Embarrassing as it is, I've been working on a story based off of the Halo Universe. Please do take a skim through it. Any criticism is appreciated. Halo: The Intentions of Specialist Chris Parker Chapter 1 :: First Strike OPERATION: ECLIPSE PLANET REACH, FORT BRAXIS 0820 HOURS SPC. PARKER "Saddle up, Boys- This ain't gonna be no walk-in-the-park", said GSgt. MacMillan, portraying his usual confidence and masculine tone, as the Pelican their dispatch was in drifted slightly and took to the air. "What we have here is a Large, heavily defended Jammer that's been keeping us in the dark with headquarters for the last few days", said MacMillan. "It's only a matter of time before Command pulls out units in the Eclipse zone, and once that happens, we may lose our last leg in the war for Reach". There was a sudden pause. "We were supposed to bring the experimental Plasma Rhino days ago. Without it, we cannot break through the EMP Shield that the covenant have surrounding their super-fortress in the Eclipse zone. We need you marines to get to the Jammer and destroy it, so we can make contact with Command and see if those troops are still there. Understood?". "Yes, Sir!", the marines said in unison. . . . As the Pelican neared the designated L.Z., Specialist Chris Parker began to glance out of the door as the armored bird passed a small covenant patrol, mainly consisting of elites. As the Pelican levitated over their position, Several elites fired, although with little effect, and one, strangely, merely stared at the metal beast with strange intent in his eyes. Chris could have sworn that elite was looking at Him, although it wouldn't be surprising, as he was sitting at the end-seat of the Pelican. At this point, the Pelican was decreasing in altitude, And the soldiers knew what was going to be next. Carnage. Chris Parker was no soldier at heart, but felt it necessary to serve his race in its time of need. He was originally a Quantum Scientist, one of the only still alive after the recent Covenant Planet Glassings. Strangely, He operated on Planet Arcadia, one of the less militaristic environments. His work consisted of the study of time And space, and ways they could manipulated. He made one Long-Distance Portable teleporter (LDP) which he brought with him to the ranks of the UNSC, in the case that he needed to make an unscheduled escape. Needless to say, he was carrying it with him, right this moment. And with that thought, Chris jerked back into reality to an unrelenting explosion in the cockpit. The Pelican began a violent clockwise spiraling motion, and Gunnery Sergeant MacMillan howled; "Jump, Soldiers!". One marine, Corporal Chad Powers, fell off the Pelican as soon as he stood, And four others jumped. As Chris began to prepare to jump, the bird finally landed in a nearby lake. The passenger room being engorged with water, Chris and three other marines began to swim to the surface. It was at this point that Chris was glad he had his teleporter in his weatherproof case, courtesy of the UNSC. Tempted to flee from this situation, Chris ignored his idea and continued swimming to the surface. As he reached the surface, he took note to a violent battle between his comrades and the alliance known as the covenant. Wretched Creatures, he thought, as he and his squadmates began to go through shrubbery in an attempt to regroup with their platoon. As Chris glanced to his left, he noticed an elite, Zealot-Class, rushing to one of his late-approaching comrades at the water surface. As he waddled out, the Elite, armed with an Energy sword lifted the marine with his free hand, by the neck, and hastily shoved his sword through his torso. A sudden rage burned within him. Why must these creatures make death so painful and humiliating, he thought. This is combat, No doubt, but to indulge in the pain and suffering of your foe is completely wrong and inhumane. As his comrades continued shuffling through the shrubbery, Chris brought it upon himself to look at where his comrade perished, only to see the Elite who murdered him amputating the marine's limbs and speaking in evidently hateful chatter. That's it, Chris thought, and almost instinctively, he broke out of his cover, His DMR in hand, and propelled himself at the elite, firing several shots to the upper torso And head, which had merely pierced the elite's shield. Behind him, his comrades, lost in cover, yelled and fired in every direction. It wasn't until now that Chris realized that he had just walked into No-man's-Land - covenant Plasma Turrets And Jackals Heavily dug-in and pointing directly at him. With the Elite rushing at him, countless enemy units surrounding him and prepared to fire, time went in slow motion for Chris. At this point, he instinctively removed his LDP teleporter from his tactical Weatherproof case and realized it was synced to go directly into the Eclipse Zone. Without thinking, he immediately began the teleport, and the elite just inches away attempted to lunge at him, But it was too late. Chapter 2 :: The Eclipse Zone Seconds later, a very conspicuous warp-rift appeared right in the center of the Eclipse zone, and right then and there appeared Chris. As he looked around, he was relatively pleased to find there were no covenant forces in his vicinity, and with further speculation, he saw that he was right in the middle of the Covenant Super-fortress. Where are the Covenant?, Chris thought. If the covenant aren't Here, then they sure as hell are somewhere else. Could the soldiers outside of the EMP barrier still be alive? Chris found cover behind a small Covenant fence, sat, and began to ponder his options. I could attempt to scout outside of the EMP barrier and provide support to any UNSC forces, he thought, but knew it would be a suicidal move, and with the covenant Jamming all communications, he couldn't attempt to make contact with his radio. Looking in front of him, He saw the Spire that was generating the EMP barrier. He was skeptical, however, because didn't have the equipment nor firepower to destroy or infiltrate the structure. Great, I'm doomed, he thought. My damn teleporter won't recharge for nearly an hour. With that thought, Chris decided to find a more inconspicuous place to hide and try to do some snooping around as to figure out where the covenant are, And why. He noticed left Of the spire, a pinnacle that was empty of covenant. A decent place to hide, he thought, as he carefully made his way to his objective. ... It was nearing dark and Chris's teleporter was moments away from being able to make another short-range trip. He positioned himself upward after lying prone for such a long period of time and stretched. He poked his teleporter's reciever twice and thought; are they even still alive? did they make it? He then tested his radio and attempted to make contact with anyone nearby. Great, he thought. A fifty-fifty situation. They may have made it, but could be just out of communications range, or they could have lost. But what scared him most was what was intriguing him earlier; Where is the covenant? Did they begin their invasion, already, or did they try to reinforce their forces outside of the EMP barrier? What is so important inside of the barrier- so important that they're sending out EVERYTHING? Chris was without a clue as to what he should do. If the UNSC finds out I fled battle, I'll be a dead man anyways, he thought. And this damn teleporter can't get me off-planet until it acquires more power, which I don't have available. Having thought of that, Chris stared at the Covenant Spire and put his teleporter back into his tactical case. Perhaps their Spire has auxiliary energy that I can syphon for my teleporter, he thought, and without further speculation, Chris sighed and picked up his DMR and Tactical Case and began heading for the Covenant Spire. ... At the spire entrance, Chris quickly realized two Grunts arguing with one another over what seemed to be a piece of animal flesh. Pitiful, he thought, as he lifted his rifle and hastily Shot both of them in the head, causing them to fall and drop the flesh onto the ground. As he continued entering the spire, he noticed that the only way up was through one of two Gravity Lifts. Not these, he thought, as he both grudgingly and fearfully stepped onto one and was immediately propelled into the air. As he approached the second level, he immediately saw 4 sleeping grunts in front of him, one of which he nearly landed on, And a non-attentive minor-class elite patrolling the outer-platform that hadn't bothered to check as to who or what was coming off of the gravity lift. Chris took this opportunity to steadily aim on the elite's head, and after a moment of hesitation, fired three rounds to the head, piercing the shields and then the skull. After firing, Chris immediately realized the grunts that were previously sleeping had jerked awake and began scrambling in every direction. Chris didn't want to telegraph his presence, so he shot one grunt in the head and continued up the last Gravity lift. Upon his ascent, he took notice to a large Covenant force entering through the EMP barrier. At least 50 banshees and countless infantry, Chris thought. Great. Preparing himself to enter the final level, he lifted his rifle, and nearly immediately thereafter, he flew into the final level only to see 4 grunts' weapons trained on him, all of them wielding needlers. I hate those damn things, Chris thought as he remembered his first battle wound, 4 needles to the right leg. Without hesitation, Chris dove behind a column to his left as the grunts fired aimlessly in his general direction. He leaned to his side and pulled out one of his two standard-issue UNSC Frag grenades and threw it in their direction. Hearing the grunts Scream, seconds later he heard and felt the violent explosion as one of the grunts' breathing chambers whizzed by his face. Shaken, but otherwise unharmed, Chris hastily made his way to the controls. Upon approaching them, he hesitated. He looked out through the spire window to see A Covenant Corvette levitating above the spire, accompanied by countless banshees and seraphs. This is suicide, Chris thought, as he sat down and opened his tactical case. Only 10 more minutes before I can make this thing get me off planet, I think I could hold them off until then... And with that thought, Chris returned to the controls and disabled the EMP barrier, which undoubtably stoked the entire fortress. Nearly immediately, banshees, seraphs and ground units began firing at the entire upper level of the spire, blowing off large pieces of the structure's plating and leaving Chris even more open to enemy fire. Bad Idea, he thought, as he glanced at his teleporter. 9 More minutes. Remembering his reason for entering the structure in the first place, he immediately began looking for power sources in which he could syphon energy from, an ability Chris is very glad for adding into his Teleportation device. After doing a half-lap on the deck, he found 3 Fusion cores, each stacked upon on another. Chris put his teleporter on RECHARGE, picked up his DMR and waited for it to gather enough power to make an off-planet trip- one to Arcadia, he thought, granted it hasn't been glassed, yet. His recharge nearly complete, he was a little worried as to why all of his enemies ceased fire on his position, but soon realized what they were up to. Chris heard elite chatter nearby. They must have landed on the deck. Shit, he thought. Hearing elite footsteps just across from his position, Chris immediately picked up his teleporter and rerouted its coordinates to those of his Laboratory on Arcadia. As he glanced off of the keypad on the Teleporter, he was frightened to see an Elite standing less than two meters away from him, but not just any elite- the Zealot that he witnessed murdering his comrades just hours ago near the Jammer. Chris recognized his slim, sleek build and unmistakeable Red Armor, and his signature weapon- The energy sword. Without hesitation, Chris opened the warp rift to Arcadia and propelled himself inside. Unfortunately, so did the Elite. Chapter 3 :: A Problem in the Lab Upon entering his lab, still shaken from his teleport, Chris was both surprised and Fearful to see that the zealot he saw before teleporting had followed him here- and instinctively lifted his DMR, once again, and fired one shot to the elite's head, only to find his magazine was empty. This had little effect on the Elite, however, and appeared to only anger it more. On this note, Chris then dropped his rifle and made a quick break for the exit, switching to his magnum while doing so, the elite being hot in pursuit. Chris jumped over his workbench and immediately flipped it over as a means of cover, and fired three shots into the elite's head, piercing its shields, but otherwise not damaging it. At this point, the elite had reached the workbench and quickly jumped over and pinned Chris down, energy sword in hand, and said; "Goodbye, Demon" as it prepared to slash. His shields being pierced, Chris knew he had to do something, fast. Glancing to his left, he noticed a syringe containing a sample of "knockout" serum, a strong drug he used for sedating large animals for use in his warp-rift tests. Thankful for leaving it on his workbench, he quickly reached for it with his left arm, and hastily guided it into the Elite's unshielded Neck. Surprised, the Elite howled and blindly attempted to slash Chris as he pushed himself away from the creature. The elite rose to a standing position, but quickly fell down due to the drug's massive power. Weaponless, he decided to reach for another syringe as he pulled himself off of the Lab floor. He then walked behind the Elite, which was kneeling in exhaustion, and Injected another half-dose of the drug. The elite effortlessly attempted to resist, but couldn't, and within seconds, collapsed to the floor. Perfect, Chris thought as he repositioned his workbench and dragged the elite to his Study. Chapter 4 :: At thy Mercy With a heavily sedated Elite lying on his Study floor, Chris, once again, pondered his options. What should he do with the elite? He knew he should have killed it, but then again, why give this elite such a quick, merciful death?, he thought. It murdered that marine, and it's without a doubt that this elite slaughtered everyone else in his platoon. Without much further thought, Chris located 2 Steel shackles in his Equipment closet, which he used mainly for keeping larger, more fretful animals contained while doing quantum Entanglement tests. He lifted either arm of the elite, and tightly closed each shackle. He then Took either end of the shackles and mounted them on a small portion of his wall, Just next to one of his bookcases. At this point, the elite, still sedated, remained hanging from the wall from both arms. Chris then returned to his desk and propped both legs on top, crossed, and sighed. He decided to wait for the sedation to wear off before he decided to go through with killing the Elite. ... Two hours later, Chris awoke from a peculiar state of half-sleep to the elite fretting around and cursing to himself in some strange gibberish. With this, Chris arose from his seat and walked over to the elite who immediately froze and stared back at him. "Liking your shackles?", Chris said. "Don't bother trying to break loose. I've used those things for creatures three times your size". "Just kill me, Demon", The Elite responded. "I have not time for your pathetic games". Chris was almost surprised at the elite's comment. He then countered; "Oh, I'm sure you will. Don't worry- I'll have you on your way soon, but let it be known you won't leave in one piece". The elite sneered. "So be it". This comment confirmed Chris's rage- at this point, he left again for his equipment closet. Upon opening the door, he quickly began searching for some sort of knife he could use. After sifting through a pile of supplies, Chris finally found an old Machete, which he promptly removed and brought with him back to his study. Upon returning, he went straight to the elite, who emotionlessly stared back at him, and began scraping the old Machete across the elite's armor, back and forth. "Get on with it,", the elite commented. "Oh, I will", Chris responded, as he promptly lifted the machete and dug it between two armor plates on the elite's left arm, slowly pushing inward and twisting. The elite didn't speak, but it could easily be seen that it was enduring intensive pain. Wanting a reaction, Chris quickly shoved the machete in as deep as he could, sinking until it came into contact with a bone in the elite's arm, resulting in a painful howl. The creature's blood gushed through the wound, coating The machete in a purplish liquid. Chris then yanked the weapon out, causing blood to fly in every direction. Chris wiped his machete on the Elite's torso, being sure to be slow and rough about it. Chris then raised his head next to the elite's and whispered; "Tonight, you will endure more pain than you have your entire pathetic life. I will make sure you will leave this world in dishonor". Chapter 5 :: Punishment Determined to make his prisoner suffer for his actions, Chris left the study, remembering the Elite's Energy sword being left next to his workbench. As he approached it, he was careful as to handle it appropriately to prevent himself from being sliced. As he wrapped his right hand around the handle, The sword immediately activated, causing a slight recoil as the unmistakable blade flew into view. Chris then went to return back to his Study. Upon reentering, he immediately approached the elite and began burning off pieces of the Elite's Zealot armor with the energy sword, being purposely clumsy, so as to injure various parts of the elite, occasionally resulting in a wretched howl or screech of pain. Armor nearly completely destroyed, Chris bluntly said to the Elite; "You've done things to my race- disgusting, heinous things, which we haven't deserved. You basque in the torture of your enemies, and you make death for our race merciless and painful; Now, you pay the price", while preparing to cut through the elite's lower torso, which Chris knew would cause severe pain but still not be fatal enough to cause immediate death, giving him time to make his final moments as painful as possible. And without further hesitation, Chris then shoved his energy sword through the Elite's stomach, twisting slowly and nudging repeatedly, causing the Elite to tightly grip his shackles and stiffen while releasing a coarse howl of pain. Finally pulling out, the elite's blood gushing out of the huge wound, Chris knew he didn't have long before the elite bled out, and with this thought, moved himself up against the stiffened elite, and whispered, yet again; "How's it feel?", as he began stroking the elite's neck roughly- although the only response he received was a slight gurgle and a helpless stare, but this didn't satisfy him. "How does it feel?!", he repeated, only to be left unanswered. Chris began choking the elite with one hand, and punched it with the other. "What did I tell you?! Wretched Creature!". Chris punched the elite again, drawing blood, this time. Seeing the life being drained out of the elite, Chris let go and hatefully decided to end it by igniting him. Leaving his study, for a moment, Chris set out to retrieve a small container of gasoline from his supply room. After eventually finding it, Chris returned to his study to find the Elite nearly dead, torso drenched in blood, Chris knew he had to make this execution fast. Keeping the container of gasoline in one hand, he hastily unshackled the Elite, which promptly fell to the floor, and began dragging it by the arm across his lab, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Reaching a secluded corner of his lab, Chris shoved the elite, face up into the corner with his foot and opened his container of gasoline, and promptly emptied the entire can onto the elite, paying special attention to its open wounds; and with one final glance at the elite, he saw the dead, helpless expression on its scarred, bloody face. Feeling bad for a moment, Chris quickly reassured himself that this was the appropriate action for what the elite has done to his comrades. Chris pulled out a match from his pocket, and dropped it directly into the open stomach wound on the elite, causing the elite to be engulfed in flames in mere seconds. The elite made one final coarse, helpless cry and fell to its right side. Still 2 minutes after the elite died, Chris remained there, standing in front of what was left of the flames, and stared at the charred Remains of the Elite. Convinced he had done the right thing, Chris gave the body a swift kick and then went to clean up the mess of blood the elite had made. What now?, he thought. Chapter 6 :: Aftermath For the next following days, Chris drank heavily and tuned his radio to UNSC Comms and listened, being sure that they thought he was missing in action. He heard that Command lost contact with all troops in the Eclipse zone, and couldn't had pulled them out had they even wanted to. Fort Braxis reportedly fell to covenant forces the previous day, also seizing control of the Plasma Rhino before it could be transported to a more secure location. Reminding himself of this, Chris remembered his haphazard disabling of the EMP Barrier on Reach; Since the upper level of the spire sustained heavy structural damage, the Barrier will probably no longer be effective- Thus making the Plasma Rhino unnecessary. What bothered Chris was the thought of what The covenant were going to do with it... Chris continued to listen to UNSC Comms while inattentively playing around with the Zealot's former energy sword. He took note of new operations that were going to take place; Operations involving the ODST and Spartan units. . The UNSC was planning an all-out assault on the eclipse zone!, Chris thought. Do they know what they're dealing with? Chris set the energy sword beside his desk and frustratingly clasped his hand over his forehead. I've gotta do something, Chris thought. ... Operation Paradox. That's what the UNSC's calling it. ODST's and 8 Marine Platoons will be airdropped north of the eclipse zone. Spartans 56, 57, 58, 59 and 60 will be leading guerrilla units west of the Eclipse zone to suppress enemy infantry. UNSC Frigates will be within range to provide heavy, but very insufficient suppressive fire on the Corvette and other aerial targets. They're outmanned and outgunned, Chris thought. I'm going in... But what can I do? Chapter 7 : Paradox Chris did a final check on his equipment before preparing his teleporter to route coordinates to Planet Reach. He adjusted his belt and clipped on Numerous rounds for both his DMR and Magnum, and with a little thought, Grabbed the energy sword and tucked it in the side of his belt. Weapons at ready, Chris finished rerouting the teleporter's coordinates and opened the warp rift to Planet Reach. Chris hesitated, and finally thrust himself into the rift. Almost immediately, Chris is warped to a cliff south of the eclipse zone, 10 meters off the ground. Chris fell and landed on his back, inducing a terrible cramp and slight frustration. After cursing to himself, Chris pulled himself up- nearly falling into the canyon just off the cliff, only to see an Elite walking out of the brush to his left. This enemy caught Chris with his pants down- fumbling for his weapon and otherwise fretting helplessly, the elite readied its Needle Rifle at Chris's head at the same time as Chris got ahold of his DMR. Both aimed their weapons at one another, neither firing. Chris, crouching awkwardly on the ground, slowly rose up to a standing position. "I won't fire if you don't", Chris croaked. "Both you and I know that I could quite easily overpower you.", the Elite said. Chris calmed himself enough to take note of the elite's appearance- quite slim, for those of its race. Its blue tinted armor plating signified that it was of Minor class. Its expression looked oddly familiar to Chris... "Well, I'm really sorry for trespassing- I'll be on my way-", Chris halfheartedly said as he took a blind step backwards, quickly realizing how close he was to the edge of the cliff. His step being on unstable ground, Chris began to fall backward. Dropping his rifle, he began to slide off the side of the cliff. Realizing his fatal mistake, Chris threw his hands upward and dug them into the ground, holding on for dear life. Dangling from the side of the cliff, Chris couldn't use his teleporter, now, he thought; sweating and otherwise panicking for his survival. Realizing Chris's mistake, the elite walked over to the edge of the cliff, and locked eyes with Chris as he stared back desperately. The elite laughed and knelt down to edge. This is it, Chris thought. Game Over... ...But contrary to Chris's prediction, the elite held out its hand to Chris. Shocked, he wearily clasped its hand with his left arm, as the elite yanked him back over the edge. Lying on his chest, Chris looked back up to the elite, standing up, and managed to croak; "Thanks" as he lie there, paralyzed by fear and at the mercy of the elite. "I take it you are not a warrior", the Elite chortled as he pulled Chris back up to a standing position, retrieved his weapon, and returned it to him. "...Not precisely", Chris said. "You should not be here. My brethren will not be quite as merciful as I am." "I'm aware of that", Chris said. "Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?" "I still do have that chance, Human", the elite said. Chris was brushed himself off. "Why haven't you?" "Our prophets believe that the annihilation of your race is the will of the gods- that your race is a sin to our alliance. I don't believe that- and it sickens me to slaughter this race over a thoughtless assumption" The elite leaned against a nearby boulder. "And I don't feel right about slaughtering YOU because of that". "Isn't this a combat zone, right now?", Chris asked. "If you saw anyone else of my kind, they'd shoot you on sight". "You didn't", the elite said, as it holstered its weapon and stroked its right shoulder plate. "And that's why I haven't killed you". Chris holstered his DMR as well, and sat next to a nearby tree. "Why aren't you out in the bulk of the fight right now?", Chris asked. "Why would you be all the way back here?" The elite hesitated. "To be honest, human, I'm not too much of a warrior, myself. Whenever I attack your species, It feels morally incorrect. Others of my kind indulge in warfare and make use of it to inflict more pain", the elite explained. "I don't support this journey, and I don't support the massacre of an entire species for no dependable reason". Chris's mind was blown to ridiculous heights. What are the odds, he thought, that he would come across a friendly Elite that shared similar views of the war as himself? "I like you", the elite said as it glanced at him. "You're unlike your brethren." "I like you, too" was all Chris could muster as a rebuddle. There was a sudden silence. This silence was broken seconds afterward due to the sound of heavy mortar fire in the distance and the battle cries of Both UNSC and Covenant troops, accompanied by small arms fire. "What now?", Chris asked bluntly. "We can sabotage the fortress, if you like. Our spire is inoperable due to a recent infiltration, but there's something more important, there", the elite responded. Chris was surprised by this statement, but encouraged to ask the elite something important; "What else is in the fortress? What's being protected, there?" "Prototype construction", the elite responded. "A vehicle of mass destruction; invincible to all but the most heaviest of arms". "I could fool my brethren into thinking you are my prisoner, and enter the fortress.", the elite continued. "I could then lead you to the robotics facility where the construction is taking place. It should be near completion- we could commandeer the vehicle and destroy the entire fortress". "I like the way you think", Chris said. And without further hesitation, The elite walked over to Chris and locked its right arm with his left arm and began to walk towards the fortress. Chapter 8 : Insurgent As the two entered the fortress, the elite greeted a fellow minor-class and spoke in Sanghelli tone, roughly dragging Chris along with him. Nearing the Robotics Facility, the elite continued to pull his supposed prisoner along with him. Chris noted a large platoon consisting of many grunts, elites and two hunters walking by him and the elite, who quickly greeted the group and continued on. "We've arrived, Human", the elite said quietly as it found an unpopulated passage to the prototype construction deck. "We should encounter no problems in reaching the prototype- however, commandeering it will unmask our intentions and will alert the entire fortress", the elite continued as it released Chris's arm. "How are we going to take it?", Chris asked. "We're most likely outmanned" "That we are", the elite responded. "Perhaps I could distract my brethren away from the vehicle while you go in and take control-" Chris interrupted; "I have no idea how to operate something like that- What would I do?" "Relax yourself", The elite responded, firmly placing its hands on both of Chris's shoulders, which had surprisingly calmed him and made him feel oddly comfortable. "What you visualize- what you think; all of it is synchronized with the vehicle's operation". "Sounds simple enough", Chris replied. "How do you intend on distracting the guards?" "I will fool them all into believing that humans are attempting to launch an aerial attack on the structure and I could falsely evacuate everyone inside", the elite said. "This should provide you with enough time to enter the vehicle and exit from the facility". "Sounds good". And without further discussion, the two separated and sought out their objectives. ... Chris remained where he was for a few moments after the elite departed, hesitating about making a move, and finally deciding to move down the hallway to the Construction Deck, unholstering his DMR and carefully making his way to his objective. Approaching a narrow corner, Chris stopped to realize grunt chatter nearby . Must not have evacuated, yet, Chris thought as he refrained from firing. Moments later, alarm-like devices were activated and all units were summoned outside. Chris waited for the grunts to move, and hastily made his way down the hallway. Approaching a door to the construction deck, Chris carefully activated the doorway and stepped inside to notice a gigantic vehicle; this must have been what the UNSC was talking about, Chris thought. This has to be the Scarab! Chris snapped out of his gaze and quickly went to his right to walk into the scarab through a narrow catwalk, looking to his left and seeing covenant forces haphazardly making their way out of the structure. Entering the deck of the vehicle, Chris scrambled to locate the cockpit. After a few moments, he came across a secluded room with an odd core-like structure on the wall. This must be where the Scarab is operated, Chris thought. Remembering the elite's advice, Chris took a deep breath and focused. He quickly questioned how to operate the vehicle, realizing he couldn't see his surroundings. Out of rational options, Chris apprehensively reached out to the core display and began to touch it. All Within less than a second, Chris felt a vigorous shock and sensation as if something were swimming within his head, as he instinctively attempted to pull his hand away. "Damn Machine!", Chris shouted as he winced from the display. "How the hell does this work!?" Chris's frustration was interrupted by the sound of gunfire outside of the scarab. I'm out of time, Chris thought, as he abandoned his effort to instead go defend his position from the main deck. Reaching the deck, Chris was surprised by the countless amount of Covenant in the hangar. The elite was exposed, and was hopelessly defending itself from a catwalk to his left. As he glanced again at the force of Covenant, he lifted his DMR, prepared to fight to the death. But then, almost immediately, The vehicle jerked to life as the mounted turret on the Scarab spun and aimed at the bulk of the covenant forces below. "Woah!", Chris yelled as the sudden burst of motion knocked him down. Attempting to climb up yet again, Chris experimented. He noticed the main gun that had so quickly burst to life hasn't done anything else, yet. Chris set down his weapon, and stared over the edge of the main deck. The Main gun on the scarab appeared to follow his main focus. He then began to think about firing a weapon of mass destruction while he was focusing on the covenant. A result was approached nearly immediately. The scarab's weapon fired instantaneously- A laser-like beam of extreme power began to rip through the targets at Chris's command. Thinning the ranks so swiftly, Chris stood valiantly at the end of the main deck, merely glaring at all who he wanted to die- firing beam after beam at the guards of the hangar until none remained. Calming himself, the turret went dormant as Chris prepared to meet with his ally. Chris observed the catwalk the elite was at. Not there. Turning around, Chris jolted at the sight of his spontaneously appearing ally, accidentally activating the main weapon of the Scarab, Firing a violent blast through the roof of the hangar, undoubtably drawing attention. "Sorry to frighten you, human", the Elite said jokingly. "That was honorable fighting". "Heh... I still don't understand how that Scarab responds to what I think", Chris replied. "The Scarab was going to be claimed by a zealot, originally. Whoever draws the neurolink to the vehicle is forever bound to it, mentally. Looks like that was you", the elite responded. "We have not time for petty discussion. My brethren are onto us. We cannot fight them all alone, even with such a weapon. We are going to die, Human", the Elite stated. "Not on my watch", Chris witfully responded. "I admire that attitude, human. Let us get out of here". Chris then returned to the front deck and focused on the wall blocking the scarab's exit. He imagined breaking through the obstacle with ease. And that's what the vehicle did. Chris flinched as the Scarab walked through a thick alloy-wall, breaking into dangerous debris that scattered across the deck. The sight he saw was unrelenting. The sky was alight with plasma and UNSC warheads, mortar fire everywhere. Chris barely noticed the legion of covenant just in front of the Scarab. A pair of hunters from the group the elite had taken him by earlier charged their Fuel Rod Cannons and fired at the hull, jerking Chris out of his cosmic daze, as he instinctively glared at the group, thus firing a devastating beam from the main turret, ripping through armor and disintegrating flesh. Chris continued hatefully massacring his assailants as he began en route to the bulk of the UNSC forces. Pulling out his radio, Chris contacted the commander of the operation, Major Dwight, explaining the unlikely situation. "Sir, That's correct. I'm currently operating the Scarab and am accompanied by an allied Minor-Class Sangheili. I'd like to provide heavy support to where it's needed most". "Hot damn... Just northwest of your position are Marines that are taking too much heat. Help them survive until we can get some evac!", Dwight said. "Got it, Commander. I'm pushing out through the main spire, now. I'll fuck up whatever I c-", Chris stuttered as an array of plasma barraged the front deck. Chris glanced upward to see banshees everywhere. The elite on-board manned a plasma turret on the right deck and began firing at the banshees, and Chris fired the main weapon, annihilating any banshee foolish enough to get within its path, as the Scarab worked its way to the location provided by the commander. Almost there, Chris thought as he strained himself to stay focused on the ever-moving banshees as they prepared another volley of plasma. It was luck as to how he was unscathed from the first barrage, but he didn't want to push it. Chris abandoned command of the turret and sprinted for cover. The elite outside attempted to do the same, although he did so a few seconds too late. Before approaching the inner structure, A banshee launched a bomb just behind the elite, piercing its shield and dealing considerable, but temporary damage. The elite lie on its chest for a moment, Paralyzed in pain, but then brought itself up, wearily. "We cannot let them land on the deck, otherwise you will be unable to use the main weapon on them.", the elite said. Quickly returning to the deck, the scarab finally approached the destination marked by Maj. Dwight, noticing a handful of Scorpions and warthogs in the valley below. These marines don't look wounded, Chris thought. Nor do they look like they need any support- Chris's questions were soon answered when Chris heard the command; "Fire!" from one of the marines, as the bulk of the UNSC attack force began firing upon various parts of the Scarab, blowing off structural plating and damaging the hull. Chris and the elite immediately scrambled for the inner structure, yet again, as Chris attempted to contact the Commanding Officer. "Commander, your boys are firing at me! Call them off!" "I'm Afraid I cannot do that, Specialist", Dwight responded. "Why the hell not!?". Another Scorpion Shell. "As far as ONI's concerned, You're violating classification and are being considered a danger to the UNSC", Dwight stated. "What!?", Chris screamed. "It appears we have both been betrayed by our superiors, human", the elite commented. "And now we shall perish for it". "No! We're getting out of here!", Chris yelled as he scrambled for his teleporter. More Scorpion Shells. "This hull can't take much more- come with me, Sangheili!", Chris yelled as he grabbed the elite's forearm and attempted to open a warp rift to Arcadia. Despite his attempt, a Scorpion shell then blew off a piece of the plating within the hull. The debris flew in all directions, knocking down Chris and immobilizing the elite. Chris stood and managed to climb to the elite, which was stuck below a heavy piece of plating that had fell on him. "Hold on, I'm getting you out of here!", Chris yelled. Chris opened the rift to Arcadia and attempted to drag the elite inside with him. Wasting precious time, the rift had only seconds before it closed. Chris pulled with the force of every atom in his body, ripping the elite from its trap and pulling it inside with him in the Knick of time. Chapter 9 : Recoup Moments later, the two appear a meter or so off the floor of Chris's lab. The elite collapses, unable to stand. Chris crouches and assesses the issue. "Are you alright?", Chris croaks. "The plating injured my leg", the elite stated, embarrassed by its pain. Chris glances at the gory wound and winces. "I'll grab some first-aid. Wait here", Chris said. "I don't believe I'm going anywhere". Chris set out for his supply room and began searching for first aid kits. He eventually found one inside an old drawer of his, and returned back to the Elite. "It doesn't look like any permanent bone damage, but hell, what would I know about your race", Chris said as he applied gauze tape to the wound. "Your kind is a lot more hardy than ours, so you should be alright". "I appreciate your assistance, human", the elite said. "Where are we?". "This is my lab, my hideout, my home- whatever you want to call it", Chris replied. "My research here has saved my life time and time again". "That device you wielded, was that of your creation?", the elite asked. "Yeah. I've been doing research in this lab since the day I finished schooling", Chris responded as he finished tightening the makeshift bandage. "You have my thanks, Human", the elite said as it attempted to stand, but fell. "Allow me to get you more comfortable. I'll help you into the Study", Chris replied, wrapping his left arm around the elite's torso and providing support to stand. The elite awkwardly limped along, tightly gripping Chris's right shoulder. The two approached the study, and it was just then when Chris experienced a violent flashback. Remembering the elite he had slaughtered in this very room, a wretched feeling overcame him. Did it deserve it?, Chris thought. Could I have approached it differently... Perhaps had even become friends? Chris remembered the hopeless expression on the elite as he stabbed it with its own weapon, and shed a tear. Chris snapped back into reality, still guiding the elite, and helped it down to an old couch. "Here you go. It's old, but still comfortable", Chris said as he let go of the elite. "My thanks again, Human", the elite responded as it lie back, eyes half-closed. Chris pulled his desk chair over, across from the couch, and sat down. "Today was really a lot to take in at once", Chris said. "Finding you, Commandeering the Covenant war-machine, and most strikingly, being betrayed by the UNSC...All in a day's work". The elite let out a subtle laugh. "What is your name, human?", the elite asked. "It feels odd speaking to you as if you have no purpose". "Chris. Chris Parker", Chris said. "What's yours?". "Likaï" "That's a lovely name", Chris commented. "How is your wound, Likai?", Chris asked as he glanced at the now purplish gauze he had applied earlier. "It was somewhat difficult to make a tight seal with that gauze with your armor plates as they are". "It's painful, but I can tolerate it. I fear I may not walk with that leg for quite some time", Likai responded as he stroked the gauze tape tightly wrapped around his right leg. "And that leads me to my next question", Chris continued. "What are you going to do, now?" Chapter 10 : No Rest for the Weary "I do not know, Chris", Likai said. "I cannot return to my brethren after my act of herecy; my only practical option is to stay with you". "Quite frankly, I don't even know what I am going to do. The UNSC knows we escaped, and they're bound to figure out where we're hiding, eventually. My hands are pretty tied", Chris said. "You and I have already cheated death, I'm not sure how much longer our luck will last". Chris swiveled in his chair, slightly. "You and I can stay here, for now", Chris continued. "We shouldn't be found for quite some time, if at all". Likai closed his eyes and repositioned himself on the couch. "And what shall we do, if that happens?". "That's as far as I have gotten...", Chris replied. "Regardless, you should rest. That injury will only get worse if we attempt to do anything major". "You should know that injury, in my race, is a shame", Likai responded. "Well, noone else matters, right now. You and I are on our own, in the midst of war", Chris replied, now standing up from his chair; "Relax yourself", Chris continued, firmly placing his hands on either of Likai's shoulders. Likai opened his eyes slightly, stared, and laughed subtly at this reference. The two locked eyes with one another for a moment, in silence. This silence was broken by an explosion near the front hatch, followed by many footsteps on the stairway into the main lab. Chris ran out of his study to see marines pouring inside, and quickly grabbed his teleporter off of his workbench and ran back inside to see Likai struggling to stand up. "Take this", Chris said as he hastily unholstered his magnum and handed it to Likai. Likai grasped the weapon and kneeled, sighing in pain. "What happened to not being discovered, Chris?", Likai said. "Looks like there's been a change in plan", Chris replied as he slammed the Study door and began pushing a bookcase over to block it. "It's too obvious that this would happen right as I was doubting it", Chris said, irritated, as he then overturned his desk and couch for cover. The two hid behind them. "Parker! Come out with your hands up!", he heard a marine yell, outside of the door. Chris fidgeted. "Parker, we WILL breach if you don't surrender!" Chris drew the energy sword he still had on his belt, from earlier. "Last chance, Parker!" Chris then stood and rushed to the side of the door, ready to ambush the marines. "Alright! Breaching, Breaching!" Seconds later, a violent explosion caused the bookcase to break and fall backward. Time went in slow motion as the first marine rushed inside. Chris sunk the energy sword into his chest and yanked it out. He heard Likai firing the magnum he had given him, killing two marines that had rushed inside. There were still more. The flooding stopped, however.. The marines caught on, throwing a grenade inside the study. It landed right in front of the couch Likai was behind, exploding and sending the couch flying. The last of the marines, about three, flooded the room. Chris glanced at his now-vulnerable ally, and then returned his focus to the marines. He yelled and charged at the three, sword in hand. Chris went through the torso of the first marine as the other two blindly fired their assault rifles. Chris easily evaded their fire and knocked the weapon out of one marine's hands. The last one put his weapon barrel directly on the back of his head, and in the Knick of time, was shot in the neck by Likai. Chris returned his attention to the defenseless marine as he held his arms in the air. "Who are you, how did you find us, here?", Chris snarled, grasping the collar of the marine's uniform. "I... I don't know- I'm just a Private!", the Marine stuttered. "Major Dwight ordered our platoon to invade and eliminate everyone inside". The Marine glanced at Likai in the back of the room. "Dwight...", Chris said, letting go of the marine and clenching his fists. "Private, I want you to know I am not a traitor. I don't know why Dwight is out to kill me". The Marine stood there, glancing back-and-forth between Chris and Likai. "You can put your hands down, we won't kill you. Don't try anything funny", Chris said. The Marine relaxed, somewhat, and lowered his arms, slowly, staring at the dead bodies of his comrades. "I'm sorry about their death, we were merely defending ourselves", Chris said. "...I..it's......alright", the Marine said. "Alright? If I were you, soldier, I'd be furious", Chris replied. "I know I was..." The marine glanced at his weapon on the ground, and Chris instantly knew what he was going to do. The marine lunged for his rifle on the floor, as Chris kicked it away, towards Likai. The marine looked up, hopelessness in his expression. Chris knew this expression well. "That's furiousness", Chris said. "It's understandable. What I say has no credibility with you, yet". "..I..I'm sorry", the marine said, still lying on his chest. "No, you aren't. You're saying that because you're at my mercy. I already said that it's understandable, but you must know that we aren't your enemy", Chris said. "I was betrayed by Dwight. I was with Likai, here, during the invasion on the Eclipse zone. We infiltrated the robotics facility and commandeered the Scarab inside, and offered to support any UNSC forces. The bastard led us to a trap and tried to kill us for knowing something that was supposedly classified to the UNSC". Likai stood and limped next to Chris. "You can stand up again whenever you feel like it", Chris said. "You can either escape here and run back to the UNSC, or stay with us". The marine deliberately stood and said; "W-why would I stay with you? You just killed all of my platoon! Do you expect me to want to support your cause?". "I'm not against the UNSC. I am dedicated to duty; I've risked my life time and time again to protect and avenge my comrades. I was forced to retaliate, I cannot let Dwight's betrayal hide the real truth". "What's the verdict, Private?" "I say you're a real asshole", the Marine said. "But... if what you say is true, well, I'm up for dealing him payback, as long as it doesn't do more harm than good". Chapter 11 : Turn of Feelings "Thank you, Private. What's your name?" "Colin Darcell", the Marine said. "Well, Colin, this is Likai", Chris said, taking a step to his left. "He's a friend". "Eh...Hello", Colin said, awkwardly. "Greetings", Likai said, jokingly. "The UNSC is going to figure out something is wrong when your squad doesn't return. We need some sort of diversion" Chris said, staring at Colin. "Could you contact Dwight and convince him we've gone off-planet?" "I guess", Colin responded, hesitantly. Chris nodded and turned his attention to Likai. "Alright, Likai, I'd like you to relax, if you can. We may need to defend this laboratory, soon", Chris said as he flipped the couch back over and pushed it to its original location, angered by the damage done to it. "I shall try", Likai said as he limped back to the couch. "Colin, come with me. I'll see to giving our comrades a proper burial after we get the UNSC off our back", Chris said, precariously walking past the dead marines and into the main lab. Colin entered the main lab to see Chris sitting at a small desk with a primitive-looking radio. He stood next to Chris. "This is a radio from 2015 that I've modified to transmit on modern frequencies. The good thing about this little ark is that it cannot be traced directly, like our modern radios. They won't be able to tell whether your in the lab or thousands of miles around it, if at all". Chris tinkered with a few knobs on the device. "I've got it set on the right frequency. Work your magic". Chris stood from the seat and allowed Colin to sit. He put on an old headset and cleared his throat. He wanted to sound somewhat convincing. Colin pushed the communicate button on the radio and began; "To Commander Dwight, this is Private Darcell. I'm currently in hot pursuit of the fugitives. They're attempting to fly off to orbit- I'm doing whatever I can from a commandeered vehicle. They've claimed they're off to destroy the space cluster from out-of-orbit". As Colin waited for a response, Chris whispered to him; "Be sure to make it sound as if you're losing signal. I've made buttons that simulate static and shiplike sounds". Chris pointed to a few buttons. "Use those". A voice crackled to life on the radio; "This is Major Dwight. Where's The rest of your squad, Private?" Colin pressed the static button. "They're dead, sir. I'm the last one". "What's your location?", Dwight said. "I'm flying some air vehicle that was found at the premises. They're flying a small ship off into space. I'm going to lose them!", Colin said, pressing the 'static' button. "Son, I need a location so we can intercept him", Dwight said. "They... Oh, Shit!", Colin said, activating gunfire effects. "There...There are hundreds!". "Hundreds? Hundreds of what, Private?", Dwight said. "Shit!", Colin yelled, creating more gunfire effects. "There are too many of them! "Private, stay with me; I'm not following. There are more than two?" "Fucking! Right engine is shot. We're going dow-", Colin activated an explosion effect and then muted his microphone and waited for any further responses. "Darcell! Darcell! Damnit, he's gone", Dwight said. "I want the Space Cluster on full alert. Get longsword fighters en route to Arcadia. These fugitives die, now!" A new voice came on the frequency; "Acknowledged, Commander. I'll contact the Cluster. All available spacefaring units in Arcadia are being sent to patrol orbit". Neither Chris nor Colin recognized the voice. The two silently listened for any further tactical intelligence, but only received negative reports from various longsword units. Dwight was off the frequency. After a tiring hour, Chris finally says; "I think that's all we'll need to do for that". "That was kind of fun", Colin said, bluntly. "You haven't seen fun, yet", Chris responded, glancing at the dead marines still in and around his battered Study. "Let's get these marines out of here and salvage their ammo, we may need it". The two began collecting Assault rifles, magazines and grenades from the marines. Afterward, one-by-one, the two lifted their comrades outside of the lab. It was nearly sunset, Chris thought. This could take a while. "Well, lets get digging, Private", Chris muttered. The two grabbed shovels and dug a large hole for all of the marines, and finished about two hours later. . . . "Phew, that was hard work", Chris said weakly. "You can go back inside the lab, I'd like to pay some respects", Chris continued. "Alright", Colin said, hesitantly, as he went through the hole that was once the door to the lab. Chris hesitated, stared at the full moon, and stared back at the makeshift grave, and kneeled down. "Marines, I honestly cannot say I have really known you all too much; well, not at all- but I do know you tried to fulfill your objective, and unfortunately, that was to eliminate me. I was forced to retaliate. Your commander was disloyal and manipulative, and I am sorry you had to be subjected to his uncaring command. I salute you for your duty, and may you all rest in peace". Chris continued kneeling for another moment, and then went back into his lab to see Colin playing around with the effects on his old radio. Slowly walking down his stairway, his mind was brimming with remorseful thoughts, some of which he didn't know what had meant. Chris shook these thoughts away as he continued through the lab to check on Likai. Walking through the smoldering hole that used to be his door to the study, Chris walked over to Likai, who was lying down, sleeping. He took a seat in his chair, and adjusted it so it was facing the couch. God Damnit, he thought. My chair's riddled with bulletholes and shrapnel. Chris tried to relax, nevertheless. He was very paranoid, at the moment. Chris took a deep breath. He was thankful for his moment of silence. I had better check on Colin, again, Chris thought, before getting too comfortable- mentally kicking himself for leaving him with his equipment, unattended, as he unwillingly left his chair and set off for the main lab. Chris saw Colin, apparently dozing at his desk, shook his head, and returned to the comfort of his chair. I guess I'll get some rest, myself, Chris thought, reclining and closing his eyes Who knows what will happen, tomorrow. Chapter 12 : Rude Awakening Chris jerked awake, the following day, to a loud crash in the main lab. He propelled himself from his chair, instinctively, and noticed Likai was gone. He then heard Assault rifle gunfire. Chris rubbed his eyes, and unholstered his magnum from his belt. And ran into the main lab to see Likai taking cover behind an overturned table to his right and Colin firing an assault rifle at his direction, just ahead of him. Noticing Chris's presence, Colin glanced at Chris and quickly averted his fire to him. Chris dove to cover behind a Quantum Entanglement machine to his left as bullets whizzed by his head and chest. Waiting, Chris waited for the unsavvy marine to empty his clip. Hearing the telltale "Click" echo after a barrage of lead, Chris sprang up, magnum in hand, and fired three shots into the Colin's lower chest, as he haphazardly attempted to reload his weapon. He then dropped the rifle and collapsed onto the floor. Chris ran up to Colin and kneeled. "What the fuck has gotten into you?", Chris snarled. "...Don't act as if you knew me", Colin croaked, spewing a tad of blood as he said so. "...Did you really expect me to overturn my loyalty so... Effortlessly?" Chris was slapped with a harsh realization. What a fool I am!, Chris thought. I should have known... "What have you accomplished out of this aside from getting yourself shot?", Chris asked. "...I..told Dwight everything", Colin muttered. Why had I trusted him so... Knowing he had tried to kill me and got over the death of his squad so quickly?, Chris thought. "You fool! You've helped the very man who ordered your squad to kill one of your own!" "No...You...aren't one of us", Colin said hatefully as he coughed up yet more blood. Chris pondered that. ...Not one of us..., he thought. "...They'll be here, soon", Colin gurgled. Chris then emotionlessly aimed his magnum at Colin's head as he was attempting to crawl backwards. Colin's eyes bulged slightly, his face draining. Chris thoughtlessly fired the magnum, piercing Colin's skull, as he watched blood slowly drain from the fracture in-between his eyes. Chris's gaze was broken as Likai put his hand on his shoulder. "...This isn't good, Likai", Chris murmured, staring at the bullet-riddled floor. "Luck does not last forever", Likai said, sympathetically. "...Why did I carelessly trust him as much as I had..", Chris said, remorsefully. Likai decided not to comment on his self-question. Chris didn't want to tell Likai he was regretful of an elite he had slaughtered , so he attempted to push it all off of his mind and assess the current situation. "We can't stay here. The UNSC is too hot on our trail", Chris said. "I'm out of options, however. I don't have anywhere else to go" Likai let go of Chris's shoulder and treaded over to Colin's lifeless body. "I do not know of any safe place, at the moment", Likai said. "I don't know how big of a threat we are to the UNSC, yet", Chris responded. "We could defend this laboratory... But our light arms can only work up to an extent". Chris walked over to his desk to see his old radio system was shot, intentionally. He shook his head and clenched his fists in anger. "I am sick of running from this bastard...", Chris said. "But I cannot stand killing my own kind just because of him" "We think much more alike than one would think", Likai said, pacing around. All of a sudden, both Chris and Likai heard propellors followed by a storm of footsteps on the roof of the structure. Before Chris could make a move for his teleporter, the sun-windows on the roof were broken, and ropes were thrown down. "Likai, find a weapon, looks like we're fighting!", Chris yelled as he yet again, took cover behind some machinery, reloading his magnum. Likai sprinted for the table across the lab that had the weapons and ammo salvaged from the marines the previous day, as the first marines made their way down from the roof. Chris leaned from his cover and fired at the first marines going down the ropes, killing the entire first wave of four before they had even hit the ground. By now, Likai had collected an Assault Rifle, along with a few magazines and took cover behind more machinery that was parallel to Chris. The next wave poured down as both Chris and Likai trained their weapons on the incoming marines. Chris shot two marines in the shoulder, as Likai skillfully fired a controlled burst at the other two. Right behind those were more. As the next four began to saddle down, Chris saw marines entering from the stairway into the lab, and a lot of them. "Likai! Get the ones on the stairwell!", Chris bellowed as he reloaded his magnum and adjusted is position so he was protected from fire from the stairwell. Likai acknowledged Chris as he averted his fire to the marines that began streaming into the laboratory. Not being diligent enough, Chris then managed to kill only two of the marines that roped down from the roof, the remaining two scrambled for cover, overturning machines and desks Chris had in the center of his lab, as the next wave prepared to drop in. Bullets were ricocheting in all directions as Chris began to feel entirely overwhelmed. Things continued to get worse from there, as well. Chris froze in fear when he began to hear the sound of a scorpion engine, outside, followed by an intense explosion that had blown off half of the exterior of the structure by Likai. Chris began feeling extremely overwhelmed. Glancing at his magnum, he thought; What the fuck am I going to do with this? Likai, who was prone to fire from the Scorpion, took a daring move- sprinting from his position and rushing all the way across the lab, drawing fire from the invading marines. Chris glanced over to his side to see Likai had stopped for something in the center of the lab. Seeing this, he tried to provide cover with his magnum, firing two rounds at a marine to Likai's right, but then was shot in his left arm from a marine that came down the stairwell. Chris collapsed and stared at the wound on his forearm. We're fucked, Chris thought, bleakly. Moments later, Likai took cover behind the machine Chris was at, carrying his assault rifle and Chris's teleporter. "Chris, I do not know how to operate this device", Likai said as the Marines advanced to their position. "Cover me, I'll set it", Chris said, sighing in pain from the gunshot wound. Likai handed Chris the device as he stood up from cover to see the marines were getting closer and closer. He promptly lifted the rifle and began to fire short bursts at as many of them as he could, as the Scorpion that was outside fired another round into the exterior of the laboratory, destroying a portion of the wall and cracking the roof, slightly. Meanwhile, Chris slowly entered coordinates into the teleporter. "Chris, how much longer must I hold off these fools!?", Likai asked as he crouched and reloaded his weapon. "I've got it. Opening..", Chris responded, repositioning himself upward. "Where are we going?", Likai asked, firing at more marines across the lab. "We're going back to Reach" --------- All I got, so far
