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P.2
Katie put on her black combat suit, her vest over it, and her tactical contact on her right eye. She laced up her combat boots, and cocked her M6S SOCOM. Holstering the pistol, she pulled out a drawer.
Inside the compartment was a shining crescent moon blade. Its razor sharp points faced inward, making it a slashing weapon rather than stabbing. Katie and severed countless spines with the clean yet blood soaked blade.
Katie picked up the melee weapon, and slid it into a crescent sheath, clipping it in with a strap. Finally, she pulled the shotgun out from under her bed, and pumped it. Moving back to the door, she listened.
Katie tapped on the door panel, and the titanium barrier slid open. This was a dangerous position. She wasn't at the end of a hall, so the enemy could be on the left or the right. With her sonar watch in repair, she was extremely vulnerable.
The ONI officer leaned slightly out of the doorway, and swiveled her head both ways, nothing. Suddenly, she heard heavy footsteps coming from around the corner. She slung her shotgun on her back, and jumped into the air.
Grabbing onto a ceiling pipe, Katie pulled herself up and balanced, one foot in front of the other. Five elites walked by, cautiously glancing behind them every so often.
Katie decided it was best not to engage. She had been in worse situations and come out the victor, but it wasn't worth the risk. "You're like a damn cat up there." Jack whispered from below.
Katie dropped down, taking out her shotgun again. "At least I can do that."
"Alright, we can argue about this or go stop the Covenant from getting every piece of data in this base."
"Hey, don't turn the table like that because you started it." Katie said, giving Jack a poke on the chest.
"My apologies princess," Jack said, smiling, "Now, back to what's important. The Covenant jammed the electronics in here, so we can't initiate the Cole protocol. That means it's up to you and me."
"Then can I go harass Wallis?"
"If we get to him in time, sure thing scout." Jack patted Katie on the shoulder. She war rarely childish in combat situations, but she had been fighting a lot lately, more than usual. It seemed that the more she fought, the more childish she got.
The two headed down the hallway opposite of the one the elites took, and headed for the intelligence center. "So what are we going to do?" Katie asked.
"Well, they jammed the electronics, so the only way to get rid of all that data is-"
"Blow it up."
"As usual." Jack commented, checking the next corner. Turning it, they reached the elevator. "Watch my back." He said, tapping in commands on the panel. The shaft doors opened, and a broken elevator screeched down, shooting sparks everywhere. "Great."
Jack was looking down the shaft when he heard Katie fire her shotgun, and the howl of elite. "Jack," She fired her shotgun again, and another yell was heard, "Whatever you're planning on doing, do it fast."
"Okay." Jack wrapped one arm around Katie, and jumped into the elevator shaft.
"Oh sh1t!" Katie shouted in surprise. Jack grabbed onto the shaft's cord, and held it tightly. He winced as the metal rope tore through his glove, and started to burn his skin. He gripped it tightly, slowing them down. When they reached the bottom, he released Katie, sat down on the wreckage of the elevator, and took a look at his hand. Katie shook her head. "If that was your idea of elevator sex, then you've got a serious problem."
"Would you shut up?!" Jack scolded, standing up, "I just burnt my palm down to the fucI<ing bone!" Katie went silent, and looked at Jack's hand. He wasn't exaggerating. Blood poured from his shaking hand. He tore a piece off of his black fatigues, and tied a tourniquet around his wrist.
"Jack, look up." Jack turned his head upward to see four glowing balls falling down the elevator shaft.
"Get in the corner." Jack commanded. Katie moved back into one of the corners of the shaft, and Jack picked up a large plate of metal from the smashed elevator. Holding it at an angle, he deflected the plasma grenades, sending them right at the titanium door to the bottom level of the ONI base.
The plasma grenades detonated, and blew the elevator doors open. The two soldiers stepped through. A different alarm sounded, and their hearts sank. They had found a way to detonate the base. Right when things seemed hopeless, a spark lit up in Katie's eye. "I know what to do. There's too much data in this base to throw away. We need to collect it before the base explodes."
"The systems are frozen, there's nothing we can do."
"If I unfreeze Wallis, I think we can delay the self destruct, and unfreeze all of the systems. It's that, or die." Without waiting for a response, Katie sprinted down the hallway towards Wallis. Jack followed, barely able to keep up with her. He saw her turn the next corner, then jump back as plasma flew her way, splashing against the wall.
Katie drew out her shotgun, and blew a hole in the first elite to turn the corner's chest. The next elite, clad in green armor, was smarter. It rolled forward, causing Katie to miss. When it ended its roll, it swept its leg under Katie's, sending her to the ground. Before it could fire its plasma rifle into her head, Jack opened up on it with an assault rifle.
The elite's shields flickered, then failed. Once down, the weapons full metal jacket rounds tore through the alien's chest plate, shredding its flesh. Jack helped Katie up, then checked the corner. "Watch your corners next time."
Katie slipped some more shells into her M90 shotgun, and gestured for Jack to follow. Cautiously they advanced down the hall. Katie stopped at the door separating them from the smart AI Wallis. She pressed her palm against a pad, and scanned her eye. Access Denied. She rammed the butt of her shotgun into the hand panel, and tinkered with the wires. When she finished, she moved on to the retinal scanner. "This one might take a little while."
"I don't think we have a little while." Jack said, listening to the noise of oncoming covenant forces from both the left and right.
"Make time then."
Jack hated it when Katie acted superior to him. He wished she would pick one personality and stick with it. However, that wasn't the issue at hand. Jack pulled out his SMG, holding it to the right, and his assault rifle to the left. "This is suicide Katie." Before Katie could reply with a guaranteed snide remark, Grunts poured into view.
Jack opened fire, sending bullets towards both mobs. Blood spattered the finished walls, giving them a blue spatter paint. Jack winced as he held the trigger down on his SMG. His mutilated hand struggled to keep a hold of the weapon as it fired, causing horrible inaccuracy. "Almost." Katie said calmly.
"Almost isn't good enough!" Jack shouted as his guns clicked.
"Got it." The two ran into the room, and Katie locked it behind them. The chamber was a small, circular compartment with a transparent cylindrical stand in the middle. Metal rods and wiring filled the inside. Katie moved to the cylinder, and tampered with its control panel. "I'll need your help with unfreezing Wallis, Jack."
With great hesitance, the man turned away from the titanium door that was rumbling as the enemy struck it. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"
"I need you to break the panel open. I'm not strong enough for this one."
"I thought you were going to let me do something other than shoot for once."
"That'll be the day I let you kiss me."
Jack slammed the butt of his MA5C into the panel, denting it, "I only tried that once," He hit the panel again, and it popped off, "And I was drunk as hell."
"Yeah, and when I ducked out of the way you threw up on Ackerson." Katie grinned at Jack's embarrassing memory.
"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Jack stated as he watched Katie's deft fingers move amongst wires and circuits, "The ONI has a party here once every two years. I was enjoying myself." It brought some relief to Jack to see that she had dropped his outburst of anger. The last thing they needed now was a grudge.
"I bet you enjoyed projectile vomiting the Colonel."
"Matter of fact, I did."
"No objections to that." Katie said, furrowing her brow at the circuits.
There was a small zap of electricity, and Katie pulled her hand away, placing the tip of her shocked finger in her mouth. The transparent cylinder glowed blue, and a scholarly looking avatar appeared on the holographic panel resting on the top. "My deepest gratitude Ma'am." He said in the voice of an erudite, pushing his glasses further up on his nose, and righting his jacket.
Katie ignored is thanks, and went straight to the problem. "How much time to we have until this place blows?"
"About nine seconds."
"Delay it now!"
"Just how long?" Wallis asked calmly.
"Fifteen minutes." Katie replied.
"Done."
"Good. Now, can you unfreeze the systems?"
"Yes, and I already have." Wallis's voice was full of satisfaction, "In addition, I have gassed this floor's halls, filtered the air, and prepared a virus that will decrypt the data in the data center. I can't collect the data from here, so I'll need you to take me there."
Katie's face was full of confusion and amazement. "How did you know we were going to do that?"
"Because Ma'am, through all of the quality time we have spent together, I have learned quite a bit about you. One thing being that you never quite give up."
[Edited on 06.09.2010 9:56 PM PDT]