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Outlaw Chapter 2, MedEvac And Avenging The Fallen
Posted By: Chris Cassani<plindberg01@earthlink.net>
Date: 18 October 2002, 3:16 am


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Authors Note: Sorry for the long delay, my email adress changed and I've been editing the heck out of this chapter. I'm yet to receive any feedback, don't say "can't someone else do it?" don't worry I won't get hateful for any negative reviews. In the following chapter there is going to be a lot of action, if you can just wait until next Thursday or so.


      "MEDIC!" screamed the Sarge running to look at the collapsed form of Outlaw, while a general murmur of pity ran through the ranks of the bases forty three marines that were still fit to fight.
      Sniper Michael "Switchblade" Beckstead, weighing in at one hundred and twenty five pounds, towering above most with a height of six feet four inches, and with eyes that had the appearance of looking right through you, was the Outlaw's best friend and helped the Sarge prop Outlaw up as he tried to say something.
      "I'm sorry sir, I tried to make it in one piece, to help you retake the base. I took down four of their Grunts, a Jackal, and a red Elite on the way here, sir. I'm..soo..rry..." said Outlaw in a choked voice as he slipped into unconsciousness.
      "Damnit man, wake up! Wake up!!!" said the Sarge as the medics ran into the room with a stretcher, loaded up the wounded marine, and carried him off to medbay.
      The Sarge sighed, stood up from the floor, and screamed out to the marines "Alright you lilly livered sacks of crap, time to kick some Covie ass!" he said as he walked over to a chart showing the corridors of the base.
      "Here's the situation, at zero nine hundred this morning, the covenant launched a surprise attack on this base coming straight through the front door, inflicting eighty five percent casualties... WITHIN TEN MINUTES!" the Sarge screamed.
      "I don't know if you want to take this lying down, but I sure as hell don't. Now, look to the chart, the blue area represents the covenant, the yellow area represents us, and the white area we don't know about." Said the Sarge.
      Upon learning this, morale went through the floor. Most of the chart was blue; the only yellow things were the mess hall they were in, the medbay, and the corridor running between the two. The only white area of the map was the armory and the hall that led to and from it.
      The armory had security measures that put a meter of Titanium A between it and the outside world, as well as an automatic minigun defense systems that would mow down anything it identified as hostile, if the alarm was sounded. That had happened roughly thirty minutes ago at zero-nine-ten hours once the base finally realized it was under attack.
      "Ok marines, I won't lie to you, some of us won't be coming home today. All I can say is keep your eyes upfield and a quick finger on the trigger and we should come out ok. Now, break up into groups of four, one specialist and three Marines to a group. I'll join in, instead of staying behind and handing out orders today, to bring us up to forty-four, that makes eleven groups. Two groups go secure the armory, the rest of you follow behind mine, and I'll be taking the point. MOVE OUT!" said the Sarge
      "Sir, requesting permission to use Outlaw's equipment, it doesn't look like he'll be needing it for a few days and my sniper rifle is useless in close quarters, sir." Asked Switchblade.
      "Permission granted, this place crawls, we'll need the explosives." Replied the Sarge.
      Switchblade found Outlaws locker, shot the lock off with his M6D Pistol and grabbed Outlaw's M90 Shotgun, M19 SSM Rocket Launcher, four bricks of C12 high explosive, and four fragmentation grenades.
      His group would be one of the two going to secure the armory, and due to the explosive nature of his loadout he would take the point. The six Marines and the other specialist, a Heavy Assault officer carrying an M90 Shotgun and an MA5B Assault Rifle led three, while he took command of the other three and moved out.
      The journey to the armory was fairly uneventful, one of the Marines dropped his rifle and the entire clip spewed into the wall, and, telling him to be more careful, they moved on. They arrived at the one-meter thick door to the armory a few minutes later, shut tight as they had expected.
      "So how are we going to get through this?" asked the Heavy Assault nicknamed Boomer.
      "I could blow it..." said Switchblade, hoisting a brick of C12.
      "No, to risky, might set off the automated defenses, or worse, every piece of ammo inside there." Said one of the marines.
      "Wait, I'll radio the Sarge, he should know the passcode." Said one of the Marines.
      "This is Ammo Sniffer calling Big Dog, Big Dog do you read me?" said the Marine into his headset
      "This is Big Dog, what is it Ammo Sniffer?" questioned the Sarge.
      "Big Dog we have arrived at Bombastic without encountering any hostile's, the door is shut tight, we need the passcode to open Bombastic, over." Said the Marine.
      "Passcode is Zero-Niner-One-One-Zero-One Ammo Sniffer, over and out." Said the Sarge as the radio link was cut off.
      Boomer ran forward and punched the passcode into the terminal near the door, and it slid up while the automated defenses powered down. Inside, polished and new looking, were every little boy's dream and every Covenants nightmare. A complete, fully stocked, USNC armory.
      "Alright marines, load up your packs with M90 Shotguns, M19 SSM Rocket Launchers, Shotgun Shells, Rockets, and plenty of MA5B clips, and lets go help Big Dog" said Switchblade.
      The next five minutes were spent loading up packs to the point where the Marines were almost ready to collapse. When they walked out the six Marines were carrying two M90 Shotguns, one M19 SSM Rocket Launchers, and a crate of ammo for each, per Marine. Boomer and Switchblade were both carrying crates of forty grenades, as well as 60 MA5B clips.
      Another uneventful walk, to the messhall this time, followed. They strolled in, deposited some of the ammo, and continued on. They stopped for a second to look at the chart, it had changed, now there was more yellow than before, including the armory. The path Outlaw had taken was now completely yellow, that must be where they were, where Outlaw had started, at his quarters next to the Command Center.
      They again walked through the long path, seeing the still smoking crater where the Elite had died, the body of the Jackal and three more freshly killed Jackals, the bodies of three Marines near them, and at last the Grunts, one of them minus a head.
      One of the Marines had stopped to crouch down and examine the Marine's, "Dead...all dead..." he said, and closed their eyes.
      "Don't worry Marine. We'll avenge all that have fallen here today. To do that, we're going to kill every last Covenant we find between here and the front door." Said Boomer, gripping his shotgun and wearing a malice grin.
      Right as Boomer was about to step out into the hallway plasma sizzled through the air outside, stopped, and then was followed up by a roar of gunfire and the sounds of several fragmentation grenades exploding, accompanied by the death cries of several grunts and jackals.
      "Ok, better stay low everyone, we might have to crawl if those crates stick up, we don't want your backs turning into Swiss Cheese now do we?" Said Switchblade.
      Boomer stepped out into the hall, and saw the remaining thirty-three marines, and the Sarge, crouching down behind several Covenant crates and radios lying on their sides.
      They all let out a sigh of relief, as the crates didn't stick up above the line of cover provided by the Covenant crates the marines were hiding behind. Switchblade saw the Sarge and double-timed his crouched walk up to him.
      "Oh thank god you're here, they've got us pinned down as you can see. They're at the other end of the hallway, behind another line of crates, we're estimating thirteen Jackals, twenty Grunts, two blue Elites, and one Gold Elite after the last attack." Said the Sarge.
      "Ok, we've brought twelve M90 Shotguns, six M19 SSM Rocket Launchers, and plenty of ammo for the MA5B's and the new weapons." Switchblade replied.
      "Good, MARINES! Listen up, go talk to those six back there if you need a reload or want something a bit more potent to kick some ass with. It's first come first served and this IS a limited time offer. Its time to take the fight back!" screamed the Sarge.
      At this, Switchblade slapped a remote detonator into a brick of C12 and made ready to throw.

      Next: Chapter 3, Medbay and Taking The Fight Back





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