torn remains of the barrier they had been using. Barnes surmised that it was much too far to retrieve before the Flood managed to get there, so he gave up on that idea.

Dammit why is Jan still shooting? Doesn’t she know we’re done here?

Wincing as he opened his mouth once more, Barnes turned his attention to the girl that was firing short bursts into the swarming hordes of infectious forms filling the hospital foyer.

“Get the hell out of here!” Barnes shouted as best he could. Jan turned momentarily to look at him in surprise, but quickly resumed firing.

-blam!-! Goddamnit why are women so damned stubborn?

“Link up with the other teams you stupid girl! I’ll finish up here, and be right behind you!” Barnes yelled, knowing his voice was beginning to crack.

Jan seemed to realize the futility of the situation and swore loudly as she finished off the magazine inside the MA5B and turned to cast one final glance at Barnes before dashing off down the far corridor.

Barnes reached down with his left arm, noting that his right arm didn’t seem to be working anymore and pulled the M6-C handgun from the holster at his side. A quick check showed him that his right arm was still intact, though a large piece of twisted shrapnel had become entwined with his upper bicep.

Using his left arm, Barnes uncomfortably chambered a round in the pistol before beginning to fire methodically into the hordes of Flood that had just cleared the large crater created by the rocket that had been fired at them.

The Flood seemed to be ignoring his presence however, and were moving towards the hallway that Jan had exited down.

That just won’t due.

A lone fragmentation grenade was lying at the other end of the foyer, and the infectious forms were just about to run over it.

I was never a very good shot with this thing, but if there was ever a time God could grace me with some accuracy now would be the time.

The first two shots went awry, and Barnes was beginning to reconsider his decision when the third shot landed true, and the grenade detonated, ripping into the Flood that had planned to pass him by.

That sure got their attention

The hordes had split and a large group of the infectious forms headed towards him. Barnes aimed his handgun at them, but before he could fire, realized that there were only two rounds left in the weapon.

Turning to where the medic was crouched over an injured Marines body, Barnes spotted a group of infectious forms heading towards the soldier. The medic had only enough time to slam a serrate filled with morphine into the Marine’s thigh before one of the Flood infectious forms leapt upon him, slamming a needle-like pincer into his neck.

Barnes aimed and fired, watching as the medic’s head snapped to the side as Barnes’ shot his home.

Better to die quick than go through whatever these little -blam!-s would put you through.

The infectious forms were almost upon him, and Barnes looked contemplatively at the pistol in his hands as the screams of the other Marines slowly died out as the Flood consumed them.

One shot left. Just like the cowboys of old, always saving a round for themselves.

A smirk found its way onto his face even as he felt a lump form in his throat, and Barnes turned the gun around, so that the muzzle was pressed firmly against the underside of his chin.

Taking one last shuddering breath, he fired.

-----------------------------------

-blam!-! -blam!-! -blam!-! Why the hell is this happening?

Jan had been crouching near the end of the line on the far left side when the rocket fired by one of the Flood combat forms slammed into the barrier she erected earlier. The explosion was enough to send her off her feet, but she had managed to stabilize herself and was on her feet again in on instant. The sight of so many downed Marines had been a shock and she had tried her best to pull them away from the pressing Flood, but she had seen the futility of it all. Barnes’ proclamation to her from across the foyer was enough to break her from the spell she was put under by all the fighting, and she remembered that the key to today was surviving, not trying to take down as many as she could.

Being reanimated by the Flood after dying did not sound like a pleasant experience, and she was certain that by doing so she’d let everyone down.

The sight of Lieutenant Barnes would not leave her however, no matter how hard she tried to forget the look in his eyes as he told her he’d be right behind her. She’d known it to be a lie the moment the words left his mouth, but she left all the same. The crack of a handgun firing had started shortly after she retreated from the area, and it had been a long time since she last heard it.

Dashing through the twisting hallways, Jan finally emerged into the emergency entrance bay of the hospital. She slammed to a stop as the scene before her unfolded.

“Carlson get that thing off of Fred!” the Marine second lieutenant shouted as he ripped the guiding pin from his fragmentation grenade and sent it flying through the air. The detonation sounded and several combat forms were ripped apart by the ensuing shrapnel.

Jan spotted the soldier that the Lieutenant was speaking about. Amidst several other unmoving Marine bodies a lone soldier was wrestling with an infectious form in his hands as the creature struggled to stab its pincer into the soldier’s neck.

Wasting no time Jan raced towards the fallen soldier and using the butt stock of the MA5B she slammed the infectious form hard enough for the creature to explode. Flipping the gun back around in her arms, Jan fired a short five-round burst into an approaching combat form. As it collapsed to the ground Jan offered her free hand to Fred and helped him up off the floor.

“Thanks,” Fred said breathlessly.

The second lieutenant Jan had recognized from before turned to glance at her, and he must have remembered her as well.

“Why aren’t you with Lieutenant Barnes!?” he shouted over the gunfire.

“We were overrun!” Jan called back. “The Flood are moving through the hospital right now!”

The Marine second lieutenant cursed and looked at the bodies of the Marines surrounding him.

“All right everyone grab your gear, we’re falling back to the roof!”

Only seven of the twenty six Marines were capable of moving, and at once they quickly rose, firing off a final salvo at the Flood before turning to charge down the corridor that Jan had entered from. Jan watched silently as the Flood swarmed over the dead and unconscious Marine bodies. An M6C handgun lay at her feet and she quickly scooped it up and shoved it into her waistband. She looked away from the Marine corpses painfully and started off after the others who were using the staircase to climb up the eight flights of stairs that would take them to the rooftop.

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The mutilated screams of the Flood echoed throughout the hospital, and Jan increased her speed, sprinting through the open door leading to the staircase. The stairs blurred as she ran, her mind a litany of sounds and memories of the battle against the Flood. Again and again Lieutenant Barnes’ face stared back at her, his eyes lifeless as he ordered her to leave.

Oh God, we’re going to die here.

She could hear the Marines several flights above her, their breath coming in gasps as they hightailed it towards the rooftop. Finally they reached the eighth floor and the door was thrown open, slamming loudly into the metal brace before closing once more. As Jan cleared the sixth floor something began to nag at the back of her mind.

G14...the Spartans!

The last steps leading to the seventh floor were bounded in a single leap, and Jan slammed open the door that would grant her access to the highest floor of the hospital without reaching the rooftop.

Her assault rifle was held at the ready as she emerged from the stairwell, her eyes roaming up and down the hallway. She moved forward at a slow pace, careful to keep her ears attuned to the surroundings, so that if anything disrupted the silence she would detect it instantly. As she turned down into the intensive care ward, Jan spotted a metal grate lying on the floor. Her gaze moved upwards, and she felt a chill as it came to a stop on the ventilation shaft that was now exposed.

As Jan neared she craned her neck, attempting to see up the darkened vent, but it was to no avail. Reaching down Jan picked up the metal grate and fastened it hastily to the vent cover, ensuring that if anything else was inside the shaft she’d at least here it when it came out. Recalling her last visit to the ward when she had come with the Master Chief, Jan turned down the right corridor that would lead her to the room that housed that injured Spartans.

Shell casings were littered around the floor, and Jan recognized the amber blood stains that covered the floor, walls, and ceiling. The Marine detail that had been stationed here to defend the Spartans must have put up a fight before being overwhelmed by the Flood. Jan couldn’t take more than two steps without stepping upon the casings.

The door that had led into the Spartan’s medical room had been ripped free. A considerable feat when taking into context the heavy security needed to get inside. Near the end of the hallway leading up to the door the blood stains of the Flood became mixed with what Jan could only surmise to be human blood.

Steeling herself, Jan inched closer to the open doorway, her body taut as her hands began trembling, causing the assault rifle to shake. She was only a few steps away.

What if the Flood got to them? The Marines must have been attacked awhile ago, otherwise I would have heard the gunfire.

Four steps.

Johnson said they have to link up with a subjects nervous system to take over. Maybe they were too injured…

Three steps.

Will the Master Chief be angry? I didn’t want this to happen! I thought we could hold them off, that we could win.

Two steps.

I should run. I can’t fight them like the others. They’ll kill me.

One step.

I can’t run away. I owe this to him, I have to make sure they’re alright. I could never look him in the face again if I didn’t.

Nothing…there was nothing inside the room as Jan entered. The medical beds were empty.

A heavy sigh escaped her as she slumped against the door frame, and she shook her head, smiling.

All that worrying for nothing. The Spartans must have been transferred when they did the evacuation. I guess I can head back up to the…roof?

Jan’s thoughts were interrupted when she felt something fall upon her head. Reaching up and touching the area where she was hit, her hand came away with a thick, amber colored liquid. Slowly she tilted her head upwards, and felt the relief that had flooded her body drift away, and be replaced with raw fear.

Oh……-blam!-.

----------------------------------

“Looks like they’re retreating Sarge!” Private Langdon shouted as he pointed across the twisted wreckage that was the corner end of the Covenant dropship. When the two Marine companies had finally linked up, nearly two miles from the point when they were separated, Covenant dropships that had somehow survived the main cruisers crash landing, began doing strafing runs on the Marines. As they flew over they also dumped several loads of Flood infectious forms, which made the dropships a combined threat.

With the help of several Longsword squadrons however, the majority of the dropships had been shot down, or driven off to where they could do little damage. Under Johnson’s insistence they headed for the Covenant cruiser, as he felt it unlikely the dropships would fire on the ship.

Despite some concerns from the officers, Johnson’s idea paid off, and the dropships ended up simply crashing to the ground, as if they had suddenly lost control.

Now that we’ve got the easy part out of the way, its time to really mix it up with the Flood, Johnson smirked to himself, manually loading shells into the shotgun he had cradled in his arms.

At the moment the officers were discussing exactly what the plan of action should be. The specific orders given to them from Captain Keyes was to eliminate the Flood in the area, but also to check for whatever it is the Flood were looking for. Johnson was sure Keyes thought that perhaps it was the Ark, the Forerunner facility that 343 Guilty Spark had told them existed on Earth.

Working the action of the shotgun Johnson slung it around his shoulder, and looked down at the large attaché case he had been lugging around for over an hour since they left the Pelicans.

This sonofa-blam!- won’t be of much use out in the open, but it’d sure as hell wreck some havoc in close quarters. Now if only I can convince the officers to let me check out this ship myself.

After moving close enough to the small circle of Marine officers it took them a few minutes to acknowledge his presence, and when they did it was Captain Morallis that finally noticed him.

“Is there a problem Sergeant?” Morallis’ tone was neutral, but Johnson could tell he was annoyed. He didn’t blame the Captain either. Most officers didn’t much like having an enlisted soldier around, and one that had better intelligence on the situation than him.

“Sir I was just thinking, and I feel I would be of better service to this effort if I was given permission to check out this cruiser while the rest of the company continues on towards the epicenter,” Johnson said. He could read Morallis’ face as he contemplated Johnson’s request. Obviously having the Sergeant out of the way would make it easier for him to lead his troops, and he couldn’t really refuse him either. One quick talk with Captain Keyes and she’d be calling Morallis to tell him to let Johnson do what he felt was best.

  • 06.18.2005 4:47 PM PDT
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“You have a point there Sergeant, but I don’t want you going on your own. Take second and fourth squad from the thirteenth,” Captain Morallis ordered. “If you run into any trouble that you can’t handle give us a call and we’ll come back to assist.”

“Understood sir,” Johnson said, saluting. Morallis returned the salute and then turned around to address the two companies, who were scattered about the area watching for any signs of the Flood. Johnson heard the com channel for the battle net open up as Morallis began speaking to the troops.

“We’re moving out. The Flood seem to be gathering near the epicenter of the blast that wiped this city out, so that’s where we’re headed. Sergeant Johnson has volunteered to clear out the Covenant ship of any Flood that are lingering behind. I want second and fourth squads from the thirteenth to assist him. Everyone else, let’s move it on out.”

Private Langdon, who had done most of the fighting over the past hour with Johnson, approached the Sergeant with a grim look on his face.

“It would seem I’m not going to be able to get away from you just yet Sarge,” Langdon said sadly. “And here I had hopes of bravely battling the Flood over the ruins of this city, avenging the poor souls that died here.”

“Cut the crap Langdon,” Johnson said as he waved the remainder of Second and Fourth squad towards him. “I’ve got a feeling you’ll be getting more than enough action inside this ship.”

“Hmm, I should hope,” Langdon replied, his eyes slowly drifting down to the attaché case once more. “Unless of course if you plan of having all the fun yourself.”

Ignoring the comment Johnson explained the role the two squads would play to the others, and after hardening out the importance that they stay behind him at all times, he turned around to gaze up at the downed Covenant Capital ship. Before them lay a large crack within the foundation of the outer layers of the ships hull, which would grant them access to the insides.

Smirking to himself Johnson knelt down and opened up the large case he had been lugging around for so long. Apparently it was a source of curiosity amongst the troops as well, for the moment he opened it the two squads crowded around him to get a look.

The M7057 Defoliant Projector was a near relic in the UNSC. The flamethrower had first been developed nearly half a century ago when it had become necessary to burn the toxin-producing forests on the planet Eradanius. The weapon had also been designed in mind for the military as well, but no situation had as of yet given cause for its use.

“-blam!- Sarge, that thing is ancient. I thought you had some nice new machine gun or something,” Langdon protested. Sergeant Johnson looked up at him with a sneer.

“Boy you should understand sometimes the best weapons are those from our past. This little number may be old, but I bet the old girl still knows how to make her enemies scream,” Johnson said, his voice so cold it sent shivers down the backs of the other soldiers. With a jerk he pulled the Defoliant Projector free from the case and hoisted it into his arms. One hand held the rear grip, while the other held another located near the top.

The Defoliant Projector used volatile, semi-liquid adhesive that was ignited with a spark once the trigger was compressed. At this point a steady stream of flames would burst from the front nozzle of the weapon. The range of the flamethrower was not far, but inside the twisting narrow hulls of a Covenant ship, it would be deadly.

“If you soldiers are done gawking, how about we move into the ship?” Johnson asked as he shuffled towards the entrance they’d be using.

Immediately on entering the ship, Johnson knew he’d made the right decision. The large spores that had become synonymous with the Flood were littered about the area. Emergency lighting had been turned on, more than likely because of the crash landing the ship had suffered. With the low lighting, it would make seeing the Flood difficult, but as Johnson shifted the weapon in his hands slightly, he knew he’d be giving them more than enough light to see with.

----------------------------------

The pained breathing was all Jan could here as she ran, and it took her a few moments to realize it was her own. The Flood had been waiting for her, they laid a trap, anticipating her arrival. Three combat forms had been hanging from the ceiling, and even though their bodies were now twisted into the mutations that were present in all Flood possessed bodies, Jan knew who they were.

The Spartans had stood over two meters tall, much bigger than any other human combat form. The massive muscular builds they were known for gave them away the moment Jan saw them. Her shock had given the Flood-possessed Spartans a chance to drop down and attack. One of them had charged at her, and using the tentacle’s that had sprung forth out of it’s arm, swung at her.

Jan was aware enough to bring her arms up to block the attack, but even so, the strength inside the swing was enough to send her flying backwards, crashing heavily upon the floor. Her forearms felt as if they were on fire, and she was certain they had been broken trying to block the Flood’s attack.

Fear had given her the strength to turn and run, but she knew how fast the Spartans were, and they would catch her, but as she ran the only thought she could dwell on was the Master Chief. He would hate her for what she let happen to the only thing he considered to be family.

Compared to seeing his hatred for her, death was nothing.

Her legs had carried her down the twisting hallways, into an area she had no recollection of. Regardless she continued forward, casting her gaze behind her momentarily to see how close the Flood had gained.

The three combat forms were close, so close that Jan could make out the bandages that had once covered their bodies. Adrenalin flooded within her and she ran faster, her eyes darting back and forth for any sign of an exit that would let her escape. A heavy sliding door for a medical lab caught her eye and she raced towards it.

Whoever had last used it must have been in a hurry when the evacuation was sounded, because the door had been not been locked. As Jan raced towards it, the motion sensors picked up her movements and the doors slid open. The second Jan was inside she spun around and accessed the small computer panel that operated the door.

The automatic lockdown was activated at the last second, and the doors slammed shut just as the possessed Spartans slammed into it. Their hulking forms were thrown against it in rage and Jan slinked to the back of the room, tears running freely down her face as she cowered in the corner. Her body trembled as each slam against the door made her jump.

They’re going to kill me. That door can’t hold them forever. I’m going to die in here.

Pulling her knees up to her chest, Jan wrapped her arms around her legs and tried to shut everything out.

The feeling of something shifting inside her pocket snapped her back to reality. Slipping a shaking hand down into her pants she pulled a small device she didn’t recognize out. As she stared at it she remembered Sergeant Johnson’s last words to her.

The chatter! I can call him!

Activating the chatter Jan hurriedly called the preset number, cautionary relief filling her once more. The sounds of the device trying to link up with Johnson’s personal communications channel went off in her ear and she listened intently for his voice.

The sound of static and nothing else flooded her senses, and Jan stared down at the device in shock.

“It…it doesn’t work?” Jan said in disbelief. Trembling she activated the auto-dialer again, but once again she received nothing but static in return. Once more she felt her strength leave her, and the disposable chatter fell to the floor.

------------------------------------

Fire burned all across the deck. Flames licked and lashed out at the passing Marines as if Hell had reached up and torn the ship in two. The hulls inside the Covenant ship had been damaged on the crash landing, but Sergeant Johnson was wrecking far more damage than any crash could ever do.

  • 06.18.2005 4:47 PM PDT
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The two squads of Marines were huddled behind him, firing sporadic bursts of fire at any of the parasitic flood forms that Johnson’s flames hadn’t touched. Any glory of fighting off the Flood were soon forgotten, as the other Marines simply cowered and tried not to get caught up in the slaughter Sergeant Johnson was conducting.

The M7057 Defoliant Projector worked as well as Johnson had promised. The small infectious forms were burned to ash before they could come within fifteen feet of the group, and the large combat forms which Johnson informed them were Flood-infected Brutes, turned into flaming bon fires under Johnson’s careful direction.

Using the Defoliant Projector was difficult. The adhesive liquid that he used was capable of burning for up to three minutes after being ejected from the flamethrower. If Johnson didn’t use a steady hand, the stream of flames could potentially be fatal to himself.

Not sure if this regenerative -blam!- applies to burns as well, but I sure as hell don’t want to find out.

As the last screams of the Brute combat form died out Johnson eased up on the trigger of the flamethrower and for the first time in an hour the flames died out.

Turning around Johnson looked at the two squads of assembled Marines and smirked.

“Didn’t I tell you this old girl still had some life in her?”

The Marines smiled uneasily back at him, only Private Langdon scoffed at the Sergeant. Johnson turned back around and continued down through the damaged docking bay. He had removed the large, obtrusive helmet that Captain Keyes had forced him to wear, as shortly after entering the ship the Captain had called and she informed him that because of a Slip Space jump being performed by a renegade ship too low in the Earth’s atmosphere communications would be cut off and disrupted, probably across the entire planet.

Exiting the docking bay, Johnson felt another tendril of pain lance up his right arm. The concurrent discomfort that had been flashing throughout the limb ever since the Flood showed up had begun to make him uneasy, but he had written it off as simply left over problems from having his arm reattached in such an obtuse manner.

The corridor leading out of the docking bay bled off into a chamber, one Johnson recognized instantly. It was a near mirror image copy of the chamber he had been in on Honor Without Mercy. When he had fought the Flood leader and nearly died doing so.

Well, at least I don’t have to worry about that overgrown fly trap anymore.

“S-Sarge?” Langdon’s shaken voice cut through Johnson’s thoughts and caught his attention. Shifting Johnson looked over his shoulder to where Langdon and the other Marines stood in shock. Langdon lifted one hand and pointed shakily down into the shadows of the chamber.

“What is that thing?” he asked.

Feeling his heart begin to race, Johnson turned back, his eyes fixating down into the chamber.

No -blam!- way…

The long tentacles gave the creature away instantly, even before it’s voice carried down into the chamber, sending chills down the spines of everyone present.

“You have walked into your grave humans. Death is all you will find here, and I shall give it to you.”

“Bull-blam!-!” Johnson shouted, his hands clenching tightly on the flamethrower in his hands. “I -blam!- killed you!”

“Do you presume to know me human? I am not benevolent, had we met your life would have ended, and you would be consumed by us,” the creature said, tentacles lashing out down the chamber.

-blam!- not this again!

“Get the -blam!- out of here!” Johnson yelled at the other Marines as he dove to the side, evading the tentacles but slamming his shoulder into the ground painfully. Several of the Marines needed no inclination, and turned and ran from the chamber. Several of them remained however, including Private Langdon.

“I said get out of here!” Johnson ordered as he pulled himself to his feet.

“Screw you Sarge,” Langdon replied, his normally calm voice shaking slightly. “I’ve had enough of your glory hogging. This big sonofa-blam!- looks like he’ll put up a bit of a fight before he goes down, and I’ve been itching for some fun.”

Damnit, these jackass’s are going to get themselves killed!

Throwing caution to the wind, Johnson charged straight down the length of the chamber, heading straight for Gravemind.

“You possess our blood, human. What are you?” Gravemind asked Johnson, even as it lashed out once more at him.

Jerking to the side Johnson evaded the tentacles once more. He heard the protests from the Marines behind him but he continued on.

“I’m the sonofa-blam!- that killed you the last time we met in a place like this!” Johnson shouted. As he neared and got a full profile view of Gravemind he realized something.

What the hell? This thing isn’t even a third of the size that it was before.

“You’re a lot smaller than the last time. What’s the matter? Just cause you lost you had to put yourself on a diet!” Johnson yelled. He was within range now, and stopped his suicide charge, setting the Defoliant Projector in his hands and compressed the trigger.

Even as flames lashed out at Gravemind, the creature spoke.

“You are one of us human, and we are one as a whole. Your blood is mixed with ours. Now you will truly be one with the whole.”

Ignoring Gravemind’s words Johnson continued to spray the giant Flood leader with the Defoliant Projector. The pain inside his right arm blossomed, and Johnson lost his grip on the flamethrower, letting it clatter to the ground.

With a strangled scream Johnson felt his arm explode, and he stared at the mangled limb in disbelief as tentacles spewed forth, amber blood streaming from the torn flesh onto the ground. Shouting his disbelief Johnson fell to the ground, his good arm pounding into the deck floor repeatedly.

-blam!-! Goddamnit! How the hell is this possible!?

“The pain is to cleanse you, human. Embrace it and you shall be reborn.”

No way! No -blam!- way am I becoming one of these freaks!

Biting down hard on his lip, Johnson stopped his screams of pain and reached down to his leg with his left arm, ripping the combat knife free from its place. With a grunt he shoved it into his right shoulder up to the hilt. Blinding pain lanced through his body once more, and Johnson forced himself to stay conscious.

The flames the had spewed forth from the flamethrower when he dropped it lashed out at him, but he ignored them as he began sawing through his flesh.

“Jesus Christ, Sarge!” Langdon’s voice sounded behind Johnson, and through the fog in his mind he detected the sounds of assault rifle gunfire. As he worked the knife, cutting through the untainted flesh of his right arm, he could hear Gravemind shout it’s fury and begin to attack the other Marines.

The pain was unbearable, but Johnson continued to pull the knife downwards. As it connected with bone he nearly screamed once more. Steeling himself he raked the knife harder and faster through his skin.

“Sarge what the -blam!- are you doing!?” Langdon shouted, a moment before a tentacle smashing into his side. The sickening crunch of bone rang out and Langdon slammed into the ground, his assault rifle still in his grasp. The other Marines continued firing, but were soon overwhelmed by Gravemind’s attack, and were beaten to the ground, hard enough to shatter the deck floor.

With a final cry Johnson finally sliced through the last bit of flesh and watched as the twisted and mangled limb fell to the ground, tentacles twitching.

“An amusing gesture human, but irregardless nonetheless. You will be consumed by our fury. You will never carry out the Forerunners duty for you. The Ark will not be activated.”

The urge to vomit was strong, but Johnson fought it down and crawled through the flames towards the flamethrower. With only one arm it was difficult, and he had to steel himself not to scream out from the pain. He had just gotten close to the flamethrower when a lone tentacle wrapped around his waist and hoisted him up into the air. Johnson’s grip on the flamethrower loosened and it fell to the ground, bouncing along until it finally slid to a stop a few feet from the base of Gravemind.

“The Forerunners tried to contain us, but failed. They tried to destroy us, and failed. They tried to destroy our sustenance, but they failed once again. Now they are gone, and all that remains are their pitiful subjects. Be consumed by our acrimony.”

“We ain’t gonna let you take over,” Johnson said, his voice weak as he felt his blood drain from the wound at his shoulder.

“This is our purpose, and nothing you can do will change the course all will follow,” Gravemind said.

An explosion down below where Johnson was suspended in the air sounded, and Gravemind screamed in rage as flames suddenly erupted all over it’s body.

Johnson twisted around in Gravemind’s grip and saw that the spare canister tank for the flamethrower had exploded. Twisting around more he saw Private Langdon lying on the ground holding his assault rifle. Langdon glanced up briefly with his last bit of strength to stare at Johnson before collapsing lifelessly to the deck.

As Gravemind screamed the tentacle holding Johnson pulled back, and flung his away, down towards the other end of the chamber. He slammed into the deck hard, and skidded along the floor for several feet before coming to a halt.

  • 06.18.2005 4:48 PM PDT
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“This changes nothing human!” Gravemind’s voice shouted, so loud that Johnson felt pressure in his ears. “Your extinction will be carried out, and so will the destruction of the others. The Flood will hold dominion over the galaxy once more!”

Johnson climbed painfully to his feet, and watched the funeral pyre that was building over Gravemind, before turning and limping out of the chamber. He had gone no more than twenty meters when he heard an incoming call on his com channel.

Probably Captain Keyes, wondering what the hell is going on.

The voice on the transmission however, most certainly wasn’t Miranda Keyes.

*Sergeant Johnson?* Jan’s voice asked. He could hear whimpering in the background, and it was a moment before he realized that it was Jan doing it.

“Jan? What’s wrong?” Johnson asked, his fatigue and pain forgotten momentarily.

*They’re going to kill me, please, you have to help me!* Jan pleaded pitifully.

“Who’s going to kill you? Jan tell me what’s happening!” Johnson ordered.

*The Flood…they came. Oh God I’m so sorry. They moved through the hospital so fast I didn’t remember about the Spartans until it was too late. I hid but they found me.*

The Spartans? Johnson thought, confused, until he remembered that Fred, Will, and Linda were being held in the HighCom Facility hospital. -blam!-, the Flood got to them?

*Please you have to help me. They’re almost through the door.*

“Jan do you have a weapon?” Johnson asked earnestly.

*Yeah…* Jan responded.

“Then shoot them for Christ’s sake! Aim for the chest and fire. If you can kill them and hold off wherever you are I’ll be there soon,” Johnson said.

*I can’t!* Jan shouted. *I can’t shoot them!*

“Why not? Jesus, Jan you have to kill them or they’ll kill you!”

*He’ll hate me,* Jan said, her voice sounding like that of a child.

Johnson wasn’t sure who she meant at first, but then it became clear in an instant.

“Jan, the Master Chief is a soldier. He’ll understand…”

*No he won’t!* Jan protested. *They’re all he has left and I can’t take them away from him!*

“Jan the Flood have already taken them from him,” Johnson countered. “If the Master Chief was there he’d kill them himself. They’re not Spartans anymore, they aren’t who they used to be. You have to kill them, the Master Chief will understand, trust me.”

*I…I can’t,* Jan said, and in the background the sound of a large explosion could be heard. *Oh no…*

“Jan!?” Johnson shouted.

*They broke through the door!*

“Goddamnit Jan, shoot!”

----------------------------------

*Goddamnit Jan, shoot!*

Jan dropped the chatter and starred in horror as the three combat forms entered the medical lab. Her hands reached into her waistband and pulled the M6C handgun free and she shakily pointed it at the lead Flood form.

I can’t do it. I can’t kill them.

They spotted her cowering in the corner, and began to move straight for her position.

I have to do it…

Crack! Crack!

The lead combat form slammed into the ground, the rounds fired from the handgun had passed straight through the creatures chest, ripping the infectious form inside the chest cavity apart.

Shifting the gun to the right, Jan fired two more rounds into the other Flood-infected Spartan, and like the first, it to fell to the ground. The remaining combat form charged at her, and was within striking distance when Jan fired again. The lone round pierced the chest of the last Spartan and it crumpled down directly in front of Jan.

The handgun in her hands was dropped, and Jan stared at the fallen Spartans in shock. Slowly she dropped her head down onto her knees and began crying.

She had wanted to be a soldier, but never at the cost of the only thing in her life worth living for.

Janissary James sat, crouched in a medical lab inside a hospital located just outside of Sydney, Australia and cried, her spirit broken.

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The planet hadn’t changed at all since the last time he had seen it. The desert sand that covered nearly the entire planet was still around, and if pillars of fire and the corpses of other Prophets were strewn about, the landscape would be identical to the last time he had set eyes upon it.

The Prophet of Truth stood before the open bay door of the Forerunner ship and stared out at the sand covered landscape and felt fear travel up his body. He had left behind the hover chair he had come to use in his old age.

It had only been a few hours since the Forerunner ship had finally exited Slip Space, and allowed Truth to gaze upon the planet he had once called home. As the ship still remained in lockdown mode, he had watched helplessly as the ship headed straight for the planet and then proceeded to land.

The Jiralhanae and Kig-Yar had been sent out first, to scout the area to ensure that nothing was there. It was only after he had received word from all of the scouts that there was no other creatures in the area that Truth finally exited the Forerunner ship.

There is an evil here, one that will slaughter us all should we awaken it.

His withered body protested the action of moving about, but the Prophet of Truth was not so foolish as to use his hover chair out on the planet’s surface. He had ordered that any and all technological devices be turned off, and never used. The same went for their weapons. Truth knew that even the slightest hint of artificial power could have them be detected.

“Your eminence,” the Jiralhanae Captain said, gaining Truth’s attention. “What are your orders?”

“We shall move ahead for now,” Truth ordered, trying to keep the waiver out of his voice. “I want to be as far away from the Forerunner ship as possible.”

“As you command,” the Captain said, bowing low. He turned to inform the other Covenant members of the order when he stopped. Something stood upon the far sand dune on the horizon. He turned to point it out to the Prophet of Truth, but Truth had already seen it, and his body had frozen.

It cannot be, how did they find us so fast!?

Shrouded in robes that were thick and flowing, a lone creature stood on the far horizon, staring at the assembled Covenant members with curiosity.

The Jiralhanae Captain looked back at the creature in confusion, and then turned to the Prophet of Truth.

“Your eminence, what is that creature?” he asked.

“That,” Truth said, his voice dry and cracked. He cleared his throat, his eyes never leaving the figure that stood, watching them.

“That is a Forerunner.”

-----------------------------------

Author’s Notes: Well, this chapter took forever to write, but at least it got written. Nice and big right? Everyone likes those kinds of chapters.

So….any thoughts on the ending?

  • 06.18.2005 4:49 PM PDT
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Nice chapter, even though i haven't read it yet cause i wanted to say this before i did. i'll edit when i read it. Everyone has to stop double posting cause we could have this thread stopped because of it from what i remember. if you want to add something edit it. I don't mean any offence if you didn't know that.

  • 06.18.2005 5:21 PM PDT
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amazing chapter mr_clark...

i didn't see the spartans becoming flood form coming.
well i guess i didn't see much of that chapter coming


amazing

  • 06.18.2005 5:44 PM PDT

I share pies.

Wow....big...More cliffhangers...er, did I say big?

  • 06.18.2005 5:51 PM PDT

Gamertag and AIM : The An7i Flag

Proud Former Member of The Custom Gamers Clan.

Rember the days when people thought Halo 2 would come out on August 24th and DLC would come on Feb 9. Yeah those were the days.

NRS High School

My God. Ending I love.....A wounderful masterpiece. 100 out of 10. Well worth the wait. Now what happened in that Robbery?

[Edited on 6/18/2005]

  • 06.18.2005 5:55 PM PDT
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Best thing i have ever read!

Better than 10/10!

This goes up and beyond what i expected!

  • 06.18.2005 6:02 PM PDT
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Wow. Big is good. But, why? The Spartans died in there beds, not out in the field, fighting. They should have died in combat. Gravemind is back. But he isn't is he? It's another one. Also Forerunners? Yeah like the chapter wan't shocking enough. And all of it without any word from the Chief. That is what makes this chapter so special. Truly Magnificent. Bravo.

  • 06.18.2005 6:09 PM PDT
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I'm shaking

EDIT: Spartan Floods are scary. This chapter was too good...perfect length though. By the way, I sent you a friend request on XboxLive

[Edited on 6/18/2005]

  • 06.18.2005 6:16 PM PDT
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Great chapter, look forward for the next installment as always.

  • 06.18.2005 6:59 PM PDT
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Amazing. Simply amazing. I didn't see the Spartan transformation coming at all, it was totally out of the blue. Well, not totally, I should say. As soon as I read the part about her walking and the door being open and no one being in the beds, I knew what had happened. What I didn't know was that they were right behind her. :D.

Anyways, great job Mr_Clark. You never fail to deliver. You deliver very slowly, but that's okay, because you don't charge. :D.

Oh and another thing. Quite a while back you said that someone would be dying in this chapter that we wouldn't presume would happen, you were referring to the Spartans were you not?

And please this time for chapter 19 can you give us a rough estimate of how long it's going to be and how long it's going to take to write? I hate suspense, I just hate it.

Oh, and I forgot to ask. Where did you get the idea about forerunners being dressed in robes and stuff. Is it a theory on the forums, or did you read it somewhere, or did you make it up, what's the deal.

Either way, I love it! Damn Mr_Clark, I dare say I dare say I looooove you. Hahaha, but not in the 8===D(_(_| way.

  • 06.18.2005 7:06 PM PDT

Gamertag and AIM : The An7i Flag

Proud Former Member of The Custom Gamers Clan.

Rember the days when people thought Halo 2 would come out on August 24th and DLC would come on Feb 9. Yeah those were the days.

NRS High School

It's in another part of this story...

  • 06.18.2005 7:27 PM PDT
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Yes, the death of the Spartan 2.0's was what I was referring too. Plus the fact that it was Jan who ended up killing them was part of the surprise.

The Forerunner's state of dress is of my own creation. I keep them shrouded in robes so as to keep their identities secret, and what they truly look like under wraps so to speak.

Anybody wonder what Ackerson's up to?

Uhhhhhhh, the PM's have been sent I think, or at least the vast majority of them, aside from the ones that have read it already.

Now I shall collapse on my bed and sleep for 1000 hours.

  • 06.18.2005 7:55 PM PDT