“Man down!” Don yelled when he saw the spike impale Jones’ head. Jones dropped to his knees then crumpled forward.

“Keep moving, Don!” Skeratt yelled. He fired another burst towards the Brutes, then ran. Don took cover behind a tree, placed a grenade on the ground, pulled the pin, then placed a large twig inside the grenade to keep the firing charge held down. Then he ran, firing at the Brutes as he went.

Twenty seconds later an Unggoy hobbled forward, muttering,

“Me want to get this over with and get back to the base. Base got food nipples to quench me thirst.”

The Unggoy kept mumbling and walking forward, taking a shot occasionally with his plasma pistol. He stepped on a twig, which dug into his foot. He mumbled a curse and kicked the twig away. In the grenade, the firing charge snapped up and the Unggoy was transformed into hundreds of pieces of heated flesh.

“Bring it on.” Don muttered as the grenade detonated. Stupid Covenant fools. He fired his MA5C assault rifle, forcing a Grunt to take cover. A burst from Skeratt’s machine gun shredded the Grunt.

Macaur took stock of what was happening. In the last two minutes he’d lost seven of his soldiers. He ordered his men to regroup. He would wait until the Humans let their guard down again, then he’d strike once more.

Chapter 5

Half a kilometre south of Rally Point Alpha

Day 1, 1210 hours

“Any sign?” the lieutenant yelled. A chorus of reports from the Marines informed him that there hadn’t.

“We need to keep moving.” Malkovich said. “We need to get to that town before dark, or else those Brutes will slaughter us.”

“Let’s keep moving!” the lieutenant yelled. He turned around and kept running in the direction of the town, every step taking him closer. Sanchez caught up with the lieutenant and said,

“LT, there’s a ridge about a hundred meters to the northeast. Request permission to get up there and check the surroundings.”

“Take Skeratt and go ahead. We’ll be right behind you.” The lieutenant replied. Sanchez nodded his thanks and yelled,

“Skeratt! With me!”

Skeratt ran after Sanchez as the lieutenant yelled,

“Marines! One hundred meters northeast! To the ridge!”

The surviving Marines followed the lieutenant as he headed after Sanchez, his rifle up and ready.

Malkovich reloaded his battle rifle and glanced around. There was no sign of the Covenant, only Marines and forest. Malkovich kept moving, aiming his rifle in every direction he looked. The Brutes would not get him, not if he had a say in it. Malkovich was a third-generation Russian-Australian. He knew war, he’d fought the Covenant before, on Delta Halo alongside the Marines who had been based on the In Amber Clad. He’d seen the Covenant slay hundreds of Humans, he’d killed dear friends of his who’d been infected by the Flood. He’d gone through Hell in his five years in the Marine Corps. He would not be killed by a bunch of, as he referred to them, “retarded mutated monkeys”.

“Keep moving, Skeratt.” Sanchez said. They would be at the ridge in another thirty seconds. Sanchez slid his SMG into his side holster, then unslung his sniper rifle. He flicked off the safety, then broke through the foliage onto the open ground of the ridge. He ran over to the edge, then dropped to a crouch and took note of his surroundings. The ridge was a hundred meters above the forest. It was exposed, but it served Sanchez’s purposes.

Malkovich got to the ridge ten seconds later. He dropped to one knee and swung around, aiming his rifle into the forest, waiting for a Brute to show itself. None did. Once all the Marines were on the ridge, Malkovich walked over to the lieutenant and said,

“I don’t like this, LT.”

“What exactly, Malkovich? Being on the run from Brutes, losing over half the platoon, being stuck on an exposed ridge, what?” the lieutenant replied sarcastically. Malkovich didn’t smile. He just said,

“So far today we have not seen a single sign of any of those Covenant Buggers. Normally where you see a Brute, you see a Drone.”

“You think they’re holding them back?” the lieutenant asked.

“Yes sir. I think we just walked into a trap.” Malkovich stated. The lieutenant gulped then yelled,

“Sanchez! You have one minute!”

“More than enough.” Sanchez muttered. He returned his focus to scanning the forest through his rifle’s scope. He saw something move in the treetops. He looked carefully, then the shapes of a dozen Drones materialised. His eyes widened, and he yelled,

“Buggers! Fall back!”

He fired a shot, which smashed straight through the skull of a Drone, sending it tumbling into the forest. Sanchez then jumped to his feet and ran. Skeratt fired ten rounds in the direction of the Drones, then ran after Sanchez, waiting for a plasma bolt to slam into his back.

Plasma bolts rained down around Don as he ran. He swung around and ran backwards, firing his assault rifle on full automatic. When the magazine clicked empty, he reloaded and kept firing. He only turned around when he entered the tree line. Then he kept moving, following the lieutenant deeper into the forest.

Malkovich stayed at the tree line, pumping burst after burst into the swarm of Drones. Once Sanchez and Skeratt were in cover, Malkovich reloaded and retreated, ten plasma bolts scarring the earth where he had been hiding a second before.

Once away from the tree line, the Marines regrouped, then continued their trek for the town. They would arrive in another three hours and fifty minutes of constant movement and fear of attack.

Chapter 6

Two kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha

Day 1, 1300 hours

A low droning sound pierced the air. The lieutenant held up a fist to order the Marines to hold up. The Marines took up defensive positions. They were in a dense forest area; visibility was virtually nil.

“Phantom!” Malkovich yelled.

“Did it see us?” Don asked.

“No way. We’ve been under cover since the Buggers.” Sanchez replied. Malkovich nodded his agreement.

In the trees above the Marines, a single Yanme’e scout activated its tracking beacon, guiding the Phantom towards the Marines.

The sound changed suddenly, stopped getting closer. It just stayed still.

“It stopped.” Skeratt said unnecessarily. Then the distinctive sound of the plasma cannons sounded. Malkovich ignored it until plasma started obliterating the trees around them.

“MOVE!” Malkovich yelled.

The Marines scattered as the plasma bolts began striking their positions. A private screamed as a bolt splashed across his leg. He fell to the ground, still screaming. Malkovich ran back for him, but three more bolts splashed across the Marine’s back and head, killing him instantly. Malkovich spun around and ran from the clearing. He didn’t see the Drone flying from tree to tree, keeping up with the Marines, not faltering, unyielding in its pursuit.

The Yanme’e had one objective-keep up with the Humans for two minutes without ceasing. After that two minutes it was to switch off its tracking beacon but keep stalking the Humans, although from further away.

In the next two minutes the Phantom did not hit any more Marines, although it came close to hitting Don in the face.

“I wish I had a rocket launcher right now.” Don muttered.

“Or a couple of Longswords.” A Marine replied sarcastically.

“Shut it, Marines. I heard something.” Malkovich hissed. He raised his battle rifle, turned around, and saw a disturbance in the branches of a tree. He fired three bursts from his battle rifle. A grey liquid splattered against he trunk, then the carcass of a Drone, its chest torn apart, dropped to the ground.

“What is that?” a Marine asked. He walked over to the Drone and with his foot he tapped a mechanical antenna sticking up from a device on its neck.

“Locator beacon?” Don asked.

“Makes sense. That explains why the Phantom found us so easily and accurately.” Malkovich noted. The lieutenant nodded and ordered,

“Marines, keep an eye out for any more of those things. Keep moving.”

The Marines each showed their acknowledgement, and then kept moving south for the town.

“There’s got to be more of those things watching us.” The lieutenant commented.

“Yes sir. But we can’t just shoot every tree we see. We don’t have the ammo for that.” Malkovich replied. Both he and the lieutenant chuckled at the joke. Then Malkovich turned serious and said, “We need to keep our guard up. We can’t let that happen again.”

Macaur smiled as he heard the report from the Phantom. The Yanme’e had followed its orders perfectly. Macaur had no doubt that it would do so again when it was time. But just in case, Macaur sent another two Yanme’e out to track the Humans, in case anything went wrong. Macaur’s pack would not let up in their pursuit. The Humans would perish at their hands. And Macaur knew that, with the Prophet of Truth and the gods themselves on his side, he would prevail. He would not fail them.

Chapter 7

Two and a half kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya

Day 1, 1330 hours

“This is a bad sign.” Malkovich noted. The lieutenant nodded his agreement. They hadn’t seen any signs of the Covenant since they had killed the Drone half an hour ago. Malkovich glanced around and then added, “Still two and a half hours until we reach the town.”

“That’s two and a half hours that those bas***s can attack us.” The lieutenant replied. “Keep your guard up.”

“Keep my guard up?” Malkovich smiled. “My guard’s always up.”

“Funny, Sarge, funny. Now let’s keep moving. I don’t want to be in this da**ed jungle any longer than I have to be.” The lieutenant said sarcastically.

“Sir, yes sir!” Malkovich gave a mock salute, then kept walking. The lieutenant smiled as he shook his head. It amazed him that, even under these circumstances, his men could still keep up their sense of humour, however pathetic it may have been.

A single Kig-Yar sniper ran along a ridge high above the jungle about two hundred meters from the Marines. It glanced over into the jungle and saw the sun glint off a rifle. It crouched down and raised its beam rifle. It took aim, and fired.

“You know, LT, the civvies could have chosen a hundred better places to put a village. Don’t ya think?” Malkovich joked. He didn’t hear a reply. He turned around, saying, “LT, you-”

At that exact same second a plasma beam smashed through the lieutenant’s skull and kept going until it hit a tree. Blood spurted out of the side of the lieutenant’s head and he toppled to the ground.

“SNIPER!” Malkovich yelled. He dropped behind a bush and peered through his rifle’s scope, trying to see the sniper, no doubt a Jackal. When he didn’t see anything, he glanced over to the lieutenant’s corpse. His eyes were wide open in surprise, the only indicator that it had once been a Human’s face. The head was shattered by the plasma beam. The lieutenant would have been killed instantly.

The Kig-Yar let out a hiss of happiness, then it kept moving, seeking a new position along the path that the Humans were expected to take.

It was two minutes after the lieutenant’s death that he was dragged behind a bush where the Brutes would be hard pressed to find his body. Malkovich closed the lieutenant’s eyes and said,

“I swear, LT, that I will kill the son of a bi**h who did this. I give you my word.”

Then Malkovich turned around and announced,

“We’re still heading for the town. Move out, Marines.” Malkovich grabbed the lieutenant’s map, then lead the Marines further south, no doubt into another trap. But it was a risk they’d have to take.

Chapter 8

Three kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya

Day 1, 1400 hours

The pressure of command was starting to weigh on Malkovich. He was used to leading a squad larger than what was left of the platoon, but that wasn’t what was bothering him. These men had looked upon the lieutenant to get them out. And now they looked on Malkovich to do so. He wasn’t sure he could live up to their expectations. But he would do his best. He muttered an oath, swearing that he would get as many out as possible. He would not let them down.

“Contact.” Skeratt’s voice whispered over the platoon’s radio net. “Three Grunts, three o’clock. They haven’t seen us.”

“Take cover. Do not fire. Brutes will be close, don’t wanna tip ‘em off.” Malkovich replied quietly. He silently took cover behind a bush and pointed his rifle straight ahead, waiting for a Covenant soldier to show itself. He wondered where the Hunters were. They hadn’t been seen since their appearance at 1120 hours. Having lost this many men, Malkovich doubted that they could survive another encounter with the Hunters.

Macaur waited impatiently for the report from the Unggoy scouts. He had sent ten of them forward to find the Humans. So far there had been no luck. Macaur shuffled his feet and took a sniff of the air, trying to find the Humans’ stench. He couldn’t smell them.

“Curse their mongrel hides.” Macaur said quietly. His right hand rested on a Spiker on his hip. He longed for the chance to fire a spike into the face of a Human, to see the Human crumple as blood splattered across the ground. He longed to smell the glorious smell of victory as he killed the last of the Humans.

“The Unggoy have reported back. No sign of the Humans.” A Jiralhanae reported. Macaur shook his head to clear it then replied,

“Call back the Unggoy. We will keep moving. The Heretics cannot hide from us forever.”

“They’re moving away, retreating back the way they came.” Skeratt reported.

“Stay in cover.” Malkovich whispered over the radio. “If we so much as make a sound louder than a whisper, they’ll spot us. Ordering radio silence.”

Malkovich then refocused on watching out for Covenant, especially the Jackal that had killed the lieutenant. Malkovich would personally put a round through its head in revenge, even if he died in the process.

“They’re gone.” Don radioed two minutes later.

“Understood. Let’s keep moving, Marines.” Malkovich replied. He stood and kept moving south, his rifle raised, eyes searching for the Jackal that had killed the lieutenant.

“He’s going to get us killed.” Private Francis “Frankie” Bacon said. He was the platoon’s combat engineer, a Marine who specialised in making and destroying fortifications.

“What do you mean?” Don asked.

“He’s out for revenge. He wants to kill that sniper, no matter what. And he’s going to do it no matter what, even if we all get killed in the process.” Bacon answered.

“Sarge is a good soldier. He’s seen friends killed before. He’ll take revenge, but he won’t get us killed. Trust me.” Don stated. “We’ll be fine.”

“Easy for you to say.” Bacon said. When he saw Don’s puzzled look, he said, “I’ve seen this before. A Marine sees a friend killed, then goes into self-destruct mode. Believe me when I say this; Malkovich will do anything he can to kill that sniper. And we’re all going to die because of his lust for revenge.”

Chapter 9

Three kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya

Day 1, 1410 hours

As Don kept up with the rest of the platoon, he kept hearing Bacon’s words echoing in his head. Malkovich will do anything he can to kill that sniper. And we’re all going to die because of his lust for revenge.

Don shook his head to clear it. He had been in the same squad as Malkovich when they had been at Delta Halo with the In Amber Clad. Malkovich had been a simple rifleman then. He and Malkovich had been good friends since they met in the first Battle for Earth. Don trusted Malkovich with his life, and would follow him wherever he went. But still, Bacon’s last statement stayed in his head.

And we’re all going to die because of his lust for revenge.

Malkovich kept his eyes on a ridge running parallel to the platoon’s path. The Marines were still in dense jungle, but the ridge was fifty or a hundred meters above the jungle by Malkovich’s guess. A Jackal up there could take out any one of the Marines without trouble. And the sun would make it even easier for one.

The Kig-Yar sniper knew this as well. And so it kept hidden, waiting for the sun to go down, when it could strike without being seen. It kept in the bushes on the ridge, careful to prevent the sun from glinting off its beam rifle. It glanced down to check on the Humans’ progress. The Kig-Yar froze as it saw a Human staring directly at it. It swung its beam rifle over and took aim. It knew that once it fired it would be spotted. It would only fire if it were obvious that the Human had seen it. The Kig-Yar waited patiently, keeping the beam rifle aimed at the Human’s forehead. Then the Human turned away and kept walking, not having seen the sniper. The Kig-Yar relaxed and kept moving, still careful to prevent the sun from glinting off its rifle.

Sanchez kept his SMG tucked against his shoulder as he moved. He longed for the chance to get to open ground, where he could finally use his sniper skills against something other than a Drone. Sanchez was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice a Marine private next to him until he asked,

“How good are you with that thing?”

“Huh?” Sanchez replied, not registering what the private had said.

“The sniper rifle. How good are you with it?” the private repeated. Sanchez paused for a second then replied,

“Pretty darn good, Marine. Why do you ask?”

“’Cause I’ve got a feeling you’re gonna need it later.” The private said. Sanchez was about to ask what he meant, but the private turned away and refocused on watching out for Brutes. Sanchez sighed and did the same, keeping his SMG aimed at chest height.

Bacon kept his eyes on Malkovich as he walked forward in the centre of the group of Marines. Like he had told Don, Bacon had seen this kind of thing before. One of his squad mates had been killed by an Elite during the first Battle for Earth. A close friend of that Marine had gone berserk, trying to kill as many Covenant as possible. He’d charged in front of two Ghosts and gotten mowed down, along with three Marines who had tried to stop him. Bacon had a feeling Malkovich would do the same, except be killed by that Jackal sniper, along with the rest of the survivors. A thought popped into Bacon’s head, a way to stop Malkovich from killing everyone. Though Bacon didn’t know it, that thought was a seed that would eventually lead to a series of circumstances that would affect every Marine in the platoon.

Chapter 10

Three and a half kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya

Day 1, 1430 hours

A low droning sound once again reached Malkovich’s ears. He muttered a curse and yelled,

“PHANTOM! TAKE COVER!”

Don dropped to the ground beneath a bush. He raised his assault rifle at the trees, ready to fire at any sign of a Drone. He saw Bacon near him muttering,

“This d***ed thing’s like a leech. It just won’t go away.”

Then the plasma bolts hit their positions like rain.

Miraculously, this time no one was killed by the Phantom. However, a Marine was hit in the leg by a burst of plasma. He screamed and huddled up close to a tree, remembering what had happened to the last Marine wounded by a Phantom. He was lucky. Three more bursts of plasma melted the ground where he’d been a second earlier.

“I want a rocket launcher now.” Don muttered. Bacon chuckled and Don said, “I was serious, you idiot.”

Bacon was about to laugh out loud when he was nearly decapitated by a plasma burst that missed him by a centimetre.

“That was way too close.” Bacon said. Don shook his head and went back to scanning the trees, but saw nothing.

Sanchez did. He saw a branch shake, and fired ten rounds into hit from his SMG. There was a screech, but nothing fell out.

“Da**it.” Sanchez muttered. He didn’t see any other contacts, but kept an eye out for a Drone. If he saw it again, he’d kill it. Simple as that.

The Kig-Yar sniper let out an amused hiss as the Phantom bombarded the Human positions. It saw a Human move, and raised its beam rifle. A second later it fired.

Knowing the sniper was still out there, Malkovich rolled away from where he’d fallen. He’d tried to run over to the wounded Marine, but tripped over a tree root. A second later a plasma beam struck the ground just in front of Malkovich. He glanced up, and traced the beam back to where it had originated.

“Gotcha, motherf***er.” Malkovich hissed. He raised his battle rifle and fired two quick bursts.

The Kig-Yar’s chest exploded into a fountain of purple blood as the six rounds slammed into it. It dropped to the ground without ceremony and slid off the ridge to the treetops twenty meters below.

After two minutes, the Phantom once again broke contact and flew away. Malkovich smiled. Two threats neutralised. He felt his burden lift off his shoulders, then a thought struck home. I avenged the lieutenant. But we have lost forty-one of our fifty Marines. Malkovich thought. He vowed right there that he would kill every last one of the Covenant hunting the survivors. And he would get the rest of the platoon out safely.

“That was too close.” Don said. Just as the Phantom had left, it had fired a parting shot that had ripped apart the bush a millimetre above his head. He’d felt the heat on his head as the plasma had passed overhead.

“Get over it, Don.” Bacon chuckled. He looked over at Malkovich and his good humour disappeared. Bacon struggled with his emotions. A part of him wanted to just render Malkovich unconscious and take command, but another part fought against the urge, wanting to go with the original plan. Bacon shook his head to clear it and walked over to the injured Marine. In time. He thought. All in due course.

Chapter 11

Six kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya

Day 1, 1557 hours

“Leech will be back soon.” Malkovich muttered. He turned around and called out, “We’ll reach the town soon, within the next ten minutes! And keep your eyes out! Phantom’s due back soon.”

“F***ing leech.” Don growled.

“I hear you.” The wounded Marine replied. The all too familiar sound of the Phantom grew louder. Don lowered the Marine to the ground, then huddled next to him.

“That town had better have a rocket launcher, ‘cause I have an urge to blow that thing out of the sky.” Don said quietly. The wounded Marine stifled his laughter and got as close to the tree as possible in an effort to avoid being hit by the Phantom.

“Where are you?” Malkovich muttered. He looked around the area. The Marines were in another area of dense foliage, where the town’s sewerage system was supposed to end. If he found it, Malkovich would be able to bring the Marines into the town through the sewers before the Phantom could cause too much damage. Then he heard the cannons fire and Malkovich realised he was too late.

Three plasma bursts cut through the foliage right in front of Malkovich. He dropped to the ground and rolled towards the cover of a tree. As he did so, he prayed that he would not feel the kiss of death that day.

Bacon was sick of just hiding when the Phantom attacked. He couldn’t stand it. And so, in a fit of stupidity, he broke cover and opened fire with his SMG at the Phantom.

“Get down, you idiot!” Don yelled. He tackled Bacon to the ground just as the Phantom fired at them. The plasma bursts ripped apart the foliage around their feet, and only just missed Bacon.

“Come on! Why is it always me it tries to hit?” Bacon yelled.

“Maybe because you’re the only one stupid enough to shoot at it. Now get to cover.” Don hissed back. He sprinted for the wounded Marine and dropped to the ground next to him, narrowly avoiding the Phantom’s fire.

Malkovich glanced around, trying to find the sewer entrance. Then he saw the spot he was looking at when the Phantom had first fired. The foliage there had been ripped to pieces, exposing the steel of the sewer opening’s grated cover.

“Don! Breaching charge!” Malkovich yelled. Don glanced over, saw the sewerage pipe, and got a small stick of explosive from his hip pocket. He tossed it to Malkovich, who caught it and attached it to the grate. Malkovich took cover on the opposite side of a tree and nodded. Don pressed a detonator and the grate simply disintegrated.

“Marines! In here! Let’s move!” Malkovich yelled. The Marines started entering the pipe, ignoring the Phantom as it fired after them. When he was the last one outside, Malkovich followed the Marines, battle rifle up and aimed back the way he had come, waiting for a Covenant soldier to appear.

He emerged in a small cave with three more pipes. The rest of the Marines were already waiting there. When Malkovich had exited the pipe, Don quickly attached an explosive to the inside of it.

“All three pipes lead into the town.” Bacon reported. “All are open, no blockages, and don’t lead to the town’s sewerage systems.”

“Move out carefully. If there are Brutes here, I want them dead before they kill us. If there are Marines there, I don’t want ‘em killing us by accident.” Malkovich ordered. He moved to take point, then said, “Don, Bacon, booby trap this cave. I want the pipe we entered through blocked and this cave rigged to blow.”

“What if there are Brutes in the town? We’ll have lost our way out.” Bacon argued.

“If there are Brutes already in the town, it won’t make a difference.” Malkovich replied. He turned away and moved into the closest pipe without another word.

Chapter 12

The Town, six kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya

Day 1, 1600 hours

When he exited the pipe, he found himself in what was left of a Marine platoon’s idea of Hell on Earth. There were three buildings that Malkovich could see. There was one about five meters in front of him that had been hit by something explosive. A huge hole was torn in the corner of it. Malkovich was in a small depression which was bordered by a small wall on one side, a building straight ahead, and the town’s main road to his right. On Malkovich’s far left was another building. It too had been blown apart, its bottom floor ripped apart and exposed to the outside world.

“Move out. We’ll check the centre building first, then the one on the left, then the rear building. Room to room search, gather all weapons and supplies you find.” Malkovich ordered. He walked past a square grate that had been ripped away from the pipe. On the main road he saw a metal barricade carelessly thrown aside, multiple bullet holes and bloodstains on it.

“The Brutes hit this place hard.” Sanchez commented.

“Now that’s an understatement.” Malkovich joked. He climbed onto a platform in the depression, looked around, and said, “Watch the catwalk.”

Sanchez nodded. Going from the building to the rock face the cave was in was a steel catwalk. Malkovich stepped off the platform and walked over to a slab of concrete that had been smashed into a ramp by an explosion. He walked up the concrete into the building, his battle rifle up and ready. He stepped around a concrete barrier, and ignored the shredded body behind it. Instead he grabbed the assault rifle next to the corpse, slung it over his shoulder, and kept moving.

“Tore him apart with those Spikers.” Sanchez said.

“That wasn’t done by Spikers. These were done by Maulers.” A Marine replied.

“Nasty.” Sanchez noted.

“Shut it, Marines. We’re in hostile territory.” Malkovich hissed. The Marines stopped talking and focused on securing the building.

Malkovich walked up a corridor, then stopped where a catwalk led to the building on the left and a second corridor led to another room in the building.

“Sanchez, take two Marines. Clear the left building. Then begin securing the main building. I’ll clear the rest of the building, then check out the main building.” Malkovich ordered. Sanchez nodded and chose two Marines. He then walked across the catwalk to the second building, SMG up and at the ready.

Five minutes later Don jolted as his radio squawked,

“Don, Bacon. Status?” it was Malkovich.

“Well, you just nearly blew us both up.” Don replied sarcastically. He paused as he finished preparing an explosive trap, then continued. “We’ve finished the last pipe. There are grates next to all the pipes. Apparently the Marines who defended this place tried to hold off the Brutes by putting them over the pipes. Bacon reckons that if we put them in right, they may hold out the night.”

“Do it.” Malkovich ordered.

“Roger that. Don out.” Don turned to Bacon and said, “Let’s do it.”

They would be done in ten minutes.

“We’ll defend the main building only.” Malkovich told Sanchez, who was, in effect, the second in command of the platoon. “We won’t have the manpower to defend the entire town. Sanchez, you take the best sniper position you can find. Skeratt, set up in the best location. Everyone else, fan out.”

The Marines all moved to what they deemed to be appropriate defensive positions. Malkovich watched them as they did so. He would not interfere with their work unless he thought they were getting into the wrong positions. As he watched, Malkovich sighed. It would be a long night.

Chapter 13

The Town, six kilometers south of Rally Point Alpha, Kenya

Day 1, 1610 hours

Malkovich looked up as Don and Bacon entered the main building.

“The cave is set to blow. Anything triggers those explosives, they’re dead. The cave should hold, though. I wanted to keep an exit available.” Don reported. Malkovich nodded and Don continued. “Under that bridge over there we set up a metal barrier left behind by the garrison. It covers half the space beneath the bridge. The other half of that space is rigged to blow.”

Malkovich looked over where Don was pointing. In between the centre building and a large hill was a concrete arch. Underneath it was a metal barrier. Malkovich didn’t see the explosives. Don then pointed to the catwalk between the middle and right hand side building and said,

“That’s rigged too. Any Brutes go beneath it, they’re history.”

Malkovich nodded his approval and said,

“Take Bacon and two Marines. You will set up what defences the last garrison left behind. Keep in mind that we will only have Marines in this building.”

Don nodded and informed Bacon and two Marines of Malkovich’s orders. Then all four of them left. Malkovich glanced around the building, checking the Marines’ positions.

The building had been a loading bay before the town had been deserted. The main entrance was an open concrete ramp running into the loading area. Above that were two chunks of half-destroyed concrete attached to the walls. Just below the concrete was a concrete landing two meters above the ramp. Skeratt had set up his machine gun there as it had a clear view of the concrete arch and hill, the main directions that a Brute assault would come from. Malkovich and another Marine had dragged a metal barrier into the middle of the loading bay and taken up positions there. To the right of the main loading bay was a small flight of four stairs which lead to a landing, then a large stairway leading to a catwalk between the main and centre buildings. A Marine had placed a large chunk of concrete there and taken cover behind it. Going down from the landing were more stairs that led to a ruined room and door leading to the outside. A metal barrier completely covered the door, preventing entry.

To the left of the loading ramp was a large hole blown into the floor leading to a tunnel. A steel grate had been placed over it. A metal barrier was blocking a door leading to the hill on the left side of the town. Malkovich had decided to have Bacon covering that door and Don up with Skeratt so he had a good view of some of his explosives.

To the right of the main building were three wooden landings. The top and middle ones were occupied by one Marine each. A building beside the wooden landings had had its roof and top floor torn apart by multiple explosions. After putting a block of concrete there, Sanchez had taken it up as his post.

After reviewing the platoon’s positions, Malkovich returned to his self-appointed post and awaited the return of Don and Bacon.

Chapter 14

The Town

24 hours earlier

All was quiet except for the sounds of the battle in space. The thuds of distant explosions echoed through the town as the thirty UNSC Marines waited for the latest news on the battle. The Marines had been stationed there as the town was a water purification facility that had fallen into disuse until the Covenant invasion of Earth, where a lot of infrastructure in the region had been devastated and the facility reactivated. The Marine platoon had been sent there to ensure that in the event of a second invasion, it would not be destroyed.

The lieutenant in command of the platoon sighed as he waited for a report from the Regional UNSC Command Centre (RUCC). He needed to know if Covenant forces had landed nearby, and if so, what their last known location was. He was getting frustrated. He needed that information as soon as possible so he could ensure that his men were ready.

The lieutenant’s train of thought was broken when a radio squawked,

“Contact! Covies inbound! They’re in the cave!”

The lieutenant heard rifles open up and he let out a curse. He hadn’t been informed of any Covenant activity in the area, let alone any directed towards the town. But that didn’t matter. What did matter was that he had a town to defend.

The first four Unggoy to reveal themselves in the cave were mowed down by rifle fire. Two more broke cover. One was killed instantly. The second took note of where the Human fire was coming from and the fact that all the pipes were blocked by steel grates. Then the Unggoy ran back to the main sewerage drain, just avoiding a burst from a battle rifle. It reported its observations to the Jiralhanae in command of the force, who then barked an order.

Three Jiralhanae advanced towards the drains, staying behind cover. They were followed by six Unggoy bombers, two behind each Jiralhanae. The Jiralhanae stopped when they were in position. Then they moved into action. Each Jiralhanae smashed the grate away from its assigned drain then burst into daylight, followed by its assigned Unggoy.

A Jiralhanae broke through the drain in the depression, then charged towards the middle building. It was blown apart by the combined fire of three rifles. But the two Unggoy behind it charged forward next. One was shot in the face and killed instantly, but the second ignited two plasma grenades and leaped for the doorway on level ground.

“FOR THE PROPHETS!” the Unggoy yelled as it landed at the doorway. A battle rifle fired and ripped its face apart, but it was too little, too late. The Marine inside the doorway ducked down behind the concrete barrier he was using for cover just as both plasma grenades detonated. The explosion ripped the wall to pieces, showering the area with blocks of concrete. Two large pieces of concrete flew through the middle building and smashed into the wall at the end of the corridor, ripping apart most of the framework.

The other suicide attacks also went as planned. Both Jiralhanae were cut down. An Unggoy suicide bomber detonated at the nearest side of the left building. The wall was blown to pieces, along with a section of the bottom floor, bringing down a section of the floor of the top level at the same time. A second Unggoy charged through the building then was cut down before it got much further than the first. The explosion knocked out a large portion of the side wall and ripped apart part of one of the building’s foundation columns. The next two Unggoy charged through that opening at the same time. One was killed instantly, but the second made it to its target and detonated, bringing down a section of the roof and killing a Marine.

The first stage of the Covenant assault had gone perfectly.

After the last of the suicide attacks had finished, the Covenant troops charged out of the drains. A burst of Spiker rounds ripped through a Marine on a catwalk above the drain near the main road. A Jiralhanae ran for the centre building and charged through the hole blasted by the suicide Unggoy, not even slowing down as it blasted away a Human with its Maulers. It kept moving until blown apart by a grenade.

The Marines in town put up a hell of a fight, but it was too little. The Covenant slowly gained ground, and the Humans were slowly pushed back, paying in blood for every Covenant killed. It was a battle of attrition, which the Marines could not possibly win.

A Jiralhanae wielding a fuel rod cannon broke cover and fired six rounds at the building adjacent to the loading bay, in which were three Marines, one with a sniper rifle. The sniper blew the head off the Jiralhanae, but it was too late. The fuel rod rounds ripped the structure apart, killing all the Marines inside and sending huge chunks of brickwork flying through the air. With the sniper dead, the Covenant advanced faster. They were winning, and there was nothing the Marines could do to stop them.

“The central building has fallen. Brutes are probably about to hit us via the catwalk.” A radioman reported. As if to punctuate this, several bursts of rifle fire sounded from the top floor of the building. Then there was a scream and a Marine, his chest ripped open by two bursts from a Mauler, tumbled down the stairwell and came to a rest in the loading bay. The Marine lieutenant ran over to the doorway and swung from behind cover, firing two bursts from his rifle and killing a Brute.

“Building Two has fallen. We’re getting sniper fire from it.” A second radioman called out.

“We can’t hold.” The lieutenant muttered. Then he cut down three Grunts as they tried to enter the loading bay.

The Covenant halted their assault after capturing the majority of the town. They regrouped and planned out their final assault. In two minutes they were ready. For the Marine garrison, the end was near.

The lieutenant’s face went pale when he saw the Covenant force break cover and charge forward. He turned to the radiomen and yelled,

“Forget the f***ing radios! Get over here and shoot ‘em!”

He then raised his rifle and shot down two Grunts. He took cover behind a metal barrier lying on its side along with another two Marines and continued firing. A grenade detonated among the Covenant. Three Grunts were shredded, and two Brutes were wounded. Several quick bursts from the lieutenant’s rifle finished the Brutes off. But still more came, and screams erupted from the room below the loading bay.

In the room below the loading bay were two Marines. They had been taking cover behind a concrete barrier and firing on the Covenant when two Brutes had charged inside. The first Brute was mowed down, but the second reached the Marines and attacked before they could do too much damage. The Brute shoved the barrel of its Spiker against a Marine’s chest, the two bayonets underneath ripping through the Marine’s rib cage and impaling his heart. The Brute let go of the Spiker and the Marine toppled to the ground. Then it punched the second Human in the face, crushing his skull. The Brute then saw the staircase leading to the main loading bay. It retrieved its Spiker, then kept moving.

The lieutenant swung around in time to see a Brute enter the loading bay from the stairwell. He and another Marine cut it down instantly. But that gave the main Covenant force time to advance. A burst of Spiker rounds cut down one of the Marines behind the barrier. The second Marine was hit in the face by a Spike Grenade. The lieutenant pulled the grenade out of the Marine’s face and threw it at the Brutes. It detonated and killed five Grunts. The lieutenant rose from cover just as a Brute reached him. Instead of attacking the lieutenant directly, the Brute simply kicked the metal barrier with all its strength. The barrier was sent backwards two meters into the rear wall, crushing the lieutenant in the process.

The town had fallen. The Covenant invasion would now be that bit easier.

Chapter 15

The Town

Day 1, 1630 hours

None of Malkovich’s Marines knew the details of what had happened to the last garrison. All they knew was that most of the garrison had died violently. The bodies had been piled unceremoniously in the left corner of the loading bay. Malkovich was concerned with his men surviving the night. He didn’t care about being kind to dead bodies. Not when he had more pressing concerns to be dealt with.

Sanchez laid down his sniper rifle and saw Malkovich pacing the loading bay. He smiled and said into his radio,

“Sarge, take a break. I’ll hold the fort while you get some shut-eye.”

He saw Malkovich look over at him and raise his middle finger.

“Funny, very funny.” Sanchez said. “I’m serious, Sarge. Get some sleep. I’ll take command.”

“Very well, Sanchez. You have command.” Malkovich replied. He walked out of Sanchez’s field of view. Sanchez saw Bacon glance towards Malkovich, a threatening look on his face. Sanchez shook his head and radioed,

“Watch the hill, Bacon.”

“Yes, sir.” Bacon replied.

“Don’t f***ing call me sir, Corporal. I’m no officer.” Sanchez said, stifling his laughter.

“Yes, Corporal.” Bacon joked back.

“Just get back to your post. Sanchez out.” Sanchez sighed and raised his sniper rifle, inspecting one of the drains, trying to find a sign of Don’s trap. Even with his skilled and trained eye, Sanchez could barely see the lump under which was an anti-personnel mine. Unless there were a couple of Jackals leading the attack, the Covenant would be caught completely by surprise.

Skeratt sighed from his fatigue. He struggled to keep his eyes open. Don noticed this and said,

“Get some sleep, Skeratt.”

“Huh?” Skeratt hadn’t even registered Don’s statement because of his fatigue.

“Get…some…sleep.” Don said slowly, then burst out laughing.

“Shut up.” Skeratt replied with a smile on his face. “Very well. You know how to work this thing?”

“It’s a light machine gun. I’m sure it works the same way as a mounted machine gun.” Don said sarcastically. Skeratt smiled, nodded, and walked a meter to the wall, then sat back and closed his eyes. Don shook his head in order to focus, then took Skeratt’s position on the machine gun. After a few seconds he looked closely at the ground underneath the bridge, looking for evidence of his trap. He couldn’t see anything. Don smiled. The Brutes would get one hell of a surprise when they attacked.

Macaur walked up to the sewerage system leading to the town. He let out a huff. The Humans were trapped. He knew that the only way out of the town was through the sewerage system. Not that the Humans would get a chance to try to escape through it.

“Prepare for battle!” Macaur yelled. “In one hour the Humans will feel the wrath of the gods!”

Macaur turned back to the drain and smiled. This would be the Humans’ last hour of peace. Then they would die painful and horrible deaths.

Chapter 16

The Town

Day 1, 1725 hours

Malkovich instinctively ducked as an artillery round detonated about a hundred meters away. He heard the distinctive sound of Scorpion main battle tanks and Warthog jeeps moving into position, their weapons firing. He gripped his assault rifle tightly, and debated whether or not to join the battle. The enemy force would easily overwhelm the main force without special forces support. Malkovich pushed the thought aside. He had his orders, and he would carry them out to the letter.

His mission briefing had been simple: the UNSC would attempt to retake this sector from the Covenant. Malkovich was to assassinate the Covenant commander, which would hopefully throw the Covenant forces into disarray. It sounded easy, but it would be harder in practice.

Malkovich checked his compass and watch. He was close to the target, only about a hundred meters from its last known position. He advanced quietly. If he was spotted, he was dead. Then suddenly he reached the end of the tree line. He could see an Elite in gold armour standing in the middle of the clearing surrounded by ten Grunts. The Elite was consulting two others of its kind, probably deciding how to outflank the main UNSC attack. Malkovich put down his assault rifle and raised his sniper rifle. Just one shot and the Elite would be-

Out of nowhere a Brute Chieftain appeared. It swung its gravity hammer, hitting Malkovich squarely in the face-

Malkovich’s eyes flew open and darted around, taking stock of his surroundings. Then he calmed down and lowered his pistol. He was still in the loading bay. It had just been a dream. Malkovich realised he was holding his breath, so he let it out. He raised his right arm and pulled back his uniform’s sleeve to check the time. It was 1726 hours. He had been asleep for just under an hour. For a civilian that would have barely been enough to allow him to keep his eyes open. But Malkovich had gone through weeks with only an hour’s sleep per night in training alone, let alone in the field. An hour’s sleep could last him for another six or seven.

“Sergeant!” Don called out. Malkovich slowly stood up, picking up his battle rifle at the same time.

“Yes, Don?” Malkovich asked.

“You okay, Sarge?” Don asked. “You seemed pretty restless.”

“Just a dream, Don. No problem.” Malkovich replied. Don nodded and returned to watching the town. Malkovich raised his radio and said,

“Sanchez, I’m retaking command. Get an hour’s sleep then-”

Malkovich stopped himself when he heard the loud thud of an explosion.

“HOSTILES INBOUND! HOLD FIRE UNTIL I GIVE YOU THE ORDER!” Malkovich yelled. He ran to the metal barrier in the centre of the loading bay and flicked off his rifle’s safety.

Macaur let out a curse while thanking the gods that he was only sending Unggoy in first. First they had found that the pipe had been blocked with dirt. After clearing that, the Unggoy had been blown apart by a Human explosive device. Macaur barked an order and ten Unggoy filed into the pipe. They would report in once they had cleared the pipes. Then Macaur would lead his pack in for the kill.

“Ten contacts moving into the cave. They’re small, probably Grunts.” Don reported. He was watching a handheld receiver for a group of motion trackers he had placed in the cave. He’d set them up carefully so his explosives wouldn’t destroy them.

“They’ll detonate the rest of the explosives.” Malkovich said. “Sanchez, take down any Grunts that make it past the traps.”

“Wilco.” Sanchez replied simply. He tucked his rifle’s stock closer to his shoulder and waited patiently for the first Grunt to appear.

More thuds from in the town told Macaur that the Humans had heavily fortified the area.

“We were hit by bombs in the outer pipes. Moving through them n-” a Grunt started to say through its radio. It was cut off by a loud sound that made Macaur think of a Human sniper rifle. He smiled. They were through the traps.

“ATTACK!” he yelled. “SHOW NO MERCY TO THE HERETICS!”

Sanchez aimed at another pipe and blew the methane tank off a second Grunt. The alien ran around screaming until a second shot obliterated its head.

“That was a bad shot.” Sanchez muttered. He took aim and killed a third Grunt. “Now that was better.”

“Stop commenting on your sniper skills over the radio net, Marine.” Malkovich half-joked. Sanchez killed another Grunt then replied,

“Yeah, yeah.”

Macaur watched as the last of the Jiralhanae selected for the assault entered the pipe. He’d keep ten Unggoy, all four Kig-Yar, all ten Yanme’e, and seven Jiralhanae out of the battle. He needed some forces left in case the attack failed. After ensuring all of his reserve was accounted for, Macaur entered the pipe and moved towards the fight.

“Brutes just entered the cave.” Sanchez reported. “I can’t hold ‘em all off. You’ll have some company soon.”

“Understood.” Malkovich replied. He then yelled, “Marines! Prepare for combat! Hold fire until I give the order!”

Skeratt tucked the machine gun into his shoulder and aimed at the open space beneath the bridge. If any Covenant made it past Don’s trap, Skeratt and Don would mow them down before they knew what was happening.

Sanchez shot a Brute in the chest, then ducked behind cover to reload. He then rose above the concrete block and saw that the Brute had disappeared, no doubt into either the centre or right hand side building. Sanchez looked at the door on the bottom floor of the right side building. There was nothing. He ignored the window on the top floor. Don and Bacon had blocked that with a metal barrier. Sanchez wouldn’t be threatened by an attack from that direction.

“Covies are approaching the bridge.” Don reported. Bacon and Sanchez also reported in. Brutes were moving across the hill and more were about to trigger Don’s trap on the right side of the town.

“Hold your fire.” Malkovich ordered.

“They’re on the hill, moving towards us. I wait too long, I’m dead.” Bacon said.

“Hold your fire, Marine!” Malkovich ordered. Then he heard twin thumps.

Don’s traps underneath the bridge and underneath the catwalk between the middle and side building detonated simultaneously. Sanchez watched as the fireball from the catwalk trap rose into the air then dissipated. He shot a Brute in the head, then scanned for targets. There were none.

As soon as the fireball from the bridge detonation had dissipated, Malkovich yelled,

“GIVE ‘EM HELL!”

Chapter 17

The Town

Day 1, 1727 hours

Skeratt opened fire with his machine gun. Twenty rounds ripped through a Grunt, blasting it to pieces. Skeratt switched targets and forced a Brute behind cover. Don saw this and threw a grenade, which landed a meter from the Brute. When the grenade detonated blood splattered against the bridge above where the Brute had been hiding.

“Score one.” Don said. Skeratt cut down two more Grunts and replied,

“That’s three. And you only get counted as half-killing that Brute.”

“Very well. But that one was completely mine.” Don conceded as he shot down a Grunt. As far as he was concerned, this would be fun.

Bacon opened fire with an assault rifle he’d taken off a Marine from the last garrison. A Brute jumped off the hill to avoid his fire, only to be cut to shreds by Skeratt’s machine gun.

“Idiot.” Bacon muttered. He blew away a Grunt, then threw a grenade which killed a Brute.

Skeratt forced another Brute behind cover. Don was about to throw a grenade when the Brute broke cover and fired three spikes. Two spikes missed, but a third hit Skeratt in the forehead. His face literally exploded and he fell off the concrete and landed on the loading ramp.

“Motherf***er!” Don yelled. He took Skeratt’s place and cut down the Brute that had killed him. He then killed two Grunts before the machine gun jammed. Don swore and threw the machine gun aside. He resumed firing with his rifle.

Malkovich let out a curse when he saw Skeratt’s body slam to the ground. He killed a Brute with his battle rifle and yelled,

“Bring it on!”

“Hooah!” the Marine beside Malkovich yelled back as he killed a Grunt.

Macaur knew he couldn’t win the battle if he kept this up. He stopped four Jiralhanae and barked an order. They nodded and ran for their objective. They would not fail their chieftain.

Sanchez killed a Grunt then took cover to reload. The Brutes took the chance to run across the street into their target building. By the time Sanchez was back into the battle, they were out of sight. The only hint Sanchez got that they were there was when he saw a flash of movement from the lower door of the side building. When he looked down, there was nothing. Then he raised his rifle to shoot a Brute near the pipes. Just as he fired something jumped in front of him. He felt warm blood splatter across him. He lowered his sniper rifle and saw a Brute fall off the building to the ground below. He heard a huff and saw what was coming. He dropped his sniper rifle and pulled out a combat knife. It was a foot in length and had his family crest on it. It had been passed down generation to generation for God knew how long. It would finally serve a purpose. As a Brute jumped onto the building, Sanchez lunged forward. He drove the knife into the Brute’s head just below its helmet. He pulled the knife out and watched the mortally wounded Brute stumble back and fall off the building. Then he waited for the next Brute to appear. Two of them jumped up at the same time. Sanchez’s stomach went ice cold. He could only kill one. The other would kill him. He made his decision and slashed one of the Brutes through at slit in its chest armour. The Brute roared and stumbled back, only to fall off the roof. The second Brute roared in anger and grabbed Sanchez by the throat. It rammed Sanchez into the wall, then squeezed its fist shut, crushing Sanchez’s throat and killing him instantly.

A Marine on one of the wooden landings near Sanchez saw the Brute kill the sniper. The Marine swung around and pumped ten rounds into the Brute’s skull, killing it and sending it tumbling to the ground. The Marine then radioed,

“Sergeant, be advised, Sanchez is down. I say again, Sanchez is down.”

Malkovich muttered a curse when he heard the radio message.

“Are you sure?” Malkovich asked. As he waited for the Marine to answer, Malkovich killed two Grunts. Then his radio crackled and the Marine reported,

“That’s affirmative. Got his throat crushed by an ape.”

“Da***t.” Malkovich muttered.

“I’m taking his spot on the roof, Serg-” then Malkovich heard the sickening sound of something ripping through flesh and the radio cut out. The Marine was dead.

Macaur smiled. The Human sniper was dead. He’d watched his Jiralhanae as it had crushed the sniper’s throat. The attack would now be much simpler without that Human’s interference.

Malkovich ducked as a Grunt fired several shots from its plasma pistol at him. The plasma bolts splashed against the metal barrier and the wall behind Malkovich. The Marine beside him shot the Grunt in the face, then took cover to reload.

“We can’t hold for much longer.” The Marine commented.

“We just need to last a bit more. They’ve got to run out of troops eventually.” Malkovich replied. He shot down a Brute then took cover as two spikes cut through where he had just been standing.

Bacon cut down a Brute charging across the hill and took cover to reload. He only had two magazines left other than the one in his rifle. Soon he’d be down to his SMG. As far as he was concerned, that was a virtual death sentence for him. He threw his last grenade, which killed Brute and Grunt. Then he swung out of cover and mowed down a group of Grunts. His last few magazines would not be wasted.

Macaur knew he couldn’t keep up the attack for much longer. He let out a howl signalling for his forces to fall back. They would wait outside the pipe for the Humans. They would have to leave the town eventually.

“They’re falling back! We won!” Don yelled.

“Don’t get cocky, Marine.” Malkovich replied. “It ain’t over yet.”

Malkovich would wait five minutes. If there hadn’t been any sign of the Covenant after the five minutes, he would regroup and then go through the town gathering the enemies’ bodies to burn.

After five minutes there had been no more contact.

“Marines, gather our dead. Put them with the last garrison.” Malkovich radioed. He stepped out from cover and grabbed Skeratt’s body by the shoulders. He carefully dragged him back inside the loading bay and laid him next to the bodies of the last garrison.

“Report in.” Malkovich ordered. He listened to the reports from his men. He had four Marines left: him, Don, Bacon, and a corporal. If the Brutes attacked again, they were doomed.

Bacon turned and watched Malkovich drag Skeratt to the makeshift morgue. Because of Malkovich’s inept leadership five Marines had been killed in the battle. Bacon would wait patiently, then he would do his duty. He would save what was left of the platoon, no matter how he got rid of Malkovich.

Malkovich switched on his battle rifle’s safety and left the main building. He ignored the dead Covenant and entered the centre building. He leant against a wall and let out a breath. So many had died. Sanchez, Skeratt-

Malkovich’s thoughts were interrupted as he heard the sound of an SMG’s safety disengaging. He opened his eyes and looked to his right. Beside him was Bacon, SMG raised to chest level and pointed at Malkovich.

“What the f**k?” Malkovich muttered.

“Put the battle rifle on the floor and kick it over to me.” Bacon said. Malkovich did so, and Bacon kicked it behind him. He ignored Malkovich’s pistol, reasoning that he’d be able to cut down Malkovich before the pistol could be used.

“What are you doing, Bacon?” Malkovich asked.

“What needs to be done.” Bacon replied.

“You gonna shoot me?” Malkovich’s very soul burned with anger. What the f**k was Bacon doing? This was insane.

“You’re in command. You’re responsible for the deaths of too many Marines.” Bacon hissed. He tightened his grip on his SMG and said, “You’re going to pay for that.”

“You gonna shoot me?” Malkovich repeated.

“I’m taking command. And I can’t do that if you’re alive.” Bacon said.

“If you’re going to shoot me, then f***ing shoot me!” Malkovich yelled angrily.

“Shut up, Malkovich!” Bacon hissed. Malkovich saw Bacon’s hands slightly tremble. He reached out his left hand to take the SMG from Bacon. Bacon shoved the SMG into Malkovich’s chest and began to pull the trigger. But Malkovich had, with his right hand, grabbed his pistol and swung it up, firing two shots into Bacon’s chest. Because of their close proximity and the bullets’ speed, Bacon’s body armour offered no resistance as his chest exploded. His lifeless body fell to the floor. Malkovich stepped over him, picked up his battle rifle, and walked away.

Chapter 18

The Town

Day 1, 1800 hours

Don looked up as Malkovich walked into the main building, a small bloodstain on his chest.

“Where’s Bacon?” Don asked. Malkovich looked up and with no emotion showing, he said,

“He’s busy.”

“Doing what?” Don asked. Malkovich took a breath and said,

“Convincing God to allow him into Heaven.”

“What happened?” Don asked, thinking that there had been a Brute left after the battle.

“He tried to kill me, said I was responsible for the deaths of the Marines in the battle. I shot him.” Malkovich replied. As he walked to a remote corner he called out,

“Get his body from the middle building. Even a traitor deserves a decent burial.”

Malkovich dropped to his knees in the corner. S**t. Five, no, six-no, Bacon doesn’t deserve to be counted as a combat loss, or a loss at all. We lost five men in that battle. Bacon was right-it was-no! It wasn’t my fault! It was that stupid retarded mutated monkey Chieftain. I will kill him if it’s the last thing I do. The barrage of thoughts flooded Malkovich’s mind like a Brute charging into battle. He suddenly doubled over and vomited onto the ground. He dry-retched for half a minute, then looked up and saw a radio.

“We’re getting out of here.” Malkovich muttered. He saw the only Marine left other than him and Don, a corporal radioman.

“Corporal! Get on the air. I want an evac bird in here ASAP.” Malkovich ordered.

“Hooah, Sergeant.” The corporal replied. He switched on the radio, raised the microphone to his lips, and said,

“Tango Six Six, this is Tango Seven. Please come in. Over.” his only reply was static. “Tango Six Six, this is Tango Seven. Dropout. I say again, Dropout. Over.”

‘Dropout’ was the pre-arranged code word for emergency extraction. In theory Tango Six Six, the battalion command group, would receive the radio message and send a Pelican to the desired co-ordinates.

“Tango Seven, this is Tango Six Six. Confirm Dropout. Over.” A voice finally replied.

“This is Tango Seven, Dropout confirmed. I say again, Dropout confirmed. Grid Reference 401587. Over.” The corporal said, the excitement obvious in his voice.

“Dropout copied. Confirm grid reference, over.” The voice said.

“Grid Reference 401587 confirmed, over.” The corporal replied.

“Dropout and grid reference confirmed. Be advised, extraction will not be possible until 0700. I repeat, be at appointed Exfil location at 0700. Two Pelicans, over.”

“0700. Two Pelicans. Confirmed. Tango Seven out.” The corporal switched off the radio and relayed the information to Malkovich and Don.

As soon as the corporal had finished his report, Malkovich pulled out his map and spread it out on the loading bay floor. He quickly found the Exfil point and stuck his knife into the map to mark it. He then placed his left index finger on the point marking the town.

“One hour. It’ll take us one hour to get there.” Malkovich announced after thirty seconds.

“More than that. We’ve got to get out of here first, and that means finding a way other than the pipes. Apes have no doubt got that covered.” Don said.

“So we climb. We get onto the roof of the side building. Short climb from there onto the top of the ridge. Climb down from there, head to the Exfil point from there.” Malkovich said.

“We have a more pressing concern.” The corporal suddenly cut in. When he saw that he had their attention, he said, “What if the Brutes attack again tonight?”

“S**t. We’re f***ed if they do.” Don stated bluntly.

“We can’t risk splitting up to bring barriers here, or else the Covies can pick us off.” Malkovich said. He thought for a moment then said, “We go now. Get to the Exfil point and hold there the night.”

Malkovich pulled the knife out of the map and inspected the Exfil point. He then announced,

“It’s a large clearing, easily two hundred square meters big. And there’s something in the centre, possibly a hill we can use as cover. Don, you have enough explosives to rig it?”

“Depends. How do you like it?” Don asked.

“Just tell me. How can you rig it?” Malkovich replied. Don thought carefully then said,

“I can set up my improvised napalm around the edges evenly, then fill the gaps with HE.” Don looked carefully at the map then said, “That ‘hill’ is more like a rock outcropping. I’ll rig that with HE as well. Our best bet is to put a pressure pad somewhere in the clearing. Lure an ape onto the pad, that’ll detonate everything. The clearing and surrounding forest will be showered with the napalm and explosives. The outcropping will become a ball of shrapnel that’ll cover the clearing. We do that, they’re dead.”

“Very well. We’ll do it. We leave in five.” Malkovich said.

“What about the bodies?” the corporal asked.

“Leave the Covies to rot. Burn the Marines’. I don’t want to allow the Brutes to mutilate them.” Malkovich ordered. The corporal nodded and set about preparing to burn the bodies.

Don walked away from the map, hope renewed inside him. He walked towards the rear wall, where he could sit down and mourn the loss of so many comrades. He didn’t see the pool of blood in front of him. He slipped, and landed right in front of a piece of metal plating on the wall. His rifle hit the metal plating, and Don heard an unusual sound come from inside the wall.

“Don, you okay?” Malkovich asked. Don nodded and walked over to the metal plating and tapped on it. He heard an echoing hollow sound, just like when the rifle had hit it.

“It’s hollow.” Don announced.

“Armoury?” the corporal asked.

“Possible.” Malkovich replied. “Find a lever or catch or something to open it.”

Don slid his fingers along the side of the metal. He felt something poking out and said,

“I think I’ve got a catch.”

He pushed on the metal and the plating swung out a centimetre. Don pulled it fully open and revealed an armoury containing one rocket launcher, five battle rifles, and two SMGs.

“Mine.” Don said simply as he grabbed the rocket launcher. He checked inside it. It only had two rockets, and there were no extra ones in the armoury. He smiled and said, “That leech comes back, it’s mine.”

Malkovich smiled as he grabbed four battle rifle magazines. He then announced,

“Take three, Marines. Then we move out.”

Chapter 19

The Town

Day 1, 1802 hours

“Where are you, Humans?” Macaur muttered. He stood outside the pipe, his gravity hammer raised and ready to crush any Human who emerged. A Kig-Yar sniper was a hundred meters away, its beam rifle aimed into the pipe. If the Humans tried to escape through the pipe, they were doomed. Just in case they tried to escape another way, Macaur had his Yanme’e patrolling the skies. The Humans would not escape the town unseen.

The corporal, Steven Gerard, placed a phosphorous grenade amongst the Marine corpses. He would retrieve and activate it when it was time to leave. He’d already doused the bodies with some oil he’d found. There would be nothing for the Brutes to mutilate once the flames were out. It was an ugly task, but not as ugly as what would happen to the bodies if Gerard didn’t do it.

“If we leave the town and travel through the jungle, we stand a big chance of being wiped out by the Brutes.” Don told Malkovich quietly so Gerard wouldn’t hear.

“You saw how much damage the Brutes did to us when we had nine Marines. They’d annihilate us if they came at us here again. Our best chance is to get to the LZ as soon as possible, or else we’ll be stuck here without a way out.” Malkovich replied. “At least at the LZ we’ll be able to get air support eventually. Here we’re sitting ducks.”

“We’re sitting ducks no matter what we do. There’ll be Drones patrolling the sky, Jackals watching out for movement in the jungle, the Brutes sniffing for us. I say we just rig the town completely and go down fighting.” Don hissed quietly.

“Don, are you going against my orders?” Malkovich asked completely seriously. A completely surprised look on his face, Don replied,

“Hell no, I’m not. I’m just outlining our options. You know me, Sarge. I trust your judgement. I just want you to know all of our options.”

“Sir?” the sound of Gerard’s voice ceased the argument. They both turned around and Malkovich asked,

“Yes, Corporal?”

“The bodies are ready. It’s time to go.” Gerard reported.

“Very well. Let’s move out, Marines.” Malkovich announced.

Malkovich entered the side building, rifle up and ready. He’d cleared the town after the battle, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He walked up a ramp formed when a Grunt suicide bomber had detonated. He saw a tree in the centre of the building. It had grown from the ground floor and emerged into sunlight through a hole in the roof. The Marines could scale it and get onto the ridge from there. The only risk was being spotted by Drones. Malkovich would go first and keep an eye out for Drones once on the ridge. Then Don would climb up, then Gerard would take the rear. Malkovich relayed this to them, and then began his climb.

After a minute of climbing, Malkovich emerged from the side building. He glanced around. There was no signs of the Covenant. However, he could see smoke from the main building, where Gerard had ignited the phosphorous grenade. Malkovich turned away from the town, bile rising in his throat from the thoughts of the Marines who had died. He climbed further up the tree, then dropped onto the ridge. He radioed,

“Don, get moving.”

Malkovich then raised his battle rifle and continued scanning the skies. A minute and a half later, Don dropped onto the ridge.

“Gerard, move.” Malkovich ordered. He turned to Don and said, “Took your time.”

“Shut up, Sarge. Explosives weighed me down.” Don replied sarcastically.

“Yeah, explosives. That’s what they all say.” Malkovich joked. Then he saw something approaching from the air. He raised his battle rifle, looked through the scope and saw that it was a Drone. He fired two bursts, knocking out of the sky. He then yelled,

“Gerard, move! We’ve been made! Go, go, go! Don, get moving into the jungle!” Malkovich turned and ran for the jungle. He stopped just inside the tree line and turned around to make sure Gerard made it.

Gerard reached the top of the tree and dropped onto the ridge. He unslung his assault rifle and ran for the tree line. He heard a Brute howl in the distance, then heard the distinctive sound of a Drone’s wings. Then he heard a plasma pistol fire.

Malkovich watched in horror as ten plasma bolts rained down upon Gerard. The corporal collapsed onto the ground and didn’t move. Malkovich swore. Gerard was dead.

Chapter 20

Outside the Town

Day 1, 1806 hours

Malkovich was frozen to the spot staring at Gerard’s body. Bacon had been right. Malkovich was going to get Don killed as well. The Drones ceased firing, and Malkovich swore again under his breath. Then Gerard leapt to his feet and jumped the last meter to the tree line. He landed just short and scrambled into the jungle as plasma bolts slammed into the ground where he had been a second ago. He glanced at Malkovich and Don and said,

“They missed. Didn’t hit me, but sure would have if I hadn’t dropped.”

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again, Corporal, or I’ll shoot you myself.” Malkovich said firmly. Gerard thought he was actually angry until a smile broke out on Malkovich’s face. Malkovich shook his head and said,

“Let’s move. They’re gonna be all over us soon.”

“They escaped over the ridge on the right side of the town!” a Jiralhanae yelled.

“Curse their Heretic hides!” Macaur roared. “Collect the entire pack. We will kill them all this time. Get the Yanme’e to follow the Humans. I want the Phantom to track the Yanme’e and kill anything that moves beneath the tree line.”

“Yes, Chieftain.” The Jiralhanae replied. He then activated his radio and passed on the orders. Macaur began to run towards the eastern ridge. The Humans would not escape, not this time.

“Leech!” Don yelled as soon as he heard the familiar sound in the distance.

“Gerard! Defensive position! Don, kill the f***er!” Malkovich yelled. They were still in dense jungle, but there was a clear area about four meters away that was about four square meters in size. Don charged into the clearing and dropped to one knee. He raised the rocket launcher and prepared to fire. He would aim for the engines, which should knock the Phantom out of the sky.

The Phantom flew straight over Don’s position thirty seconds later. Don fired both of his rockets, then dropped the launcher and ran into the jungle. The first rocket slammed into the Phantom on the bottom hull, detonating in a thunderous explosion but not doing any overwhelming damage. The second, however, landed on target. It detonated on the rear of the Phantom, in the centre of the engines. At first the only sign of damage was the rocket detonating. Then bursts of superheated plasma erupted from the engine area. The Phantom lost all engines capability and simply dropped from the sky and slammed straight into the ground, crushing several trees and exploding in a huge blue explosion that rained plasma across a hundred meter radius.

By that time the three ODSTs were well away. As soon as Don had re-entered the jungle, they had all ran as fast as they could towards the LZ. They had been just over a hundred meters away from the Phantom when it had detonated.

“Bring it!” Don yelled.

“One leech dispatched.” Malkovich muttered as he smiled at their victory. Then his expression turned serious and he ordered, “Focus, Marines. We took out one target, but there’s a lot of Covenant still hunting us. Stay on target, and let’s move.”

Don and Gerard nodded and they kept moving towards the LZ, weapons up and ready.

Chapter 21

One hundred meters east of the town

Day 1, 1810 hours

Macaur kicked aside a piece of wreckage and hissed,

“Ignorant scum. I shall kill them with by own hands.”

“The Yanme’e scouts are still tracking the Humans, Chieftain. They are less than a hundred meters from here.” A Jiralhanae reported. Macaur’s head sprang up. He unslung his gravity hammer and yelled,

“Let’s move! Kill the Humans on sight!”

Malkovich heard a loud roar from nearby.

“They know we’re here.” Don stated.

“How?” a frightened look was on Gerard’s face.

“S**t. Drones. See any, kill them instantly.” Malkovich said simply.

“That was close. Maybe forty or fifty meters.” Don said. Malkovich nodded and ordered,

“Keep moving. Keep an eye out for Covenant. Shoot on sight.”

“We may have to split up to avoid detection.” Don said. Gerard’s expression had changed from one of fright to one of horror at the idea.

“No way.” Malkovich replied. “We split up, we’re dead. We’re only going to get through this together.”

“Yes sir.” Don said. He raised his Lupara and took point, heading east towards the LZ. He stopped when he heard some buzzing. He slung the Lupara over his shoulder, raised his assault rifle, and fired a ten round burst into the air. The shredded remains of a Drone tumbled through the trees and landed at Don’s feet. Don let out a chuckle and said,

“Bugger down.”

“Congratulations, Don. You can now officially kill an alien barely stronger than a Grunt. Get over it.” Malkovich said sarcastically. Don smiled and kept moving, assault rifle at the ready.

“One of our Yanme’e was just killed by Human fire.” A Jiralhanae reported. “Forty meters from here.”

Macaur shook his head. He could of told the Jiralhanae that just from hearing the gunfire.

“What do we do?” the Jiralhanae asked. Macaur let out an agitated huff and said,

“We go and kill them.” the Jiralhanae nodded and turned around. Macaur slammed his gravity hammer into the Jiralhanae’s head, crushing its skull and killing it instantly. Its corpse collapsed onto the ground, blood rushing out from what was left of its head. Macaur turned to his startled pack and announced,

“I will not tolerate such idiocy in my pack.” Then Macaur yelled, “Find the Humans! Kill them!”

“That was a gravity hammer.” Gerard said when he heard a sound coming from behind them.

“Forty meters at least.” Don noted.

“Move, Marines! You see movement, open fire.” Malkovich ordered. Where are the Hunters? The thought echoed through his head. They hadn’t even seen the Hunters in the town. The Brutes must have been holding them back for a final assault. If that was the case, the ODSTs were doomed.

A Yanme’e scout watched as bushes were knocked about below it. A single thought came into its head. Humans. The scout radioed its location to Macaur, and then darted down to attack.

“Drone!” Gerard yelled. He fired a burst but the Drone moved out of his line of sight just in time. Gerard muttered a curse then yelled, “I missed!”

Malkovich looked around, saw a tree branch move, and fired six rounds from his rifle. Blood splattered across the trunk of the tree and a Drone’s leg dropped into view, hanging off something in the branches.

“Got it.” Malkovich announced. Then he ran, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and the Covenant. Don and Gerard followed. From at least thirty-five meters behind them came a loud howl. The Brutes had located them. The chase was on.

Chapter 22

One hundred and fifty kilometers east of the town

Day 1, 1812 hours

Malkovich realised that for two minutes there had been no sign of the Brutes. He came to a sudden halt, and held up his fist. Don and Gerard stopped behind him and raised their weapons. Malkovich turned around and said,

“If we stick together we’ll be tracked down and killed. We’re splitting up.”

Gerard and Don nodded and Malkovich continued,

“We’ll go opposite directions and link up at the extraction zone. When you reach the extraction zone, get into a defensive position and send out a radio message. State your name and the words ‘eagle eye’. If you reach the extraction zone and there are Covies, radio your name and the word ‘alternate’. Then we will move for a secondary link up point about five hundred meters west of the extraction zone.”

“I thought you said it was suicide to split up.” Don noted sarcastically. Malkovich took it seriously and said,

“Shut it, Don! This is not the time. Move. Link up at the extraction Zone.”

With that, Malkovich stepped away and was swallowed up by the dense jungle.

Don lifted his Lupara and moved west in order to circle around and enter the extraction zone via the west flank. He didn’t look back to check on Gerard. The Marine would be able to handle himself. Don kept moving, occasionally turning around and walking backwards for a few seconds before turning back around, in order to keep an eye on his rear. He would not be caught unaware by the Brutes.

Macaur moved silently through the jungle. He’d heard the Humans talking from this area. He saw the outline of a Human, and smiled. He lifted his hammer, jumped through the bushes, and was about to bring the hammer down on his target when he saw it was a body draped across a tree branch. It was a Human in full combat gear, but with a huge gash in its back armour, and a bloody wound showing through the gash. Macaur huffed in satisfaction. One of his advance Jiralhanae must have killed it and forgotten to report in. Macaur kept moving after looking over the Human carefully, taking in every detail, especially the word “Malkovich” stitched onto the back underneath the letters “ODST”.

Malkovich waited until the Brute was gone, then dropped off the branch onto his feet. He reached into the gash in his armour and pulled out the jungle rat he had placed inside after gutting it. He dropped the rat onto the ground and then kept moving, rifle up and ready.

Gerard reached the extraction zone at 1850 hours. He quickly scanned the clearing, saw that it was clear, and sprinted for the rock outcropping in the centre. He reached it, then saw a large grassy patch in the middle. He dropped onto the grass patch then radioed,

“Gerard. Eagle eye.”

“Malkovich. Eagle eye confirmed. ETA ten minutes.”

“This is Don. Confirmed Eagle eye. ETA three minutes.”

Gerard didn’t radio a reply. It would be a waste of time and would risk alerting the Brutes to his presence. And so Gerard simply stayed behind cover, his rifle at the ready.

Three minutes later Don reached the clearing. He saw something move in the outcropping and radioed,

“Don. Moving to Eagle eye. Gerard, you in the centre?”

“Gerard. Confirmed.” Came the reply. Don stepped into the clearing and began a circuit of the area, planting high explosive (HE) charges and his self-made napalm devices. The napalm was made from mixing the contents of a Brute firebomb and several explosive chemicals. It would incinerate any Human or Covenant soldier short of a Hunter. After seven minutes the perimeter was rigged. Don ran for the outcropping, then planted four HE charges. He then placed a pressure switch in the centre of the grass in the outcropping, and set it to a radio frequency shared by the explosives. Once the switch was activated, a signal would be sent to each explosive. After thirty seconds every one of the explosives would detonate.

“Malkovich. Approaching Eagle eye, north side.” Malkovich radioed. He stepped into the clearing, and sprinted for the outcropping. When he arrived, he was about to drop into the grass patch when Don signalled for him to halt. Don pointed at a group of tree branches that covered the pressure switch. He said quietly,

“Touch that and we’re dead.”

Malkovich nodded and carefully stepped onto the grass patch, which was large enough for four men to stand side by side. Then he settled in to wait for the Covenant to arrive.

Macaur listened to a radio report from a Yanme’e scout. The Humans had taken up defensive positions in a clearing about half a kilometre from his current position. Macaur decided to wait until morning before he attacked. His forces needed time to rest. It had been a long day.

It was 1910 hours.

Chapter 23

Extraction Zone

Day 2, 0630 hours

“Something’s wrong.” Malkovich noted. “We’ve seen no sign of the Covies all night.”

“Good.” Don replied. “They must be looking in the wrong spot. Don’t complain, especially considering the fact that in half an hour that Pelican will be getting here.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve got the feeling we won’t last that half hour.” Malkovich replied, scanning the air for Drones.

“You’re such a pessimist, Sarge.” Gerard joked. He stood up, looked around, and said, “See, there’s no Cov-”

At that second four Drones burst into view and thirty plasma bolts and needler shots ripped Gerard’s head to pieces.

“F**k!” Malkovich yelled. He took cover as a spike embedded itself in a rock. Don fired his assault rifle and a Brute collapsed after its chest exploded.

“We don’t have the ammo for this.” Malkovich said.

“Well, we don’t have much a choice, do we?” Don replied sarcastically. Two more spikes just missed them, one coming within a millimetre of impaling itself in Malkovich’s head. A group of Grunts fell, cut down by Don’s rifle. Malkovich threw his last grenade, which detonated and killed a Brute.

“You focus on the infantry, I’ll kill those Drones.” Malkovich said. Don nodded, reloaded, and killed another Grunt. Malkovich fired three bursts from his rifle and two Drones fell from the air. The other two tried to get away, but were cut down before they could get far.

“Our last Yanme’e were just killed.” A Jiralhanae reported. Macaur growled in frustration and ordered,

“Send in the Lekgolo.”

“Hunters!” Malkovich yelled. He took cover as a beam of plasma shot overhead.

“Now we don’t have enough ammo.” Don said. A spike grenade lodged itself in a rock. Don pulled it out and threw it in a random direction. It slammed into the chest of a Hunter and detonated. Orange worms went flying in all directions and the Hunter collapsed dead. Its brother let out a roar and charged towards the outcropping. Both Malkovich and Don cut loose, aiming all their fire at its chest. The Hunter made it ten metres, then collapsed dead like its predecessor.

“We can’t hold!” Malkovich yelled into the radio, which was still attached to Gerard’s headless body.

“Understood. We have one Pelican and two Hornets inbound. ETA five minutes.” Came the reply. Malkovich was about to say something when a spike ripped through the radio, completely disabling it. Malkovich threw the microphone down and yelled,

“S**t! Don, five minutes. Then extraction arrives.”

“Understood.” Don replied. Then another spike grenade slammed into a rock. Before either Marine could grab it, it detonated. A spike slammed into Don’s shoulder, knocking him onto the ground. Don’s eyes widened in horror as he felt several branches break beneath his back.

“Get up, Don! It’s just your shoulder for God’s sake!” Malkovich yelled. Don gulped, then said,

“I landed on the pressure switch. I move, we die.”

“S**t.” Malkovich breathed. He blew away another Brute, then took cover and reloaded. Don heard the sound of a Pelican’s engines coming closer. He took a deep breath and said,

“Once the Pelican gets here, get on board. I’ll hold the bas***ds off.”

“But-” Don cut him off and hissed,

“Shut up, Sarge. There’s no other way. When the Pelican arrives, go.”

“Fine.” Malkovich replied. He shot down two Grunts and reloaded. The Pelican came into view and hovered just above the ground. Two Hornets appeared on either side, but several volleys from a fuel rod cannon destroyed one and forced the other to seek cover. The Pelican’s pilot, however, kept his aircraft still. He would not leave without the Marines.

“Go, d**n you! Go!” Don yelled angrily. Malkovich nodded and ran for the Pelican. As he saw Malkovich enter the Pelican, Don smiled and threw his rifle aside. He grabbed his Lupara and blew the face off a Grunt.  Don screamed curses as he gunned down Covenant infantry as they revealed themselves.

“Bring it!” Bam. A Grunt was thrown off the rocks, its face a bloody mess. “You can’t touch me!” Bam. A Brute toppled to the ground. “Motherf***ers!”

Macaur smiled when he heard that a single Human was pinned down.

“Cease the attack. I will kill him myself.” Macaur ordered. He slung his gravity hammer across his back, and ran towards the clearing.

“Bring it on!” Don yelled as he killed another Grunt. Then the Covenant stopped attacking. Don smiled as he realised what was happening. Four Brutes appeared around him. A Chieftain jumped down beside Don.

“Welcome to Hell.” As he said this Don smiled. The Chieftain’s face narrowed in hate and it hissed,

“You will die.”

A smile still on his face, Don simply said,

“F**k you.” Then he rolled over, releasing the pressure switch.

The explosives detonated with stunning force. The outcropping, along with all five Jiralhanae and Don, was blown to pieces, shrapnel and debris flying across the clearing, cutting down all Covenant in their path. The napalm canisters burst, showering the jungle around the clearing with their fiery contents. The high explosive charges obliterated the majority of the tree line, wiping out most of what was left of the Jiralhanae pack.

By that time the Pelican was well on its way back to its staging area. It had taken a lot of damage while waiting for Malkovich. At least four shots from a fuel rod cannon had done damage to its left wing and the main body. But it had survived, and would survive the remainder of the flight.

Malkovich glanced back at the extraction zone. He saw fires raging and smoke rising to the air, a final testament to Don’s sacrifice.

“God bless you, Don.” Malkovich said quietly. He shut his eyes and leant his head back, a nagging thought bouncing around his mind. You let them down, Malkovich. You vowed to get them all out alive. And you’re the only one who got out.

Epilogue

Extraction Zone

One year later

The Pelican dropship came to a hover near the edge of the clearing. Malkovich dropped out of the cargo bay and slowly walked over to the monument placed where the outcropping had been. Carved into the stone in large letters were the words “To the memory of Corporal Donny Antonio. Without his sacrifice Staff Sergeant Richard Malkovich would not have escaped to ensure the platoon’s memory.”

Malkovich dropped to his knees in front of the monument. He grabbed something from a pocket, laid it down in front of the monument, and said,

“They gave me this medal because I was the only one to survive. I thought you should have it.” Malkovich paused, then said, “Thank you, Don.”

Malkovich’s right hand drifted towards his leg. He heard shouting from the pilot but blocked it out. He lifted his hand and placed the barrel of his pistol against the side of his head.

A second later a single shot echoed through the silent air. It signalled the death of the last member of the platoon, and Macaur’s victory.