Halo: Gauntlet

Chapter 13

A jackal fell to the ground with a dull thud, its neck twisted beyond typical understanding. Klace's foot stepped over it as he and Lance made their way through their facility section. They were meeting patrol after patrol, each with increasing numbers and ranks. The duo snuck through a door, which led to a bridge that went over a large room. In it were mainly Unggoy operating equipment and fiddling with weapons and jackals roaming around. 

"Whatever they're doing here, we're getting closer to it," Klace stated. They continued across the bridge, unnoticed. Lance checked behind them to ensure no one was following, but he didn't notice the slight shimmer in the air. Lance turned back, following Klace into another room. The door shut behind them, and right after, several elites and a hunter strolled past, the hallways shaking with every footstep. When it felt like they were clear, Klace stepped back out. "Every hallway looks the same here."

"Except for this," Lance observed, "There's an arrow here." He knelt on the floor, examining the large, glowing arrow pointing to a hallway on their left. 

"Hm. Convenient. You think it's a trap?"

Lance shrugged. "At this point? I don't know. Let's find out." He slowly trekked in the direction of the arrow, Klace warily pacing behind. 

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The duo moved quietly down the halls. Each corridor was filled with tense silence, with no soul in sight. As they mindlessly followed the arrows, Lance began to grow irritated. He would raise his gun before turning a corner, expecting to see another hunter or a gang of jackals, and expressed visible frustration when once again nothing showed up. Behind them, the shimmer reappeared, flanked by two more.

"Bored?", Klace asked. 

Lance looked around the halls, examining the ceiling before he responded. "A little."

"This is a stealth op. We're a stealth team. This is what we do. Not everything is all-out war."

Lance turned back to Klace, clenching his hands in frustration. "I know, I just- expected more action, I guess. Spartan training didn't really prepare me for the monotony."

Klace put his hand on Lance's shoulder. "I thought the same thing for a while. You spend enough time with us, you'll get used to it." Lance bounced the thought in his head, begrudgingly nodding in fair agreement.

"Anyway. Let's keep moving." He took the lead into the next room, the largest they had seen. There were corridors on either side, each leading deeper into unknown parts. The room contained a lift, leading to the top of whatever structure they were inside. The door leading into it was shut, however, and it looked like the platform was already in use, energy running up the walls and releasing into the vertical tunnel. 

"Keep an eye out. I'm gonna see if I can call the lift down," ordered Klace, standing over a terminal.

Lance carefully and quietly inspected the hall to his right, glancing around the corner. All he saw was more colorless, bland metal. He moved to the other one, his finger resting on the trigger. This time, he noticed the shimmer. It was at the end of the hall, disappearing into a room, the door sliding shut behind it.