Matt-038 (Halo Fanfiction)

Chapter 33: Lima Foxtrot Alpha 43

Author's Note: If you have any tips writing tips, please feel free to comment.

Again, I gratefully accept constructive criticism as a means to help me develop my skills further as a writer.

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Chapter 33: Lima Foxtrot Alpha 43

Location: UNSC Pillar of Autumn, Location Unknown

September 19, 2552

0147 hours (Ship's Time)

As the duo moved through the hallways of the Halcyon cruiser it seemed as if the Autumn was infested with chrome-armored demons spouting plasma fire. Both Spartans had acquired an MA5B assault rifle along with close to four hundred rounds of 7.62mm armor piercing ammunition. Matt had also found an M6D pistol as they made their way through the hallways of the Pillar of Autumn. 

In this situation, with plenty of ordnance lying around, Matt preferred to reload when the ammo indicator on his weapon dropped to around 10. Failure to do so could result in disaster if he ran into serious opposition. With that in mind, he hit the release, allowed a nearly empty magazine to fall, and shoved a new clip into its place. The weapon's digital ammo counter reset, as did its cousin in his HUD.

"We're closer," Cortana said.

"Duck through the hatch ahead and go up one level," Crystal added.

The Spartans ran into a shimmery, black-clad Elite, and opened fire. There were Grunts in the area as well, but they both knew that the Elite posed the real danger. They expertly sprayed a trio of bursts at the alien.

The Elite roared defiance and fired in return, but the sheer volume of the specially hardened 7.62mm projectiles caused the Elite's shielding to flare, overload, and fail. The bulky alien fell to his knees, bent forward, and collapsed. Frightened by what had happened to their leader, the Grunts made barking noises, turned, and began to scurry away.

Individually, the Grunts were cowards, but the Spartans had seen what a pack of the creatures could do. Matt and John opened fire again. Alien bodies tumbled and fell. The duo continued on through a hatch, heard more firing, and turned in that direction. Cortana called out: "Covenant! On the landing above us!"

"Blue-One, take point up the stairs," John ordered. "I'll watch our six."

"Copy that," Matt replied.

The Spartans ran toward a flight of metal stairs and charged straight for the landing.

Boots rang on metal as Matt slammed a fresh magazine into the weapon's receiver and passed a wounded Marine. The Spartan remembered the soldier from his last action on one of Reach's orbiting defense stations. The Marine held a dressing to a plasma burn and managed to smile. "Glad you could make it, Commander. You too Master Chief... we saved some party favors just for you guys."

The Spartans nodded.

Matt took the lead, paused on the landing, and took aim at a Jackal. The vaguely birdlike aliens carried energy shields—handheld units, rather than the full-body protection the Elites favored. The Jackal shifted to take aim at the wounded Marine, and Matt saw his opening. He fired a burst at the Jackal's unprotected flank and the alien hit the deck-plates, dead.

He continued the climb up the flight of stairs and came nearly eye-to-eye with another Elite. The alien roared, charged forward, and attempted to use his plasma rifle like a club. Matt evaded the blow—he'd fought Elites hand-to-hand before and knew they were dangerously strong—and backed away. He leveled the assault weapon at the Elite's belly and squeezed the trigger.

The Covenant soldier seemed to absorb the bullets like a sponge, continued to advance, and was just about to swing when a final round cut through his spinal cord. The alien soldier slammed into the deck, twitched once, and died.