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Here is my story, Assault on Auctorita Island. It's about the test subject Spartan 2, Digit, and how he became MIA. I made him up, cause I could :P
In Halo: First Strike, Admiral Hood talks about how Spartans have saved his life twice. This is the story of one of those rescues. Enjoy!
--------------------------------------------
-Assault on Auctorita Island-
Spartan-X pulled on his combat gauntlets, and listened to the soft click as they slid into place. He flexed his fingers, making sure that the gloves still fitted, and grabbed his helmet. He was late.

The briefing for Operation Libera was starting in a few minutes time, he had to hurry.
Spartan-X was a highly trained Spartan 2 Supersoldier.
He was the first, a test subject to see whether the program should continue.
Therefore, he wasn't registered in their ranks, hence the X that replaced his serial.
That was why his prototype Mark 6 MJOLNIR Combat Suit was shaded dark grey instead of the military green the Spartans wore.
He was an excellent soldier, with a keen eye and great delicacy in his combat technique, and it was this skill that had brought him here.

Spartan-X didn't know his own name, let alone any other personal details of his former life. He had been given a drug, that had completely erased his memory, eliminating his past.
He had formed a title for himself, and that title was what he was known as to his closest associates. Digit.
It signified the overwhelming power of his enemy, but he had always pulled through, and this had been the base for his name. It showed he was just a man, one in billions.

That number had been dropping for the past thirty years.
The colonies were being quickly destroyed, by the Covenant. They left nothing in their path.
Digit turned to his quarter's viewport. The green and blue surface of Outer Colony, Abadantia glistened under a haze. It's name suited it well.
Almost forty percent of the crops came from that planet, and it was under attack. It had to be saved.

A week ago the ship Begirthed Stallion docked down onto Reach. Men in suits came to his residence, and knocked.
They requested his assistance in protecting the colony Abadantia. He accepted.
That was where he was now, aboard the Stallion.
The mission that was to take place that day,
Operation Libera, was a drastic step to combat the Covenant presence here. He was ready.
Turning from the stunning view, Digit lifted his helmet from the shelf and crammed it on his head.
He turned it slightly, with a hissing click, and turned to go.
He pressed the button next to his door softly, and the doors slid open.
He strode through it, his deep grey armour glinting dully in the artificial lighting overhead.

The heads of the people in the corridor turned, taking in his powerful physique, his graceful strides.
The golden visor that completely masked his face reflected all he saw, though distorted and golden.
He was a soldier to be respected, a soldier to be feared.
Digit had been promoted to the rank of Field Major for this operation, and the gold medal glinted on his chest-plate.

Ignoring the staring people, he turned and fixed his eyes on the lift that would take him to the Bridge.
Punching the 'Up' button, a lift slid into place, and the doors slid open to reveal a pair of Marines, cradling M7 SMG's
in their hands, probably on their way to some patrol point or other.
They seemed unnerved to have someone so powerful so near. They snapped to a salute, but Digit waved it away.
"At ease soldiers," he said in his deep, gruff but smooth voice. The Marines relaxed, the doors slid shut, and the lift
ascended.
"So!" One of the Marines made a brave stab at conversation.
"On your way to Operation Libera, sir?"
"Affirmative." Digit wasn't an unkind man, on the contrary, he was very caring, but wearing the armour shut him out...
Alienized him... Made him feel like another species...
"Should be fun, sir?" he continued.
"Yeah," Digit replied.
"Those aliens will rue the day they attacked humanity."
"Yeah," the Marine continued. "The only downside is the ugh, mode of transportation, if you know what I mean."
He shuddered. "I swear those Helljumpers are crazy."
"Ahh! It's not that bad!"

Digit had been through several Orbital Insertions before.
A terrifying drop for thousands of miles in a steel box with a parachute. It was very dangerous, with an infinite supply of complications that could result in the death of the man inside, but it was an excellent mode of insertion, and the only way...

"Actually, it's pretty bad..."
The Marines chuckled, and the door slid open.
"Good luck, sir!" they said, and walked out.
Digit waved his hand in thanks, and the doors closed.
The lift moved upwards again.

Digit stood, watching the numbers on the display panel flick by. As they reached the number two, he snapped to attention.
The number one flicked up, and the doors slid open.
The Bridge was a large room, circular in shape, with control panels set the entire way around.
A huge holo-screen stood at the front of the room, and in front of this stood Captain Jack Parsons.

Captain Jack was a Russian, with a small, black moustache that stood above his lip, perfectly straight.
He was clothed in an impecible white suit, with a Captain's cap positioned on the very top of his head.
An M6C Sidearm hung at his side, held by a black leather strap that ran diagonally over his chest.
He was well known for his skill with a pistol.

In front of him, ten Orbital Drop Shock Troopers stood at attention, their jet-black spec-ops armour standing out against the grey of the bridge.
Their reflective silver visors showed blue lights from the screens dancing.
At the sound of the door opening, Captain Parsons turned, and said with a light Russian accent,
"Aaah! Field Major! Now you have arrived we can begin."
The Troopers backed into seats and sat.
Digit moved to the remaining one, at the very end and sat.
The Trooper next tro him held out a hand, and Digit shook it. A noise from the front brought back their attention.

Captain Parsons had flicked a switch and dialled in an access code. On the large holoscreen, the picture of a golden Eagle shaped medallion, the icon of the UNSC, was replaced by a 3D representation of an island.
Auctorita Island.
The Captain turned back to the troops.
"I know you all know the procedures for the mission,"
he said smoothly, "But protocol requires I brief you all, for the record."
The Troopers nodded.
"As you know, this is Auctorita Island, an island off the coast of East Vamerica. It is a power generating plant, and a large amount of Vamerica's power comes from that island.
The Covenant must know this, as they captured it, and no contact has been established since."

He paused, looking around at them with astonishingly blue eyes. "The Covenant have either killed or captured the operatives of the station. Your mission is to discover which, evacuate survivors, if any, and destroy the Covenant presence there. You will be inserted by Orbital Insertion.
You must now report to the Armoury for weapons, then to the Drop Bay for insertion. Good luck to you all, and God's speed..."

The Troopers stood, and Digit rose smoothly.
The Sergeant started to give orders.
"All right, ODST Assault Team 7! To the elevator! Move it!"
The Troopers started to march towards the lift.
Digit began to follow, but the Captain's voice stopped him.
"Field Major! A quick word, if you please."
Digit turned back to the Captain.
The Sergeant looked questioningly at the Captain, but he waved them on. He walked slowly over to the lift.
The doors closed, and the lift descended.

"What is it, Captain?" Digit asked, curiously.
"Field Major, I just wanted a quick talk with you."
He paused, looking at the elevator.
"I know that you are not responsible for the Marines, Field Major, but Assault Team 7 are our finest. Try to keep as many alive as possible."
Digit nodded. "I understand, sir."
He turned to go, but the Captain called out.
He turned again, and found that the Captain was saluting.
"Good luck."
Digit returned the salute, then turned back to the elevator, went into it, and punched a button.
The doors slid shut, hiding the Bridge, and the elevator moved down.
They slid open again, onto a room. The Armoury.

SMG's, Sniper Rifles, Shotguns, Grenade Launchers and every single type of weapon were piled in racks.
The Troopers had already grabbed Submachine Guns, and one of them was loading a Sniper Rifle.
Digit turned, and saw the Armourer in conversation with the Sarge. Digit moved forwards, and the Armourer turned.
"Hey, Major! Lemme guess. You want a gun?" he laughed.
Digit smiled. "Sure do."
"Help yourself, sir."

Digit turned and walked into the racks of weapons.
He pulled a pair of M7 Submachine Guns from the rack, and pulled out the stock.
Dual M7's were his preffered weapon.
He admired the delicacy of the twin SMG's, carving a path through the enemy. The versatile character of the gun.

He shoved the stock back in, compacting the weapons for ease of handling, and snapped a magazine into the slot on the side. He chambered a round, and felt the power of the weapon in his hand.
He safetied both of them again, and clipped them onto the magnetic pads set into his thigh armour. He grabbed five packs of ammunition, and clipped them onto his belt.
He grabbed a stock of Fragmentation Grenades and turned to leave, but the Armourer called him back.

"Waittup a sec, son! Got an early birthday present for ya!"
Digit turned back, curious. The Armourer was punching in a code on a secure locker. With a click, the locks opened, and the cover slid back to reveal a huge shoulder-fired rifle, shaded a dark, military grey. It had WARNING written in yellow letters on the side. He picked it up. It was heavy, at least fifty kilograms, but he carried it in stride.
"What the hell is it?" He asked, placing it on his shoulder.
"This, my friend, is an Anti Vehicle Model 6 Galilean Nonlinear Rifle, but if that's too wordy, call it the Spartan Laser!" He laughed.
"It just came in from Area 51 a couple of days ago.
It was developed from Covenant technology, and adapted into a human operable weapon. It's a prototype, mind, so be careful."
"What does it do?" Digit asked.
"It fires a laser beam that explodes on contact with anything solid. It's an anti-vehicular, anti-personell, anti-every damn thing in the universe weapon." the man said said, eyeing the rifle.
"The batteries used to recharge the thing are expensive, mind, so only fire it for emergencies or where appropriate."
"Thanks, Guns," Digit said, placing the Spartan Laser on the magnetic pad set into his back. It attached with a click.

"Alright men! Let's move out!" he called.
The Troopers snapped to attention and moved towards the door. Digit followed, and they made their way towards the Drop Bay.
They entered. The Drop Bay was a large room, with fifteen Single Occupant Exo-atmospheric Insertion Vehicles lined up along one of the walls, held in place by magnetic arms, they had an airlock below them, ready to drop.

Digit turned and nodded to the operative in the station set behind bullet-proof glass, and he called through the intercom. "Preparing pods for launch. It'll take a minute."
"No problem." Digit called back.
He gestured to the Troopers, and moved over to a table where a topographical map of Auctorita Island was set.
Digit grabbed a pen, and started marking positions.
"We land here." He said, marking a place set along the southern shore.
"The Covenant are most likely holding the hostages in the generating facility, in the center of the island, here." he said, marking the middle of the island.
"There is a path leading into the middle here, but the Covenant have most likely blocked it off." He said, pointing to a thin path on the northern shore.
"Okay, here's the plan. First off we'll touch down on the beach. There is a large Covenant force there. Upon impact, I want everyone to run to the left into a building here. We can hold the fort there, until we have shot down the aliens. Sounds like a plan?" he finished. The Troopers nodded.

"Okay, adjustments made. Assault Team 7, you have a go.
You may embark now." The operative said.
Digit saluted, then turned and climbed up the stairs into the nearest pod.
He half lay, half stood, on a cushioned diagonal slope.
A covering was lowered down over his head, and it was snapped into place with a hiss of pressurised hydrolics that held the door in place.

Digit was in darkness for a moment, then the pod's power supply activated, and lights flickered on.
Digit flicked a switch, and the viewscreen activated, showing the dull grey of the metal of the airlock.
Soon it would open, and the pod would freefall.
The operative spoke into his comm unit.
"Assault Team 7, you are ready to go! Initiating drop sequence. Good luck."
"Good work, soldier. Let us drop."
Digit squeezed his eyes shut, and clutched the handholds.

With a sliding clink, the magnetic arms deactivated and pulled away, the airlock opened, and with a rush, the world flew upwards.
The pod rattled and bumped roughly.
There was a mighty shudder, and Digit knew that they were passing through the atmosphere.
The journey would be smoother from here.
He opened his eyes, and the viewscreen now showed the continent of Vamerica slowly rushing up towards him. It's large, round shape green with lush forests. They were slightly to the right of the country, and aiming for the sea to the east of Vamerica.
It wasn't visible yet, but Digit knew that was where Auctorita Island was, waiting for them.

He tapped a button, and the view zoomed in, and he could just make out a tiny green speck.
It was getting rapidly larger. The view made him sick, so he shut off the screen, and instead spoke into his intercomm.

"Alright Troopers, you know the plan. Once out, make for the building. Sniper, you go up on top, and lessen the load a bit."
"Copy that." a voice said.
"Okay, prepare for impact!"
The island was clearly visible now, and Digit could make out a dark grey mass in the center. The generating facility.
They were going to land on the southern beach, as planned.
Digit tapped a button, and the view scoped in.
He could see a Covenant outpost, just below him on the shore. Tiny orange dots were moving around.
Grunts? Elites were most likely going to be with them.
They had supply containers and Ghosts.
And were those Shades? This would be a hell of a battle.

"Okay, we gotta take out those Shades, clear an LZ for the Pelicans." He said.
"Roger, sir. You can use that almighty popgun of yours for that." A Trooper said. Laughter could be heard over the intercomm.
"Impact in five!" one of them suddenly yelled.
Digit hurriedly flicked off the viewscreen.

With a massive thud that sent sand spraying, the pod hit the sand. The doors hissed, then were blew off their hinges.
Sunlight streamed in, blinding a human without a visor.
Digit jumped out, and pulled his M7's out, clicking off the safety. The roar of Elites brought his attention.

Around him, ten other pods, slightly orange and smoking, slammed into the beach. The doors blew off, and the soldiers jumped out, bringing up their weapons.
Digit looked behind him, and saw the building was there, intact.
Looking back, he saw an army of small, blue-skinned Grunts charging. Their orange rebreather packs curved above their heads, and masks hid most of their face. Hooved feet left prints in the sand.
The raised Plasma Pistols and fired.
Green bolts whizzed past them.

"Get to the building!" Digit yelled.
He brought up his Submachine Guns and pulled the triggers.
The weapons shuddered, and orange muzzle flashes bathed him in light. Shells rained onto the ground.
The 5mm caseless ammunition carved through the Grunts.
They fell to the ground as the bullets ripped through their armour and sent them tumbling to the ground.

Looking back, Digit saw the Troopers backing up towards the building, firing their SMG's at the aliens that attempted to rush them. Digit backed up, firing.
Smoke poured from the weapons, and they clicked on empty. He flicked the M7's, pulling the release, and two smoking magazines fell to the ground.
He drew them along his belt, and felt two fresh magazines snap into place. He brought them up again, and fired.
Suddenly huge bolts of plasma slammed into the ground next to him, sending him sprawling. The Shades had started firing.
Digit rolled to the side, as more bolts attempted to mow him down. He leapt to his feet, turned and ran, the bolts attempting to catch him.

The soldiers were already in the building, and were firing out with their M7's. One of them had set up a GPMG, and was firing high-powered shots into the field of Grunts. Elites couldn't be much further behind.

Ducking through the doorway, into the dilapidated building, he saw the sniper climbing a ladder. He could even the odds a bit.
The Grunts were being mowed down a a steady pace, but they were still advancing, and Digit could see tall, blue armoured creatures behind them. Elites.

Plasma fire rang out, and they were suddenly enveloped in a green and blue torrent of plasma. The soldier at the machine-gun was hit, and he fell to the ground, a burn in his chest. Blood dripped onto the ground. The shot had just compromised his body-armour, and burned his chest, but it was a light wound. Digit grabbed control of the machine-gun, fitted the stock into his arm and fired, strafing the barrel.
The last Grunts fell. That left the Elites.

Much cleverer than the Grunts, the Elites took cover behind the pods, thus making the machine-gun useless.
Letting go of the trigger, Digit stood, and pulled the Spartan Laser from his back. He fitted it into his shoulder, and ran outside, so he could get a clear shot. He crouched. Plasma fire from the Shades slammed around him.
He raised the Spartan Laser and pulled the trigger.

The weapon shuddered, then a huge bolt of red light blew from it, sending Digit staggering.
The bolt of raw energy flew across the battlefield, over the Covenant's heads, and hit one of the Shades dead on.
The turret exploded, sending the Grunts around it flying.
Panting slightly, Digit turned the weapon onto the pods behind which the Elites were taking cover, and fired.
The bolt streamed out and hit the pod. It exploded, and the dieing scream of an Elite satisfied him.
The Covenant were weakening, surprised at this new power.
Time to press the advantage.

"Go go go!" he called back to the men. "Kick 'em while they're down!"
The soldiers ran out, firing. Digit aimed the Spartan Laser at the second Shade and fired, with the same results.

He stowed the weapon back onto his back, and pulled out his SMG's again. He ran straight into the ranks of the oncoming Elites.
They opened their four mandibled mouths in a surprised roar. The Elites were an ancient warrior race, and incredibly strong. Standing at eight feet tall, their spiky blue armour shone in the sunlight.
They fired at the oncoming Spartan with their Plasma Rifles.

The shots flew past Digit, but the ones that hit glanced off his shield. He raised the M7's and fired as he ran.
One of the Elites, caught in the torrent of bullets, fell.
Blood spattered from the wound in his stomach, and stained the ground purple. The other Elites continued firing, but Digit was nearly level with them now. Throwing aside his SMG's, he performed a roundhouse kick. His boot caught one of the Elites in the head. Purple blood spattered from the Elite's mouth, and it fell, dead. Then, using the blowback of the kick, Digit swung his fist at the remaining Elite.
His iron gauntlet connected with it's head and it fell.

Around him, the ODST's were firing. They were winning.
He grabbed his M7's again, and spoke into his intercomm.
"Captain Parsons, we have almost secured the southern shore. We are ready for reinforcements, over."
"Roger that, Pelicans inbound." The Captain said.
Digit cut the line, as a droning overhead, accompanied by a huge shadow passing over the beach introduced the presence of a Spirit.
He looked upwards. The huge purple ship was flying overhead, and was coming in to land.
It's cannon fired, killing one of the Troopers and injuring another. The tuning fork shaped dropship landed, hovering above the ground. Two huge doors unfolded at the side of the ship to reveal Grunt reinforcements, and a pair of Hunters.
"Damn," Digit whispered to himself.

The Covenant jumped off, and the Hunters crouched down into combat position, their huge metal shields raised, their blue armour glinting dully. The huge spines on their backs stood on end, and the monsters raised Fuel Rod Cannons, integrated into the Hunter's armour.
The weapons glowed green and fired. Green, sparking bolts arked through the air and struck the ground.
Huge explosions blew several soldiers sky high, their screams mingling with the explosions.

The Spirit was taking off.
Digit raised his SMG's and sprinted towards the Hunters, firing. Bullets pinged off their armour, distracting them and drawing their attention to him, away from the men. They charged their weapons again, and fired.
Digit rolled to the side, and the bolts barely missed him.
His shields flickered from the passing energy. They were in the red.
If they hit him, he was gone.

He leapt to his feet and fired again.
The Hunter's armour completely protected them from his gunfire, but he wasn't trying to kill them. He rolled past them, so they turned.
"Now!" he yelled into his intercomm.

A bullet, trailing contrails, hit one of the Hunters square in his unarmoured back. The bullet ripped through it's flesh.
It roared, a strange, unearthly roar, and fell. Orange blood streamed from it's back. The other Hunter roared in rage and misery.

It was then that Digit remembered the profile on the Hunters. They were raised in pairs, and spent their entire life with each other. They are called Bond Brothers, and are fiercely protective of each other. If one dies, then the other will seek vengeance with the will of a demon.

The Hunter swung it's huge shield, barely missing Digit.
It struck downwards, attempting to cut him in half, but he rolled aside. It swung, and the shield scraped past him.
It was enough to send him flying. He hit the ground with a thud, and the Hunter bore down on him. It raised the shield and drove it down, attempting to use the point of the shield to gore him through. The Hunter roared in triumph, but Digit rolled slightly to the side. The shield stuck into the sand, and Digit leapt to his feet, pressing his M7's to the Hunter's neck.
The Hunter swung it's Fuel Rod Cannon at him.
It hit him in the chest. Thankfully, his shields had recharged, but he still felt the blow. He was thrown up into the air, and he came down with a crash.
His augmentations prevented bone breakage, but the fall had knocked his breath out of him.
The Hunter wrenched it's shield from the sand, and turned, and that was when Digit pulled out the Spartan Laser and fired.

The huge red beam went straight through the Hunter's shield, armour and flesh, carving a hole straight through the middle of the monster. The bolt exploded, and the Hunter was blown apart, sending orange blood spattering over Digit and the ground around it.

Shaking, Digit climbed to his feet.
The soldiers had already shot down the Grunts, and were moving towards him. Digit spoke into his intercomm.
"Nice shot," he called.
The sniper on the roof waved, then descended the ladder to join the rest of the troops.
A distant sound met his ears, and he turned, to see two grey specks growing larger. The Pelicans.

He looked around.
The beach was at the edge of a huge cliff. Even so, the conductor tower of the control room could still be seen, standing like sentinel above the cliff.
Motion behind him made him turn.
The Sarge was limping towards him.
He had taken a Needler shot to the leg, and it was bleeding profusely on the ground. He dropped his smoking weapon, ripped off his helmet and sank to the ground, panting. Blood trickled from his mouth.
He wiped it away.

Digit moved forward, concerned, but he waved him away.
Digit stopped, and instead asked.
"How many casualties?"
The Sarge's breathing slowly leveled, and he answered.
"Makenzie, Dover and Ireland were hit by an explosion. They're dead."
He flinched, and clutched his chest.
He also seemed to have cracked a rib.

The humming grew louder, and a voice spoke over the intercomm into his ear. "Field Major, this is Pelican Inglis 725, we are inbound."
"Copy that." Digit said.
The Pelican in front zoomed forwards, braked and slowly started to descend.
Suddenly there was a humming sound, and out of nowhere a beam of crackling energy flew, and hit the Pelican. It exploded, and fell.

Sarge cursed and got to his feet, grabbing his SMG.
The wreckage slammed into the beach, spraying sand over the troops. Digit turned and brought up his M7's, looking for the attacker. Then he noticed waves of energy receding from the conductor rod. The Covenant were more proficient with human technology than he thought. They were using the power station as a weapon.
He yelled into his intercomm.
"Fall back!"
"Roger that!" the pilot of the second Pelican called, and swerved. A bolt of energy scraped the side of it, dismantling a wing. It swung full circle, then boosted away from the island. The smell of lightning was heavy in the air.
Digit ran to the downed ship.

The walls and floor were spattered with blood, the Marines were slumped in their seats. The ODST nearest to him turned from the Marine he had been checking the pulse.
"Sir, there are no lifesigns. They're all dead."
Digit sighed.
"Grab their tags, and the supplies. We'll need them."

He turned and strode outside, and spoke into his intercomm.
"Captain Parsons. Come in Captain, over."
There was static, then the Captain spoke.
"Major! What happened? We lost contact with 725."
"Sir, it seems that the Covenant have taken over the generating facility, and are using the conductor tower to directly channel the energy, as a weapon.
They took out one of the Pelicans."

There was a pause.
"Major, I want you to destroy that facility at all costs.
That is the highest priority now." The Captain said slowly.
"Affirmative, sir. Over and out."

Digit cut the channel, and turned towards the Pelican that was now a black dot over the sea.
"Pelican Delta 522, come in." Digit waited, and a voice came over, chattering into his ear.
"Field Major, this is Pelican Delta 522. Awaiting your orders, over."
Digit stopped, turned, and looked up at the conductor tower, just visible above the cliff edge.
"Delta, I need you to come in low, out of sight of that tower.
Take it slow." he ordered.
"Roger that, standby."

The ship in the sky turned in a sweeping ark, and flew low, skimming over the sea. Water sprayed from either side of the ship, blown by the Pelican's thrusters.
"Delta 522 inbound, clear the landing zone. This is gonna be tricky. An engine's been fried."
The ship zoomed in range of the tower, and Digit held his breath, but the ship passed unharmed.
It swooped in, and landed on the grassy area next to the cliffedge. Dust blew from underneath the ship.
Digit moved forwards, stowing away his SMG's.

Marines jumped out of the ship, and saluted as the Spartan strode towards them. He nodded, and the Marines relaxed, and walked away to join the rest of the platoon.
He stepped up into the Pelican, and found that the pilot had left the cockpit. He was a short man, clean-shaven.
He lifted his reflective visor, and revealed bright green eyes.
"Nice flying, Corporal." Digit said.
"Thankyou, sir." The man replied, pulling off his helmet.

"That engine is in rough shape." The pilot said, nodding to the wing. It was charred, glowing slightly orange. A thruster was bent out of shape.
Digit nodded, thinking.
"We could have some repair supplies dropped, it won't be a problem."
He said, then turned and jumped out of the Pelican.
Several Marines were unloading a crate held on the magnetic cargo hold on the under side of the Pelican's tail.
Digit strode forwards and flipped the lid.

Inside was a large black box, with a time setter and CAUTION written on the side.
A bomb.
Digit lifted it from it's foam casing. It was extremely heavy.
He snapped it onto his belt. The augmentations lessened the weight considerably, and he could move freely.
"Thanks, Corporal." he said to the pilot, then turned to where the troops were sorting weapons.

"What have we got?" he asked as he approached.
"We've got about fifteen M7's, a Sniper Rifle and a Mortar, sir." a Marine said, indicating the slightly blackened crates set along the ground.
"That should be enough to take out a Covenant force."
Digit said, tossing aside his smoke blackened SMG's, and grabbing a fresh pair.
"Company!" he yelled.

The Marines turned from their tasks, and stood to attention.
"Load up! Lets kick some alien ass!" he yelled.
"Yes, sir!" they yelled, and grabbed weapons from the crates.
"Let's move out Marines!"
They saluted, and turned to march along the beach.
Digit moved to the front to see the Sarge attempting to limp with them. He put out a hand to stop him, but he waved it away.
"I'm comin', if it's the last thing I do!" he yelled vainly, then tripped and fell.
Digit picked him up.

"Go and wait with the pilot." he said.
The Sarge looked defiant.
"That's an order, soldier!" he added.
The Sarge saluted, and hobbled to the side, then back towards the Pelican.
Digit ran to the front, and waved the sniper forwards.
The Marine ran forwards, around the corner of the island.
In minutes he was back.

"Covenant, lot's of them!" he panted, holding a stitch in his side. "They have a freaking Wraith!"
Digit cursed, then remembered his Spartan Laser.
He didn't know how much longer it would last.
Not long enough. Still, they had the mortar...
Digit pulled out the Laser and crept forwards.
Around the corner of the island, the ground sloped downwards, into a small valley. A large platoon of Grunts, surrounding a Covenant Wraith tank, were standing guard.

In front of them stood an Elite. This wasn't a normal Elite though.
It was clad in shimmering gold armour that reflected the sun dazzlingly. In it's hand it clutched a shining Plasma Sword.
Even from here Digit could hear the blade crackling with energy. Zealots, as they were so rightly named, had extremely tough shields, but hopefully the explosion of the Wraith would weaken them.

He turned to the company of Marines, who were crouching silently, their SMG's clutched in their hands.
"When I indicate," Digit told them, "I want you to run down the hill, guns blazing. Concentrate your fire on that Zealot. Don't let him get anywhere
near you."
Digit leveled the Spartan Laser at the Wraith, put his eye in the scope, and fired.

With a bang, the huge laser bolt flew from the weapon, and slammed dead on target into the Wraith.
It exploded, killing several Grunts. The Zealot below flinched as the waves of compressed air blew over him, and his shields flared and weakened.
"Go!" Digit yelled.
Without waiting to see if they had obeyed, he pulled out his SMG's and slid down the hill, his guns blazing.
The Elite roared, pulled a grenade from his belt and tossed it. Digit swung his weapon, and it connected with the flaming orb. It flew through the air, and landed into the middle of the Grunts. They leapt aside to avoid the explosion. Digit raised his SMG's again and fired.

Bullets hit the Elite's shields, and pinged off in every direction. The Zealot roared and, with a massive leap, jumped the entire distance between them, it's sword raised, about to strike.
Digit rolled to the side, and the blade missed him by inches.
The Zealot swung it's golden fist, and it connected with Digit's head.
He fell. White lights popped up in front of his eyes.
He shook his head, and the lights cleared, to show the snarling face of the Zealot. It roared and picked Digit up by the throat, lifting him off the ground.
Then it spoke in, apparently very forced, English.
"You human, shall die, like the rest of your pitiful race."
It growled, raising the Plasma Sword.
Digit swung his dangling foot with all his might, and it connected with the Elite's stomach.

The alien dropped him and doubled up, winded.
Digit threw a punch at the Elite, and his titanium fist slammed into it's jaw. Blood flew from the Elite's head, as Digit threw a second punch into the monster's neck.
It's throat collapsed, and it choked and fell to the ground, making horrible gagging noises. Digit picked up one of his SMG's, pressed it to it's head and fired.
Purple ooze spattered over the ground as the shots ripped through it's head. It lay dead, as Digit kicked his second SMG into the air with his foot and snatched it from the air, and turned, firing at the Grunts.
They backed up, yelling, and hid behind the wreckage of the Wraith.
Digit pulled a grenade from his belt and flicked the switch.
It started to smoke. He tossed it, and it flew through the air, bouncing just behind the Wraith. It detonated, and the high pitched screams of Grunts, accompanied by a splattering sound, met his ears with satisfaction.
He jumped past the Wraith and turned, firing his SMG's.
The remainder of the Grunts were caught in the torrent and were fell to the ground. Finishing his leap with an acrobatic roll, Digit climbed deftly to his feet, then ducked behind the Wraith as more plasma fire rang out. They had sent reinforcements.

He looked out from behind the destroyed tank, to see three minor Elites, all wielding Plasma Rifles. They were firing down on the valley, not caring what they hit.
Behind them crouched a Jackal. It's birdlike face grinned through the gloom cast by the trees overhead, as it cackled, raised a rifle and took careful aim.
The purple beam flew over Digit's head, and a scream from behind told him there had been a casualty.
The Marines returned fire, the muzzle flashes piercing the gloom, bathing the valley in orange light.
The Elites faltered as the bullets whizzed past them, pinging off their shields and reflecting into the sky, through the leaves of the trees.
Several Marines made it to the cover of the tank, panting.
"Sir, Private Bender. Any ideas?"
Bender said, as he ejected his smoking clip and slapped in a fresh one.
Digit nodded. "You men give me some covering fire, I'll frag their ranks."
The Marine nodded, and hefted his rifle.
Digit raised his fist, then brought it down. The Marines, as one, rose up and fired. The Elites roared.
Digit lost no time.

Unclipping a Fragmentation Grenade from his belt, he stood and, taking careful aim, lobbed it.
It landed in the middle of the Elite ranks, and the aliens, too preoccupied with the Marines, hadn't noticed it.
It detonated, and their shields flickered and died.

"Press the advantage!" Digit yelled. "Go go go!"
He pulled out his SMG's and squeezed the triggers.
Bullets streamed from his fists, riddling the Elites with bullets on their unshielded bodies.
Sparks flew as the shots struck their armour.
One fell, blood spewing from a wound in his stomach, then another, his chest compromised.
The last Elite roared, and threw his rifle at Digit's head.
It hit him fair in the skull, and he staggered, lights popping up in front of his eyes. The Elite roared in triumph, and with a massive leap, jumped from the hill onto the Wraith.
With a swing of it's fist, it struck a Marine down, then leapt with a kick into Digit's chest. He lost his grip on his weapons, and fell with a heavy thud onto the ground, the monster on top of him, pinning him down. The Elite raised it's fist to punch, but in mid swing Digit grabbed it's hand, and flung it off him. The Elite rolled to it's feet, and Digit leapt up, grabbing the Elite's Plasma Rifle.
It's shields were still down. Smiling grimly, Digit pulled the trigger.
Blood sprayed from the Elite's chest, spattering onto Digit's grey armour, tinting it purple.
The Elite fell, as the plasma ate away at it's gut.

Digit strode up to it, and slammed his foot onto it's head.
There was a crunch, and blood sprayed out from under his foot. He raised and turned, dropping the weapon next to the Elite. The Marines stood, awestruck.
"Nice one, sir!" Private Bender cried.
Digit nodded. Then looked down at the man who had been hit by the Elite. He was dead. The blow had snapped his neck. Crouching next to him, Digit brushed his glove over the man's eyes, and they closed.
He paused, then pulled the man's tags from his neck, and stood. "C'mon, we still have a long way to go."

Turning back, Digit saw a Marine on the ground, obviously the sniper fatality. Blood dripped from a ruler straight line carved in his side. Digit walked forwards, pulling a tube of biofoam from a compartment in his belt.
Squeezing some onto his hand, he rubbed it into the Marine's side. The thick white foamy substance hissed, and the Marine gritted his teeth, but when the foam had evaporated, the wound was gone, all but an ugly scar.
The man stood, and thanked Digit, he looked back at his side. "Got some battle scars to impress my misses, now." he smiled.
Digit turned, and walked away from the group.

Because of the augmentations, and ONI's secrecy, Digit could never have a family. He had never really thought about it before, having a wife and children to come home to...

He walked up the hill, bypassing the bodies of the Elites, and it was then he remembered the Jackal.
Where had it gone?
He pulled out his , turning, searching.
No, it was gone, but where?

Gak put his head down and sprinted, his slim powerful legs pumping beneath him. He had run almost a kilometre without stopping, and he didn't even pant.
That was the key for Jackals, and what made them the scouts for the Covenant. Speed.
The heavy Beam Rifle he was holding slowed him down.
He tossed it aside, and went forwards, faster than before.
He now only had a Plasma Pistol for defence, but he didn't need it. He was almost there.

Gak turned to the left and sprinted up the path set into the cliff face. The one leading up to the human's facility he thought to himself.
At the opening onto the clearing, where the facility sat, two
Elites in glossy black armour stood guard, Plasma Rifles clutched in their hands.
Gak slowed warily, and when the Elites stepped aside, he crept between them nervously. Once past them, he ran across the clearing towards the facility, and a door in the side opened.
He entered.

An Elite in shimmering iron grey armour stood in front of him, on a large platform. Gak stepped forwards nervously.
This was the Arbiter, Keilaak 'Reihemee.
He was an outstanding warrior, and the Prophets had chosen him for this task. He had donned the ancient armour of the Arbiter. The intricate patterns etched onto the armour reflected the lights used by the humans. The angular helmet, with a protective piece comind down between his mandibles, stood proud on his head.
A Plasma Sword emitter hung at his belt.
As the Jackal entered, Keilaak turned.

Gak bowed his birdlike head, then stood, and spoke in a very forced and screechy english.
"Oh, mighty Arbiter," he hissed.
"I have returned from the task wherefore you sent me, and I have come with news of the humans..."
Keilaak's eyes narrowed.
"Continue..." He said shortly. The battle on the shoreline had
severely depleted his troops. He had to succeed in generating sufficient energy for the Prophets, or he would be executed for heresy. Why the Prophets needed energy, he knew not. Nor why it had to be human energy.
It was not his task to know. His task was to do.

Gak paused, eyeing Keilaak's bulging muscles, that could flip a Wraith tank. His powerful physique. It could crush him like a twig. He shuddered, then continued.
"The humans have taken the Wraith, and Veita Kaligree."
Gak paused, then voiced the most disturbing news.
"They have a Demon among them."
The Arbiter stiffened. It was his way of showing shock.

One of the Demons, the Master Chief, had severely wounded him on Halo. He had been standing guard over the Control Room, when suddenly the gigantic doors opened. The Demon had rushed in, and Keilaak had taken a bullet to the neck. He wouldn't have survived, had he not dragged himself to a human medical capsule, and relieved his wounds. When Halo destructed, he had escaped in a Spirit.
For this bravery, the Prophets had named him a temporary Arbiter, for this mission. He was required to take over this facility and capture the occupants.
He turned to the humans, who had been captured and bound with energy cuffs.
The one in white had struggled, and blood ran down his face. He looked up at the Elite, with hatred in his eyes.
The Elite turned away. Apparently the Prophets wanted the humans for questioning. It was not his business.

Someone called his name behind him, and he turned towards the voice. It was an Elite in jet-black armour.
He was bleeding from a wound in his chest, and his Plasma Rifle was clutched in his hand, steaming slightly.
"Arbiter!" he called, pressing his fist to his chest.
"What is it, brother?" Keilaak asked.
The wound troubled him. It was a wound made from the weapons of the humans. He frowned.
"The humans! They have found us!"

Digit crouched behind the boulder where he was taking cover. Dozens of streams of plasma fire rained down on him and his troops.
They had come to the entrance to the generating facility, to find it heavily guarded by a pair of Hunters and a squad of Grunts. One Hunter lay dead, orange ooze spattered on the ground under it. The other had been shot down by the mortar. Grunts by the dozens poured from the entrance, setting up cover and firing. The tide seemed endless, and a new group of reinforcements were making their way down the path. Digit cursed, pulled a grenade from his belt, and armed it.
"Frag out!" He yelled. He stood, and tossed the bomb into the reinforcements. They had nowhere to go, and the grenade detonated, spattering phosphorescent blue blood up the walls and over the ground. The screams of the unfortunate Grunts ceased as they died.

Pushing the feeling of smugness to the back of his mind, he stood again, and emptied both of his clips at the Grunts.
Six or seven fell, and the weapons clicked as the magazines drained.
He ducked, flicked the SMG's and sent the magazines onto the ground. He slapped in a pair of new clips with a satisfying click, pulled the charge lever, and continued.
Beside him, the Marines were failing. Two of them had fallen, dead.
Two more were injured. That left only a few left.
Digit gritted his teeth. There was one way to end this.
He pulled out the Zealot's sword, that he had snatched from the smoking corpse. He squeezed the handle, and with a crackle, a blade sprung into existence. He held the dazzling weapon in his hand for a moment, then holstered his SMG's, made sure his shields were fully charged, and rejoined the fray.

The Grunts had set up several Plasma Cannons, and were firing them continuously down at the Marines.
Upon seeing Digit rush them, with a Plasma Sword, they screamed and released the weapons.
Digit swung the sword, slicing three Grunts down.
He stabbed another one, then swung his arm back to slice another's neck. The blade hummed hungrily, quenching it's ever wanting thirst. He swung it at a pair of Grunts who were overcharging their pistols, and the weapons went off in their hands, hitting another pair of enemies.
After a moment, Digit realised that the area was clear.
He turned to the men, who rose, amazed at the spectacle.
He waved them forwards. They crouched and shuffled forwards, their guns at the ready.
The Plasma Sword shuddered, then the blade desintegrated with a crackle. The energy had been depleted. He dropped the handle, then picked up a Plasma Cannon from the ground. He shoved in the stand, and leveled the weapon in his hands. It was heavy, but he could manage it.

The ODST nearest him nodded, and Digit moved forwards first, clutching the Plasma Cannon.
The opening was ahead. He moved forwards cautiously.
Suddenly two fists swung from either side of the door, overloading his shields, and impacting on his stomach.
He doubled up, and the hands grabbed him and threw him forwards, out the door. He hit the ground, hard, and rolled over to see a pair of black armoured Elites. They had been waiting.
He leapt to his feet, and raised the Plasma Cannon.
He fired. The weapon shook heavily in his hands. He could barely hold it. Powerful plasma poured from the barrel, killing one of the Elites. He aimed at the second one.
It roared, and disappeared.
Digit swore. Camoflauge.

He turned around, looking for the ripples that would betray it's presence. There was a noise behind him, and he swung, and opened fire. The shots impacted the Elite who had been trying to take him from behind. It's camoflauge failed, and blood poured from it's chest onto the ground.
The Elite fell, it's entire center of mass charred.
It thudded onto the blood-drenched ground with a squelch.
Digit ducked and ran behind a nearby storage crate.
There could be more. He waited. No. They must have exhausted their supply of troops. The remainder must still be inside. He crouched and crawled forwards, towards the door of the huge structure in the middle of the clearing. A faint humming came from it.

He turned, and waved the Marines forwards. They emerged from the gap in the cliff, and crept out, sweeping the clearing with their SMG's.
They crouched on the other side of the door. He whispered to them.
"Do'nt use explosives. You may harm any hostages they have."
The Marines nodded, looking doubtful.
There was probably a large force of Elites in their, all holed up, under cover.
It would be tough clearing the room without grenades... But still,
they acknowledged, and hefted their rifles, ready.

Digit held up three fingers. He put one down, then another.
Then the last. He slammed his fist into the control pad, and the doors slid open. Immediately, plasma fire rained out through the door. He was right. There were Elites, and they were mad. They fired Plasma Rifles continuously, and they had no chance of getting through.
Maybe there was a back entrance. He motioned to two of the ODST's to follow him. He turned and ran around the building, until he found a door.
He slammed the panel, and the door opened. The Elites seemed to have forgotten this door. They were in a room, a reception of sorts.
A large desk stood at a wall. Blood was spattered over it.
Digit shuddered, then opened the door in front of him.

They were there. The Elites had their backs to them, firing down at the door. There was one right in front of him.
Digit crept up, raised the Plasma Cannon above his head and swung. The heavy rifle hit the Elite in the back of the head.
It slumped to the ground, it's helmet shattered.
Digit looked down at the scene.
A total of five Elites stood at places set around the room.
There was no sign of any hostages.

He looked around for something to give him an advantage, and he saw it.
A fire-extinguisher stood at a wall, and next to it, scattered on the ground, were Grunt methane supply tanks. Perfect.
He raised the cannon, and fired.
The extinguisher exploded, and the force ignited the methane tanks.
The explosion rang through the room.
The firing stopped.
When the smoke cleared, he saw that every Elite in the room was dead, lying in a massive pool of blood. He walked to the doorway, and motioned for the Marines to move through.

He looked around for a way to go.
A lift was set into the wall. A Marine moved towards it, but Digit held him back. "No way are we using the lift. God knows what they did to it."
The man nodded.
Digit instead moved towards a set of stairs.

He placed a foot on the bottom step, and looked up. It only went up about three floors. He climbed up the metal steps, whincing as his boots clanged. The Covenant would hear. But then, he reminded himself, they would have to be deaf to miss that explosion.

He climbed up the stairs, and onto the first landing.
A door was set into the wall, with a sign saying "Equipment" above it.
As he moved towards it, the door opened, and a Jackal strode out. Upon seeing them, it activated a generator set on it's arm.
A ballistic energy shield shuddered, then materialised on it's arm.
Before it could call a warning, Digit smashed it on the head. It fell with a hiss, and the shield desintegated with a hiss.

The door had shut again, and he punched the controls.
It slid open, revealing a room filled with tools.
There were no Covenant here, except for a small group of Engineers. The strange, floating, six-eyed octopuses turned at the sound of the door opening, then returned to the tools they were examining. He lowered his weapon.
Engineers were harmless, and didn't seem to tell friend from foe. They only seemed to care for machinery.
There was nothing here of interest, so he turned from the room and shut the door.

Digit turned and moved up to the next door, the last one. The staircase just kept going up to a balcony.
The door was marked "Generator Room".
This was it. He leaned against the wall, next to the door, and raised the Plasma Cannon. He nodded to the Marines, and hit the controls. The door slid open.
Digit rolled through the door and knelt in combat position, at the ready. There was only one Elite in the room, but it was clad in armour unlike any he had seen before.

It was ornate, and iron grey. The helmet was inique, streamlined and had a protective plate curving down between it's mandibles. It turned, and spoke to them, in growling english.
"Demon," It sneered. "You have come to reclaim your comrades?"
It was then that Digit noticed the group of people behind it. They wore grey uniforms, and were huddled together, and cuffed.
Digit turned back to the alien, and raised the Plasma Cannon. The Elite roared, and pulled a pair of Plasma Swords from it's belt. It lunged at him.

Digit fired. Plasma rained onto the Elite, and it's shields flared under the pounding heat. They were failing.
Damn, that shield is tough! Digit thought to himself, as plasma slammed into the flickering light surrounding the monster.
The Elite was staggering under the bombardment, weakening, then suddenly, the tides turned.
The Plasma Cannon's failsafe kicked in, a hatch opened, and blue vapor poured from the weapon.
Digit tossed it aside, pulled his SMG's from his belt, and pointed them at the Elite. It's shields had failed, and it was now vulnerable.
Suddenly, the Elite rippled and disappeared.
"Damn." Digit whispered to himself, turning. Where was it?

Suddenly there was a scream behind him, and he saw the faint glow of a pair of swords slashing through the Marines. Blood poured onto the floor as a gash appeared in a man's chest, accompanied by a fierce humming drone.
Digit raised his SMG's and fired bullets ripped through the Elite's body armour, and sparks flew. It's camoflauge sputtered, then failed, revealing the Elite. It turned back to Digit, and jumped at him, priming it's Plasma Swords for an attack. Digit knelt, and fired at the Elite.
It died, and blood spattered over Digit, staining his grey combat suit.
The Elite's body fell with a thud, and the Energy Swords clattered from it's grasp, and failsafed. Digit stood, panting. He reloaded his M7's, then turned to the Marines. There were only two left, ODST's.
The Elite had taken care of the rest.
He grimaced, then turned to the prisoners.

They were not moving, and they were white. Blood clashed with the pale faces. He crouched, and felt the pulse of a woman near him. She was alive, just. He sighed, slid the SMG's onto single shot, and broke the cuffs. The woman opened her eyes, blinking confusedly.
Digit helped her to her feet. She stood shakily.
Two streams of congealed blood were running from her nose. "What happened?" she asked.
Digit looked at her in concern. "You don't know?"
"No." she looked around the room, and saw the dead body of the Elite, compromised with bullets.
"It was that Elite, he threw a stun grenade or something in here, and knocked us out. When we came to, we were tied up, and those Engineer creatures were doing something to the generator."
She looked around, and saw the rest of the hostages. She knelt, examining one who was clad in white.
Digit rolled him over, and stepped back in surprise.

Admiral Terence Hood was laying on the ground, blood running from a gash in his head.
This was why the Covenant had attacked, they wanted to capture this man, and keep him for questioning. Hood's eyes fluttered, and he rose into a sitting position. He rubbed his wrists. And looked around blearily.
Upon seeing Digit, his eyes widened, and he laughed. "Well done soldier!"
He got to his feet, brushing dirt off his white suit, eyeing the dead Elite.
There was an incoming message over Digit's COM.

"Field Major, come in!"
Digit activated the COM, and spoke back.
"Yes?"
"Sir! This is Delta 522! We are under attack by Covenant dropships! Repeat, we are under attack!"
Digit cursed. "Can you hold your position?"
"Negative!" Delta yelled. "They are coming in too fast!"
Digit thought for a moment, then yelled into the COM.
"Get out of there, Marine!"
"Yes sir!" There was a shuffling sound, then the sound of Plasma Rifles pierced the COM.
There was a scream, and a spattering sound, then the line went dead.
"Delta 522, come in!"
There was nothing, and static buzzed into Digit's ears.
He cut the COM, and it went silent.

He turned to his small company.
There were eight of them in all, two ODST's, and six hostages. The ops picked up the SMG's of the fallen Marines, weighing the weapons in their hands nervously.
Admiral Hood grabbed an M7, and chambered a round.
Digit paused, looking at them all, then opened up a COM with Captain Parsons.
"Come in, Captain. This is Spartan-X, over."
There was static for a second, then the Captains voice spoke into his ear. "What's happening, Major? Have you destroyed the facility?"
"Working on it." Digit turned to the people in front of him.
"We have hostages, including Admiral Terence Hood."
The Captain paused, shocked, then continued.
"Well done, Major. Hood was listed as MIA two days ago."
"Thankyou sir," Digit paused, then said.
"We need some evac, sir. Delta is down."
"We can send a pair of Pelicans. They'll be there in a short time."
"Thankyou, sir. Over and out."

Digit cut the channel, hefted his SMG's, and turned to the troops, lined up in front of him, weapons in hand.
"Okay, people. Let's move out!"
He pulled the bomb from his back, and set it onto the ground, near the generator. He tapped in ten minutes. That would be enough.

He armed it, then stood, turned, and strode through the door.
He walked down the stairs, and was about to pass the Equipment room, when he remembered the Engineers.
They didn't deserve to die, and they might be useful.
He opened the door. The Engineers were still there, tinkering with drills and wrenches. He activated the language filter, and spoke to the creatures.
His voice came out as a series of squeaks and drones.
The Engineers turned, dropping the tools.
"Follow me." Digit said.
The Engineers obeyed, and floated through the door.

Digit moved past them, and jumped down the set of stairs to the floor. He rolled, and held his weapons at the ready.
He thought the Covenant might have sent reinforcements, but he was wrong. The room was clear. He ran out of the door, and swept the clearing. Nothing was moving.
He waved the troops out, and they crept through the doorway. Admiral Hood clutched his weapon, his finger tapping the trigger.

"Okay, lets go." Digit said, then turned and strode towards the gap in the cliff. The Engineers floated along behind them.
The trooper at the back kept looking over his shoulder at the aliens, and nervously tapped his weapon's trigger.
Digit checked the timer on his HUD.
There were five minutes to go.

Suddenly, there was a humming noise above his head, and a shadow passed over him. He looked up, and saw a Spirit lowering to the ground. It's plasma cannon swivelled to face them, and lights flickered on.
"Get down!" Digit yelled, as the cannon began to fire.
Bolts ripped through the dirt, turning it to glass, and singeing the grass.
Digit threw himself to the ground, and pulled out the Spartan Laser. He aimed carefully at the cockpit of the ship, and fired.
The laser bolt passed through the cockpit like a knife through butter. The bolt detonated, completely destroying the cockpit, and sending the two fork prongs flying. One of them slammed into the ground next to Digit, and the hatch flew open from the force of the crash.

The inside was spattered with Grunt and Jackal blood, and their broken corpses slumped against their seats. However, from the smoking pod jumped an Elite. It's energy shield had saved it, and it leapt from the pod, drawing a Plasma Pistol.
It overcharged it, and lowered it at Digit's head.
The shot spilled from the emitter, and Digit rolled. The shot struck the ground next to him, sending glass shards flying. Digit leapt to his feet, just as the Elite threw the pistol at his head.
The blow knocked him back down, and stunned him. The Elite roared triumphantly, and pulled a Plasma Blade from it's belt. It activated it, sending a brief flash over the Elite's armour, then it swung the blade up, and brought it down.

Suddenly, the Elite froze in mid-swing, clutching it's neck.
Blood spurted from the wound, blossoming the ground.
Then it fell, and the blade dropped from it's grasp.
It fell to the ground, and crystallised the sand under it.
Digit turned to see the Sarge limping towards him, holding a Sniper Rifle in his hand. He was shocked. How had he got away?

"Well, if that ain't a lucky shot, I dunno what is!" The Sarge cried.
Digit climbed to his feet, and went over to shake the mans hand. "How the hell did you escape the Covenant?" Digit asked.
"Ah, a few lucky shots, a bit like that one," he grinned.
Digit saw that the needle wound in his leg was fully healed, and biofoam still sat around it, fizzing slightly.
"Found a medkit." He answered, reading Digit's questioning look.
He shouldered the rifle, and looked up at the base.
"That thing gonna blow?" he asked.
Digit nodded, and checked the timer again. Two minutes.
He turned, and saw Admiral Hood striding up to him.
"Major, the other prong was filled with Grunts. They didn't survive the crash." he said with relish.
The Sarge looked amazed, then sprang to a salute. "Sir!"
Hood looked at him, then waved away the salute.
"No need, soldier. How long until that evac arrives?"
He asked, turning towards Digit.
He shrugged. "A few minutes,"

Suddenly he realised what he would have to do.
He had to wipe the Covenant from this island. They weren't all dead, the dropship had proved that. He had to stay, and complete his objective. He sighed, taking in that fact, then checked the timer. Ten seconds.
"Detonation in five." he said. The Sarge covered his ears.
With a huge bang that shook the island, the facility exploded. The conductor tower flew high into the air, and crashed down onto the beach, sizzling.
That was that.
Digit let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He thought the Covenant might have disabled the bomb.

Sarge opened his eyes, and pulled his fingers from his ears.
"Whoo! Now that was a bomb!" He cried.
Smoking debris started to rain down onto the beach.
The Engineers moved forwards, picking up the plates of metal with their tentacles. It was then that the Sarge noticed them.
He swore, and raised the rifle. Digit pushed it back down.
"At ease, soldier." He looked back at the Engineers.
"They're here to help."
The Sarge nodded, looking wary.

Digit's COM crackled, then activated.
"This is Pelican Gamma 583, we are inbound on your six."
"Roger that." Digit said, turning.
A Pelican dropship zoomed in overhead, and slowly came to rest. The hostages cried out in thanks, and climbed into the compartment.
Admiral Hood stepped up into the Pelican, followed by Sarge.

Digit stayed where he was. Admiral Hood turned towards him, with a questioning look.
"Major, please climb aboard this dropship." He ordered.
"Negative, sir." Digit said. "My objective was to liberate any hostages, and clear this island of Covenant."
He stopped, and pulled off his helmet.
"And I always complete my objective."
He nodded to the Engineers. "Take these with you, see if you can find anything out from them."
Hood looked startled, then stood to attention, and saluted.
"Well done, soldier. I'm proud of you."
Digit saluted back, then watched as the Pelican rose up, and it's hatch covered the compartment.
It flew away.

Digit watched until the ship had become no more than a speck, then turned, shoved his helmet over his head, and pulled out his SMG's. With a clack, he chambered a round, then strode off around the island...

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