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Hitting Home: The Home Front (Chapter 1)
Posted By: Shifty<cherry_bomb2000@hotmail.com>
Date: 25 June 2004, 9:37 PM
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Prologue
I was nearly 16 when the UNSC Recruiting Center located in my hometown, Portland, started asking for volunteers. I remember walking through the courtyard of the military compound. I walked in a filed line of many young, clean cut men, much like my self. I remember the golden sunlight bathe the grounds as the lush trees swayed from the wind.
I remember tightening my gray uniform that been assigned to me with one hand as I walked into the round office, while gripping my papers in the other. I walked up to a woman clad the standard UNSC dress and shirt, who was manning a wooden desk. Stray papers littered the area as she looked up at me. I locked eyes with her stone cold gaze and snapped stiffly to attention, my hands tight at the seams of my pants. I looked forward and peered through a large window into the beautiful garden moving with warmth. It was golden.
"Name?" she stated in a flat voice.
"Hicks, Gerald, P., ma'am." I replied my voice strong and clear, as I handed her my papers, not bothering to look down.
I heard dull banging on her desk as she stamped the papers, trying to control myself not to avert my eyes.
"Congratulations," The women said in an almost sympathetic tone, as she handed me the papers "You're now in the 33rd UNSC Marines."
I gently took the papers from her hand and mustered a salute. I held the motion there for a full minute before the women looked up. She sighed and returned the salute, her eyes glittered, as water layered them. I remember thinking about how many young men and women she had signed to their fate everyday, but I quickly dismissed the thought and knew that I would not be one of them.
I snapped my arm down to my side and strode out of the office. I opened the door and squinted as the sun washed over me, and the smell flowers filled the air. It was golden.
Little did I know that all lush things in this world would be gone, and war that seemed so distant would hit home.
November 13th, 2552
Portland, Oregon, Earth
I smiled as I peered through my tactical scope and squeezed the trigger. In an instantaneous response my HA871 Battle Rifle cracked as a bullet leapt from the end of its barrel, lunging forward, contacting with a lone Grunt's shoulder. Bullets sparsely traveled alone however, and soon blue blood blossomed from a half dozen impacts across the Grunt's frail body. It twisted in the air before drifting lazily to the ground, its bright blood slowly beginning to puddle on the cement. I stood and ran across the rubble to the fallen Grunt, kicking its body to confirm that the creature was in fact dead. Satisfied that my rifle had stole its life I leapt over his body and slid down from a mountain of cement boulders.
Some of the smaller rocks followed my descent, as well as light plume of dust. The sounds of the smaller rocks ended shortly after as I shuffled around the remaining base of the building to the next corner. I ran a quick check of the new standard rifle, satisfied I took a moment to breathe. I relaxed my shoulders, my rifle ready, and pressed my back against the corner of the building. Nervously, I peered around the end of the block. There was wreckage strewn about burning and smoldering, cars and shopping carts littered the street as well. The feeling sunk in that the Covenant had finally hit the homefront, as I saw the pale Moon outlined in the sky.
I didn't however see any Covenant soldiers, convinced that my survey of the area couldn't unearth any hidden foes I continued to cross the street, nearly trotting. After I successfully walked to the next block I heard the nearby chatter of gunfire, accompanied by the orange glow of the muzzle flashes bathing the riflemen with light.
For a moment I considered cowering and simply turning back, but I was compelled by what duty and honor lie within me to help my fellow man. Fueled by the valor and pride that had been sewn through me, I charged around the corner. Bullets whirred in the air, dancing with plasma bolts to form a both, beautiful and deadly spectacle of light. A wounded soldier hobbled past me to escape the battle, and I remembered the infinite costs of the art ahead. Keeping first at a safe distance, I began to fire at misfortunate Grunts that were so unlucky as to have exposed their head or one of their tiny limbs. Eventually, after around four striking kills, I was noticed by the enemy.
I ducked behind a score of twisted cement and steel. My back pressed to cold concrete I tried to consider what to do next. I tried as best I could to ignore the gunfire passing over my head in either direction, and to reload. When we were in training I hadn't realized how hard it would be to reload when I was trembling with sheer terror. Within a half-minute I had managed to reload my shaking weapon, slamming the clip home and cocking the action back with a satisfying click. I cradled the rifle and pulled it into my shoulder as I carefully exposed my forehead and eyes from the only cover that separated the bloodthirsty enemy and me.
The squad of unearthly soldiers who had begun to proceed towards my position were concentrating on killing the last of the original Marines in the area. I could make out two Marines huddled behind a makeshift bunker like structure. They ducked down and reloaded nervously just as I did not a moment before. I willed my self to help the poor men but I couldn't do it. One of the Marines stood form his cover and unloaded half a clip on the oncoming hoard when a stray plasma shot caught him in the chest. The force of the blast sent the man back into a cement wall. There was a gruesome sound as his limp body hit the wall and fell in a heap on the ground.
His companion crawled over the man and checked him for signs of life. The lone Marine looked down and cursed a word that was drown out by the explosions and fire fights that scattered the street. He growled in anger as he appeared from his cover pouring all he had against the aliens that had murdered his fellow Marine. His muzzle flashes highlighted his battle hardened face. Three of three Grunts that were advancing dropped under the man's hail of bullets. Suddenly his rifle ran dry. I could see the blood drain from his face as he hopelessly cocked the action to get his weapon to work, thinking it might be a jam. He looked up, his face filled with fear, as a wave of plasma raced toward him. Three bolts struck him in his upper body. His body jolted with every impact as he tripped over his fallen comrade. The man grunted with agony as he tried to move, the group of twenty aliens approaching fast. The man looked at me with dreadful eyes that seemed to cut through me like butter. I looked away from the dying man not able to accept that I had let them die. I looked back at him, as he propped himself on the cement wall of the building behind him. His gaze caught mine and he forced a smile, the sight shot chills up my spine as I stared at him. He reached behind him and pulled a grenade from his web belt. The pack of mixed Covenant continued down the street toward the bunker. Two Grunts and a lone Elite approached the barricade not knowing what lay in wait for them.
The Marine primed the grenade and held onto it tightly counting down the seconds. The three aliens were no more than two feet away from the dying man before they knew what was happening. The Marine laughed and dropped the grenade where he lay. The Elite reared back and began to scream but was cut short. A large plume of smoke and dust engulfed the three soldiers as red, purple and blue blood sprayed the street. As the dust settled I noticed that all four of them were gone.
The remaining seventeen aliens growled as a Grunt triggered one of its own grenades and tossed it in the barricade. There was a bright blue flash of light as the grenade exploded inside the bunker, harmlessly. Satisfied the remaining Covenant continued through the intersection at the start of my block and into the street directly ahead of me.
They were ten feet away from the score of rubble that was my only refuge. My muscles tensed and I started to shake uncontrollably as I could hear the chatter become louder and the heavy footsteps approached. I closed my eyes and hoped that the creature not more than four feet away would disappear. I held my knees to my chest and hugged them tightly as I heard the low voice of the Elite only three feet away. Tears started to itch their way from my eyes as I felt death close in around me. The Elite growled to its kin as it approached me, sensing that I was there. The footsteps stopped and the feel of its warm breath on my neck sent my brain a sharp warning and I instantly scrambled to my feet to flee the monster, solely fueled by fear. I managed to get a two steps from it before tripping, helplessly, on my own feet. I peered over my shoulder as the ugly Elite's head poked over the rubble, it's helmet reflecting the sun. I heard a noise pierce the air, realizing that I was screaming in sheer terror. It stared at me for a brief second, and growled hatefully in return.
I crawled pitifully away from the foul beast, nearly crying. I scraped at the hard cement as I felt my fingernails start to break and bleed, pain piercing my fingertips. I glanced over my shoulder squinting through the tears and the bright sun and saw the anger that filled its dark eyes as it leveled its rifle toward me. I helplessly tried to crawl away from the beast to no avail. He gave a loud battle cry as I saw the hot blue plasma form in his barrel. I felt the end draw near locking eyes with the alien. I glanced back down to the rifle, the blue ball of plasma growing larger, a slight motion caught my eye as I noticed his finger tighten around the trigger.
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