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Hotel California: Part 2: Risky business
Posted By: PeterPiperArbiter
Date: 27 June 2005, 4:58 pm


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Two marines were communicating with hand signals, hiding in the bushes near the entrance of the hotel grounds.
             "Stay silent, lay low."
             "Roger that."
There were a few Warthogs in the parking hall, two Gauss and three Gatling. Two Scorpion -tanks were hidden also in the underground parking lot.

      The Phantoms came closer and closer, they went over the rooftops swiftly like hummingbirds, they circled around the city as if looking for something. Two of them left almost as suddenly as they came, but one stayed behind a while longer. It left though, headed south like the other two. But without a doubt it left a few enemy troops in the town also.
      "Whew. Now I can breathe again..." private Gillis sighed in the bushes.
      "Shouldn't we send a team to neutralize the enemy?" private Lufkin, also in the bushes, asked.
      "Didn't you read your manual? No, no team is sent until the enemy is identified. Well, ok, one team, scouting team will be sent to investigate.. But we don't attack them, we don't want to get more attention before we get more manpower over here.. They'll just have to come here if they are up for an ass-whooping." Gillis said, and grinned while gripping on to his battle rifle.


Sergeant Banks, pvt. Terry and private Lathe were assigned for the scouting patrol.
      "Keep your eyes open, never walk in the middle of the road and avoid getting in to trouble. That's now your motto, move it!"
      "Aye aye, sir."
Banks took the lead, Terry behind him and Lathe as the last in "line", they moved up street by street. Then, after they had walked for about a kilometre away from the hotel, Banks stopped and turned to face Terry and Lathe.
      "Now listen carefully and listen good. We're now about 500 metres away from the point where the Phantom stopped. They are most likely somewhere near by now, unless they came down here just to take a nap. So we'd better be ready to jump in some cover any time possible." he whispered.
Speak of the Devil, and it jumps up behind you. Ghost. You could hear it.
The small band of brothers became understandably nervous. There was one place in the immediate vicinity where you could hide; the local museum's entrance was only five metres away.
      "Just hope the door isn't locked..."


It wasn't.
Banks watched from the corner of the glass door, rest of the men holding their breath, as the Ghost slowly glided past them. More followed, there was a team of Elites also on the move, most of them had dark blue and black armour, but the leader had almost ghost-like, menacing but yet astonishingly beautiful white armour.
      "Well this isn't good.." Banks said, and then looked at the two frightened men behind him.
      "I know you're afraid, but for the name of our Lord, get a grip. At least for that long that we can get this information back to the HQ."
Feeling a bit more secure, Lathe was just about to raise his voice when Banks hand signalled that two enemies were approaching, evade at all costs. Terry signalled back that there was an exit about fifteen, twenty meters behind them.
      "Move. Be ready."
Banks continued signalling, before they started to run at the door. Lathe was the first to reach the door, readying himself to grab his pistol; he twisted the doorknob and stepped outside. He didn't see or hear anything unusual, at least not before a glowing plasma sword hit him in the stomach, after that tearing him neatly in half. The heat sealed the wound instantly and he was alive - he screamed in agony a few seconds until his head was crushed by a hit on the head. The Elite watched his plasma rifle, now partially covered in human secretion, mostly blood.
      "Kaew." it said.


      Banks saw all this from the doorway and even though he was a battle hardened soldier, he just stood there and looked with a stunned expression at the Elite. The alien looked back, readying itself for another kill. As it started to lunge its weapon of terror at Banks, there was a silent sound. A pin dropped on the floor. As the sword went right through his heart and in this gruesome act the Elite was almost standing on his chest - on air - there was a short silent moment. Then they both were coated with expanding air and fire. The Elite's shield dropped instantly and it flew like a rag doll almost ten meters back. It was already dead before hitting the ground.


Terry had ran for cover in the bathroom, and he knew he was violating orders of radio silence but the others would have no chance unless he'd warn them.
      "This is Private John Terry to any UNSC forces who can hear this. Rest my reconnaissance team has been wiped out, there's confirmed information on invading Covenant forces. At least one white armoured Elite, and uncertain number of dark blue and black armoured Elites. I'd estimate that there's around ten of them..." Then the message ended, as the hand using the radio was cut off from its owner.





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