The remains of the sniper rifle fell to the floor, scattered pieces of metal and other synthetic material clattering to the floor in a dimly lit scene of silent chaos. Axel looked down at what was left of his Spartans. He looked, for loss of better wording, through the glass overhang as the room filled with Covenant. The aliens could choke on their own ego as they gloated over the defeated ‘demons’.
Axel’s eyes arced down toward his hand down at his hand; though his eyes once again were shut he pictured it in his mind. The very hand that had taught discipline and control to hundreds of the finest warriors the UNSC had, and he couldn’t even keep it from shaking. He had no control. However… It was not a lack of control due to fear, or poor training. No. This was a lack of control due to one thing. Pure, searing, anger. That was why he’d crushed the weapon he had been holding.
And as far as Axel was concerned… Though he lacked control, it was out of anger. And there was nothing. Wrong. With that.
As the leading Elite with Battlegroup Justice hauled the human Admiral to his feet, Grunt Tiiktik shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he shuffled about nervously, and out of boredom.
Silent as shadow, Axel grabbed both Assault Rifles, Andios’ and his own, and loaded each with a fresh clip. His motions slow and deliberate, he forced the clips in and almost smiled at the satisfying clunk that came with it. He looked straight down, past the floor he stood on through the slightly angled glass wall, eyes connecting with one of the aliens’ for a split second as he opened them. He glanced upwards, noticing the leader of the Covenant group was herding the Admiral out of the room.The Spartan simply turned and walked away.
Tiiktik tilted his head to the side as a pretty sound came to his ears. He shuffled his feet clumsily as he turned around in a lazy fashion… just in time to see the smallest pieces of glass tinkering to the floor. His eyes followed their motion down to the metal tiles directly in front of him before shooting back up to their source. He squeaked, an almost inaudible sound, out of surprise.
Four perfectly round holes were in the glass of an overhang… a sniper! That must have been what had taken out their Majors. Though previously almost invisible to his eyes, the damage to the glass had spread like a plague outward from the infected areas. Creating an intricate pattern of silver spider webs as cracks slowly made their way across the crystal surface.
The grunt’s eyes lowered slightly, and his heart stopped. A demon, mostly hidden from him by the floor, was standing right at the edge. The glass from the overhang was angled outward at the top, allowing just enough room for the Demon to see him. The two seemed to stare at each other for an infinitely long amount of time, before the demon turned and disappeared from sight.
Tiiktik shrieked. “Demon! Acolyte San’Sunaee! Deeemmon! Aaahh! Aaaaaahhhh!”
The Elite, adorned in silver armour, turned to the ground out of annoyance. “What are you-“
The glass exploded.
The pattern of spider webs shattered outward, a once infinitely complicated display of jagged lines and edges shattered into oblivion as Spartan 010 came flying through the only thing between him, and the alien bastards that had slaughtered what was left of his soldiers. Grunts, Jackals, and Elites all turned in unison at the sound of breaking glass. The outline of the Demon just barely visible through the action, and even more camouflaged in the chaos, the three grenades falling with it.
Firing as he came down, Axel kept the sounds and memories of his targets at the priority of his mind. A wall of bullets riddled the first Elites shields. Small bursts of energy from the impacts blazing into existence all along the front side of the ethereal barrier. From the combined fire of two Assault Rifles, it did not take long for them to fail. The Elite roared in agony as several rounds impacted into its face, chest, and legs and it fell to one knee.
Before it had died the stream of bullets shifted to another Elite, sweeping across and killing several Grunts on its way. The second target’s shields fell as well, half a second before Axel hit the ground. Right in the center of the enemy force. Chaos erupted ten fold as every Covenant in the room opened fire. Axel’s shields flared and his two Assault Rifles, one in each hand, fired back. He was already moving, running with speed worthy of a Spartan. Fast enough that the majority of the shots missed him.
The grenades detonated. Pillars of black and crimson, fire and ash, shot into the air. The sound of gunfire and the explosions themselves drowning out the screams and most of the Jackals and Grunts in the room were hurled into the air, the fate of those foolish enough to cluster around the Admiral. Both Elites, of whom he’d depleted their shields, fell as well.
All around him Covenant were falling. Those not killed by his own grenades were slaughtered by the crossfire of their allies. A small amount of Grunts were shredded under the fire of his weapons. Both of which clicked. He frowned. A plasma grenade caught his attention. He lifted his useless weapon up, causing the grenade to land on it, and tossed the weapon back toward the source of the user, then reloaded the one he was carrying. Both motions completed it under two seconds.
He dove behind the same pile of crates his Spartan’s had before him. The skin on his left shoulder was burnt and blistered as the armour there was charred black. The same injury was mirrored on his chest back, both of his legs, and his left hand. He was used to it. He threw his last grenade over his cover. Pulled out his side arm, and flexig his hands over both weapons, returned to finish the fight.
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Down on Reach, the Lieutenant turned to the Admiral. "Admiral! New information has come in. The UNSC Shatter was part of Operation Edge. It has the newer systems... We've got easily an hour before it detonates."
The Admiral frowned. "The ship has been shot into two pieces?"
"I know... But they still should be able to hold. The ship was designed to last. We need to send someone up! Richardson spoke of an artifact that can change the tide of the war."
The Admiral's frown deepend. "I know! But we dont have anyone to send up there! Even if we did who'd be crazy enough to go... Or how crazy would I have to be to send someone up there to do the impossible- Oh..."