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Oh Thirteen Part 6
Posted By: Stuntmutt<stuntmutt@yahoo.com>
Date: 24 March 2004, 11:57 AM
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Jonah battled his way towards an exit arch.
"So what is this place?" he grunted between shots.
"My Lord 'Utsoree believes the Halo has engines that can move it," trilled a voice from somewhere below Jonah's waist." Not just through space, but through time."
Jonah neatly bisected a Flood warrior."'Utsoree? That'd be the white fella over there?"
"He is a Most High White Elite, yes."
"So he'd be wanting this time engine to use against humans?" Flood infections burst on Jonah's shields. He meleed a Jackal on the crest of its head.
"If he can unlock the secrets of the Forerunner technology," continued the Grunt. "Their civilisation has long been lost in the mists of time."
Jonah briefly imagined a Forerunner asking if anyone had seen its civilisation, only it was sure it had left it somewhere safe just the other day...
"On your left," cried Doodu. The Spartan swung his rifle and burned a hole through a leaping monstrosity.
"Thanks."
"Lord 'Utsoree hopes to shift this entire fragment through space and time to safety before it is claimed by the star."
"Guess these nasties are a bit of a setback for him." Viscous ichor splashed across Jonah's visor as he cut down another zombie dervish.
"You can say that again," squeaked Doodu.
The Spartan cast a glance at the blazing pillars. "With the anomalies this thing is causing," said Jonah, "I probably will."
Bean raced along the gallery. She could see Jonah and was trying to find a way down to the archway he was making for. A decaying Flood creature landed squarely on the catwalk in front of her. Bean screamed. It must have jumped from the chamber floor below. The physical strength of these nightmares was beyond belief. Bean turned to run back the other way. Behind her was a shivering Engineer, the one she'd press-ganged into operating the time engine. Stumbling towards him, a bloated Flood Carrier cut off any escape in the opposite direction. Bean ran towards the Engineer.
"Sorry about this."
She grabbed hold of its tentacles, and threw herself from the gallery.
'Utsoree swung his sword, shredding flesh and bone within its arc. Blue Elites tried to blaze a path towards their master to protect him, but their plasma weapons seemed to be woefully inadequate against the Flood. One by one, the Blues were overcome by misshapen monsters until 'Utsoree stood alone. He reassessed and reprioritised. Instead of fighting his way to the Spartan, he decided to settle for fighting for his life. Somewhere, millions of light years away, a Prophet allowed itself the merest hint of amusement. Didn't see it coming, indeed.
Bean fluttered to the ground in front of the bemused Spartan.
"Nice parachute," said Jonah, laying down a barrage of fire to cover her descent.
Bean released the Engineer, which zoomed off in a bewildered zigzag, shrieking to itself.
"I think," said Bean, "we should get the Hell out of here."
"What happened to 'we'll see?' and Zen and the art of horse husbandry?" Jonah flashed off three controlled beams. Three abominations fell in six different places.
"We'll see," she replied. "But I think we'd be better off seeing from orbit."
"Sounds good to me," squeaked Jonah's kneecap.
Bean looked down." You've got something on your leg," she said.
"I stepped in some Doodu," said Jonah. He turned around and backed the last few feet to the exit, strafing as wide an area as possible to give them a chance to get away. Across the other side of the chamber, Jonah caught the eye of the White Elite, baying at the onslaught of Flood mutations as he hacked his way through them.
Jonah gave 'Utsoree an airy wave, then darted through the open archway.
Despite the fact that his power sword weighed no more than its handle, 'Utsoree could barely lift it any more. He stood knee deep in severed body parts, yet still innumerable horrors clambered and sprang towards him. His troops were dead. His mission had failed. His strength was all but gone. He had hoped to master time. Instead, very little remained to him before the nightmares made him one with them. Bellowing a final, defiant roar, 'Utsoree snatched a plasma grenade from his belt. With his free hand, he flicked the primer and held it above his head.
The pillars flared.
Jonah, Bean and Doodu ran from tunnel to tunnel, following any path that lead vaguely upwards. Flood Infections swarmed out from overhead pipes and pounced from hiding places in the architecture. Jonah's energy beam flashed constantly, clearing the path ahead.
"Over there," squealed Doodu, indicating a wall with bizarre rectangular holes cut into it. Jonah could just make out a figure lurking in the shadows on the other side. He sighted along his weapon and discharged a steady stream of charged particles. Whatever it was let out a howl and lurched out of sight.
Jonah indicated for the others to hold position and double-timed it over to the wall. There was a gap just big enough for him to squeeze through. Jonah trained the muzzle of his rifle on the darkness beyond, bent low and shuffled through.
Doodu scampered behind Bean's legs and wailed. For a few unbearable seconds, there was complete silence.
"It's gone," called Jonah.
Bean released the breath she'd been holding. Then she and Doodu hurried over and passed through the gap in the wall to rejoin the Spartan.
"Did you wing it?" asked Bean.
"I think so," said Jonah. "I was never a particularly good shot." Jonah took another step into the shadows of the tunnel ahead. From somewhere behind him, a beam of energy fizzled past the wall and sliced through shield and armour straight into his shoulder. Jonah let out a howl and lurched into cover.
"Are you okay?" asked Bean, crouching low to the floor.
"I'll live," he said through gritted teeth. He gripped his Sentinel gun tightly and started to crawl back towards the wall and the unseen assailant.
"No," cried Doodu. "Don't you understand?"
Jonah slowly turned to face the Grunt. His shields made a weak attempt to recharge then sputtered out entirely.
"Understand what?" he said through gritted teeth.
"I'll give you a clue," said Bean. "It's a good job you're a rubbish shot."
'Utsoree turned around. Some of the Covenant guards surrounding the captive Spartan exchanged uneasy glances.
"I do not know how this works," said the Spartan.
'Utsoree staggered backwards. He should have been a patchy yet fetching purple undercoat on everything within a ten-metre radius. Instead, he was... this was...then.
A ripple of disquiet swept over the Covenant as they watched the Most High White Elite bolt from the chamber.
"Was it something I said?" Jonah asked his guards, back in chapter four.
"Blah, blah, paradoxes, blah, blah?" said Jonah clutching his agonising shoulder.
Bean sighed. "I'll put it another way. Time is all over the place. We're interacting with different eventualities."
"How is that possible?"
"It isn't. Now can we please get out of here? And can you try not to shoot anything that was, is, or will be us?"
Jonah wasn't sure when his head hurt the most. Now, or after the Evil Jonah had slugged him sideways. He wasn't versed in temporal theory or technicalities of causality. He'd probably had extra hitting things in the head lessons on the days those subjects were being taught.
With a disgruntled "Get behind me," Jonah trudged onwards, weapon lowered and shield less.
"Let's hope ours is the eventuality that lives through this," said Doodu.
Bean patted the Grunt's shoulder. "Jonah's got a lucky streak," she said. "He seems to have a knack for scraping through anything."
"He does, yes." Doodu placed extra emphasis on the 'he'. "It's my luck I'm worried about."
"Do you have horse farmers where you come from?" asked Bean.
A strangled cry stopped Doodu asking what a horse was.
Jonah tottered backwards. He stumbled and fell, twisting to face his two companions.
Squatting on his chest, its stinger forced between the armour plates and deep into Jonah's thorax, was a Flood Infection. It pulsated up and down, as if grotesquely attempting to mate with him.
"Somebody...throw a bucket of cold...water over..."
Jonah convulsed violently. And then lay still.
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