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Oh Thirteen Part 5
Posted By: Stuntmutt<stuntmutt@yahoo.com>
Date: 24 March 2004, 11:57 AM
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'Utsoree watched everything fall apart. He had expected a few minor temporal anomalies whilst attempting to fathom the Forerunner technology. He had certainly expected a few casualties during the course of the experiments. He hadn't expected two humans, and what appeared to be a Flood Spartan injecting an element of utter chaos into the proceedings. He could do without any more setbacks. So there was a note of bitter disbelief in the howl he issued as a multitude of Somethings issued from a vent in the chamber wall. Flood Infection forms. 'Utsoree ignited his power sword. What had caused his luck to go so bad?
Jonah saw flashing lights fizzling in front of his eyes. At first, he thought it was his shields. But they had shorted out completely and the pain wracking his head served as the true explanation. Jonah tried to assess the situation. Ah yes. There was the nightmare zombie version of him, currently lashing its way through a phalanx of Covenant troops. Somewhere, in an upper gallery, was Bean and her Blue Elite captor. There, slashing away with a power sword was that White Elite. And over there was a horde of little horrible...thingies. They looked like evil, slimy balloons covered with stringy tentacles, and each possessed of a vicious looking stinger. The Covenant seemed terrified by these new arrivals, and the chamber was rapidly filling with a wild and deadly crossfire. As he attempted to get to his feet, Jonah wondered if even a Chinese Horse farmer could put a positive spin on this one.
Doodu had been spared one fate, only to be faced with another of even more horrific proportions. Flood! Doodu cowered behind the Silver Warder, who rattled off plasma pistol shots at the swarming Infection forms. Near the centre of the chamber, the whirling Flood Spartan was smashing groups of Elites and Jackals into the air. A third fate presented itself to Doodu. Utter heart failure. The Silver squeaked and moaned in distress, even though he had a weapon. Then, a bizarre vision revealed itself to the two Grunts. A second Silver appeared in front of them. He was covered in quivering Infection forms. And he was on fire. The vision uttered a pitiful "why me?" then slumped to the ground, twitching. As suddenly as it had appeared, the Silver vanished. Doodu looked at the Warder. Both Grunts shrieked in abject terror.
Bean felt the Elite loosen its grip on her. It leapt over the gallery rail and dropped into the centre of the chamber below howling and firing its plasma rifle. "That's twice this has happened to me today," muttered Bean. "I've got to change my perfume." Around her, Engineers flitted aimlessly in all directions, scourging themselves with their tentacles. Bean looked down at the carnage below. Covenant bodies sprawled out from the pillars. A squall of plasma bolts and energy needles crisscrossed the chamber hitting both Flood and Covenant alike. The twisted version of Jonah seemed unstoppable. Plasma had no effect on it, and judging by how easily it swatted Elites away, its strength was phenomenal. Bean saw the real Jonah staggering towards the melee. How could she help him? Think, think. Bean nodded to herself. She ran along the gallery towards an interconnecting ramp.
Jonah waded into chaos. Wild misfires ricocheted from him, nasty thingies exploded with a juicy pop as they made contact with his energy shields, and he was forced to duck as the occasional broken Elite flew past at head height. The zombie Jonah flailed and howled ahead of him.
"Right then, you ugly son of a..."
Jonah once again found himself in a crumpled heap by the wall, with lights fizzing and crackling around his head that weren't his shields.
'Utsoree slashed and scythed, cutting a swathe through the relentless waves of Flood Infections. Suddenly, another sword wielding White Elite appeared next to him and for a second, 'Utsoree fought side by side with himself. Then it disappeared without a trace. A handful of Blue Elites were trying to fight their way to defend their White master. Two dropped, writhing in agony as Infection forms smothered their corpses. 'Utsoree roared at his troops in his own language.
"Not me, you fools. The Engineers. Protect the Engineers." Without them, his prize would be lost. The Blues hesitated, and then began to make a fighting retreat. Suddenly, a section of the chamber wall exploded. Flames and smoke issued into the chamber - along with countless more Infection forms, grotesquely deformed Flood Warriors and hideous, bloated Flood Carriers.
"Forget the Engineers. Me, you fools, protect me," howled 'Utsoree.
The exploding wall knocked the Silver Warder off his feet and sent his pistol spinning from his grasp. Doodu watched in horror as the Silver attempted to stand. He was covered in quivering infection forms. And he was on fire. The Silver uttered a pitiful "why me?" then slumped to the ground twitching.
Doodu made a dive for the pistol. He scooped it up and turned to face the nightmares spewing into the chamber from the hole. He pulled the trigger. A disappointing gout of plasma sputtered from the gun. The depleted battery indicator winked at him. Doodu sagged. A huge, twisted creature that had possibly once been an Elite lumbered towards him. It raised a fleshy limb, ready to swipe the Grunt into oblivion. Then its limb dropped off, followed by its head, which lolled on the floor at Doodu's feet.
Doodu spun around.
"Now we're even," said Jonah, a heat haze blurring at the nozzle of his Sentinel gun.
Bean grabbed the Engineer's whipping tentacles. It tried to pull away, but Bean discovered the creature was no more physically substantial than a huge bladder of gas. She had no problem hauling the Engineer where she wanted it to go. Bean shouted and pointed a lot. Engineers seemed to be highly intelligent, and she got the impression that the alien understood what she wanted it to do. But the second part of her plan involved dealing with a far less developed mind.
She leaned over the rail and yelled, "Jonaaaaaaaaaah..."
Jonah looked up, but continued firing. Bean gesticulated wildly from a gantry above. Jonah gave her a thumbs up, then turned towards his objective. His progress was hampered not just by the monsters and crossfire this time, but also by the Grunt clinging to his right calf. The Flood Spartan - 'Evil Jonah', as Jonah had come to think of him, was running riot along the outer wall of the chamber. Jonah snapped off a couple of beams at it, which were absorbed by a crackling force field. Damn. It still had its shields. Evil Jonah turned towards the source of the beams and charged at him.
Jonah turned on his heel and blundered towards a shambling knot of zombies. A wail issued from the region of his right boot.
"Hang on," he said.
Ignoring Evil Jonah for the moment, Jonah cut down three warrior forms. A swollen Carrier tottered towards him. Right. This was it. He had to get his position and timing exactly right. Jonah returned his attention to Evil Jonah, who bore down on him at an alarming rate. This was going to be a bit like shooting pool, only the cue was half a Forerunner sentry robot, the ball was a monstrous walking sack full of horrors, the eight ball was a nightmare zombie in shielded armour and the pocket was a scientifically improbable temporal engine. Okay, so maybe it was nothing like shooting pool.
Evil Jonah drew back its grotesque limb. Jonah tucked, rolled and discharged his gun into the quivering Carrier to his right. The Carrier exploded, swamping Jonah in slime and blowing Evil Jonah through the air and into a pillar in the centre of the chamber, where he crumpled to the floor.
"Now," yelled Jonah.
"Now," yelled Bean, pointing urgently at the control panel.
The Engineer poked and prodded. The pillars began to glow.
The area between the pillars swam. Tall, blurry figures began to form. Around the chamber, the Covenant stopped fighting. Some dropped to their knees. 'Utsoree bowed his head and issued a low moan.
"F...F...Forerunners..." squeaked a voice from the region of Jonah's kneecap.
Jonah watched as Evil Jonah clambered upright. It seemed confused, turning between the figures forming around it and the enemy it had previously engaged in the chamber. Evil Jonah threw back its head and gurgled. A swarm of Infections and Warriors flocked towards him and the shifting, ghostly figures in the centre of the pillars.
And then, they all vanished.
"Woo hoo," shouted Jonah.
"Jonah," called Bean from above, "we can't shut it down."
Nightmare creatures loped towards Jonah. Covenant troops alternated between shooting at the Flood and taking shots at him. The White Elite was cutting a path towards him. The Pillars were burning so brightly now they hurt to look at.
"Woo," said Jonah shouldering his rifle, "and, indeed, hoo."
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