Halo 2: Shadowed pasts and Ancient Runes

Chapter 12: Cleaning house
Planet Earth: October 17, 2552
1411 hours

Nathan and John slowly made their way down the sloped hall, stopping just outside the opened door at the bottom. A thunderous voice was addressing troops on the other end of the room. The Chieftan was giving a valiant sermon to his men, raising their moral for their battle.

Nathan shot a glance at the Chief and scoffed. "Chieftans... I can't stand these guys." He said with a hint of frustration. The Chief shot out a rare chuckle and gave a quick hand signal. Nathan nodded and shuffled forward, his BR held at the ready. The Chief moved forward, slinking behind the wall. He noticed Nathan staring behind him and turned to see a few Covenant devices at his feet. He recognized them instantly. They were portable gravity lifts.

"Toss me one of those, will you Chief?" He asked quietly. The Chief nodded and passed him the device. Nathan lifted his visor and had a mischievous smile plastered on his face. "Twenty bits says I can clear this room out in... A minute thirty." He said winking. John cocked his head.

Bits?

He shrugged off the odd name of currency and nodded. "Show me how you do it, Spartan." He said. Nathan took out a Plasma grenade and threw it at the Brute on the right side of the stairwell. It stuck to his back and it didn't even noticed. Last three seconds of it's life were ignorant bliss.

When the grenade detonated, however, the room was in an uproar frenzy. Nathan threw the gravity lift forward and grabbed a second one before he launched himself up to the balcony. A Brute jumped off the human turret and turned to face him, but was met with a barrage of BR shots to the face. His shields quickly failed and the final round punctured its left eye, killing it instantly.

The Brutes around the Chieftan began to open fire, sending spikes and balls of blue plasma his way. Nathan dove on the turret and let loose the 50mm rounds. Brutes tried to hide behind anything they could, but the rounds tore through the ancient stone with ease, splattering the opposite wall with purple-black blood.

A Brute ran around and was now in flanking position. It jumped over the banister, ready to tear his throat out. Nathan grabbed the dead Brute's Spiker at his feet and jabbed it into the would be attacker's face. He let go and let the brute fall to the ground below. All that remained was the Chieftan.

It bellowed a war cry and rushed forward, activating its over-shield as it did. Nathan smiled, hoping that's exactly what it'd do. Nathan dove from the balcony ready to meet the Brute head on. But its overzealous attack would be its undoing.

Nathan threw down the second gravity lift in front of the hulk. The creatures large, clumsy feet couldn't get out of the way in time, and he flew head over heals into the air, dropping his hammer as he did. Nathan grabbed it and rounded the gravity lift, diving after the Chieftan, hammer in hand.

The Chieftan yelled angrily as the Spartan swung the hammer like a baseball bat at him. The monster shot like a bullet into the wall, it's head exploding on impact, sending blood, bone and brain matter everywhere. The Chief came out of cover, momentarily too stunned for words.

"Well? What's my time?" Nathan asked excitedly, throwing the hammer to the ground. The Chief checked the timer in his helmet and smiled.

"A minute thirty-one." He said. The Chief smiled and shook his head. Too bad for this Spartan, he didn't know about the John's victory record.

I always win... He thought smugly.

Nathan threw his hands in the air and yelled. "Aw, Dammit! Well, a deals a deal." He said sadly. He took out a small pouch from his belt and jingled it around. Satisfied, he tossed it to the Chief.

"Deals a deal." He said again, running for the opposite side of the room and to the door. The Chief opened the bag and examined one of the small coins. It was gold, with a raised image of two flying unicorns encircling the sun and moon, which made a yin-yang symbol. He continued to stare at the odd coin until Nathan snapped him out of it.

"Chief? Come on! We got Marines to save!" He yelled from across the room. The Chief put the pouch away in one of his ammo belts and smiled, running back to the Spartan.

The duo continued down a long, dark hallway. It ended in a cave-in, the only exit was the service hatch that led to a maintenance tunnel. Nathan gestured to the hole, allowing the Chief to jump in first. When he was down and out of the way, Nathan made his way through.

They began to slowly march down the hall, careful not to alert the Drones, flying from tunnel to tunnel. Nathan turned his head quickly when he heard Master Chief's gun fall to the ground. He watched the Chief grab the sides of his helmet in pain and nearly fall to the ground.

One of the Drones heard the commotion, and quickly let out a loud buzz, alerting around two dozen more.

Shit

Nathan grabbed John and threw him into one of the tunnels. He fired his BR at the large bugs, who fell easily enough. The ones who didn't, quickly fled back into the pipes. Nathan let the empty clip fall and reloaded, looking over the Chief sadly.

John shook his head and looked over at Nathan. "Sir, are you okay?" He asked quickly. The Chief shook his head and nodded.

"I'm fine." He said roughly, climbing out of the tunnel after Nathan got out of the way. He grabbed his AR off the floor and continued down the large space, jumping down the air shaft, followed by a curious Nathan. They heard the Arbiter yelling reason to the enemy in the next room.

Needless to say, they weren't listening...

"Don't let the Prophets use you like they used me! Reject their lies! Rebel! Or all your hives will perish!" He yelled, but the drones fired on him once again. The Arbiter sighed and looked down sadly, letting out two shots from his Plasma Rifles, sending the bugs into the underground lake.

He turned to see Nathan and the Chief jump down from the hatch. He shook his head and sighed. Nathan went over and pat his shoulder.

"Not everyone can listen to reason, Arbiter. Don't take it too badly. Everyone follows their own path and will follow it until they decide to change it for themselves." He said, hoping to cheer the Alien up. The Arbiter nodded and clacked his jaws.

"Wise, Spartan. Now come. The barracks are through here." He said, pointing at the slightly ajar door. The trio ran through and heard the scream of a Marine. They watched as he sailed through the air and smash his face into the pillar. Nathan winced when he saw the mans shattered, bloody face. He was dead.

But he did leave a shotgun. Nathan went over and picked it up, turning to see a group of Brutes laughing as one picked another Marine up by the throat.

"N-NO! Please!" He pleaded. The Chief and Arbiter watched as Nathan casually walked up to the Brutes. He tapped the one holding the marine on the shoulder and pumped his shotgun.

The Brute turned in surprise and was met with the muzzle of the weapon to his mouth. Nathan made disappointed 'tsking' sounds with his tongue.

"Now, that's not very nice." He said simply, pulling the trigger and blasting the Brutes head clean off. The Marine fell to the floor and scuttled back into the corner quickly.

The Brutes to the left and right rushed him at the same time. Nathan shot the Brute on the left with the Shotgun, blowing his arm off, and shoved a frag grenade in the mouth of the one on the right. He rolled away as the Brute on the right detonated, taking the pained armless one with it.

Nathan looked down at the Marine and passed him his SMG. He lifted his visor and smiled. "Might want to change your pants, soldier."

The marine turned his head quickly and accepted the gun, running in with his Spartan savior.

The Chief and Arbiter looked to one another and bolted into the room. John shook his head and frowned. This kid has no discipline. He treats everything like a damn game and doesn't think of the consequences.

What the hell kind of Spartans did they train?

Nathan jumped up onto the balcony, taking down a couple of Jackals patrolling. The Brutes across the room took unkindly to his attack, opening up on the Spartan.

Nathan jumped up into the small access tunnel above. He heard the Chief and Arbiter fire on the Brutes he had just avoided. While they fought bellow, however, Nathan snaked his way over the room to another gathering of Brutes. He stared at them from above as they watched the Chief and Arbiter come forward. The Brute Captain threw down a bubble shield and laughed.

"Get us now, Heretic!" He goaded. Nathan took out his shotgun and clacked it. Oh this is just too perfect.

"Peek-a-boo, mother fuckers!" He yelled, jumping into the shield. He blasted the Captain in the head and kicked the Brute minor into the wall, bashing in the front of its skull with the butt of the weapon. The Chief and Arbiter, once again, exchanged glances. This Spartan was definitely an odd man. Nothing was a challenge to him, but more of a fun game.

This arrogance was going to get him killed.

Nathan jumped out of the Shield, arms spread as the once captive marines grabbed weapons and marched forward. Nathan made his way over to his two alleys and smiled. "Come on! You could at least kill ONE of them, huh?" He joked. The Arbiter looked to the Chief, who lightly shook his head.

Nathan nodded to the pair and let off a slight salute, running to join the Marines. Nathan put away his shotgun away and walked ahead, a smile plastered to his face.

"Ah... It's good to be-"

He was cut off as a weapons Chieftan burst from hiding kicking him into the adjacent wall. Nathan slammed through the stone and ended up on the other side, where three more Brutes quickly grabbed him and began savagely beating him to a pulp.

The Marines and the Chief ran forward, hitting the Brutes with everything they had. Another five Brutes however, came out from their cover as well, making getting to Nathan all but impossible.

The Brutes continued their savage beating, sending Nathan's vision into a blur. He gasped for air when he felt himself kicked in the chest, his chest plate cracking ever so slightly. One of the Brutes, deciding to end it, grabbed the Spartan by the throat and squeezed with all his might.

Nathan gasped for air as his windpipe was shut by the force of the Brute. He kicked and flailed with all his might, but the iron grip of the ape was too much. His vision tunneled and he choked one last time for some air, to no avail.

SWISH

Nathan fell to the floor and filled his lungs explosively with the sweet, sweet oxygen. He looked up to see the Arbiter materialize from his active cammo.

"Pitiful apes!" He spat, pulling the sword from the Brutes chest. The other two lunged for him all at once. He ducked and they collided head long into one another. Nathan quickly recovered and shot one of them in the chest with his shotgun, sending bits of armor and flesh out its back, while the Arbiter severed the head of the other.

The Chief ran in, covered in purple blood and looked Nathan over. The young Spartan's breathing was labored as he clutched his throat, trying desperately to breath normally. "You need medical attention, soldier. Come on."

Nathan shook the Chief's hand away and stood. "I'm fine. I can take care of myself." He said sternly. He looked up to the Arbiter and nodded a thanks, then stormed back to the marines, calling out orders.

Master Chief sighed. This Spartan was too proud to admit when he made a mistake. What had caused his behavior to become like this, he'd never know. Unless he actually decided to talk to the soldier.

He was snapped out of his thought by the Arbiter tapping his shoulder. They both turned and ran through the door, where Nathan and the Marines waited on the elevator to the landing pad. The duo walked in and Nathan slammed his fist on the button, destroying it. The Elevator lurched upwards with a groan and stopped at the pad, Miranda's Pelican waiting for them.

"Ma'am! We got contacts! Above and below!" Miranda's co-pilot stated. Everyone looked up to see a Phantom pass overhead, a legion of Jump pack Brutes jumping down onto the ship, then below when a pack burst up from the caves below.

"Jump pack Brutes! They're going after our thrusters! Try and shake them!" Keyes yelled. The Pelican lurched upwards, causing the Brutes to tumble off and crash into the deck bellow.

"Lets bag 'em and tag 'em!" One of the Marines yelled, leveling his SMG and firing on one of the dazed Brutes. They all took flight, firing their plasma rifles down on them, showering the deck in molten slag and holes.

"Get to cover, now!" Nathan yelled. He was feeling pretty emasculated from his last encounter, and with one of the best Spartans he had heard about in legends from soldiers and friends by his side, he wasn't going to seem like a push over.

Nathan tackled one of the Brutes when it was low enough, sending them both head long into a crate. The Chief, Marines, and Arbiter fired on those still left in the fight. It all was eventually settled, prompting the Pelican to return for the survivors.

Nathan turned when he heard the back doors open and Johnson and his team of Marines run in. "GO!" Johnson ordered the men and women. "I'll hold them off!"

He fired at the bugs, weaving and dodging the Plasma rounds. Nathan dove over the banister and stood next to Johnson, fighting off the swarm of bugs. He turned to Nathan and nodded.

"Thanks. This whole damn place is crawling with these buggers." He spat, clearly enraged by the creatures. Nathan had to laugh at his aged friend. He didn't change one bit since he first met him.

All those years ago...

"Brutes, in the ops-center. They disarmed the bomb. Sorry, Commander, there were too many. Even for me." Johnson stated. Nathan chuckled again. This man could handle anything the Covenant threw at him, but to be overrun by a few measly Brutes.

He must be getting old.

"Chief? Get back to the Ops center. Kill those Brutes, Re-arm that bomb. I've got to get these men out of here, but I'll radio with another exit. Good luck." Commander Keye's said with a salute from the cockpit. John jumped over the railing, Nathan quickly following.

The Chief saw and shook his head. "Not this time, Soldier. Head back to the Pelican and get out of here." Nathan lifted his visor and smiled.

"In case you didn't know, we're the same rank, so I respectfully decline your request." He said nonchalantly clacking his BR. The Chief sighed and waved the Pelican away.

Johnson climbed into the cockpit and smiled at Miranda. "Those two are going to be the best of friends, I can already tell." He said jokingly. Miranda chuckled and pulled the Pelican up over the hills.

"Well, Nathan's the first new Spartan he's ever seen. I should hope they would get along swimmingly." She looked to Johnson who nodded.

"Yeah, like swimming with a Great White. Now let's get as much distance from here as we can, ma'am." He said looking back at the shrinking base. "Be careful you two..." He muttered.

"So, Chief, whats on the agenda for today? Activate a bomb, then escape from the building before it blows? Seems like a cake run to me." Nathan said smugly. The Chief sighed and stopped, turning to the Spartan.

"Look, I don't know how things worked in your unit, but in mine? We keep quiet, watch each others sixes, and work as a team. No more of this arrogant lone wolf stuff. Am I understood?" He asked, pulling up every authority of command he could muster. It had been a while since he had a squad to direct, even though it was a squad of one.

"Crystal, Sir." Nathan muttered. The Chief nodded and opened the door. On the other side was a sleepy grunt manning a portable turret. It turned it's head and shrieked, turning the turret towards them.

Nathan leveled his BR and sent one burst into its skull. It slumped to the floor, letting Nathan take the weapon. He struggled to pick it up, but only for a second.

"Oof! I remember these being lighter! Then again, I haven't been back in the action for a while." He said, moving forward at a slower pace with his heavy weapon.

The Chief wondered what he meant by that. Nathan was a Spartan! He should have been on every deployment imaginable. Even the Chief had heard a few whispers of some soldiers wearing MJOLNIR armor. Granted, they were just rumors. Now, he wasn't so sure. Maybe there were a lot more Spartans in deployment than he realized.

"Nathan! Watch out!" He said, tackling the Spartan to the floor. A Beam Rifle round shot past the two of them, burning a hole through the wall.

"Holy shit! Thanks, Chief." He said, taking out his BR. The two turrets began firing on the truck they were behind, slowly melting the metal away. "Well, our cover will be gone in about twenty seconds. I go left you go right?" He asked. The Chief shrugged and nodded.

Nathan bolted in the middle of the two turrets and fired on the gunners, having some difficulty due to the small shields protruding from them. His shields were nearly drained by the time the gunners had fallen. Nathan looked up as a Jackal squawked in rage, it and it's colleges leveled their Beam Rifles and Carbines at the man.

Shit...

Nathan rolled out of the way behind a box, a Beam round grazing his helmet. The Chief stood and fired on the birds, as did Nathan. Another turret in the room began firing on the two soldiers positions. "Chief! Roll me one of those frags!" Nathan yelled.

The Chief looked down at the dead marine, a frag grenade lying next to his body. The Chief kicked it across the floor to the other Spartan, who snatched it quick. "This is one reason why I love rifles!" He yelled, throwing the grenade into the room. He aimed at it and fired, detonating the sphere and sending shrapnel into the unprotected Jackals and Grunt gunner. They all fell from fatal wounds, allowing Nathan and the Chief to finally proceed.

"Not bad, soldier." Master Chief said with a shrug. "A bit of ingenuity is something I haven't seen in quite some time." Nate shrugged off the compliment and began rubbing his neck again. Damn, that Brute had a grip...

"Thanks, Sir. Do you want to lead the way up?" He asked standing at the edge of the door, looking up the dark, slope hall. The Chief nodded and started his accent.

Nathan, however, lagged behind. He felt his throat muscles contract and swell. He messaged the area vigorously and sighed when the pain went away. I need to see a medic after this...

Nathan walked up to the top of the rise, stopping on the side of the door. The Chief motioned him to remain quiet. He peered in to see a pack of Brutes being addressed by... a very gangly looking creature.

"Who's that side show?" Nathan asked curiously through his com. The Chief looked at him and made a slashing motion to his throat. Nathan took the hint and zipped his lips.

Nathan froze when a Grunt stopped in front of the door, sniffing the air like mad. The Chief, knowing it could blow their cover, gestured Nathan to take it out.

This is what he'd been waiting for. A nice little sneak attack, get revenge for the one done on him before. He unsheathed his knife and pulled the Grunt into the doorway, stabbing it in the neck as he did. The room remained oblivious and the duo snuck inside.

"Have the Drones scower these machines!" The Chieftan yelled, causing his troops to mill about and radio orders. Nathan was about to go forward when the Chief grabbed his arm.

"My turn, Spartan." He said, clacking his AR. Nathan smiled and nodded.

"A minute thirty like last time?" He asked. "I got another bag of..." Nathan suddenly realized just how stupid he looked for giving the Chief unusable currency. "-Oh. Guess you can't do anything with bits, huh? Been on Equis too damn long..." He muttered.

Okay, the Chief was going to have to have a little talk with the Spartan after this. He wanted answers to who he was, where he came from, and why the hell he hadn't been in the fight sooner. But, for now, the Chief had a bet to fulfill.

With that, he burst into the room, slamming the butt of his rifle into the back of a brutes head, severing its spine. It fell to the dirt and all eyes were on him. The Chieftan roared and leveled its Fuel Rod at the Chief and fired. John expertly rolled out of the way and sent a Plasma grenade sailing across the room. It landed right at the hulks feet and detonated, sending a shower of burnt flesh and steamed blood into the air. The Chief finished by throwing a spike grenade into the face of the Brute trying to take the plasma turret position up top and turned to Nathan.

"Time, Spartan?" He asked, clutching his AR tight. Nathan stared slack jawed at the Chief and shook his head.

1:12:55

"Uhhh, 1:34. Sorry Chief." Nathan lied, trying to keep it a secret. He heard a slight chuckle from the Chief, who was shaking his head in disapproval.

"It was 1:12:55. Nice try, Soldier, but I'll be taking that currency of yours again." He said holding out a hand. Nathan passed his last bag to the Chief and sighed.

"Well, there goes dinner for me and the miss-" He cut himself off as the Chief tilted his head. "Nevermind. Let's just get going." Nathan said hastily, grabbing the Fuel Rod from the floor.

Miss'? This Spartan is married?! What the hell happened to protocol!? The Chief sighed and rearmed the bomb, leading his ally to the service elevator in the hanger.

The path was met with little resistance, other than Grunts, Jackals, and Drones trying to flee in every direction. The Chief and Nathan mowed them down whenever they got in the way. John looked over to Nathan, who was being uncharacteristically quiet. Probably said too much for his liking. Revealing all about what he's been up to in the amount of time he has? I hope he's never been trusted with secret information.

He's got a mouth like a leaky faucet...

"There, Chief! It's in that room!" Nathan yelled, pointing to the large entrance. The elevator inside was like a glimmer of hope and the two quickly jumped in. "Press the button, Chief!" Nathan yelled. He looked over to see the Chief mashing the thing like no other, eager to get out as well.

They were both blown back by a plume of fire. Nathan sighed in relief when the elevator began to descend, leaving the fiery grave only for the Covenant.

But relief turned to panic when the elevator began to plummet faster, and faster. Nathan and the Chief shot a glance at one another before, as usual, the first one to say anything was Nathan.

"Son of a bitchhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"