Freddie's War: Chapter 5
Posted By: Jason Nash<rjnash@optusnet.com.au>
Date: 29 May 2005, 6:35 AM
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Don was cold. Very cold. The dark, dank cell he was locked up in had absolutely no heating or air-conditioning whatsoever, and only had a faint, dim light in the corner.
He could hear rain pattering down onto the roof of the building. A cold draft blew in from under the door and through the small grating in one of the walls.
A few hours had passed since he had been captured. He was quite sure that the Covenant didn't usually take prisoners, but after some thinking on the subject, he just considered himself lucky.
Don looked at his watch. He couldn't see it, so he moved his arm under the light. It was 1327 hours.
He had just finished his lunch of brown muck and stale water. Whatever had been in that stuff, it was making him feel drowsy.
Don got up, his legs aching underneath him. He moved over to the grating in one of the walls and tried to peek through, but he couldn't see anything.
He was too drowsy to try to break through the grating, so he slumped back down against the wall.
He sat there for another five minutes, and then realized that a rather large rock was digging into his back.
He got up and looked at the roc. It was sticking out from just underneath the wall. He bent down and yanked at it.
It moved only slightly. He yanked it again. It came out completely. Behind it was a small hole.
Figuring that that this may be his only means of escape, Don began digging at the hole with his bare hands.
Eventually, it became bigger enough for him to crawl through. He dived into it and started digging at the dirt that was in front of him. It opened up into a small tunnel with hand-built which lead deeper into the ground.
Don crawled through it. The tunnel was big enough for him to stand up. He got up and started walking. The tunnel twisted and turned, leading deeper and deeper underground.
"The attack has had to been canceled," Freddie said to all his troops who had gathered in the main tent.
"But what was Captain Bob talking about, exactly, sir?" Private John Flecker asked.
"He said he wasn't sure."
"Then how does he know about the planet?"
"There have been people on here before we came," Freddie explained, "Mostly the people who lived in the colony here that the Covenant attacked."
"What about this scientific research team?"
"They're coming tomorrow. I was told to send four of my troops, including myself, to accompany them. And I've already chosen who's going to accompany them. And those people are:
"Private John Flecker.
"Private CC Fletcher.
"Sergeant George Cooper. And I will be coming as well. Everybody else will have to stay here."
After everybody had left the tent, Freddie went back out to his tent to have a bottle of wine.
Meanwhile, waiting by a tall, pointy tree, Sergeant Greg Forsythe and two other Privates were on duty, watching for any Covenant that may try to attack.
Greg was a rather muscular man who done exercises every night and was good friends with Captain Bob Harris.
He pulled out a box of cigarettes and shoved a cigarette into his mouth and lit it. He puffed on it and noticed a number of rather bright lights speedily heading towards him. They were Plasma bolts fired from a Ghost which was also speeding towards them.
Greg dived towards the pointy tree as the Plasma bolts zoomed past and blew up an overturned Warthog which was behind them. The Ghost sped past them, its pilot throwing a Plasma Grenade as it drove past. The Grenade stuck on one of the Private's hair. He was ripped apart by a rather large explosion of Plasma.
Greg pulled out his MA5B Assault Rifle and pointed it at a Banshee which was flying over them. He pumped it full of hot lead, but it didn't really do much to the Banshee.
A whole lot of Elites suddenly ran up on top of a small hill in the middle of the valley and a hail of Plasma peppered the ground around Greg.
He discarded his MA5B for a S2 AM his dead Private had dropped and zoomed in on a Gold Elite which was holding a Plasma sword and heading the pack. He fired off four rounds, and the Elite fell, groaning, in a heap.
The other Elites all aimed for Greg. A whole lot of Plasma bolts headed towards him. Greg got up and began to run. A blast hit him in the leg. He fell forward; his S2 AM flying out of his hands.
He screamed in pain and anger and took out a Fragmentation Grenade and threw it at the oncoming Elites. The explosion sent two Elites flying forwards.
Greg took out an M6D and started shooting at the rest of the Elites, killing one. He then got up and started to limp his way back to the camp.
Freddie blasted an Elite with his Shotgun as it ran into his tent. Another one came in, but Freddie made short work of it.
His troops had been completely taken off guard by the Covenant's attack. His troops seemed to be faring well with the Covenant, but they were totally outnumbered and outgunned. It would be a hard fight.
Freddie stepped out of his tent as a Plasma Grenade landed next to him.
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