Eternal chase full
The Eternal Chase (Ch 1)
A drop of water splashed on his forehead. Leonard sat up. He wiped his hand across his greasy forehead and looked about. He was in the same, wet smelly drainage pipe he was in the night before. Leonard looked back down the pitch black pipe. He had run through it the night before, no light to lead the way. The thought of the oversized, intimidating combine soldiers was his only motivation to keep going.
Leonard was an average asian man. His long, greasy untrimmed hair. His unshaven oriental face. His many scars and wounds from previous encounters. This description was on the front page of the wanted list on every universal union members datapad. The combine soldiers, the unions most tactical and effective ground units, were after Leonard. He was classified as the priority one target, wanted dead or alive for trying to overthrow the union.
The universal union had created a new world order, enslaving mankind to do their hard work. Within seven hours, the world went from it's civilized state to a world of oppression and slavery. People were classified as citizens, put into controlled metro centers and given a unique number known as a Citizen Identification Number, also known as a CID. Citizens are entitled to one ration which includes a 150 calorie packet of edible supplements and a half liter of water. To some, this was the perfect life. Chemicals were added to the food and water to make this way of life seem great. The chemicals also make people think the leaders of the union, their "benefactors" fixed all problems mankind has created in their previous society.
However, to others, they do not deserve this life. They want their old life back and for the so called, "benefactors" to leave forever. Leonard was one of these people. After about a month of suffering, Leonard had enough. He rounded up a couple other citizens and escaped the city. Leonard and his group, named "Reformers", settled in the outer canals of City 45. They were living a much better life away from the rule of the union. They ate non perishable foods such as beans and canned soup. They drank purified water they collected from the canal and boiled.
This life however didn't last. The combine soldiers, formerly known as Overwatch, noticed activity around the outer canal area. A few years before the seven hour war, the black mesa research facility accidentally opened an inter-dimensional rift between the Xen world and Earth. Xen creatures began infesting the planet. In the outer canals, Xen creatures such as headcrabs and antlions are a common sight. These are very dangerous, violent creatures and are a danger to the Reformers. Overwatch noticed more activity in these creatures and suspected someone was in the area. Overwatch patrols began which brought up another threat for the reformers. Eventually, Leonard went back to City 45 to recruit more members. He returned to the outlands with a few more citizens. Overwatch noticed this and began watching Leonard. He started something though. More and more citizens began fleeing the city to live in the outlands. This made for more traffic which meant more attention. Overwatch set up an outpost in that particular location in order to stop this rise in refugee trafficking. The Reformers met another group known as Easy, particularly Easy Station. They discussed and came to an agreement and created a larger group known as Alliance. The main goal to all Alliance members was to keep refugees safe from overwatch and Xen life.
This is how Leonard ended up where he is now. It was an average day in the outlands. Leonard was out with his buddy Dave looking for items of interest such as food or ammunition. Out of nowhere, an overwatch helicopter soared overhead toward one of the refugee camps. Leonard and Dave returned to the Alliance headquarters. Leonard grabbed the laser guided rocker launcher and a couple rockets. He tried to convince Alfred, another reformer member, to come help as Dave was too exhausted from the day. Alfred wouldn't help leonard so he went alone.
Leonard found the helicopter firing at a refugee camp. He took one shot at the helicopter and it exploded into a ball of fire on the spot. Leonard didn't realize there was more then one helicopter. About ten seconds after the first helicopter was destroyed, a second one swooped down and threatened Leonard with its pulse cannon. Leonard took another shot but missed. Now out of rockets, he headed for safety in a canal tunnel. Normally, this would be good enough. He would hide in the tunnel, the helicopter would leave, he could return home. Today however was not the case for a ground team began heading toward the tunnel. With his sniper rifle and SPAS-12 shotgun, Leonard went further down the tunnel without stopping. He could hear the ground team moving in. It was pitch black in the tunnel and his flashlight eventually died but Leonard wasn't stopping there. He kept going, feeling the walls and taking careful steps. He kept his eyes shut to make it seem less dark and lonesome in the tunnel. He had reached the end by nightfall, the dimly lit landscape of the country could be seen. He decided to stay in the tunnel to rest and keep out of sight. Once he was sure the one ground team was no longer pursuing him, Leonard laid down and went to sleep.
Leonard looked outside. It was light out now though the sun had not yet risen. He could hear the faint sound of the wind rustling the leaves on the trees. There were no more sounds of helicopters or gunshots or explosions this far out. Just a steady drip of water from the tunnel and the silent noises of the early morning countryside. Leonard snapped his attention back to the dark of the tunnel. He listened intently.
"Approaching sector borderline. No viscon at this time" he heard in the deep, crackling voice.
"Ah gadamnit." Leonard said quietly to himself. He gripped his shotgun and headed toward the end of the tunnel. He peered out, looking left, then right. He could see a forest to his left, ravaged by war and fire. To his right were rolling hills, fenceposts dotted lines up and down the hills. The drain pipe dropped about four feet into a shallow but swift moving creek. The water was a grungy brown colour and smelt of mold and mildew.
"Viscon priority one target. Sector four four two west borderline. Engaging." he heard in the same deep crackling voice. He heard two shots from the AR2 overwatch standard issue rifle. Two plasma projectiles whizzed overhead. Leonard jumped from the pipe into the creek. He turned around, switching off the safety on his shotgun. He pulled the trigger, firing a twelve gauge buckshot down the tunnel. There were only two overwatch units this time. One of them was hit. It dropped with a solid thud. The other unit kept advancing, pulling off a few shots here and there but missing. Leonard looked around. He noticed a large rock ten feet down the creek. He took cover behind this rock and pulled out the combine sniper rifle. He charged the core and took aim at the tunnel. The overwatch unit stopped at the end and took a look around. When it stuck its head out, Leonard took the shot. The glowing lenses of the units helmet went out. It hit the wall of the tunnel and fell out, splashing in the water. Leonard hesitated, then slung his rifle and proceeded downstream.
Leonard had been walking for about half an hour, looking for another canal drain pipe. He found nothing other then junk and rocks. He considered returning on the surface but Xen life was popular closer to the city, not to mention he would be easily spotted by an overwatch helicopter or ground team. He decided he would keep moving, in hopes to find another drain.
His foot contacted something solid that gave way. He looked down to find an eroded crate. He pried back the top and found a shipment of canned ravioli. Leonard took a few cans and stuffed them in his bag. He took one of the cans and began prying the top off with his knife. He looked inside at the contents of the can. They seemed to be fine so he ate the can of ravioli on the spot. He heard a helicopter in the distance.
"Shoot. Not this again." he said to himself. Leonard tried to find cover. About a hundred feet to his right was the edge of the forest. Up and down the creek was open. To his left was also barren and probably filled with antlions. He ran for the forest. The helicopter getting closer. He made it to the forest and looked back. The helicopter was flying around the tunnel exit and heading down the creek toward Leonard. He went further into the wreck of the forest.
There was a rustling sound under the leaves. Leonard took note of this and gripped his shotgun tightly. He kept hearing thumping and rustling sounds. The helicopter had passed without noticing Leonard. There was more rustling. All of a sudden, the ground began rumbling. About ten feet in front of Leonard, dirt and leaves shot into the air like a mine exploding. An antlion emerged from below. It raised its talons and charged toward Leonard. Without thinking, he raised the shotgun and pullet the trigger. The creatures exoskeleton shattered and it exploded in the mid section, projecting green substance in all directions. Leonard took in a deep breath and let it out with a sigh.
"That was close." he said to himself, grateful for still being alive. He approached the hole cautiously, aiming down it with the shotgun. Once he was sure there would be no more antlions, he proceeded through the forest.
Leonard noticed the smell of burning wood. If it weren't for the rain storm a few days ago, he would have assumed it was part of the burnt forest. The smell was getting stronger. It couldn't be combine. If they were burning something down, he would have seen thicker smoke. He grew excited and kept moving, following the wind currents. Leonard noticed a pile of logs in the distance. He swung around his rifle and looked through the scope. He could make out a log cabin with a window. There was a pipe out the top with smoke emitting. Leonard grew very excited. He quickly moved toward the cabin, excited that he finally found civilization and a place to stay. He approached the building cautiously now, remembering his own rules about dealing with armed refugees. He tried to look through the window but it was boarded up from the other side. Holding his shotgun carefully, he approached the front door. He knocked twice, quietly. Rummaging could be heard within, then the door slowly opened. He was greeted with the barrel of an AK-47 assault rifle.
"What business you got here?" a voice from within said.
"It's ok, I'm not one of them." Leonard replies assuringly. The door opened wider. Leonard could see the man now. He was older, mid forties. There was a scar on his left cheek. His eyes had a look of fatigue in them. The man examined leonard carefully, noticing the sniper rifle on his back.
"Where did ya get that piece of equipment? The combine give it to ya so you could spy on us?"
"No no." Leonard replied quickly. "I got this one off an actual sniper soldier himself. It works well not only for taking out long range targets but also fo-"
"I don't care what it does. Come in." the man says, looking around. Leonard entered the log cabin. There were two others sitting at a table. One man in his late thirties and a woman in her mid twenties. They both had Ak-47s on the ground beside them.
"Hi." Leonard said, sheepishly waving. "My name is Leonard. Leonard Wong." The two at the table waved back but said nothing. The man who was at the door spoke.
"Leonard, my name is Robert. These are my friends, Sandy and Derrick. This is our home. Hasn't been found by the combine yet. However there is an antlion nest neerby. Ya didnt bring any with ya, right?"
"Uh no. Not that I know of. I ran into one awhile back but that was pretty far from here." Robert looked at Leonard suspiciously.
"What brings ya out here anyway?"
Leonard spoke, "I was running from the combine. They seem to be after me."
"They're after everyone son."
"I know that. I mean more then usual. See, I came from the canal system just outside city 45. I helped people escape the city and protected them from the creatures and the overwatch. I think the overwatch has me on their sights. Thats why they chased me this far." Robert thought for a moment, then quickly spoke.
"So ya brought some company with ya? This hidden cabin will now be found by the combine?" He began raising his voice, stepping closer to Leonard. "Ya think ya can just come here in my house and ruin everything by brining them here with ya?" Leonard stepped back.
"No. I did not bring any along with me I promise! The last thing I saw was a helicopter way over by the creek. I garuntee they wont come here. "
Robert looked at Leonard for a moment, then backed away.
"Well if ya say so. As long as ya dont bring trouble, Yer welcome to stay as long as ya need." Robert turns to go, then looks back at Leonard.
"I think ya saved my life once in the canals. I owe ya one."
Leonard smiled.
"Come. Ya can rest in here." Robert opened one of doors and steps in. Leonard follows to find a bed.
"There aint no power here so ya gotta use yer eyes in the dark." Robert leaves the room. Leonard drops his weapons on the floor. He goes for the bed and without hesitation, drops on the soft mattress. He falls into a much needed and well deserved sleep.
Chapter 2
The Eternal Chase (Ch 2)
Leonard sat up quickly, reaching for his SPAS-12. He listened intently. He sat on his bed for about ten seconds, not breathing or making a sound. He heard footsteps, followed by a timid knock knock on his door. Leonard swung himself around on the bed. Grabbing the shotgun, he got up and proceeded toward the door. He checked to be sure there was a shell loaded and switched off the safety. There was the knock again, this time a little longer.
"Ey! You up in there?" came the muffled voice of Robert. Leonard sighed and relaxed. He switch on the shotguns safety and tossed it on the bed.
"Yeah, come in." Replied Leonard.
"Did ya hear that too?"
"Hear what?" Robert looked nervous and slightly scared.
"The helicopter. It just passed over the house." He paused, then glared at Leonard. "I thought ya said ya didn't bring company!"
"I didnt. I swear they were gone for at least an hour!"
There it was again. The heavy 'whup whup' as the helicopter passed overhead at low altitude.
"Then explain that!" Robert shouted.
"I didn't bring them. I swear!" Leonard replied abruptly, carefully watching the man. Robert looked about the room. He pointed at the sniper rifle.
"That thing. Its got a fucking tracking chip doesn't it?"
"I g-"
"Ya fucking gave away my house. Ya know, I lasted six months here without ever seeing a single sign of the combine. Not one fucking day after ya show up, they come round here."
"Robert!" Leonard exclaimed. "The rifle doesn't have a fucking chip. It was checked by a scientist. It was tested for radio waves and didnt emit anything."
"They're combine for fuck sakes. They don't need radio technology to track something."
"How do you know that?"
"Because. Fucking combine ha-" A window shattered in the adjacent room.
"Bob! We got shit coming in!" A feminine voice boomed from the room.
"For fuck sakes. Ya better fucking help me bud. I wont die because ya fucked shit up." Robert said angrily. Leonard picked up the shotgun and slung it over his shoulder. He picked up the heavy rifle.
"Alright. Lets deal with this shit." Leonard followed Robert out the bedroom and into the other room. This room was a larger, more lit room. It had a table in the middle with a half eaten plate of cooked oatmeal. A broken window rested in the middle of the far wall. A female figure stood at it with a M4 Carbine outfitted with a suppressor an ACOG sight mounted on top.
"Four soldiers. Two hundred feet twelve o clock." The female said. "Already fired a shot in here. Almost took off my head." She points to a scorch mark on the wall beside the door.
"Alright. Keep low and don't open fire unless they get too close. " Replied Robert. He went over to a counter at the far end of the table and picked up an AK-47.
"That thing got ammunition?" He motioned to Leonard's rifle. Leonard nodded. "Good. Head outside and try to get rid of em."
"That's a bit suicidal don't you think?" Questioned Leonard.
"Ya brought em here. Ya get to deal with em." Ronert shrugged. Leonard sighed.
"Alright. That's fair I suppose." Leonard headed out the room.
"Use the back door! Make it look like ya didn't come from here!" Robert shouted out the door. Leonard continued down the hall and approached the back door. He looked outside, scanning the forest. After he was sure there was no threat in the area, he quietly exited the cabin. Leonard quickly walked to the denser part of the forest and turned. He turned right and began running through the woods till he was a good distance from the cabin. He turned and searched for the soldiers. Leonard raised his rifle and scanned the area. He spotted the soldiers slowly advancing toward the cabin. "Fuck it. They don't deserve this." Leonard said to himself. He charged the rifle and held his breath, looking down the scope. He carefully lined the crosshair on the head of a soldier. He pulled the trigger. The rifle kicked back into Leonard's shoulder. A bright yellow projectile launched itself from the barrel of the rifle toward the soldier. Leonard steadied the rifle and looked down the scope. He could see the three other soldiers standing around the fourth one. Its helmet was a mangled mess of red on blue. Its eyes were black. The other soldiers looked around and quickly took cover in the woods. Leonard charged his rifle again. He took aim at one of the running soldiers and lead about six feet. He pulled the trigger, again launching the bright yellow projectile. The soldier intercepted with the shot and smashed into the ground at full speed. It did not move. Two more soldiers remained. Leonard could not take the shot as they were behind dense bush. There were some shots. Leonard quickly scanned the area and found they had come from inside the cabin. One of the soldiers went down, the other began firing back. The Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle, OSIPR for short, was running on full automatic held by the last soldier. Leonard had him in a line of sight now. He charged the rifle and took aim. The OSIPR stopped shooting. The soldier knelt down on one knee, keeping the OSIPR aimed at the cabin. Leonard saw the barrel of the rifle beginning to glow. He could hear a whine that began increasing in pitch. Without thinking, Leonard pulled off a shot. It hit the soldiers neck, causing it to fall over with its rifle. The OSIPR finished its charge and released its energy, sending a spherical projectile in the direction of Leonard. He ducked, feeling the ball of energy whip by his head. It collided with a tree, disintegrating it and rebounding into the sky. It finally exploded in the sky with a loud hollow bang. A ring of spent energy emitted from where the ball once was and disappeared almost immediately.
Leonard sat up and looked toward the cabin. The soldiers were all still on the ground. Leonard slung his rifle and took out his SPAS-12. He approached the downed soldiers and inspected them to be sure they were dead. "You have no chance against me." He kicked the helmet of the last soldier.
"Hey!" Leonard turned to the voice. Robert was standing in the window, waving for Leonard to come.
"C'mon!" Leonard ran to the window. He could see scorch marks, wood chunks, and glass shards scattered about.
"Uh thanks again. That ball. What was it?" Robert questioned Leonard.
"I don't know. Never seen anything like it to be honest. Almost tool off my head. Did you see what it did to the tree?"
"Yeah. If that think hit the house, we'd be done for." He hesitated, looking off to the distance. "Where are ya headed anyway?"
"I don't know. Away from them. They've been after me for a long time. I could try to go back but that wont help. They'll just keep trying to kill me."
"Well, ya could make it look like yer dead or something."
"Uh, how would I do that."
"Ya could run to the mountains. They never go there. Never seen one there in, ever." Leonard thought about this for a minute. He could go there. Maybe he could learn a thing or two while he was at it.
"I'll give ya some grub before ya go if ya need it." Robert smiled.
"Sure thanks." Leonard opened his storage pack. It had nothing but a can of tomato soup left in it. Robert left the window and some rummaging could be heard. Leonard looked alongside the house and noticed a low but long clear plastic enclosure. He looked closely and could notice some green with a bit of red. There was some gold colours too. Robert returned with a small box.
"Take as much as ya can carry. This is our thanks to ya." Leonard peered inside the box. There were vegetables, fruits, grains, canned food, and some home made bread.
"Don't worry. Nothings poisoned. Home grown in our own very back yard." He motioned in the direction on the plastic enclosure. Leonard smiled again and began taking what he could fit in his bag. He took some canned food, a couple bread rolls, a few vegetables, and some fruit. He struggled with the bag but managed to close it properly.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. This aint the first time ya saved my ass." Leonard saw the females face walk up to the window. She was carrying something.
"Here." She said in a soft voice, bending over the broken window sill. "I made this for you." She carefully held a sandwich that had tomato, lettuce, and some red sauce on it. Leonard smiled and took the sandwich.
"Oh. Thank you." He took a bite, finding the red sauce was a sweetened tomato paste.
"I hope you like it. Its my favourite."
"I do. Thanks again." He finished chewing. A helicopter could be heard in the distance. "I should get going." Robert nodded.
"Take care." The girl said softly.
"Come back any time, as long as the combine aint on yer ass!" Shouted Robert as Leonard quickly left the cabin in the direction of the mountains.
Chapter 3
The Eternal Chase (Ch 3)
Leonard dropped the batteries in his maglite and switched it on, searching the cab. There wasn't anything useful he could see right away. There was a magazine on the back seat with a naked woman on the picture, posing in a sexually appealing manner. Leonard sighed and pushed it aside, looking under the bed. There was a box of matches and a case of four batteries. Leonard stuffed the two items into his bag and checked the glove box. There was a military issue knife in its sheath and some other various items. Leonard took the knife, revealing the user manual for the truck. It was a newer Volvo model with a sleeper and a toilet. Leonard found this truck on the side of the road. Its trailer was detached in the ditch and there was a large dent in the side. It was dark now. The mountains were close. Only a few more miles to go. Leonard hadn't seen any sign of combine since the log cabin but he wasn't taking chances. He closed the glove box and dropped on the seat with a sigh. He looked around the dark landscape. No movement. No lights. Just the silhouettes of trees, rocks, and the rolling land. He looked at the dash of the truck. There was blood smeared across the passenger side that lead toward the door. The driver side was fine other then the glass covering the dials was broken. Leonard noticed the fuel needle. It was a little over three quarters. The gas couldn't be good any more thoigh thought Leonard. He remembered hearing about how fuel degrades over time and can become useless without an additive which he adds to his airboat fuel. "Never hurt to try." he told himself. He turned the key to on, noticing it was on utilities. "You shitting me?" There was no power left in the battery. "Bullshit." he said getting out of the cab. He looked around the vehicle and found a cabinet on the side. He opened it up and sorted through the road flares, signs, and other emergency equipment. He found a spare battery in the back of the cabinet. He dragged the heavy plastic container out of the cabinet and hauled it to the front. He unlocked the nose from inside and went to open it. After five minutes of looking for a latch under the grill, he noticed it popped from the back. Leonard unlatched the side clamps and let the hydraulics push the nose up. He located he battery and climbed atop the front right wheel. The terminals were loose. He pulled them off without much effort and unclamped the battery. He pulled the old one out and set it aside the spare. Straining, he hauled the spare up to the battery clamp. After locking it in place, he attached the terminals. The interior light of the cab lit up. Smiling, he hopped down. Pushing the nose cover down and locking it, he got back in the truck. He turned the key to the on position. The guages lit up and the dash beeped a few times. He turned it to ignition. There was a click and everything turned off. "The fuck?" He let go and the key returned to on. All systems in the cab turned back on. "Piece of shit. Must be broken. His left foot hit a pedal on the left. Noticing it, he remembered about the clutch in his dads old Honda. "You have to push it to the floor to start it Leonard." He pushed in the clutch. The truck rolled forward. Leonard caught it with the brake. He turned the key to the ignition, turning the engine over once. Twice. Three times. Four. On the fifth turn, the diesel engine roared to life. "Huh, I guess diesel doesn't degrade." He let out the clutch, giving the engine some gas slowly. The engine sputtered and stalled. "Shit." He turned the engine over again, starting on the second turn this time. "Maybe it needs to warm up." He thought. He put the stick in neutral and rested on the brake. After about five minutes, he tried again. The truck slowly rolled forward and caught the first gear. The truck hit something hard in the road and stalled due to the immediate stop. "The fuck?" He thought. Getting out, he walked to the front. There was the battery stuck under the front tire. "You shitting me?" He said out loud. He tried to move the battery out of the way but it was pretty stuck. Leonard got back in the truck and started it. Putting the truck in reverse, he backed up a few feet. He put the truck in neutral and set the park brake. He got out and moved to the now leaking and crushed battery. He pushed it out of the way, leaving a small trail of acid. As he was getting back in the truck, he noticed the emergency supplies. He went over to them and took a few things including road flares and a first aid kit. Leonard got back in the truck, released the park brake, and set off into the night, heading toward the mountains in the comfort of a Volvo semi tractor.
Leonard switched on the headlights. It was beginning to get too dark to see anything, including the two wrecked cars he sideswiped with the rigs menacing front bumper. He had been driving for fifteen minutes, listening to a Keith Urban CD left in the trucks media center. He hadn't come across anything of interest or seen any combine technology. Leonard looked out to the now lit up road. He dodged another car on the side of the road. There was a turn off up ahead with a road sign on the side of the road. The lettering on the sign was in a different font. Russian by the looks of it. Leonard thought about this for a bit. "Hm. Where the hell did I end up?" He scratched his head through his beanie and continued driving along the rough, junk littered road.
Leonard slowed down, eventually coming to a stop. There was something burning up ahead. He had been going for about an hour at a steady, slow speed of 20 miles per hour. He was in the mountain area now. The road winding up and down various hills and faces. Leonard eased forward with care, slowly approaching the burning thing, illuminating its dark blue mass with the Volvos headlights. His heart was pounding. The overwatch symbol came into view on one of the panels. As the truck approached the mass, Leonard came to the conclusion this mass was a crashed helicopter. He shifted into neutral and set the park brake. Grabbing his SPAS-12, he hopped out, turning off the safety and pointing at the wreck. "The hell are you doing out here?" he thought to himself, "And who managed to do this to you?" He couldn't figure out how a helicopter could still be burning if it was shot down during the war. Someone must also be around with some pretty powerful firepower. Leonard slowly walked around the wreck, searching it for anything of interest. The tail was separated from the body. There was a four foot gap between the two, in between which a pool of fuel was on fire. The tail roters frame was bent in. Its blades were mangled and twisted. The main rotor of the helicopter was detached lying somewhere else. He approached the cockpit with care. The front window was smashed in but there was nothing inside. There was blood on the side window with some dents in the surrounding metal. After some closer examination, Leonard figured these dents were caused by bullets, most likely buckshot. Someone must have finished off the pilot and took the body. He looked around inside the cockpit for anything of use. There was a USP-Match in a clip holster and a flashbang under the seat. He took the flashbang and got out, taking one last look at the wreck.
Leonard sat down in the drivers seat of the idling Volvo. He released the park brake and set off down the road, driving around the burning wreckage. "Who else could possibly be around here with that much firepower? I haven't seen anyone since the log cabin and they had nothing more then a couple assault rifles. There must be another group similar to the alliance out here." Leonard thought to himself. The next few kilometers were pretty plain. Broken down car here, rotting corpse there. Nothing of interest really. He continued driving, alert and focused.
Leonard was high in the mountains now. He had gone through several tunnels and passed a few destroyed towns. There were no more signs of the combine in the area. Just a couple left behind vehicles. He was almost at the end of one tunnel when a light on the dash flickered on. It was the low fuel light for the left tank, the one he was using. Leonard decided that it would be a good time to pull over and sleep. If there were any problems, there would be enough fuel to get away. Leonard reached the end of the tunnel. He pulled over into a grassy spot and shut off the truck. There was another tunnel up ahead no more then fifty feet. Leonard was safe. He was in a tight valley. There was a turnoff up ahead with a sign but it was pointing the other way. Leonard switched off the lights and turned the truck off completely. He used his flashlight to look around the cab and the sleeper. The bed was still intact and in usable condition. Leonard crawled to the back of the cab and laid down on the bed. He closed his eyes, for once feeling safe but not sure why. Leonard drifted off into a long, deep sleep.
Chapter 4
The Eternal Chase (Ch 4)
Leonard started the old Volvo and started down the road in the morning sunlight. The tunnel ahead was closed off by rubble. He turned at the turnoff. There was a sign beside it with russian lettering and the name "Beles" underneath. There must be a town up this hill. He set the gearing down to second and began climbing the hill. The truck was working hard, the fuel light still on. He rounded the first switchback and could see the mountain range through the fenced off drop to his left. He turned the next corner and went up another steel climb between two cliff faces. There was a small clearing on his right. The road turned left again up ahead at the top of the climb. He approached it and saw rooftops, still intact. This was the first town that wasnt reduced to rubble he had seen so far besides City 45. He reached a gas station which had a a sign with russian lettering and the word Diesel underneath. Leonard pulled over and set the park brake. He stepped out the truck and walked up to one of the yellow pumps. He lifted the nozzel off its holder and pushed a few buttons. Nothing happened. The power must be cut or the pumps disconnected. He walked into the building. The lights were all off and nonfunctional. He turned on his light and searched the building. There were various tools in this one room including a hand pump. He took the pump and walked outside. There was a metal cap on the ground with a D imprinted on it. He lifted the cap off and twisted the second cap off the pipe. Leonard lowered the hose into the pipe till it couldnt go any further. He pointed the exit hose off to the side and bagan pumping a clear, yellow green fluid off to the side. He sniffed the wet spot in the ground and walked over to the truck. Leonard twisted the cap off the left tank and also took a whif. It smelt the same. He inserted the exit hose of the pump into the left tank and began pumping the diesel fuel into the truck, wondering if anyone would be around here.
He closed the cap of the truck and took the hose out of the stations tank. He sealed the underground tank and replaced the cover. Leonard put the pump back in the station and climbed back on the truck. He rolled on forward through the tight town road, passing a large two story building with a porch on one side. He passed the town and continued down the mountain. There were a few switchbacks up ahead to return to the highway. Leonard carefully and slowly descended down to the highway below.
Leonard exited one of the larger tunnels and pulled over. There was an unmarked trail on the side leading to a shallow river. Leonard noticed a radio tower on the top of a mountain ahead. Maybe the group was hanging out there. He turned off the truck and removed the keys. He hopped out of the truck with his shotgun and descended toward the river. It looked like it once was deeper, judging by the water stains on the rocks around it. There was a waterfall to his right coming off the mountain he drove through. The river comes out of a deep ravine to the right and flows along the valley to the valley. Leonard set down the river toward the towers.
There were wood structures that climbed the mountain faces and a wood bridge stretching across the river. Someone mist have built these after the war as they were still in relatively good condition. There was a dirt road ahead that climbs the mountain toward the towers. Leonard began climbing. Something didn't seem right. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, the air was clean and clear, and he hadn't seen any sign of the combine since the wrecked helicopter. Its almost as if this part of the world doesn't know about the combine. Leonard felt, freedom. A worry-free freedom where he could relax. The hill switched back and leveled out. There was a chain link fence with a gate up ahead. The gate was open. Leonard walked through the gate and could see a concrete building built into the side of the dirt hill. There were two metal doors on the front and a fenced in compound with a locked fence door on the right. Leonard walked up to the green metal doors. He pushed one of the large doors. It moaned as it slowly swung open. Leonard walked in. It was a short tunnel with a garage door. He pushed the large green door closed and walked up to the garage door. There was some russian text on the door. A metal box with two buttons was attached to the wall beside the garage door. He pushed the top button and the garage door lifted slowly. The next part of the tunnel was much longer. There was a chain link fence ahead where an intersection could be seen. On the far end of the tunnel was another garage door but there was no button to open or close it. He walked up to the chain link fence. It looked like a gate but was opened. There was a pin pad on the inside. The intersection had another tunnel that led to a dead end with what seemed to be a lift. The other side has a door in the tunnel wall. He walked up to the door. It opened automatically. A smaller hallway with lights on the two tone white and green walls. The floor had a grate with pipes running underneath. There were metal gurders running along the concrete ceiling with wires strung connected to every second gurder. The hallway split two ways with a door at each end and two doors along the wall. He walked to the door on the far left side. It also opened automatically. Leonard stepped inside the room. There was a concrete pillar in the middle supporting the concrete ceiling. Several crates were piled around the room. Leonard walked up to a crate and opened it up. There were several boxes of paperwork in it. They all had the same title he saw on the garage door. They were written in russian so he put them back. Leonard opened one of the larger boxes. There were boxes of canned foods in it. He took out a can and looked at the russian label. There was a picture of a bowl of beans on it. He dropped the can back in the box and started for the door. He walked through the doorway after it opened automatically and went into the second room. All but one of the fluorescent lights were burnt out. The last remaining one was fairly dim too. The room was empty aside from a red cagelight that was off and a speaker to the side of the light. He saw this same setup in the other room as well as in the main tunnel. Leonard left the room and proceeded to the third room. This room was fully lit with two metal girders in the middle holding up the ceiling. On the left, there were bookshelves with various manuals and textbooks on it. There was a dark grey couch in front of an old tube TV that was in a wood media center. On the right, there was a kitchen set which consisted of a gas stove, a refrigerator, and a wood counter. There were two other couches with a coffee table between them, like a restaurant booth. Posters of women posing in underwear hung on the wall above the booth. Leonard noticed a red striped lever beside the stove. Above it was the same red cage light speaker combo. Leonard walked up to the lever and examined it. Not knowing if anyone was in the building, he left it alone. Leonard checked the fridge. It was still. Cold but there was nothing in it. Disappointed, he closed the fridge and walked over to the bookshelf. Most of the books were in Russian, however there were a few english books including a radio communications handbook. Leonard walked over to the tv. He examined the front panel and pushed the power on. The tv came to life, making a white noise sound and displaying the white noise snow. Leonard fiddled with the channels and inputs, eventually giving up and turning it off. He looked around the room briefly, then exited, going for the fourth door. The door opened up, revealing a concrete staircase. The stairs went up about one level and turned to the left. Leonard entered the hallway, climbing the short staircase and taking the left. The hallway wen in for about fifteen feet before turning right. There were security lights in the right wall to provide light. Leonard walked down the hall taking the turn. The next section went for about thirty feet before it was cut off by the same sliding blast door. Following the hallway and approaching the door, it opened automatically. The hallway continued for another eight feet before ending, opening up to the fenced in compound. There was a bunker type structure in the middle with various doors. There was a staircase to access the roof of the bunker. The fence was on the right side of Leonard. He walked into the bunker. It was also lit up by a single security light. There was a small box in the corner. Leonard opened the box which contained some sort of electronic gauge. Leonard examined the gauge. The face had a seem around it, like a lid. There were a couple metal prongs sticking out the back. Something wasn't right. The gauge was really heavy considering it should house light plastic electronic parts. Leonard turned the gauge around in his hands. He grasped the face and tried to twist it. The face rotated 90 degrees after applying a fair amount of torque. Leonard pulled the face off. It had a couple notches that fit into slots which could allow rotation. It seemed to hold on by a tapering system. Leonard set the face aside and looked inside the gauge. There was a fair amount of keys inside the gauge. Leonard pulled a few out, noticing they all looked the same. He took one of the keys and set the gauge down beside the cap. Leonard left the bunker and walked toward the compound fence gate. There was a keyhole on this side as well. He inserted the key and turned it against the spring loaded lock. Keeping the key turned, he pulled on the gate. It swung open with a light squeak. "Huh. Interesting." he thought to himself. Leonard pocketed the key and walked through. He closed the gate behind him which latched shut.
Leonard walked back in the facility. He examined the pinpads which seemed to control the indoor gates. The front pad that controlled the open gate had a small keyhole on one side. The compound fence key however didn't fit this keyhole. There was another key somewhere.
"What are you hiding?" Leonard thought. He tried to pry the pinpad open with his combat knife but the steel casing was too strong. Leonard sighed. He was tired and hungry. He went into he storage room and opened the crate that contained the canned foods. He took out the beans and closed the crate, leaving the room. Leonard went into the lounge, sitting at the booth. He used his army knife to pry the lid off the can. Leonard began to eat the beans from the can.
"Who would just leave this place?" he thought. "Somethings wrong. The keys, the food, the electricity still on." Leonard thought about this for a bit. He then remembered how his company evacuated the office in the war, leaving everything still on and behind.
"They must have been overrun." Leonard decided. He finished the can of beans and slouched on the couch. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a relaxed, care free sleep.
Chapter 5
The Eternal Chase (Ch 5)
"Denied." the machine said.
"Fuck, come one you little shit." Leonard shouted, whacking the side of the scanner. He opened the panel again, checking steps again. It had already been three days since he showed up to the facility. In that time, Leonard found the key to the pinpads. He had opened them to find a 6 digit 8 segment display which had up and down buttons. The display showed 749947. Leonard had changed the numbers to 159357, or the shape of an X on the pinpad. There were also several little switches which he had no clue what they did so he left them alone. All the pinpads controlling the gates ran off this one pinpad. Through one of the gates was another locked pinpad that controlled the lift. This pinpad was a 4 digit which he set to 6364, which was the code to open his bike lock before the war. He went down the lift with the new code. He was greeted by two bright spotlights, a speaker, and a camera. There was also a very large metal blast door with two 8" thick metal bars running horizontally on the front and bottom, probably to protect against ramming. There was a scanner on the left side with a slot for a keycard. Leonard hadn't bothered with the scanner so he went back up, looking for a keycard. He had also taken breaks and explored the mountains a bit. He found a lake above the first waterfall. It was also filled by a waterfall. He had found a third waterfall in the ravine. Across from the facility was a small ruined castle. Leonard went inside the castle to find a few prison cells. The castle was lit up by bare bulbs someone must have placed without much thought in design.
"Denied." The machine said again. Leonard had searched everywhere in the morning for a keycard, but found nothing. He decided to come down and see if there was a way to bypass the machine. Using his IT skills, Leonard decided to mess around with the components to see what he could do. There was a chip marked 'memory' and a few jumpers available. He was trying different configurations with the jumpers to see if there was a reset or bypass function.
"Ok." he said. "You better work this time." he closed the panel and pushed a green button. "Denied."
"GURGHHHH!!" Leonard screamed, slamming the panel.
"Fuck it. I'll worry about it later. He left the little entryway and went back up the lift.
Leonard sat down on the couch with a can of corn. He was eating the contents, thinking. "There has to be another way." he thought to himself. "Maybe theres a key chip somewhere." Leonard thought hard.
"Hold on." he said aloud. "Theres a box of components in the storage room." Leonard set down his corn and quickly left, heading for the storage room. He ripped open the crate he remembered the. Components to be in and sorted through the parts. There were various bags and boxes of different chips. Leonard sighed, closing the box. He couldn't remember what the chip looked like. Leonard left the storage room and walked to the elevator, heading down. "Is this it, it better be it." He thought to himself. He opened the panel again and located the chip. After working at it for a few minutes, he managed to pry the chip out of its socket. Leonard turned the chip around a couple times in his hand, examining its black casing and its metal prongs. He walked over to the lift and went back to the surface.
"Nope." Leonard said, tossing another chip aside. He had been trying to match the chips in the boxes and the bags. Leonard pulled out another box. There were cables and lights in this one. He sighed and started to close the box. Something blue caught his eye. It had shiny prongs like a chip. Leonard pushed the cables and lights aside. The chip was sitting in a protective case. It had the words 'MASTER1' printed on the blue body of the chip. Leonard compared it to the memory chip. Sure enough, this chip he found was the same 16 prong memory chip as the scanner. Leonard smiled excitedly. He set the box down and with both chips, proceeded toward the lift.
Leonard approached the scanner who's front panel was still open. He took the 16 prong and oriented it with the main board, pressing it into the slot. Leonard admired the dazzling blue chip with white print on the main board. He flicked the master power and closed the panel. The screen of the scanner was different. Instead of the russian text, it was english. The background was also green rather then blue. 'MASTER OVERRIDE: TO OPEN, PUSH GREEN BUTTON. TO CLOSE, PUSH RED BUTTON, TO SET NEW MEMORY, INSERT MEMORY CHIP INTO SLOT 2' was on the display. Leonard opened the panel again and switched off the power. He looked around the main board for another slot, but was unable to locate it.
"The fuck?" he said to himself. "There is no slot two." he shrugged and switched the power back on, closing the panel. He pushed the green button and the door came to life. The metal bars across the door began to move on top of a couple wheels. Once fully opened, the larger door began to move, making a deep low rumble. It stopped with a thud, showing off the room ahead. It was nothing more then a hallway with another less protected blast door on the other side. The floor was made of a metal grate with steel bars crossing for support. Under the grate were various pipes. There was another scanner just on the other side of the main door. A third scanner rested on the wall in front of the second door. Its panel was also green. He pushed the red button in the other side, closing the main door and walked up to the second blast door. The main part of the door was similar to the first. There was a circular part in the middle. It had a top half that was lighter. In the middle, it bent down in a v shape. Leonard walked up to the panel. It too said the same thing as the first one, minus the master override part. He pushed the green button. There was a hydraulic hiss and the wheel began to rotate. It stopped at ninty degrees with a metal clang. After a short second, the main door began to open, separating the wheels halves. The door moved faster then the first and was a little higher pitched. It was also only half the thickness as the first. The room ahead was much more interesting. It had concrete walls with blue painted at the bottom about four feet high. There was a computer desk in the middle. Servers and security centers stood on both sides of the desk with enough space between the computers and the desk to walk by. Behind the desk was another lift. This lift was in the middle of the square room with no protection other then a hazard marking around the lift. A pinpad stood at the left corner closest to the enterance. There was another metal door, about the same size as the blast doors behind the lift. It looked thinner and had vents at the top. There were two other doors like this on the left and right walls. Above the doors was some black text in cryllic. A russian star was painted on the far wall to the left of the door. Leonard walked in the room. He turned around, looking for the scanner. It was resting to the right of the blast door. Leonard walked up to it, pushing the red button. The door began to close. He looked at the scanner, it too said the same thing as the first. However, instead of master override, it said 'SECONDARY PANEL; SLOT 2:'. Leonard pulled on the panel, opening it. He turned off the main power. There was an empty memory slot. Leonard pushed the black chip into the slot and turned the power back on. He closed the panel, reading what was displayed. 'SECONDARY PANEL; SLOT 2: TO SET NEW CARD, PUSH GREEN. TO WIPE MEMORY, PUSH RED. TO CHANGE LANGUAGE (RUSSIAN), PUSH SELECT. REMOVE CHIP TO RETURN TO NORMAL.' Leonard thought about this for a minute. He could use any card that had a mag strip to control the doors. Leonard quickly walked to the computer desk. There was a file cabinet on the desk. He opened the bottom drawer and searched it. There were papers and files in it. He closed it and opened the top drawer. There were a couple papers with numbers on them, a couple keys, and two stacks of keycards. One of the stacks was relatively large, the other was fairly small. The large stack had blue cards with a v shaped logo that had lines going horizontally off the tips of the v. There was cryllic text underneath with the english words, 'Concept Facilities'. There was a single yellow star in the upper right corner. The second card was fairly similar, except the fact it was red and had two stars rather then one. Leonard took both a blue and a red card and walked toward the scanner. He pushed the red button. The screen flickered off. "Oh shit." Leonard said. He leaned over looking down the hall. Both scanners in the hallway were also off. Leonard felt his stomach drop. "Im locked in. Fuck me." Leonard turned to the secondary panel. "Come on. Lets go." he said to himself. The screen flickered back on, showing some white text in a black background, much like a DOS loading screen for a computer. Leonard relaxed a bit. The screen performed some tests, the second blast door began to close. 'Waiting for door(s) to close...' flashed on the screen. The blast door sealed shut and rotated the wheel back to its original position. The screen flashed and showed a splash screen with the manufacturers logo and the word 'Welcome' underneath. 'Loading...' in white font was displayed at the bottom. Leonard though to himself, "Enough loading for a scanner?" The screen changed again. It then displayed, 'CHOOSE LANGUAGE. PUSH SELECT TO CHANGE LANGUAGE. PUSH GREEN TO ACCEPT.' 'English' was displayed in a text box underneath. Leonard pushed the green button. 'SWIPE MASTER CARD' Leonard took the red card and carefully swiped. '6382 8719 7682 8817' was displayed in a text box. 'OK? GREEN = Y. RED = N.' was displayed under the text box. Leonard looked at the card. There were numbers in small font under the mag strip on the back matching the numbers on the screen. Leonard pushed the green button. 'SWIPE SECONDARY CARD OR PUSH GREEN TO SKIP' Leonard swiped the blue card. '8937 1893 0361 5534' Leonard checked the numbers to see if they matched which they did. He pushed the green button. 'CHOOSE WRONG CODE RESULT. PUSH SELECT TO CHANGE. PUSH GREEN TO ACCEPT.' The text box displayed 'Denied Bell'. He pushed select, cycling through the different settings. 'Alarm' 'Lockdown' 'Blackout' 'Deined Display'. Leonard cycled to 'Denied Bell' and hit the green button. 'OK? Language: English
Master: 6382 8719 7682 8817
Secondary: 8937 1893 0361 5534
Wrong Result: Denied Bell
GREEN TO ACCEPT. RED TO RETURN TO LANGUAGE' Leonard hit green. 'SETUP COMPLETE. MOVE MEMORY TO MASTER. REMOVE MASTER OVERRIDE AND STORE IN A SAFE PLACE. REMOVE MEMORY TO CONTINIE.' Leonard opened the panel, turned off the power, and removed the chip. He switched the power back on and closed the panel which returned to its old green overridden display. Leonard chuckled to himself. He had just taken over the place. He pushed the green button, opening the blast door. Walking down to the end and opening the second door, he thought to himself. "This would be a great place to set up the alliance. Start new. Safe area. Free from combine. Fresh water. Vegetation and edible plants. This would be a resistance haven." He smiled at this thought as he walked through the large doorway toward the panel. He opened it and turned off the power, looking at the blue chip. He popped the chip out with his fingers and inserted the memory chip. Leonard. Switched the power back on and closed the panel. The main door began to close. He looked at the screen. It was blue now. 'CLOSING DOORS. PLEASE WAIT...' was displayed in white font. The blast door sealed shut with a metal bang. 'SWIPE CARD TO OPEN DOOR OR PUSH SELECT FOR OPTIONS' Leonard took out his red card and swiped it. The large blast door began to open again. He stepped through once it was completely opened and walked up to the second panel. 'PUSH RED TO CLOSE. PUSH SELECT AND SWIPE MASTER TO LOCK OPEN' Leonard pushed the red button, closing the door.
Leonard approached the lift. There was no key on the panel so he punched in the four digit code. The panel buzzed loudly. He looked at the pin pad display but no error code came up. Just as he was about to punch in the six digit, metal railings surrounding the lift rose from the floor. The lift began to move downward. "Wait. Shit." Leonard said. He punched the code in again but the lift kept moving downward. He waited for the lift to reach the bottom and though about the facility. He already visited the three rooms. One was a autopsy room or something similar as it had two long metal tables with spotlights and a large walk in freezer full of frost. The middle room seemed to be a work garage as there was a large open space in the middle with oil and grease stains on the ground. There were overhead frames to hang parts from as well as plug in electronic equipment. There was a transformer humming on the right wall. There was a forklift in the far right corner beside a long desk with a bunch of pegboards. The third room looked like a chemistry lab. There were long tables in the middle, one grated, with sinks at each end. There was a long glass table at the far wall with fluorescent lighting and a glass shield like at a buffet. A projector screen hung against the left wall with a projector pointed at it hanging from the ceiling. Various billboards and computers sat on the right side of the room. After punching in the code again, the lift stopped at the top. As soon as it stopped, the rails lowered back into the floor again. "Alright." Leonard said. He punched in the four digit code again, the panel buzzing momentarily. He quickly moved to stand on the grated lift. He could see down the elevator shaft which went down a good sixty feet. The rails raised up. Shortly after, the lift began to lower noisily. After seeing the first part of the lab, he was wondering what the second part was. He also had a slight suspicion there might be people hiding or working down there. The lift passed the ceiling of the bottom floor which came into view. The room was relatively small with a metal sliding door on the far wall and an entryway to a staircase on the right. The walls were painted with white and blue striped in a diagonal direction, similar to a hazard strip. The blast door was controlled by a scanner which appeared to be connected to the scanners on the floor above. Leonard stepped off the lift as it came to a stop at the bottom. He headed for the stairs. The staircase went up for about twenty steps before it made a U turn. After the turn was another forty some stairs. At the top, it turned once again into a small office. There was a desk with some computer equipment. A couple storage cabinets were also visible. The same lever that Leonard saw in the lounge was attached to the wall beside the cabinets. There was a long metal slot on the wall behind the computers with a hazard strip around it. A switch was placed on the wall to the right of it. Leonard walked up to the switch and flicked it up. The metal slot which was a sliding door, moved upward into the wall. Behind the window was a large, dark room with reinforced, dark metal walls. The room was in an octagonal shape. A grated catwalk surrounded the room which had no rails, however a hazard strip ran around the edge, along with small red lights on all eight corners. At the top of the room, it tapered inward. Large ventilation fans were sitting on four of the eight sides in a square format. The room had to have a diameter of around fifty feet and a height of a hundred feet. Leonard poked his head through the window. A ladder to access the catwalk from the chambers floor was directly below him, surrounded by a hazard strip which had a red light on each exposed corner. Leonard shrugged. "This must be a test chamber." he thought to himself. He pulled his head back in and closed the metal door, heading for the lift. The entire time he was exploring the lab, he couldn't help but wonder why the inhabitants just left the place without shutting anything down or locking anything. If the combine invaded, why hadn't they destroyed the equipment? Why wasn't there blood or damage if there was a fight? Most importantly, what went on here and why? Leonard just couldn't get this out of his head. Something was wrong and he was going to find out what.
<::||SENT FROM A MOBILE DATAPAD||::>
Just a short Halo story I made.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=414hGL_n1x4
“Hope”
A Halo short story
Somewhere in Africa
2552, the beginning of the events of Halo 3
The air was crisp and warm, the tree’s were bending to the side as the wind pushed them gently, the leaves rustled silently. But suddenly, the trees start to bend more, but the wind was not blowing any harder, at the peak of the trees being bended, a D77H-TCI Pelican flew over, sending dirt and leaves scattering in its wake. The passenger hold held ten marines, one specific marine, a new private to the UNSC, was on the “hot seat”, the seat that was closet to the back door of the Pelican. He watched the trees as they bended as the Pelican flew over, he held his BR55HB SR Battle Rifle in his right hand, resting the barrel on his leg, he wasn’t quite sure why they were out here, and where they were going, but he was certain that his commanding officer, Captain Banks, would tell them what they were doing. She was a tough marine from what he saw of her, she never let the other guys on the UNSC bully her, the last guy who did that lost a tooth. He smiled as he thought of that day, he stayed quiet, his head in his food, but he was laughing on the inside. Over to roar of the engines, Captain Banks stood up, she held her MA5B Assault Rifle with her right hand in the trigger guard, the other hand resting to her side, the barrel of her MA5B was resting on her shoulder, she stood at a slightly eased stance, but it wasn’t slouchy and sloppy. “Alright, marines!” She yelled over the roar of the engines. “We’ve come out here to investigate a pod that fell out of the sky just last night!” The marines murmured to each other. A pod? What was in it? She looked around at all the marines in the Pelican talking to each other “Shut it, marines!” The occupants stopped talking, looking towards her, even the private, who was looking at the ground below, but still half-listening. “I don’t know whats in the pod, thats why were going to check it out!” The private looked back out the cargo hold, they were passing over a wide lake, the sun reflected off the water and into the Privates eyes, he squinted, and started noticing ripples in the water, and noticed that the Pelican was descending. “FNG, look sharp, your going out first!” The FNG looked towards Banks, “FNG” must be his official name, he thought. He looked back at the back door, wondering if they were going to make him jump into the water, when he noticed that the pelican was passing over the shore line, and was slowly decelerating. The twin landing gear came down in front of him, and the Pelican landed softly. He had learned in basic training that as soon as a drop ship hits the ground, its time to go. The FNG leaped out of the back of the pelican, his boots making a crunch against the soft dirt, he put his left hand under the barrel of his BR55HB, and raised it in front of him, he swept the backside of the pelican, looking left, and then looking right, he lowered his BR55HB down against his chest. He then turned back to the occupants in the pelican, flashing a thumbs up, and watched as they all leaped out of the Pelican, Banks being last.
The Pelican retracted its landing gear, and aimed its tail thrusters at the ground, it lifted up into the air, and the thrusters ascended until they were straight out, and the Pelican flew forward, over the trees, quickly disappearing from sight. The FNG looked back down towards the mass of Marines gathering around Captain Banks. The FNG walked over and listened carefully, still holding his BR55HB against his chest. Whatever they were talking about, he had missed it, because Banks told them to follow her in a arrow head formation. The FNG moved to the back of the right side of the arrow head, he looked over to his right, and saw a dam. On the dam, he saw purple boxes, longer horizontally, on the top, but nothing else. He had wondered if they were Covenant, but before he could ask, Banks was yelling at him to catch up, the FNG looked over, and saw he was about three yards behind. He jogged forward, and took his place back in the arrow head, marching behind them as they entered the forest.
The marines trudged through the woods quietly, a soft rustling noise could be heard in the distance. The FNG looked out at the tree’s above, and how they quite nearly covered all of the sun’s rays, leaving anything under it completely covered in shadow. It was a perfect spot for an ambush. He scanned the area around him as he walked, looking out for any large creatures, or the colored shell of a grunt. They turned around the corner of a rock, and it was there that the FNG started to hear some kind of high pitched giggling, it was very soft, and almost inaudible. He then heard a soft roar kind of noise, and the sound like a smack, followed by a not-so-quiet high pitched yelp. Everyone stopped, and started looking around in the trees. The FNG turned towards his left, and saw a thin figure in light blue armor, with light tan skin, holding a dark purple rifle in its clawed hands. A purple beam shot through the air, and hit the marine next to him, crimson blood splattering over his chest piece as the marine fell to the ground, dead. “Ambush!” rang out through the forest, and the fighting started, bullets and plasma were flying, he aimed his BR55HD at the thin figure in the tree, it lowered its rifle and widened its large eyes in surprise. The FNG saw its head, it was bird like in the way it looked, and it had emotionless, silver eyes. It’s let out an ear piercing scream as the FNG looked through the scope, and fired a few bursts towards the creature. The creature, or ‘Jackal’, as they called it in training, fell out of it’s tree, falling down towards the forest floor, and landed with a thud on its back, it lay motionless as purple blood poured out of its chest. The FNG felt dazed and confused with all the chaos going around him. He heard a loud roar, and a feminine voice yelling “FNG, look out!” He turned, and saw a Gorilla of a monster standing in front of him. It was wearing blue armor over most of it’s body, and he knew that it was a brute, it held a SMG looking weapon in its furry hand, with a sharp edge on the barrel. It swung in an upper cut towards the privates mid-section, he let out a pain filled scream as the edge found it’s way into his stomach, he held him in the air, the blade still held in his stomach, and yelled a roar of triumph. He looked into the brute’s eyes as it smiled a toothy and evil grin, its eyes were black and menacing. They soon went lifeless as a shot rang out in the distance, and purple blood exploding all over the privates head and upper torso, the beast fell sideways, releasing its grasp on its weapon. He crumpled to the ground, the weapon remained lodged in his stomach. His hands were still wrapped around the weapon, and he was on his knees. His hands shook as he fell onto his side, blood soon started to encircle him as he lay there in the dirt, the Brutes foot twitched as it lay dead, a path the FNG felt he was about to go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLQxsDTqUKo
He started to hear yelling, and frantic steps grew closer and closer. He turned his head to see the Captain looking down at him, worry painted across her face. Other members of the squad came into his vision one at a time, sharing the same face as the captain. He looked down at the weapon lodged in his chest. The Captain looked as if she were about to cry, because her breath was catching when she spoke. “Its.. Its going to be alright.. FNG..” He looked up at her, groaning in response. She ran a sleeve across her nose and stood up, facing the rest of the squad.
“Alright, I want someone t-” She couldn’t even finish her sentence when sharp, purple needles flew through the air, they pierced the backs of his squad mates, and they exploded in a combination of purple and crimson. The Captain aimed her MA5B, dispatching some of the attackers, when spikes of similar origin, only a bright orange, flew and pierced her in the chest. She screamed in agony, crumpling to the ground. It happened so fast, but it seemed so slow. A brute in shiny golden armor lumbered over towards her, the FNG turned his head slowly so that he could keep the brute in his sight, while not letting him know that he’s alive. The brute picked her up violently with its right hand, roaring monstrously in her face, loose bits of saliva striking her in the face. She grimaced, her face contorted in pain. The FNG turned back to the Spiker in his stomach. He brought his right hand up, wrapping it around the trigger, where he started to pull it slowly out of his stomach. He grimaced, pulling it at a more slower rate as his stomach seemed to burst into flames. The spiker became harder to dislodge as he pulled, he wrapped his other hand around his right, pulling harder, the edge of his vision blackening. He finally pulled the spiker out of his stomach, blood squirting out on his stomach and chest. He wrapped his right index finger around the trigger, turning his head to aim his head at the brute. The brute held her high in the air, as if ready to strike her. The FNG pulled down on the trigger, sending a storm of spikes towards its back. The brute roared in pain, turning around to face the FNG, its eyes filled with rage, only to be met with a spike straight to its forehead. The brute let out a soft exhale, before falling to the ground, releasing the from his grip. She remained where she was. The FNG let his hand fall to the ground, his vision began to tunnel as he heard yelling, and hurrying footsteps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EuAMnt8oUM
His eyes fluttered as he heard the sounds of squeaky wheels and the sounds of boots against pavement. He was being rushed through a hallway. His stomach was covered in a large bandage, and was already soaked in blood. They quickly turned a corner, and he saw a thin women, in a navy Commanders uniform. To his left he saw a large elite, with dark grey armor with gold highlights, and strange markings in his armor. To his right, was the biggest man he had ever seen, he was wearing the fabled MONJLNIR armor worn by the SPARTAN II’s, it was a dark green, with scratches indented into the armor. He was quickly wheeled past them. The large spartan turned towards him, his visor was bright orange and polarized, but extremely reflective. He saw himself in the reflection, and he could almost see the spartan give him a nod as he turned to continue the conversation he was having with the commander. As he was wheeled down the hallway, the spartan, just by looking at him, gave him something that would keep him going through the final hours of earths defense.
Hope.
General => Creations => Topic started by: [AFK]Tinker My Bells on August 05, 2012, 01:18:26 AM