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Chapter 11
The peace of morning had returned once more. The sound of a vehicle could be heard racing across the landscape. A single Spartan in a warthog. He cast his site on a blue spot in the direction he was traveling. *What the hell is tha.... Dead zombies... What is going on there?* thought the Spartan. He headed directly for the site of the carnage. As he approached the area there were no signs of life. Shells, blood, and.... sliced zombies? He look up the hill in front of him. At that very moment, 5 Spartans jumped from the top of the hill and landed right in front of the lone Spartan. All weapons aimed at his head.
"WOAH WOAH!" shouted the Spartan, throwing his hands into the air. "I AM JUST PASSING THROUGH! WAS CHECKING IF ANYONE NEEDED HELP!"
"That voice..." responded one of the five lowering his shotgun. "Sarge?!"
"Ninja?! Is that you??" exclaimed the Spartan.
"Sarge!!" Ninja dropped his weapon and embraced his old time friend. "You are are first sign of.. well hope... in days!"
"Haha I am glad to see you too!" Sarge replied, returning the embrace. "What happened? You all look like you have been through hell"
"We have." Luna said now lowering her weapon. "It is good to see ya Sarge. These three are new. Phoenix, Carnage and Hat."
"Luna! I would recognize ya anywhere!" greeted Sarge. "Nice to meet you three as well. Damn. You all put up a hell of a fight. I could spot the slaughter a mile away. Seems you even busted out your energy sword eh Ninja?"
"Yea" chucked Ninja. "It was itching for battle."
"I don't mean to be rude," injected Carnage. "But we are in dire need to get back to Main Ops. Sarge, could you by any chance squeeze us in? We will repay in fuel needed. And you can reminisce with the rest of ZA there."
"Yes of course!" Sarge answered. "It will be a very tight squeeze, but I will gladly! You all ready?"
"Let us just get some equipment." replied Hat heading back up the hill with Carnage.
The two unloaded the hogs that were now useless. Carnage put some ammunition into a backpack and headed back down. Hat loaded his bag with the small amounts of samples Luna was able to carry during their escape from DC as well as rashins. They had not eaten breakfast. He followed his comrade down.
"Come sit on my lap my lap Carnage!" Phoenix shouted from the hog's passenger seat. "No really, you have to."
"Fuck life...." muttered Carnage as he satisfied his friend's request. "You are going to owe me Oreos from your stash"
Luna was jammed between the driver and passenger seat, Hat and Ninja were clinging to the rocket launcher in the back of the hog. The 6 set off South, heading straight for ZA Main Operations.
~~~~~
2 HOURS LATER
"There is an extra set of tracks." Wings stated, rising from the ground. "They seemed to have all jammed into one rescue warthog. Theirs are still up on that hill."
"Dammit." cursed Cookie. "Try to keep up. I am not going to let them get back to their HQ."
Cookie jumped backed into his vehicle and peeled out. Following the new set of tracks. Wings and Tuna followed his actions.
~~~~~
"Sakura- Raptor and Ulric. Drk- Red and Voodoo. Dudeman- Justin and Cnet. Firefox- Habu and Lucky. Slowbro- Tulip and Rage. Please meet up with your recruits asap. Train them well Sergeants. Good luck Dismissed." ordered Buck.
"Aye sir!" the Sergeants complying in unison.
Buck had just given out the team roster for the Sergeants. The future of ZA. Unlike most leaders, Buck did not expect his underlings to defend him in a battle. Rather, he would give his life for any one of them. In an instant. The co-leader left the Conference Room and headed back to the Communications Center. 8 of his admins were still out in the field. He was constantly monitoring any transmissions. Today he was expecting some sort of word from them.
~~~~
"You know, we could have reached Beaver Creek and be in communications range by now if it wasn't for you wanting breakfast." Carnage said getting back into the hog. "Your on my lap this time Phoenix."
"Haha sure grumpy" Phoenix laughed back.
"Hey! I needed my crumpets!" said Hat getting back on the gunners platform.
"Yea, I miss ZA." sighed Sarge, starting up the warthog. "You all ready?"
"Yup. Let's go." said Ninja joining Hat.
The six set off once again. The hog barely go to maximum speed before a sniper rifle was heard in the distance. Milliseconds later, Hat fell of the warthog, motionless.
"HAT!!" Ninja screamed jumping off the hog running toward his friend. It was too late. Hat was gone.
The hog came to a screeching halt.
"Keep going. That's an order." shouted Ninja, staring at the approaching hog the shot came from.
"I'm not in ZA old buddy." responded Sarge.
"Luna." Ninja's final words to his team.
Luna withdrew her pistol and pointed it at Sarge's head. No words were necessary to know what was about to go down. Sarge nodded his head at Ninja and sped off. Another shot shattered the windshield of the hog. No more rounds were fired.
"Shit." muttered the sniper as well as Sarge.
Ninja withdrew his energy sword, standing in front of his fallen friend. The hog approached him. The Spartan the stepped out left Ninja frozen.
"Cookie..." shuddered Ninja in dismay. "You are dead."
"No ZA. That will soon be you." replied Cookie raising his Sniper Rifle.
He fired one round. Ninja was able to react in time and raised is sword to deflect the bullet. It would have been a head shot. Ninja sprinted straight for Cookie. Cookie saved his last round and charged toward the ZA in return. Ninja jumped and swung his sword. The FC whipped out his rifle and sung it at the ZA's arm. The blow landed releasing both the sword and rifle to the ground. Ninja talked Cookie as he landed from his leap. Cookie took out his combat knife and stabbed the ZA in the back. Ninja let out a cry of pain. He elbowed Cookie in the face knocking his helmet off. Cookie kicked Ninja off and both got back on their feet. Ninja took out the knife that was still stuck in his back and and charged the FC one more. Instead of lunging he threw the knife making Cookie dodge and getting into a vulnerable position. Ninja round housed the FC sending him flying to the earth. Ninja picked up Cookies rifle. One shot was still in the barrel. He stood over the FC and aimed his very own rifle at Cookie's head.
"Any last wo.." Ninja was cut off.
Cookie was staring directly towards Ninja. And the blade of his energy sword was protruding out of the back of the ZA. Cookie took off the mask of his dying opponent to see the pain in Ninja's face. Cookie now stood. He raised the sword that in turn lifted Ninja off of his feet. The ZA's face was engulfed with fear, pain, sorrow.
"Funny. Your friend, Raz was it? Had that same look." Cookie smirked in the face of Ninja.
The very next second Ninja's body collapsed. Still on the energy sword. Cookie deactivated the saber and let the ZA's corpse fall to the ground. Another warthog approached him. Two Spartans got out of the vehicle.
"Damn we missed all the action?" Tuna said approaching Cookie.
"You only got two." Wings noticed as he examined the corpses.
"This one gave me a hard time." Cookie said picking up his helmet. "The conflict is inevitable. By the time they notify their entire clan. Bagel and Marmite would have already declared war on ZA."
"I see you got a spoil." Wings said looking at the energy sword handle on Cookie's belt.
"Help me load up the bodies. My mission still isn't over yet." Cookie ordered.
END CHAPTER 11
Chapter 12
Rain poured down onto Halo. Night, dark and void. ZA Main Operations was in ruins. Most of the buildings and structures were in rubble. The entire East Gate was now nonexistent. The ZA fortress that once was a beacon of strength was now nothing more than a flickering candle. The sound of gunfire and groaning zombies could barely be heard over the storm. The ZA base was not the only thing in chaos.
“Report!” ordered Star, sitting at a table in the ZA Main Armory. The armory was one of the few buildings left standing and was made into a makeshift HQ. All the weapons were off their racks and scattered across the floor of the armory.
“The Staff Sergeants and some Sergeants have set up a barrier along the fallen East Gate. Corporals are beginning reconstruction. And Privates are scavenging the rubble for any usable equipment and supplies.” Replied Buck sitting to the left of her.
“Good. MasterA.” Star directed her attention to the Major General.
“There have been no signs of them in the 5 mile radius we have been patrolling. They seem to have deserted for good.” Responded MasterA further down the table. “We will make another round in the morning to be sure.”
“I see. Phoenix?” now addressing the Major General.
“We have retrieved little information from the samples we collected. The Research Center was one of the buildings targeted so Luna has to resort to more primitive methods to continue the analysis. Sarge is actually helping her out with it now. I will give you a full report on the results.” Said Phoenix.
“Understood. Thank you.” Star replied.
Just then, Grimm burst open the massive door to the armory. He seem scared, terrified.
“They are back” declared Grimm
The Senior Staff arose and followed the Staff Sergeant quickly. He led them to the ruins of the East Gate. The Staff assessed the situation. There were no zombies. The aura was already ominous. Dudeman, eXiLe, Slowbro, and Drk were all bleeding from their left shoulder. *Four injured* noted Adder. The group, now at the barracks, looked out into the horizon beyond the rubble of the gate. Eleven Spartans could be seen standing in the distance roughly 15 meters away from the perimeter of Main Ops. All but Adder, Star, Phoenix, and MasterA stayed behind the barracks. They now all aimed their rifles and weapons at the eleven. The 4 Senior members went out beyond the perimeter to confront them.
“Bagel?! Marmite?!” exclaimed Adder in dismay. “Slim said the FC Founders died.”
“Oh please Adder.” One of the Spartans on left responded, Slim. “I would think after this little incident you would have learned not to trust me finally.”
“FCs... You all are still alive…” said Star in shock as well. “What is the meaning of all this?”
Bagel, Marmite, Slim, Wings, Taco, Tuna, Cookie, Coyote, Nugget, and Banana were the ten FC Spartans standing before the ZAs. The eleventh Spartan was standing behind the two FC Leaders. Cookie’s rifle was the only weapon drawn.
“Star and Adder.” Began Marmite, stepping forward. “You two have something we want. I doubt anyone other than my friends Slim, Taco, and Wings know.”
*That’s why the armory was found a mess* thought Star clenching her fists. She was angered.
“But obviously nothing is so simple. So we are willing to offer you options.” Added Bagel. He turned around and grabbed the arm of the eleventh Spartan and pushed him in the direction of the ZAs.
“No… Is that you Trunks?” Star now said with a saddened voice.
The Spartans standing before them was disgust. His right arm was gone at the joint. His left leg appeared to be broken in several places yet was still being used to support the rest of his broken body. His armor was a dark purple/blue color. There appeared to be no sign of life. Just an empty set of armor.
“He can’t respond to you.” said Marmite. “He was our first experiment. Also our closest one to perfection. He has the strength than can surpass any of us here. He has also lost his desire for human flesh. Yet his mind is no longer present.”
“Bastards!” shouted Adder.
“Don’t get angry. You all didn’t even look into his “leave”.” Said Bagel pulling back Trunks. “So what do you say? We are willing to give you back your Founder. For… him.”
“Never!!” screamed Star. “X! A!”
In an instant, the two ZAs called withdrew their weapons. Phoenix aimed his sniper rifle at Cookie who was now returning the same action and MasterA pointed his shotgun at the FC Leaders. The FCs responded in a similar manner all drawing out their sniper rifles. The ZA members behind their leaders drew their weapons at attention as well.
“Now now.” Chuckled Bagel, not phased despite the tension. “We never really thought this option would work. But we thought it was worth a shot.”
“Enough talking.” Injected Marmite. “We gave you your chance. As of now, FC officially declares war on ZA. The next time we meet, it will be on the battlefield.”
“So be it…” grudged Adder.
“You WILL fear the power of FC.” Marmite stated as he turned around.
The group of Spartans all turned their backs to ZÅ and then disappeared in the darkness of the night. The ZA clansmen lowered their weapons. The sound of warthogs could be heard pulling away from the area. The four Staff members returned behind the barrier. ZA and FC. A second war. A war that would decide the future of this… infected Halo world.
END CHAPTER 12
Chapter 13
It was early morning. The previous night’s event still echoed in all the minds of the Senior Staff. Once again, they were summoned for a meeting. It seemed that’s all they were doing now. The Staff was assembled in the messy armory.
“We all don’t need to be briefed on the events of last night. We were all there.” Started Adder , standing behind his seat at the end of the table. “What the 3 leaders decided on last night were options to execute.”
“We have come up with 3 choices for what we will do next. You all, the Staff, will vote on what will happen.” Added Star, standing next to Adder. “Buck.”
“First Option: We take a stand. Rebuild Main Ops, prepare all ZAs, and confront FC on the battlefront to defend this area. So to put it simple, we go to war.” Buck stated. “Second Option: We abandon ZA Main Ops and migrate the clan. We will more than likely look to our close allies, HB, for aid. And the last option, similar to the previous: A select few ZAs stay behind in Main Ops and perform an Alamo to give the rest of the clan more time to abandon. These are the three option.”
“You have to be kidding right?” said Phoenix in dismay.
“No X. We all decided this would be best. You know the power of FC.” Replied Star.
“Yes I do. That is why 2 of your “proposed options” are complete bullshit.” Snapped Phoenix. “As you said, look at the power of FC. Just one of them, Slim, managed to not only put Carnage and Bane as well as a few recruits in the Med Center, but he also took out over half the base as well as an entire gate!!”
“Exactly! You should understand our decision then!” sad Adder.
“NO! Running away won’t save us. With their power they will just hunt every last one of us down. And since when has running been an option for ZA?” Phoenix, now nearly screaming. “Star, Adder. The FC leaders said they wanted something. “Him”. Who were they talking about?”
“That does not concern you!” Star shouted.
“Star, when the entire clan is at risk, it does concern us.” Injected MasterA. “That is the purpose of this Staff. And we all deserve to know who “he” is. Who do they want Star?”
Adder rested his hand on Star. She was now weeping. She looked up at him.
“They need to know.” Whispered Adder.
Star nodded and gasped in sorrow. Adder walked to the back wall of the armory. A sniper rifle was still hanging onto its rack. *His distraction did not give him enough time to look completely. It is by pure luck* thought Adder. The ZA leader took the sniper rifle off of the rack. He then walked past the Staff to the front of the armory. He closed the large door engulfing them in darkness. A red light in the middle of the ceiling activated soon after. Adder unscrewed the shield protecting the raw bulb. He took out the bulb and placed the barrel of the rifle in its place. A section of the floor in the back right corner of the room opened revealing a staircase leading down into the ground.
“All of you, follow me.” Ordered Adder.
The entire Staff, speechless, followed their leader. The staircase winded down and eventually led to a door. Adder looked back to see the Staff crowded behind him. Confusion was in all of their faces. Star’s tears had stopped. He placed his hand on a pad outside the door. It scanned his hand.
“Black-K 03” said Adder.
The door unlocked and slid open. The Staff all walked into a large room. None of them could believe what they saw.
End Chapter 13
Chapter 14
A child. No more than 1 year old was stumbling around the room, now taking attention to the group of Spartans staring at him. A female from the group stepped forward and he clumsily hurried over to her to receive her embrace as she picked him up.
“This is Prodigy.” Said Adder, gazing at the boy and Star. “In case you haven’t figured it out. He is Star and I’s son.”
The Senior Staff, once again, was in utter shock. All this time, there was a small child at the heart of ZA Main Operations. An offspring on Halo. This had never been heard of. This boy now brought more questions to the minds of the Staff.
“Of the many, many questions I want to ask at the moment,” started EZRab “WHY THE HELL would you keep your own son locked in a room below ZA?!”
“The answer is obvious EZ.” Began Star, still holding her child. “In this cursed world, there is always a possibility that the base could have fallen. Take the incident that just recently happened.”
“This room was designed to serve the purpose of being a survival shelter if necessary.” Adder continued, walking around the large room. “Even if there was no one alive to care for Prodigy, the automated systems here could cater to him until he would reach the age of 17. When we found out we would be having a child, this room was the first thing that entered our mind.”
“When FC and ZA joined forces and decided to establish an HQ, we were already expecting our child.” Star said, now putting the child down to wander once more. “We had Slim build this as a survival bunker. We told him it could also be used for emergency cases. The project was then handed to Adder. He then modified all the securities and computers to be able to cater to Prodigy’s needs. Slim knew where it was, just not how to get to it.”
“I see now.” Buck said. “That is why not only was the armory left structurally untouched, but the inside was turned inside out.”
“Wait, wait,” injected MasterA. “Why would Slim want to get in here? Surely this boy is the “he” the FCs were talking about.”
“Back when FC and ZA merged. There had been very feint rumors of FC conducting experiments on Spartans. At the time us ZA leaders wrote it off and continued on with the alliance.” Replied Adder “ As I was writing our clan history, the Zombie Outbreak and other incidents and the FC history kept overlapping. I always had this mentality that for some reason FC had something to do with those creatures. After the incident last night, I am convinced that they are responsible for them. Zombies are their failures.”
“Well once again, how does Prodigy fit into all this?” questioned Buck.
“Slim knew of our expected child. It seems that was a major reason they decided to merge with ZA. My idea is that the FCs need him for their experiments.” Continued Adder. “You see, Prodigy is the only Spartan offspring on this ring. Unlike all of us Spartans, he was not modified. He was BORN a Spartan. Star has analyzed his DNA and it is far more complex than any of ours. We still have not been able to completely decode it. To put it in more simple terms, he will grow stronger than any of us here.”
“That’s why.” Bagels jumped in. “The FCs believe he is the key to completing their work. To dissect what a super soldier among Spartans is made of.”
“This boy is also why you want us all to run, isn’t it?” asked Sinder.
The room fell silent once more. This curveball, this boy, now completely changed the situation ZA was in. Running would now serve the sole purpose of protecting Prodigy. While staying and making a stand to protect ZA Main Ops meant basically the same thing. Yet if FC were to get their hands on him, ZA would end up at the mercy of FC. Once again, the options were being evaluated each and every mind of the Senior Staff.
“Star… Adder….” Phoenix broke the silence. His leaders focusing on him, waiting for what he had to say. “I believe I speak for all of us here when I say, we will stand and fight to die for this base. And to protect your son at all costs. Your child, Prodigy, is a member of ZA. And just like every single member in this clan, we all here would set down our lives to save them.”
“Running away will never become an option for ZA.” MasterA continued. “We will give you son fine examples to follow.”
“Plus we still have a few members to avenge!” added Buck.
“You all….” Star could barely get out the words. Both her and Adder were on the verge of tears. The clan they created, truly was a family.
“Well then,” Adder wiping away his tears, regaining his leadership image. “Let’s prepare for war!”
END CHAPTER 14
Chapter 15
“Sinder, Dudeman, Slowbro, Stuntman, BrickSquad, Allie, Bane, Freak and Pizzleine embody the first battalion. Commander of Battalion One is Major General Carnage.” Barked Co-leader Buck from the podium inside a giant tent serving as a make shift assembly hall. “EZRab, Collegenet, Drk, Firefox, Grosbebe, Cocoon, Hawk, plus, and Freeze report to Bagels. He will be serving as Battalion Two Commander. Finally, Code, Kitty, Boxhead, skyline, Savior, Junky, ledapus, voodoo, and Ulric will be under the command of Major General Luna as Battalion Three. Commander in Chief will be BlackAdder. Please report to your commanding officer. They are waiting beside the Cargo Bays along the North, South, and West Gates.”
As the General finished issuing out his commands the ZAs whos names were called left the assembly tent. ZA was preparing for war. While most clansmen were gathering for combat, the remainder of the Recruits , Corporals, and higher members were preparing weapons, vehicles, and supplies. After the main battalions left Main Ops, they would be under the command of Buck to defend the base. After the battalions left the tent, Buck stepped down and Adder began.
“MasterA, Grimm, Phoenix, Tulip, eXiLe, and Shade. You will be ZAs Commando Squadron.” Started Adder addressing the remaining ZAs. “I will be the Commander of the squad as well as the Commander in Chief. Please assemble in the Main Armory. Dismissed.”
The last of the ZAs left the tent leaving the two highest Commanders in the tent.
“They all took their orders quite will.” Said Buck.
“For most, this will be their first war. They are more than likely terrified.” Responded Adder stepping off the platform.
“I suppose this is where “the calm before the storm” begins…” Buck stated gazing off into a distance.
“Buck,” Adder now addressed his General with grave seriousness. “Star and Prodigy will be staying within the Main Armory for the duration of the war. I am leaving them in your hands.”
“Sir, I will personally protect them with my life.” Responded Buck.
“If anything were to go wrong, I have already prepared a fully loaded warthog at the South Gate.” Said Adder. “Take my family and as many survivor as possible and….”
“Kevin,” Buck interrupted placing his hand on the shoulder of his leader. “It won’t come to that. You will be coming back. We will win this.”
The two Spartans now pondered what would really go down. How valid were the words of the General.
~~~~~
Beneath the colossal structure of the red base of Infinity, the FCs were preparing as well. The 10 FCs were loading warthogs and readying weapons. None of them seemed to show any signs of fear or anxiety. This was an old clan. A clan that has known war. In a separate room, Bagel and Marmite were discussing the strategies to utilize for this conflict.
“We will do the two man team. Seems the most logical concerning our dramatically gapped ratio.” Said Bagel.
“Agreed.” Marmite complied. “The clan is used to this strategy and already has been briefed upon the strengths of ZA. Numbers do not worry me.”
“Will we be using “them”?” asked Bagel.
“Of course. Attacking psychologically will not only throw them off their game, but also guarantee a faster victory.” Replied Marmite.
“Heh,” chucked Bagel. “The other side to the serum. Who would have thought it could perform the miracles of Jesus?”
“I will go prepare the bodies.” Marmite stated. “They will need to be awakened at least 6 hours before they can be fully ready for combat again.”
“Very well. I will aid in the preparation of supplies.” Declared Bagel leaving the room.
~~~~
Morning arrived once more. Truly living up to its title as the calm before the storm. The ZA battalions had loaded up in hogs at the North Gate and were undergoing final checks and routines. Buck was at the top of the North Gate gazing down into the clan. Adder was inside the warthog at the front of the land fleet. He now stood up from the driver’s seat and addressed his clan for one final time.
“ZA.” Adder shouted, all the clansmen grew silent. “Bloodgulch will be the battleground. We need to end them. Before they end us. The odds are in our favor. The skill we have is unmatched in my eyes. Let’s win this war. ZA… MOVE OUT!”
With that order, the North Gate opened and the dozens of warthogs sped off, leaving their home behind.
“War is the trade of kings.” – John Dryden
END CHAPTER 15 |
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