Demons of Instillation 02
#1 of Halo Chronicles
The story of two expendable soldiers
Spartans never die... they just go to hell to regroup
> Jericho IV, Spartan III temp training grounds
> 2547
The forest was dark. Dark and quiet. Good. Scruffy liked it that way.
Slowly, moving with natural guile the twelve year old Spartan III hauled himself into a low crouch, sleuthing through wet leaves and damp undergrowth. His boots sank into the soft dirt, slowing him down ever so slightly. He was alone. His fellow Spartans were still sleeping. It was 12:11. Eleven minutes past midnight. Scruffy didn't blame them. But at the same time, screw 'em! Scruffy could handle this one on his own.
In the distance was chanting, at least twenty voices singing loudly, their voices bringing life to the dead night. A smile tore Scruffy's dirt smudged face. They weren't being very professional.
He continued on and dropped to his stomach, crawling the next few metres prone. Finally he reached a break in the bushes and faced a large open plain. In the clearing was a military base, USMC standard. There was one muddy track leading through the shorn grass leading to a pair of tall razor wire topped gates. The rest of the base was surrounded by a tall concrete wall with battlements. Two guards were very obviously on patrol, armed with MA5B rifles. Not only weren't the marines on guard being un-professional, they were cheating too, using real guns and probably live ammo. Another smile fluttered Scruffy's lips. This was the eight time Scruffy got to play with Tango Company. This time he would likely beat them again. No doubt the marines were getting pissed off. Pissed enough to use a live rifle on a twelve year old child.
The moment the nearest guard turned his back, Scruffy scrambled to his feet and sprinted across the clearing. Laden down by a bulky pack and a tranquiliser rifle strung on his back, Scruffy's feet thudded loudly on the soft ground as he cleared the open and slammed into the complex wall. He dropped to a crouch and listened. Nothing to be heard. Just chanting. It was louder now that he was closer. Scruffy listened for a moment, and then had to struggle not to laugh when he heard the lyrics. It was an age old hymn he had heard too many times before.
_From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli,
We fight our country's battles in the air, on land and sea.
First we'll fight for right and freedom, and to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title of United States Marine._
_Our Flag's unfurled to every breeze from dawn to setting sun.
We have fought in every clime and place, where we could take a gun.
In the snow of far off northern lands and in sunny tropic scenes,
You will find us always on the job, the United Nations Marines._
_Here's health to you and to our Corps, which we are proud to serve.
In many a strife we've fought for life and never lost our nerve.
If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scenes,
They will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines._
Typical.
Scruffy reached back into his pack and pulled loose a pair of objects. One satchel charge, the second an EMP grenade. When set off, the grenade created an electric pulse strong enough to kill the power of this whole complex. Its effects would last about two minutes if they didn't have a backup. Long enough for a marine. More than enough for a Spartan III.
He primed the EMP grenade. Pausing for a second, his brain took in the layout of the camp. He tossed the object over the fence and tugged loose the tab on the satchel. In one quick wrist movement he flung the charge, causing it to spin to a halt in the dirt at the foot of the gate. The EMP grenade went off. There was no sound, no indication, just darkness. A flash of light and a ball of fire. A thunderous explosion later, the gate was a lump of twisted metal on the ground. There were shouts of confusion, cigarettes and cups of booze falling to the ground. There was a flicker of light to the right as somebody opened fire. Live rounds licked the air dangerously close to Scruffy. He ignored the adrenaline spike and kept his head straight. His brain had mapped out every position of the infantry, the tents and the flag. Even in complete darkness, he still knew where he ran to, where his exit was, and by listening closely to movement and random shooting, could determine movement among the marines.
He dodged left around a stunned marine as another flicker of light shredded the tent to his right. He caught the glint of the flagpole just ahead as a torchlight sliced across the camp from one of the battlements. In the non existent light he could make out vague shapes of nearby marines, dodging them with effortless agility and stealth.
"God-damn it! Get the torches!" the marine in charge yelled. "Who knows what you tards are shooting at?" he turned to the technician by the backup generator. "Where the fuck is my floodlighting?"
"One second..." a heartbeat later, flood lights flicked on and bathed the complex in white light.
Four marines were on the ground with minor wounds. One was hit by a tranquiliser dart; another had something struck across his head. Two were hit by friendly fire and were being tended to by medics. The rest gathered around the centre of the complex where their flag had stood. Just a minute ago they had been gathered around it, singing and drinking. The darkness and chaos had lasted about sixty seconds and now the flag was gone.
Spartan III grey team leader Jason Watts woke. He checked his watch and swore. That pain in the ass Scruffy was supposed to have woken the rest of grey team five minutes ago. Five minutes could mean the success or failure of any mission. Why the hell couldn't he just behave for once?
Jason hauled himself to his feet and stretched, looking through the slowly subsiding darkness at the rest of his team. His eyes slowly scanned across the group of twelve year olds sleeping among the trees, until his gaze reached a massive oak tree. Resting at the base of the monolith was a snoring Spartan-G977, Nathan 'Scruffy' Matthews, covered in grime, wrapped tightly in a frayed and dirty UNSCDF flag.
[Several Earth years later]
Ninth Age of Reclamation
Holy Ring, Halo, Instillation 02
Proud battle cruiser Begotten Angel
Ranger Junior Commander Zara 'Sofidee slowly padded along the long hallway to towards the Hierarchs' quarters. The Sangheili's hooves rattled hollowly as her head swiveled left and right to meet the scowls and glares coming from the Jiralhanae honor guard. The brutish creatures hardly fitted into the ceremonial armor, and desecrated the position the Sangheili had held for decades before the Jiralhanae had taken it.
Zara was an average Sangheili female. It was difficult for females in the Covenant to attain such a high rank as her, but with years of battle honors under her belt, Zara had surprised the high council and become a highly respected commander among her rangers. She had a slender frame, subtle muscles like bands of steel hidden under her blue hued skin. Her eyes were slanted slightly upwards, and stood slightly shorter than the average eight foot tall male Sangheili. Skin tight olive green fatigues hugged her form, over which she wore slender cyan armor with chrome trims across her chest, shoulders and hips. Despite the high rank and warrior's heart, she was still the wet dream of many Sangheili who still attained seats in the high council. Even some of the Prophets in the high council had expressed their attraction towards her. She had rejected them all, automatically warding off also the warriors under her command. She was not interested in relationships. She was only interested in doing her job. And her job right now was to report to the Prophet Hierarchs in the council chamber.
She halted at a pair of tall ornamental doors at the end of the high roofed hall. A single Jiralhanae stepped behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Tensing her muscles and clicking her mandibles dangerously, Zara shook the brute's hand off her. The Jiralhanae growled, and then stepped back as the doors opened. As soon as the opening was wide enough, Zara stepped through. She did not want to be among those vile creatures for much longer.
Once inside the chamber, the doors slid shut again. Inside was quiet. The far wall was a transparent showing the massive ring world outside and in the centre of the room was a pedestal emitting a soft blue glow. Hovering around the pedestal were two Prophets dressed in robes, wearing large headgear.
As she approached, two black armored spec ops Sangheili brushed past, heading for the door. Whatever business they had with the Hierarchs was obviously over. The lead Sangheili quickly identified Zara and gave a formal nod, before continuing on. The Junior Commander swore she heard one of the Prophets sigh and mutter 'Politics. How tiresome.'
Zara halted by the nearest, Prophet dropped to one knee and bowed. "Noble Hierarchs Will and Hope. You ordered my presence?"
"Yes, lady 'Sofidee." Will spoke as both Prophets turned around. "Did you know, the Sangheili have threatened to step down from the council? To quit the covenant because of this..." he paused, looking at the two Jiralhanae ceremonial guard who stood at the side of the room in silence. "This exchange of hats?"
"We have always been your sworn protectors." Zara stated.
"True." Hope replied. "But these are... trying times."
"The rumors are true then." Zara whispered. "A demon has killed a Hierarch?"
"Sadly, yes." Hope said with some regret. "But do not lose hope. With the Jiralhanae guarding us, no more harm will come upon a Hierarch."
"Then what use are we?" Zara demanded.
"Of great use, commander 'Sofidee." Will said, turning to the scene outside.
Through the transparent wall, Zara found herself looking at a huge ring floating in space. Its outside was mechanical, metal and artificial. But on the inside she made out water, land and mountains, even clouds.
"Behold, halo, one of the holy rings!" Hope exclaimed. "Its divine wind will rush through the stars and propel all those who are worthy along it's the true path. The Great Journey!"
Zara stared in awe. It was her life's journey. The Great Journey. A cause worth dying for.
"But to start the great journey we need an icon. The holy index." Will turned to look at Zara. "Our troops on halo have uncovered a structure called the library. We want you to scout inside with your Rangers and find the index."
Zara bowed. "It would be an honor, noble Hierarchs."
The doors shut and Zara was gone. The two Prophets watched the doors until they glowed red, locked.
"You really think this is necessary?" Hope asked. "She is a very capable leader."
"Fear not, brother. We have many more commanders of equal standard." Will responded. "And after all." He added bitterly. "She is only a breeder..."
Holy Ring, Halo, Instillation 02
Junior Commander 'Sofidee mission recording
The Ranger squad was six strong. Six Sangheili Rangers was enough to reckon with any kind of resistance they would meet.
Zara paced along the Sangheili under her command. They all stared straight ahead, giving her a nod, one by one as she passed. Everyone present was silent. There was little that need to be said. They knew what their jobs were. Follow orders without question or hesitation. It was all they had to do. They did not need to know the details.
A voice suddenly spoke over the Phantom drop ship's intercom. "Leader!" it was the gruff and somewhat cocky voice of the Jiralhanae crew chief. "You'd best be careful." His smug voice was filled with mock worry. "I hear there have been reports of demons roaming the surface of halo."
"Of what do you speak?" Zara demanded.
"Human demons."
Zara let out a confident huff. "Demons are as mortal as you or I, brute."
The Jiralhanae scowled. He didn't like being called by the name given to his kind by the humans.
"That's not true though, milady." A soft voice said.
Zara turned her head and looked at a young officer who had just joined the team. Junior Officer 'Naf. Zara did not know his first name, nor did she see it very relevant. He was a promising warrior, and a respected leader among his ranks... even if he was a little over superstitious.
"What do you mean?" Zara asked.
"Demons." 'Naf said. "It is said they never die. They are immortal."
Zara let out a short laugh. "Well then, brother. When we meet one," She placed a slender hand on the Junior Officer's shoulder. "We may need to test that theory."
> Unknown alien ring world
> Spartan-G977 mission recording
> 2552
Scruffy was the first to jump out of the Pelican and landed up to his waist in muddy water. "Aw, man! Yuck!"
A Spartan behind Scruffy let out a 'Pee-yuuh!' as the rotting stench of the swamp passed through their helmets' air-scrubbers.
"Suck it up, Spartan." Petty Officer Watts shouted moving forward and leading the squad of twelve seventeen year old Spartan IIIs ahead.
"Okay, we'd better find out what the Covenant are looking for here." Chief Petty Officer Lee looked around the misty marshes of the swamp as they climbed up a bank. "Grey one, take your squad ahead and secure an area. We'll follow in five and secure your back."
"Sir!" Watts said, eager to go in first. "Scruffy, on my back. Reaper, Scud, Chips, take the middle. The rest of you kids take the rear." He led them out into the mist and green team disappeared in the haze behind them.
They cleared a gully and moved slowly. The diamond formation stopped in an instant as Watts ordered them to hold and wait patiently. Scruffy slumped against a rock, MA5B shouldered. There was no way to be sure if ahead was clear. The mist played havoc with his thermal vision and the bugs buzzing around his head threw off his motion tracker.
Moving slowly, and using deliberate hand movements, Watts signaled them to move. Silent and fast, the Spartan III kids spread out, sweeping the path. It was quiet. Too quiet. Then Scruffy saw something. Movement up ahead.
"Sir," he whispered into his mic. "A patrol of Grunts, twelve meters to the right flank and closing."
"Roger. Bomb burst. Zulu positions." Watts responded, tracing a small circle in the air with his right index finger.
Like ghosts the Spartans dispersed. One second they were there. The next they were not.
Slowly, four stocky, bow legged aliens with orange armor waddled into the clearing, completely unaware of what was about to happen...
Three coughs of suppressed weapons fire. Three Grunts hit the ground, flopping madly, methane and fluorescent blue blood squirting from their forms. One more remained. It panicked and tried to run. Scruffy jumped from a clump of ferns.
He kicked the alien in the chest, knocking it on its back. Placing a boot on the alien's front, the Spartan III tugged loose his silenced M6D and fired twice. Two magnum rounds tore into the alien's head and it stopped struggling.
"Clear." Scruffy whispered, holstering his pistol and shouldering his rifle.
"Okay, move it up!" Watts whispered as the Spartans emerged from their hiding places.
Sweeping left and right with their rifles, the kids whose armor was already covered in mud and grime moved out. Their footsteps were muffled by the patter of rain that fell from above. Thick drops of water obliterated across their matte black armored forms, splashing across their golden visors and running down their rifles.
After humping across the unrelenting terrain for fifteen minutes, something materialized through the thick fog. A large grey building.
It was majestic, like a cathedral built into the hill face. Chips took Scruffy's left flank, creeping through a bunch of ferns as they approached the gaping entrance. The Spartans halted, dropping to crouches, weapons sweeping left and right.
"Reaper," Watts ordered after a short pause. "Wait here for green team, then get your ass inside."
Reaper' acknowledgement light blinked green on their HUDs.
Watts led the rest into the building. It was cavernous, with a huge elevator in the centre. They all stood on the circular pad and Chips went to the controls.
"How do you work this?" he asked, and Scruffy roughly pushed him aside, tapping the holographic display.
Instantly, the platform moved, grinding off its supports, rising a little, then dropped into the ground. Wind whipped at the Spartans as they crouched, bringing their guns to bear. They could be dropping into a trap. The elevator halted and they were in a room similar to the first. They waited a full thirty seconds, nodded at each other, and then moved forward into the network of tunnels.
Junior Commander 'Sofidee mission recording
Zara looked across the elongated room. It consisted of two levels. An upper gantry running along two of the walls opposite each other. The sides were slanting outwards and the ceiling had some circles of light glowing brightly down on them. Between the two gantries was a bridge made of light. It was exactly the same as the last. Frustrated, she kicked a wall.
They had been in this maze for a cycle now. First they had gotten lost in the foul swamp, now they were lost in ancient facility miles underground.
"I tire of this rat's maze." She barked, and 'Naf nodded in agreement.
"A whole cycle and still no sighting on our objective." He sighed. "I believe we should extract and run some thermal scans before returning."
"I agree." She looked around and barked: "Warriors! Form up!"
The group of Rangers formed in the centre of the light bridge.
"Warriors, we are lost." Zara announced. "I have little will left to continue our goal-less chase. We will pull out and run some scans before..."
"You won't have to do that, commander." A smug, gruff voice announced.
Zara looked up and scowled at what she saw. Jiralhanae with red plasma rifles leveled emerged from the shadows on both sides of the room. They stood on both gantries; their leader standing by the bridge controls. The Sangheili were trapped.
The Jiralhanae leader was bigger than the others, with a white mane, carrying a Needler in one hand, and a large hammer in the other.
"What are you doing here, brute?" Zara spat.
"Is it not obvious?" the chieftain laughed. "I am here to get the index for the Prophets."
Zara gripped her plasma rifles tighter in each hand as she took two steps forward. "The holy icon is my responsibility!"
"Not anymore." The chieftain said slowly, with a smug grin. "We brought you to the wrong structure to die..." the smug grin extended to a smug smile. "Breeder..."
All of the Sangheili under Zara's command snarled dangerously, taking combat positions, each leveling their dual plasma rifles. Treachery was one thing, but insulting their leader was something far worse.
"When the Hierarchs hear of this treachery, brute," Zara snarled. "They will have your head!"
The chieftain let out a loud laugh that sent a cold chill down Zara's spine. "Fool." He lowered his voice to a harsh whisper. "They ordered me to do it."
Before the Sangheili could react, the chieftain swung his hammer around and slammed it into the control panel. The bridge flickered and died.
Zara cried out as she fell with her warriors. They dropped ten feet and hit the deck flat out. Their shields flickered and died. They were vulnerable. The twelve Jiralhanae moved in for the kill.
Acting quickly, for her own and the sake of her warriors, Zara rolled to her feet, snapped up her weapons and activated her jetpack. The rest did the same. With a whoosh of air, Zara span into the air, banking towards the nearest exit, guns blazing. Blue plasma licked the air and slammed into the nearest brutes. Their thick shaggy fur protected them as they returned fire. Their red bolts of plasma went wild, scorching the ground and walls. Landing in a low crouch beside the exit, Zara pushed her warriors through the doorway, her weapons still let loose on the enemy. As soon as the last warrior went through, Zara hopped back, plasma licking across her shield.
'Naf hit the door controls as the Jiralhanae jumped from the gantry to give chase. The door didn't budge.
Cursing, 'Naf dropped his weapons and drawing his energy sword. In a burst of energy, the blade came to life in his hand as he looked back to his commander. "Go! I shall deal with these profanities!" with that he charged out at the beasts.
"You heard him!" Zara barked. "Move."
The Sangheili hesitated a second longer, then started to run down the winding halls. Zara paused, and looked out the doorway. 'Naf sliced down one Jiralhanae as it pounded out his shield. The chieftain fired his Needler. The Junior Officer took a chest full of pink rounds that exploded seconds later. His chest strewn open, 'Naf hit the deck. That was all she saw.
Praying for her fallen brother in arms, Zara did not grieve him. She envied him. 'Naf should be getting his first glimpse of the afterlife by now.
> Spartan-G977 mission recording
Scud stood over the dead Elite and nudged it with his foot. Elites were big, about 8' 6" tall at full height, stood a little hunched and had hooves for feet. Their armor was sleek and came in different colors ranging from colors depending on rank and specialty. The one here was cyan, with a jetpack, indicating he was a Covenant Ranger. Elite heads were strangely reptilian, beady eyes and their jaws split grotesquely four ways, revealing lines of hooked teeth. This one in question was on the ground, chest blown out from the inside, his purple blood splattered everywhere.
"It's weird right?" Scud said holding his rifle high. "I mean, just look at him. Something blew his freaking chest open." He nudged the dead Elite again while Chips looked around the elongated room.
Despite their hidden faces, by the way he moved, Scruffy could tell they were nervous. He felt exactly the same. He saw blue blood from the Elite strewn everywhere, but also black blood. That meant that there had been Brutes in the area. Brutes were bad.
"Huh." Watts huffed. "Needler?"
"Could have been friendly-fucked." Scruffy suggested.
"Could be." Scud said, smirking at the friendly-fire slang term. It seemed to ease the tension slightly. "But what do you think they were firing at?"
A few awkward glances.
Meanwhile, Reaper walked up with green one, Lee.
"What have we got here, boys?" the Chief asked.
"Bad-ass Elite Ranger dude!" Scruffy reported. "KIA."
"Just the one, sir." Scud added.
"Real pretty." Lee looked down at the dead Elite. "Is this your prom date, Scruffy?"
"Ugh! No sir!" Scruffy shuddered, seeing the similarities between an actual prom date and this Elite. "We just met..."
The base seemed deserted as the Spartan party of six moved on. They didn't meet any more corpses, no more blood, and no more signs of battle. Things were too quiet for the Spartan IIIs.
There was Chief Petty Officer Lee, Scruffy, Reaper, Petty Officer Watts, Scud and Chips. The rest of the Spartans stayed up top to secure their exit. The squad stood outside a sealed hatch at the very bottom of the facility.
"Well, let's get this door open." Lee said as the Spartans took cover positions.
Scruffy tapped the controls and was met by an arrogant beep. He tried disabling the lock the easy way, and was met by the same beep.
"I dunno sir," the Spartan III said. "Looks like the Covvies locked it down pretty tight. Maybe we should..."
"Just do it son." The Chief persisted.
"Um... okay sir." Scruffy pulled a box out of a pouch on his belt and latched it to the door. He tapped a few keys and waited. A few seconds later, the lights on the door lit up green and it slid aside.
The Spartans snapped up their weapons and looked into the long room. Scruffy nodded and blinked his green acknowledgement light twice. Everyone fell in and crept left, securing the area. Scruffy and Reaper took the rear, securing the team's back.
"Nobody home." Chips said.
Scruffy and Reaper moved out, securing Chips' left flank. Everybody's weapons remained shouldered.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Scud said worried.
"Boy!" Watts yelled. "You always have a bad feeling about something..." radio chatter interrupted him.
"Sir," the garbled voice yelled. "Grey four..." gunfire. "We need backup... lots..."
"Grey four?" Watts said gripping the side of his helmet where his earpiece was. "What's your problem?"
"We're being attacked!" the Spartan yelled over the SquadComm. "There not Covenant... what the fuck... aaaaaaah!" the line died and all they got was white noise.
Scruffy tried to get a link to the rear guards' bio-monitors, but there was too much interference.
"Grey four?" Watts yelled. "Grey four! Dammit, Scud, get your ass up to grey four's position and find out what's going on!"
"But..." Scud said looking around, rifle leveled.
"Don't give me your lip, Spartan!" Watts yelled. "I gave you a direct order!"
"Sir!" Scud shouted, not checking his attitude. "Listen!"
Scruffy raised his head and heard a soft scratching sound, like chittering of millions of insects.
"Where is that coming from, Scud?" Watts demanded.
"I don't... there!" he shouted, pointing at a door, which was being hammered against heavily.
'Bang!'
Large dents appeared in the door as it was battered violently.
'Crash!'
The door burst outward, throwing bits of metal across the Spartans. They recovered, aiming at it, but the attack came from somewhere else...
Reaper cried out, and Scruffy turned to see his fellow Spartan had something fall on his head. The small mushroom like, squid thing latched onto the Spartan's back and drove spindly hooked tentacles into the screaming boy's neck. Whatever it was, it was clever. It drove jagged feelers between the armor, penetrating the soft rubber seal between the helmet and the rest of the suit. The Spartan dropped, and Scruffy grabbed the squid thing. Reaper went into convulsions as Scruffy attempted to pull the thing off.
"Hold still! Hold still!" Scruffy finally pulled it off, but it latched onto his lower arm and slid its tentacles up past his elbow. "Aaaah, get the fuck off me!"
The creature crawled onto his shoulder and rammed its feelers into his back. The jagged ends slithered through a slit in the armor that allowed Scruffy to move comfortably and penetrated the skin. Scruffy cried out, stumbling back.
The Spartan twisted around and ran into the wall, crushing the thing, causing the freak to pop like a balloon. The remains splattered to the ground and Scruffy pulled the feelers out of his skin and tossed them aside. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain, Scruffy snatched up his MA5B from the ground beside the dead Spartan, Reaper. He checked his internal computer link to Reaper' vitals. They were flat.
"Fuck! Reaper is down!"
Then the real attack began. Looking up in horror, Scruffy saw hundreds, even thousands more of the little critters pour out of the blown out door, crawling along the ground and up the walls along the ceiling, dropping all around the Spartans like mottled green rain.
"Hit them!" Watts said, and all the Spartans obeyed.
They were surrounded, their bullets tearing apart each of the freaks, causing them to pop and cause a chain reaction, popping other nearby freaks. But for every one that died, two seemed to take its place. The Spartans had to reload, and the freaks streamed closer.
"Okay let's think about this!" Lee yelled, firing into the stream of freaks.
"Scud, get back here!" Watts shouted as Scruffy looked up to see Scud bolt out of the room and seal the door behind him.
"Son of a... Chips!" Scruffy yelled as a creature latched onto Chips.
The Spartan screamed as the creature drove three tentacles into his neck, and slowly ripped the skin apart like paper. Then the creature persisted, crawling between the armor and under the boy's skin. Scruffy had to do something, anything to help the Spartan. Only one thing sprang to mind.
Fuck me. Scruffy thought as he snapped around and fired three shots. Three bullets tore past the stream of freaks and embedded into Chips' head, shattering his visor and putting the screaming Spartan out of his misery. "Dammit, Chief, what do we do!"
"I'm thinking... aaaaah!"
Scruffy snapped up his eyes to see a creature latch onto Lee' chest and rip his throat open, crawling under the Chief's armor. Before Scruffy could react, Watts cried out and three creatures latched onto him, pinning him down, each successively penetrating the chinks in his armor with their serrated feelers.
"Get out!" Watts yelled before he cried out, convulsions taking over his body.
"Shit!" Scruffy yelled as he swept left and right, finger never leaving the trigger. Muzzle flares lit up his visor as he backed against the door, gun-spitting armor piercing bullets at the incoming freak shows. Lowering his half empty gun, Scruffy desperately bashed at the control panel. That arrogant beep again. "Damn! Fuck you Scud!"
The door didn't budge, and the Spartan III snapped up his gun again, pushing back the freaks under a hail of fifteen bullets.
"If I die, Scud I'm going to fucking haunt you, bitch!" the Spartan cried as the creatures leapt at him.
Scruffy rolled sideways and landed on his feet, running along the adjacent wall, passing out the carpet of creatures to his left. As he ran he slapped a new clip into his MA5B and racked it with a satisfying 'cha-chick'. He skidded to a halt at the door on the far side of the room and looked over his shoulder to see the creatures close in. He tapped the controls desperately, saving his bullets. The Spartan's heart skipped as the door opened and he leapt in, landing flat out. The door sealed behind him and Scruffy heard the little bastards slam against it. The thudding persisted, and Scruffy hauled himself to one knee. Relieved, he let out a sigh and looked up. His eyes widened.
At the far end of the room stood no less than five Covenant Elites. He gritted his teeth. His grip tightened on his weapon. Each wore cyan armor. They were Rangers. Hard to kill muthas, because of their skill with dual wielded weapons and back mounted jetpacks. They had tough personal shields and were demons in hand to hand combat.
"Off the dinner plate..." Scruffy muttered. "And into the dog's bowl."
[Moments earlier]
Junior Commander 'Sofidee mission recording
Zara peeked around the corner and identified the clear hall. They had reached the bottom of the abandoned facility. She stepped into the open and padded to the doorway. It was open, the terminal pulsing green. Looking back, she saw the rest of her warriors form up.
"Milady." The rear guard said. "There is something coming. I can hear footsteps."
Zara nodded and tapped the controls. The terminal flashed and the doors slid open. She stepped into the room, closely followed by her warriors. She turned to the rear guard.
"Lock it down." She then walked into the centre of the long room, signaling the rest to spread out.
Looking around, she could see a few doors lining the elongated space, their terminals pulsing red light. They were locked down. The warrior to her right huffed.
"That stench." He grunted. "I've smelled it before."
Zara took a deep breath. Indeed, the stench that filled this space was vaguely familiar. "What is it?"
"Not mistakable, milady." The warrior said, holstering his plasma rifles on his hips. "That is the stench of rotting Unggoy."
Zara watched the warrior closely as he walked to one of the doors. Placing a hand on the frame, he tried to peer through the small windows.
'Thud!'
Startled, the Sangheili minor jumped back, hands on his weapons. Something struck the door in his face.
"What was that?" Zara demanded.
"I do not know, milady." The warrior looked up, drawing his weapons. "But it is not friendly. We should probably leave."
Raising her weapons to the sides of her face, Zara nodded in agreement. "I concur. The door?"
The rear guard warrior stood up straight, turning to his superior. "The beasts will not follow, milady."
"Good!" Zara nodded to the only unlocked door on the opposite end of their entrance to this room. "Move through there!"
Without hesitation, the Sangheili Rangers moved out. Weapons in firing positions, they fell through the door and into another room similar to the last, the rear guard sealing it behind them. As Zara cleared the room with her fellow warriors, the last Sangheili attempted to lock the door down.
This new room was similar to the last, but lacked the doors running along it. It had one other door, and merely served as a wide hallway. The ground was made of some kind of extremely thick, brown tinted glass, the walls slanted slightly outward as they rose.
"Milady." The rear guard said, standing. "I cannot lock this door."
"Do not worry." Zara said. "We'll keep moving and put as much distance as we ca..." she didn't get to finish.
It met all their ears. Shouting and arguing. Distressed calls in human tongue, then gunfire. The 'ratatat' of human projectile weapons was unmistakable as the Sangheili backed away from the door they passed through seconds ago.
"You said you locked the door thoroughly." Zara said in a low whisper.
"For Jiralhanae." The rear guard whispered back. "But humans have ways of bypassing systems, even I cannot prevent."
Weapons raised, they backed to the other end of the hall. They heard screams, crashing, more gunfire, then everything went quiet. Zara listened. Footsteps. Someone was running.
Then the door slid open a figure dove through and the hatch sealed behind it. Zara stared at the figure as something thudded into the door behind it. Slowly, the tall and skinny armored figure rose to one knee, gripping a rifle in one hand. Letting out a sigh, he looked up slowly and stared through a gold tinted visor. Zara hadn't expected this. She had expected something bigger, heavier, stronger looking. Despite the black armor that covered his form and bulked him out slightly, this human looked small and frail for a soldier. Despite that, she still recognized him for what he was. He was a legendary human soldier. A 'Spartan'. She knew him as a demon.
The other Sangheili raised their weapons, unsure of what to do. Zara spun her plasma rifles on her index fingers and holstered them on her sleek hips in one elegant move. Raising a hand, the Rangers lowered their weapons, but attained a combat ready stance. Gingerly, Zara took two steps forward. She was now separated from the demon by three meters.
Switching on her English translator, Zara was the first to speak as the demon rose to his feet. "Do not fight us, human."
"My interest is only to survive, Elite." The demon said in a young, cocky voice, muffled slightly by his helmet. When she heard his accent, Zara found herself secretly amused. It sounded fairly odd to her. "Step aside..." he raised his rifle into a firing position. "Or I'm sending you on a special 'Great Journey'."
"There is no need for this." Zara continued, her voice as kind as it could go. "We were betrayed by our own. A pack of what you call 'Brutes'. Our interests are also merely survival. We should help each other."
The human lowered his weapon, staring through his visor. Obviously he was wondering whether to trust them or not. The hammering continued behind him.
"You have my word of honor." Zara said softly. "You will not be harmed by me," she nodded to her fellow soldiers. "Or my warriors."
The human suddenly looked up, his head slightly cocked. "Okay, split-face. I'm game." He raised a hand to his forehead and gave what humans called a 'salute'. "Spartan-G977, Nathan Matthews. You can call me Scruffy."
> Spartan-G977 mission recording
Scruffy hated to admit it, but he was surprised. He'd never seen, or heard a female Elite before. It was strangely funny. Her figure reminded him of a human woman, but she was still recognizable as an Elite to the casual eye. He couldn't help smile in amusement.
Then he wondered if he could trust this lot. A verse from an age old song popped into his head. One of his favorites.
I'm cautious of who I would call a friend.
Who you acquaint is who you are.
The darkest hours are when we choose a side.
So make your pick and take a fall.
The Elite swore on her honor that he would not be harmed. That was enough for Scruffy, and he agreed, introducing himself. His chances of survival would double with this lot on his side.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Behind his visor, Scruffy smirked. The thought amused him somehow.
A sudden crash made his heart jolt. Looking back, Scruffy saw the door he just jumped through get bashed inward by the monsters behind him. He gritted his teeth, turning back to the Elites.
"What is that, demon?" an Elite in the background demanded.
"Those?" Scruffy sighed, thinking of what had happened moments ago. "Those would be the real demons."
Another elongated room with a light bridge. They crossed the bridge and were about to enter the next hall when a scream echoed through the space. Scruffy span around, rifle in one hand. One of the Elites was still standing on the bridge, and the light faded. Scruffy stared as he disappeared from view. Quickly, the Spartan jumped forward and looked down. The alien was lying on his back, stunned, shields dead and surrounded by... things.
They were humanoid, skin rotting and falling from their bones. Tentacles sprouted grotesquely from their shoulders, and they screeched with rotting vocal chords. One looked up and Scruffy's eyes widened with horror. Looking through the cracked helmet, the broken visor, Scruffy stared into a disfigured human face.
"Chips?" he whispered.
The form that was once a Spartan III screeched and they all looked up. Whatever had attacked the Spartans had infected them and were now using them as hosts for combat forms. Two started ripping into the screaming Elite, while the other two leapt with impossible grace.
Scruffy and the other Elites jumped back, weapons to bear as the creatures landed in front of them. They were too slow.
One grabbed an Elite and threw him off the gantry with in-human strength, then slammed its thick, slimy tentacles into another. The Elite grunted and slammed into a wall. There was a sickening crack and the warrior landed beside Scruffy, dead.
The Spartan fired. He sprayed the nearest creature with sixty rounds and the weapon clicked. Flinching off each bullet, it took an awkward step backwards. It was off balance and teetering on the edge. Scruffy saw his chance and lashed out with a kick. An armored boot landed in the creature's chest, launching it back. Looking up, Scruffy saw the female Elite let loose both her rifles on the remaining creature. The plasma seemed to have no affect.
Scruffy glanced around as the creature stepped closer to his last remaining ally. Reloading would be too slow, and he guessed if a full MA5B clip didn't do any damage, his pistol would do nothing. If only he could knock it back. Maybe he could. These things seemed very badly balanced, despite their agility.
Scruffy didn't think twice. He charged. Dropping onto his rear, sparks erupted from his armor as he slid into the creature, one foot raised. He landed his boot in the thing's stomach, causing it to double over, and then lashed out with his other foot in a wide arc. His boot made contact with its mangled face, launching the creature backwards. It screamed out loud and fell backward off the gantry. The others looked up, ready to jump up for their prey.
"Run!" Scruffy yelled, rolling to his feet.
The female Elite didn't hesitate and led the way through the doorway. Scruffy followed closely, dropping something behind him.
The first disfigured Spartan III leapt up and landed right on the grenade. It exploded.
The doors ahead were all open, and two reached an elevator room without trouble. They quickly mounted the circular pad and the Elite hit the holographic panel. The elevator grinded and shot upward. As they ascended, Scruffy heard the Elite commander sigh deeply. Looking across the pad, rifle stock still deep in his shoulder, he saw the female Elite hang her head.
Slowly he wandered over. "Are you okay?" he asked.
The Elite looked down at her rifles; identified one was empty and tossed it down. With another sigh, she nodded.
"Good. We're almost out of here." Scruffy said.
As they glode upward, the two faced fluorescent blood of both Elites and humans stain the walls. That was not helping their spirits. Scruffy swallowed, seeing red streaks along the walls. At least some of the Spartans had made it this far. What was waiting for them top side though? He reloaded his weapon. He wanted to be ready when they found out.
As if to answer him, his radio sprang to life. "This is Spartan Whiskey, five-nine-seven, Learn, is anyone there?" a female voice said over the radio. "Does anyone read, over?"
"This is Spartan Golf, nine-seven-seven, Scruffy here." Scruffy replied. "I read you five by five."
"Scruffy, where are the other Spartans? I'm not reading them with you." Learn said, her cool voice not faltering.
Scruffy hung his head, somewhat sadly, the deaths of his teammates hurting now. "They're... mark them MIA for me, Learn."
There was a disturbing pause. "Roger that, Scruffy." Learn said. "We're waiting at the top."
"Good." Scruffy leveled his rifle, just in case.
"What is it?" the Elite asked.
"Some of my comrades are waiting for us top side." Scruffy explained.
The elevator halted and Scruffy faced two Spartans, looking like they had been to hell and back. Their armor was battered up and stained with green and red blood.
Scruffy lowered his rifle and stepped off the elevator, followed closely by the Elite.
"Whoa..." the first Spartan, a girl Scruffy's age said, gripping her shotgun tighter.
"Easy, Learn." Scruffy said. "She's cool. Some necessary muscle."
"She?" the other Spartan was a boy, the same age. Scruffy recognized the voice, as that belonging to Lance, grey four. His visor was cracked, covered in blood and he gripped a battered MA5B.
"Okay." Scruffy started pointing out everybody, running a mental head-count. "Learn, Lance. I'm Scruffy." He pointed at the Elite. "I... never got your name."
"Zara 'Sofidee, Junior Commander." The Elite said.
"That's nice." Learn said sarcastically.
"If we're going to get out of here, we're going to have to work together." Scruffy snapped. "Is that understood?"
There was an awkward pause. Zara was the first to nod.
Quickly, the other two Spartans nodded. "We're with you, sir." Learn said.
"Good. Now gimme a sit, rep." Scruffy said as they huddled.
Lance sighed. "We were jumped by these... these..." he paused to think. "Things." He said finally for lack of better word. "We set up camp here and read some kind of power spike north."
"We sent two Spartans to scout. They radioed back to say they found some kind of new structure, but after that we never heard from them again." Learn said.
Scruffy thought hard.
"A structure?" Zara asked. "What sort of structure?"
Lance shrugged. "Some kind of tower, ma'am." He spoke to her like he would to a civilian, or what Lance called, a swabbie. "We guessed it could provide some shelter."
"No." the Elite said. "I was not thinking of shelter. This power spike. If I had enough power for my communications device I could signal for a ship."
"That's nice for you." Learn said. "But what about us?"
"I could do the same for you."
Learn stared, then nodded. "That's nice, but are there any plans that don't involve blindly crossing three clicks of harsh and hostile terrain."
Scruffy stared through his visor, and then laughed. "I'm excited about this plan!" he cried. "I can't wait to be a part of it!"
The two other Spartans shrugged. "Um... okay..."
The tower was like a pumping station, huge metal pipes sticking out of it, a well-lit tower on its peak. It was like a very big beacon.
Scruffy dropped to one knee and fired at an incoming human combat form. The creature flinched off several bullet wounds before dropping under a spray of green spongy particles. Scruffy turned and faced the other two Spartans who fired, crying out.
"Shit!" Learn yelled as a combat form was thrown back by a shotgun blast to the gut. "This is too hard!"
Lance sprinted ahead mowing down little infectious forms to clear some sort of path. Zara snapped up her rifle, spraying incoming combat forms with white hot plasma while the two Spartans neared the structure.
"Crap." Scruffy swiveled as an infection form latched onto Learn, causing the Spartan to scream and run into the mist. It was the last he ever saw of her.
The other Spartan screamed as a combat form leapt onto him and started goring his chest. Scruffy snapped around and nailed them both. Lance stopped moving.
Panting hard, Scruffy pressed his back against one of the cold pipes and fired at the darting shadows all around. Zara slammed into the pipe beside him. Her shields flickered as an infection form burst on her energy barrier.
"Scruffy!"
The Spartan looked over his shoulder at the Elite. His nickname sounded funny coming from her. She was by a door into the main tower. It was open and she stepped in. Scruffy backed in after her, his weapon spraying an incoming combat form. The mangled human form leapt forward, ignoring half the vital organs it left behind. Scruffy sprayed upward, slicing off an arm, but it kept coming. Lashing out, the creature struck the Spartan in the chest with a pair of tentacles. Scruffy flew backwards through the doorway, his MA5B falling from his hand. Seconds later he slammed into a console inside the tower. Zara stepped in the doorway, rifle leveled. She pulled the trigger and sprayed the combat form's face with plasma. It screeched and fell back. Zara struck a control panel and the smooth doorway slid in place.
Inside the tower was fairly cramped. Perfectly cylindrical with power conduits running upwards. Lights blinked, bathing the space in a soft purple light. A barrier of light appeared over the door as Zara tapped the door controls some more.
"That should keep the monsters out." She gave what must have passed as a grin.
Scruffy didn't respond. Zara spun around and faced a smashed console. The only console in the five meter radius space. Where Scruffy had smashed into the computer, it had obliterated and sparks erupted from the damaged circuit boards. The Spartan was on the ground, groaning lightly. Zara dropped beside him, touching his side. She felt something wet and warm. She lifted her hand and saw crimson fluid trickle from between his armor plates.
The barely conscious human lifted his head, but flopped back down as the darkness closed in.
Junior Commander 'Sofidee mission recording
Figuring out how to remove the human's armor was easy enough. It was similar to hers. Black clothes over which the black plates were fitted. She pulled off his torso armor first and applied pressure to the wound on the human's back. With that done she removed his helmet. Zara got a surprise she knew she would never forget.
This human, this 'demon' was not a man, or a soldier. It was a boy, a mere child. He had a young face, short and messy black hair and a slim frame. He didn't look like a soldier at all.
Opening his jacket, Zara pulled it off and rolled him on his front. His skin was dead pale. Possibly the price to pay for being it this armor of his for so long. When she inspected his back she got another surprise. Along his back, engraved in the skin were long thin scars. Ten of them, crisscrossing over each other. On the left side of his back was a deep cut. Rummaging through the objects in the pouches the human wore, Zara found a length of gauze and started to dress the wound. It took her about a minute until she was finished. It as all she could do really. Until he regained consciousness, if at all, Zara would be alone.
She leaned against the wall beside him and sighed. Inside this tower was warm. Stifling hot. Probably thanks to all the electronics in here. She had nothing to do. She couldn't carry out her initial plan because the console she needed was obliterated. Looking down she saw sweat glistening on the human's skin. He twitched a few times.
'Poor boy.' She sighed. 'The rest of his armor is probably cooking him.'
Reaching forward, she removed the rest of his armor down to his combat trousers and socks. She left it at that. Zara could predict he'd be shy about being stripped.
Now she was starting to feel the heat of this space to affect her too. Looking up she could see three slits in the ceiling. Some water dripped down every few minutes and splattered into a small pool in the centre of the space. Despite the air supply it was still extremely hot. They would probably cook before they starved to death in here. They couldn't go out. Zara's rifle was empty; the human had lost his and all they had left was the human's side arm.
Slowly, Zara started to remove her own armor. First her shoulders, then her lower arms. She then removed the chest and back part, tossing the pieces beside those belonging to the human. Proceeding, she removed the armor plates from her hips and the rest of her legs, until she sat there with just an olive green jumpsuit on. Despite the fact it was extremely thin, she still felt sweat soak her. She undid the front and opened the skin tight suit down to her chest, keeping her modesty covered.
Sighing, she leaned back, pulling off her sleek helmet and putting it on the ground beside her. She was so warm, the sweat trickling down her skin, tickling at her. She swallowed, her left hand roaming down her slender body. Quickly she glanced at the human boy beside her. He stirred, but stayed unconscious. Her hand ran down further until it reached the area between her legs.
Her fingers started to rub gently. Zara let out a low moan as a wave of pleasure rolled up her body. Her eyes slowly shut as she enjoyed the movements her fingers made. The soft rubbing, the sweat trickling down her skin... absentmindedly her right hand reached out, the tips of her fingers touching the human's face.
Opening her eyes in shock, Zara removed her hand from her crotch and pulled in all her limbs. As she was touching herself an image of the human laying unconscious beside her popped into her fantasy. An image of him lying with her, caressing her....
Zara shook her head. What was happening? All the worthy males, all the great warriors, the aristocrats, the powerful commanders she had met and rejected, and she was falling for a child? A human child of all things!
Zara looked at the boy. She couldn't resist. She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair. He was handsome, he was a great warrior. He wasn't as powerful as the other warriors she had met, but this one had something... something different. Was it his strange personality? The accent that amused her so? His funny name?
The human stirred and his eyes fluttered open. They were bright, shiny metal grey. Zara had looked into the eyes of many humans, but had never seen a pair such as this. They darted faster than her own could, the pupils adjusted instantly to the changes of light, and they shined brilliantly, as if they were lit from the inside.
Slowly the boy sat up and moaned. He looked around.
"What happened..." he paused as he remembered. Then, blushing, he looked down. "Uhm...I'll rephrase. What happened to my jacket?"
Zara reached out, grabbed the discarded matte black jacket and handed it to him. "It was warm." She explained. "I thought you'd be more comfortable without."
The human sat back and covered himself with the jacket as if it was a blanket. In his expression, Zara could see he agreed with her reasoning.
"That's okay, but why take off..." he flinched and ran a hand over the bandage on his back. "Ah... now I see." He sighed and looked up. He was still blushing. "Um... thank you."
Zara nodded. "Any time."
She was staring at him. The human was staring back.
"Is... something wrong?" he said slowly.
'Damn.' Zara looked away, cursing herself. "No... I... I'm sorry... I was just..." she looked back at him. "I was just wondering where the scars on your back came from."
The human boy stared puzzled for a second before he remembered. "Oh. Those. Let's just say, it's a harsh lesson about teamwork, that I learnt eventually." He let out a meek smile. "But, you can't read the story of my life and skip to the middle page, if you know what I mean."
Zara shook her head. "Sorry. I'm not sure I do."
The human stared, then laughed. "That's okay. It was a terrible joke anyway." He looked up and around. "So, are we stuck in here and about to die?"
Zara nodded. "I'm afraid so."
The human shook his head. "Ah well... It's like my father once told me before he died. We were living in England at a time. He used to say, you can die happily as long as you know you've spent your life, and not wasted it..." The human stopped dead and looked up to Zara who was listening intently.
The human suddenly started to laugh disbelievingly.
Zara shrugged. "What is wrong? Please continue." She urged, wanting to hear more.
"No, it's just..." he paused. "I've never mentioned anything about my past to anyone. And then I start talking to you and..." he trailed off. "It's just funny. That's all." He cleared his throat. "So, how about you. Do you have a family of your own?"
Zara paused for a second, and then hung her head. "No. Not of my own."
"No husband? Kids? Boyfriend?"
"No. I've never had a male in my life." Zara said sadly.
"Oh." The human sighed. "I've been kind of the same."
Zara snapped her head up, staring in disbelief. The human caught the look and blushed.
"No, I didn't mean..." he stammered. "I... not with... no, I mean... like, I've never had a girlfriend." He forced out.
Zara let out a breath of relief. She didn't know why though. "Oh." She gave what was known to her kind as a smile. "I thought so."
Looking around, Zara hesitated. She wanted to ask something of the human, but wasn't sure if she should... or could.
"Uhm..." she paused. "Human?"
The human looked up confuse. "You can call me Scruffy..." he assured. "Or Nathan if you prefer."
"Nathan." Zara said softly.
He nodded. "Yes."
"Could you do me a favor?"
Scruffy looked at her for a second, then nodded. "Sure. What is it?"
"I..." she sighed. "I've never been close to a male before. I was wondering. Would you sleep with me?"
> Spartan-G977 Mission Recording
Scruffy blinked, goalless for a while. He then looked at the door, then at Zara. She was serious. Maybe she didn't quite get the context of 'sleep with' right. Maybe she just meant lay beside her.
Still, it was a little awkward for him. Nobody had ever asked that of him. But at the same time he thought, what harm could it do.
Scruffy grinned. "Sure."
He shuffled closer to her as she slid down onto her back. Lying beside him, Zara wrapped an arm under him and around his waist, snuggling close to the human. She rested her head on his chest as Scruffy looked up at the ceiling. All he could do is sit and wait. Outside the sounds of the creatures gathering was getting louder. Rain started to batter the shell of the building. Sweat matted his hear and trickled across his skin. He could feel her jumpsuit was soaked with her own sweat, the same way Scruffy's clothes were. Against his better judgment he tossed aside his jacket. It was somewhat of a relief, but not much. It was still stifling.
Zara sighed, and moved slightly. At first it didn't register, but then he felt one of her legs wrap around him. Her free hand roamed up and down his body, her fingers gently tracing every curve along his body.
Scruffy swallowed and looked at Zara. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. Her own eyes looked like they were smiling at him, despite the emotion on her alien face that the human couldn't read.
Normally he would have described her kind as fuck-ugly, but right now, thanks to her shining eyes, Zara looked strangely attractive, and it scared Scruffy. She had a nice body, her voice was pleasant, her kindness showed in the way she offered an alliance when they first met, and the way she bandaged him up when she found out he was hurt. She was different from the rest of the Covenant. She was better.
"What are you doing?" Scruffy asked unsure as Zara sat up, slowly straddling his waist.
One of her hands was still stroking his back while the other fumbled at the zip of her suit. She slowly drew it downwards as far as it would, sliding it down over her shoulders. Scruffy couldn't help but stare. His mind was screaming 'no!', while his body told him 'yes!'.
"I have never been with any male... any man in any way." She leaned forward and stroked the side of her face across Scruffy's cheek. "If these are the last moments I spend in this world, I want to spend them with you, Nathan Matthews."
Scruffy swallowed then looked away. "Look. You don't have to..."
"I want to." Zara continued. "I know I'm not exactly what you would call beautiful..."
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Scruffy said slowly, looking up. "I guess I never actually understood what that meant until now... Zara. Are you sure this really what you want?"
She looked down and nodded, her eyes smiling. "I am sure."
Scruffy processed this in his brain. It was... odd was an understatement, and freaky was just cruel. He pondered, but his brain wouldn't work. He was staring at her perfect physique. She was enchanting in a weird way. He wondered why he hadn't seen it before.
Suddenly the Spartan smiled up at her and propped himself up on his elbows. "Then I am sure as well." He kissed her on the 'cheek'. Even though she didn't actually have cheeks, Scruffy estimated the relative position, pecked her there and lay back down.
With practiced ease, Zara slipped fully out her clothing, aided by her sweat slick skin. Scruffy's hands opened his trousers, and before he got very far, Zara's helped. Sitting up, Scruffy started to kiss her neck, his hands roaming up and down her smooth and slender body, following each curve, every contour. Zara let out a breath, shutting her eyes slowly. Her breathing got faster, her excitement building with each second that ticked past.
Slowly, he felt her hands on his crotch, moving somewhat teasingly. Scruffy shut his eyes, forcing his heart and breathing to slow down a bit. If his blood pressure increased any more he feared he might explode. Her hand wrapped around his stiffening member, and with the most gentle movements and touch she pulled it loose from its prison. Scruffy could feel a rise in pleasure as she slowly moved her hand up and down, caressing him gently. He returned the favor, running his hand along her nether lips.
Zara gasped as she felt the attention no other had ever given her. She didn't want it to stop, but it did as the boy under her moved his hands back over her body. Her heart rate increased, chest rising and falling more rapidly. She wanted him... she needed him. She looked down and positioned her glistening wet lips over his stiff member. Slowly she started to lower herself.
Scruffy suddenly gasped, shutting his eyes as he felt every detail of the wet and slippery walls inside her, pressing all around, squeezing gently at him. Zara let out a moan, her eyes shut, a look of pleasure on her face, her mouth falling slightly open. Her hips continued to move down until they rested on his, and he was completely engulfed by her hot moist depths. Zara smiled, exhaling loudly as she started to move her hips, up and down, slowly and smoothly. She could feel herself spread with each thrust, and moaned softly with pleasure into the human's ear.
"Oooooh... it's so nice." She whispered, hardly coherent through her constant moans. Over her voice, Scruffy could hear the quiet wet squelching sounds his member moving in and out of her.
Scruffy was feeling pleasure unlike anything he had ever felt in his life. It was indescribable. His head span, his eyes were shut, his mouth open in a silent moan and he could feel a desperate need for release down below the waist.
She gripped him harder, milking him with every upward motion. Already Zara was getting ready to let loose. She could feel him throb as his manhood was pressed tight inside her spread flesh. She tilted her head back, mouth open, letting out a long moan of ecstasy.
"Uhn... hah, yes... yes... oh!" she let out, louder as she came.
Scruffy felt the wetness and heat intensify as her juices flowed down past his member, some escaping and running down the inside of her thigh. She squeezed harder on him, and the marine started to notice she was having trouble keeping up her movements. Mind overcome by pleasure, Zara desperately fought to keep going. She didn't want to disappoint the lovely human who allowed her this pleasure. She wanted desperately to make him feel good.
Scruffy moaned, slowly kissing and caressing Zara's body while she continued to ride him. His attention caused her heart and breathing rate to increase slowly, and he was sliding through her tight wet hole with more ease now, lubricated by her cum. With one hand; the human followed her slick and slender contours downward and stroked her rhythmically dancing hips. He felt wetness as Zara licked his cheek, moaning with continued pleasure.
"Oh, yes... its sooooo good..." she clenched harder around his member, not slowing her pace.
Scruffy grunted, feeling her milk him for every drop he contained. He was on the very edge of reality, teetering over an abyss of pleasure below. He teetered out of balance, and Zara gave one more hard thrust, impaling herself completely on his member. He fell, dropping into pleasure that racked his mind and body. Everything went blank, and that one moment, that one second in time seemed to last for an infinity, staring into her beautiful eyes, listening to her panting, her groans, feeling her soft breasts against his front, the flowing of her juices around his member.
They came at the same time, Zara crying out with her second orgasm. Scruffy felt his own seed leave him and spray into the Elite riding him. Zara continued to moan, feeling his seed warm her from the inside, spraying up into her inner depths. The human panted, dropping back to the ground, and Zara leaned forward, lying on his front.
After a short silence, interrupted only by pants and moans of the afterglow of pleasure, Zara turned her head, smiling at Scruffy.
"I don't know what to say, other than..." she paused, still breathing heavily, resting her head back onto his chest. "I... I love you, Nathan Matthews."
Scruffy smiled, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tight against him. There was a loud thud. Something struck the doorway into their den of bliss. The creatures outside had woken. The real demons were coming.
Another thud, and the two lovers tightened their embrace.
"I love you too, Zara 'Sofidee." Scruffy whispered softly. Was it really love? Scruffy would never find out. He had never been in love, but the feelings he felt for Zara right now had to be close. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to live and stay with her. If he had to, he would die for her.
Another thud, and the door started to creak, slowly breaking. The force field flickered, dying slowly. A Spartan's reflex should have been to reach for his weapon. The pistol was so close. Scruffy ignored it. The only one he was worried about right now was Zara. He didn't want to let her go. She didn't want to let him go. Their embrace tightened more as they lay in each other's arms, still connected as one flesh; waiting for death to do them part...
> Unexpected halt [KIA/WIA/Incap]???
> Automatic system override...
> Spartan-G977 Nathan 'Scruffy' Matthews registered as MIA...