Last Hope

Chapter Three

Everyone got settled into their rooms. Tucker's camp didn't look too big on the outside, but on the inside was a different story.  He had a nice little armory set up in one room, a gym in the next, and a nice little kitchen to store all the food in the next room.  It had looked like he could live here for years, and be in perfect condition to fight off the Covenant in a firefight by himself.  Clementine was sitting on her bed getting ready to go to sleep when Tucker walked in the room.

"Hey Clementine," he said. "You got a minute?"

"Yeah," she answered sitting up. "What's up? Something wrong?"

"No," he said "nothing's wrong. I'm just checking up on you, I haven't seen you in years.  How you been?"

"Fine," she said laying back down, facing away from him.

"Are you sure?" He said walking closer "you didn't eat much."

"Yeah," she said sitting up again "I wasn't very hungry, but I wanna know.  Why did you enlist?  You had a perfect life, family and friends cared about you."

"Well," he said hesitantly "I wanted to make sure those people that cared, would be protected and would survive without any troubles.  I wanted to enlist so you guys wouldn't have to, but obviously that didn't work seeing how you're here."

"I was chosen to come here," she said "I know the most about you, you shared things with me that you couldn't share with anyone else.  You told me about the thoughts you had, and whether or not you wanted them to be true.  I wanted to make sure you got out of here safely."

"Thanks, I guess," he said leaving "but I think I can handle myself, I'll leave you to get some sleep.  See you tomorrow morning.  Goodnight."

"Oh OK," she said laying down for the third time "goodnight."

Tucker walked around the camp one time to make sure everyone was settled in and going to sleep.  He found Sabre in the armory, he was checking all the weapons to see which one he wanted to use in the morning.

"See anything you like?" Tucker said smiling.

"I know you're joking," Sabre said "but yeah I really like the assault rifle.  Mind if I take it?"

"Go right ahead," Tucker said picking up a sniper rifle "I never really used any of these, I found myself drawn to one Covenant weapon in particular."

"What's that?" Sabre said.

"This," Tucker said pulling out a small bar.  He pressed a button on the side, bringing the weapon to life. "It's called an Energy Sword.  I don't know why, but I really like it.  The Brute leaders have a weapon kind of like this."

"Oh," Sabre said "it's that the gravity hammer, or something like it?"

"Yeah," Tucker said moving the sword around "that's it."

'"Nice," Sabre said putting the assault rifle on his back. "You mind if I take anything else?"

"No," Tucker said getting ready to leave "take anything you like, it'll be gone sometime.  I'm gonna head to bed, you should be doing the same."

"Yeah I know," Sabre said "when I finish up here, I'm gonna get some shut eye.  Goodnight sir." Sabre saluted.

"Don't do that," Tucker said "don't salute me and call me sir.  I'm just another guy, nothing else.  You got that?"

"Yeah," Sabre said putting his arm down "I get what you're saying.  Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Tucker said leaving. 

After he left he went to bed, and slept right through the night.  He was waken up by Sabre shouting.

"What the hell?" Sabre yelled followed by a loud thud "code red, blue team, code red!"

Tucker walked out of his room and saw Sabre with his assault rifle at the ready.

"What's going on?" Tucker asked.

"We've got a Covenant Elite in the camp," Chy said.  As she said that there was a loud thud on the closed door.

"What color was it?" Tucker asked.

"Does it matter?" Doc asked, seconds after he said it a blue elite burst through the door.  Tucker jumped in front of the elite blocking Sabre's shot.

"Hold your fire!" Tucker yelled. "He's on our side."

"What?" They all said in unison.

"You heard me," Tucker said "stand down."

Sabre lowered his rifle, keeping the safety off just for good measure.

"The elites have agreed to join our cause,"Tucker continued "they have learned the truth behind the halo rings.  They want to help us."

"Why should we trust them?" Noob said "we've fought for years, and now they wanna help us? I don't believe this one bit."

"Well believe it," the elite said in perfect English.

"What the hell," Clementine said.

"His name is junior," Tucker said "he's my son, and I taught him English he then spread it to the rest of the elites."

"Your son?" Doc said "how's that possible?"

"That's classified," Junior said.

Tucker smiled.  He was truly his son.

"So if you see an elite," Tucker said "do not engage it.  Only brutes, grunts, jackals, drones, and hunters. You got that?"

"Yeah," they all said.

"Good," Tucker said "cause we've got to get going, if we wanna reach the next outpost by nightfall.  Take some weapons from the armory.  Take anything, there will be more at the next outpost."

They all nodded their heads in understanding.  Then all moved to the armory, Doc took a shotgun and kept his pistol sidearm.  Chy and Junior decided on taking a Covenant carbine and a plasma rifle.  Noob thought he would stay original and keep his sniper, but traded his pistol for a SMG. Clementine kept her SMG, but switched out her pistol for a rocket launcher. Sabre took his assault rifle he was looking at the night before, but also took a brute grenade launcher, named the brute shot.  Tucker took his energy sword and a Covenant beam rifle.  As they moved out of the camp, they all heard a voice on the radio.

"This is a pre-recorded message," the voice said "any evacuations that are needed must report to the New Mombasa city limits outpost before dusk every day.  That's when the last shuttle will take off."

"I guess we've got till dusk to get there," Doc said.

"Let's get moving then," Sabre said.

They moved down the street, then they all froze, unable to move from what they saw a hunter was facing them.  Staring right at them.