please continue, i just read the entire thing thus far and i need to know what happens next!

---

{The Forgotten Fleet} New FF Read it! Or your kidney will fail!

Part 16

Kasan looked through the slits in the ventilation grate, and adjusted her earpiece to eavesdrop on the half dozen Hexil employees scattered throughout the Controller Station. She and the doctor had made good time getting into position, and they were now in the climate control ducts above the room. Kasan made eye contact with the doctor who was also prone, looking down. She could hear his whispered voice cut through the conversations below.

"Gentlemen, are you in position?"

Smith and Brooks came through the comm first. "Ready," they both breathed quietly, almost in unison.

There was a brief pause, then Harper spoke. "I'm finished cutting through the wall. Don't let me hold you up."

Kasan looked at the doctor chewing the inside of his cheek. "Mr. Harper, be careful." He reached to his belt and unlatched a cylindrical concussion grenade. Kasan duplicated his movement and prepared for action. The Controller Station had three sets of consoles arrayed in a semi-circle that faced a large wall display. The rear of the room had a single exit that was passcoded. Culver was no where to be seen.

Keeping one hand on the grenade trigger and the other on the grate itself, she nodded to Shalan Canner.

"Go."

In one smooth series of movements, both the doctor and Kasan pulled up their vents, tossed down their concussion grenades, and replaced the grates to shield the blast. Closing her eyes, Kasan could still see the bright flash appear pink behind her eyelids. She pushed aside the vent and hopped down to the Controller Station floor. Pulling out her pistol, she stood over two Hexil employees lying on their sides, moaning. She gave a quick glance over to see the doctor had made it down and was wafting some vial in the faces of two downed personnel. They stopped making noise and instantly went limp. He capped the vial and tossed it over to Kasan. She caught it with her free hand and likewise neutralized the two before her.

The remaining two employees were out cold, for they had took the brunt of the shock wave. Kasan stood back up and joined Canner behind the middle console, his fingers were quickly moving over the keypad.

"I'm locking down this room so no guards can make it in," Dr. Canner explained. "There, now I'll disable the Monitors' communications function." A grid appeared on the main display showing numerous flashing purple dots. When the doctor entered the override, they immediately turned to red and started flashing. "There, they are now on standby mode. Unless someone enters the correct codes, which only I posess, they're useless."

Kasan frowed. "Won't Culver be able to work around it? I mean, she did bring down Pioneer and all."

Canner turned his head to look at her and wore almost a hurt expression. "She may have been an apprentice of mine, but I helped modify this equipment, so I know the back ways in."

Kasan smiled and patted the doctor on his back. "I always knew you were better." She bent down and snagged a security card from one of the unconscious females. "So what now?"

Shalan straightened up. "Now we hope the others have a successful start as we did."



***********


Thomas Hill felt a vibration emanating from the wall he was leaning against. He snapped out of grogginess and became fully alert. It was still dark in the cell, and Hill couldn’t be sure if his dizziness had evaporated with the rest of hope. He scrambled to his feet and pressed his ear against the cold surface of the cell wall. The rumbling sounded mechanical, and it was getting louder. He pulled his head away and felt the vibration with his hands.

He didn’t know if he was hallucinating or going insane when he saw a bright orange glow stab into the room at the far end of the wall. Thomas squinted and stepped back. The molten light started tracing an oval and left a crusty red rim in its wake.

Thomas crouched down and had to balance himself. I guess I am still dizzy. Adrenaline pulsed through him as he set his muscles. The orange glow completed its journey, carving an opening roughly 1.5 meters tall, and the plug fell inward into the cell with a resounding thump. A figure stepped through the hole onto the carved chunk of wall, holding a torch-like device in his right hand. The fiery lighting brought a warmth into the room as Thomas felt relief pour into his soul.

"Brooks?" he asked, not sure if he believed what he saw.

"Sergeant Hill?" Brooks questioned back in half laughter, half disbelief.

Thomas stood up and Brooks came to his side to steady him. Thomas let eyelashes and tears help shield the light. "How did you find me?"

"Long story, Sir." Brooks looked around the room, his head rotating left and right. "Private Smith and I are breaking you guys out." He looked Thomas in the face. "I only read two dozen lifeforms in this area. Do you have any idea where the rest of your men are?"

Thomas dropped his gaze. "They took Waters." He shook his head. "I don’t know to where, though."

"We’ll find them, Sir." Brooks fished inside his right shoulder pocked and produced a purple-colored stem. "Chew on this." He handed the odd-looking plant to Thomas. "It’s precautionary, and it should help clear your head."

Thomas grabbed the stem and hastily threw it in his opened mouth. As he chewed, the juices tasted bitter, but he found his sinus cavities open and his mind clearing almost instantly. Blinking his eyes several times he released his grip on Brooks’ arm. "That’s some powerful stuff."

"Just imagine what it feels like when your already clearheaded." Brooks gave him a big smile and motioned to the wall left of his previous entrance. "Shall we round up the others, Sir?"

Thomas cracked his fingers and felt much better. "Absolutely."



************


Crawling on his stomach, Lt. Brice forced himself to slow down. He had entered the maintenance hallway that branched off of the main hangar, and had found an access hatch that simple read: MONITOR PASSAGE. He didn’t know who or what a "Monitor" was, but he was hoping this would give him a more direct route to the power generator. His personal comm-gear had been mostly fried, but some rudimentary functions were still intact. He had been a mechanic before his time in the UNSC, so he knew his way around electronics. Adjusting the spectrum on his communicator and attaching it to a jack in his comm-pad, he now had a semi-functional frequency scanner. It looked more like a primitive radar detector on his screen, but it did show an enormous spike roughly 200 meters away.

He stopped when he heard and felt air being displaced in the passageway. He looked down the long, narrow corridor and could see nothing but a yellow flashing light that marked a junction point. He craned his neck around to look behind him.

A red light was bearing down on him with amazingly fast speed. He quickly rolled on his left side to permit the object to pass by. The cubical machine flew past his right flank in a blur. If it had noticed Brice, it didn't show it by slowing down.

Catching his breath, he waited for the object to disappear down another perpendicular passage. So that must be a Monitor. He traveled on towards the power spike.

After a couple mintues of strenuous activity, his muscles ached and burned. Brice looked down at his display and it showed he was nearly on top of the power source. He looked around the metallic tunnel and found an interface that blended into the wall pattern. It had four dimly lit buttons glowing yellow and Brice would have missed it if he had not stopped where he did. One had to look directly at the panel to notice the buttons. There was no writing or sensors that he could see.

He felt a rush of air again, and looked up to see a Monitor slowly come to a stop ten meters away. He heard an audible tone start on an octave then pitched down two. Not sure of what to make of it, Brice shrugged as best he could in the small confines and turned back towards the interface. He breathed a sigh and pushed one of the buttons.

Nothing happened.

Great, there's a code. He mentally did the math on a four digit code and it left him with a lot of possibilities and not enough time. He looked back at the machine. "Can you open this?" He shook his head and turned back to see the panel lights change from yellow to green. A small burst of air jetted behind a square section on the side of the tunnel to reveal a previously unknown opening. It slid open and gave Brice a view inside the Power Station.

He turned back towards the Monitor and gave a mock salute. He didn't know if by saying "open" the interface complied, or if the machine opened it for him. Or someone else did. At this point, it didn't matter to Brice. The exit was alongside a wall and there was graciously placed metallic steps for easy descent.

Moving as quietly as possible he stepped down to the floor and got his real first look at where he was. The room was cavernous, to say the least. Three pillars of pure blue plasma jutted up towards the ceiling and took up most of the space. He was in a corner of the giant room and felt dwarfed by the awe of engineering that he gazed upon. He couldn't explain it at first, but he knew this was an ancient facility. No man could have built this, could he?

His eyes swept across the room as he heard footsteps echoing on his right. He could see a Hexil security guard casually walking his way. Brice was in the shadows, but he didn't know how close the guard was going to come. He looked around for some cover and noticed an office that was currently unused.

Brice ducked down and crouch-ran over to the door. He silently entered then backpedaled towards the desk where he hid. The office itself seemed out of place, like it was built as an addition rather than fit into the overall design of the Power Station. Furnished with only a desk, a chair, and a small filing cabinet, it seems fairly functional, while the light from the computer display provided the only illumination.  

Brice heard the guard whistling outside the door. Light shined through the bottom of the doorway, he could hear the doorknob slowing turning.

The door was openned halfway when the Hexil employee's comm beeped. "Yeah, Sanders here."

Brice strained his ears to pick up on any key words that might prove important, but he failed to hear anything other than a mechanical tone of voice, like an automated computer.

"Copy, I'll be on the lookout for anything strange," the guard replied in a bored, disinterested cadence.

He closed the door on his way out, forgetting to sweep the room, and Brice let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. That was close.



************



Ian Harper squeezed between the outer wall he had just cut through and the frame of an inset wall. It left him with just enough space to stand shoulder to shoulder with walls on either side, but not much else. He was about to reignite his cutting tool when he heard a voice on the other side of the thin drywall. The conversation lasted a few seconds and sounded like one voice was coming over an intercom. He heard a door shut and waited a count of 30 seconds. He didn't hear anything else.

He took out his trusty knife and sliced a downwards-facing triangle that permitted him to step through.

"Don't move."

Harper froze with his hands in the air. He turned to look at his enemy and instead found a familiar face bathed in the glow of a computer display on the desk. "Brice?"

"Harper?" The flight officer lowered his weapon and breathed a sigh of relief. "How in hell are you still alive?"

Harper closed the distance between the two and shook the man's hand gladly. "Eh, you know us Navy boys. We survive." He pulled Brice in for a backslapping hug and release him. "We have a plan in place to get all of us out of here."

"We? Are there others? Have you contacted the Captain?" Brice's questions came out in a rush.

"All of Contact Team is here infiltrating the base along with a rouge Hexil scientist," Ian explained. "I can't explain everything right now, but know that Culver is working for the people who want Pioneer and its crew." His voice trembled slightly. "She was a traitor among us."

"That makes sense, from my experience," Brice murmered. "So what is the plan?"

Harper composed himself and nodded once to the pilot. "We blow this Power Station and end this planet lockdown."

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

well, if there is still interest in this story, kindly let me know, cause i feel like writing some music and that will occupy a LOT of my free time.

this isn't some "oh, please read my FF or i'll commit suicide" thing, cause quite frankly i'm writing Pioneer for myself to see if i can still write SOMETHING interesting after being out of school for so long....

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

well I like it far more than the invincible spartan of doooooooooooooom ffs everyone seems to write so please continue

:)

---

Spess mehrens

Part 17

 

Waiting in the cold, darkened corridor made Thomas Hill long for the warmth and glow of the sun. The illumination cast dim, blue light that highlighted specks of rock that sparkled with every step. Both Brooks and Smith had offered to give command of the rag-tag group to Thomas, but he temporarily declined it. The two also were the only ones armed and had a detailed layout of the base to guide them. Plus, Thomas still wasn’t feeling completely healed from his earlier debilitation.

 

Using the network of tunnels and hidden doorways encasing the Hexil complex, Brooks was guiding them to the Armory. He motioned for the sergeant to join him at the rough inner wall. Pointing to his commpad, he explained. "We are here, along the outer edges of a utility room. It should be vacant." He pressed the screen once and the view zoomed out. "The Armory is across the hallway and down 20 meters."

Hill nodded. "We’ll have to be quick and quiet." He looked over to Smith who was finishing cutting through the stony wall.

"What do you recommend, Sir?" Smith asked as he pulled the plug toward himself and two others took it from him. They laid it on the floor and rubbed the dust off on their pants.

Thomas thought for a moment. If he just sent both men, they could sneak past or neutralize any guards without having to protect the two dozen unarmed shadows. But realizing if Brooks and Smith ran into trouble, having an extra hand around, or bodies to shoot at, could help.

"I’ll go with you." He pointed to the two men who helped take the cut-away segment. He recognized them as Bravo and Delta squad leaders. "Men, mind joining us?"

 

They both smiled. "Yes, Sir."

"Very well. Private Brooks, Smith?" Thomas paused as he read the amused expressions on their faces. "What?"

 

"Nothing, Sir." Smith replied. "Would you like to take command now, Sir?"

Hill opened his mouth then immediately clamped it shut. He shook his head and gave a quiet laugh. "Sorry, Private. I guess it’s hard for me to switch off." That sent out a wave of hushed laughter and snickers.

"Yes, I believe I will. Brooks takes point, then us three. Smith you form up the rear guard." He turned to face the other 21 commandos. When we’ve secured the area, we’ll send for the rest of you."

The five ducked into the utility room and disappeared into the darkness.

 

************

 

Tapping fingers rhythmically on the top of the console, Kasan nervously waited for Shalan Canner to finish his inquiry. Harper’s comm-gear wasn’t able to send or receive transmissions due to the radiation emitting from the Power Station, and each passing minute of static added a layer of worry over Kasan’s heart. Brooks and Smith had reported success in finding and freeing the commandos, and they were now carving a path through the outer walls towards the Armory.

Kasan felt helpless as the doctor repeatedly attempted to access the surveillance cameras. At the moment, security had not been alerted to their presence. While the doctor was not raising any red flags in the computer system, the process of tapping into each camera at a time and daisy-chaining them was a long and tedious process.

The sound of keystrokes abruptly cut off, and Kasan looked down at the doctor’s hands, then his face. "What’s wrong? Do you have a visual on Harper?"

Canner’s face was as if it was carved from flint. "They couldn’t have." His voice sounded distant as he stared at the screen.

"Who, Culver?"

"Hexil." Canner spoke the word as if it were a curse. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.

Kasan bent down to look at the screen and was shocked at what she saw. As the camera slowly swept back and forth across a large, brightly-lit room, it revealed an army of roughly 500 fully armed Crath. All wore headsets that looked similar to the ones Culver had administered to the ground team earlier, and the aliens wore gray, reflective armor and a blank expression that was mimicked on every face. They were neatly filed in ranks as various humans dressed in lab coats walked up and down the rows inspecting equipment and weapons.

Shock and confusion took hold in Kasan’s voice. "Are they…" she paused, looking for the right word, "brainwashed?"

Canner gave an abbreviated nod. "They have advanced to the final stages." He closed his eyes and his brow furrowed. "Total Neural Synchronization. They have finally perfected it." He shook his head then opened his eyes to look at Kasan.

"Hold on, slow down," Abrams said as she put her hands up. She pointed to the screen. "Are you saying that those Crath are controlled by Hexil now?"

"And armed to the teeth." He straightened up and began typing away again.

"Can we do anything about them?"

"I doubt our Crathian allies outside will fight against their own kind." The doctor frowned. "We might have to contact your Captain."

"But won’t we reveal ourselves to security if the communication gets intercepted?" She placed her hands on her hips.

"Most likely."

"Well, what about that Crath at the base’s entrance? Are they going to continue the assault?" Kasan let frustration seep into her words.

The doctor shrugged. "I don’t know how they’ll react. Their leader does have one of our encrypted communicators with him." He moved his hand to activate his headset but paused over the button.

On the screen before the both of them, a new camera angle updated the ever-growing list. It was an outside view of the cave entrance, and it revealed the aftermath of a quick but deadly battle. Pioneer stood out in the background like an artificial mountain range, while debris from destroyed Monitors marked a path that several transport vehicles abandoned in their wake as they headed back towards the base.

A ping from the console brought Kasan’s attention to the flashing red light on the comm. Kasan turned around and grabbed an ID card off of an unconscious female and read the name. The doctor vacated the chair as she moved to take his place. She keyed the comm. "Helena Browning here."

"What’s going on with—" the voice on the other end sounded urgent and confused as it cut off. "Browning? Where’s your supervisor? Nevermind. We are reading all Monitor signatures offline out in the valley. Can you confirm this?"

Canner typed away at another station, bringing the information up on the main viewscreen. He pointed to the information scrolling across.

"Uh, we have 44 disabled, and another five on standby, Sir," Kasan relayed. She looked at the doctor who was motioning with his hand to keep going. "We thought if we powered them down temporarily, we could figure out how the beasts outside were disabling them." She cringed at her lousy explanation.

"Do you know you place every Monitor on standby?" This time Kasan could clearly hear the venom in the voice. "Get your supervisor on the comm, I want to speak with Aves. Now!"

"One moment, Sir." She clicked off the red light, and it immediately started flashing and beeping again. "Well, I think our cover has been blown."

Canner stood and gathered up his equipment along with a Hexil ID badge. He pointed to the room’s only visible exit. "That outer door isn’t going to hold them for long. We need to move."

Kasan’s mind drifted back to their original goal of reaching Harper. "What about Ian?"

Igniting his plasma torch, Dr. Canner merely shrugged. "He’s on his own at the moment."

She looked back up at the main screen and saw the brainwashed Crath march off screen. Reaching up, she triggered her headset. "Brooks? Smith, do you copy? We have another problem."

The only response she heard was the sound of gunfire echoing in her ear. She stepped through the hole in the wall Canner had just cut and realized things were quickly going downhill.

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

Part 18

Things are definitely going downhill. Sergeant Hill waited for Private Brooks to get by the secondary security door for the Armory. The frustrated sighs he breathed, coupled with the consistent negative tones from his commpad, confirmed Hill’s thoughts.

The five commandos had made it to the outer Armory door without incident, until Private Smith spotted two individuals rounding the corner down the hallway. The two conversed loudly, and Hill could hear a woman’s voice. Brooks had interfaced with the security panel, but still needed time with the passcode. Thomas noticed the redheaded woman talking with her hands, while the bald, older man kept his in the pockets of his long, white lab coat, both ignoring them. The two Hexil employees were about to pass them without the slightest glance, when the Armory door gave a short buzz.

The woman stopped and turned. "Passcard not working?" she had said.

"It’s been happening all morning," added the bald man.

"Uh, yeah." Brooks had tried to shield her view, but it was too late. Her eyes had grown wide when she saw his commpad connected to the passcard slot by several loose wires. Her face turned to shock as she gave the intruders a first good look.

When she turned on her heal and started to say something, the two commandos accompanying Hill sprang into action. They covered the two wandering employees’ mouths and hauled them to the doorway. Brooks had finally gotten the door open, and with one final look out in the hallway, the five troops with their two prisoners entered the security foyer. The Armory was designed with reinforced walls and a blast door that would contain any accidental release of firearms or explosives from the adjacent rooms or hallway. The thick, secondary door was being more stubborn than the first.

Their "hostages" presented yet a new problem, and now Hill’s group might already have their cover blown. Finally, the security panel gave a three-note medley signaling that the blast door was unlocked, and Brooks rolled his eyes.

"Uh, Sergeant? What do we do with these two?" asked Delta squad leader.

Thomas swore under his breath. It was only a matter of time before base security found out about them. "Alright. Take them back to the utility room and lock them inside. Tell the rest of our men to quickly and quietly get here."

As the two squad leaders turned to go, Smith poked his head outside the doorway into the corridor. He gave a thumb up when it was clear, and the four exited the Armory foyer.

Brooks and Hill were already inside combing over the large cache of weapons, ammo, and grenades. "Find anything good?" Smith asked, standing in the opened second doorway.

Thomas found the room to be very clean and untouched. He ran his eyes over the semi-automatic rifles and pistols, as the rest of his men filed into the room. "Grab what you can, but be quick about it," he told them over his shoulder. His gazed continued to drift around the room, hoping to find that one firearm that would call his name.

Thomas frowned when he came upon an entire row of empty racks. Slots for ammo, weapons, and armor all lay barren, ready for the return by their owners. Then it hit Thomas.

Someone’s already been here.

"Hurry, men," he barked as he reached out and grabbed the nearest weapons he could find: a pair of pistols. "We don’t have much time."

An alarm started ringing out over the base’s PA and red lights flashed into existence. Smith was standing poised in the doorway with his left hand waving. "Let’s go!"

"Back to the tunnels," Hill ordered. He joined the crowd of freshly armed commandos heading out the main door. Amidst the sounds of two dozen men running, Hill could hear a distinct pattern. He took a step out of the pack and strained his ears to listen down the far end of the hallway. He could just barely make out the sound of footsteps, not just someone walking, but of an army marching. "Hurry!"

The commandos were halfway through with their retreat into the utility room when all hell broke loose. The marching soldiers turned the corner and began running towards Sergeant Hill.

"We’ve got company!" Thomas pulled one of the handguns from his belt and steadied his aim. Having a firefight in the middle of a hallway is about the easiest way to get killed, but I don't plan on becoming another statistic.

About thirty meters away, the soldiers halted, and the front line of attackers dropped to one knee to allow those immediately behind to have a clear field of fire. Over the PA a familiar voice cut through the alarm and echoed down the suddenly quiet hall. "Please don’t test me, Sergeant."

It was Culver, all right. The icy tone was unmistakable. Hill quickly looked over his shoulder to see the six remaining commandos reach safety; he had already positioned himself by hugging the wall next to the utility room door. That left Smith still standing in the Armory doorway. Thomas made eye contact and received a shake of the head from Smith. He heard Brooks swear behind him when he saw his fellow commando stuck on the other side of this increasingly bad situation.

"Sir, we can't just leave him there," Brooks whispered.

Culver breathed a sigh that sounded like static through the PA. "Put your weapons down and your hands up, or I'll--"

"Go! Get out of here!" Smith screamed. He raised his weapon and fired a burst into the wall of armored infantry. He ducked back into the Armory foyer as return fired chewed away the wall where he was just standing.

Thomas gritted his teeth and fired his handgun. Two rounds struck one of the crouching soldiers in the chest, causing him to fall forward, but another quickly replaced him. He heard the muted recoil coming for Brooks' firearm as he raked fire across the enemy line.

There was no way to reach Smith, nor could he run across the killzone.

He had to be left behind.

Smith reappeared in the doorway with both hands holding primed grenades. "Get out of here, now! Or I'll use these on you!" He launched the explosives toward the now incoming enemy. "Go!" he yelled as he again dove back into the foyer.

Thomas felt a round strike him in the left arm above the elbow. Pain lanced up his arm and his hand started to tingle. Brooks reached down and grabbed Thomas by the good arm, pulling him to the safety of the utility room.

As the Sergeant's feet cleared the doorway, the grenades went off. The sound was deafening as the shockwave reached Thomas' ears. The hallway lit up like a volcano, as shrapnel and bodies were tossed into the air. The sound of gunfire kept repeating, and Hill could still pick out the distinct sound of a suppressed firearm, despite the sudden dullness to his hearing.

Give 'em hell, Smith.

The utility room door slammed shut and didn't quite fit properly over the now deformed frame. Thomas was pulled up to his feet by his armpits and found Brooks' face staring into his. Their expressions were mirrored, as they both knew they had abandoned someone for whom they would have sacrificed their lives.

The two Hexil employees laid on the ground unconscious from blows to their heads given by their captors. Sergeant Hill clutched his left arm with his right and turned toward the cut-away exit. After Brooks came through he resealed the stone with his plasma torch. Another trooper came and wrapped Hill's arm with a torn off sleeve.

He heard another muffled explosion from the other side of the wall and slumped up against the cool surface. Brooks' communicator beeped and he answered it. Hill couldn't focus on the conversation. His thoughts were scattered as the emotional pain coupled with the physical. He had just lost another friend.

Brooks acknowledged the transmission and squatted down next to Thomas. "Sir, are you Okay?'

Hill briefly glanced at his injury. "I'll be fine. What's going on?"

Brooks chewed on his lower lip for a second. "Harper needs our help."

Thomas straightened up and cringed at the discomfort in his arm. "Then let's go."

He didn't have to voice the rest of his thoughts. Private Brooks could read the sadness on his face.

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

anyone still reading this?

I'm now really just using this FF forum as a test before a put it up on another site.

just wondering if there's still interest....

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

I'm still reading and I gotta say this is amazing. Keep up the good work!

---

Dsanta27:

one time, i had a 400 star grunt squad, and it raped everything. one plasma grenade killed three peoples bases at the same time.

lol wtf :D

This story is amazing, it doesn't even need to rely on prior Halo knowledge to sustatin itself.  It's got some good twists in it as well!

---

Trying to bring honour back to noobs everywhere.

Part 19

 

"Can you understand me?" Jonas asked. He had little reason to think his question would be met with an answer.

The leader of the purple-skinned humanoids straightened up at the captain’s words. "Fahas." He spoke with a guttural accent and stuck a thumb towards his chest.

Taking his words as an introduction, Jonas pointed to himself. "Jonas." He lowered his hand and motioned out to the battlefield. "Thank you."

Before a response could be made, Jonas heard the tiniest voice coming from the being before him. He eyed Fahas more closely, and noticed an earpiece being worn underneath dark hair. Tilting his head slightly to the left, the native intently listened to the voice. His eyes focused on some distant point on the horizon as Aegis began to light up the sky with the morning sunrise.

His leathery face contorted and he asked, what sounded like, a question in a foreign tongue. At first, Jonas thought it was directed at him, but Fahas’ gaze drifted to the ground. His head snapped up to stare right into the captain’s face. "Jonas," he said, nearly annunciating the correct phonetics of the name. He took the earpiece out and handed it to Relo.

Puzzled, Jonas reached out and took the familiar device. After placing it in his left ear, he identified himself. "This is Captain Jonas Relo."

"Captain, this is Dr. Shalan Canner," the voice responded.

The sound of oddly accented English rocked Jonas back on his heals. He let out a breath, and found he didn’t know what to say. We have no one on board by that name.

"I have a friend, here," the doctor continued. There was a soft click over the comm.

"Captain, this is Kasan Abrams."

Jonas felt his heart nearly leap outside of his chest as the female liaison had finally made contact with him. "Miss Abrams, are you okay? Where’s Harper? Are you held against your will?" His words came out in one breath.

"Yes, I’m fine. All of Contact Team is okay." Kasan paused on the other end, and Jonas could hear her soft laughter pour like music into his ear. "We are currently in the complex Hexil set up on Passium, this planet. Sir, there’s not a lot of time to explain everything, but we need your help." She betrayed no nervousness or worry in her tone, just urgency.

Jonas snapped his fingers at the crew slowly gathering around him to be quiet as they had just heard Abrams was alive. "I understand. What can we do?"

There was another click on the comm. "Captain, are your men armed?" Shalan asked.

"As best as we can," Relo replied with a smirk on his face.

"Good. We have a team inside that’s about to run into trouble. What we need from your crew is a distraction."

"What kind of distraction?" he asked with slight hesitation.

"Just a feint assault on the base entrance," his voice was almost casual with his explanation.

Oh, just attack a stronghold. That’s it. Jonas frowned. "I need a little more to go on than that, if I’m placing my men in danger."

Kasan Abrams’ voice came back over the comm. "Those machines have been neutralized, but we need to divide their remaining force. Sir, we just need to buy Harper some time for him to blow the power nodes."

He smiled with pride. Ian Harper became his second-in-command just prior to shipping out aboard Pioneer. He had seen so much potential for a man with a troubled family history of military service; he was the only surviving member of a family of five. Striving to perform his best, Ian proved time and again his reliability, and this moment was another reminder.

Jonas straightened his back. "Well be ready, shortly." He looked back towards the congregating group of aliens. "What about these other friends of yours?"

The doctor stuttered before answering. "The Crath will stay and set up a defensive perimeter around your ship."

"Very well, doctor. I’ll remain with Pioneer as we bring more systems back online." He rubbed at the stubble on his chin. While Jonas had some ground combat experience, he knew there were others far more qualified to lead the assault. The captain turned around at the sound of footsteps to see his newly promoted Sergeant brandishing a rifle. He was the Lambda Squad leader, and currently the most experienced soldier he had. "I’m sending Sergeant Jay Carrizo with eight squads to where those transports retreated. I’m not sending them back to that cave with limited cover." As he explained, he nodded to Carrizo.

The Sergeant saluted. "I'll gather the troops, Sir."

 

**************************

 

 

In the dim glow of a computer display they prepared for action. Ian’s comm unit was only sending and receiving static, so he wasn’t expecting help anytime soon. Having Brice appear out of nowhere was exhilarating and much needed. After timing the guard patrols, Ian had run through the overall plan with Brice and the pilot understood the importance of their success.

Harper pulled out three small, translucent cubes and showed them to Brice. "These are activated by remote," he explained.

"Just don’t leave one in your pocket," Brice joked, picking up one of the explosives and examining it more closely.

"Yeah," Ian laughed. "We’ll adhere them to the surface of those blue plasma columns, and when we’re far enough away from here, we’ll detonate them."

It all sounded simple enough, but the real challenge was to get past the wandering eyes of security. They talked about just gunning down everyone they saw, but that left a lot of variables unchecked. Brice had mentioned capturing a security guard and changing into his clothes. The idea was good, but Ian made it a better one.

The room they were currently hiding in was a shift manager’s office, and after a thorough search of the drawers, they found a pair of maintenance worker clothes. Donning on their disguises, they packed utility tool containers with their firearms, explosives, and comm gear. Ian couldn’t help but crack a smile at Brice when he was fully dressed. "Those coveralls suit you amazingly well."

"Comes with being a pilot. Everything looks good on us."

Ian just shook his head and laughed. It really is good to have Brice here. Fastening the last button on his own coveralls, Ian picked up the bulky container. "Just act bored and disinterested."

"Oh, so mimic a UNSC grunt."

"Just don’t draw any more attention then we need," Ian chuckled back.

They timed their exit so the patrolling guards wouldn’t see from where they came. Slipping out into the enormous Power Station, they made no effort to hide from anyone. Harper and Brice walked without hurry towards the rightmost power node. Once clear of some basic shelving, Brice started up a random conversation about power couplings and how unreliable they were.

"So after I get the part, I realize the whole thing was the electrical circuits. I mean talk about wasted time!" Brice was animated as ever with his free hand banging on some invisible equipment.

It didn’t take long for them to run into a liveried guard. "Halt!" He raised his weapon and pointed it at the two men. "This is a restricted area. What are you…." The guard trailed off when he noticed the mechanic uniforms and toolboxes.

"Maintenance," Harper identified for the both of them. "Checking out some power fluctuations on the receiver transformers."

The security officer frowned. "There’s no scheduled shift." He raised his hand to click on his communicator. "I’ll have to clear it."

Brice threw up both hands, letting the toolbox clatter to the ground. "Oh, sure. Call Control and get our boss out of bed early! That will really set him off in a great mood." He folded his arms for emphasis of his disgust.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay," the guard said with impatience. "Just be quick about it. My boss has us on a D-3 alert." His head turned to scan the immediate area. "If you guys see anything suspicious, let me know. I’m due for a review here in a week and it’ll look real good to have something highlighted." He nodded to the two men and continued his patrol.

Yeah, I’m sure you’ll get a Merit Badge.

Harper looked at Brice, who rolled his eyes, and they marched on.

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

Part 20

 

Walking in the orange glow from the plasma torch, Kasan’s nervousness was eating away at her stomach lining. She thought for sure her insides would erode and she’d die from organ failure. She swallowed hard and felt the back of her throat remain dry. The sounds of the gunfire still ricocheted in her skull and kept her thoughts scattered.

"Just a little farther," Dr. Canner promised.

The doctor had decided they should go down to the laboratories to find the Neural Network Controller. However, Canner’s map only went down five levels, and the security cam that revealed the Crath army was labeled Sub-7-D. Which meant it was two levels down from where they currently were. By entering a storage room, they could access the main corridor on Sublevel 5. Kasan looked down at her own commpad display and found the distance to their entrance coming up on her right.

After cutting through the outer wall, Canner offered a hand to Kasan as she stepped through. She ignored it and instead walked past him, hurrying to the door through the cluttered room of supplies. Glow panels lining the edges of the floor provided the only illumination, casting shadows on the low ceiling above. She poised her hand over the door handle when Canner reached out and gently grabbed her wrist.

"Hold on. Let’s slow down," the doctor said with his exotic accent.

"Slow down? Brooks and Smith are in trouble and you want to take you time?" Kasan wrung her arm free from his grip.

"Just let me patch into the local network, here," Canner explained.

He typed away on his commpad and left Kasan to herself. She folded her arms and paced back and forth. God please let them be okay. She knew that this whole plan was going to cost something. Everyone knew the risks involved. Kasan just felt helpless following the doctor through a maze of tunnels. And with all that—

Her communicator beeped.

Fumbling with the commpad in her hands, she dropped it. Ignoring the clunk it made on the ground, she keyed her communicator. "Brooks?" Her voice went up an octave. "What’s going on?"

"We made it to the Armory, but we were attacked as we left." He let out a sigh. "Smith got pinned down and we were cut off." He paused briefly. "There was nothing we could do. The rest of us made it back into the tunnels."

Kasan’s heart felt as if it had plunged into her stomach and was being slowly digested. She leaned back heavily on a nearby container and sank to the ground in disbelief. After all Contact Team had been through, Kasan was getting the notion that they were invincible, wrapped in a cocoon of protection by an unseen Host. Now Private Smith is gone.

"Brooks, make your way to the Power Station. We can’t get a hold of Harper, and he has incoming hostiles," Canner informed.

Kasan's head came up and she looked at the doctor. "How can you be so obtuse?" She gave him a glare full of fire. "Smith is dead, and you're issuing orders like nothing's happened."

"Of course something's happened!" Canner snapped. "What we need now is clear-headed thinking, not bubbled-up emotions to guide us." He frowned. "I would think the least we can do to honor Smith is to help those we can save."

Kasan's expression softened. He's right. She sighed and felt some tension leave with the breath she exhaled. "I'm sorry, I just..." She looked down to her hands and clenched them into fist.

"I'm sorry, too," the doctor replied. "Loosing a friend is never easy, and I wasn't helping the situation." He gave her a solemn nod. "Brooks? Did you copy?"

"We understand, doctor. We'll be quick about it."

"Very well. Miss Abrams and I are going to knock out the neural transmitter that they're using to synchronize those soldiers."

"Were those soldiers...."

"Captured Crath, the indigenous people that live here on Passium," Canner told Brooks. "Hexil is controlling them. Be careful, Private. They will act as one in battle, very difficult to defeat."

"Yes. So we have seen," Brooks said in a monotone. "We'll be careful."

They both sat in silence for a few minutes. Kasan had wanted to say something, but nothing came into her mind. The silence was deafening, somehow numbing her ears, and her head started to pound.

Dr. Canner’s commpad beeped twice and he straightened up. "There, we have the schematics for the lab." She reached down and flipped her commpad right side up. He pressed a few buttons and Kasan’s own computer lit up with updated information. "We’ll take the freight lift down," he said, as he opened the door.

The hallway was a mute brown and gave an impression that dirt had been rubbed along the surface. He turned right and led them both down fifty meters to an adjacent corridor that ended in the freight lifts, labeled 1-A through 1-D. The hall’s end was empty and this didn’t sit well with Kasan’s ever-problematic gut.

They hopped into the 1-D lift and descended to the laboratory.

 

***********************

 

Lt. Brice unlatched his toolbox and opened it up. Looking over at Harper with amusement, he held up one of the explosives. "Fine tools, these are. Had to special order them just in case a situation like this occurs." He shrugged as one security officer glanced in their direction and turned away, shaking his head.

"Let’s just do this and get out of here," Harper insisted, his voice barely audible over the hum of the power nodes.

"Right." The guards had left Brice and Harper to themselves, for the most part, but the constant stream of reports relaying through the security detail was growing more frequent. And it’s only a matter of time till one of those reports includes two trespassers sabotaging the Power Station.

Unfastening a small maintenance hatch, Brice peeled a thin film off the back of the explosive and attached it to the inside base of the column. Harper, likewise, duplicated the application and placed his tiny cube on the opposite side. The explosives quickly flashed into the cyan coloring of the power node and blended in completely with the column. Brice nodded to Harper. One down, two to go.

The three columns measured five meters wide and were spaced out along the back wall roughly fifty meters apart. They had just finished the first, right-most node and moved on to the middle one.

One security guard on rotation came up to them as Brice and Harper walked. Brice recognized him as the guy they first ran into. "Everything going okay?"

"Sure. Just checking out the last two, here," Brice answered. The three continued to travel together till they reached the center power node. "See you around," Brice said with slight annoyance. Is this guy ever going to leave us alone? Brice didn’t want to open up his toolbox in plain sight of the guard’s eyes.

Harper looked at Brice and widened his eyes, giving the slightest nod towards the guard. Brice shrugged and turned back to their new shadow. "So, is there anything else?"

"No," the guard casually replied. He rubbed at some dirt on his firearm that was slung over his shoulder. "Not much else to do."

"Aren’t you on some code alert?" Harper offered.

"What’s there to be alert about here? This Power Station is locked tight." He raised his chin. "No one could get in undetected."

With no sign of their new acquaintance departing anytime soon, Brice set his toolbox down on the ground and lifted the lid towards the guard, so as to hide its contents. He pulled out his makeshift detector he previously used to find the power source and flicked it on.

‘What’s that?" the guard asked straining his neck to see over the lid.

This guy doesn’t let up. "Nothing, just a flux-infraction detector. It helps locate…" Brice rolled his eyes with an exaggerated shaking of his head. "It’s all so boring."

"Oh. Well, I’ll just be over here in case you guys need something." The Hexil employee strode away to lean on a not-so-sturdy shelf.

Harper crouched down to face Brice. "I don’t like this."

"I agree." Brice chewed on his lower lip for a few seconds. "You finish up here. I’ll go prep the last power node." He closed his toolbox and rose.

Ian grabbed his forearm and kept him down. "Hey, we do this together."

"Yeah, but we're out of time, Harper."

Ian sighed and let go of Brice’s arm. "Just be careful, okay? No hero stuff."

"You should have told me that a long time ago." He patted Harper on the shoulder and walked past him towards the remaining column. The annoying guard straightened up with difficulty and opened his mouth to speak, but Brice waved him away. "Divide and conquer."

"Ah," the security guard affirmed and went back to his mutterings.

Once at his destination, Brice quickly removed both access panels. He was about to apply the last explosive, when he heard the sounds of an argument at the far end of the room. The voices reverberated off the ceiling and could easily be made distinguishable as they curved along the back wall. His head snapped up to look over at Harper. Ian gave a concerned look as his response to Brice’s nonverbal inquiry.

The conversation at the main security door continued. "All I’m saying is that there is no emergency maintenance issued for the power nodes. Why? Because I haven't order any!"

Brice poked his head around the column and squinted his eyes to see a man half dressed, waving his arms around, as he protested to the senior guard. The light that spilled in from the brightly-lit hall silhouetted the confrontation. Crap. He reached into his toolbox and pulled out his pistol, keeping it low to his side. Looking over at Harper again, he saw the naval officer seal up the center node and took the detonator in his left hand. Harper had his firearm in the other.

Keeping his eyes on the distant arguing figures, Brice reached down and primed the last explosive. Standing back up, he firmly pressed the cover with his boot and it snapped shut.

The two men in the doorway became eclipsed when a steady stream of armored soldiers entered the Power Station security checkpoint. Brice heard a quick whistling sound and he glanced left to see Harper waving him over, but it was too late.

Their tag-along security guard noticed the exchange and detached himself from the shelf. The Hexil employee turned to see the commotion at the front and raised his weapon. Seeing his superior walking towards him, he stood straighter and snapped to attention. The chief security officer looked him up and down then past his shoulder to see Harper behind the pillar.

"You there, what is the meaning of this?" He placed his hands on his hips and slowly started towards Ian.

Brice watched, as an individual dressed in a white lab coat approached with two dozen fully armed combat troops. He held his hand up, and the chief stopped his march to Harper, who looked ready to spring into action.

"You two can come out now." The researcher first looked at Harper then over to Brice. Seeing his face reminded Brice of his uncle who always took great care in his appearance: hair cropped, fingernails trimmed, teeth whitened. He blabbered on. "Or, we can take your dead bodies." He let out a sarcastic sigh. "However, Culver insisted we take you alive to find the rest of your group."

"Over my dead..." Wait, we already covered that. Brice squeezed his trigger when his pistol lined up with the closest soldier he could see. The round left the barrel at a speed that no reflex could dodge and punctured the left side of the intended target's neck, exiting through the back.

Before the trooper even realized he was dead, half of the gathered force turned to face Brice and fired, while the other half took aim at Harper. Brice dove to his right into the cover the column offered. Shots rang out hollow in his ears as the rounds themselves sparked off of the once impeccable tile. He looked up in time to see Harper leaning his back against his own pillar.

"Cease fire!"

The immediate cut off of gunfire allowed the echoes to carry on for another two seconds. The silence lingered on for several more seconds till the finely groomed man spoke again. "Let's try that again, shall we? Please don't make this too difficult."

He's a calm fellow, I'll give him that.

 "Where do we begin, then?" Brice loudly asked, trying to buy some time.

It wasn't going to work. He could already hear the soldiers fanning out to the sides to flank both him and Harper. The rest of the Power Station’s security detail had joined with the capture. Knowing they were down to their last option, he made eye contact with his brother in arms and gave him a solemn nod.

Harper's reaction was puzzling. With the detonator still in his left hand he motioned past Brice to the wall running perpendicular. Frowning, Brice turned the opposite way around the column and looked down the right-side wall. He couldn't see anything particular, but he did hear a high-pitched crackle, like static. He turned back around to ask Harper what is was, but the Lieutenant was standing up with his hands in the air.

"Okay, we give up. We'll tell you where everyone is located." He took one step towards the researcher. He dropped his gun on the ground and neatly palmed the detonator till the bulky end was hidden in his grasp.

"Harper!" Brice yelled through clenched teeth.

"Tell us," asked the man in the white coat. He seemed hesitant at this sudden change of favor.

"Well, Brice and I are right here," he commented while nodding in Brice's direction. He turned his head back towards his captor. "And a few more just showed up."

His sentence was punctuated with an explosion from the right. An oval shaped section of the wall blew out towards a pair of soldiers and a large chunk took them down. The rest of the armored troops shifted their aim at this new threat. Gunfire erupting from the blown out hole in the wall was joined with Brice's fire from his pistol.

Harper had dropped on his stomach, snatched his gun off the ground, and added to the chaos. He rolled over to cover as he clipped the Hexil researcher in the right thigh and left shoulder. The man dropped in pain, clutching his wounds.

It was over within fifteen seconds. The enemy numbers diminished to three remaining security guards that dropped their weapons and held their hands up.

Brice came around the column he was using for cover and kept his weapon aimed at the center of those that were surrendering. Harper stood over the researcher, his lab coat no longer pristine white.

Just entering his periphery, Brice saw three men dressed in commando uniforms weave their way through the dead bodies to secure the prisoners. He lowered his weapon and turned to see Sergeant Hill standing beside him. He wore a grin the stretched from ear to ear.

"Good to see you're okay, Lieutenant."

"And you, too." He placed his hand on Hill's shoulder and slapped it twice. The slightly taller man winced and Brice noticed the crudely bandaged arm. "Sorry."

"Sergeant, Lieutenant!" Harper called.

Both men rushed over to where the researcher lay bleeding on the ground. He was coughing and his face paled. "You can't beat her. She's too smart. Smarter that all of you."

"Who, Culver?" Harper asked.

"Yeah." He winced as the pain spiked through his shoulder. "After all... she did trap you and your ship here, didn't she?"

Thomas Hill stepped forward and pressed his heal in the dying man's thigh wound, and received a yelp in return. "Not for long."

Harper reached out and pulled Thomas back. "Where is she?"

"Waiting for Dr. Canner, of course."

"How did you know he was still alive?" Ian asked in puzzlement.

The researcher propped himself up on his good arm. "Trust me, you don’t know that half of it."

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

Part 21

Sergeant Jay Carrizo guided his men to a rocky outcropping that jutted up from the ground, just outside the previously hidden vehicle depot. Jay looked like the pinnacle of soldiers. He had even been on UNSC recruitment posters when he joined several years ago. His eternally youthful face was accented with bright hazel eyes and black hair that was so dark, it seemed a shade of blue. He served eight years in the UNSC before returning to civilian life. Hexil had approached him a month after getting home, like they did with all ex-military, about hiring him for a security post. With his experience, they offered him a sizeable salary, and he signed on. Now I’m not so sure this ever was the right decision. Jay shifted his shoulders. Doesn’t matter now. What does, is carrying out this mission.

Armed with a collection of random weapons, the commandos looked more like hired militia than they did trained professionals. Carrizo held his own vintage rifle and signaled the Theta squad leader. The short, stocky man ran over to Jay’s side and kneeled down.

"What the situation?" the squad leader asked.

Good question. Captain Relo had told him that all his men needed to do was to disrupt or distract the base security, buying time for the ones inside to complete their mission of blowing the power nodes. Relo expressed his concern about the lack of information he received, so he told Carrizo to hold down the area just outside the massive stone doors. The cover was limited, but he managed to divide his force into two teams of four squads. He sent half of his units to the other side where the rocks provided a raised section for easy sniper support. Now his men were strategically placed through the outcropping and aimed their weapons at the entrance.

"Sir?"

Carrizo shook his head. "Sorry, just doing the math." His men were ready, but had no enemy to fight. "Should we just go up and knock or something?"

The Theta squad leader laughed. "We could."

Relo had also told him that a feigned assault might be required to coax their enemy from its lair. "Demolitions." Carrizo turned to find his Demo expert kneeling down to his left.

His makeshift explosives were cobbled together from various engineering equipment and looked like they could go off if dropped on the wrong end. He pulled his backpack around for quick access. "Yes, Sir."

"We’ll need you to plant some charges at the seam of one of those doors." He pulled out his commpad and highlighted the area with his stylus. "I’ll have the sniper team covering you the untire time." He looked into the young man’s face. "You don’t have to be pretty, just set them, then get back to cover. If you run into trouble, pull out immediately." He motioned two commandos armed with semi-automatic rifles to escort him.

"Copy." The three men jogged up to the leftmost frame; they hugged the valley wall for added concealment. The demolition expert began his work while his two comrades watched his back.

"You think this will work?" asked Theta leader.

"I really don’t think it matters. As long as it draws them out into the open."

"I’ve got a bad feeling about this."

"I agree, but the Captain knows what he’s doing." Right?

By the time their conversation finished, the three had returned out of breath.

"Ready to light it, Sergeant," the commando specialist informed Carrizo.

"Very good." He keyed his communicator. "Fire in the hole!"

The demolition expert keyed the detonator as everyone ducked down. The explosion was massive as the seam that ran along the outer edge of the door split open like fresh fruit. Dust was flung into the air as the shockwave finally hit the commandos. The force of the detonation brought many to the ground, but a few remained upright. Small chunks of steel, stone, and concrete mixed in a shower of debris.

Carrizo coughed and waved the dust from his face. ‘What the hell did you use?"

"Um, a lot of different stuff. Kind of threw it all together at the last minute. With what we had onboard Pioneer, I didn’t expect it to be that big." The specialist worked his jaw to get some of his hearing back. "Guess I could have dialed it down." He shrugged and laughed at the same time.

The Sergeant peered through the haze and could make out the rough edges of the now-distorted door. It looked as if some giant had taken a bite out of the left side of the entrance. He slapped the demolition expert on the back. "Great job. If that doesn’t bring someone out to play, I don’t know what will."

The celebration didn’t last long. The creaking sounds of stubborn mechanisms cut off the triumphant yells of the commandos as the massive doors began to open up. The rubble from the explosion gave little resistance to the opening entrance. The door continued to rise until the top lip, where it disappeared into the cliff, met the crinkled section. The left hangar door remained two-thirds open, while the right door fully lifted.

It allowed easy access for the horde of soldiers pouring out of the compound.

"Weapons free!" Carrizo shouted. He took aim with his rifle and looked down the iron sights. Although the weapon he held was probably made before his father was born, the soft recoil and natural sound it made when fired brought a smile to his face. He struck his target in-between the eyes, causing a helmet to fly off. He loaded the next round in the chamber and moved his aim to the right.

The armored infantry spread out across the doorway, some finding cover, others just kneeling down and firing. Jay was amazed at the cohesion of the enemy. Individual squads would focus on sections of Carrizo’s line till the commandos would have to stop firing and duck down into cover. Some of the return fire was concentrated on the sniper positions with devastating accuracy. The six-man team was being cut thin as three of them toppled over. He tracked the source of the enemy fire and pointed to the rubble piled up against the cliff. "Targets left! 110 degrees! Fire!"

The commandos in his vicinity poured suppressing fire on the enemy position, giving time for the wounded snipers to be pulled off the rocks. Rounds sizzled past Carrizo’s head and he ducked back down.

While being outgunned and outnumbered, the commando’s were holding their own quite well. What supplied this advantage was the cover they had in the outcropping rocks. In contrast, the enemy forces were marching towards them with little or no cover and an apparent disregard for their own lives. Something isn’t right. Carrizo risked a look over the rocks. They’re like robots.

He pulled out a pair of macrolenses and zoomed in on his enemy. His mouth hung open when he saw the facial features of the aliens he had just met. He shifted his view to the back line of soldiers. He felt his heart leap into his throat as he recognized a familiar face.

Private John Waters.

He had a visible limp, but his eyes remained glazed over, as if in a trance. He started firing his weapon at the line of commandos to Carrizo’s right. No! This can’t be.

"Uh, Sergeant?" a voice beside him beckoned. "I think some of those soldiers were with Sergeant Hill’s Strike Team."

Carrizo zoomed in and out, searching the faces, and nodded in agreement. He keyed his communicator. "Commandos, try and bring them down without killing them. We have friendlies mixed in with the hostiles."

"What?" came a collective question over the comm.

"Just do it!" He responded further with bringing his rifle around and aiming at shoulders and arms. Given the added time it took to carefully aim their weapons, the commandos’ ranks began to thin. Carrizo cringed.

The battle raged on, and by the end, both sides had the wounded and dying outnumbering the unscathed. Out of the 96 commandos, 19 were KIA and 25 were wounded. Carrizo had sustained a minor head wound from a round that ricocheted off the rocks and sliced the top of his left ear off, along with destroying his communicator. The bleeding wouldn’t stop, despite the constant pressure he applied.

The area had been too hot to call for reinforcements, but now that the enemy force was neutralized, reserves and medics were tending to the injured. Carrizo was leaning against a boulder, when one medical technician came up to him and removed Jay’s helmet. The older man with graying hair carefully wrapped Carrizo’s head with gauze. He checked his pupils for dilation. "You look fine. Just report to medical when everything has calmed down."

"Thanks. I doubt that will be anytime soon."

Theta Squad leader walked up to Carrizo and squatted down to his eye level. He reported the numbers to him of the dead and wounded. "They fought bravely, Sir." He placed a large hand on Jay’s shoulder. "Among the enemy we found some of Sergeant Hill’s men from Beta and Alpha Squads." He pulled out a familiar looking device. "They wore these things." He placed it in Jay’s hand.

"This looks like one of the neural protectors Culver had Hill’s men wear." The medic had finished his task, and all three men stood up. "Are any of them still alive?"

He nodded his head. "Private John Waters is coherent, although I’m not completely sure of his mental capacity, at this point."

"Show me."

The two commandos walked across the battlefield to where the Hexil infantry survivors laid on the ground. Mixed with the Crath were soldiers Carrizo had known to be with Strike Team. All of the combatants still wore the neural bands, but the devices sparked and audibly crackled.

Theta leader pointed to Waters, who was at the end of the row, bleeding from wounds in each arm. "It should be safe to remove those devices now."

Carrizo got down on one knee to stare into Waters’ face. "Can you hear me, Private?"

The blank expression on Waters remained, but he did rotate his head. Blood spatter was caked on his neck as he opened his mouth to speak. ‘We had no choice," he croaked. "We had…"

"It’s okay, son." Jay stood up and waved the squad leader over to the side, while the medic tended to Waters’ wounds. "What are your thoughts on those devices?"

He frowned. "I’m no expert, but it seems that they self-destructed after the user is incapacitated to some degree." He shrugged and looked back to the exposed depot. The large doors had remained open and alarms were reverberating inside the open space. "What about that, Sir? Should we advance?"

Carrizo shook his head. "We did what was asked of us." He raised his head and looked out at the valley. Aegis was steadily approaching midday, and clouds were moving in, already casting random shadows over Pioneer. "When we’re needed again, we’ll be ready."

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

Part 22

 

The lift slowed to an abrupt stop and a tone chimed from the control panel. Kasan Abrams glanced over to Shalan Canner, who in turn nodded. They stepped to the sides of the elevator and Kasan keyed the double doors open. With a quiet squeak, the doors parted and Kasan leaned her head through the doorway.

"Clear on my end," she whispered.

"Same here," the doctor replied as he stepped out of the lift.

Sublevel 7 was arranged in a curious fashion. It contained one central large room with smaller rectangular rooms surrounding the outside. Some housed offices, and others barracks and test labs, while a corridor outlined the entire floor. And right smack dab in the middle of the level was the Neural Network Controller. Kasan retied her hair in a thick braid. This isn’t going to be easy.

"I only read six contacts in the largest room." The doctor looked up from his commpad and frowned. "You would think there would be a lot more down here, given the recent deployment of the Crath army."

Kasan shrugged uneasily. "Maybe they evacuated after their job was done?"

"Either way, we have to finish this."

"Yeah," Kasan muttered. "I figured you’d say that." She waved her hand to keep his comment at bay of how the Crath needed to be free.

The corridor décor left something to desire. It had the same wall pattern as the previous level they descended from and smelled of dusty old electronics. He led them both down the short hallway, and turned right.

They came face to face with a glowing red light.

Swearing to herself, Kasan rolled sideways to her left and pulled out her pistol in one swift motion. Taking aim at this sudden enemy, she paused. Dr. Canner had remained still during her maneuver.

"It’s quite alright, Miss Abrams." He smiled at her and wrapped his knuckles on the metallic frame of the Monitor. "It's on standby."

Kasan exhaled and shook her head. She kept her weapon in her hands and stood up. "I’m not amused, Shalan." Kasan eyed the machine and could hear a low-level hum emitting from it as she stepped by.

The two walked silently, neither voicing their concern for the lack of a security presence. Continuing down the corridor, an office door was ajar on their left and Kasan hugged the wall just outside. She peered into the dark room and slowly opened the door. Sweeping her sidearm across the room, she nodded to Canner, signaling it was all clear. They entered and closed the door. The office was left in a hurry. Furnished with dark wood cabinets and a desk that was large enough for a dozen people to dine on, the office reminded Kasan of a diplomat’s meeting room. The desk was a mess, with papers and files strewn about. But what grabbed their full attention was the large window along the back wall. It gave a view into the Controller room. The main area was in total contrast to the outer hallway. It was floored with shiny white tile in which one could see his or her own reflection. The equipment lining the light blue walls, and the computer units strategically placed in the center, were colored a charcoal gray that matched the vaulted ceiling.

Two security guards could be seen walking past, a mere ten meters from the glass, and Kasan ducked down. Once again, the doctor was remaining still. "It’s a one-way window, like an interrogation room." He stepped forward to gain a greater viewing angle. "They can’t see us, but we can see them."

Kasan stood up and clenched her left hand into a fist. She forced it open. Relax. You need to be focused. She looked out the window again and saw three more people occupying consoles at the far end of the room.

"Now I’m only reading the five contacts here. I’ve lost the sixth one." He frowned. "We must hurry then." He stuffed his commpad into his backpack and pulled out his pistol.

"What’s the plan?"

"No sense in trying to be stealthy, just neutralize the personnel and plant the charges."

Kasan rolled her eyes at the doctor’s choice of words. Neutralize. I’ll show you how to neutralize someone. She motioned him back as she raised her weapon. She fired and the one-way glass shattered into a thousand pieces. The two people that had walked by earlier ran over to the disturbance. They had their hands on their still-holstered firearms when Kasan jumped through the window opening, planted her feet, and shouted, "Don’t move!" Hands up!"

The two men reacted quickly, but not fast enough. The one on the left simply pulled out his pistol only to be shot once in the stomach, doubling him over. The guard on the right lunged straight at Kasan. She sidestepped to her left and brought the butt end of her gun down on his head. He collapsed instantly to the ground. Kasan looked over to the three employees at the consoles and saw them scurrying about for cover. One ran into a nearby office, while the other two took shelter behind their consoles. She looked back at Dr. Canner who was already over the jagged edge of the window frame, and waved him on. "C’mon. Let’s go."

They both ran to the center of the room. The Neural Network Controller looked like some giant insect on its back with limbs and antennae ascending to the ceiling. While disabling it with override codes seemed the most probable way to end its broadcast, Canner insisted that destroying the NNC was necessary to end Hexil’s research once and for all.

Kasan crouched down behind the doctor as he began surgically placing the explosives on the key structural joints on the Controller. She moved when he did, covering his back. The two remaining individuals that were hiding behind consoles had long since left, leaving Kasan and Canner in relative silence. The seconds ticked by and Kasan grew more anxious to get back topside.

Finally, Canner finished with the charges. "All finished." They both stood up. He removed the detonator from his pouch and flicked in on standby. "Now, let’s get to a safe dist—"

His words were cut off as a shot rang out and echoed loudly in the vast space. Kasan dove behind the Controller and searched for the armed culprit. Her eyes were darting back and forth, so she didn’t notice Shalan on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. She reached out and grabbed him by the shirt collar, pulling him to safety. Shalan’s face contorted and his left hand clutched the inside of his bleeding right thigh.

"Hold on," Kasan urged.

The wound was hideous to look at and Kasan refocused on the shadowy figure in the distance. She leaned around the corner to catch a glimpse of the assailant, but another shot ricocheted off the floor in front on her.

"It’s Culver."

Kasan retreated back to where Canner laid. "What?"

"It’s her. She’s here." Canner held up his right hand, still grasping the detonator. "Get clear, and I’ll deal with her myself."

Her eyes grew wide. "Wait." Kasan keyed her communicator and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Harper? Do you copy?" She could hear Hannah Culver moving to a new position along the wall. "Harper, please respond," she pleaded.

Another round struck the side of the Controller Kasan was leaning upon. The doctor had awkwardly crawled next to her, deeper into cover. Shalan tugged at Kasan's sleeve. "You need to get out of here."

"I'm not leaving you." Her comm beamed twice and Canner let go of her jacket. "Harper?" she breathed, not completely believing it.

"I'm here, Kasan. We've planted the charges and we are now heading to the main entrance," Harper informed. "Are you okay?"

"The doctor's been shot. Culver has us pinned down here." Her last sentence ended with another round hammering the side of the Controller. "Hurry!" Her hushed voice was urgent.

Kasan peered out the side and fired a couple rounds.

 

**********

 

"I'm on my way! Hang tight." Harper waved Sergeant Hill up the line of commandos. "I'm going to help Kasan and the doctor. Can you spare a few men?"

Brooks and Brice joined the Sergeant to complete the gathering. Hill frowned. "The main objective here is to blow those power nodes. We are almost there..." he trailed off when he saw Harper's expression sharpen. "Look, we have priorities."

Brice placed his hands on the shoulders of Harper and Hill. "I'll go with him."

Harper smiled. "Thanks."

"Screw it." Thomas Hill appropriated Brooks' commpad and selected a new frequency. Brooks handed Hill the communicator from his ear. "Captain Relo, do you copy? This is Sergeant Hill."

At first there was static, then the signal cleared up. "Good to hear your voice again, Sergeant."

"Sir, what's Pioneer's operational status?"

There was a brief pause over the comm. "We have propulsion, sensors, and we just got communications back. It was miracle we caught your transmission when we did."

"If you have anyone else on the ground, recall them." He sighed. "Lt. Harper and Lt. Brice are going to get Miss Abrams and bring her back to the surface. The rest of us are evacuating."

"Brice, you're okay? Thank God." The Captain's sigh of relief sounded like more static over the comm's speaker. "Sergeant Carrizo is heading up our ground forces at the moment." There was a soft click over the comm. "Carrizo? You're going to have friendlies outbound from inside the base. Be advised."

Jay's voice coming over the comm sounded tiny and puzzled. "Copy that, Sir."

"Copy." Thomas Hill looked down at his chrono. "Harper, you've got 15 minutes, then I want you back up here." He gave the comm gear back to Brooks and folder his arms. He was about to continue when the commando's at the rear guard started shouting. "What's going on?" he asked Brooks.

"Contacts!"

They four scattered as rounds started firing from down the long corridor they were currently traveling through. The commandos began running forward to the main entrance as they quickly realized they were outnumbered. Hill fired back over the heads of his men and waved them past him He ran over to Harper who was crouched down with Brice. "Get going!" He shouted over the racket of battle as the commando's weapons began adding to the noise. He shoved them down a hallway that branched off the main corridor. "If you're not back to the ship in 30 minutes, we'll have to blow the Power Station, regardless."

"Got it." Harper turned to Brice who gave a thumb up. "Let's go!" Harper gave one last look at the line of commandos retreating back outside. Sergeant Hill looked ever the hero, standing with his sidearm and providing suppressing fire for his fellow soldiers. The commandos retreated down the corridor and were now starting to filter into the main hangar that Brice had previous infiltrated.

The two men parted company with the main group in a hurried pace.  Brice and Harper rounded a corner and ran down a perpendicular hallway. Turning another corner brought them to the hall's end where the lifts were located. With no signs of pursuit, they rushed into the elevator and keyed the door closed.

Harper pulled out his commpad and pressed a few buttons. "She's seven levels down." He looked at the control panel and frowned. "Guess we'll get as low as we can, then find a way down farther."

Brice punched the lowest level key on the control panel and nodded once to Ian. The lift descended down five sublevels and they both hopped out. The hallway was deserted and the two kept their pace steady as they found an empty storage room to which Ian led them.

Harper was intently watching his commpad screen as he paced the floor. "Here."

Brice stood motionless. "You mean—"

Harper pulled out his plasma torch. "We're going through the floor."

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

Part 23

Kasan Abrams blindly fired three more times around the side of the Neural Network Controller. She stopped to reload and found she had only one clip left. Canner had applied some unknown ointment to his wound and was currently wrapping it tight with a torn off sleeve. Kasan thought he would pass out when he gave the first tug on the bandage. She reached down and checked his pulse. It was weak.

"Kasan Abrams, is that you?"

Kasan’s head snapped up when she heard Hannah Culver’s voice. "Yeah, it is," she hesitantly replied.

"I didn’t think you would be running around with Shalan, of all people." Hannah had moved to within conversation distance, using a full equipment cart on wheels as a temporary shield.

Kasan frowned, wondering why this sudden change in Hannah’s demeanor. She sounds almost normal now, reasonable. "We’re here to end Hexil’s illegal experiments, Hannah." Kasan poked her head out and quickly pulled it back in.

"Relax, Kasan. I’m not going to shoot you."

Kasan snorted. "But you will kill Dr. Canner?"

"I shot him in the leg. If I wanted him dead, I could have aimed for his face," she bit out. Culver sighed. "No, I prefer him alive. There’s still much that needs done, and I can’t have you two halting the progress of our work."

"But what you are doing to the Crath is wrong. Can’t you see that?"

"You have to see the big picture, here."

Kasan shook her head. "What big picture?" she demanded.

Hannah paused. "Oh, you mean Shalan never told you?"

A moan from the doctor brought Kasan’s attention back to the injured man. He pushed himself up off the ground to lean against the Controller. He breathed heavily for several seconds, then swallowed. Kasan could see the pain that lay behind the doctor’s eyes. "You can’t possibly still believe that, can you, Culver?"

Kasan’s hands knotted into fists. "What are you talking about?"

Kasan could hear Hannah shifting her weight. A brief flash of light brought Kasan’s head up and to the right to see a reflection of Hannah off the side of a shiny computer cart, giving her a viewing angle of Culver. It warped her image, causing her body to swell to disproportion. She could still make out her expression as it turned to a satisfied grin. "Why don’t you tell her? I’d love to hear your interpretation of the facts."

Dr. Canner sighed deeply. "Although the reasons why I wanted out of Hexil’s research are true, it’s not the entire story. I did feel we were mistreating the Crath, but what forced me out was something else."

"Go on, tell her."

"What I told you about the Monitors is not completely whole. When we first discovered the ancient facilities here on Passium, we were ordered to lock them down and limit the personnel that were involved with securing the sites. Dr. Culver was here with me, investigating the ruins and technology that was far more advanced than anything we had ever seen before."

Dr. Culver? "She was here with you?"

Hannah cleared her throat. "I was his… apprentice, so to speak. And yes, I do have my doctorate."

Kasan glared at Canner who winced under her gaze. "Why not mention this sooner?"

Leaning up against the dark, metallic surface made his shrug look more like someone trying to scratch an itch. "It would have complicated things." He looked down to his wound. "I’m sorry, but there were more pressing matters than a complete life history of myself." He ran his right hand over his face and scratched his beard, leaving a red streak over his left cheek. "You have to understand, the discovery of another race was important, but finding this alien technology could have set humanity ahead 500 years. Can you imagine that?"

Kasan silently shook her head.

His body sagged. "However, what our initial findings reveal was that the facilities were in such decay that many sites were deemed dangerous and uninhabitable." He opened his hands, his left one still completely coated in blood. "It was as if someone constructed the facilities, then left."

"But what about the Monitors? Didn’t you tell me before that there was one that watched over Passium?" Kasan asked.

"That’s correct, but it seems the poor fellow had malfunctioned." He closed his eyes as another wave of pain washed over him. "When we found the Monitor Manufacturing Plant, the mechanical overseer of the planet was… oh, I don’t know the correct word."

"Rampant," Culver filled in.

He opened his eyes again. "Yes, rampant. The facility itself was buried in a mountainside, and it took sometime to finally get a team to investigate. Once inside, Dr. Culver and I set out to find the main control room. When we did locate it, we heard a voice inside. Taking the necessary precautions, we entered with a squad of soldiers. What we discovered was the Monitor, alone in the corner of the room, its ‘eye’ glowing red. It didn’t react to us at all. But it did cast a holographic image of numbers scrolling in midair, all multipliers of seven. The Monitor rambled in some language we currently didn’t understand." He leaned in slightly. "I later discovered that it was the Crath’s native tongue."

He gave a weak smile. "It was unresponsive to inquiries made on every frequency we could think of, so it remained inaccessible. We had no idea how to deal with it, so we sealed the room. Later we were able to get the Monitor reproduction up and running with our own equipment brought in from our main base, here." He sighed. "There were only a few that knew of the Monitor of Passium’s presence.

"After a while, we found that we didn’t have the resources to fully comprehend or adapt the ancient equipment, so we sent a request to Hexil for an archeology team to come here. Their response was to adapt what we can and continue our work. So after a long delay we returned to our research in the Tactical Neural Complex Division." He brought his head up.

"Well, that helps to explain where the monitors came from, but what is this big picture you’re talking about?" Kasan started to think about Harper coming to their rescue. Stall; just stall her. She subconsciously smacked her forehead with her hand. She casually reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears. In the process, she keyed her communicator and adjusted the input level, giving Harper the ability to listen in on their conversation. She turned back to watch Hannah get into a sitting position on the ground. "Well, Hannah?"

"Since the adaptation with the Crath was going well, I requested Shalan to send a specialist team with me to find and locate more of the structures on the planet, without Hexil knowing what we were up to." Culver straightened up. "By then, there were a handful of people, like Shalan, that didn’t wholly agree with experimenting on the Crath, so Shalan chose a group of five researchers that were loyal to him."

Beside Kasan, the doctor snorted. "When she returned without them, I demanded to know what happened." His head sagged. "Those were good men."

"What did happen?" Kasan asked.

"She killed them, that’s what happened!" Canner snapped.

"What?" Kasan blurted.

"Those five would have never went along with my plans."

The doctor sighed. "She told me she found something out about the Monitor of Passium and how plans have changed. I reprimanded her, threatening to have her shipped back to Hexil. Instead I found myself tossed out into the jungle."

Kasan turned back to the reflection off the computer cart. "What did you find out?" Kasan was becoming more interested in this story the longer she listened, forgetting about the gunfight the two just had.

Hannah’s voice was surprisingly calm. "I had gone back to the control room, where we first discovered the Monitor. I had a scanning program run over the constant stream of numbers floating in the air. It was a cipher, of sorts. After analyzing the data, I found that the base-seven counting was a string of coordinates on the planet that kept repeating. I logged the locations and packed up my gear. As I was about to seal the door again… something spoke to me." She titled her head in recollection. "Not what you would think, but more like a voice inside my head."

"The Monitor?"

"I wasn’t sure; it still looked to be in its rampancy state."

Kasan frowned. "What did it say?"

Culver visibly braced herself. "Pioneer."

"Pioneer?" both Kasan and Shalan said in tandem. The doctor sat up a little more. "You never told me that."

"You didn’t want to listen." She looked to forgo a rant, then paused. "When I turned back to the Monitor, the hologram froze, and four sets of numbers glowed before me. I jotted them down, and I left. When I returned to this base, I kept my mouth shut about the whole incident. After we removed Shalan as site director, I set out to the coordinates the Monitor had specifically supplied me. The location was an underground facility, buried in the ice and snow in the northern polar region. I found an entrance at the exact coordinates; it was little more than a shack with a single subterranean exit. Unsealing the hatch, i had stepped into a surprisingly warm entryway." Culver moistened her lips and went on. "While I was being cautious about this unknown contact, I had a type of peace washing over me, like a waterfall. It's hard to explain.

"The floor had dropped down, revealing the entire entryway to be an elevator, and I felt almost weightless as I plummeted to Passium's depths. When I came to a stop, a portion of the wall in front of me rose up and disappeared into the ceiling. A voice beckoned me to step forward. I entered a spherical room, roughly 100 meters in diameter, that was completely black... except for the static glowing holograph in the center that emitted a collage of colors, ranging from orange to purple and back again. The image of the holograph look badly damaged as it constantly shifted and wavered. What I could make of the display was an individual that looked humanoid. It definitely wasn't the Crath, but was too blurry to recognize anymore that that."

Culver opened her hands. "If there is any possible way to see sound, I think that I encountered it then and there. The hologram 'spoke' to me, but I could also see and feel the words. It identified itself as Eran. It said, 'Pioneer, I have waited millennia to find you. There is a need for help. You must gather your kind and bring them here.' I don't know why, but I felt burdened to follow these instructions. No, not just burdened or compelled, but an obligation to do this."

Canner coughed loudly. "You didn't think that that thing was luring you into a trap? Bring humanity here, so it can destroy the human race? Did that come into your calculations?"

"Honestly, no." Hannah raised her chin up. "Eran claimed it was the Watchman. When I asked Eran a simple question of what it came from, Eran responded by..." She trailed off as she brought her left hand up to rub her temples. "It 'connected' with my mind, I guess. I was bombarded with images of worlds being blown apart, ships exploding, forests burning, and it all overwhelmed me and I collapsed to the floor." She shivered. "When I regained consciousness, I realized that Humanity wasn't ready."

Kasan could hear her heart beat in her head. "Ready for what?"

"For war."

 

************

 

Ian Harper cut through the last bit of concrete, and Brice helped him remove the incredibly heavy plug from the floor. The conversation in their ear kept going, and Ian was getting more unnerved as it progressed. He had adjusted his commpad's frequency output to transmit what Culver was saying to Captain Relo aboard Pioneer.

Brice craned his neck through the hole in the floor and came back up. "All clear." He lowered himself in the darkened room.

Ian followed suit and landed hard on the tiled surface. The room they were in contained a huge messy desk and a window that was blown out. Or blown in, however you want to look at it. Ian could smell the recognizable scent of burned flesh and crouched down into a combat stance. He looked over to Brice, who was similarly posed, and Brice tapped his left ear twice. Frowning, Harper focused on Kasan's recently asked question. When they both heard Culver reply with "for war," they turned to each other in puzzlement. What?

Ian lifted his head just above the bottom lip of the shattered window and looked around for Kasan. There she is. Hunkered behind a huge piece of machinery, she was shaking her head in disbelief. Her voice came through his ear. "What war? We haven't had any major conflicts since--"

"A war on a scale that would be incalculable," Culver cut her off. "With the Neural Network Controller we are closer to developing a synchronous army, capable of fast combat reaction and communication. Just imagine an entire fleet of ships that act as one on battle. The crew's minds linked together to form a single fighting force."

"What the hell is she talking about?" Brice whispered to Harper.

Ian's brow furrowed. "I think she's justifying her actions here."

Culver continued her rant. "I was somehow instantaneously transported back to the base, and I made a decision. I took our only ship capable of Slipspace travel and went back to Hexil. Back on Earth, before the board of directors, I made my case to Hexil that the TNCD now needed human 'test subjects'. After all, it was black-ops, and they conjured up a story about a colonization project. I was told to bring Pioneer, which was ironically named, down to the surface, where we could use the monitors to subdue the population aboard the ship."

Ian found his jaw had dropped. "A black-ops project?!?!" He hissed through his teeth. We… trusted them. We trusted Hexil. Ian slowly stood and finally got a visual on Hannah Culver.

"But why tell us all of this now?" Kasan asked.

He could see Hannah frown. "That voice earlier. Did you not hear it?" She stood up. "The one that said, ‘You have come to find us; we too have survived, just as you have; we have much to tell you.’"

"That wasn’t you?"

"It was Eran, the Watchman. After the Captain decided to run back home, I sent a message down to my team on the ground to improvise a transmission on the bio-frequencies. They delivered the second message." She paused briefly. "But it was Eran that activated the shield, prohibiting escape."

Kasan stood up as well. "You are as much a prisoner here as we are, Hannah. Can't you see that? Has your trust in this Watchman made you blind to the horrors you're committing?"

"No! It is you that’s not comprehending the situation. We all serve one that is greater than ourselves. We are the Pioneers. Humanity has been called upon."

Brice suddenly stood and grunted. "I've had enough of this sh*t!"

Ian nodded in agreement and jumped through the window opening. He raised his sidearm and shouted, "that's enough Culver!"

She turned around at the sound of his voice.

Kasan was moving in an instant. She took a sideways step into the open and lined up her shot on Culver. The bullet fired and closed the distance within milliseconds. Culver's upper right arm was pushed back when the round struck skin, muscle, then exited out the other side. She screamed in agony, and fell to the ground.

Harper and Brice sprinted towards the wounded woman, temporarily loosing sight of her. Kasan remained where she was, when Ian spotted Culver again. The white-haired woman had rolled over to another equipment rack and was pushing it along as mobile cover. Brice motioned Harper to flank her on the left as Brice moved right.

Then the explosion hit.

What Harper didn't see, Kasan couldn't spit out the warning fast enough. Culver had placed a detonation pack underneath the first equipment cart she had used for cover. The thunderous explosion pushed the two would-be rescuers flat to the ground. Kasan had been shielded by the blast, but was dizzy from the shockwave.

Ian slowly peeled himself off the tiled floor. He knew he had a piece of shrapnel in his lower back, he could feel the pressure. He got to his knees and searched for Brice. Kasan rushed over to his side. She helped him up and he cringed when he reached his apex of height: slightly leaning forward. The pain in his back limited his comfort, but he could still walk. Brice appeared on his left with a bloodied face. A cut over his right eyebrow was the main source of the leak.

"Are you okay? Can you walk?" Kasan asked with concern in her big beautiful eyes.

Oh, how I have missed those eyes. "I'll live. Brice?"

The larger man shrugged uncomfortably. "Nothing a couple drinks could solve. Where did she go?"

Kasan pointed with her pistol to the room with a swinging door. "She left through there."

Ian awkwardly reached behind his back and pulled out the jagged piece of metal. He cringed when he saw the blood stained debris. It was half the size of his hand, but had struck him at an angle so the flat side only broke the skin and didn’t travel farther into his muscles and organs. His jacket was shredded at the bottom and he took it off to wrap it around the wound. He pulled tightly to stop the bleeding.

Kasan winced. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I’ll be fine. Do we follow her?"

Brice shrugged, "What do you think? Do we have enough time?"

Harper looked at his chrono. "Dammit, mine's busted from the blast."

Brice held his wrist up and frowned. "We've got 10 minutes left."

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)

comments, anyone?
or have a totally lost you....

---

New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)