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Suicide Run
Posted By: Nick Kang<digitai430@yahoo.com>
Date: 28 April 2004, 12:31 AM
Read/Post Comments
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Author's Note: This story tells of the crew on the Warthog that the Chief gets on in the E3 Demo. I was trying for 'the best vehicle warfare on the fanfic section'. It may get a little repetitive at times, but that's because this is the longest FF I've ever written (pathetic, huh?) , and I was running out of words to use. Hope ya like it,
NK
Suicide Run
2200 HOURS (HUMAN MILITARY TIME)
DECEMBER 12TH, 2552 (HUMAN MILITARY CALENDAR)
NEW MOMBASA CITY, EAST AFRICA
CURRENTLY UNDER COVENANT SIEGE
"Yeehaw!" yelled First Class Private Matt Clark as the Warthog bucked over a dead Jackal. Bones crunched under the several ton vehicle.
"Don't get too excited Clark! Plenty more bastards to kill!" yelled Lance Corporal Krieg McDonald from the gunner platform.
"Might as well celebrate now before we all die!" yelled Major Aaron Ferenzo as he swerved to avoid the hulk of a gutted Ghost. The Warthogs right side lifted slightly from the tight turn. McDonald threw his fist in the air and gave a 'whoop' before the tires touched back down on the duracrete.
"Look there!" Ferenzo yelled, pointing to an overshadowed street corner where a pair of Jackals were picking at a corpse. Clark swiveled around to face the creatures. Their glowing energy shields made them an easy target. He squeezed the trigger several times. The muzzle flashed and spat out lead death at the two aliens. The first one fell from pinpoint accuracy, a bloody hole placed neatly on it's forehead. Clark was amazed with himself. It was nearly impossible to get a headshot from the passenger seat of a moving Warthog.
The second Jackal turned to face the speeding vehicle, moving the shield to cover it's body. It stuck it's plasma rifle out one of the side slots and fired a shot. Clark flinched as the plasma melted through a millimeter of the Warthog's side armor. McDonald turned the turret around and squeezed the trigger. A flash of blue light enveloped him, and the cannon spat out a glowing blue projectile. The Jackal exploded, sending dismembered body parts and gouts of purple blood everywhere.
"Gotta love that Covie technology!" he yelled as purple blood dripped down his crooked nose.
Ferenzo turned the corner, where another Warthog was engaged in fighting a Covenant Ghost. This Warthog was equipped with a regular LAAG, instead of the plasma gauss cannon that Clark's sported. McDonald fired once again and the Ghost exploded in flashes of blue and yellow. The radio crackled on.
"Thanks for the help, we needed it!" it reported, "We've gotten reports from Alpha base that the Master Chief and a dropship full of ODSTs are storming through the city! They've already liberated Alpha Base of Covenant presence! We need to provide cover for him when he makes it onto the stree—"
"I thought all the Spartans were dead! I thought they all died at Reach!" Ferenzo yelled into the microphone.
"Apparently not, sir! The Chief and his ODSTs appeared on a dropship and kicked the Covenant's ass! The bastards are already retreating from Alpha Base! The Chief should be hitting the road around...here!" Clark's uni-HUD lit up and a map of the city appeared in the corner. A section pulsed red, right where the street and an alley met. It was several miles ahead of their current position.
Ferenzo looked at the map for a moment and yelled into the radio:
"Roger that, following your lead!"
"Acknowledged, Private Andrew Saveela out!" the radio snapped off.
Ferenzo lowered the gas pedal more as the driver of the other Warthog, Private Saveela, accelerated down the street. As Saveela's Warthog turned the corner, a pair of Ghosts shot out of a nearby alley and opened fire.
"Incoming!" Ferenzo yelled, a hint of fear in his voice. Clark triggered a plasma grenade and tossed it at the two vehicles. It was a centimeter off and missed the wing of the first one, but exploded and sent the second Ghost sprawling through the air. It landed upside-down and slid along the duracrete street, shooting sparks into the sky and filling the night air with the sound of screeching metal. The Elite driver spilled off in it's own puddle of blood.
The second Ghost made a steep turn to avoid the grenade and continued pursuit of the speeding Warthog. McDonald turned the gauss cannon around and pulled the trigger. Clark heard an explosion behind them and the sound of a wailing Elite filled the air. The Ghost had been destroyed before it could even steady it's aim to take a shot. Ferenzo violently turned the steering wheel and the Warthog swerved around the corner. Saveela's Warthog was waiting there, the corpses of a squad of Grunts littered the area. Glowing blue blood was spattered across the intersection. Upon their arrival, Saveela's 'Hog took off down the road, leaving a pair of black tire marks on the street. Ferenzo floored the gas pedal and the Warthog fishtailed as it regained momentum and took off in a brisk pursuit of Saveela. Clark kept his battle rifle pointed forward as the Warthog sped smoothly down the street.
The next five minutes were uneventful. Clark was beginning to grow bored, and was caught off-guard as a pair of Creeps escorted by four Ghosts exploded from an alley. Clark yelped in surprise and fired random shots at the lead Creep. The Grunt gunner screamed and toppled out of the turret mounted on top of the transport bus. The five combat-functional Covenant vehicles opened fire. Plasma came at them as thick as rain. It melted the armor in some sections of the Warthog, and left blue-tinted scoring on the scuffed and battered vehicle. Clark pulled the pin of a frag grenade and threw it as hard as he could towards the Covenant convoy. It sailed through the air emitting small sparks before clanking onto the ground next to one of the Creeps. The lead Ghost's driver swerved and drove over the grenade just as it went off to protect the transport buses. The Ghost flipped and landed on top of the Creep, denting the armor and killing the plasma turret gunner.
Clark heard McDonald firing the gauss cannon repeatedly, but Ferenzo was driving too fast and recklessly to give him a chance to steady his aim. Blue plasmatic explosions dotted the street every time he missed. By now an Elite had dangerously climbed up the lead Creep and had manned the turret, and wasted no time in firing. Purple-pink plasma bolts turned the street to glass around them. It was a miracle the three of them were still alive, let alone the Warthog even functioning with all of the damage it had taken.
Clark ejected the spent magazine from the battle rifle and jammed another one into the receiver. He pulled back the bolt and winced as a plasma shot flew right past his head. He felt the right side of his face blister and detected the smell of burning ozone in the air around him. He quickly shoved the pain to the back of his mind and took aim at the rear Ghost. He sighted the Grunt pilot, his finger tightening on the trigger as the Warthog bounced and rattled, jarring his vision. McDonald's scream pierced the air. Clark took his mind off the speeding Ghost and looked back at the gunner platform. McDonald held onto the turret with one hand, the other clutching his chest, where the armor had been boiled away and carbonized bone was showing through his melted skin. The bright plasma bolts reflected off the tears in his eyes. He muttered something too quiet for Clark to hear, and pulled the pins on all four of the frag grenades on his bandoleer. Giving a cry of rage, McDonald threw himself from the gunner platform and landed on the hard street, rolling for several meters before coming to a stop. The surviving Covenant convoy was directly over his limp and broken body just as the grenades went off.
The leading Ghost flew into the air and smashed into the cockpit of the first Creep, punching right through and impacting the engine. The entire transport went up in a blaze. The other Creep dodged the explosion, but was run off course as a second Ghost sailed out of the explosion and hit the side. The Creep jerked violently to the side, and crashed into a large office building. The entire wall collapsed on top of the bus, totally flattening it. Clark kept his eye on the bright explosion, and watched in despair as the last surviving Ghost briskly dodged the explosion and continued pursuit. Where was Saveela when they needed him?
The Ghost easily caught up with the speeding Warthog and matched their speed. The Elite pilot swerved to the left, ramming them. The Warthog twitched a little, but the Ghost could not affect it any more. Ferenzo swerved to the right, hitting the Ghost. The Covenant vehicle sprawled across the sidewalk and into a streetlight. The sheer force of the impacting Ghost sent the light groaning down to the street, but did little to slow the machine. The Ghost inched to the left, regaining it's position, and attempted to ram the Warthog again. Ferenzo ignored the pitiful attempt to run them off the road and turned a corner, where Saveela's Warthog sped towards them. Ferenzo quickly swerved out of the way and watched as Saveela's gunner fired the LAAG. The Elite driving the Ghost fired the plasma cannons, which missed Saveela's 'Hog by several feet.
Bullets ricocheted off the smooth purple armor of the Ghost and sparked the Elite's shields, just before they gave out and purple blood spat out of the alien's chest before it slipped off the seat.
"Thank God you were there!" Ferenzo yelled into the radio.
"Hey, I owed it to ya!" came Saveela's smooth voice through the speaker.
"Yeah, but that attack ran us off course. We gotta get back on track and go pick up the Master Chief."
"Roger that, Saveela out."
Saveela's Warthog turned around and pointed in the direction they had come from. Ferenzo's foot tensed, ready to jam the gas pedal to the floor. Saveela took off down the road, towards the rendezvous point. Ferenzo followed suite, leaving the carnage half a mile in their wake. Clark swept the area with the rifle, waiting for another Covenant convoy to burst out of an alley, or a pair of Hunters to come lumbering across the street, anything. Saveela's Warthog was faster, and soon was just a small dot on the battle-scarred horizon. Clark glanced at the map still uploaded onto his uni-HUD. They were less than a mile away from the rendezvous point. They would be there in less than two minutes. He just prayed nothing would happen between now and then.
A green plasma bolt shot past the front of the Warthog. Clark sighed and quickly looked towards where the shot had come from. Five Grunts stood on the side of the road, plasma pistols pointing forward. Clark took aim and squeezed the trigger. Two Grunts fell. For the remaining others, he pulled the pin on his last frag grenade and tossed it at the small creatures. They attempted to jump out of the way, but it was too late. The three aliens shot into the air. It was one of the few things that could force a chuckle from Clark's lips.
Up ahead, Saveela's Warthog slowed, and turned a corner. Ferenzo caught up with them and the two 'Hogs continued the last half-mile of their journey. At the end of the road before a corner, a line of Jackals could be seen, their bright blue energy shields showing like small suns. They were firing at something inside an alley, and whatever was in the alley returned fire. Saveela was the first to reach the aliens, and decimated all but three of them. Clark took great pleasure in the thumps as Ferenzo mowed down the remaining ones. Pink plasma bolts shot at them, engulfing small parts of the road. Clark looked over Ferenzo's head. A Creep was hovering not one-hundred meters away. Ferenzo swerved so that the back of the Warthog faced the alley. Clark took his eyes off the firing Creep and looked at what was in the side-passage. The failing sun glinted off his visor. His armor shone a bright green luminescent shine, and his powerful hands gripped the battle rifle held tightly against his chest. Clark put this behind him and yelled,
"We could use a gunner, sir!"
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