Halo: Fireteam Phoenix

Chapter 3: WINTER CONTINGENCY

During their exodus, the corridors felt different. They were brighter, for a start, almost as if their presence had invigorated the structure. Filling it with light and life. When they shot out of the mouth of the hallway, they passed back into the clearing. "This has changed," Sarah noted. 

The ring of trees nearest the edge of the clearing was ablaze and spewing plumes of black smoke, masking the hideous Y-shape of a spirit dropship. A horde of grunts fired as they filtered out from behind a tumbled collection of rocks, moving closer to the spartans. 

Richard's falcon suddenly strafed by, splattering them into mush with high calibre rounds. The downdraft scattered oily chunks of flesh across the scarred grass. The oxygen fuelled the fires, which began burning bright, solid orange. With the red sky from the setting sun, it looked like judgement day.

Countless beetle-like phantom drop ships flew above, raining plasma onto the earth. Sarah shielded the doctor, grunting as her shielding flared. Slinging both Doctors over her shoulders, she slipped back inside and put them down beside each other. "Keep it loaded and hold here. I'm getting you out of this," she said, making sure he had a tight grip of the pistol.

Returning outside, a swarm of pink needles shattered against the wall next to her head. The ringing impact made Sarah cry out in shock. She snapped back to combat mode. The falcon was nowhere to be seen. A panicky feeling filled her gut and she began jerking around, searching for the falcon. No, he wouldn't be dead. Couldn't be. Richard was too good. 

Through the chaos, Marie waved Sarah over, letting loose a single, sharp round. It split the skull of a Jackal with a crack, painting its comrade purple. Marie killed that, too. Keeping low as she ran towards her, Sarah asked, "Phoenix 2, SitRep?" 

Marie dropped her rifle, drawing her pistol to kill three jackals behind the unaware spartan. Sarah glanced behind her, breathing deeply to slow her heartrate. She was too panicked. This was all too much with a civilian to defend. She only hoped the covenant had not uncovered the doctor's location.

"Phoenix 4 has returned to base. He intends to 'Send in the cavalry' as Derek so elegantly phrased it. Since then, the phantoms arrived and deployed troops. I count thirty plus hostiles. More, now." 

Sarah wiped her visor clean of dirt. "Understood. We have to hold out, the covenant can't get their hands on this. Prioritise the elites, the others will scatter." Sarah turned to see the others already firing, combating the covenant onslaught. Raising her DMR, she joined in.

It didn't occur to her in that rain-soaked, plasma scorched assault that this wasn't a coincidence. The covenant wouldn't deploy an entire strike force to combat a single falcon. Even with five spartans occupying it. 

Significantly, it was impossible the covenant would know of the spartan presence. Something vital had to be in this strange structure. A continual plasma barrage drove these thoughts from Sarah's mind. All she could think of was the next enemy, amongst the mud and blood. 

Between barrages, she returned fire. Killed a few. Mainly told the others what to do; that was her job. 

Commander. Commander B133. Phoenix 1. Phoenix... 

"Fire!"

Derek looked at her like she was mad. "I've been doing that commander!"

"Not like that fire, fire! Burning fire." Sarah pointed at the blazing patches of shrubbery lining the battlefield. They had an advantage, in that the covenant had to push up a hill. Everyone knew the high ground gave you an advantage. Especially when the approach had long since burned so bare it resembled a swamp. Albeit, one so hot and vile the water bubbled in the heat. As if Haven needed more mires.