- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
"Every night I... I just see it like it's happening... All the blood, all the screaming. I don't want to remember it but I do. I have to choke the fear in my throat, tell myself it's all over. But it's not. I can never stop fighting for Earth... for myself. Please... If you can, just make it... make it go away."
"Sh**! They're shelling us again!" James shouted. A giant blue ball of plasma collapsed over the street in front of him. Rubble blasted through the air, forcing him to shield his eyes. He thought he heard someone whimpering but there was no time, the Covenant were going to break through their wall any second. A brute rounded the corner. Stared in shock at James' shotgun and, nevertheless, charged forward. He fell away, his gibs splattering the ground as James pumped his shotgun again. He heard the whimpering again and turned to look. A soldier, a rookie by the looks of it, was crawling towards him, both of his legs twisted and mutilated. "Sir... sir I still hear the pounding in my ear, please just get me out of here. Please!"
The medical 'Hog slowed to a halt in front of the legless private. He gave a look of relief as the carried him away on a stretcher. "Sir, Wraiths are pushing up on our northern defense, we've lost our rocket squad and the Scorpions are handling the Phantom invasion to the south," Corporal Ronald whimpered, with a look as though he had just received a heavy blow to the stomach. "Well then, we have no choice but to fall back," James paused, "Radio command and tell them to send a MAC round straight down here, call all forces in the area back to the city line." "Sir, yes sir!"
An hour later...
"Where's that f***ing MAC round?!" James screamed. He wrestled a Brute off of him and fired into it's head. "We hear you Commander, but the Covenant Destroyers have obliterated our MAC weapons, your own your own for this one, Control out," a click came on James' helmet. "EVERYONE FALL BACK, NOW!" The soldiers yelled and ran backwards, firing behind their backs. They came to rest behind a hill. "Alright, here's what's going to happen. Ronald, Omar, you come with me, the rest of you go in the front door. Affeit, you're in charge." "Sir if you don't mind my asking, why just the three of us?" Omar asked. "Because, we're going to deliver a surprise through the backdoor."
James held up his hand to stop his squad. "Hold up, I hear Brutes. At least two, hold your fire until we have a vantage point." He turned the corner lightly and tip toed forward. He creeped up behind the nearest Brute and removed his Combat Knife. He shoved his hand into its mouth to muffle its screams and slit its throat. His squad followed suit and eliminated the rest of the Brutes. "Sir, Wraih battalions are attacking our soldiers on the front line, 70 casualties," Ronald whispered. "Let's get up behind them and take them out."
"Sh**, what is this stuff?" Omar whispered as they passed a stack of gleaming tanks of plasma. "I don't know, but stay away from-" The grunting of two Brutes halted James' sentence. They crept behind a wall and watched at what the brutes did. They walked torwards the giant plasma tanks and pulled on a handle. The tanks moved with ease and they were carried away from sight. "Alright, let's get to the Wraiths"
"THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG! I REPEAT, COVENANT FORCES USING SOME UNKNOWN DEVICE TO INCINERATE US! WE NEED TO BE EXTRACTED!" Ronald shouted into the radio. "Roger that, we are are en route to evacuate you. Stand by," A staticy voice came over the radio. A blue pulse burned over the horizon, a deafening shock wave echoing through the air. The UNSC Raider slowly came into view in the sky. Pelicans dropped out of the bays and sped towards the ground.
"Glad that's over!" Omar sighed, looking out the window. Shells were still bombing the city and Pelicans were trailing out of the sky. The blue shocks still rebounded through the atmosphere."We are now docking, please remain seated." James was glad to be back away from the battle. Soon he would be resting in the Cryo-Tube peacefully...