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Barker's Stand by Dark-NiTe
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Barker's Stand: Part I
Date: 3 May 2004, 10:18 PM
Reid Barker ran down through the highway tunnel, panting laboriously. All he could think about was escaping; that and his friend. He didn't know if Jack Oleander was alive or not, but he prayed for his safety. His steps echoed ominously through the dark corridor, small staccato clicks through the darkness. After about a mile of running, he slumped against a wall, and slid down to sit. The dark was bewildering. The tunnel's length was also unknown to him. However, he did still hear the muffled sounds of battle through the wall behind him, and knew that his purpose (if he had one) would be better served out there than hiding in this place.
He got up and ran on. It was his only real choice.
10 minutes passed, and Reid began to see the end of the tunnel. A great relief passed over him then, as did a great anxiety. He knew he was about to be thrown back into battle. His previous sanctuary in this roadway was taken for granted, and he could only realize that fact once he was about to confront a conflict. It slightly amused him in an ironic sense...
Reid exited the tunnel back into the battle ground that was New Mombasa; and once again the sound and the presence of battle thickening the air enveloped him. He had heard a few soldiers say that battle became easier to accept over time, but he never agreed with that statement. He wondered if he ever would.
A hail of plasma came at him just then, as if his attacker had known his position and had been waiting for him all along. He grunted, he dove behind a hollowed car. The plasma bolts seared the fiberglass shell of the car in rapid succession, fragmenting it slightly and leaving a trail of concentrated burns. More shots came. Whatever it was just kept bombarding the car.
"So you 'wanna play that way do you?" Reid said, thinking aloud. He fumbled for a grenade in his belt, knowing that his attacker was probably closing in. (Judging on the hit/time fluctuation of the shots fired.) He pulled the pin, and threw it immediately behind him, going short. The frag clattered across the asphalt a moment, and exploded just as the unsuspecting and charging Jackals crossed its path. His plan worked perfectly.
The boom shook the ground close to him, and the pair of Jackels flew over the car dead and limp, followed by a shower of dark blood. "Nice start," he said to himself, and got up.
Reid now noticed he was back on ground level. He ran through the streets, gunning with his MA5B much of the way, yet sparingly. He wanted to conserve supplies, as he didn't know whether he would receive more or meet up with a group that had some. He factored preparation and safety into nearly all of his plans.
As he ran, the towering skyscrapers flamed all around him, the city slowing turning into a hellish inferno. Numerous died before his eyes; it seemed every corner he turned he saw another death. Debris such as glass and metal littered the streets as explosions resounded their bellowing death, and black smoke climbed into the golden sky. He realized that he was located at his squadron's fall back point, (wedged beneath an underpass) and sure enough, there they were.
Beta Squadron still seemed in good shape. The soldiers were battered, but alive. "Barker! I thought you were dead!" yelled Sgt. Gary Brown over the gunfire. "You're always proving me wrong," the sargent gave him a wry smile.
"I'm just glad to be back sir," replied Reid. An explosion rocked the stretch of road above them, pieces of concrete and dust falling to the ground.
"Dammit, the heavy artillery's here," spat Buford Jones as he fired bursts at the oncoming Covenant group coming from their side.
Reid realized he was talking about the Wraiths up above though. He heard them humming across the bridge above them. He focused his attention on the task at hand. His MA5B's muzzle lit up as he squeezed the trigger.
The alien force was coming on fast, seeming to run through their fire. Only a few Grunts fell (as always), their small bodies twisting and flailing back amongst their dead kind. Out of all Covenant, Grunts were the only ones Reid had any compassion for. He killed them nonetheless.
The Elites, maybe 3, just sucked up the shells thrown at them. They yelled and bellowed digruntled calls of warfare as they drew closer. Jackals in the front sheilded them somewhat, and provided a lightning fast, almost continuous wall of fire. The green and blue bolts hurtled toward Beta with deadly force.
"Ugh, dammit!" yelled Jones as a few plasma orbs hit his shoulder region. His blood spattered onto Reid's uniform, but Reid fired just the same, not even switching glances. Those Elite's needed to die.
The Covenant force kept on running toward. Only 3 out of 7 Jackals had fallen since the beginning of the conflict. Beta didn't quite have the firepower necessary. Still, they weren't discouraged. It was a band of optimism, something they had always been known for. However, sensible optimism, not the kind that gets you killed...
The AR shook in his hands, Reid was spraying the oncomers now. His ammo was low. 1 clip left. Satisfaction came as he killed another Jackal, but the good feeling ended fast. The Covenant were closing in too fast.
He only hoped those Wraiths wouldn't sneak up behind them...
Barker's Stand: Part II
Date: 6 May 2004, 1:06 AM
They drew closer, as did his death.
Reid Barker fired relentlessly at the coming Covenant, his life seeming to hinder on the placement of every bullet. If the force wouldn't be defeated soon, either they, or the Wraiths, would have it in for him. His fellow soldiers, his friends, were dying all around him. The men he'd known for years and years; the soldiers he trained with and lived with, were being torn away from him forever.
The Jackal twisted, and spiraled to the ground in a plume of blood. Their forces were deminishing, but not nearly fast enough. The defensive wall of the bird-like creatures had almost been eradicated as they closed in 15 feet and still coming...
"Shit! They're here!" Gadrix called in alarm. His eyes glazed over in terror as 2 of the hulking purple behemoths rolled over the shattered city landscape. Their demise now came from both sides.
At that point, Reid just ran. To him, fighting was useless. He was just going to die that way. He clambered up and out of the overpass, his boots kicking up debris as he struggled up the slope. He was hyperventilating.
"No! Reid get back here and help us! Help us dammit!" came a distant and pleading voice as Reid scrambled back onto the New Mombasa streets. Reid didn't care anymore. They weren't his problem. He decided that heroism and nobility could only go so far at the end of the day. When the day was over, he wanted to save his own ass.
Sgt. Brown had ran out of ammo, his weapons completely spent. He dropped the MA5B with a clear sense of defeat. Brown looked up at Reid Barker running away with a stern face then. The sargent knew he would at least die with honor.
The blast came then. The bridge that Reid's company were stationed under exploded in a brilliant blue and white flash. The concrete split apart and was flung into the air, raining over a section of the city. The blast nearly deafened Reid, he just kept running. Ran, and never looked back.
He ran through the streets, seeking a haven or shelter. To his grim realization, that was probably just hopefull thinking. The explosions were all around him, the fire enveloped the city as it would the bowels of hell. Screams were heard everywhere, human and alien alike. In the intersection in front of his path, a blue cloud erupted from around the corner, sending a Warthog and its crew flying through the air.
The Brutes came from that corner.
"Oh hell no. Shit no," were Reid's only words. He threw a grenade and started relentlessy spraying with his AR. His desperation drove him out of his cowardice.
The 2 Brutes absorbed the explosion almost without flinching. It was a well placed grenade but to no avail. The ape like Covenant kept charging on down the street, also seeming to weather the shells easily.
Reid walked backward while firing. Someone get over here... And then he realized he let his company die. He didn't deserve shit. But then what else would he have done? Stood there and died?
Barker threw another grenade at the Brutes. They were phased with the hit, but their progress unhindered. Reid was frankly amazed that he hit moving targets with a frag twice in a row. "Please..."
A Warthog plowed into the Brutes as they were 10 feet from Reid, killing one, and plowing another out of the way.
It was too perfect. He was too lucky. Just run. He did.
20 minutes. He had made a full circle. Reid had discovered Jack Oleander.
And he was dead.
Nothing was left. Jack was dead. Reid's company was dead. Reid had a blank stare of inexpression painted over his face. Inside, he was overwhelemed. He dropped his gun. He dropped his pistol.
After all the people he abandoned, all he had failed, he decided now was the time to stand.
"Wort, wort,"
Reid Barker took Jack Oleander's M6D from his belt. "Come and get me, you bastard," Reid spat his hatred through gritted teeth. And then he started yelling. He stood his ground in a bracing stance, shooting to kill.
The Elite ran forward with unstoppable tenacity, and let its rifle loose. The blue bolts hurdled through the air, leaving sapphire trails of rushing death.
As Reid felt the thick and burning impact of the plasma on his chest, he started praying. His yelling ceased. As he fell back, his vision failing, he hoped that he could be forgiven. The golden twilight faded to black.
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