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Trapped Chapter 1: Gunned Down
Posted By: AngyHorizon<rennerma@alltel.net>
Date: 18 May 2005, 1:57 PM


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Three Pelicans and one heavily armored and well equipped pelican, known as a Gunship, are storming toward the towering city of Houston. Three days prior to these pelicans leaving the HQ in Conroe, a small group of six ODSTs, specially trained for reconnaissance, were dropped into the city for a three day reconnaissance mission. They gathered crucial intel that the Covenant have strengthened their forces on this city, a planned offensive was no longer an option unless they doubled the forces they had gathered, so a one pelican pick up would not be possible to extract the tired ODSTs.

0432 hrs. October 1st, 2554(Military Calendar)
Pelican 324, over Spring, Texas

     'With luck we wont encounter much resistance on the way there', thought Colonel Renner. With great luck we won't encounter resistance while getting the ODSTs out, but that is not gonna happen, he knew this for a fact. The Covenant reinforced their grip on Houston, even though they didn't really need to it would be suicide to try and take it now. It's a wonder that the ODSTs lasted three days there. "Turn off those lights on the under chaises, unless you want to be target practice for the Covenant flak cannons, pass it along to all the of the other pelicans", ordered the stern, menacing looking Colonel Renner. He grew up near Houston, so he was eager to take it back from the filthy Covenant.

As expected by the highly trained and well-experienced Colonel they were under heavy flak about eight minutes from the extraction zone. This was only the outer parts of the city, it will be one heck of a fight just trying to take this part of the city. The Covenant has set up barracks everywhere observed the Colonel.

"Pull up into the clouds, now", ordered the Colonel, he did not wish to linger the flak. Marines around him were holding on tight to what ever they could that was firm. As flak hit around them the aircraft shook violently, the Marine on the gun took his seat and strapped in. Even under the cover of darkness they still could hit with precision. When the other three Pelicans caught on that they would have to rise in altitude, it was to late for Pelican 325.They tried in vain to climb, but a flurry flak smacked into them. Blowing of most the armor on the right side, it would be venerable to anything that hit it, even a bird. It keep rising in altitude, but it was clear that the engines were shot dead. They had lost their orange glow, they were streaming out smoke now. The Colonel assumed it was lose speed and fall, although that thought was quickly discarded when the wings of the machine were engulfed in a huge fireball. Colonel shield his eyes, he hit himself in the face when flak shuddered their airplane. The plane shuddered violently, shaking out several of the marines in its hold, the plane fell along with the marines, none would survive the fall, none had a parachute, and if you did survive by having a parachute, would you really want to be in covenant hands.

Colonel Renner looked away, he could not bear to watch as his fellow Marines fell to their death. The three Pelicans that remained entered downtown. This was the largest part of Houston. It had towering skyscrapers, most of them relatively new. The black outlines on the dark horizon was discouraging. The extraction zone was on the roof of a smaller building lower in the city, more to deeper part in the city, which didn't make sense to the Colonel. He finally came to the conclusion that the ODSTs might not have been able to make it to a safer extraction zone. The building was four stories high and really wide, so it gave plenty of room for a Pelican to hover of it. Shades and Covenant small arms fire hit the lead Pelican and then the ones behind, nothing to serious, small arms plasma never really did much to the human machines.

Pelican 324, the one Colonel Renner was on, had room for the six ODSTs, the plan was to hold the rooftop for about one minute, and then jet out of the city with the ODSTs. 324 hovered over the roof, while the other Pelicans laid down cover fire for the men maneuvering on the roof. The Marines under Colonel Renner's command jumped out fired at the Covenant they could see. Fuel rods flew through the air, but most missed do to clumsy grunts.

"Oh crap, FUEL ROD, BAIL OUT", yelled the pilot as it struck the canopy of Pelican 454, the few Marines in it jumped in vain to reach the roof top. They fell the four stories to the ground, most were still alive most likely, just with broken bones. Any chance of them surviving was shot dead when snipers picked them off as they were lying on the ground in pain.

With only two Pelicans left, the Colonel had to hurry, the ODSTs came out of the service hatch to the roof and ran to the pelicans. More fuel rods came hurling toward the human. Pelican 324 and 367 were both damaged beyond flight, and fell. Pelican 324 crushed the roof of the building when it hit, as well as crushing a few unlucky Marines and ODSTs. The building began to collapse under the weight of the Pelican and the severity of the blow it received when the Pelican hit it.

Three smoking Pelicans and a crushed building lay in wake of the survivors. The Colonel lay there thinking 'how in the heck did I survive this and are there any other survivors'. With plasma still hurling through the air the Marines and ODSTs had to move out of there quick. "Every exit is blocked, the walls did fall like the rest of the building, we're screwed", yelled a Marine frantically trying to find a way out.

Through all the noise the Covenant couldn't hear of any life in the carnage, but they kept shooting just in case. "Shut up, there is a way out of here, come over here and help me move all of this rubble", ordered an ODST, one of two surviving ODSTs. Most of the survivors came and helped while some watched for Covenant deciding to check out the damage. As most of the rubble was moved a small hatch to the sewers became visible. The ODST ripped it open and ordered the first man to climb in and the next man. By the time the fourth person got in Covenant had surrounded the building and were firing in through the windows. Those still left on the left outside fired back, trying to trace where the plasma was coming from.

"Colonel, your next get in there now", ordered the ODST, the other ODST was all ready down in the sewer to instruct the Marines where to go. "No, let the rest of my boys get down there first, there is only two left". Just as he said this a fuel rod hit just in front of the Marines he had referred to and they flew back and were killed. Rubble from the explosion was flying through the air very fast, one piece nicked the Colonel in the arm and a little blood trickled down his sleeve, which was damp with sweat. More dust was kicked up by the explosion so the Colonel had some cover to get out

"Alright, you're the last one, get down here now", ordered the ODST, who was climbing down the hatch. Plasma grenades were tossed in the structure and Colonel got in the hatch just as they set off. Elites ran in to finish off the remainders, but there were none.

"Where do we go now", asked the tired Colonel gasping for breath.

To Be Continued...





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