Chapter One

Location: Installation 05

Tyler lowered her battle rifle and doubled over. The MREs coming back up. In all her training had not prepared her for killing her own squad mates. Could they even be considered as such anymore? The rotten twisted forms laid dead at her feet filled with enough lead to make several MAC rounds.

She looked around at the cold metal walls. The hall's floor stained with green goo. Everything had spiraled out of control immediately on their arrival. Her squad, of which she had been the rookie private fresh out of boot camp, had been sent to do some reconnaissance near the barrier that separated the UNSC from the ring's library and the activation index.

They came like a vision of your worst nightmares forcing Tyler and the rest of the squad to find cover inside the massive wall. One by one each marine fell to the walking remnants of elites then they started to rise also attacking like rabid animals. She ran leaving them behind, but what else was she going to do?

Now, what remained of her fellow marines she stepped over to continue forward and find a way to leave this house of horrors behind.

Ryko 'Mdalcamee raised his hand stopping his lance of three Sangheili and four unggoy. There he heard it again. Weapons fire. Human by the sound of it. No doubt after the sacred icon; he thought to himself.

He turned and looked over his brethren and the short stocky unggoy, who looked around not paying any attention.

"It looks like the humans have gotten here first, no matter, we will crush them and bring about the prophet's holy promise to the faithful." He said to his team.

He was given this mission from the holy ones. Kill the humans and secure that which is the most sacred. His brothers would follow without question. The unggoy through fear.

They continued ahead sounds of automatic weapons fire had ceased as soon as it began radiating throughout the metal passageways.

"Are we the only ones to be sent to this place?" Asked Rturo.

"No, keep focus we are not alone here."

The team pushed forward. It was strangely silent in a place that showed signs of death. Ryko didn't like it. They are being followed, but by what has yet to reveal itself. Thick clumps of biomass grew on the walls and high ceiling. Green slop dripped from the walls leaving pools on the floor. The stenched that assaulted the Sangheili's nostrils was a foul thing of pure repugnant odor from hell itself

One of the unggoy squeaked and fell over but it was apparent the sad creature had tripped on a human weapon discarded lazily on the floor. Ryko looked around seeing more weapons and blood, lots of coagulated human blood, but no bodies.

He stopped his team and had them move into defensive positions. The metal floor he walked produced no sound caused by the foul sludge that covered the bottom of his boots and mixed with the human life essence.

What other Sangheili teams had been sent here? He thought. He hated himself and never openly discussed this, but the Flood was a fate he did not wish on even the humans; better to die a quick death in battle than to return as a mindless monster killing anyone you once knew without feeling.

Ryko kneeled at the human footprints going through the filth. This one had been the only survivor as the other prints faced opposite of these. He looked and followed them to find and eliminate what the Flood could not.

She looked left then right, a junction, just what she needed. Tyler sighed. Continue or go down one of the side passageways? She checked her ammo. Damn, she was down to three of the eight clips she brought with her. Enough for a light engagement but avoiding one would be all the better.

Deciding that the right looked cleaner for her nose's sake. she picked it. The only sound coming from her boots squeezing the goop underfoot.

The comm link in her ear had been dead for several hours. She was not sure what was causing the blackout. Maybe she was too far into the wall for a signal to get through, or maybe the covies are jamming the comms. Throwing the thoughts into the back of her mind Tyler kept moving.

The humans had come this way Ryko was certain of this despite the boot prints medium of travel.

His team followed behind. The unggoy's breathing apparatuses and the Sangheili armored boots making the only sound to be found in a place covered in horrible fluids.

The human prints stopped at a small four-way junction. He did not wish to split his troops, but more ground could be covered if they took both passages. He looked at his team. They knew their mission and he had all the confidence that it would be seen through.

"Rturo, take Grare and Seg with the unggoy down the left passage. Zyto and I will take the right passage if you do not find any humans or encounter any resistance that is not human; return to this point in two units."

"On my honor, your words are my command," Rturo said.

His second in command took the unggoy and the two Sangheili minors with him. Soon disappearing from earshot.

Ryko and Zyto moved down the right passage. Their eyes following where each aimed a plasma rifle. Keeping sight and hearing focused on the slightest change in the silent atmosphere.

Private Tyler had stopped in a small outcropping overlooking her current path to take a quick breather. She started hearing sounds of inhuman shrieks followed up by plasma fire. Sounds like the Covenant had fared no better than her squad.

She did not dare move, but natural human curiosity forced her to check outside her nook. The passageway was empty; the sound has come and gone from where she had been. She was being followed, and her pursuers had encountered some resistance to their continued survival.

The large Sangheili major pulled his sword from the combat forms chest. He looked where Zyto laid without his head. They had ambushed him. Humans who had turned to the floods cause of galactic conquest. He moved forward sword at the ready. Plasma rifle drained and discarded with the rest of the reanimated humans.

After a few minutes of silence, she heard it coming closer. Armored footfalls reverberating off the walls. She carefully peeked her head out of the hollow. The elite walked with a limp; its eyes looking around. It was only armed with a sword grasped tight in its four-fingered hand.

She took aim at its bulky chest, but something told her not to pull the trigger. Holding back, she decided to observe the elite. No doubt he was once part of a scouting party sent ahead for a larger force.

Ryko had not noticed it before, but his leg had a massive laceration. His vision started to blur from too much blood loss, and he could feel himself start to fall before blacking out entirely.

A loud thud vibrated the air. Tyler looked again and saw the elite had hit the floor hard. Denting the metal to his form. A trail of purple blood following behind the alien and more continued to leak from a wound on his left leg.

She moved from her cover to get a closer look, but a scratching sound announced the return of an old adversary. She fired at the elite combat form taking it down while another presented itself and was summarily executed. Both falling at Tyler's feet chest opened like a tin can. The young private cursed herself practically ringing the dinner bell.

She looked down at the elite and saw his chest heaving under the armor. A motion she would have missed if not looking for it. Slinging the battle rifle over her shoulder after reloading the weapon. She did not want to leave him here. This alien could prove an intelligence goldmine. She also noticed the crimson color of his armor. Indeed, a goldmine, but how could she get him out of here? More of the Flood would come soon.

Tyler grabbed under the elite's muscular forearms and dragged him along. Being the most physically capable marine in her class. Outpacing even her instructor during a platoon PT run, which earned her a nice chewing out by the head DI on more than one occasion. Gave her the endurance to drag such heavyweight.

Several minutes of dragging and stopping to take a breathe later. This haul forced her to find a spot to rest or continuing would be suicide with monsters lurking in the shadows. She finally found a good out of the way area to asses the situation.

She looked at the alien's leg. The wound was deep; bone could be seen underneath the shredded muscle. She had to fix this, or he would be no use to anyone.

Looking at the thigh armor she found a thin magnetic seal running its length. Using her hands, she pulled the armor apart. The piece coming away in two hafts. The gash below his knee looked like a small cut compared to the rest of the elite's lumbering limb.

Taking her combat knife Tyler carefully cut the black bodysuit above the injury, so she could have more room to work. She opened the small field medical kit. It was not meant to treat creatures or wounds of this size, but it was all she had.

Taking the container of biofoam she inserted the nozzle into the covies leg, and her world quickly fell apart.

I sat up quickly the feeling of pain in my leg eclipsed by a human kneeling next to me. I grabbed the hapless creature by the throat and slammed it against the wall. My leg protesting the weight placed upon its damaged section. It dropped its weapon. Reaching for my sword I found I no longer possessed my trusty blade. The creature was attempting to speak. Deciding to hear its words of pleading before I killed it. I slightly loosened my grip on its windpipe but kept the human pressed against the wall.

Tyler had no time to think or react to a large rough hand almost crushing her throat. She felt helpless as its grip blackened the edges of her vision. The elites arm hoisting her feet off the ground and bringing her back to the wall. She felt him loosen the strangling hold on her neck allowing her to breathe and attempt to speak, and hopefully, defuse this predicament.

"Please, I saved your life."

This creature was shaking from fear. Last, I recall blacking out. I could feel myself losing the hold on my conscious once more. Having no choice and with my strength failing; I released the human and stumbled backward against the opposite wall.

Tyler moved with caution. The alien laid slumped where she had placed him the first time. His mandibles resting on his chest. The leg wound bleeding more slowly now. She had to guess because of his slowing heart rate. Needing to work quickly. She began cleaning the wound and administering the self-sealing biofoam.

Thirty minutes later, Private Tyler waked from her sleep to two large legs standing close to where she laid. Sitting up and tracing the limbs upward to see their owner with his arms crossed. She looked back at his left leg. The two rolls of gauze held. His indigo blood soaking the medical bandages.

She looked around and to her relief, they still hid in the same place. Standing to her feet she careened her neck to observe the alien, up close, at his full height. He registered her presence with narrowed eyes. He was well built that was obvious. His muscles hidden under a thin suit under his armor sections. He also stood between her and the only way out.

Making any escape a fruitless undertaking. She could not read his facial expressions but his crossed arms said he wanted answers, but how could she explain to a creature that she could not understand his language? She thought quickly language barrier be damned. This alien would easily kill her if she did not start talking.

"I…" How would she even begin? Hey, I saved your life to turn you over to my superiors, so they could interrogate you and learn why the Covenant attacked Earth and how they found the human homeworld. She thought quickly and prayed her answer was a good one.

"I need a way out. My squad was killed, and I need help getting back to my people."

"And why should I help you human? I can fare better here and on my own without you slowing me down. My team is due to report back in one haft units. If they can not find me. They will look, and you will be killed on sight."

He can speak English? And his voice sounded like a deep melody. A rough but mild course in her favorite song. She shook her head of those thoughts and focused on the more pressing matter. He could speak her language which is a relief at least. His attitude displayed arrogance. Tyler mentally laughed at his bold but semi-false statement. Without her and her limited medical training he would have been Flood food, so he needed her, whether he liked it or not.

"Fare enough elite, but you would not be standing here, if not for my quick actions." She wanted to make that fact known from the get-go with her own pride on display. He seemed to notice her boldness and dropped his arms to his sides.

"You have a point human. Fine but if we meet the rest of my team I cannot guarantee your safety, nor will I want to save you from their wrath."

It had been decided, here and now, that Sangheili and human would work together to survive the next hours within the Sentinal Wall. Tyler gave the elite her pistol with one clip. He was reluctant to handle the tiny weapon but had no choice. She looked at her ammo count. Finding more was paramount for the mission to be a success. Hopefully, the Flood liked to share.