Convergence Infinites: Halo

Chapter Fifty Three

The air close to the crashed space station was filled with smoke and Flood Spores by the time John, Delvargus, Cross, and Jospeh got close enough with damaged Banshees to make out any features or openings. The Station had crashed in a water reservoir close to the core of the Ark, and from the looks of it, the interior had been breached below water level. Meaning the Flood hive... was flooded.

He felt the small ship drop slightly, before regaining altitude again. As much as he realized it made sense, he slightly cursed his choice for a Banshee that was falling apart. Still, he suspected he would find another way out, and wasting a good Banshee was just out of the question.

Besides, if the worst happened, he wouldn't be able to pick it back up anyway. After all, as said many times by people he past mere hours ago, it was a suicide mission. One they usually sent the Spartan-III's for. But he needed to do this.

Cortana's visions had been numerous enough to know that he needed to rescue her fast. She was tortured by the Gravemind non-stop, and the only outlet to decrease the 'pain', as much as an AI could feel one, was to contact him through those moments he had. The ones where she obscured his vision, and uttered odd phrases from his past. Sometimes ones even he, with his enhanced memory, had forgotten. Like his original surname.

No, he needed to do this, on his own. The odds that he would make it were much smaller than the ones that he didn't, and he didn't want anyone else to go down with him. True, he might not make it without help, but anyone else had an even greater chance of dying than him, and babysitting was the last thing he could afford to do here.

Besides, he made a promise to Cortana that he would come back. And if he made a promise, he kept it.

He flew close enough to the ship to make out a few openings large enough for him to fly the Banshee through. As he approached one, he had a look inside.

To his surprise, the part he could see seemed to still be part of the original structure, uncorrupted by Flood Biomass. The Gravemind didn't seem to have expanded this far over the station yet. Also, the bottom of the station was filled with water, obviously from the reservoir the station had crashed in. There must have been a breach underwater, for it was almost like the lake just ignored the station, the water was that high.

He approached what used to have been a dock for larger warships, and set down on a cargo platform. As he exited the craft, he powered it down. As expected, he heard the inner systems short-circuit, frying the craft and ensuring it couldn't take off.

He analyzed the resources he had at his disposal: a Shotgun to keep the more powerful forms like Tank Forms and Juggernauts at bay, an Assault Rifle to kill the swarms of Infection forms, and two Plasma Rifles to take out all the forms between the two extremes, as well as an overwhelming supply of grenades. He had briefly considered taking a Flamethrower or Minigun with him as well, but it would only slow him down, and if he was slow, he would be a target. If he was slow, the Gravemind could pick him off at its own leisure. If he was slow, he would die for sure.

Just as he was about to make his first step, he jumped.

His com went off.

"Chief." Commander Keyes said. "Johnson and I am rounding up our survivors, to fall back to the Shadow. Shipmaster is doing the same with the Elites and other Separatists, as well as Six, Fol and the Sang'Katarnéé."

"Understood, Ma'am."

"Cortana's in there somewhere." Johnson said. "Good Luck, Chief."