Matt-038 (Halo Fanfiction)

Chapter 52: Captain Keyes

Author's Note: If you have any tips writing tips, please feel free to comment.

Again, I gratefully accept constructive criticism as a means to help me develop my skills further as a writer.

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Chapter 52: Captain Keyes

Location: Covenant Ship Truth and Reconciliation

D +74:44:07 (SPARTAN-II Blue Team Mission Clock)

The Spartans arrived at the top of the gravity lift and fought their way through a maze of passageways and compartments, occupied by Flood and Covenant alike. They rounded a corner and saw an open hatch ahead. "It looks like a shuttle bay," Crystal commented. "We should be able to reach the Control Room from the third level."

The CNI link that Cortana followed served to deliver a new message from the Captain. The voice was weak and sounded slurred. "I gave you an order, soldiers, now pull out!"

"He's delirious," Cortana said, "in pain. We have to find him!"

With the memory of the voice to spur them on, the Spartans made their way out onto a gallery over the shuttle bay, found that a pitched battle was in progress. Matt lobbed two grenades into the center of the conflict. They had the desired effect, but also signaled the human's presence, and the Flood came like iron filings drawn to a magnet.

The Flood onslaught was intense, and the Spartans were forced to retreat into the passageway whence they had come in order to concentrate the targets, buy some time, and reload their weapons.

The pitched firefight ended, and they sprinted for the far side of the gallery and passed through an open hatch. The duo fought their way up to the next level of the gallery, where the Flood appeared to be holding a convention at the far end of the walkway.

Both Spartans were fresh out of grenades by then, which meant they had to clear the path the hard way. A carrier form exploded and sent a cluster of combat forms crashing to the ground.

The burst carrier spewed voracious infection forms in every direction and collapsed as one of the fallen combat forms hopped forward, dragging a broken leg behind him, hands clutching a grenade as if it were a bouquet of flowers.

Matt backed away, fired a series of ten-round bursts, and gave thanks when the grenade exploded.

The carrier had given him an idea—when they blew, they went up in a big way. A second of the creatures scuttled into view, and made its ungainly way forward, accompanied by a wave of infection forms and two more combat forms. Matt used his pistol scope to survey the combat forms and was gratified that they fit the bill: Each carried plasma grenades.

Matt stepped into view, and the combat forms instantly vaulted high in the air. As soon as their feet left the deck, he dropped and fired—directly at the carrier.

Matt's aim was perfect—as soon as they passed over the carrier, it burst and ignited the plasma grenades the combat forms carried. They all went up in a blue-white flash of destructive energy.

"The Control Room should be this way," Cortana said as the duo charged ahead, eager to keep them moving in the right direction.

The Spartans moved fast, advancing across the blood-slicked floor, and followed Cortana's new nav coordinates toward the still-distant hatch. He passed through the opening, followed the corridor to an intersection, took a right, a left, and was passing through a door when a horrible groan was heard over the link.

"The Captain!" Crystal said. "His vitals are fading! Please Chief, Commander, hurry."

The Spartans charged into a passageway packed with both Covenant and Flood and sprayed the tangle of bodies with bullets.