Unsung Hero

343 Guilty Spark

The group investigates and see a mob of Grunts and Jackals fleeing from a large entrance. A frag grenade explosion throws a Shade turret through the air.

The four open fire onto the fleeing Covenant and swiftly eliminate them. They moves into the entrance, only to find no one.

"What in the world?" Ash questions as he looks around.

"Must've moved further in." Rose suggests.

"Let's move." Chief orders and they go further in.

A lift arrives for them and they all get on. Ash activates the lift and it takes them down into the depths of the structure.

"From what I can gather, this place is massive." Xi informs. "So many underground networks that lead under this swamp. We could get lost down here if we're not careful."

The lift stops and the group moves further in. The group passes through several large rooms and many smaller ones inside the structure, filled with Unggoy, Kig-Yar, empty Shade turrets, discarded weapons, and dead bodies - both Marine and Covenant. Curiously there is no sign of any Elites, alive or dead.

 In some rooms, Kig-Yar and Unggoy gather at the doorways as if expecting an attack. In one room, the Chief discovers a strange green-yellow substance falling from the ceiling. Ash goes over to a green-yellow puddle and kneels down to it.

Ash dips a couple fingers in it and holds it up. "Xi?"

"Unknown." Xi informs.

"This place is giving me the creeps." Rose shivers.

"Grow up, Asher." Ruby says.

"Hey, I'm like several minutes older than you!"

"Then stop acting like a baby."

Ash flicks the strange substance to the side and the group continues on. They come to an area blasted with gunfire and scorch marks, there is the sound of shattering glass in the distance.

A lone Marine sits leaning against a wall, M6D magnum pointed at them.

"Stey back!" The Marine yells. "Stay you're not turning me into one of those things! I'll blow your brains out! Get away from me. Gaaaaahh! Aaaaaahh! Don't touch me, you freaks! I won't be like you, I'll die first! Find your own hiding place, the monsters are everywhere! Play dead! That's what I did...played dead. They took the live ones... Oh God, I can still hear them!"

Chief tries to comfort the Marine and urges him to return to the surface, but the Marine ignores him and crawls into a fetal position, whimpering.

"What the fuck happened?" Rose questions.

"Swear." Ruby says.

"I've seen this before." Ash sighs. "Back on Reach... I hope he made it out."

The group leaves the sobbing marine behind, and make their way into the room past him. The room is covered in dead Covenant bodies, blood, bullet holes and plasma scoring. Some areas of the floor are blackened with blasts from explosions. In some areas, small flecks of a greenish substance are found on the floor.

"What happened here?" Xi questions. 

"What ever did this, I hope it is not here still." Rose mutters.

Chief finds a partially shattered walkway and the group follows him as they ascend to the second floor. An assault rifle lies on the ground, pointing like an arrow towards the entrance of a room marked with ominous red Forerunner glyphs. The door appears to have been forced open.

The group passes a dead marine, and walk down a ramp. They come to a door that has been recently forced open by a UNSC spoofer.

The two Spartans approach the door cautiously as the two ODSTs watch the back. Chief listens for any movement inside. Chief nods to Ash and said Spartan goes to type a command into the spoofer, but a noise goes off behind him and he looks to the two ODSTs, they have their weapons pointed up.