Ground Zero - Halo 3: ODST Alternate Storyline

[Frankenzer]

This is awesome. I'll be waiting for the next chapters

[D-38 Boss]

New Mombassa, October 20^th, 2552, 6:00 PM

 

Tracking ODSTs: Private First Class Logan Alexander Scott and Private Tyler Mitchell MacMillan

Sector 2-A: Central Park

 

“Logan, you got me?” Ty said into his radio. The central park appeared peaceful from a distance, but through the scope of Logan's rifle, the number of Covenant troops was clear as day. This was a dangerous place to be. Unfortunately, the Anti-air Shade Turrets the Covenant had set up made it impossible for the incoming ODST reaction force to land. The task of clearing it fell to Logan and Ty. Logan trained his scope over Ty, who was hiding behind a low wall at the far edge of the Park.

 

“I see you. Move up.”

 

Ty mantled over the wall and rushed through the overgrown grass, diving behind a hedgerow.

 

“You're clear.” Logan said, scanning the Covenant encampment. “They didn't see you.”

 

“You sure? I think that brute looked over here...” Ty said, keeping as low behind the hedges as possible, crawling along the ground.

 

“I'm sure. Stop worrying.” Logan lowered his rifle and wiped his brow. The custom scope he had mounted on his rifle gave him amazing range. He had set up in a sniper's perch, 45 stories above the Park. To the Covenant in the park, his shots would blend in with the sounds of distant combat.

 

“Sorry... First time doing this for real, ya know?” Ty peeked around the hedgerow. A squad of brutes were standing around, speaking a language Ty couldn't recognize.

 

“Hasn't anyone ever tried to make a translator or something? I mean, it seems like it'd help to understand what they're saying.” Ty wondered aloud.

 

“Now's not the time. Move up.” Logan ordered.

 

“Oh, right... sorry.”

 

Ty pushed himself off the ground and ran in a crouch across the park path. Although he was practically silent, every single step sounded like an explosion to Ty, Half-expecting the Brutes to turn and spot him at any moment. He mantled over a low wall, and crouched down behind it.

 

“Am I clear?” He asked.

 

“Yes...” Logan said, his frustration growing. “If they spotted you, you'd know.”

 

“Uh... right... sorry...”

 

Ty inched along the wall, moving closer to his objective. At the edge of the wall, Ty was a few feet from the first Shade turret.

 

“Alright... watch my back, I'm gonna set the charges.” Ty said, pulling the small blocks of plastic explosive from a pouch on his vest. He peered out quickly to make sure no one was looking his way, and rushed over to the Shade. He was using what ODSTs referred to as “Idiot Bombs” No wires, no complicated detonator, just a big red button, and 60 seconds to get clear. He stuck the charge on the Turret's plasma tanks, and punched the button before sneaking past it toward the next one.

 

“Alright, first one's good, be ready to take down some targets.”

 

“I'm always ready.” Logan said, sighting his rifle on a Brute Chieftain. He found it odd that there were no Elites in sight. Usually they were the ones leading the charge. Logan quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. He was here to kill Covenant, no matter what kind they were.

 

“Second charge is set! Moving for the third!” Ty said. “You've got 20 seconds before the first goes off, so feel free to open up on these guys!”

 

“Roger. Keep your head down, and watch the crossfire.” Logan said as he slowly squeezed the trigger. The rifle roared in his hands, and he leaned forward to absorb the recoil, and pick out another target.

 

Ty couldn't distinguish the shot from the ambient sounds of combat, but the sudden, and unique, sound of a skull popping told him all he needed to know. He quickly set the third charge, and sprinted across an open field to get clear of the blast. He slid along the ground and ducked behind a small knoll in the grass just as the first explosive went off.

 

The resounding explosion rocked the ground Ty laid on, and the Covenant in the park began scrambling around, still not sure what was occurring.

 

Logan locked his sights on another Brute, this one a mere foot soldier. Brutes had always been a terrifying sight to any UNSC trooper. Logan fondly remembered his Training officer refer to them as; “Gorillas with guns, only half as smart and twice as mean.” The true nature of the Brutes showed in their weapons of choice: Spikers, Maulers, and Gravity Hammers. All Brute weapons involved a blade of some kind, and each one had the same purpose: to brutalize.

 

Logan chuckled to himself. “Brute-alize... Lugo'll appreciate that one.” He said out loud. Ty's voice snapped him back to reality.

 

“Uh... Logan? A little help would be nice!”

 

Logan looked through his scope, and scanned the park for Ty.

 

Ty had moved from his hiding spot, attempting to leave the park grounds. But had been spotted a few feet from the exit. He opted to run across the street for an open store front, and hold them off. It wasn't working.

 

“I see you.” Logan said, training his cross-hairs over a Grunt's methane tank. His HUD quickly gave him a suggested firing solution, adjusted for gravity, distance, and wind. He quickly made the corrections, and fired. The large caliber round tore through the air, rupturing the Grunt's tank. Almost instantly, the tank exploded, scattering Blue tinted gore across the pavement, and knocking the other Covenant off balance.

 

“Jesus! Thanks Logan!” Ty said as he popped up over the store's counter, taking advantage of the break in fire to take down some enemies. He noticed a group of Brutes breaking off, running back into the park.

 

“Logan, Heads up! You've got... 1, 2, 3.... 4 Brutes, One Chieftain class, headed back into the park, they may be headed your way.”

 

Logan quickly spotted them, and began to fire. His first shot ripped through the Brute's stomach, tearing his organs to shreds. Logan switch targets to the next closest Brute, who had stopped to look back at his fallen friend. Logan took his time to line up the shot. The rifle in his hand kicked hard as the round flew forward. The bullet ripped through the Brute's neck, severing his spine, and killing him instantly. Once again, he swung the rifle down to pick out his next target. He sighted him out, and prepared his shot. He carefully squeezed the trigger and....

 

CLICK.

 

The rifle's hammer fell on an empty chamber. In the most rookie mistake he'd ever made, Logan had lost track of how many rounds he had fired. He scrambled to reload, but just before he could line up a shot on the two remaining Brutes, they ran out of his line of sight, into his building.

 

“Crap... Hopefully they don't know what room I'm in...”

 

Logan and Ty's radios crackled on.

 

“Logan, Ty, This is Mathison, Our objective is secure, and we are inbound to your location. We've commandeered a Warthog, and are coming up 5^th Ave. now, E.T.A. 10 minutes.”

 

“Great!” Ty responded. “I could use some support ASAP, The Shades are down, and their owners aren't too happy with me!”

 

Mathison shook his head.

 

“We're going as fast as we can, kid. Just hang on.”

[Is not JL]

So when exactly will this be made into a machinima?

[D-38 Boss]

So when exactly will this be made into a machinima?

 

Most likely, never.

[Surveillance]

This was great read, as usual. Sorry I haven't been around lately, I've been busy with... other things. I have yet to see the new things that will come of this fanfic... heh.

[D-38 Boss]

This one's a short one, but it's setting up for the major Climax. So yeah, bear with me.

 

 

New Mombassa, October 20^th, 2552, 7:00 PM

Sector 2-A: Central Park.

 

Lugo and Mathison raced to reach Central Park. The sound of distant combat was drowned out by the Warthog's engine.

 

“What do you mean they're not responding?” Lugo shouted over the Engine noise.

 

“I mean, I can't get through! I'm getting nothing but static on all channels!”

 

“Keep trying!”

 

“No s---...”

 

Lugo turned hard onto 5^th street, leading to Central Park.

 

“Buck's guys are supposed to drop soon, right?”

 

“Yeah, they're probably in the tubes now.” Mathison nodded.

 

“Looks like there's fighting up ahead!” Lugo shouted.

 

Plasma blasts streaked across the street in the distance. The covenant were attacking a storefront, but it seemed like a stalemate.

 

“Drop me off there, and go for Logan!” Mathison ordered.

 

“Got it! Get ready!”

 

Lugo slammed on the handbrake, sliding the rear of the Warthog into a drift. The massive steel machine bounced as it slid into the group of Brutes on the street, and Lugo brought the careening vehicle to a stop.

 

“Oh man, I don't have insurance!” Lugo cackled. “This is your stop, Sarge!”

 

Mathison leaped out, his shotgun at the ready, but most of the covenant were falling back. Lugo sped off down the street, turning the corner to search for Logan.

 

“Kid! You in there!?”

 

Ty leaned out from behind the store counter.

 

“Sarge?”

 

“Christ kid, we've been trying to contact you for an hour!” Mathison said as he rushed over next to him.

 

“Radio's are down! I lost contact with Logan a while ago.” Ty said reluctantly.

 

“He'll be fine. Let's han-”

 

A deafening roar drowned him out. A blinding light engulfed the store. The last thing Ty saw was the roof of the store caving in, before he was knocked out.

[Surveillance]

Oooh. Can't wait.

[D-38 Boss]

Oooh. Can't wait.

 

You might know what's coming up.

[D-38 Boss]

New Mombassa, October 21^st, 2552, 1:30 AM

Sector 2-A: Central Park.

Tracking ODST: PFC Logan Alexander Scott

 

Logan finally reached the top floor of the building. The resulting force of the Carrier's jump had weakened the tower's structure, and several rooms had caved in, including some of the stair wells.

 

The surrounding city didn't look much better.

 

Many of the older buildings had collapsed, and large chunks of others had broken away. The entire city was dark, save for emergency lighting around the main roads and hospitals. Through his scope, Logan could make out the odd plasma bolt lighting up a small part of the city.

 

He tried his radio, but received nothing but static. The radiation leftover from the Carrier was interfering with their radio signals.

 

Logan paused and thought.

 

“Alright... standard procedure... there is no standard procedure for this.... Damn it...”

 

He was separated from his squad, with no radio, and little ammo and supplies left. The situation seemed bleak at best.

 

“Ok... I should try to gather anyone I can. Some of the ODSTs must've reached the ground...”Logan thought.

 

Lost in his planning, Logan failed to notice he wasn't alone.

 

The two Brutes from earlier hadn't given up on finding him, and now, he was cornered, 70 stories up and alone.

 

Logan turned as the first Brute, a minor rank, began to charge, roaring as it did. Thinking quickly, he leveled his rifle and fired. The 12.7 millimeter round crashed through the Brute's headgear, into his skull.

 

The body's inertia caused it to topple into Logan, however, and he lost his grip on his rifle, sending it clattering along the ground under an Air conditioning unit nearby.

 

Scrambling to his feet, Logan came face to face with the second Brute, a Chieftain in full battle dress; Ornate armor, and a heavy staff.

 

Ducking back, Logan dodged the Brute's first swing, and circled around his right, trying to move over to his weapon. The Brute seemed to know his intentions, swinging down to block him off. Logan dashed left and rolled as the Brute swung in a wide circle, missing Logan by inches. Rising to a crouch, Logan lurched forward, launching a heavy punch to the Brute's jaw, knocking off his Head dress.

 

The Brute paused for a second, before flying into a rage, tossing it's staff aside and charging at Logan. With a heavy swing he sent Logan flying backward, toward the edge of the building. He managed to roll to his feet, and skidded to a stop a few inches from the ledge. As the Brute charged wildly, Logan saw his chance to end it.

 

Waiting until the last second, he ducked down and to his left, sweeping the Brute's legs out, and sending him toppling over the side of the building; 70 stories to the ground.

 

Logan took a minute to catch his breath, and retrieved his rifle. Walking to the edge of the building and looking through his scope, He saw signs of fighting across the park.

 

“I gotta get down there...” Logan muttered, before rushing off to make his way to ground level.

[Surveillance]

Loved it.

[D-38 Boss]

New Mombassa, October 21^st, 2552, 2:10 AM

Sector 2-A: Central Park.

Tracking ODST: CPL. Christopher Xavier Lugo

 

“Hey! Are you alright?”

 

Lugo opened his eyes.

 

“Ugh.... my head....”

 

The first thing that greeted him was a short man, with short, unkempt brown hair looked down at him. He was wearing the armor of a Marine Corps Medic, with the red cross on a white arm band.

 

“Relax...” The man said when Lugo tried to sit up. “That was one 'ell of a fall, ya know” He had a distinctively Scottish accent.

 

“What happened?” Lugo asked, getting to his feet.

 

“The top of the tunnel collapsed while you were driving on the road up there.” The medic said, pointing to the gaping hole in the ceiling. “You're one lucky S.O.B.”

 

“How the hell did the road collapse?” Lugo asked, looking over at his overturned Warthog.

 

“The carrier that was over the city split, the slipspace rupture tore apart a good chunk of the city.”

 

Lugo flipped on his radio.

 

“Don't bother, radio's can't cut through the interference.”

 

“Who are you?”

 

The marine held out his hand.

 

“Corporal Adam Waters.”

 

Lugo glared at him. Waters pulled his hand away.

 

“Corporal Lugo. TREC 1.”

 

“An ODST? I didn't think any of ya made it down 'ere.”

 

“You haven't seen any others?”

 

“Nope. Me an' Rich ain't seen a soul.”

 

“Uh... Rich?”

 

“Specialist Malodov. 'e's over there.” Waters said, pointing to a marine digging through rubble”Don't know what division 'e's from. Found 'im in a crashed pelican a few blocks back after the carrier jumped. 'e was in bad shape. 'is vocal chords are completely torn apart. Must be one tough bugger to have pulled through, even with my skills.”

 

Specialist Malodov wore the standard BDU for Marines, with several areas stained with blood. He wore a full medical face mask to protect his throat and face, concealing his appearance. He nodded to Lugo.

 

“Uh, hey there...”

 

Lugo looked around the tunnel. There wasn't much past abandoned cars and rubble. The Warthog still looked serviceable, save for it laying on its hood.

 

“Alright, well... protocol says-”

 

“Protocol?” Waters scoffed. “Ain't nothing close to this in the rulebooks!”

 

“That is,” Lugo continued, louder this time. “Protocol says, in the case of separation from command, follow your commanding officer's orders. So, unless you've got someone waiting somewhere else in the city, that's Sergeant Mathison.”

 

“Don't see no Sergeant around here boy.” Waters said, narrowing his eyes at Lugo.

 

“Well, if he was here he'd be in charge.”

 

“If my grandmother had wheels she'd be a wagon, what of it?”

 

“What?” Lugo said, scratching his head.

 

“'e ain't here, so it's no use sayin' what we'd do if 'e was, you follow me?”

 

“Right... In that case, you and Malodov over there will follow my orders until we find him. Got it?”

 

“'ey, ODSTs get seniority. You'll get no complainin' from me.”

 

“Alright then...” Lugo turned to Malodov. “Hey! Buddy! Get over here! We need to get this Warthog on it's wheels!”

 

Malodov jogged over, and set his DMR on the ground.

 

“A DMR? The hell'd you get that?” Lugo asked, receiving a glare from him. “Uh, right... can't talk... sorry.”

 

Lugo braced against the back wheel of the Warthog.

 

“Alright, on three! One! Two! Three!”

 

After a few solid shoves, the Warthog rolled over onto it's wheels.

 

“Alright...” Lugo said, looking into the drivers seat. His SAW was still locked into place under the seat. “Pile in! Malodov, you're on the gun.”

 

Lugo climbed in the driver's seat and started the engine.

 

“Good, she still runs...” He said in quiet relief.

 

“I don't want to shatter your dreams, buddy.” Water said, hopping into the passenger seat. “But where exactly do you think we'll find your Sergeant?”

 

“I dropped him off a block or two that way.” Lugo said, pointing to the collapsed tunnel behind him. “We go this way, get topside, and find our way back. If I know him, his plan'll be to hold out and wait for us to come to him.”

 

“Alright, well, if memory serves, there'll be an off ramp up ahead on the left.” Waters said, pointing ahead of them.

 

Pulling near the gate, there was a Warthog on fire, with a Marine laying on the ground nearby. The off ramp was blocked by a large Bulkhead. Lugo parked the Warthog, and hopped out.

 

“Waters, check them.” He ordered, pointing to the Marines laying on the ground. Malodov hopped off the gun and jogged over to the Bulkhead.

 

Lugo tried the radio.

 

“Sarge? You there? Anyone?”

 

Static.

 

“They're dead, Jim. Er.... Lugo.” Waters said, crouching over the body of a Marine.

 

“Uh... right.” Lugo looked over to Malodov. “What the hell is he-”

 

The sound of scraping metal filled the air, deafening with the echos of the tunnel.

 

Malodov flashed Lugo a thumbs up before climbing back behind the Warthog's chain gun.

 

“Uh... nice work. How'd-”

 

“'e's a Tech specialist.” Waters said from the passenger's seat. “It says so on 'is Squad's patch.”

 

“Oh.... Great!” Lugo said as he got the Warthog moving again.

 

Returning to street level, Lugo was able to see exactly how much damage the Covenant had caused.

 

“Jesus, one carrier did all this?”

 

“Sure did.” Waters nodded. “'ell of a thing ain't it?”

 

“At least we got a good chunk of the Civies out...”

 

On the road ahead, Lugo could see a silhouette in the darkness. He heard Malodov spinning up the gun.

 

“'ang on there, Rich. That don't look like an alien to me, boyo.” Waters said, squinting at the figure.

 

“I sure as hell know who that is.” Lugo said with a grin. He honked the Warthog's horn.

 

“Logan!” He called as he pulled alongside the hulking ODST.

 

“Lugo?” Logan said, turning to look in the Warthog.

 

“Man, am I glad to see you, Blondie! Hop in the back!”

 

Logan jump onto the back on the Warthog

 

“This is Waters and Malodov.” Lugo said, introducing his companions.

 

“Nice to meet you, Logan. 'ell of a day, eh?” Waters chuckled. Logan didn't even crack a smile.

 

“Lugo, we need to move. Mathison and the Rook are pinned down a block and a half from here.” Logan said, bracing against the Warthog's roll cage.

 

“You got it!” Lugo said, slamming down on the throttle.

 

 

(Special Thanks to HaloGeek for Rich Malodov and Vangelis for Adam Waters. )

[D-38 Boss]

New Mombassa, October 21^st, 2552, 1:30 AM

Sector 2-A: Central Park.

Tracking ODSTs: Sgt. Charles Louis Mathison, Pvt. Tyler Mitchell MacMillan

 

“Ah, Christ....” Mathison grunted, tossing the chunk of drywall of of himself. “The hell was that?”

 

What was left of the store was dark, and destroyed. All of the street lights had gone out, and the only light came from fires and the moon.

 

“Jesus....” He said as he examined the surrounding area. “This is a mess.”

 

He sat up and looked around the store.

 

Most of the shelves had been blown away, and the majority of the structure had collapsed, leaving a pile of broken concrete chunks and rebar.

 

“Kid? You still with me?” Mathison called as he got to his feet.

 

“Over here...” Came the strained reply. Mathison rushed over to see Ty pinned under one of the Store's concrete support beams. His helmet was missing, and blood dripped down his face. Mathison gripped the edges of the beam, and lifted with all his might, clearing enough room for Ty to slide out from under it.

 

“There you go...” Mathison grunted as he dropped the beam down. “You alright, Kid?”

 

“Still breathing.” Ty said, wiping the blood from his face. “Lost my SMG.”

 

“You're lucky that's all you lost, pal. A few more inches and you'd have lost your head.” Mathison said, checking his shotgun. It was still working perfectly. “You still got your sidearm?”

 

Ty plucked his M6CSOCOM from his leg holster.

 

“Luckily.” He nodded.

 

“Good, then we're still in this.” Mathison walked out from the wreckage and flipped on his radio. “TREC Actual this is TREC 1, do you copy?”

 

The only reply was static.

 

“Damn it... comms are down.”

 

“Must be the radiation from the carrier's jump.” Ty said.

 

“What?”

 

“The carrier... it... puts off radiation when it makes a hyperspace jump.” He said, scratching it's head.

 

“How the hell do you know that?” Mathison asked.

 

“Video games...” Ty said with a grin.

 

“Of course... How foolish of me to think you might actually have learned something somewhere.” Mathison replied, rolling his eyes.

 

“Where do you think Logan and Lugo are?” Ty asked.

 

Mathison looked around, squinting into the darkness.

 

“Smart money is on Logan being in that building somewhere.” He said, pointing to the office building on the opposite side of the central park. “And Lugo, hell, anything's possible...”

 

“So... I'm a little fuzzy on protocol here...” Ty said. “Exactly what do we do when an Alien attack on earth turns to eight shades of s---?”

 

“Pray to god you don't step in it.” Mathison chuckled.

 

“Oh great. This is a wonderful first assignment.” Ty groaned.

 

“Kid, you don't get medals for sitting on the ship playing grab-a--, you get me?”

 

“Yes sir.” Ty said, his shoulders slumping. “I don't think I'll be getting any medals any time soon. For all we know, we might be the last humans left!”

 

Mathison narrowed his eyes at Ty.

 

“Kid, you got a wild imagination, you know that? Do me a favor and just zip it, alright?”

 

“Uh, Yes Sarge. Sorry...” Ty said, wiping more blood from his face.

 

“You gonna be alright? That's a nasty cut.”

 

Ty nodded.

 

“You sure?”

 

Another nod.

 

“You could say something, you know...”

 

“But you said-”

 

Mathison rubbed his temples.

 

“I know what I said... Jesus....”

 

“So... what, exactly, is the plan?” Ty asked, looking over his pistol.

 

“Wait here, Without radios, we can't organize ourselves. It's better if we stay put. That way at least they know where to look for us.”

 

“Sounds like-” Ty stopped, jerking his head to the left, out towards the darkness of Central Park.

 

“Something wrong?” Mathison asked.

 

“I though I heard...” Ty trailed off.

 

Ty shoved Mathison to the ground as a flurry of orange streaks flew by, superheated steel spikes of the Brute's devastating Spiker.

 

“S---!” Mathison shouted, crawling into the rubble for cover. “Did you see how many there are?!”

 

“No clue, Sarge!” Ty called back from behind the destroyed remains of the shop's shelves. Lifting his Automag pistol over the top, he fired blindly into the dark.

 

“Don't waste your ammo kid! You don't know how long we need to hold out!” Mathison yelled as he fired periodic shotgun blasts in the enemy's direction.

 

Plasma blasts and Spiker rounds light up the night, mixed with the muzzle flash of Mathison's Shotgun.

 

“Why the hell are they still here?!” Ty called out.

 

“Doesn't matter! They're here, they die! Got it!?” Mathison snapped and he crouched to reload.

 

“Yes Sir!” Ty shouted, hopping out from cover to fire into an approaching Brute. The M6CSOCOM packed a surprising punch, and the Brute fell almost instantly. Ty ducked back into cover to reload.

 

The combat dragged on. For every Brute they killed, two replaced it.

 

“Kid, how you doin'?” Mathison asked as he slid yet more shells into it's shotgun.

 

“Holding up! You?”

 

“Loving every second!” Mathison cackled. He had to admit, things started to look bleak. He didn't want to say it, but he had about 20 shells left, and it didn't look like Lugo or Logan, or anyone would be coming for them. But he was an ODST, Through and through. I came from hell to bring as many sorry S.O.B.s back with me as possible, He thought. An old Helljumper's Motto.

 

“Sarge!?” Ty called, snapping Mathison out of his thoughts.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“This isn't looking good...” Ty said bitterly.

 

“We'll be fine kid.” Mathison said. “Lugo and Logan'll be charging in any second now!”

 

“I may be green, Sarge, but-”

 

“I'm telling you, we'll be fine! Now shut your damn mouth and fight!”

 

Ty nodded silently. His expression grew dark, but it was almost... accepting, of what was to come.

 

“Either way, it's been fun Sarge.”

 

Mathison peered out into the darkness. They either needed to move now, or they'd die in this pile of rubble. They didn't have they supplies to hold out here. Thinking back on his career, Mathison had never been in this bleak of a situation. At his age, he was old for a Helljumper. While Ty was just old enough to be accepted.

 

“Kid....” Mathison said, pulling a smoke grenade off of his vest.

 

“Yeah Sarge?”

 

“Get ready to run.”

 

“What!?”

 

“You heard me! Run!” Mathison shouted tossing the grenade out into the street.

 

As the smoke filled, Mathison rushed out into the street, firing wildly into the smoke. Turning to his left, he felt a blinding pain in his chest. He looked down to see a Spike sticking out of his chest.

 

His legs folded under him, and he collapsed to the pavement.

 

Ty rushed to Mathison's side, dragging him behind a nearby car.

 

“What are you doing!?” Mathison said through his gritted teeth, a pink froth forming around his mouth. “I told you to run!”

 

“F--- that!” Ty said. “Either we both leave, or neither of us do!”

 

Mathison's vision started to darken.

 

“Hey! Stay with me!” Ty called as he continued to fight. A stray plasma bolt crashed into his vest, dropping him to one knee.

 

 

A block away, Lugo and Company approached the clearing smoke.

 

“There!” Lugo yelled. “Malodov! Light 'em up!”

 

The Warthog's Chain gun roared to life, spewing heavy caliber rounds at a staggering rate. Lugo slammed the handbrake, sliding the Warthog to a stop, and hopping out.

 

Within a few minutes, the Brutes lay strewn across the street. Waters was tending to Mathison.

 

“Thank god we got here in time.” Lugo said, helping Ty to his feet.

 

Waters walked up to Lugo.

 

“I wouldn't say that...” He said sadly.

 

“What?”

 

“'is lung's been punctured. All I've got left is bandages. I ran out of Bio-foam hours ago.”

 

“So?”

 

“So? So!?” Waters said angrily, before leaning in to speak quietly. “Do I need to spell it out, boy? He's not going to make it. I'm a doctor, not a damn miracle worker...”

 

The words hit Lugo like a punch to the stomach.

 

“I'm sorry, Lugo. I can't do anything for him. I mean, maybe if we'd gotten 'ere earlier, we could've-”

 

“Shut up.” Lugo said angrily.

 

“Wha-”

 

“Shut, the hell, up!” Lugo snapped.

 

Waters stomped off, kicking the back bumper of the Warthog angrily.

 

Lugo crouched down next to Mathison, whose breathing had become shallow, and labored. Ty sat against the rubble, looking straight down at the ground.

 

“Hey Sarge...” Lugo said, trying to sound cheery.

 

“Hey.... Jacka--....” Mathison chuckled.

 

“The Doc says you're gonna be fine, so-”

 

“Chris... Don't bulls--- me.... I know what..... is gonna happen....” He said, gasping for breath. He looked over at Ty and Logan. “You know... what comes next.... right?”

 

“Yeah.... I know.”

 

Mathison lifted his Dogtags off of his neck, holding them out to Lugo.

 

“Put these.... Somewhere nice....”

 

“You got it...” Lugo said, trying to smile.

 

“Listen, you gotta... do me one.... more favor....”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Don't let the kid.... blame himself....”

 

“You got it, Sarge.”

 

“Good boy....” Mathison said with a sigh.

 

“Any more requests, Mr. Needy?” Lugo chuckled weakly.

 

“Yeah... Name a ship after me...”

 

“Got it... the UNSC A--hole.”

 

Mathison scoffed.

 

“You're alright Lugo.... You're.... Alright....”

 

Mathison took one last breath, and closed his eyes.

 

Lugo sat in silence for a bit, and it seemed the uneasy silence over took the whole city. After a few minutes, Lugo stood up and turned to Ty.

 

“Rookie!”

 

“Yeah?” Ty said weakly, still staring at the ground.

 

“Is that wound gonna be a problem?”

 

“No.”

 

“Good, than up and at 'em. You're driving.”

 

“Yes sir....” Ty said, standing up and trudging to the Warthog. Lugo stopped him as he passed by.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Blame the Covies, not yourself.”

 

“If I hadn't hesitated, he might-”

 

“Don't waste time on what MIGHT have happened, you hear me? Don't remember him by feeling sorry for yourself. Get angry, and make sure every single Covenant ******* out there fears your name.”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

“It's just Lugo, rook.”

 

Ty nodded, and got into the Warthog's front seat.

 

“Alright Ladies! Saddle up! Malodov, Logan, Get the Sergeant loaded in the back.... We're not leaving him here.”

[Cooliest]

Wow I'm just starting to look at some of this stuff and it's really quite amazing. Good job and keep up the great work. It's very interesting and you are very very talented.

[D-38 Boss]

I know it's been a while. I'm trying to wrap this one up. Here's a new chapter, I have two more planned, and then this should be in the history books.

 

 

New Mombassa, October 21^st, 2552, 2:37 AM

Sector 2-A: Central Park

 

The sound of the Warthog's engine made conversation near impossible, but that didn't bother any of its occupants. They all knew there was nothing to say. Lugo looked out over the dark of the road ahead. He knew he had to take charge, which wouldn't be hard, but motivation was never something he knew how to do. And he knew damn well his team could use a nice kick in the ass.

 

Mathison's Body lay in the back of the jeep, covered by a thin sheet they had found. The others were all huddled around the gun. It made for an uncomfortable fit, to say the least.

 

“So what's the call, Lugo?” Ty asked, not breaking his forward stare as he pushed the Warthog on through the decrepit city streets, the headlights Flooding the way ahead, but leaving an unnerving wall of darkness all around them.

 

“We need to get out of the city, hell off the planet even. If we can find a base in working condition, we can get a Pelican down to us, or find our own and get out that way. Either way, it's mission failed.”

 

“I dunno about that...” Ty said, slowing down to weave through a group of abandoned cars. “We got our objectives done. Ya know, get out the civies, recon our targets. On our end, we did our job. NavCom's the ones who screwed up, letting the carrier in, and then out again.”

 

“Doesn't matter who messed it up, Rook... Bottom line, this is a dark day.”

 

Ty nodded silently.

 

“But, I need to make sure we all get home.” Lugo said, glancing back at Mathison. “For his sake.”

 

“You know what'll happen when we get back, right?” Ty said, shooting a quick glance at Lugo before returning his eyes to the road.

 

“Yeah. We all get shoved up the chain, and we get another rookie in.” Lugo spat in disgust.

 

Ty didn't bother responding, opting to shift the Warthog into a higher gear as they reached a long open stretch of road, leading out of the city. The long highway seems to stretch on forever as another awkward silence overcame the five soldiers. The jeep screamed along the Highway, quickly leaving the wreckage of New Mombassa behind them.

 

The sun had started to creep over the horizon as the Warthog sputtered to a halt in front of a UNSC Depot.

 

“What's up? Why are we stopping?” Lugo asked.

 

“Out of gas.” Ty said, tapping the fuel gauge. “Maybe we can find some in there.”

 

The Depot had once been used for repairs to the UNSC's Scorpion tanks, but now it was empty, all the tanks sent out to try and stop the alien invasion, all to no avail.

 

“Pretty convenient place to hit empty.” Lugo said as he hopped out of the Warthog.

 

“I'm sure as hell not gonna complain. I think we've had enough bad luck.” Ty muttered, pulling his Automag from it's holster.

 

“Looks abandoned to me, Fellas.” Waters said as he stepped up to the gate.

 

“Alright... Logan, Rich, you guys push the 'Hog in here, and we'll fill it up.” Lugo ordered, pulling the Depot's gate open. “Kid, you're on point.”

 

Ty crept through the gate, and glanced around. All of the maintenance bays were empty, the Scorpion's having gone into battle.

 

“I guess we should check the supply room for a few gas cans, and then we can fill them up at one of the bays.” Lugo said. “That way we don't run out again.

 

“Yeah. You hold here, Me and Waters'll go get the containers.”

 

“Don't take too long. We'll gas up the jeep.”

 

Ty and Waters walked over to the lone building in the facility. The metal front door hung off the hinges, a large dent in the center. Ty glanced over to Waters, who shrugged.

 

“I'll wager we both know what did that.” He said with a grin.

 

“Unfortunately, yeah. We do. Ty said as he entered the building, his pistol sweeping the room.

 

“Was only a matter o' time, boyo. Seein' what they did to Reach? I'm surprised there's anything left here.”

 

A loud rumbling ended their conversation.

 

“What the...”

 

Lugo's voice blared over the radio.

 

“Guys! Hurry it up! Covenant Cruisers just jumped in over the city! My guess is they Ain't here for the tour!”

 

Ty glared at Waters.

 

“You had to f---in' say it, didn't you?”

 

“Say what? What I say?”

 

“Nevermind! Look for a Jerry can! We gotta get some extra fuel for the ride!”

 

“A what now?”

 

“Red can thing? With a handle?” Ty said as he began digging through a bin of parts.

 

“Is that what those're called?” Water's shrugged. “You learn somethin' new everyday...”

 

“Start f---in' looking!” Ty snapped, dumping an entire bin onto the floor.

 

“What's the rush?”

 

“The 'rush' is we're about a solid five minutes from being turned to glass!”

 

Waters scratched his head for a second, and his eyes shot open wide.

 

“Oh S---...”

 

Lugo leaned in the doorway.

 

“We're outta time! The 'Hog is fueled and ready to go! Let's jut get the hell away from this place.”

 

They rushed outside, heading straight for the Warthog.

 

“Where are we going?” Ty asked as he got back behind the wheel.

 

“There's an airbase a few kilometers down the road. If there's a way out of here, that's it. TREC won't risk flying in an evac with that many Covies in the way.”

 

With a roar, the Warthog's engine started, and Ty slammed down on the throttle, leaving a thick cloud of smoke behind them as they raced out of the depot.

[Surveillance]

Amazing. Only complaint is that, in the next one, could you at least give my char more screen time than just a word? I'll be grateful.

[D-38 Boss]

Amazing. Only complaint is that, in the next one, could you at least give my char more screen time than just a word? I'll be grateful.