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Long Time Gone 33
Posted By: grylsy<grylsy@hotmail.com>
Date: 5 January 2005, 7:17 AM


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Author's Note, even though I have done up to part 36, this will be the last I submit for a few weeks. The main source of my inspiration just blew me off so not feeling the greatest...
-grylsy




Long Time Gone Part 33: Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire

January 15th, 2551, Reach, Outpost Bravo-Zulu-Foxtrot, 15 km south of Camp Hathcock, Inside ODST POD #2, 1705 Hours

       Newman had given the go. Chris smacked the pod 'open' switch. The door hissed before launching itself a good ten metres away, Chris heard some screams after the door opened, he noticed his door and had hit several Marines taking positions around his pod.

       Then they opened fire on him... Chris ducked for cover at the soonest possibility, firing the K50A1 half shouldered, half from the hip at the Marines knocked around by the door, he killed them all with chest height hits.

"There's more than a platoon!" Yelled Chris into the radio.

"You don't have to yell McAllen!" Said Newman, "we can hear you just fine, and no one outside of your suit can hear you unless that switch is off..."

       One of the slower Orbital Drop Shock Troopers out of the pods was Herman; he smacked the button for the door to open. As soon as it opened a hail of gunfire hit him. His blue-ish grey suit was instantly splattered with red flower shaped explosions.

Herman slumped to the ground, Chris got a warning over his HUD; Herman's vital signs were gone, a constant drone matched that he had no heart beat.

"Man down!" Cried Chris edging closer to another ODST who was taking cover behind his own pod.

"Keep your head down, sir!" Said the man; it was Jeebs.

"How many you got so far?" Asked Chris, he leant out from the left side of the pod, he moved the dot on his HUD that represented where he was aiming, over several Marines near the door to the Command Centre and let loose a short burst, cutting them down.

"Nice one, McAllen!" Stated Jeebs letting off a shot from his S2 AM, dropping a Marine who was running for a mounted weapon.

"Oi, Groener!" Said Chris, calling out to an ODST who had a BR55 battle rifle; he was letting loose burst after burst into the Marines scattered around the camp.

"What, sir?" He said not looking at Chris.

"Take cover you idiot! They're trying to get to the heavy weapons! Get over here!" Said Chris, "I'll cover you!"

"Roger that, Lieutenant!" Groener started to run to McAllen just as a sniper rifle barked.

       Groener's face visor shattered at as a S2 AM sniper rifle round pieced it and killed him outright. But it didn't stop there; Groener's corpse did a full summersault before hitting the ground with a bone crunching snap, Groener's vitals were gone.

"Fuck, Groener is down, Major!" Said Chris.

"Just keep moving, soldier! Pop some smoke and cover me and the men..." Said Newman who was with the remaining 8 ODSTs, they were getting ready to rush the remaining Marines who were in the command centre.

"Did you see where that shot came from, Lieutenant?" Asked Jeebs looking at the multiple windowed building.

"No idea but when I find him, I'll kill him..." Said Chris, he reloaded his K50A1 then threw his two G49 smoke grenades to cover his comrades.

       Newman led the initial rush towards the building. M7 SMG firing; he claimed many Marines that day.

"Go, go, go!" He said running through the door, crash tackling a Marine to the ground in the process, he mercilessly fired a burst at point blank into the man's face as soon as he was on his feet.

       McAllen and Jeebs broke cover from behind their pod and went to join in the fighting. No Marines were left alive outside, the remaining ten or so were inside the HQ building; including their target...

       A shot went over Chris' head; it was a sniper round, it had just missed.

"Up there!" Cried Chris pointing and shooting his K50A1 one handed, "the last top window! I'm gonna get the bastard."

       Chris entered the HQ, he saw ODSTs checking the corpses of some Marines; shooting them to make sure they were dead. Newman had two men with him trying to break down the door to Williams' hiding place.



       Alison cursed, she couldn't believe it, twelve Orbital Drop Shock Troops had beaten forty-eight Marine Special Forces with only two casualties; one of which Alison could claim for herself, a head shot too.

       They were in the building; she knew she must be one of the last left alive. A crashing noise from below her on the lower level alarmed her. She put her ear to the floor to hear what was happening.

"... Please, don't kill me I'll do what ever you want..." It was Williams pleading for his life.

"The only thing WE want you to do is die like a good snitch," said a man.

"No, please... I can give you information! Come on, it's got to be worth something! Ple..."

*BANG* Then the sound of a body hitting the ground echoed inside the room.

"Yes, it was worth a bullet," the voice paused, "Harrison, check upstairs."

       Alison had to find a hiding spot and fast.


       Chris saw the man going up the stairs.

"No, Harrison, let me do it, I got to get revenge Groener if that sniper is still there..." Said McAllen, he put his K50A1 over his back and drew his M7 SMG.

"Alright, Lieutenant, give us a holler if you need some back up," said the ODST known as Harrison, he walked back down and joined the others checking the corpses.

       Chris walked silently up the stairs. Checking his six on the upper floor as he moved. He sent 'sector clear's over the radio network. He checked each room.

       Chris retracted the end of his stock on his M7 for close quarters. He made it to the fifth and last room on the floor.

"Searching the last room..." He said as he opened the door. Straight in front of him was an abandoned S2 AM Sniper rifle near an open window and several empty casings.

       Chris instincts made him rush for the open window. He peered out seeing if the sniper had escaped; the compound was silent outside, bodies littered the yard, the drop pods stood tall surrounded by the destruction. Then he looked down at his feet and examined the abandoned sniper rifle.

       Chris picked up the rifle; it looked dangerously familiar, then he noticed the scope on it; it was the same as Alison's, it was Alison's!

"She'd never abandon this..." He said.

       Just as Chris turned back to face the rest of the room and he saw a figure rush him with a knife drawn.

Chris lunged out with the retracted butt of his M7 SMG and caught the figure in the chest; sending them sprawling back to the wall, knocking the wind out of them.

"What's happening, McAllen?" Asked Newman.

"Yeah I found someone," said Chris leaning down to the dazed figure. He removed their helmet and balaclava...

"You know the orders, McAllen, kill any survivors..." Said Newman just as Chris saw her face. It was Alison...

"Oh fuck..." He breathed, he clicked the switch that stopped his talking being block inside his helmet. He was just about to say something when Newman started talking again.

"McAllen, report..." Said Newman. Chris stepped away from Alison and stood up upright.

"Yeah, I'm here, sir" said Chris.

"Have you killed them yet?" Said Newman.

"Working on it, sir" he said looking Alison.


       Alison managed to open her eyes. A lone figure was standing in front of her talking to himself, no talking to someone on their radio.

"Working on it, sir" he said. The familiar voice shocked Alison to the core, was that Chris?

       Alison went to move when the clacking of a bolt stopped her cold.

       Chris leaned close to Alison, his M7 SMG was hot. He looked her in the eyes, she couldn't see his though; the visor blocked out his face.

       A noise from the corridor outside got Chris' attention. He walked to the doorway and peered out, a wounded Marine with an assault rifle was coming for him.

"Die, you ODST bastard!" Cried the Marine firing from the hip. Chris ducked back inside the door way and waited for the shooting to cease then jumped outside the door way himself.

       Chris brought his M7 SMG to bear on the Marine who was fumbling to reload. And without a another though, opened fire with at least half the magazine.

       For several seconds there was silence, Alison sat there in the corner not knowing what to do, the figure she thought was Chris exited the room and for a few more seconds silence engulfed the building.

       Chris emptied the remainder of the clip into the Marine on the ground; he had no love for a man who was trying to kill him.

"Well, I suppose he didn't either..." Said Chris walking back to the room where Alison was. As he walked in the room he removed the magazine from his M7.

       Alison's eyes stared into his soul; he thought she must know it was him. Chris reached behind his back; Alison put her hands in front of her face as in an attempt to shield herself from any incoming attacks.

       Chris pulled his hand back out from behind his back with another magazine for his weapon. He loaded the magazine and pulled the bolt back.

       Chris didn't know what to do. Should he shoot her? Could he shoot her?
Or should he leave, just to let someone else shoot her and then most likely be punished by the ONI for dereliction of duty?

       Chris took a step toward her, she scuffed back in fear.

He went to offer her a hand but checked the motion and brought his M7 up in one quick motion and let lose ten or so bullets into her chest. Chris turned his head to one side to avoid looking at her as he did so.

       Chris turned his back to her and unloaded the semi full magazine; he threw the magazine over behind his shoulder and heard it hit her body.

Then he went to leave the room when he saw the object hanging on the door. It was her combat webbing and in the holster was his old USP.

"She'd understand," said Chris without emotion and took the weapon. He left the room without another word and reloaded his M7 from the magazines from his thigh holster.

"Top floor is clear," he said into the radio and turning the switch back on, so no one could hear him talking to himself.

"Good work, McAllen, we got that bastard too so report out the front for extraction..." Said Newman, he was starting to like McAllen's 'can-do' attitude.

January 15th, 2551, Reach, Outpost Bravo-Zulu-Foxtrot, 15 km south of Camp Hathcock, 1735 Hours

       The entire squad was silent on the drive back. Everyone just stared at the corpses of Groener and Herman in the centre of the lorry's tray.

"Don't worry guys," said Newman, "we done our job today, ONI pays it's people well so what ever comes your way you've earned it..." Chris grunted in reply but his outside communications switch was still on so no one but himself heard the grunt.

"But they were people, sir..." Said one of other men.

"And so are me and you," said Newman, "your point is? We did that to protect the integrity of the ONI, if that integrity ever fails we will lose this war..." The rest of the trip was silent. Everyone was in deep thought. It was turning into one weird war...





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