HALO: Missing In Action - Chapter 9: Late Witnesses
Posted By: Hikaru-119<hikaru119@email.com>
Date: 9 February 2003, 11:38 pm
Read/Post Comments
|
The dropships crossed paths. Garrsion's was swerving back and forth.
" Sir incoming dropship!" Angel yelled over the radio. Johnson went into the cockpit of the drop ship and saw the pelican. He switched to his radio.
" Fire Team Tango to unknown UNSC dropship. Please come in." he said. No response. He repeated the message. Garrison's pelican leveled out and set down. Angel went to the pelican and landed just fifteen meters away from it. Tango 756 emptied its troops and they all went to the other dropship.
Taylor looked in the back. He saw the marine in the back. He had a death grip on his MA5B. Also he was shuddering and rocking back and forth. Taylor talked to the marine, but the man gave no response. Taylor turned around.
" Sir he's jacked up. Something must of scared this man to death." Johnson nodded seeing the marine's condition. He had him pulled out and was being interrogated by a few of his men. Johnson and Mclean climbed in the pelican. They went into the cockpit and saw Garrison. He was an even bigger mess.
There was vomit on his uniform and a touch of blood was leaking from his forehead. Garrison looked over to the two of them and removed himself from the cockpit.
" What is your problem?" Mclean asked. Garrison just rambled on with words barely understandable. He kept repeating the same thing several times.
" Like rain...too many.. a swar swarmmm...flo floo flood of the the them. All gone." he said. Garrison vomited again.
" Something is definitly wrong," Johnson said. He activated his radio. " Angel raise the outpost for me."
" Yes sir. Attempting communications link now." she responded. He waited a minute for her to make contact. " Sir I have nothing." He thought of this and went looked back at garrison and the marine. They were still the way they were when they found them.
" Angel prepare for lift off. I'll take half the team you take the other half. We'll meet up at the outpost." Johnson said. He entered the dropship and turned aroun. " Taylor you , Garrison, and half of you go with Angel. The rest come with me." With that he entered the pilot's seat. They lifted off and went for the outpost.
It wasn't a very long flight. When they had arrived they saw what was left. The entire outpost was a wreck. A warthog was blown to bits, spent ammo casings were everywhere, and the earth was soaked with blood. The dropships set down and the group exited out carefully.
They examined the area. The occasional rifle was found, but no bodies were present.
" Sir." Jacobs said.
" What?" Johnson replied.
" This is too damn odd. It's just like the Covenant outpost we examined. No bodies, few survivors, and an area left in ruins. Have any idea what happened?"
" No clue." Johnson frowned. " Jacobs you know how to drive an M808 Scorpion?"
" I've got a level two qualifaction. You want me on it?"
" Yeah you and Taylor get aboard. You drive. I want four volunteers on that beast." Jacobs and Taylor made there way to the tank. " I have a bad feeling about this. Just doesn't make sense."
They opened the main hatches. Blood was spilled on the seats and panels. They got in anyway and powered it up.
" Watson." Johnson said.
" Sir?" he responded.
" You and two others get that warthog up and ready. I need as much armor up and running. I don't know what happened here and the only people who do are braincases."
" Yes sir be right on it." Watson said. Watson snagged Jacobs and Samarant. They got on the remaining warthog and brought it over to the lieutenant. " Ready to go when you are sir." Johnson nodded and went to the scorpion.
" Mount up. We're moving out." he ordered. His men did as he said and he turned his head to a nearby marine. " Grab Garrison and put him on T-756. You go with him." He then whistled and snapped his fingers. " Jacobs and Gordon!"
" Sir!" they replied.
" You two got air support. I need rocket and sniper support up in the air." They acknowledge his order and took the outer most two seats on Tango 756. " Take us out Taylor." With that the scorpion went off through the jungle.
Wood splintered as it rode through the foliage. It wasn't long until they were out. There was a massive valley with little foliage. There was something else in the distance as well. It sould barely be seen. There were two yellow arcs coming out of it. In the dropship the radar alert sounded.
Angel looked down and saw the entire forward section was filling with red. Her eyes bulged and looked up. With the night vision on she could see the arcs. They were flames.
" Sir we've got a problem." she said with fear.
" What have you got?" Johnson asked. As he did he heard a massive roar and the air shook. " Angel what the hell was that!"
" Sir it looks like a Covenant starship!" she said. They all heard what she said and their faces dropped. A flash came from the ship and another trail of fire was visible from the bottom. The shockwave reached them and then the sound of an explosion. The arcs then went downward and the ship was crashing. " All drivers full stop!" Johnson ordered. They slammed the brakes and the vehicles came to a stop. They watched as it slowly came down and then it hit.
The ground jolted violently and the ship slid for a mile. When it stopped several more explosions happened. They all watched the spectacle. Johnson's mouth then twitched into a smirk.
" Taylor you thinking what I'm thinking?" he said.
" Finally a real fight." Taylor responded.
" Good." Johnson reactivated his radio. " Angel we're gonna check it out. Allow us to move up ahead and then catch up. It should take us twenty minutes to get there. We're gonna see what happened."
|
