A/N: Sorry people for taking so long, I had surgery awhile back, to deal with a problem. The problem is now no longer a worry, but healing takes a lot of energy, so I was sleeping for much of the past few weeks.

2014: Aside from surgery, I wanted to finish my other story Dark Tides I: Growing Darkness, which is done… DT II is on hold for now.

Chapter 33 : The Necessity of Fire

The Hummer appeared in a flash of golden rings that faded a moment later, and Cortana subtly informed the group that she had managed to infiltrate the ring's computer systems during the seizure of the control room and informed the crew that the ring world was named Halo; though Cortana was still trying to ascertain Halo's true purpose and the purpose of the Flood on the ring world.

The Hummer drove forwards and flood forms began appearing, coming from vents in the walls.

"Contact." One of the marines said as he opened up on a puffy walker coming towards the Hummer. The walker exploded, spraying the infection forms it carried all over the place and causing a chain reaction, blowing apart several more.

"Combat forms, infection forms, carrier forms?" Dani sighed quietly as combat forms came from behind, blasting many Covenant weapons at them, but there were a few human mixed in. The Hummer drove on while ignoring the Flood, though the autoturrets and passengers shot as many of them down as they could as they drove by.

The group encountered more Flood as they followed the Monitor and he spoke to them over the Coms.

"That energy field contains the Index, we must get up there." The group looked over and saw the Index free-floating in the mentioned energy field. The group drove on until they came to a set of large sealed doors, all the while listening to the occasional inane babble of the Monitor.

"Hehehe, I am a genius." He warbled, "oh, the security doors have sealed automatically, I will go access the override to access them." The monitor flew off into a nearby vent, leaving the Hummer to wait for a few minutes of Flood blasting before the door opened. "Please follow closely, this portal is the first of 10." The monitor informed the group as they continued on, C-117 continued panning the turret while watching the sensor screen in his HUD for additional Flood forces.

The Hummer slipped down a hallway, following the monitor through the hallways, blasting at Flood forces as they went.

The Hummer went up a final elevator and drew level with the Index, as the crew was about to take the Index, the Monitor absorbed it into his body.

"Protocol dictates that I hold the index for the time being." After the clarification of protocols, the monitor teleported the Hummer and the crew from the Library to the firing chamber to activate Halo's final weapon.

*Pagebreak*

In orbit of Halo

In the meantime, the Greenleaf was evacuating the forces on Halo. The last deployed fortress was in transit; the only forces still down below were a Hummer patrol and a HAMBT searching for Darlana's children in their Hummer. Suddenly alarm bells rang reporting weapons lock and Darlana stared out at Halo as weapon ports began appearing all over it and began locking onto the Star Dreadnought.

"Auxiliary power to forward shields, stand by to return fire with all batteries, I want anti-orbital in the tubes and the plasma projectors active." Darlana ordered, which caused Legolas to stare at her in shock but nodded when he saw amazingly a group of 7 Hummers and a HAMBT shoot off the Halo ring and managing to thrust towards the Greenleaf.

*Pagebreak*

The Hummer appeared in a swirl of gold light and drove forwards to the massive control panel around the room was a transparent rotating picture of the Halo ring world. The crew went to the control panel and prepared to trigger Halo and start the firing weapon.

""Unfortunately, my usefulness to this particular endeavor has come to an end. Protocol does not allow units with my classification to... perform a task as important as the reunification of the Index with the Core. That final step is reserved for you, Reclaimers"

Anderson took the Index while Dana got out to cover him just in case. Anderson then put the Index into a slot on the console. Lights and holograms appeared, but then faded.

"Odd. That wasn't supposed to happen." 343 Guilty Spark said confused when Cortana suddenly appeared over the console in enlarged holographic form.

"Oh really?" She demanded.

There was a flash of light, and 343 Guilty Spark was thrown back and down to the ground.

"Cortana!" Dana said in shock.

"I've spent the last 12 hours cooped up in here and the Hummer, watching you toady about, helping that thing get set to slit our throats!"

"Hold on now, he's a friend, he's helping us."

"Oh! I didn't realize. He's your pal, is he? Your chum?Do you have any idea what that bastard almost made you do?!" She snapped out mockingly

"Yes... activate Halo's defenses, and destroy the Flood, which is why we brought the Index here."

"You mean this?" The Index hologram appeared in Cortana's hand.

"A construct?! In the Core?! That is absolutely unacceptable!"343 Guilty Spark yelled in shock.

"Sod off!" Cortana snapped.

"What impertinence! I shall purge you at once!"

"You sure that's a good idea?" Cortana smiled nastily and her avatar absorbed the Index.

"How... how... how dare you! I'll-" 343 said utterly outraged

"Do what? I have the Index! You can just float and sputter!"

"Enough! The Flood is spreading. If we activate Halo's defenses, we can wipe them out."

"You have no idea how this ring works, do you? Why the Forerunners built it? Halo doesn't kill Flood it kills their food. Human, Covenant, Elves, Dragons, whatever. We're all equally edible. The only way to stop the Flood is to starve them to death. And that's exactly what Halo is designed to do: Wipe the galaxy clean of all sentient life. You don't believe me? Ask him!" She pointed at Spark) Dana then turned to 343 Guilty Spark.

"Is it true?" Spark paused for a moment.

"More or less. Technically, this installation's pulse has a maximum effective radius of twenty-five thousand light years. But, once the others follow suit, this galaxy will be quite devoid of life, or at least any life with sufficient biomass to sustain the Flood." Spark paused again "But you already knew that... I mean, how couldn't you?"

"Left out that little detail, did he?" Cortana sniped

"We have followed outbreak containment procedure to the letter. You were with me each step of the way, as we managed this crisis." Spark said

"I'm picking up movement!" Cortana warned which cause the very nervous Anderson and Dana to move back towards the Hummer and begin entering it.

"Why would you hesitate to do what you have already done?"

"We need to go, right now." Cortana hissed. Four Sentinels floated up behind 343 Guilty Spark, their beams aimed menacingly on the Hummer. Dana looks around at the Sentinels, and backs towards the panel. She took Cortana's wireless disk out of the console, and inserted it into her helmet.

"There is no choice. We must activate the ring." Spark said

"Get - us - out - of – here – get – in – the - Hummer!" Cortana hissed in Dana's ear

"If you are unwilling to help, I will simply find another. Still, I must have the Index. Give your construct to me, or I will be forced to take her from you." Spark said

"That's not going to happen." Dana growled as she hopped in the Hummer

"So be it. Save her head. Dispose of the rest." 343 Guilty Spark teleported away, and his Sentinels attacked. The Hummer started forwards while Dana and Anderson slammed the door, allowing the ablative generator to reform the protection layer over the HRV.

The Hummer mover forwards rapidly while four plasmatic beams sizzled against the shields. The crew returned fire rapidly, and the 4 sentinels quickly crashed into the ground in flames. A moment later the large door to outside exploded revealing a HAMBT and 6 Hummers.

"Princesses, commander, major we need to get out of here, the Greenleaf is about to commence orbital bombardment. " The major in charge of the HAMBT reported. "Everyone link your vehicles with the tractor clamps, that way we can share power, shield strengths, ammo and information instantly. Cortana we request that you man all our automated turrets, as a smart AI you should be able to handle it."

7 Hummers clamped onto the HAMBT and synchronized their drives so the overall speed would not be affected by 8 different drives moving at different speeds and directions. Cortana then readied any turret that could not shoot without hitting an ally to act as point defense.

All the Hummers had internal mechanisms to allow the four internal chairs to all face forwards or backwards as needed. Three of the Hummers were clamped to the back of the rear of the HAMBT and allowed for their aft shields to be reinforced by the prow or other areas no longer required.

The massed vehicle immediately set out to the abandoned landing site, hoping the Greenleaf would be able to beam them out. There were sentinels, Flood and Covenant in a massive 3-way war and they were blocking the way.

The group charged through and began blasting everything in sight, often the Hummers would grab guns and ammo for any UNSC troops onboard via the collection tractors.

The vehicles then deliberately ran off a ramp and diverted power to the hover drives from the translocator beacons to fly away from the Halo ring before the transporters on the Greenleaf beamed them up.

With the last of their troops onboard, the Greenleaf began pummeling Halo with her impressive array of weapons. Eventually the plasma projectors cracked throw the armored shell and ripped the ring world apart, Guilty Spark himself was destroyed by a precise phaser blast as he tried to flee the ring as it blew up.

With its task completed, the Greenleaf came about, reclaimed her fighters and destroyers and jumped into hyperspace back to the Earth of the UNSC.

.