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A Spartan's Path - chapter 4
Posted By: Myth
Date: 4 December 2003, 3:27 PM


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A Spartan's Path
-Chapter 4



       Staff Sergeant Jarred Douglas trudged up and mounds of sands on the beach head, his assault rifle barked as it peppered a Hunter's venerable back side. The beast fell and a Brute charged him. Douglas dropped the AR and put his shotgun into action. The M90 buckled as it gave the Brute a spread fire round in the face and neck. Jarred continued up the beach, jumping into artillery made foxholes, and popping up and slaughtering Covenant troops. The Sergeant led the assault up the beach head with only the Spartans ahead of him. Jarred dumped the shotgun dry and donned again his AR again. Private Xavier jumped up next to him, firing a standard issue assault weapon. The two marines advanced steadily and finally came to the end of the beach. The staff sergeant looked over his men to see none lost. Two pelicans swooped down. One dropped a M41 LRV assault vehicle, the other a troop carrier, with a mounted 30mm gun above the cab. Myth took the passenger seat in the assault hog and Ghost took the gunner position in the troop carrier. The second dropship then released a fresh squad of marines. The team was under command of Lance Corporal Gerick.
* * *
       Private Reline was only inches away from death, though he could vaguely make out plasma and bullet fire coming from outside the chamber. Most, if not all of Peter's face was drenched with blood, the bodies of his squad had been removed, but their blood still stained the devices. Then things looked up, the familiar roar of a LRV's engines growled outside, he heard the death call of several Elites, and then the explosion of the main door. The Golden armored Elite ran inside, he activated his plasma saber and Peter felt the warmth come closer until it was unbearably hot.
* * *
       Myth burst through the door of the Forerunner detention center to see an Elite ready to behead a captured marine. Myth's rifle raged as the golden armored commander fell under a steady tidal wave of bullets. Peter looked up to see a Spartan standing over him, MA5B at ready. Peter gave the soldier a brief smile and slipped into a coma. Myth emerged from the death chamber, the unconscious marine slung over his shoulder. Two marines knelt and covered him with their MA5Bs. Ryan set the marine into the troop carrier 'hog and it sped back to the LZ. Sergeant Douglas was covering his six while Myth trudged up the hill. The landing dock was held by four black clad Hunters. 417 showered the first with his assault weapon, seeing the well aimed rounds puncture the leathery orange skin. Its bond brother charged, swinging its shield like a massive club, the bulk smashed into Myth. Xavier and three other marines stood cover for the Spartan, seeing him smash into the tree next to him, which broke its roots and crashed to the ground. Ryan slowly brought himself to his feet, braking out his shotgun, seeing his AR bent and battered from the bash. Jarred rolled out from behind a rock and let loose a fury of assault rounds. Another noncom appeared and fired the tube of the M19 SSM rocket launcher. The Hunter disappeared into a shower of thick orange blood and warm meat. Ryan charged forward, hurling twin fragmentation grenades, distracting the aliens. Xavier and his men finished them with their weapons. Myth slowly slid extra shells into his M90 and proceeded into the complex. The hallway was short, but harbored some shotgun rounds and a brace of plasma weapons in the back. Also Ryan discovered two glowing green doorways...they seemed to have but solid wall behind through. Myth held his breath and entered the door...
* * *
       Rana 'Ralozee several commands to the main computer, hoping that he wasn't too late. A covenant war team consisting of 98 covenant soldiers entered the library, searching for the remainder of the Flood to gain total control of this ring, contact with that team was lost seventeen hours after their departure... Ralozee new the risks of the Flood, and if they escaped from library, which to no doubt of Rana's they would, the ring would fall to the Flood. Ralozee was even more worried that 565 Guilty Spark would find his "Reclaimer". He had to destroy Halo...
* * *
       Myth felt his body being torn to pieces and pasted back together within a fraction of a millisecond. Ryan 417 was now on the top of the island, looking onto the vast expanse. Two Banshees sat in front of him and two more of the attack craft on the opposite platform. Myth sprinted across the grassy plain, and then stumbled upon the entrance to the control center.
* * *
       'Ralozee typed in the second-to-last command when the main door began to open. Rana continued to type, pushing away the reality of a fresh wave of Covenant soldiers taking his life. The key was inches from his hand when an ice blue plasma steak whizzed centimeters from his skull. A fuel rod caliber gun wielding Grunt charged, Ralozee grabbed the gun with the Grunt still attached and fired the weapon dry into the mob. The Grunt made a accidental move and shot the weapon at the floor, killing himself and throwing Ralozee over the control panel. Even while Rana fell, he knew he had accomplished his mission, Halo would be destroyed and that was his mission, he knew the Flood would escape if he did anything else to stop them.
* * *
       Myth felt a slight wobble as what seemed to be something akin to the island sinking. "Holy Crap, let's get the heck outta here!" a marine screamed as he felt water begin to wash over his boots. "Granted, Myth said emerging again from the teleporter. The marines killed off most of the Covenant, and humped it back to the LZ. Corporal Gerick stood in knee deep water with the rest of his squad. Private Reline laid on the stretcher out of reach of the water. "Spartan 417 to Lieutenant Finn, need three pelicans here ASAP, island is sinking, repeat sinking, need immediate evacuation on the double." Myth ordered into his boom mike. "Roger that Myth, on my way." Jack responded. The trio of dropships appeared a few minutes later leaving the marines now in waist deep water. The pelican lowered down as far as possible and the marines started to file in. Minutes later, the island exploded and shifted into the water. "What the heck is happening Lieutenant?" Myth called to the pilot. "Heck if I know, we gotta get out of here!"
* * *
       All of the islands on the ring had now sunken. The 113 remaining marines stood in sharp lines, a Spartan in front of each line. Several company sergeants and First Lieutenant Jake Conley stood straight, assault rifle cradled his arms began to address his troops. "Men, we've had notice of the UNSC battleship "Athens" in position to pick up escape crafts off the ring. Bad news is, the Covenant still have ships on the other side, many of the crafts won't make it....Ops personnel have determined Halo is going to explode, if we don't leave soon we won't be. Anyone not willing to take this risk, step down." Conley stated. No one did. "All right, I'm glad to hear it, good luck people..." he concluded. Myth assembled his Spartans after the briefing. "All right Spartans, store up on weapons and be ready to move...if anyone doesn't make it, don't slow down, if we do then we would be loosing two Spartans, you read me soldiers?" He asked. "Sir, yes sir!" they said unison. "Now let's move out, double time!" Ryan ordered. Marines scurried across the deck, jumping into Warthogs and loading weapons, though all knew their only chance of survival would be in the pilot's hands. Explosions erupted outside, along with giant earth quakes. Then the unthinkable happened, the Flood were back...

To be continued...
-Myth





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