Twenty-One: Crow's Nest

John swayed with the Pelican as it accelerated towards Crow's Nest, the rear panel folding up to keep all of its passengers inside. He closed his eyes and activated his COM unit, listening for -

"IFF confirmed; contact is Pelican dropship Kilo-2-3, over."

"Roger that. What's the word, Kilo-2-3?"

"The Spartans are on board. Request priority clearance, over."

"It's yours. Come on down."

Hocus did exactly that, guiding the Pelican down onto the inset landing pad partially in the base, and one of the officers growled, "Sorry for the tight squeeze. Tell the Commander her aces are in the hole."

The Pelican touched down on the landing pad set deep into the surrounding landscape, and the whole group disembarked with a lot more grace than they got on with, easily dropping to the ground and silently greeting the other teams of Spartans that were checking over their gear nearby. A few of them dipped their heads to the Gravemind even as they heard a few Marines conversing a short distance away.

"Hey. Check it out."

"No way. Spartans?!"

Their now-blind friend jerked at the word and tried to look around, despite the state of his eyes. "For real? You better not be-"

"No, man, they're here! We're gonna be all right!"

John smiled gently behind his visor, then refocused his attention as Commander Keyes approached. The Spartans and Johnson snapped to salutes; he settled for a slight bow at the waist, and Keyes returned the formers' salutes before inclining her head to him. "Where did you find them?"

"Napping, out back."

"I'll bet." She stepped forward and held out her hand to Fred, which he carefully shook. "It's good to see you, Senior Chief."

"Likewise, ma'am," he replied, nodding to her before the whole group followed her further into the base.

"Let's get you all up to speed, though I'm sure that you already are," she said, meaning John with the latter part of her statement, and he smirked slightly even though no one else saw.

"I am a bit better informed than most," he admitted.

Keyes nodded. Then, to the other Spartans: "The Prophet of Truth's ships breached the lunar perimeter. Smashed what was left of the home fleet. Terrestrial casualties from the subsequent bombardment were -" They all were forced to jump aside as two Marines wheeling a gurney with an injured third soldier on it raced by, clearly making for the infirmary. "-extreme," the Commander finished as Johnson knelt by an injured soldier and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Truth could have landed anywhere, but he committed all his forces here, East Africa, the ruins of New Mombasa. Then, they started digging."

"What about Halo?" Fred asked finally as they entered the command center of the base, raising his eyebrows at the sight of Doctor Halsey hunched over one of the computers off to the side of the room, and she looked up and smiled at them before returning to her work.

Until she spotted the Gravemind. Her fascination with him was instantly apparent, her work forgotten.

"We stopped it," Miranda replied, lifting their spirits slightly, only to dash them against the ground when she continued with "but only temporarily. Now the Prophet of Truth is looking for something called the Ark, where he'll be able to fire all of the Halo rings." She accepted a data panel from the scientist as she moved toward the Gravemind and looked it over before gazing a little hopelessly up at Fred. "If he succeeds... humanity, the Covenant... every sentient being in the galaxy..."

"The rings will kill us all."

"Ma'am? I have Lord Hood," one of the communications officers said from behind another console.

"Patch him through."

"So you're a Spartan," Halsey said softly, knowing that he would hear even over Lord Hood's blathering.

"Indeed. How did you find out?"

"Added up a few clues, received confirmation from Epheria when I told her my theory."

She could just tell that he raised his eyebrows. "Hmm. Perhaps I should have been a little more subtle about how I revealed myself. – Ah, here comes Mr. Have-Dreadnought-Will-Talk."

As if on cue, the whole rook went dark, Lord Hood cut off mid-word as the power failed. "Oh hell, not again."

"Emergency generators, now," Miranda called, and received a reply: "Shielding failed; they're down and charging."

"As soon as they're up, reestablish contact with Lord Hood. Let him know that-"

All of the screens in the room snapped to life, all bearing the same image, the image that no one wanted to see. "You are all of you vermin," the Prophet of Truth said zealously, "cowering the dirt, thinking - what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire?" He slammed a hand down on the arm of his throne for effect. "No. Your world will burn until its surface is but glass, and not even your Demons will live to creep, blackened, from their holes to mar the reflection of our passage. The culmination of our Journey – for your destruction – is the will of the gods. And I? I am their instrument!"

The power came back on with a hum a second later, just in time for Johnson to growl, "Cocky bastard just loves to run his mouth," and shift his cigar in his mouth.

"Does he usually mention us?" Fred asked, looking down at the woman next to him, the other Spartans gathered about in the room.

She visibly hesitated, then came to a decision. "Give the order, we're closing shop."

"Ma'am?" one of the communication officers asked.

"We're about to get hit."

Automatically, the officer moved to do as she ordered, speaking into his headset. "All personnel! Defense code Alpha-one. Prepare for immediate evacuation!"

"The wounded. We're getting them all out," Miranda said to the Spartan as she walked around him toward the door.

"If I have to carry 'em myself," the Sergeant Major affirmed.

"Ma'am," the officer spoke up again, lifting his head, "squad leaders are requesting a rally point. Where should they go?"

She pulled back the slide on her pistol, then released it, sliding a round into the chamber. "To war."

"Damn. Truth's even more of a bastard than I r-thought," John grunted, having been doing a crude and insulting imitation of the Prophet while he was speaking, making Halsey snicker quietly. "And more delusional, too. I take back what I said; I'm not going to infect him. I might catch the Stupid." Everyone in the room save the Spartans and the Arbiter enjoyed a brief snort of laughter at his comment, and the Spartans rolled their eyes. The Sangheili just didn't get it.

"We just lost the perimeter cameras," an officer with a southern accent said suddenly, typing furiously at his console.

"Motion trackers?" Keyes demanded.

"Either they're down, or we're not receiving," he replied, bringing up the data on his screen. Automatically, John dropped his body into a limited function state and marshaled the actual combat forms that he had acquired on Earth, courtesy of the Covenant. He vaguely heard Keyes speaking again: "Any of our birds squawking?"

"No, nothing. Wait, Overwatch has contacts. Phantoms, closing in on our position."

"Any birds less than five minutes out, bring them in. Tell everything else to scatter."

"Aye, aye."

"Pelicans are gonna take extra time to load," one of the technicians warned.

"We knew they'd find us eventually. But we have a plan, let's make it happen." Keyes' firm voice inspired confidence in her men.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Arbiter and I will guard the Ops Center," Johnson told the Spartans, "Don't worry about the Commander, you lot. I got her. But the Marines downstairs could use your help."

The foursome nodded and moved down the twin stairwells, picking up weapons along the way before moving through an open door into a cavern that had been converted for military use. Gunnery Sergeant Stacker was giving some advice to his soldiers when the Gravemind abruptly came over the COM, his voice utterly level and oozing calm. "Brace for impact," he said, right before an explosion somewhere sent shudders through the base. "Point of entry: hangar," he reported, then snapped off the COM, leaving the Spartans to it.

"How can you tell?" Miranda demanded back in the Ops Center, staring at the cursed Spartan which her head cocked.

"I brought in some combat forms after the cameras and motion trackers were taken down be the Covenant, figured I could at least be of some use to you right now."

-------------------------------------------

Despite the fact that the grenade Fred threw left a crater in the concrete floor and blood spatters all over the walls, it cleared out the would-be Jackal snipers at the end of the hall and let them pass on into the hangar, their team splitting up to cover both doors. The sight of four fully-armored, fully-armed Spartans charging into the hangar sent the Grunts into fits of terror; besides the triangle-shaped aliens, there was only a visible pair of Jackals, close enough to be taken out with a couple swift punches.

They fight wasn't over the moment they had the hangar cleared, however; a pair of Phantoms arrived, bringing some Jiralhanae with them this time. Linda immediately headed up to the skybox where flight control usually was, while her companions manned a handful of machine gun turrets that had been set up at the edges of the room, a handful of Marines serving as their side guards; the turrets would only turn so far.

They cleared the hangar with time to spare and were debating whether or not to hold position in case of future attacks when Johnson came on the line. "Spartans, Ops Center. Double time! The Brutes are pressing hard." The group charged back the way they came, and when they entered the motor pool, they found a pair of Marines gazing skyward at the ventilation system. It was making alarming banging and rattling noises, and once again, John was there with an explanation.

"All personnel, you've been advised: Yam'ee - Drones - are in the air conditioning ducts. Report all exit points. Also: anyone in the barracks, the Commander needs a sitrep, now."

The warriors moved forward and were just reentering the cavern beyond the Ops Center when they saw a broken duct fall from somewhere above. Automatically, Sam hefted the broken off chain gun that he'd taken from the hangar and aimed straight for the opening that the Drones were spilling out of, relying on his brothers and sisters to cover him and kill those that escaped the deadly fire. The floor immediately below the exit point for the bugs received an impromptu shower of both blood and bodies, but the foursome got the job done and reentered the Ops Center.

"...you might want to put that out." When she spotted the Spartans, Commander Keyes said, "Spartans, have a look. A little going-away gift for the Covenant. We've linked it to smaller charges throughout the base. Johnson, soon as the evacuation is complete, start the timer."

"Understood," the Sergeant Major replied.

"Good luck everyone," Keyes said, "See you on the last Pelican out." The screen she had been broadcasting from blanked out, then took on the UNSC logo before Johnson directed them to a door at the back of the Ops Center.

"Brutes have taken the barracks," the Sergeant Major told them, "Marines are trapped inside. Those apes ain't much for mercy, Spartans. We both know what they do to prisoners. Get to the barracks, save those men. Then escort them to the Landing Pad for evac."

The Spartans gave an affirmative reply and were surprised when the Gravemind fell in next to them, visibly shuffling Doctor Halsey along despite her protests of: "But I can't leave yet!"

"And if you stay, you'll die," he told her, then hustled her along faster, a handful of his Infected materializing out of nowhere to serve as replacement fighters. Everyone visibly flinched at the sight, but they were glad for the help he provided. John hung back with Doctor Halsey while the Spartans cleared the room ahead of the Brute captains and chieftain, Sam claiming the gravity hammer the latter was using and taking point to prevent himself from accidently whacking the others.

The corridor that the Brute pack had been guarding had caved in at the far end, but, with John carrying Halsey, they dropped down a shaft into another tunnel just as another Flickr slipped in.

"You have been called upon to serve," it whispered before fading away; much to their surprise, Doctor Halsey had seen it, too, on her glasses. They had been specially designed to serve as a portable screen, and the Flickr had projected itself onto that screen.

The group continued on, dropping down a second time to find the Arbiter shooting at a couple of Yam'ee and shouting, "Half-wit insects! The Prophets use you like they used me! Reject their lies! Rebel! Or all your hives will perish!" The last of the Drones fell into the darkness below before the Sangheili noticed them, and he immediately said, "Spartans, the Brutes have taken your soldiers. As prisoners or meat for their bellies, I do not know. In case some yet live, let us be careful when we shoot."

Fred made an affirmative noise as he moved toward the door to the barracks, and just as it slid open to permit them to enter, a Marine came flying into view from somewhere to their right, impacted against a pillar, and died instantly, his corpse falling limply to the ground amongst several others. The Spartans gritted their teeth in rage and moved around the corner, noting that there was still one soldier alive in the immediate vicinity; Linda dropped to one knee and put a few carbine rounds through the skull of the Brute holding the Marine up by his throat. The alien corpse dropped, freeing the human, and the Spartans mowed through the remaining Brutes, moving around the corner to eliminate the other targets lurking at the edges of their motion trackers.

Their charge through the barracks left bullet holes in the walls and several thousand dollars' worth of damage, but the saved all seven of the Marines that were still alive when they got there. "We did all we could," Thel said, the voice of pragmatism, "Let us move the survivors to the landing pad. There is a lift outside."

The group headed into the hall beyond, finding a handful of corpses in Marine colors, and they took their dog tags before they headed out and followed the path to the lift. They were back at the landing pad they'd entered the base from, and as Fred called the lift down from the floor above, Johnson came over the COM yet again. "Commander, we lost the Ops Center. Brutes attacked in force. Couldn't hold them off. We're falling back to the hangar. But don't wait for us."

"What should I do, ma'am?" they heard Hocus ask as they all got on the elevator, John staying close to Halsey to protect her from any friendly fire.

"Hold position! I'm not leaving without him," Keyes snapped in reply, and John grunted something about it being "that time of the month" because the Commander was in super-bitch mode. Fred activated the elevator, taking them up to the landing pad, just as red dots began to appear on their motion trackers.

"Ma'am, I've got movement. Above and below. Brutes! They got jump-packs!"

"They're going after the thrusters," Keyes assessed, "Shake them off, Lieutenant."

Kilo-23 took off from the pad, getting out of the Brutes' reach and leaving the Spartans and their Marine support free to gun down the aliens. A couple of them scored luck shots and caused the Jiralhanae's jet packs to explode, sending them flying all over the place and occasionally off the edges of the pad, spinning to their deaths far below. On a lower level, a blast door slid open, permitting Johnson and his team to head up to the landing pad, pursued by a small swarm of Drones that quickly met their end at the Spartans' guns, enabling Kilo-23 to land safely. "Brutes," Johnson gasped as he boarded the Pelican with his squad, the Arbiter, Halsey, and the Gravemind, "in the Ops Center. They disarmed the bomb. Sorry Commander, there were too many. Even for me."

"Senior Chief, get back to the Ops Center," Miranda ordered, "Kill those Brutes. Rearm the bomb. I've gotta get these men outta here. But I'll radio with another exit. Good luck."

John mentally prodded three of his closest Infected and asked them to go with the Spartans to provide support, which they happily agreed to. He mentally raised an eyebrow at them, and Venera immediately replied, 'C'mon, Commander! We're living the legend we've seen in your head for the past hundred thousand years! Cut us some slack and let us enjoy the honor of serving alongside your brothers and sisters!'

[You all are crazy. Most of the people who fight with the Spartans end up dying.]

'Ah, but you can't kill what's already dead!' she replied and bounded off after the Spartans, Dacien and Lil'Ame following at a more sedate pace and shaking their heads at the assassin's unending enthusiasm.

The motor pool that they entered was virtually deserted, but as they approached the branching that would lead them into the next stretch, another Flickr appeared: "You will be the protectors of Earth and all her colonies." The Spartans and Infected shook off the vision and shot the Grunt manning the plasma turret immediately beyond the second doorway; they couldn't afford to waste time pondering exactly why the Flickers were coming to them.

There were three Jackals advancing up the slight slope, but Sam just broke off the plasma turret and gunned right through them, charging down to the other and taking out the Grunt manning the turret. The next curve presented another Jackal-and-Grunt troupe, complete with two more plasma turrets, and the two snipers of the group took out the Grunts on the turrets, allowing the others to advance down the hall while they gunned for the Jackals blocking the way.

As they moved toward the Ops Center, they encountered a handful of corpses in Marine gear, and Dacien knelt by one of them to close its eyes. That resulted in him getting shot at by a pair of Jackals with carbines, but there was swift retribution in the form of return fire from the warriors, creating still more bodies for clean-up.

Not that there would be any.

The Ops Center was just around the bend, through a short hall, and the Spartans and Infected crept into the room as silently as possible, trying to catch the enemy by surprise. Truth was on the main screen, conversing with one of the Brutes. "We have taken their Command Center!" the Chieftain told the Prophet, seemingly elated.

Truth himself was not impressed. "Have you discovered how they plan to stop me?"

"Not just yet, Noble Prophet."

"Find out what I need to know, or your place on the path is forfeit. Tell me you understand!"

"Yes, Holy One. It shall be done." After the Prophet disconnected, the Chieftain turned to the other Covenant. "Have the Drones scour these machines! Find out what these heathens know about the Ark!"

It was then that the combined forces struck, using all of their skill and weaponry against the aliens while simultaneously trying not to hit the bomb in the center of the room. Dacien came away with a missing arm, but with a little bit of a boost from Venera, he was able to reattach it and retain some functionality until he was able to see a medic.

Fred slapped the controls for the bomb and darted away, closely followed by his battle brothers and sisters, the bomb beeping ominously behind them. "That did it, Chief," Keyes said over the COM, "Bomb's armed."

"We've got your exit: a service elevator in the hangar," Johnson said after the Commander, Head downstairs, cut through the caves!"

The Infected had already bypassed the stairs entirely, simply jumping over the grating and falling about ten feet to the lower level, darting ahead of the Spartans and clearing the way. None of them even bothered to try and shoot the Covenant still running hither and thither as the base shook with distant explosions; instead, they made straight for the hangar, relying on their shields to keep them safe until they entered the service elevator, and the systems did their job. Another two Flickers appeared before they entered the hangar: "There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead." and "You will become the best we can make you."

Though the images of Cortana slowed them down briefly, they reached the lift before the base detonated and darted inside as if the Devil himself was after them, the person nearest to them slapping the controls to send them down below the base.

"This place will become your home."

An explosion overhead, fire coursing down the only outlet in the area - right onto them.

"This place will become your tomb."

**********

I created the Sound of Madness.

Wrote the book on pain.

Somehow I'm still here,

To explain,

That the darkest hour never comes in the night.

You can sleep with a gun.

When you gonna wake up...

When you gonna wake up and fight...

-"Sound of Madness," Shinedown (The Sound of Madness)