Halo: Hyper Lethal Vectors

Chp.2_Cyborgs and A.I.'s First

As the shield energy test finished, Captain Jacob Keyes’ voice echoed from the intercom.

                “Bridge to Cyro Two- this is Captain Keyes. Send both the Master Chief and the Lieutenant to the bridge immediately.”

                Shepard pressed his lips together and tried to reason: “Captain we’ll have to skip the weapons diagnostics and I-“

                “On the double crewman,” growled the commanding officer, before switching off the connection.

                “Aye aye, sir.”

                The officer turned towards the taller figures and nodded. “The Skipper seems jumpy. We better get moving. We’ll find you weapons later, Chief.”

                A subtle nod was given as a reply and Shepard swallowed back the lump in his throat. Cortana had made an announcement not too long ago about Covenant boarding craft. He’d cherished the time he could not on duty, and now he longed to be back home, or at least somewhere away from this ship. But that wasn’t the case for him, unfortunately.

                Sam saw the Spartans and Shepard head for the door and unlocked it, nodding as he spoke from the deck. “Okay, I’ll leave the self-diagnostics running at least.”

                “Good idea!” Shepard called from below. “You better get to your evac group Sam.”

                “Affirmative, I just have to reset the computer, and then I’m out of here!” The younger man said cheerfully and smiled, working away at the buttons. But it faded as loud poundings came from the door across the small deck.

                The Master Chief and the Lieutenant watched as there was a flash of metal and fire. Plasma fire went into the room and hit Sam square in the chest. He clutched his chest, the look on his face one of shock, before he fell to his knees, scrambling for something they couldn’t see. A maroon armored Elite beat the human to the punch and pinned his arm to the ground with his foot, then aimed the plasma rifle and fired.

                “Sam!” Cried Shepard, reaching a hand out, thoughts racing back and forth in his head, his heart pounding in his ears.

                Silence remained company and the now friendless man shook his head, turning back to the human companions behind him. “Come on, we’ve got to get the hell out of here!”

                The crewman ran out of the door first, followed by the Master Chief, then the Lieutenant. They all moved down the corridor, towards a door when a sudden explosion killed their escort. The Chief recalled maps and passageways of Halcyon-class ships, when the Lieutenant called him over.

                “Here,” she said, pointing at the other side of a pair of power conduits. Not waiting for a response, she jumped over them and landed in the maintenance hallway. The Chief mimicked the action and looked down at the smaller frame before him.

                “I’ll take point.” She said calmly, gripping the handle of her rifle and sliding it off of her back seal, then handed over the sub-machine gun. The Chief nodded and stayed behind.

                “I’ve never seen you on the Autumn before, so it surprised me when you found that small cut-through,” The Spartan II remarked, as they walked down the hall and through a door, making a series of sharp turns in minute halls.

                “It would make sense, sense I’ve never even boarded this ship before…well, before my last mission.”

                The Lieutenant rolled under a half raised door and came to her feet, checked her corners and found the Master Chief by her side, doing the same. He decided to push on with the query- it would be a more comfortable and easier process if they had at least gotten to know something about the other before they were fighting side by side.