Halo: Fireteam Phoenix

Chapter 23: Crucible

The commandeered battlecruiser wouldn't be doing much more cruising. Flaming engines, broken shields and a damaged hull. Most of the cannons had ceased to function or were destroyed. The surrounding covenant ships didn't let up their onslaught, digging deep into the hull with their weapons. Deuce watched the carnage unfold from the bridge. With a heavy sigh, he said, "It's safe to say we're fucked." Aaron was so distracted that he didn't hear the footsteps of the elite behind him. Panther-like as its movements were, he also didn't hear it bring an energy sword down into his back. He cried out in pain, staggering forward. Confused but furious, he swung his arms, catching the elite with a clumsy blow. Aaron tried to gather himself. His head was swimming and his back was on fire. Blood was coming from somewhere, but there was far too much of it to be just from his back. Right?His vision blurred and went grey. Aaron drew in a raspy breath, his eyes settling on the elite. The elite grasped Aaron, tossing him down the ramp like a rag doll. By now, Ruby had raised her gun to return fire, but the elite slapped both her and Deuce's heads together with a deafening crack. The pair hit the floor and the elite returned its attention to Aaron.With what seemed to be a smile, it leapt onto Aaron, wallowing in his own blood. Aaron scrambled to his feet. His head swam and his feet paced like the floor was on fire. He struggled to remain upright. The Elite moved quickly, opening a gash in Aaron's armpit. Blood poured down from the wound and Aaron sucked in air. He retaliated with a punch. It struck the elite on the jaw, yet it was unfazed. It dropped to the floor, thrusting its energy dagger into Aaron's knee. The bone popped and he hit the floor like a ton of bricks. He was beyond delirious. He could see stars, hear bells, smell rain. His head hurt, his mouth was dry, his body numb. Numb, cold, unfeeling. Except for the burning lines of fire everywhere and nowhere at once. The elite clambered atop its conquest. Aaron feebly raised his hand to defend himself, but the elite kicked it aside without a thought. It raised its energy dagger in a final triumphant cry. As the roar left its lips, it brought the shard of plasma down, piercing Aaron's visor. With a grunt, Aaron was defeated. Still, he refused to die, yet. Reflexively, his hands shot up and, between the great fists, crushed the elite's head into a pulp. The elite slid from its perch atop Aaron to the floor. As it fell, the dagger skewered in Aaron's face withdrew, and his leg twitched a final time.When Deuce came to, he locked eyes with Aaron. Or rather, Aaron's corpse. Corpse? The realisation took him a moment, as it seemed so impossible. The monstrous man had always survived. Generally with a smile on his face, or as close as he could come to a smile. Seeing his carcass lying there was surreal. The discovery distracted him from his pounding head. Reaching up to investigate the pain, his fingers came back dripping blood. As he sat up, his helmet fell apart around him. Looking at the remains, the three distinct pieces had a clear cause. A jagged crack split the helmet, origination from the right side in a horrendous bloodstained dent. "How did?" He then remembered the collision. "Ruby."Deuce crawled to the unconscious woman. She moaned softly. Deuce briefly considered trying to rouse her. When he got a better look at her, he recognised it would be in vain. When the elite attacked, she hadn't worn her helmet. So, her skull had absorbed most of the force. It hadn't done a great job. Her head looked like Deuce's helmet, just red, not black. Her skull had splintered. The damage came from her temple, which oozed blood. From the cracks between her flesh, he could see the greyish pink of her brain. Bile rose in his mouth but he kept it down. With a tear in his eye, he drew his pistol. "You'd thank me for this," Deuce said, raising his pistol. Though he tried, he couldn't look away. He fired a shot. Ruby went stiff, her moans silenced.A bitter taste filled Deuce's mouth. He shook his head and discarded the pistol. He felt tainted by the weapon, though it wasn't his first time killing another human. But she was a comrade, a friend. "Doesn't get any easier." Flicking switches, he plotted a course on the dying ship for the distant supercarrier. He switched it to manual control and two holographic joysticks appeared. He grasped them tightly, thrusting them forward at maximum speed. He directed all power to the thrusters, little as there was. He spoke into the intercom. "This is Deuce. The ship's done for. Get out of here if you can."The claxon blaring Deuce's distress call left everyone stunned. Connor stirred from his delirium. He looked up to see Felix double his efforts. He looked worn, his back arched as if the mounting pressure were a weight on his shoulders. Marie cursed her bad luck. The elite duelling Felix glanced up at the claxon, its eyes locking on Marie. It was too late for it to react of course, as she was already falling, aiming right for the elite. She aimed true, as always, her feet smashing into the stunned elite.Unbelievably, though it had just broken Marie's fall, the elite remained standing. It seemed as shocked as she was. Felix rushed forward, his sword gleaming. Before the elite could realise what had happened, the purple blade buried itself in its gut. "Gotcha this time," Felix hissed, twisting the sword deeper, with a satisfying squelch. The elite curled its lip, spitting at the mercenary. With a roar, it lifted him by his neck, the sword still embedded in its chest. With a sick grin, it spoke. "Again you fail, vermin!" It slashed its energy sword across his face. Felix went limp. His grip on the sword vanished and the elite cast him aside.The elite grinned in triumph, returning to Marie. Drawing the bloodied sword from its chest, the elite winced in pain. But the feeling of the weapon in his hand sent shocks of energy through its body, revitalising the alien. It raised the weapon above its head for a spine rending two-handed overhead blow, but it never landed.Felix's voice rang out, tinged with pain. "We both need to check out kills." The elite turned around, lowering its arms. Felix lay with his revolver raised. Fanning the hammer like a cowboy, Felix emptied the cylinder into the head of the elite. The elite's skull expulsed violet brain and blood in a jet of viscera. "Third times a charm," Felix smirked. Then, both fell back. Both were dead before they hit the floor.Marie sat up, her limbs like lead. She was somehow still conscious. "Felix!" She knelt beside the fallen soldier. Inclining her head, she murmured kindly, "You came back. Thank you." Her heart pained her as she left Felix there. Still, she had no time to lose. She ran through the hallways for a final time, jumping aboard the phantom as the hangar fell apart around her. Connor, unconscious in the corner, stirred as she entered the cockpit.The phantom felt strange to pilot. It moved sluggishly, struggling to put distance between the battlecruiser and themselves. They didn't even stop to watch the battlecruiser crash. The scarred indigo teardrop slammed into the CSO, ripping into it like papier-mache.Were the shields up? Possibly. It didn't matter in the crash. The CSO folded in on itself, a plume of blue-purple flames erupting like an inferno from the heart of the ship. Soon after, it imploded. A conflagration akin to nothing eyes had ever seen scattered shards of debris. The encroaching apocalypse consumed a nearby battlegroup of corvettes. The EMP left the ships around out of action. Including their phantom. The lights shut off, leaving them adrift in the cold nothingness.