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Attack on Sol (Part 14)
Posted By: Slit Throat
Date: 15 July 2004, 12:13 AM
Read/Post Comments
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The Chief saluted to each of them but only Ackerson refused to acknowledge it. Admiral Hood shot him a glare and turned back to the Chief.
"Good to see you Master Chief," he said. "Things were getting pretty hot down here. Do you have a ride?"
"We have a squad of Marines securing one right now," replied the Chief. "With all due respect sir, I recommend we get out of here. The Covenant will probably be sending a patrol down here to capture you and if they find you're not here, they'll mount a search. We need to be out of here by then."
"I agree Chief," said the Admiral. "It should be clear up there."
The Chief hesitated. "With all due respect sir, how do you know?"
"There is a security camera monitor inside the bunker we were in," responded the Admiral. "We checked it regularly." The Chief nodded in acceptance then saluted, and motioned for the Spartans to move out.
With the Spartans on point and the five Marines covering their six, the group moved quickly back to the elevator. It was just large enough for everyone to fit on at once.
When the elevator doors opened at the top of the shaft, the Spartans braced for incoming fire, their experience had made it clear that machines break, but none came. The Covenant outside were still milling about in confusion, from what the Chief could see, and had no idea that anything was happening inside City Hall.
Wasting no time, the group walked quickly over to the door that the Spartans had come in. The hallway was unchanged and unoccupied which allowed them to reach the back door to City Hall quickly.
A few meters from the door, the Chief's com burped static and the voice of Corporal Nunéz came through. He held up a hand and the group stopped.
"Master Chief, this is Corporal Nunéz, do you read me?"
"I read you Corporal," responded the Chief, "do you have our ride secured?"
"Yes sir. We've got a Pelican that was grounded when the Covenant attacked. Just need your coordinates and we'll pick you up."
"Uploading a NAV point now. We'll see you there," said the Chief. He turned to the others and relayed the information.
Jogging the few remaining meters to the door, the Chief opened it a few centimeters and looked out. There did not appear to be any guards, but just to be safe, he pulled out the optical probe and fed it around the corner of the door. All clear. The Chief started to retrieve the probe, but stopped, there seemed to be faint ripple in the air. It was too faint to be a camouflaged Elite. He zoomed in to the probe's maximum gain; there was something there, but the Chief couldn't tell what; the shape was too vague.
The Chief motioned for the group to stay there and then stepped around the door, an SMG at the ready. He fired a five round burst into the shape and it gave off a small shriek and fell. As soon as it hit the ground, the shape became visible.
It was tall, about six'- eight" and thin. Its head was like that of a Jackal's, but with a longer snout and larger eyes that, even in death, seemed to pulsate. The white armor it wore had a mirror-like quality that made it difficult to see, even without the camouflage. It carried a rifle with what appeared to be a bayonet on the underside. The rifle itself appeared to be a plasma rifle with a longer barrel and a tube on top that looked like a scope of some kind.
The Chief winked his acknowledgment light twice, the Spartan's inaudible signal for all clear. The rest of the group moved into the open, still watchful. They paused when they saw the creature lying dead on the ground.
The Chief shook his head, there was no time for examination, and pointed to the buildings a few hundred meters away. He picked up the body and began to jog away. The Spartans followed immediately and, after a moment, the others did too.
The group was only fifty meters from the buildings when suddenly, behind them, the Chief heard a plasma pistol shot and the high pitch scream of a Grunt
"Run," shouted the Chief. He and the other Spartans spun around as the rest of the group streamed past them. A group of Grunts had rounded the side of City Hall and spotted the humans. One of them had let off a shot while the rest ran for the main force.
Linda fired and brought down four of the Grunts quickly, but one managed to get in sight of the main force before he was killed. The Spartans heard the reaction of the shot and, knowing they could not stop that large of an onslaught, began to fall back. They reached the edge of the plaza and the rest of the group just as the first Covenant poured around the sides of City Hall.
Taking point again, the Spartans lead the group deeper into the city. About a kilometer from the plaza, the group stopped to rest as the officers were exhausted and the Marines, winded.
"We need to go now, before the Covenant find us or the dropship." Admiral Hood nodded wearily and the group moved off.
The Chief had placed the NAV point at a small park about a block away. The group arrived there ahead of the Pelican, but stayed under cover so as not to attract attention.
Finally, the Chief heard the roar of the Pelican's engine and the craft itself appeared soon after. As the dropship touched down in the park, four Marines hopped out and formed a semicircle around the main hatch, weapons at the ready.
The Chief stepped out from the shadow of a building, followed by the others. The Marines around the Pelican saluted and climbed back in. The Chief waited until everyone was inside, then climbed in himself. He made his way to the cockpit and stood behind the copilot's chair, which was occupied by Corporal Nunéz.
The pilot pressed a few buttons and the Pelican rose into the air with a roar and zoomed off toward New Mombasa, leaving behind a burning city.
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