To Survive III
2nd January 2553
In Upper Passages
Above Earth City
On UNSC controlled planet Earth
"Hit that elite marines!" bellowed Staff Sergeant McKenzie. Immediately Fire Team Monsoon's combined fire turned to the elite. Bullets punctured the beast's body pumping holes everywhere. He fell to the floor, drowned in his own blood.
"Mop up the rest of them!" yelled McKenzie. The Chief leaned out of the Upper passages and fired at the Covenant on the streets below. As the last grunt fell the Spartan reloaded his Battle Rifle. The sarge was right. If the marines could hold the Upper Passages maybe Earth City wouldn't fall. Over the last fifteen minutes he'd spent with Fire Team Monsoon the Spartan had never known the Covenant so easy to kill. And with a reported twenty-thousand troops in the Upper Passages alone, the situation for the UNSC looked quite good. For what felt like the first time ever.
Fire Team Monsoon charged down the Upper Passages defeating the Covenant ground forces along the way.
"The only way to get to the High Command is by monorail. The monorail is protected by a electric barrier taken from the technology used on the Jackal's shields. It's just up ahead" announced McKenzie. Fire Team Monsoon froze as two marines rounded the bend in front of them. They barged past the Fire Team shouting :
They've taken landing pad G-11. Run!". Four hunters rounded the bend after the marines to be met by Fire Team Monsoon. Three of the hunters fell instantly as bullet after bullet impacted on their blue flesh. The remaining hunter managed to raise his thick metal shield just in time to repel the marines fire. The hunter charged his fuel rod cannon and was about to fire when Miklese, the pilot, thumped the Adonis round the head with his pistol. This stunned the hunter long enough for the marines to send him to 'paradise' to join his bond-brothers.
"We've got to take that pad back. Move marines!" bellowed McKenzie. The Fire Team stomped to the landing pad shooting any Covenant that passed. They arrived just as another Covenant dropship landed on pad G-11. Two elites and six grunts stepped off and opened fire at the squad. The Chief left the grunts to Fire Team Monsoon and turned to the big fish. The elites. They were both of the highest rank as their armor was gold. Both of them also carried plasma swords. The first elite ran at him to be kicked in the face with the Chief's boot. The second beast ran at the Chief, plasma sword held high. The Spartan dodged just in time as the plasma sword sizzled past his head. The Chief grabbed the elite's plasma sword arm and twisted it. There was a nasty crack as the elite cried out in pain. The Master Chief snatched his plasma sword and forced it through the elite's chest. The other elite began to get up to see a Spartan holding a plasma sword in front of him. A second later his head fell to the floor. The rest of the marines had finished off the grunts but were already staring at the next dropship.
"Matthews, you know what to do" yelled McKenzie. The private removed another pair of land mines from his pack and placed them on pad G-11.
"Fall back!" bellowed Matthews. The marines ran back as a large circle of flame surrounded the pad and dropship, incinerating the transport. The wreckage of the pad and dropship fell to the streets below.
Fire Team Monsoon entered the monorail after fighting their way through the Upper Passages. The Covenant had taken quite a few pads and were flooding the Upper Passages with the aliens.
"High Command this is Staff Sergeant McKenzie. The Chief needs immediate transportation to your HQ" exclaimed McKenzie.
"Roger that. Fire Team Monsoon get to Pad B-5" commanded the man at High Command.
"Affirmative. Good luck Chief!" said McKenzie cheerfully. The Monorail doors closed and the Spartan began to speed away from the marines. The Chief noticed the shield straight away. It was as if a layer of water was floating above him. Ahead the Chief saw the magnificent building of High Command. It immediately reminded him of the forerunner structures on halo, only one hundred times bigger. Above him in the battle-scarred sky UNSC and Covenant dropships flew. The Chief also noticed two banshees soar out of the clouds. It fired round after round of heavy plasma at the monorail. The Spartan covered his eyes as the plasma impacted on the shields, doing little damage. Realising that he was relatively safe the Chief relaxed as he sped towards the headquarters of the UNSC.
2nd January 2553
In High Command Building
Above Earth City
On UNSC controlled planet Earth
"Good Afternoon, Sir! What is it you need here at High Command?" asked a marine as the Chief stepped out of the monorail.
"We need to speak to Admiral Stanforth. Can you take us there private?" questioned Cortana.
"Yes Maam!" yelled the marine. The marine led the Chief up the stone corridors to an elevator. The marine pressed one of the multiple buttons in the lift. The doors closed and the elevator lifted up the structure. The lift stopped and the doors whooshed open.
"Welcome to High Command" said the marine. The Chief stepped out of the elevator into a high-tech room. Computers, holograms and several A.I were what made the buzzing room high-tech. Twenty men with headsets sat at futuristic super computers announcing commands, trying to calm every situation and organise the troops. Admiral Stanforth stood patrolling the room trying to get an overview of what the heck was going on. He suddenly noticed the Chief enter the room and walked over to meet him.
"Master Chief, what are you doing here?" asked the Admiral.
"Sir, we have an either bigger problem than the destruction of Earth City" announced the Spartan.
"What could be a bigger problem than that?" questioned Stanforth disbelievingly.
"The destruction of Earth" exclaimed Cortana. The Admiral obviously hadn't expected that so he paused and let the Chief continue.
"We found the control centre of every halo in the galaxy in that desert plateau. One of the halo's is moving within firing range of Earth. If we don't disable it's weapons system manually then were all doomed" announced Cortana.
"Why don't they just glass the planet if they want to destroy Earth?" asked the Admiral.
"I'm guessing it's to do with their religion. And when I hazard a guess I'm usually right!" said Cortana enthusiastically.
"Alright, I'll bite, how long do we have?" acquired Stanforth.
"Approximately twelve days sir" exclaimed Cortana.
"Shit.(he paused) One of our cruisers the Project was damaged in the opening battle here on Earth. Since it is one of our few cruisers that can fly in normal gravity we managed to bring it down for repairs. You can have it" growled the Admiral.
"Admiral sir, the ODST's have arrived and are pushing the Covenant back!" said a marine happily.
"Finally, some good news!" exclaimed Stanforth.
"Good to see you again sir!" Staff Sergeant Mckenzie said to the Master Chief as he met them at pad B-5.
"Our first victory of the war!" shouted a marine of Fire Team Monsoon.
"I haven't introduced you to the guys yet have I Chief? This is Wilkins our Sniper specialist, this is Matthews, as you might have guessed, our explosives expert, and this is Wells, Reeves and Victor. All god-dammed marines" exclaimed McKenzie.
"Look at this beauty, Lieutenant Miklese interrupted. High Command gave me this bird, Beta-12. Brand New!".
"We've been talking and we want to come with you to this ring-world. We all have loved ones on Earth and we'll do anything to protect them" said McKenzie enthusiastically.
"I guess I need a ride to the Project. Let's move Fire Team Monsoon" bellowed the Spartan.
The marines boarded Beta-12 and Miklese fired the engines for the first time. The pelican blasted off in to the still battle-scarred sky.
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