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Zanzibar-Chapter 2
Posted By: 343 Salty Beans<hockyfreak5@yahoo.com>
Date: 21 May 2004, 4:16 AM
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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.
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