Halo: Front Lines [BOOK ONE]

Chapter Eleven - Elysium

UNSC Colony World: Eridanus II,
Eridanus System,
0615 Hours July 24th, 2530 (Military Calendar)

Four Years Later

"It's a boy." Jessica giggled as she met Gray's gaze. Then in a fit of glee she spun around in the meadow of dandelions before grabbing her husband's hand and dragging him with her.

"A-a what?" Gray stammered as he stumbled forward. He didn't mind the haziness of the world around him. The birds chirping and the warm sun seemed a little too good to be true, but there they were.

There she was. Jessica.

The girl that stunned him every time. The girl who's natural beauty left him in awe. The girl who would soon be a mother to their kids.

"Soon? No that's not right..." Gray thought to himself. The more he questioned his surroundings the hazier his mind became. Without warning they both fell together in the meadow.

"You're gonna be the best dad ever, Joseph Gray." Jessica said as she turned to face him and used her hand to support her cheek.

"And you're gonna be the best mom ever, Jessica Gray." He replied as he stared into those perfect eyes. She smiled even bigger, and for a fleeting moment, they just laid their together. Then her expression changed.

"How long Joey?" She asked, suddenly more distraught.

"How long?" Gray echoed in confusion.

"How long is our son gonna live? How much of his life is gonna be spent running and fighting like an animal?" She questioned.

"I won't let it come to that," Gray said firmly as he gripped his wife's hand tighter. "Come hell or high water, he's gonna have a vibrant life. A life lived free."

"The enemy gets a vote, Joseph," She said. This time with a hint of irritation as tears flowed down her cheeks. "I just wanna know if we're bringing a human being into this world...or a Covenant slave."

As she said the words, Gray could hear the sounds of war getting louder and louder. Suddenly, he was no longer in a meadow with his wife. Instead he slowly opened his eyes to see a large, yeti-like creature with brown hair and sharp fangs. In both hands it wielded a hammer that when swung, concentrated the surrounding gravity into a lethal shockwave that obliterated everything within a five meter radius.

With ease, it pummeled its way through the concrete rubble that had once been a skyscraper and made its way towards the helpless young Marine. All Gray could do was gape as the eleven foot tall beast raised its hammer high in the air for a finishing blow. Just then it's head exploded, and the unmistakable form of Sarah-319 rushed past in a blur.

She snatched the hammer from the Covenant soldier as his headless body collapsed and promptly swung it horizontally. She split the closest Elite in bright blue combat armor directly in two, then raised the hammer and brought it down hard on the area amidst a trio of grunts. The shockwave ruptured their methane tanks and sent the corpses flying in every direction.

"Sleeping on the job again, are we?" Brown asked as he grabbed Gray by the shirt collar and forced him upright in one fluent motion.

"Six-Six," Gray said methodically as he unslung his assault rifle and ignored the jab. "I need an ASGM dropped on grid square twenty-one Romeo, Mike, Papa-"

Anthony's assault rifle deafened Gray as the Agent hastily approached from behind and fired at an advancing group of jackals. The force from the departing bullets blew Grays hair to the side, and he could feel the heat from the ejecting shells on his left cheek.