Halo ODST: For One Another

Chapter 12: Classified

I stared at them. I couldn't hear them but they were terrifying anyway.

"Jenson, your squad was outside.." Sam said with a worried tone.

I rushed outside to see Nielsen and Henrik hiding behind a pillar. I joined them.

"Where is Sam?" Nielsen asked.

"She's inside. Injured." I said.

"She?" Henrik asked astonished.

"Yeah. She." I reassured him.

"We need to take these things. Aim for their back and use eachother to open them up." I said.

"Wow Jenson. You should be squad leader." Henrik joked.

"Oh, shut up." Nielsen laughed.

"Stay here. I'll get them to expose their backs." I said.

I ran out yelling like an idiot, when the hunters looked at me.

"Yeah! You, you damn ugly slug!" I taunted.

They took the bait, and walked towards me in a battle stance. I ran at one, and slid under his legs. He swung his shield where I was, and it hit the asphalt, cracking it.

The hunter made a noise of some sort, I guess anger and turned to me. The other hunter was on me too, and this is when Sam burst through the door with two grenades in hand. Stuffing them into their backs, the wormy back engulfed the grenade and the hunter immediately gave up.

The first hunter exploded, armour pieces everywhere, orange worms and blood included. The second one, angry his partner died, charged at me, hitting me with his shield. I flew against the wall, getting knocked unconscious.

I awoke at twilight, in the convenience store.

Nielsen and Henrik were sleeping beside me. I moved to get up, but fell back down.

"Augh... Must of broke something.." I said out loud.

Henrik and Nielsen stirred but didn't awake. I didn't see Sam anywhere.

I scooched over to a paper on the floor.

It read:

Jenson, I don't know the rest of your squad's names but I had to leave and I can't tell you why. It's classified.

Goodbye Jenson.

What? No way she could have left us, not like this.

I stood up shakily, my legs holding. I held by stomach, hoping to hold whatever left of my ribs together.

I limped over to the counter to find a data pad. I opened it, but it had a lettered passcode. A sticky note on top said it was from Sam for me. She must've locked it so no one else could unlock it. I limped over to the note and bent down to pick it up. I grabbed a hold of it and groaned as I bent back up.

I looked at the note again.

"Any hints?" I thought. Scratched onto the paper was:

0-650

Why?

I input it on the datapad.

UNLOCKED. WELCOME BACK SPARTAN SAM 0-650.

Success.

I read the latest addition.

Jenson, if you're reading this then everything is falling into order. Come alone to these coordinates, with your squad. It's about Oni.

It ended there.

Oni? It's some super secret bunch of scientists. What's important about them? The coordinates flashed on my radar in the corner of my helmet. It was in an alley a kilometer away. We limped our way over there when I heard the familiar sound of a warthog. We hid. I couldn't tell if it was Covenant driving the vehicle trying to pull people out of hiding.

We let it get out of sight and began limping our way over yet again. When we reached the coordinates a door burst open and I turned to see who it was but was pulled inside with force. It was dark.

"Where are you? Show yourself!" I activated a light on my helmet and saw Sam.

"Jenson, Oni's betrayed us. They needed that army stopped at the highway but they couldn't let the media know about me. So all they would be able to say is they sent three ODST'S on a suicide mission. That means they have to kill you three to make sure the media thinks it came to a standstill and everyone died. They don't want it to be known that they did that." Sam explained with one big breath.

"How would they do that?" Nielsen asked.

"Telling any UNSC forces there are three treacherous ODST'S in the area with your names." She responded.

"So we are officially traitors?" I asked.

"To all of Humanity right now. You are being branded cowards who betrayed to the Covenant because you couldn't defend Humanity in it's time of need." She answered.

"Damn." I thought.

"But don't worry," She continued, "If we can get to the Ship Master she can sort everything out." Sam reassured us.

"How?" Henrik asked.

"We sneak aboard a transport carrying supplies to the ship." Sam said.

"That's it? That's your great plan?" Henrik asked doubtfully.

"Yes." She answered.

"It's the best we got." I said.