HRP Second Story Chapter 1

Be careful, they may be on to us now. Make it fast people.

=i adjusted my grip on the rifle, scanning the area and trying to get a good idea on the situation=

I open the cage door and quickly address the civilians wounds, I bandage the more severe ones and bind his ribs tightly.

"Ma'am, it looks like his ribs are broken. I don't know how far he'll make it."

I whisper, fearing anymore noise will alert the covenant to our presence.

You'll escort him then. Move quick now.

I wave them out of the door.

I nod, moving with the civilian clinging to my shoulder, I felt uneasy, this mission hadn't been a cakewalk so far, but it was going to get a hell of a lot harder escorting the civilians.

I hear the shot, and turn, throwing the civilian to the spartan.

I see Katie take the round through her head, sending bits of it and her helmet flying. I instinctively return fire from where the shot came from, as I approach her.

I grab her pack and drag her across, keeping my SMG aimed. I open the friendly frequencies on my helmet, acting almost on instinct.

"This is Dusk 4, Dusk 2 is down, repeat, 2 is down! We are moving back through! Sierra Dusk, Fire at will! Keep us covered."

I drag the body into the building, with Dusk 3 covering me.
In cover, I lift the body onto my shoulder, holstering my SMG and drawing my pistol.

He didn't know how long it was as he sat there, looking at the entrance he had crawled through, scanning left to right and back again for a contact. "Nothing" He said low to himself. He stood himself up. Keeping his eyes on the "Entrance" of the building. He slowly moved out that way, keeping his gun raised as he scanned the street like he did the collapsed wall. Looking over at the rubble that wasn't there a moment ago and nodding to himself.

He tried the radio in his pouch one more. Saying just about the same he did before, a bit more shakily from the nervousness that was rolling through his mind.

He soon started to walk down the city street again, sticking to the walls and the shadows.

=I turn around and pale=

Well...shit

=I look around, knowing I was the next in line=

Well, what the heck do we do now...?

I watch as the purple beam go straight through Dusk's head. Some of it hits, sticks and slides off of my visor...
I find that the civilian Dusk four had is in my hands now. I don't even remember catching him.
I scoop him up and find cover back inside the building we just left. Then quickly wiping off the blood on my visor.

Shit, their reinforcments will be here at any moment. Think Scott! Think!

I look at 3 and the Spartan.

"Don't just stand there, Fucking move!"

I keep my pistol trained on the door, Katie slung over my shoulder, fighting the panic that is flying through my mind.

=I nod and look at the rest of the team=

Alright then, let's get our heads out of our asses and move it!

=I fall back towards the exfil, hoping the Covvies didn't cut us off=

Whatever you do, keep those civvies alive!

I start to think up a plan.

"3, take the injured civilian, Spartan, cover our rear! You've got shields, we don't."

I open the frequency again.

"Dusk 4 to extraction team, we are en route, get the warthogs fired up!"

I was a private, giving orders. I didn't expect anyone to listen, but I was doing what my gut told me.

=I sling the civvie on my shoulders in a fireman's carry=

Don't you dare die on me now...

=I look once again at the civvie=

Let's get the hell out of here...

Alrightalrightalrightalrightalright
"I'll provide a distraction while everyone else gets out of here like the orginal plan, understand? Oh, and. Dusk three. I'm going to need those explosives you have. Like, now. Since you won't be needing them."

=I waggle my finger=

Okay then...Just get waay back after you place them.

=I take out one of my 'Bell Ringers'=

Because these things make a BIG bang. And I mean BIG.

=I give two of them to the Spartan=

I got the call from dusk four, saying he was on their way.
"Everyone hear that?... Good, lets get these hogs moving."
I see that there wasn't a marine in the driver's side of the warthog I sat in, so I climb over to the steering wheel.
"You!" I point to one of the marines outside of the hog. "Get on the MG ASAP!"

I watch the ground explode with plasma fire as the Elites return fire. A squad of grunts appear in front of me, I unload my pistol, dispatching them.

Something red-hot hits my leg and I fall, dropping Katie.

Shit Shit Shit Shit Shit Shit!

I reload my pistol, with trembling hands, ignoring the burning in my leg. I return fire, crawling backwards as I do.

I see a flash as Sierra Dusk opens fire from his rooftop, hopefully pinning them down some more.

I struggle to my feet, barely able to stand, and limp forwards, grabbing Katie's pack again, and limp towards the 'Hogs.

=I keep on moving towards the entrance=

You better have those explosives placed Spartan!

=I keep moving, hoping the civvie didn't get shot in the process=

The news Katie was down struck Ellie like lightning. She felt some tears...but she held back.
"All 'hogs. Burn them. BURN THEM TO FUCKING GLASS." Ellie shouted. The Warthogs gunned out of cover, with Ellie winging six missiles toward the main gate. Explosions dotted it, and, as Snipers hefted rifles, a lance of fire came from the 'Hog to Ellie's right. A missile streaked from her right, and the crack of a sniper came from her six. Bodies fell and flew. She fired six more missiles into the gate, then ordered the 'hogs to break through.
"Evac Hog, count to ten and head in. Corporal Hime, you will burn everything with that laser. You will burn them to glass. That hog, and everyone...comes home."
Her driver gunned the hog as the passenger fired another rocket. The weak gate sagged, and the Warthogs crashed through, missiles, bullets, and Spartan Laser shots flying. The trio ran over a few gruunts and an Elite before handbrake turning. Ellie launched missiles into the motor pool, Ghosts and Spectres ripping apart. The Evac hog roared in, Hime blasting a Spectre with his laser.
"Dusk Team, Taxi's arrived. Saddle up or you're walking home. Ya'll got thirty seconds!"

Two Hunters lumbered into view, but lasers blasted them to bits.
"Three more shots apiece Sarge!" They yelled.
Missiles and bullets flew alone. "Save them for Hunters! Dusk, get your assessment to the trans NOW!"

The Falcon was repaired. What I had to do now, well, I had no idea. The majority of my squad had already moved out with the CSM. And all I had to do was wait to be deployed. Which probably wouldn't be long considering the circumstances. I glanced down at my MA37. You see, most men here could shoot averagely, so they usually picked the DMR, but me and shooting didn't really mix. So, the, not always accurate shots of the MA37 it was for me.

=i fire into anyone I could see, working my way left to right. I fire, the shot piercing shields and armor and flesh. The target fell over, but I don't know if dead. I turn to the next, and fire, repeating this pattern until the mag went dry. I yanked out the mag, and slotted in a new one. I scoped in again and continued shooting, hoping the stealth attachments would work as well as they did=

I trip over my injured leg and fall face first, leaving Katie's body a few feet in front of me. I couldn't move. I felt too weak to even reach for the pistol five inches from my right hand.

I lay there, half giving up in the mud.

I slam the breaks, sliding the warthog into a squad of grunts, each making a scream of terror then silence. I pull out my pistol and pop suppression shots at enemy heads, while remaining in my seat.

=i notice the rookie fall over, and I radio him=
Hey, what're you doing?

=i keep my tone level and calm as I shoot again and again. I could tell it was hell down there, so I didn't want to cause a panic=

=I pick up Four by the hand=

Come keep moving...those Hogs aren't gonna wait.

=I then place an arm over my shoulder=

Man is this going to shit fast...

=I then keep moving towards the Hogs, and Four's pistol back in his hand=

Come on...we're getting the hell out of here.

I don't respond, I was going into shock. Something Medics feared as it usually ended badly.

I could barely hear, everything sounded muffled, and my leg wasn't burning, my entire body was numb.

C'mon soldier. You have family? Talk to me. Stay in there.

=i saw an Elite and quickly started firing at him. His sword was raised and I was doing my best to at least knock that out of his hand=

I was vaguely aware of a voice.

"B-brother..." I manage to choke out into the comms. I was hyper-ventilating, something that I'd be worried about if it were someone else. As it was, I could barely form a coherent thought.

Okay. Good. Keep talking, what's your brother like?

=i reload as fast as I could, ready to keep shooting=

I pop a couple grunts in the head, then see an Elite with a sword charging. I attempt to hit him with my pistol, but if any of my shots hit him, they just simply ping off of his shields.

=I get online with the Spartan=

Sierra...tell me you have those explosives placed!

=I get out the detinator=

"Tall... black hair.. Tough."

I felt dizzy. But not so I didn't see the Elite. I shake Dusk 3 off, and fall to my knees, forcing myself back up, I grab hold of Katie and move forward slowly.

How tough? ODST tough?

=i see another Elite, and put a hole in it's head, it's Carbine just falling out of dead fingers=

"He's an ODST himself..." I groan as I drag myself and Katie.
"He could kick my ass any day."

What do you think he would say right now if he saw you on the ground like that?

=i fire into another alien, the neat hole forming over its chest and a cloud of alien colored blood spraying out the back as it fell over=

"He'd kick me... and tell me to haul ass."

I take a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain ricocheting through my leg and double time it, dragging Katie's limp body behind me.

"GET YOUR ASS MOVING AND GET KATIE HOME OR I SWEAR, ROOKIE, I'LL PLANT MY FOOT SO FAR UP.YOUR ASS YOU WILL VOMIT MY TOEJAM."
Ellie, shouting her vrry gross threat, fired some more missiles into the mass of grunts and Elites.
"Fifteen seconds!"

=I place the civvie in the Hog=

Sarge, Boy am I glad to see your face again.

=I look at the Covvies closing on our position=

Come on Covvies, plenty of lead to go around!

=I fire at the Covvies coming towards the Hog=

Damn right soldier. Get moving. I have you covered.

=i saw a...grunt or something. It was about that height but half hidden in shadows. I saw a flash of green and a flaming green fireball whirled at my position. Apparently, I had been found out. I pulled the rifle out of the rubble and moved, just as the shot hit. The rubble turned into fine dust, with small rocks and rebar bouncing off of my armor. I picked myself up and looked for the rifle, seeing the handle of it next to some wreckage=

I reach the warthogs and fall, putting my back against the nearest one for support as I clumsily lift Katie into it. I take a deep breath once she's in.

And another.

And another. Everything seems to slow down, I feel my head loll a little, before I feel my eyes roll upwards as I fall.

I ran past all the confusion and Dusk squad, only focusing on the objective I set for myself. Blow the fuck out of the Second wall.
With my DMR I pick off grunts, elites, jackels and whatever is here. Thankfully I didn't draw too much attention to myself.
I set one of the explosives on the wall. Then throwing the other over the wall as far as I can. I turn around and start running towards the 'hogs from behind the aliens. And because I'm running from behind them, they don't seem to notice me. Though I do drop a grenade here and there, blowing the shit out of them. Then, I feel a sharp burning pain across my back. Not too deep, but enough to take out my shields.

Something grabs my shoulder and turns me around. A ugly ass face stares at me, an elite's. Then another burning in my left shoulder. The bugger has his energy dagger out..
"Fuck off asshole."
With my right arm I punch it square in the face. It flies backwards, obviously dead. Three more Elites notice me and equip their swords.
A couple Jackels and a grunt notice me too. Guess that plan didn't work out.

"Dusk Three! Fucking blow the bombs!"

(Erase this plz)

I move my focus from the Elite to the mass amounts of Covenant pouring the battlefield from the other side of the barricade.
"Oh shit..."
I grab my assault rifle from the other side of the warthog and start to fire the inaccurate weapon at them.

I fire a couple bursts at the sword Elite, but it jumps up at the 'hog.
I jump back in my seat, hiding myself behind the windshield. I start shooting at the Elite through the window, but I'm only able to shatter it and maybe get a couple round through before I stumble myself out of the 'hog.