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Zanzibar-Chapter 1
Date: 21 May 2004, 4:14 AM

Author's note: I know that Grace and Kelly are both gone, but I reintroduced them to maximize the story's effect.

Zanzibar

John-117 checked and rechecked his battle rifle, then slung the weapon over his shoulder. His MJOLNIR armor was running a full, 20 minute diagnostic on all his systems.
John liked the new MARK VI version. With the customizable emblems, he could tell his team apart with FOF tags disabled. Not to mention the boosted shield strength, the new reflective coating, and the advanced motion tracking system-and that was just the start of the hundreds of improvements.
And they were going to need it on this insertion.
After a beep that confirmed that his shielding system was working, the Chief assessed what was left of his team.
Fred-104 was his second in command for this drop; if John bit the dust, Fred would take over the burden of responsibility. He was also the martial arts specialist. Grace-093, their explosives and demolitions specialist, was leaning in the corner, watching the waves crumble onto the sand, grasp the tide line, then ease back into the depths. Grace had John worried-the death of Li and Anton on the Ascendant Justice seemed to have changed her attitude. Kelly-087 was the rabbit of the group-she was faster than anyone in the entire original SPARTAN-II team. She could leap, run, and dodge like lightning, and had equipped herself with two new HE pistols, which had no zoom, but could punch through 2 feet of solid concrete. William-043, the support/engineer, had brought two sub-machine guns along with his battle rifle.
Linda-058 was the last one John looked at. His closest teammate was the sniper. She had eyes like a hawk, and was a critical part of this mission. He needed the precision shots that had saved all their lives on the Unyielding Hierophant.
John's last diagnostics cycle ended, and the cool blue status lights pulsed on his HUD. He pulled up a schematic of the LZ-codenamed "Zanzibar". It was a fusion reactor for the Orbital Defense Platforms circling Sol, which was disguised by the wind wheel that generated electricity for New Mombassa. The Covenant had captured this particular generator, and Admiral Cole had insisted that the SPARTANs be enlisted to take it back-the space battle's situation was already dire.
John and his team had been tactically inserted by sea about a mile down the coast from the generator's entrance. The complex was guarded by a decayed seawall, and the enemy had taken to the structure situated in the center. Covenant forces included about 500 grunts and jackals and about 50 Elites, guarding a host of 100 Engineers who had disabled the generator. There was also the word 'Brute' amidst the screaming from the report that an incoherent Marine who had been guarding the complex had given.
His team had been given a new Rocket Warthog to get themselves into the base, and a Hovercraft sat in a sea cave to get out of there once they had completed their mission. The gist of the operation was to force their way into the structure, have Cortana access the entrance to the underground generator, secure about 20 Engineers, and hold their position until Cortana used her translation lexicon to have the Engineers repair the generator.
John got up; the sun peeked over the horizon, and there was work to be done.
"Spartans!" he barked. "Let's move out!"
The silent warriors gathered their equipment and moved out.

Field Master Tuka 'Nosamee scowled at the Underlings sleeping in the corner. He roared in anger and kicked one, sending the squealing creature flying. The rest gibbered incoherently and snapped to attention, manning the slug-firing gun the humans had left.
'Nosamee hated the necessity of using human weapons, but with Shades unavailable, he needed stationary defenses. He had to admit that the gun was extremely effective, albeit he felt galled to the core to even touch it's primitive controls. Such infidels and their weapons should be incinerated.
He clacked his mandibles and moved into the base. Three 'Ghosts', as the humans had named them, hovered near the gate and other two entrances. His troops had blasted a hole in the wall to gain access to the structure, but now he regretted doing it. He had had his troops fill the gap with debris. He nodded at the additional Jackals patrolling the area, and entered the underground lair.
He hoped the filthy infidels came for this base: he was ready to slaughter them if they did.

Zanzibar-Chapter 2
Date: 21 May 2004, 4:16 AM

The Spartan team crept slowly up the tunnel, halting as Fred stopped and methodically surveyed the area. John crouched and aimed his single SMG backwards, watching the teams back.
The team was on recon right now; they had parked their Warthog at the entrance and hoofed it to here-wherever "here" was.
Spartan-104 finally halted and motioned the Chief forward. John crept up the slope, then dropped to prone position and readied his battle rifle.
He was looking over the whole structure from a whole in the cliff face. A few Grunts were sleeping on a battlement complimented by a chain gun, then awakened by an angry Elite. Jackals and two Elites patrolled the perimeter, reinforced by two Ghosts which circled the near the sea wall. An explosion had opened up a part of the wall, as well as a section of the structure. A gate led into the building as well, and catwalks helped some Grunts patrol near the wind wheel.
A plan began formulating in John's mind, and he relayed it to his team, along with recordings he had just made of the base.
"Grace, Fred, get the 'Hog and make ready to storm that gap in the sea wall. Fred, you get on top of the wall and take out the gunner's emplacement on my command. Linda, you're on sniper duty. Watch me and Kelly's backs while we sneak in and activate that maintenance gate. On my mark, drive the Warthog in and take out those Ghosts. Linda, jump down onto the sea barrier after we've secured most of the base."
Cortana chimed in. "I'll make ready to jam their communications and keep them confused for as long as possible. Once we've secured this area here, we can head down into the main reactor complex and reactivate it."

Leaving Linda behind, they quickly backtracked down the tunnel. Grace jumped in the driver's seat and Will armed the LAAV Rocket Launcher in the back. Fred scaled the sea wall and unlimbered his Rocket Launcher. "Team, are you in position?" Five acknowledgement lights winked on.
John took a deep breath. This was going to be difficult. Cortana opened a channel with Linda. "Spartan-058, use your silencer and hit anything that spots me and John. I'll jam their COMs and keep them confused." Then she spoke to the Chief. "Relax. We have someone to watch our backs again."
John nodded-Halo had certainly been tough without a team. He headed back up the tunnel with Kelly. Once up top, he moved back twenty paces. He counted to three, then sprinted as fast as he could and launched himself into space.

The Chief aimed for the wind wheel as best as he could, but it was a long jump, even for a Spartan. He landed with a clunk, and Kelly hit as silent as a cat three meters in front of him. He scrambled up the rotating circle and jumped to the deck below.
A clueless Grunt waddled around the corner and gave a squeak of surprise. Kelly sprang forward and snapped it's neck, then hid it's body behind a battlement.
So far, so good.
The two Spartans waited for a Ghost to pass by below them, then dropped to the sand. They sprinted around a corner and hid in an underpass just as an Elite walked by and spotted them. He opened his mandibles to shout, then fell to the sand as a spray of purple blood accompanied the tracer that exited his skull. They continued around the building, working towards the wound in its side. Two Jackals were idly talking near the entrance, which they quickly eliminated. The Spartans rounded the corner and the Chief cursed: the entrance was blocked. So much for stealth, he thought.
He armed a high explosive grenade and tossed it into the pile of debris. Then he dove around the corner and yelled, "Fred, take out that gun battery, on the double!"
An explosion wracked the building, and the sand shook under John's feet. He and Kelly charged into the room and took the situation at a glance.
One Ghost smoldered on the floor, and two more hovered near the gate. Around ten Jackals were situated around the room, and another five were on the tier above. John spied a switch: That was the way to get the gate open. Kelly jumped onto the upper level and punched a Jackal in the head-or more accurately, through the head. John unholstered his SMG and hammered a full clip into the nearest Ghost...it shuddered, skittered sideways, and detonated. The Jackals opened fire, and the Chief tossed a grenade and crouched behind a concrete block.
The gate was open: John swore again for not noticing. Furthermore, the Elite in the last Ghost was leaning on the controls, forcing the hovering vehicle into endless circles. John cried, "Mark!" and leveled his battle rifle at the nearest Jackal.

Grace sat in the driver's seat of the 'Hog, wishing that Li was still alive. She remembered the silhouette of a Spartan, firing bravely at the Elites, outlined in blinding white. A tear ran down her cheek.
They were all going to die eventually, but Grace wished her end was closer.
She heard the Chief scream "Mark!" amidst a staccato of gunfire. Grace cleared her mind and stomped on the accelerator, peeling the Warthog out and into the gap in the sea wall. No more time to think: time to fight.

Zanzibar-Chapter 3
Date: 21 May 2004, 4:29 AM

Will fired his first rocket and obliterated a Ghost that was racing towards the main gate. He swiveled the gun and fired again, obliterating a host of Jackals. The last Ghost flipped and blew apart from Fred's handheld rocket launcher.
Linda's sniper rifle kept pumping out rounds. Without its silencer, four cracks would split the air at a time. Targets all around the base dropped, fell, and crumpled to the floor, minus heads, arms, and legs.
Grace gunned the 'Hog and nosed it through the gate and into the base, crushing two Jackals running through it. Fred's turret fired twice, then went silent.
The four Spartans sat in the midst of a bloodbath. Purple and blue gore was splattered on the walls and soaked into the sand. Alien bodies and appendages were strewn around the room like confetti.
Fred and Linda jogged into the base. John clicked his COM. "Status, team?" 5 acknowledgment lights winked on. Cortana sighed into his helmet.
"This encryption scheme is extremely difficult, Chief. Give me a moment to open the entrance." The Chief nodded and turned to the other Spartans. He made a circle with his hand, then held up four fingers, and the Spartans clicked on their safeties and scanned the area.
"Done!" Cried Cortana. "Move into the tunnel and I'll guide you to the reactor core.
John signaled and the team moved out. They were ready for whatever the Covenant threw at them.

'Nosamee roared in anger and threw his rations tube at the wall. The Grunt that had made it's report squealed and ran for the exit, but the Elite caught him and held him fast.
"Tell me again, how six soldiers, six humans, were able to take an entire base defended by a squad of our troops? We had five Ghosts, an equal number of Elites, and over fifty Jackals guarding the entrance!" He threw the Grunt at the wall.
"The humans were highly capable, Your Excellency. They were well-equipped and were wearing special armor," the Underling whimpered.
'Nosamee tossed the Grunt out the door with a scream and slammed it behind him. Units were reporting that the humans were bypassing outer security patrols and making their way deeper into the base. He activated his communications. "Kartulos! Report to me immediately." He smiled. No human could get past what he was deploying.
A second later, a Brute walked into the room, saliva dripping from it's fangs. It gave a guttural growl and stepped forward. 'Nosamee circled the creature, admiring it's rippling muscles and huge stature. The Brutes, though prone to battle rage and indifferent to most of their superiors, were perfect for the situation at hand. "Kartulos, humans have infiltrated this structure. Stop them, and report back to me when every last one of them is dead." The Brute nodded and strode to the exit.
'Nosamee lounged back into the antigrav field his Grunts had set up. The infidels didn't stand a chance.

The Chief fed his fiber optic probe around the corner and surveyed the contacts he had noticed on his motion tracker. Three Jackals and an Elite in black SpecOps armor were patrolling the hallway Cortana had directed them to. He tossed a plasma grenade at the Elite, then opened up with his battle rifle on the Jackals. The three bird-like aliens dropped, and the Elite flailed for a split second before the pulsating orb attached to his leg detonated. The Chief motioned to his team, and Fred and Will circled the corner, weapons at the ready. "No contacts on your radar, Chief," chirped Cortana. "All hostiles in this area neutralized."
John stepped into the hallway and spotted the hatch Cortana wanted them to go through. A flicker appeared on his motion tracker, directly behind him. He swiveled his battle rifle around. "Did anyone else catch that?"
"Affirmative," replied the rest of the team.
The Spartans moved in a close formation, back to back, to minimize the chance of being snuck up on. John's auditory sensors whispered footsteps, and he spotted a shimmer near the wall. He fired twice, but the mirage rolled into the shadows. He heard another Spartan fire a sustained burst with his SMG, and Fred whispered, "I spotted two hostiles. Looks like camoed Elites."
"Roger that, Fred. One over here too," John reported.
A blade of plasma suddenly burst from the shadows, filling the room with an eerie blue light. It sliced patterns in the air as it bore down on the Chief with startling speed. He opened up with his battle rifle. The Elite's camouflage generator took a hit, and a black-armored alien appeared. It's shields flared, sputtered, and died under a hail of bullets. Two fist-sized holes appeared in it's chest, and it dropped like a load of bricks.
Two, then three, then four more blades advanced on the Spartans. John hit the release, rammed a fresh clip into his battle rifle, then steeled himself for the assault.

Zanzibar-Part 4
Date: 1 June 2004, 11:26 PM

Author's Note: I have a few things to say, since people have been whining about my story of late. Number One: Thanks for the thing about the "code". Since this is my first fanfic, I really didn't know about it, despite insinuations about me being a sociopath. Two: The whole Grace thing? People keep whining about that one, too. Don't complain, it might play a part in the story. Three: If you want to insult me, criticize my writings, or use my mail server to spam your Mah Jongg club, my email is hockyfreak5@yahoo.com.

      John put his back against Grace's to brace as he fired his SMG on full auto. The Elites were fast, too fast, and were able to duck and dodge faster than humans could aim. Well, most humans, John thought as he put down one of the shimmering aliens.
      Will grunted over the COM as a plasma sword sliced through his thigh armor. Hydrostatic gel and blood leaked out of the gash, but he fired both of his SMGs at the blur that had attacked him. It lost it's footing as a bullet tore through it's knee and fell to the floor. He bashed in it's skull with his boot, and continued to rain bullets at the attackers.
      The Chief gritted his teeth and switched to his battle rifle. They were in trouble, and it would be worse if he didn't take action soon. "Team!" he barked on the com. "Foxtrot maneuver on my mark!" He paused, primed a grenade, and yelled, "MARK!"
      Each Spartan dropped their fragmentation grenade and ducked around the corner. An Elite screamed, and an explosion shook the hallway. Blood, entrails, and body parts shot out of the conjoining corridor and splattered on the wall. John saw the handle of an energy blade shoot out of the hallway and bounce off the wall. It was about to fall to the floor, until his hand shot out and caught it before it's failsafe activated. He clipped it to his ammo belt-it might come in handy.
       "No more signs, of movement, Chief," Cortana said shakily.
      The Chief shook his head. "That's what you said last time." He pulled out a medkit and began treating the team's wounds. Will had a gash in his thigh, and Linda had one on her forearm. He quickly stripped the armor on Will's leg, and winced. The score went all the way down to the Spartan's surgically reinforced bone, and had even cut through a bit of that. Will winced as his wound was sterilized, filled with biofoam, and incarcerated shut.
      Linda's was less serious, and had only opened up part of her flesh. The same treatment was applied to her, and the armor was replaced.

Cortana was shaken up by her error. She had considered the active camouflage units the Elites were wearing. She promised herself not to make any more mistakes. She diverted runtime from her probability matrix into using the Chief's sensors to check the surroundings. She also boosted the Chief's motion trackers to the highest setting, and flashed a message across his HUD to let him know.
      She then accessed the schematics of the base and noticed an outlet built for memory cards, program matrices...and AIs. "Chief, I may have an opportunity to access the databank in this base. Plug me in to the outlet ten meters down this hallway and I can use the information to get us where we need to go."

      John waved his team down the corridor and had them stand guard in a semicircle, facing outwards. Not an ideal position, since they could be attacked from three directions, but still good enough as the hatch opposite the wall couldn't be opened without them noticing. He knelt down and popped the memory processor out of his skull. Cortana's presence receded from his mind, and he inserted her into the wall. Then he joined the other Spartans in watching for enemies.
      Cortana was silent for almost a full minute. Inside, she checked the security cameras that were installed in every base like this. Many had been blacked out, but others remained. The ones that were intact showed Covenant, a lot more than the report had given. Still, nothing apart from the normal Grunts and Jackals, save a few Elites. Then she checked the outer security system.
      Covenant were swarming on the beach...the sheer number was astonishing. Mortar tanks were lining the coast, Banshees screamed over the structure, and Ghosts skittered nimbly through the hundreds of aliens-Elites, Jackals, Hunters, and Grunts. Dropships came and went, each bringing more and more troops.
      Cortana switched to cameras inside the building, and noted that the ground troops were pouring in the hatch. "Chief, the Covenant are converging en masse at the structure entrance. I advise that we get the hell out of here. I'll write a relay-waypoint subroutine into the into the database so I can siphon info, then we need to achieve our objective.
      John watched through the feeds Cortana had put on his HUD impassively. He unplugged Cortana, shoved her chip back into his helmet, and stepped out of the formation. He knew they had to do this-fast.

Zanzibar-Part 5
Date: 4 June 2004, 3:47 AM

Author's Note: If you didn't catch this when I posted this in my last story's comment section, I'm sorry I'm getting so little done. It's finals in a few days (I'm a sophomore in HS) and I'm a California guy who lives next to the beach, and that's already tempting. Plus, I'm working on a website. If you want to complain, send it to hockyfreak5@yahoo.com so I can delete your dumb message.


      Cortana used the relay she had planted to access restricted areas. A file that caught her electronic eye was a folder marked X-Ray clearance only-that was top-level only material.
      She used her superior electronics to bypass the slugcode that was left to defend data (now that the human AI was destroyed, as per the Cole Protocol). Inside was a full schematic of the base, and a group of files marked GEOLOGICAL ANOMALY-001497A. She slipped through more anti-intrusion software, and cracked the encryption code in less than a second.
      The schematics showed extra details of the base, such as mineshafts. Zanzibar had once been a gold mine that etched through the Earth's crust. Once the supplies had been exhausted, ONI had used the old mine to construct a base underground-much like CASTLE on Reach, and "The Hive" in Sydney. When she opened the other files, she found something amazing.
      Pictures showed a giant underground cavern, with a giant reactor-like construct within the center of the map. It appeared to be of Forerunner origin, and matches from her and the Chief's HALO 04 experience confirmed it. Spectroscopic, radiation, and particle analyses were all inconclusive-the structure was of unknown elemental properties. All the ONI knew was that it created massive storms of energy, enough to power a hundred super MAC guns-and they used it for a similar purpose; however, they couldn't siphon the pure energy out of the reactor, so they used inefficient broadcast power to fire the orbital platforms. It had been discovered in 2362, and was under examination ever since then.
      Small Covenant patrols had already been set up, but not enough to dominate the giant complex. She re-opened the channels to the inner security cams, and saw the aliens crawling through every corridor like a contagious disease. Cortana had already formulated a plan, and was only five seconds into processing.
       "Chief, we have a major mission complication."
      John finished off a Grunt, checked his surroundings for more targets, then advanced. "Go ahead."
      "The Covenant have found a Forerunner object that we discovered a long time ago-nearly 200 years." She explained the properties of the reactor. "We need to secure this target, before the Covenant. If they get a hold of this technology, they could power a ship the size of a moon."
      "I assume you already have a plan?"
      The Chief smiled as she replied unabashedly. "Yes, I do. We need to split up. Have Fred, Will, and Kelly continue this mission. You, Grace, and Linda get to the Forerunner artifact and either prevent the Covenant from discovering its secrets, or blowing it to hell."
      John nodded and waved up his team. They proceed through a hatch and came face to face with an angry Elite. It screamed and tried to unholster it's plasma weapon but was cut down by six simultaneous bursts of ammo. A Grunt waddled around the corner, froze as it saw it's leader dead, and five bullet holes appeared in it's chest. It dropped, twitched once, and lay still.
      John accessed the new base schematics Cortana had given him and saw two ways in: through a vent access that looked too small for the Spartans, and through a high-security doorway. The doorway was closer, but it worried John. Three automated chainguns had been in front of the two-meter thick Titanium-A door, with overlapping fields of fire. They hadn't been touched yet by the Covenant, but they looked like a tough deal. He chose the hatch anyway; Cortana could easily get through any ONI security code.
      The armor-clad supersoldiers continued through the base, until they came to an elevator. The Chief keyed his team COM channel. "Fred, you have command of Blue Team. You Kelly, and Will get down to those reactors and get them back online.
       "Grace, Linda-you're with me. We'll go through this hatch and get to that artifact. After this elevator, we go opposite ways. Blue Team, report in every five and relay your status. Use encryption scheme: Jupiter." All his Spartans' acknowledgement lights winked once.
      The elevator might alert any Covenant monitoring his position, so he and Fred pried the door open. A sixty-meter slide awaited them, and they each zipped down the cables to the designated level. Linda looped a foot around the cable and hung upside down with Will. John, Kelly, Grace, and Fred all hung on with a hand and both feet, then nodded. Grace and Kelly peeled the twin hatches apart.
      John scanned the area. Nothing. There were lots of hiding places, though-broken concrete slabs, three hatches adjacent to the elevator door, and plenty of side corridors and hallways any aliens could be hiding in. He held up three fingers and pointed towards the corridor. Linda, Will, and Grace all hopped out of the hatch and immediately took a defensive position.
      "Picking up slight traces of movement," whispered Will. "Could be camoed Elites again."
      John motioned three more fingers. Hopefully, they could get out of the shaft before the Covenant ambushed...
      It was too late. Just as he tensed for the jump, a shadow flickered through the dark hallway. All three of the Spartans outside fired, but the giant beast bulled through them, plunged into the elevator shaft and tackled Fred off the cable.
      "No!" John tried to grab Fred's arm, but the weight of the MJOLNIR suit, Fred, and the Brute itself pulled the two entangled bodies downwards. John wanted to slide down, but he knew there were more aliens to fight. He leapt out of the shaft and put a full clip from his SMG into another Brute-it didn't even slow it down. Bullet holes pockmarked it's chest as it gave a throaty roar and tried to tackle John into the same door he had just got out of. John ducked under it's hairy arm-barely-wheeled around, dropped his SMG and unslung his battle rifle. He put another clip into the monster's unprotected back, and it stumbled, faltered, and plummeted down the shaft. He turned to face four more Brutes and knew he and his Spartans were fighting for their lives.

Zanzibar-Chapter 6
Date: 13 June 2004, 1:28 AM

Author's Note: Yes, I know this section has less quality than the others. It was late, I was tired, and my balls REALLY itched. So stop bitching.

      Fred knew he was in trouble. The thing that had tackled him was now gripping his midsection and chewing through his armor with ferocity by the time he had hit the back wall of the shaft. He grabbed the SMG out of it's holster and fired at full auto-not an easy thing to do while tumbling down an elevator shaft with the wind knocked out of you. The Brute howled and loosened it's grip, and Fred grabbed the elevator cable and held on for his life.
      The Brute slowly slipped down his torso to his thighs, then knees, and finally his ankle. Fred directed his fire at the beast's enormous head. Bullets whined through it's skull, and it slid limply off his boots and into the darkness below. The Spartan holstered his SMG and gripped the cable with both gauntlets and was narrowly missed by a second falling Brute. His hands burned as the rope dug into the gloves.
      He slowly came to a halt and breathed a sigh of relief...until the steel rope he clung to started moving down. He looked under him and saw the elevator racing upwards, ready to crush him.
      Fred reacted quicker than he thought he would. He switched to the second cable, the one going up, just as his boots were brushing the top of the car. He landed on top, crouched over the emergency exit on the ceiling, and pried it open. Three Elites and a few Jackals had their plasma weapons at the ready, probably heading towards the battle he had just left (albeit by force). He wasn't going to let them do it.
      He primed a frag grenade, counted to three, and let it drop through the escape hatch. An Elite looked up, wondering what had hit him in the head, and was about to fire at the Spartan when the explosive blew him to bloody ribbons.
      Fred breathed a sigh of relief and dropped into the car. Purple blood, Covenant armor, and a few bits of flesh were squashed under his boots as the sounds of battle echoed down the shaft. He readied his battle rifle and stood near the door, aching to be back with his teammates. They needed him right now.

      Linda grunted in pain as a Brute dealt her a powerful blow with the sharp, menacing blade on it's weapon. Her shields held though, and she struggled to level her long-barreled S2 AM sniper's rifle, which wasn't exactly suited for close-range combat. The razor-sharp blade flashed again, and her weapon was knocked aside. The beast leveled it's own weapon while backpedaling and pulled the trigger.
      Time blurred as she threw herself to the side. The projectile missed by mere centimeters and detonated on the far wall. Chunks of concrete rained down and further cluttered the already messy battle. Linda's teeth shook.
      By now she had completed her roll, and had landed on one knee, her sight squarely on the massive alien's chest. The Brute's body armor pockmarked with four inch-wide holes, and blood splattered onto the deck. It dropped like a sack of bricks.       Linda ditched her sniping weapon and unslung the battle rifle. A Brute had Will pinned to the ground and was busy trying to punch his visor in. Fortunately, the Spartan had squirmed away from a great deal of the blows, and the beast had put holes in the concrete that could have been mistaken for mortar shell craters. A half-clip was sufficient to pulverize anything resembling a head.

      John backed off from the beast that had been harassing Kelly and used his greater mobility to begin circling the alien. Kelly did likewise, and the Brute gave a frustrated roar as rounds pinged off its body armor. It bellowed as a bullet sliced a semicircle of flesh out of it's thigh and flung its arm the Chief.
      John hit the concrete behind him, pulverizing some of it into dust. His shield bar blinked red and a warning flashed across his HUD. He rolled to the left and ducked behind an instacrete pillar. An explosion echoed through the chamber, and bits of rock and dust clogged the air. Another one shook the pillar he was taking cover behind; it crumbled and cracked.
      A third knocked the pillar away, and sent the Spartan a full five meters down the corridor. He ducked under a concrete slab and activated his commandeered energy blade.
The Brute roared and sent another projectile down the hallway. Kelly cried out over the COM, then went silent.
      John jumped out from his cover and raced towards the alien. It stood over a Spartan's limp form in triumph and gave a bellow of triumph and raised its weapon, blade-down.

Zanzibar: The Waterworks-Chapter 7
Date: 18 June 2004, 5:53 AM

Author's Note: Once again, I find the quality of my work a little worse. I reprioritized the outline though, so trust me, the plot will be kickass. If you want to swear at me or my family, post a comment, or email me at hockyfreak5@yahoo.com.
I hope the 343GS dealio didn't disappoint-that was my best work (Halo story-wise). If you thought it was no good, I should probably stop writing.
Last bit of junk I'm gonna put you through-read "Halo Catycalysm-Nexus". Kickass, man. And no, I didn't write it.


      Time slowed and blurred as John raced towards his fallen friend. The Brute raised it's blade triumphantly and brought it down hard.
      Kelly's speed didn't disappoint. Despite a gash on her left side, she rolled and narrowly avoided the shining weapon. It crashed down into the concrete, leaving a foot deep scoring in the solid rock. The beast raised it's weapon again and was about to slam it into the MJOLNIR armor when a blue glowing point erupted through it's chest. It keened, then kneeled to the floor as the energy blade sawed through it's muscular body. It finally fell with a thud onto Kelly.
      John raised his sword and scanned the area. "No more targets detected. Area clear?" he whispered into the COM.
      "Confirmed." John swiveled to the elevator shaft as Fred clambered off the cables and onto the instacrete. He looked beat, but he flashed a two-fingered smile across his faceplate. John returned it.
      Kelly managed to get to her feet, using the wall for support. She peeled off her helmet, panting. "Did we get 'em?" The gash in her side bubbled with hydrostatic gel, and her mouth leaked blood from the corner.
      John nodded and motioned his team to assume a defensive position in the rubble of the tunnel. The hallway was a mess, so Fred and Linda both took advantage of the cover and used some of the concrete slabs to form a barrier against any attackers. Then he had Kelly disengage her left-side armor plating.
      The wound was worse than he thought. The MJOLNIR had taken most of the blow, but the razor-sharp melee weapon on the Brute's high velocity slugthrower had cut across her whole side, starting at the sternum and going all the way back to the shoulderblade. Kelly grinned weakly, then nearly fainted. John administered five milliliters of pseudopolymorphine to stave off the pain and shock. Then he went to work. He first filled her with biofoam, and disinfected the wound. Then he cauterized the skin back together and hoped his medical skills could keep Kelly on her feet. He prayed that her Spartan resilience would keep her at top shape.
      Kelly resealed her armor and headed down the corridor with Fred and Will. John, Grace, and Linda began trekking the opposite way.

      Cortana scanned the immediate area for more enemies and tracked a few in adjacent corridors. They all were startled by the rumbling, but that was about it. She continued to monitor their progress, but dedicated her runtime to something else.
      Why in the world hadn't the UNSC ordered the Spartans to defend the Forerunner reactor? Cortana could only wonder and try and dig up more info on the artifact. It was dubbed "Waterworks" by most of the ONI spooks for the many streams and brooks that coursed around it: even an underground river passed through the cavern. The UNSC had been using it to power the orbital platforms. Not many people knew about Waterworks either; only the Admiralty and some of the top ONI agents were actually informed of it when it was first discovered.
      The AI hoped she had told the Chief to do the right thing. Going against orders and assigning other missions wasn't exactly her job.

      The Chief halted and held up a fist-the Spartan signal to stop. The chainguns were just around the corner. He pulled a frag and armed it, then whirled around the corner, arm cocked back-
      And he stopped. The servo lines that controlled the guns were severed, and the weapons themselves dangled limply from the ceilings. He noted that the crucial power wires had been snipped.
      "Cortana, have the Covenant been around here while you were watching something else?"
      "I can't say that for sure, Chief. The cameras were blanked a few minutes ago. Sorry I didn't notify you; I didn't think it was that important," replied the AI.
      John motioned his team forward and allowed them a brief respite.
      "Covenant couldn't have known exactly which line to cut," mused Linda. "And look...There are bulletholes where the guns fired at whoever disabled them, but why bulletholes behind them?"
      John curiously inspected both areas. Grace remained silent in the corner.
      "Cortana, did you see anything before the cameras went out?"
      Cortana paused. "Actually, yes. This is the last two seconds of the recording." She played the vid on Johns HUD. Something moved in the shadows, and then a black, five-fingered hand moved in front of the lense. Then the whole picture dissolved into static.
      "A human? That's impossible. We weren't briefed on any other teams in the facility," said Linda.
      "Just because we weren't informed doesn't mean there weren't others. This is the ONI we work for." Cortana gave a laugh. "They don't even tell each other what is going on." John remembered Colonel Ackerson and a flash of anger coursed through his system. His secret had caused all of REACH, and most of his Spartans, to be destroyed.
      "Cortana, check all ONI black ops mission logs in the past day."
      "Give me a minute to hack into their systems...got it." She swore. "Section Three gave the order eight hours ago. A NavSpecWar team snuck in here somehow and infiltrated the Waterworks facility.
      "Shit. That means Ackerson was involved. He never trusted Spartans."
      John smiled, despite their situation. Why Cortana swore was a mystery to him-it seemed like a waste of processing power. He supposed it was one of the things one had to deal with when working with "smart" AIs.
      The moment quickly vanished, and caused John to dislike Ackerson even more. The Colonel had sent in a less suitable team, and now something extremely valuable was at risk. Damn that ass and his political games.
      "Chief, I'm picking up movement-only traces," Warned Linda. "Looks like active camo." Grace continued her silent vigil.
      The Chief raised his rifle and crouched behind a piece of concrete. A shimmering mirage crept forward in the darkness, and his finger tightened on the trigger.

Zanzibar-The Waterworks: Part 8
Date: 22 June 2004, 7:39 PM

      Author's Note: I know that all you guys apparently really liked my 343GS series. So I'll make this short. Basically, I covered everything I wanted to cover in the first chapter. I tried to make a second chapter, and it looked like CRAP. And I'm not kidding, it looked like crap when you crap it, eat it, then crap it a second time and let it sit in the toilet for a week. So I just want to know if you guys want me to work a little harder and make the chapter better, or just leave the first chapter and call it a single. Leave a comment. Or, if you want to route all your spam to me because you are bitter and cynical, the address is hockyfreak5@yahoo.com.

      Also, I know this chapter had no action whatsoever in it, but I'll make it up to you the next one. Thanks for reading, and gimme some feedback on errors and junk.

      BACK TO THE SHOW!

      John was rocked back onto his heels as a three round burst from a battle rifle dropped his shields by a quarter. The blur, he quickly realized, was a human! "All Spartans, hold your fire!"
      The order came to late for Grace, however, who had already let a salvo from her own rifle leave the barrel. The active camo sputtered, and the SpecOperative fell onto his back. The rounds themselves left deep dents in his chest's armor plating, but it held.
      "Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed. "All ops, hold position!" He walked around behind John's cover and looked at the Spartan in awe as he rose to his full height. "Dear God in heaven..." he muttered. John could understand why. He and his Spartans were all at least seven feet tall.
      Grace swiveled around to see another three operatives appear out of the shadows, holding their rifles in an "at the ready" position. They cautiously approached John and his team, which was common-Anybody under the command and acting on the orders of Colonel Ackerson almost always looked at the SPARTAN-II Project as a flaw.
      "Figures," muttered one of them. "We never had the priority with the other Admiralty."
      "Damn it," whispered Linda on a team COM channel. "What is Ackerson getting onto?"
      John swore when he found the selfish Colonel, he would make sure he was discharged from the Navy.
      "Active camouflage, in perfect working condition," said Cortana in awe-or was it admiration. "It looks like Ackerson's bunch were able to reverse-engineer it from the Covenant remains."
      The first man John had run into looked him straight in the visor without flinching. "I am Second Petty Officer Clarence Williams. I assume you're here on Hood's orders?"
      "That's right, Officer," replied Cortana, before John could respond. "Moreover, we have priority in this mission. The operative's eyes narrowed, then widened in surprise as he watched his eyepiece HUD. Apparently, he wasn't expecting whatever Cortana was showing him. She continued. "This is a direct order from HighCom, and furthermore, Spartan-117 outranks you. Therefore, we have tactical command over this mission...over you." John watched, opened his mouth, then shut it. Cortana was doing great without his help. He watched the SpecOps team as Cortana's contribution sank in. "So I am ordering you to relinquish command, and withdraw your forces from this mission. Is that clear?"
      One of them took off his helmet and threw it. "Crap! I should've known that you freaks were gonna kick us off this op!"
      Williams didn't like this statement either. He leaned closer to John and sneered. "I don't care whether your orders came from a three-year-old playing war or God himself! I am not stopping what I started!" He pulled his pistol and pointed it at John's chest.
      Instantly, all his Spartans had their rifles trained on Williams and his men. John knew they could kill the ops before they had even thought about pulling the trigger.
      He waved them down. The UNSC needed every man they could get to help fight.
      Faster than lightning, John grabbed the pistol and ripped it out of the SPO's grasp, then bent the barrel at a ninety-degree angle to the handle. He returned it, butt first, to the still shocked officer. "What were you saying?"
      Linda stifled a laugh over the COM. Williams was shaking like a dog, but he remained resolute.
      John sighed. He hated live wires, especially Ackerson's live wires. They never quit dogging him and his Spartans. This was that SOB's fault, the self-serving bastard...
       "Listen, I know you and your men are on this op, and want to do it. It's a privilege to serve for the UNSC. I know that your men have been through hell getting in here, and getting out will be worse. But my team is more capable than yours on this mission."
      The officer pulled out a cigarette and pulled the self-lighting tab. "We stick together. We'll be stronger as a force in one." He let out a cloud of stinking smoke. John watched in disgust; smoking was unhealthy, it limited visibility, and it clogged his motion sensors.
      "Negative, officer," replied Cortana. "A bigger team will be harder to conceal, and we need stealth on this mission. We can't go in guns blazing against a force like the one in the cavern."
      Williams laughed. "With all due respect, ma'am, me and my team were trained from our conscription to slip in and out. We were made, we were born, for this mission. And our active camo units will help," he added, patting his belt and the Marine "battery sack" that hung from it.
      John swore again, knowing it wouldn't help. Williams had stayed stubborn despite threats, negotiations, and a direct order. He was staying.
      "Agreed, then. You follow my team. But let me make this clear," John said firmly. "You will obey every one of my commands without question, and with immediacy. If you contradict any of them, I will send you back with to a court-marshal and a swift discharge. Is that clear?"
      Williams drew up to his full height and snapped a salute. "Sir, yes, sir! Me and my team will do everything we can to support you and yours!" John smiled. At least he wasn't like Locklear.
      "Alright, then." John motioned his team up, the SPO dropped his cigarette and squished the remains under his boot, and the SpecOps team disappeared from view. He noted four friendly tags remained on his motion tracker and formed an infantry square behind his Spartans.
      They waited while one of Williams' operatives punched an access code into the door control panel. "Nice work, Cortana. What the hell did you show him to shut him up?"
      He knew the AI would be grinning if she was in her holographic form. "Oh, a little something that looked like a UNSC command file. From Hood himself."
      he door slid open, and John stepped to his position as point guard. Linda followed on his left, Grace on his right, and the operatives followed behind. They took their first step into the place called Waterworks. The next moment, a plasma bolt whizzed by John's face.

Zanzibar: The Waterworks-Chapter 10
Date: 26 June 2004, 7:04 AM

Author's Note-Yes, I know this one is a little short. Sorry. I'm busy here, since our family is remodeling and I'm getting paid :-). Anyway, I thought the cliffhanger at the end was good, so I'm gonna stick with it and hope you guys don't mind the shortness. It's a series, anyway! Either go back and read the other ones, or complain to me at hockyfreak5@yahoo.com, or in the comments section. Also, I hope you guys note a little clue to the storyline in the last sentence. Enjoy!

      Fred advanced through another corridor. Each step he, Kelly, and Will took brought them a little closer to the reactor, but also brought more Covenant to resist them. Covenant bodies littered the floor behind, with blue and purple ichor painting the walls and ceilings.
      A trio of Grunts, two Jackals, and an Elite stepped through a hatch ahead, spotted the Spartans, and sent a greeting full of plasma down the hallway. The Spartans hunkered down behind a few crossbraces.
      Fred keyed Blue Team's COM channel after the barrage of fire had died down. "Three, two, one...go."
      Fred stepped out with his battle rifle's autozoom activated, as Kelly brought hers, and Will his double SMGs. They returned the salutation with a hail of lead-three pinpoint shots penetrated the Grunts' skulls from Fred's rifle, and a three round burst from Kelly's took out one Jackal. The other dropped behind it's shield. The Elite managed to fire a few stray bolts of plasma before Will's dual weapons hammered through it's shields and tore apart it's torso. Kelly sprinted forward, dodging hot bolts of energy, and brought the butt of her rifle down on the last alien, crushing it's skull and deforming it's shoulder.
      Fred was about to step out and continue when another group of Grunts and a Jackal burst through the doorway. Kelly dropped her battle rifle and spun, unholstering her automatic. Three controlled bursts brought down two Grunts, but the third one hit her with a fiery plasma shot, and the fourth unlimbered a grenade. The Jackal sprayed more energy madly, precipitously draining her shields.
      Fred brought down the fast firing Jackal, and Will squeezed a shot around his teammate, killing the Grunt with the grenade. The other dimunitive alien froze, and Kelly hosed it with bullets. It hit the hatch with a satisfying splat.
      "Kelly! Get out of there!" Fred barked, and with good reason; the plasma grenade hissed vehemently, with its brothers surrounding it. If the explosive started a chain reaction, the whole hallway could come down on their heads. Kelly legged it down the corridor, then rolled into a side passage, just in time.
      The grenade pulsed, then exploded. Soon, two, then four, then seven blue clouds of hot plasma burst into existence, weakening and powdering the concrete supports that held up the roof.
      Time blurred as the roof began to cave. Fred dove....

      John sidestepped and put a three round burst through a Grunt's pointy head. It writhed on the floor, then was still. Another Grunt and two Jackals rounded the corner, and John heard an Elite roar as it raced through a side cave to join the battle. Linda dropped the two Jackals in less than a second; Williams and two of his men hit the Grunt with a spray of SMG fire and more bursts from their battle rifles.
      John noted that all the aliens they were killing were dressed in SpecOps black armor; Not good. They tended to be tougher and more experienced than normal ranks. However, they still died, which was the only opportunity he and his Spartans needed.
      The Elite, also decked out in black, roared and fired a shot from his plasma rifle. That was the only shot he got. Linda stepped in front of the bolt to protect the ONI team and fired two pinpoint rounds at the creature's face. It's head separated from it's body and splattered onto the floor. The body itself twitched once, then fell forward. Purple blood stained the sandy floor of the cave.
      The Spartans continued forward, meeting medium resistance. So far, it didn't look like the Covenant inside were alerted of the team's presence. Let's hope it stays that way, The Chief thought as he blasted a team of Grunts into pieces with his SMG.

      Cortana sat in the recesses of the Chief's mind, watching him work. The Spartans were doing extremely well, especially with their enhanced Mark VI armor. The Black Ops team supported, but little help was needed. The green-clad soldiers were amazing, picking off anything that moved before it could squeeze off a shot. And with Cortana jamming the Covenant's communications, she doubted they would be alerted of the Chief and his team until they entered the cavernous space where the reactor was located.
      She still had a scale to balance, though. Ackerson continued to selfishly develop private technology for his team only. He was a weight that was annoying, and needed to be countered.
      Cortana accessed his personal notepad from the backdoor she had left in it before the destruction of Reach by the Covenant. She skimmed through personal files, private records...ah. There it was. A list of secret accounts Ackerson had built from his skimping of money off of ONI budgets.
      She bypassed the UNSC bank countercode without trouble, and wired all the credits in the accounts to the war effort. The UNSC accountants would find a large anonymous donation in their records next month. She left an electronic footprint of Ackerson's notepad on the data, and covered her own tracks by scrambling the code designating her own footprint.
      Then she slipped into "The Hive's" budgeting system, a less-protected branch of the UNSC databanks. She planted an algorithm into the layers of code that determined Naval budgets. Each month, a percentage of money would find it's way from Ackerson's branch to what was left of Dr. Halsey's group. Again, she left the IP of the Colonel's personal palmtop, then erased her footsteps as she left.
      Satisfied, Cortana extricated herself from the systems, passing as a routine credit transmission on the way to a private company. Then she returned to the task at hand: getting herself-and the Chief-out of the Waterworks alive.

Zanzibar: The Waterworks-Chapter 11
Date: 28 June 2004, 2:48 AM

      Author's Note: This one is a little boring, I think, but I can't help it. I'm trying to leave a little suspense to keep you guys reading! Anyways, enjoy, or whine in the comments section and refer to your own crappy series. Just kidding. OR AM I?!?! I'll leave you to ponder that...

      The hallway shook and groaned in sympathy as heavy chunks of instacrete fell in droves; bedrock from above formed heaps on the floor. Soon, there was no hallway left-only a pile of rubble and stone.
      Fred pulled his legs out from under a slab of concrete and stretched his legs to be sure that they weren't broken. They were fine. "Everyone okay?" he inquired.
      "I'm fine, Blue One," responded Kelly.
      "I'm...in a little trouble." Will sounded like he was in pain.
      Fred shook his head to clear it, hoping he didn't have a mild concussion. "What's wrong, Two?"
      Will replied, and Fred could hear the gritting of his teeth. "I got my legs stuck in the debris. Can't get out. Can you see me?"
      Fred scanned the new wall that had trapped him, with only a locked door as his other escape alternative. "Negative, Will. Where'd you go when you got out of the way?"
      "Side passage, adjacent to you. About fifteen feet away from where I saw you last."
      Fred swore. Kelly was a good fifty feet in front of him, and Will was trapped without any help. He set to work on the electronics that locked the hatch in front of him. "I read, you, Blue two. Don't worry, we're on the way. Kelly, do you have any way out of your current position?"
      "Yes, there's a hatch on my left. I got your position, I'll come around and get you out of there. Give me five."
      Fred gave up his attempt to hotwire the keypad and sat against the rubble, utterly fatigued now that the adrenaline was fading. He hadn't gotten more than ten hours of sleep in the last week-the brass had the Spartans everywhere, trying to defend key locations on Earth. "Roger that, Blue Three. Waiting for you here." He keyed Red Team's COM freq and spoke into the channel. "Master Chief, Spartan-104 reporting in. We've got a snag over here."

      The Chief holstered his plasma sword and stepped over the now headless body of a SpecOps elite. Fred's message rang clear in his helmet. "Go ahead, Fred."
      "A corridor collapsed and we got separated. Spartan-087 is close to rendezvousing with me, but Will got stuck under some of the rubble. This is going to back our time schedule up a little bit. The Covenant resistance is getting stronger."
      "Roger, Blue One. Recover Will and continue your mission. That reactor is as important as this one."
      "Good luck, Red One."
      The Chief paused. "I'm not sure if luck has anything to do with it, Fred. Spartan-117 out."
      A Grunt waddled around a corner behind them and squeaked in surprise. Williams nailed it with a three round burst from his battle rifle. John snapped his COM unit to his team's channel and halted his team.
      "Cortana and I have been discussing a plan on how to get in the construct once we get down to the cavern. I think this is the best chance we have, under the current circumstances, and will require extreme coordination. Go ahead, Cortana."
      "Thank you, Chief," the AI replied. "This is the overhead schematic of the cave, from what I've pieced together." The 3D image floated in the corner of the Spartans' HUDs and the black operatives' eyepieces. "This river runs directly through the facility, and can get us into the cover of the structure undetected. If the Spartan team goes underwater, we don't have to cross the open area, and we get around the Covenant patrols." She highlighted the body of water.
      Williams interrupted. "Ma'am, how is my team going to get to the facility? We can't breathe underwater, you know."
      "Your team can activate their active camouflage units and sneak along the riverbank. Linda will be covering you from here if anything goes wrong." Cortana highlighted a precipice perched precariously above the facility. "She'll be borrowing one of your camo belts to get up there, of course."
      One of the ops grumbled and handed Linda his light-bending unit. "Don't break that, or my CO will have a conniption fit."
      Linda nodded and looped the belt like a bandolier over her shoulder. Cortana continued outlining. "Wait for the Chief and Grace to clear opposition so none of your men get killed. The operative that doesn't have a camouflage unit can cover our exit."
      The SPO grinned. "No need, ma'am. These fancy things break a little easy, so our CO decided we needed to pack an extra." He pulled another belt out of his duffel and tossed it to his operative, who buckled it around his waist.
      John didn't like the fact that the op leader didn't let him know of the spare, but let it slide. He was Ackerson's lackey, after all-you couldn't expect them to tell you anything.
      "The nearest river access point is about five hundred meters to the northeast. I'll outline the route for you, Chief." The schematic of the cavern was replaced by a maze of crisscrossing tunnels which had a route marked through it in blue. John grimly advanced down the cave to whatever awaited him and his Spartans. He was afraid of what he might find...but he was ready.

Zanzibar:The Waterworks-Chapter 12
Date: 30 June 2004, 6:08 AM

      Author's Note: Seems like my work got a little worse...again. Anyway, the next section will contain some REAL action...promise. And it'll be fairly long. Don't feel bad to complain or give me bad ratings, because I enjoy getting criticism to correct my work. It's my first series, remember?
      You may also notice that the first part of this chapter is short and mostly boring. However, since I recently released a personality guide, i figured I might as well give a decent Spartan example. Plus, I really couldn't think of anything good to write for Blue Team's situation.
      Anyhoo, enjoy the thing, and gimme some feedback in the comments section, or send me stupid comments at hockyfreak5@yahoo.com.

      Kelly advanced cautiously down the corridor, checking her path before she took a step across open area. She had always fought as a unit, not as a single soldier. She felt naked and exposed knowing that there was no one watching her back.
      A pair of Jackals stepped out of a hatch in front of her and trotted nonchalantly down the hallway. She melted into the shadows, waited for them to pass, and struck one of them on the neck. The snapping bones could be heard as it dropped to the floor. The other spun, but failed to unholster it's plasma pistol. Kelly ripped off itss headguard and pulped its face.
      Fred's nav marker pulsed insistently on her HUD, and she stepped up to the door he was behind. The hatch slid silently open, and she stood face-to-face with an SMG barrel.
      Fred replaced the weapon to it's thigh strap. "Sorry, but I had to be careful. Let's go get Blue-Two."
      Kelly felt better with a teammate. Now I know how John felt on Halo, she thought to herself.

After fighting through the maze of tunnels, John and his team huddled below an entrance to the vast cavern. He keyed his COM unit. "Blue-Two, activate your camo and patch me a view to that cave." Linda nodded, twisted a knob on the active camo slung over her shoulder, and vanished. A blur moved up to the entrance and kneeled. Grace leaned casually against a wall and said nothing.
      Grace had John worried. She seemed sulky and distracted. She hadn't said a single word on the whole mission. She had always been quiet, but not like this. He couldn't afford an unconcentrated teammate; mistakes on this mission were unacceptable.
      He turned his attention to the tiny square that had appeared on his HUD. The Covenant forces had tripled since he had last seen the security cam (which had been disabled shortly after his first glimpse of the facility). Banshees flew in V formations across the humongous space, Wraiths sat stationary and kept silent vigil, and Ghosts hovered and zipped nimbly along patrol routes. He watched Covenant busses unload squads of Elites, cadres of Jackals, and gaggles of Grunts near the structure. Engineers also piled out of the 'Creeps', and John presumed they were to study the structure.
       "Two," he ordered, "Zoom in and show me some individuals, particularly the structure itself." Linda complied instantly, and he wished she hadn't. Hunters lumbered around in pairs on the massive concrete balconies, hefting their fuel rod guns like they were feathers. Their armor was black, too-he hadn't seen that before. Brutes in white were stationed on walkways high above the cave floor, slug throwers at the ready. SpecOps Elites were patrolling in Shadows, carbines slung over their shoulders. Linda's sniper rifle zoomed in on a Covenant sniper, stationed on a ledge in the cave wall.
      Williams gave a low whistle as the scene played across his eyepiece. "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, Chief."
      John slashed a hand across his throat, and the operative fell silent. However, he secretly agreed with the SPO-the Covenant were ready for whatever hit them, and they wanted the generator badly. He knew that the reactor was unrecoverable; so they had to do what Spartans did best-blow it the hell away.
      "Red-Two," he ordered. "Get into position. Use your silencer and muzzle flash suppressor. After we either get into position or our cover is blown, take out those snipers, and as many Brutes and Hunters as you can." He severely hoped that the latter situation wouldn't happen.
      Linda replaced the shimmering mirage hovering closer to him. "Roger, Red-One. We've got two snags, though."
      John swore. "Elaborate," he said.
      "First, I need more rounds. I've only got six clips left for my sniper, and ten for my battle rifle. Second, the Covenant are already stationed on the ledge I want."
      John knew they all faced ammo shortage, but they didn't have time to get more. Unless...
      "Cortana, is there any ammo storage or weaponry in this facility?"
      "None," she replied, "but there is one in the construct itself. It was updated with new rounds for the latest weapons three days ago."
      The Chief swore again. Linda could only support them for a limited time, then she'd have to come down and go into close combat. It would have been nice to have cover getting in, and going out, I guess you can't have everything, he thought to himself.
      "I'm giving you three minutes to get into position, then we move out. Every minute we stay here is another minute the Covenant has a chance to spot us."
      "Cortana, I want you to cause havoc in the Covenant Battlenet the moment they are alerted of our presence. Keep them in the dark for as long as possible."
      "The Forerunner generator is unrecoverable. Officer Williams, contact FLEETHQ and let them know that we will have to blow the generator."
      He surveyed his team for a moment, proud of each of his Spartans. The ops team saluted, noticing his silent reverie. He returned it gratefully; at least they knew he was in charge now. "Let's go." Linda nodded and activated her camouflage unit, then began her silent ascent.
       John gripped his rifle tighter, scared of what was to come. Then he relaxed; emotions weren't going to win this op. Action was.

      Field Master Tuka 'Nosamee slammed his fist into his Underling assistant in utter frustration, and the little creature squealed as bluish-white blood leaked out of it's wound.
      In the last five hours, havoc had been reeked in his sector. The humans had taken his base, obliterated one of the side passages, and generally caused chaos among their own base.
      Furthermore, another problem had arisen. The outer patrols of the Ancient Ones' heavenly structure hadn't reported for over an hour. If the humans regained that position, he knew his painful execution would be written in the into his family battle hymn.
      The High Prophet of Truth had personally given him this mission. He had been warned specifically not to fail. If he did...
      He shuddered and put the thought out of his mind. He would not fail. The forces he had placed in and around the structure were experienced and well-equipped. No one could pass into the facility undetected.
      He was ready. The humans would come, fail, and die at the Covenant's feet.

Zanzibar: The Waterworks-Chapter 13
Date: 8 July 2004, 6:16 PM

      Author's Note: Sorry I took so long to get this one out. I was working on perfecting it.
      Expect a few more grammar and spelling errors, because my 'N' Key is being a pain in the butt.
      Anyways, hope you enjoy it. Leave your message in my comments section, or email me at hockyfreak5@yahoo.com.

      John waited with bated breath as the timer ticked down on his clock. Linda had less than a minute to get into position.
      He felt around in his ammo sack and noted that he only had two clips left, plus the one in his rifle. He pulled out one more object-a silver disc, with a face on one side and an eagle on the other. It was the only link to his past he no longer remembered. He flipped it idly in his fingers, then dropped it back in the bag.
      "I'm in position. Ready when you are, Red-One."
      John turned to his team. Williams and his three operatives, and Grace, all readied their gear and watched John for orders. "Williams, you and your men creep on the river bank with your active camo. Me and Red-Three will go underwater and clear the LZ. If you are discovered, hit the water and try to stay under. It dampens the effects of plasma. Red-Two will be covering you if you get into trouble."
      "Let's go."

      John crawled on his belly towards the cave entrance; no one shot at him, so he was sure he wasn't spotted. He dropped down into the river, hit the bottom, and waited for Grace. She hit the streambed, nodded, and they set off to the objective.
      It felt strange to walk in water, moving in a seeming slow motion. He knew the SpecOps team was creeping along the bank above them. They forged onwards through the clear blue.
      The nav marker got closer and closer as the Spartans neared. He saw motion targets on his HUD, and knew he was in for a fight. They were directly under the facility now, with a hole established for overflow tapping into the bottom floor. He saw blurry movements of unknown Covenant forces. How many were there? What were they equipped with? Which race were they? There were too many variables, and not enough time. He tensed on the riverbed, activated his air compression system, and set it for neutral buoyancy. He floated in the water, neither sinking nor rising. He noticed that Grace did the same.
      He grasped the material that the Forerunners used to build the structure, pulled himself up, and landed in a crouch, taking the entire situation at a glance. Three black-armored Elites and a handful of Jackals patrolled the room. Grunts were curled up into balls, sleeping. An Elite, which had temporarily been in shock, roared and fired his weapon; the energy dissipated on John's shields.
      He aimed with his SMG, not bothering to even use the silencer, and fired. A half-clip bounced off the alien's shield, and another quarter of it was sufficient to blow a hole the size of John's fist through the staggering creature. He primed a frag, threw it, and spun to nail a Jackal on his right that was harassing Grace.
      "Williams! Move up!" He barked on the COM as he reloaded. Two of the Elites were dead, and a over half of the Jackals; that was probably as safe as it was going to get. He took another Jackal out of the fight with the butt of his battle rifle, then hit another with a handful of bursts.
      The Grunts' disorientation quickly passed, and one held an overcharged plasma pistol in his hand. John hit it with a few bullets, and it fell over, discharging the weapon. The plasma hit the ceiling and left a blackened crater and molten metal.
      The last Elite roared and knocked Grace back a full step with its rifle. She ducked behind a pillar and waited for her shields to recharge. John reached for another clip-and discovered he didn't have any left. He ditched the battle rifle and tried to dodge the heated energy beams while simultaneously smashing in a Grunt's face. He spotted a new weapon laying near a dead alien, dove for it, and came up with it in a roll. Three bursts of red plasma flew from the tip when he hit the trigger. They hit the Elite's shields, which collapsed. It clutched a scorched hole in its armor, but kept firing. An insistent beeping reminded him of his shields imminent failure, and he let loose another salvo of energy. They hit the alien square in the chest, punched through it's black armor, and left it's corpse smoking on the floor.
      Grace whipped around the corner, her shields now fully charged. Her SMG made short work of the leaderless Grunts.
      Williams and his men pulled themselves out of the hole in the floor and surveyed the messy scene. Gruesome Grunts, destroyed Jackals, and mangled Elites were flopped in every direction. One of the ops kicked a Jackal in the jaw and said, "Man, did we miss all the fun again?" He got a glare from Williams and lapsed back into silence.
      John examined the new weapon in his gloves. The curved, purple-and-silver device looked a little like the battle rifle, but was tapered to a two-pronged emitter where the barrel should be, and the butt was much shorter and rounded. The autozoom scope was replaced by a swirling, multicolored holographic circle. When he peered into it, a small, round screen showed the area in increased magnification. He shouldered the new weapon, pleased with the results it had given him.
      Williams glanced over. "Looks like the Covenant Carbine, Master Chief. I've heard of them, but never seen what they could do...until now." He nudged the Elite with his boot.
      John keyed his COM unit. "This room only has three entrances and exits. I want to hold this position until Red-Two can take out some of the opposition she'll be facing." He switched to the Spartans' private freq. "Linda, hit the snipers."
      A cold, brittle voice replied. "Roger."

      Linda shouldered her rifle and sighted the nearest two snipers. They would be the most trouble. She swiveled from one to the other, making sure she was able to switch targets in time.
      When she was sure she had it ready, she leveled her reticle on the first alien, squeezed the trigger, and watched its head explode. The other Elite looked surprised, then started to raise his rifle. He didn't even get a chance to look around-Linda put a round through his chest.
      A blue-white needle shard penetrated the rock to her right. It sat for a second, then exploded. Rock and crystalline debris rained down on her shoulder and back.
      THe Spartan sighted the Elite who had just shot at her. There was work to be done.

Zanzibar: The Waterworks-Chapter 14
Date: 19 July 2004, 5:03 PM

      Author's Note: Okay, sorry for the long time between chapters. The waves sucked, my shoulders hurt, and I got a nice tan. But my vacation is over now.
Hope you enjoy, I enjoyed the beach. I got my driver's license, too...looking good, looking good.

      Another blue needle nearly a foot long bounced off the stock of her rifle, then ricocheted away into the shadows. Linda sighted two Elites with raised rifles and put them down in quick succession.
      She knew how the needles worked. The electromagnetic field around it not only guided it, but helped it penetrate personal shielding. The EM, combined with the tapered point and light layer of plasma around it, helped get it through the ions that made up shields and into the skin.
      She wasn't about to let that happen to her...and the Covenant sniper rifles were no match for her S2-AM SRS99C. She let two more deadly anti-matter tipped, armor piercing bullets rip through the air, taking two more aliens through the chest. She nonchalantly thumbed the magazine release and slammed a fresh one home, noting that there were only two more clips left in the bottom of her ammo sack.
      Linda took aim at the last sniper, finished him off, and settled her reticle on a black-armored Brute. The Chief was covered, and she was ready when he needed her.

      John slammed the butt of his rifle into the back of an unwary Grunt. Its compadre squealed and whipped around, reaching for its plasma pistol. It never got the chance-a trio of heated plasma bolts burnt a hole through it's chest and dissipated on the adjacent wall.
      "Cortana," he growled, "status and directions, please."
      The AI appeared in the corner of his HUD and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Chief. I'm jamming their Battlenet, but word of intruders is spreading via private COM channels. As for those directions..." she gestured, and a NAV marker appeared on his visor. "That," she said, "is the route to the outer balconies. Linda can give you more cover and you'll have more area to move around in."
      John nodded, then motioned his team to a strange-looking hatch to the left. Only he had see the three-piece door design before-on Halo. The lights pulsed green, and it slid open to reveal a surprised Elite. Three silenced bursts from his team's battle rifles broke its shields and tore bloody rips in its body. It keened, then hit the floor with a wet smack.
      Cortana's voice chimed in his head. "Alert. The next hatch leads to the outer balconies. Last seen there were Brutes and Hunters, as well as SpecOps Elites." She paused. "Be careful, Chief."
      He nodded, carbine at the ready. "Team, move forward and hit them before they can hit us. Officer Williams, take cover behind us Spartans. We can take limited abuse before we need to let our shields recharge. Find cover as quickly as possible."
      He took a deep breath and noted that his vital signs were noticeably higher. He had faced Brutes before, and Hunters before, but never both together. He banished the fear into the back of his mind, pushed all his emotions into a corner, and stepped forward.
"Red-Two! Fire at will!"

      Fred halted at the hatch Will was directly behind. The lights on it were red, which meant it was locked. Damn.
      Kelly pulled out her standard-issue lockbreaker and wired it into the keycard slot. They sat in silence for several minutes, keeping watch as it ran through thousands of combinations per second. Finally, a beep emitted, and the door slid open.
      On the other side, a Spartan torso protruded from a mound of rock and concrete. "Glad you guys could make it," Will said weakly over the COM. His vital signs were extremely bumpy, and blood was pooled on the floor around him.
      The two Spartans hauled on Will's arms, and he popped out of the rubble. His armor was dented, scratched, and nearly ruined. Will ran his diagnostics while Kelly unpacked the field med kit and found that his motion tracking systems were out, and his leg armor was near compromise in one area.
      Kelly, meanwhile, scanned his injuries. The handheld MRI showed internal bleeding, a fractured rib, and a lacerated kidney. She quickly patched his external injuries with biofoam, then filled his whole abdominal cavity with it. She tossed the empty can away and reattached his armor plating.
      Will stood shakily up, then stretched his arms and unlimbered his SMGs. "Okay, let's go."
      Kelly watched him limp down the corridor and started to say something, then shrugged. If a Spartan said they were fine, they were fine.

Zanzibar: The Waterworks-Chapter 15
Date: 21 July 2004, 6:31 AM

Author's Note: Bonus for you...the last chapter's shortness and my delay for writing it- this only means you need a second chapter. If you're wondering why you don't understand this, you skipped a chapter...there's another one further down the page. Enjoy.

      John burst through the hatch and came face-to-face with an Elite. It roared and tried to draw its rifle, but John swept its legs out from under it, then brought the butt of his rifle down on the alien's chest cavity. Its shields flared, and then broke. He aimed the carbine down and drilled three holes into the Elite's chest; it died with a scream.
      The Spartan threw himself sideways as a grenade from a Brute screamed past and blew a chunk out of the wall. Two rounds from Linda's rifle hit it between the eyes, and it keeled over and hit the floor. A fuel rod hit its corpse and cooked the meat as it went flying over the balcony.
      This was too much havoc. Grace spun and nailed a Hunter in its soft back, then hit an Elite with three bursts. Williams' squad concentrated on one Brute and managed to put him down before he could utilize his weapon. Another slug whistled past and showered John with debris.

      Linda was a machine, drilling one Brute after another. She reached for another clip, and discovered there weren't any. She desperately cast around for another weapon, then yanked a Covenant sniper rifle out of a dead alien's arms.

      John waited for the carbine to cool and sidestepped as a Brute sprinted towards him. He ditched the Covenant weapon and whipped out his sub-machine gun, put it in the Brute's belly, and pulled the trigger. The ammo counter rapidly went down as the beast staggered backwards from the force of the rounds. A click and a flashing symbol on his HUD told John his weapon was empty. The monster in front of him stretched to its full height and readied its slug thrower.
      Grace was grappling with a Hunter, and the ops squad was pinned down by an Elite. "Linda!" he barked. "I need assistance, where are you?!" A blue white needle answered his plea, penetrated the Brute's skull, and detonated. The resulting explosion pulped its entire head.
      John shakily reloaded his SMG. "Thanks, Red-Two."
      "Anytime."
      John turned, put half a clip in an Elite, then shoved it off of the jutting structure. It screamed madly and tried to land the fall, but ended up splattering the front end of a shadow with purple gore.
      One of the SpecOps members took a hit and momentarily flashed into view. He had almost ducked behind a pillar, but a Hunter bashed him into the wall with its shield. Williams' team took their revenge in full as bullets flew out of nowhere and cut the beast's spine.
      Linda hit the last Brute, and it fell to the ground with a wet smack. The balcony stoically sat drenched in blood, both human and alien, a testament to the awful battle that had taken place there.
      Linda's voice broke the silence. "Red-One, we have a situation. I think they know we're here."
      John swore. "Patch it through, Linda." A small square appeared on his HUD.
      Grunts, Jackals, Elites, Brutes, and Hunters all poured into the structure, weapons unholstered and glowing. Each one seemed eager to score a kill. John swore again, knowing it wouldn't help. Their time had run out...they had to blow the place.
      Williams took the pack and stealth unit from his fallen comrade, then laid his brother-in-arms' hand on his chest. He wiped a tear from his eye, then stood at the ready.
      John patched over the Team COM channel. "Listen up, everyone...we've got to move. The Covenant are combing the structure to locate us. We've got to rig this place to blow, then get out of here. Any questions?"
      One of the operatives raised his hand mockingly. "And just how the hell are we supposed to do that?"
      Cortana chimed in. "Pardon me, Master Chief, but I think I have a plan. Some of the Covenant abandoned their vehicles and entered the structure with the rest. Linda can use her camo belt to get a Shadow and hide it away, ready to pick us up and get out of here."
      "Linda..." John started.
      "Already on it," she replied coolly.
      John and his team marched through a hatch, looking for resistance. There wasn't any. "Team, I need all the explosives you have. We can rig them in the ammo dump with Grace's equipment and get out. Cortana, will it set off a chain reaction?"
      "Affirmative," she replied. "The heat should be enough to back up the plasma conduits and cause a massive overload. The explosion will be enough to bring down this cavern, and the human reactor Spartan-104 and his team are currently working to get to. I've already sent them an encrypted burst transmission to get out ASAP."
      Williams cut in. "Pardon me, Master Chief, but I think it's time to explain my real objective now...Admiralty be damned." He hefted his fallen operative's pack and pulled out a HAVOK tactical nuclear mine.
      John halted immediately and pointed his Carbine at the SPO. "Explain. Now."
      "The Admiralty wanted us to detonate this place anyway. We expected the Covenant would come to this place, and ultimately we could strike a deadly blow to their ground forces."
      He means that Ackerson wanted them to blow it up, John thought to himself.
      "Anyways, our mission was to plant this baby, set it for remote detonation, and get the hell out of here. We hadn't, however, expected you...guys to show up."
      Cortana interrupted. "But with this facility down, the MAC platforms would cease to function. And the UNSC needs those up, no matter what. Why would they destroy them?"
      But John already knew the answer. "They don't expect to win this," he whispered. "They're giving up and evacuating the planet. And Ackerson wanted us to go down with Earth."
      John knew their time was short. He could already hear the thundering footsteps of a thousand bloodthirsty aliens. He began jogging down the hall, then slowed down to allow Williams' men to keep pace.
      "Officer Williams, I want you to plant that nuke as soon as you get to the dump. Then Red-Three will set it for 10 minutes...enough time for us to get the hell out of here and to the nearest evacuation point. Cortana, punch me a hole in Ackerson's channel and let me have a chat with him."
      "Working on it," she replied. Then she switched to an encrypted channel. "However, there are two parts to your plan that I don't understand.
      "First, getting out is going to be a little tough. The Covenant will have swarmed the lower levels. The only way to evac is by jumping."
      John concentrated on a Jackal, then put it down as he sped past. "That's exactly what I plan to do. And the second?" After he heard the answer, he wished he hadn't asked.
      "Shadows have a five-passenger limit. Either we find another way, or one person gets left behind."

Zanzibar-The Escape: Chapter 16
Date: 30 July 2004, 8:19 PM

      Author's Note: Okay, sorry about the wait on this one. First of all, I'd like to thank Louis for putting up with my ignorant questions after the section went down. Second, I'd like to thank Wado for being an awesome guy and helping remake the section. Third, I'd like to thank all you people for feedback I've gotten.
      As for sweet buttery goodness (aka more Halo fan fiction), copy this link into your address bar. It's the HALO FICTION SOURCE! HOO-AH!

http://s94962042.onlinehome.us/~rkz/forums/

      Enjoy.

      John nailed a stunned Grunt with the butt of his SMG as he raced down the corridor and put ten rounds into another. The glowing nav marker on his HUD said that the ammo dump was behind the next hatch. He took the door in one stride, hit three Jackals, and finished off the handful of Grunts with his carbine.
      The ops team skidded to a halt behind him. One of them gave a low whistle. "Man, Chief, when you want something done, it gets done." He heard a murmur of agreement from the other two unaugmented soldiers.
      He ignored the adulation and strode over to the racks of clips, weapons, magazines, ammunition, grenades, and other objects for causing general mayhem. "Team, load up. I want a full combat load on everyone. SpecOps, get ten clips each for your battle rifles, plus two each for Red-Two's sniper. Grace, grab a rocket launcher. I also want everyone to get at least four grenades. Williams, set up that HAVOK. Hurry...we don't have much time." The thundering footsteps of the thousand vengeful aliens behind them testified to the last statement."
      John grabbed a plastic ring carrier and snapped a half-dozen frags into it, then slid it into his armor's thigh slot. He also grabbed a new battle rifle, and gladly ditched the Covenant carbine. After a double handful of clips into his ammo sack, he grabbed an extra sub-machine gun in case he needed some heavy covering fire.
      Williams inserted the activation card into the nuke, then gently placed it near a pile of foaming C-12 high explosive. "Nuke's warmed up and ready to go." Grace moved in, and in a few seconds, had wired the timer to it and set it for ten minutes.
      The footfalls grew louder. John knew they had to move now. "Cortana, get me a marker for the nearest balcony overlooking the river that hasn't been overrun by the Covenant. Linda, on my mark, bring that Shadow around."
      Grace held up a fist, then set a Lotus anti-tank mine for proximity near the entry hatch. She nodded, started the timer on the nuke, and then the ill-matched team sprinted madly for the NAV marker that appeared on their HUDs.

      Fred finished off a Grunt, then put the butt of his rifle into the exposed side of an Elite. Kelly poured bullets into the Elite that roared defiance, until Will managed to squeeze a trio of bursts around the Spartan into the alien. It wailed and fell to the floor, blood leaking out of its chest.
      Fred was about to advance when a message scrolled across his HUD, courtesy of Cortana.

Burst Transmission, 0830, to Blue Team

Imminent chain explosion. 99.9% chance will bring down Forerunner facility and human reactor complex. Recommend mission abort and high-speed exit to the nearest Warthog. Proceed to exit marked on HUD. Estimated twenty-five minutes before detonation.

End Transmission

      Fred scanned the document, then froze as adrenaline coursed through his system. Two NAV points appeared on his visor-a blue, 500 meter stretch to his left that marked a garage, and a green one that marked the exit, a good five kilometers away.
      "Team, we've got a situation. We're aborting the mission and getting out of here." He relayed the transmission to them. "Will, do you think you're able to sprint?"
      Will tested his weight on his left leg and grimaced. "Negative."
      Kelly nodded, then moved forward and administered a few milligrams of polypseudomorphine to kill the pain, and some dermacortic steroids to give him the strength to make it. Will straightened up, nodded, and they set off at an astonishing pace. The place was about to blow-and they didn't intend to be anywhere near it when it did.

      The Chief impatiently jogged along, letting the SpecOps team keep pace. He knew the Covenant would catch up to them if they didn't hurry; the Lotus mine exploded, and confirmed his fears.
      He slowed down, allowed two of the men to pass, then raced forward and scooped them up. He clicked his COM three times, and heard Grace do the same to the remaining operative. The black-clad soldiers yelped in surprise, but John ignored them and stepped up the pace. The objective was one hundred and fifty meters away.
      One hundred.
      Seventy-five.
      Fifty.
      Twenty. A plasma beam seared past.
      There. He dropped the ops, primed two frags, and let them loose. Grace unslung her rocket and fired two 102mm shaped charges into the hatch they had just come from. It shook like a thing possessed, and gore sprayed out. Two seconds later, the frags detonated and sent body parts flying. Williams' men alternated fire into the hatch, ducking out and reloading their SMGs when they ran empty.
      "Williams, get your men into that river ASAP!" barked John. The SPO let off one final clip of ammo, then dove into the water below. "Linda! Get that Shadow down here on the double!"
      John primed another grenade and hurled it into the hatch. It responded by vomiting limbs and alien meat. The hatch to the right burst open, and an Elite roared. Grace swiveled and dumped a rocket into that opening, too. "Time to get out of here. Grace, let's move!"
      She shook her head. "Negative!"
      John understood...she had overheard the conversation between him and Cortana. He tossed her his frags and plasma sword, then paused. One of the last Spartans was about to die. He saluted, then flicked her a shining, silver disc, with a head on one side, and an eagle on the other. She slapped it back into his palm and gave him a hardy shove towards the edge. "GO!"
      He almost hesitated. He wanted to die here, die with his sister-in arms. But his training made it clear...she was a life spent, not a life wasted.
      He flung himself off the balcony, and managed to get one last glimpse of Grace dropping her SMG and firing up the plasma blade. Then he fell.

Grace sprinted forward and swung the energy sword like a machete, hacking into the horde of screaming aliens. They screamed and fired back. Her shield bar blinked empty, and she felt the burning plasma puncture her armor, but she didn't stop. The blade was a blur, slashing and burning into the Covenant forces. She felt her body weakening, and the hilt of the sword fell from her grasp. She knelt, coughing up blood, and fell to the ground on her stomach...in front of a Covenant Hunter. It grunted, crushed the hilt beneath it's heel, and brought its massive boot back up.
      Grace spotted a bandolier of fallen plasma grenades. This one's for you, Li, she thought. She primed two frags, rolled them into the pile, and whipped the SMG out of it's holster. She screamed, firing wildly at the sole of the massive boot. It fell...then the whole world winked out of existence.

      John hit the water like an armored cannonball, then hauled himself onto the riverbank. A soggy Williams and his crew were waiting in the Shadow. Linda was manning the gunner's position, waiting for John. He hopped into the driver's seat, then looked up one last time at the precipice above him. A massive explosion shook the structure, and the entire balcony crumbled. Grace had used her final action well. He banished his sorrow into the back of his mind and threw forward the throttle. Grace had given her life to save theirs...and he intended to fulfill his part of the bargain now. He had to get out alive.

Zanzibar-The Remnants: Chapter 17
Date: 2 October 2004, 6:26 AM

      Author's note: Okay, I've had people screaming at me for the past two months, demanding that my cliffhanger be undone. It's a long story, and I intend to tell you the whole sad tale in all it's glory and...sadness. Stuff.
      It began with my wonderful vacation. I came back, only to find my ignorant, computer-retarded family gave it a virus. So far, my two months of fruitless attempts to repair it have failed entirely. But hark! My father's laptop fits. After struggling through to a weekend of my junior year I felt up to the job, I've began. I hope you guys aren't too mad at me...and I am so sorry.
      I'm also sorry about the quality of the story. It's really missing the climax I wanted, but it's hard to resume after two months and just be able to write the way I used to be able to. And for any typos. It's late, I'm tired, and I gotta get this submitted.
      And once again, it resumes.

      John pushed the throttle as far as it would go and swerved to avoid a Creep. He scraped between it and the wall of the tunnel the Covenant had flash-dug to the Forerunner artifact. The panicked bus driver crunched into the opposite wall and sent Grunts flying from it's compartments.
      Ghosts, Shadows, Creeps, and the occasional Wraith were all chasing after him with a blood-hungered vengeance. His mind wandered to his last moments with Grace...but he pulled it back to his situation and concentrated on the task at hand. Shoving his emotions to the back of his mind, he opened up the Shadow and skidded around a Wraith. The beetle-like tank lobbed a plasma mortar, missed, and hit a pack of Ghosts instead. They blew like frag grenades, showering the escapees with debris. One of William's men sprayed a full clip of SMG into the offending Wraith. It didn't do much, but one of the bullets hit something critical. The Wraith lost it's antigrav ability and nosed into the dirt, further delaying their pursuers.
      Linda hosed another bus with plasma fire, watched it burst open like a lotus flower, and turned her attention to a skittering Ghost that was harassing them with plasma fire.
      John swore as he looked up ahead. Three Wraiths had spread out across the tunnel and effectively formed a roadblock. Behind that, he could see a legion of Covenant waiting to overtake them. He was trapped.
      No. Thinking that way wouldn't get them out. He pushed the throttle harder, realized it was already at full, and prayed he was doing the right thing.

      Kelly dropped another Jackal with her battle rifle, and Will hit the last two Grunts in the garage with a single SMG burst. They sprinted to the nearest Warthog and hopped in. Kelly clambered into the gunner position, Will saddled up in the passenger's seat, and Fred slid into the driver's spot and punched in the UNSC-wide start code.
      The 'Hog sputtered, then roared to life. He nosed it out of the garage and into a long passageway. It seemed to go on forever, straight and gently sloped. He stepped on the accelerator and punched the thing into fourth gear in less than 5 seconds. He intended to make it out alive, with or without his objective accomplished.
      Will's dual SMGs flashed, and a Grunt ahead of them toppled. Few Covenant...good. The faster, the better.

      "Chief...I assume you know what you're doing?" queried Cortana.
      John grimaced as the tanks grew closer, their carapaces glittering malevolent blue. He heard their plasma mortars cycle, and prayed they wouldn't get one more shot. "Hang on!" he yelled into his COM. The Wraiths fired their weapons, each of the mortars falling in a straight line for the lone Shadow.
      Time blurred and slowed, only the deadly blue plasma bombs and their senders in clear focus. He heard one of the SpecOperatives swear in the background as they raced towards the spheres. Clear them, he thought. Clear them. The Shadow's alien engine whined...and they were under. The bombs exploded behind them, digging meter-deep craters in the ground and sending out a huge shockwave. Pursuing Ghosts and Shadows crumpled and exploded behind them, leaving only ashen shells of twisted alien metal. And that was just the easy part.
      The three tanks loomed closer, and he killed the engine, then pushed it to full again. The action raised the nose of the alien craft and pushed it to even higher speeds. The Wraith was less than twenty meters away when it's top began to glow blue, the sign of imminent discharge.
      The Shadow roared over the tank and arced above the mass of Covenant. The Special Operatives fired and tossed frags into their midst, while Linda pulled the firing studs of the plasma battery, spearing aliens with massive spikes of purple energy. The Shadow fell and bottomed out onto a pair of Hunters. It battered it's way through a huge array of aliens and pushed it's way free of the crowd.
      The horde roared and poured plasma at the hovering craft, but it skittered away. John noticed his hands shaking, almost visibly, but he kept a firm grip on the controls. He managed a sideways glance at Williams. The black op officer was in bad shape...his mouth was contorted into a twisted, silent scream, but his eyes were steady, though blanketed with fear. His fatigues had a wet spot near his crotch.
      The SPO regained his voice. "You crazy bastard!" he said hoarsely as he directed a battle rifle burst at a Ghost. For the first time since before Halo, John almost laughed. They were going to make it. The timer read five minutes and twenty seconds...and the objective marker sat a kilometer away.

      Fred slowed the Hog as they came to a point in the tunnel that was cut clean through. A totally seamless circle edged its way down at about three degrees. The 'Hog jolted to a stop, but he didn't notice.
      "John's way out." Whispered Kelly. "Are they going to make it?" Fred glanced at his timer...4:37.
      A yellow dot blipped at the outer reaches of his motion tracker. It rapidly approached their position. A Covenant trick?
      No. It was John. It needed to be John. They sat in silence, desperately hoping.
      At least 40 other red targets appeared behind it. He shoved the pedal to the floor and sent the 'Hog skidding into the tunnel, in time to sync up with a Shadow. It's passengers were two Spartans and a trio of Black Oppers. Fred opened up on the UNSC E-Band. "Need a hand, Blue-One?" Kelly poured rounds downhill with her LAAG as they roared up the slope, nearly stonewalling all progress. Ghosts skidded and blew up, Shadows slammed their prows into the dirt, and Wraith tanks blossomed with fire.
      John actually laughed, and flashed a smile sign across his faceplate. Fred returned it, then his heart sank. Two Spartans. Where was Grace?
      Cortana chimed over his COM. "Since this whole place is going up in smoke, I'm pretty sure we can broadcast on this channel. I don't have time to explain, but we need to get out of here. The planet's being evacuated. I've already hailed a Pelican, and it's on the surface."
      Fred flashed the acknowledge light, but a lump still remained in his throat. Grace was gone. He almost wanted to turn around, to go to her...but didn't. The UNSC was going to need them. What was left of them.
      John watched the circle of light ahead grow closer. He keyed the all-team freq. "When Twenty meters before we hit the exit, drop grenades. We'll need them to cover our escape."
      Seven acknowledgement lights winked on his HUD.
      He pulled a grenade, primed it, and tossed it over his shoulder just before they roared out the exit into the hell that remained of East Africa. Explosions shook the tunnel, and it collapsed Just as Red Team's Hog cleared the exit.
      The Pelican waited for them as they roared across the beach. The sky was orange and blood-red, and smoke poured out of what had been New Mombassa just north. He watched evac shuttles scream across the sky to get into orbit. How many would survive? How many would get past the Covenant blockade and into UNSC ships? How many would be glassed with Earth?
      He powered down the Shadow and hopped out, then covered the beach while the rest piled into the Pelican. He jumped aboard, the pilot fired it's thrusters, and they moved off into the atmosphere.
      John sat and pulled the quarter from his ammo pouch. He looked out at the sky, watching as the planet that was the human's home burn. Plasma bombardments had already begun, tearing through the atmosphere and boiling the oceans away. He examined the silver disc, then thought of Grace one last time.
      The only family he had ever known was being whittled down, it's members destroyed by an unstoppable force. Grace had made the ultimate sacrifice, protecting her fellow Spartans, the colonies, and humanity.
      He took the quarter and flung it out the back. He watched as the spinning disc disappeared into the haze, reminiscing on what had been, and would never be again. The hatch began to pull close as the dropship climbed higher.
      What was next for humanity? Escaping and terraforming more planets to their needs? Finding the Forerunner? Claiming another Halo? He wasn't sure. He would never be sure. But mankind needed him and his few brothers and sisters in arms. He would not forsake his duty as long as another human was in danger of the enemy. He would fight.

      A Prophet sat in high orbit over Earth, watching the disgusting planet burn. Pockets of air burned away, the oceans vaporized, and entire continents turned to glass...all at his whim.
      He turned away from the slaughter to view the Elite that walkd into his presence. The golden-clad beast bowed, then handed the Prophet a data-chip. "It is finished, Excellency. The human's homeworld is destroyed." He stood to his full height, mandibles clicking with pride. "We have won."
      The Prophet inserted the chip into his headdress, then sifted through it as it literally poured it's contents into his mind. "Not all is finished. Some escaped?"
      "Yes, Excellency. At least twenty-five medium-class vessels jumped out of the system before we could terminate them. Their trajectories were recorded, but most likely random.
      The Prophet turned back, and watched the planet burn. "Then let us hunt."
      The Elite bared it's teeth, eager for more blood. "So it will be, Ancient One."

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