So... How was it?

The bay was empty. [i]Unusual[/i] Pulse thought. Where were the security guards? He didn't believe the Covenant would make such a fatal flaw as to leave its ship unguarded. Shrugging, he pulled up the schematics he acquired from his last trip on a Covenant cruiser. Following the floor plan, he found an elevator. It was open. [i]What the hell is going on[/i]? He entered it, and selected what he thought the engine room was. The doors slid closed. As he felt the Elevator slowly descend, he pulled out a Fragmentation grenade. As the elevator drew to a stop, he pulled the pin. Just as he thought, a team of Elites held Plasma rifles at his head. "Come at me!" Pulse screamed, throwing the grenade at the leader of the bunch. He dived to the side of the elevator just as the explosion blew apart the room. He rose quickly, Battle Rifle in hand, and turned around the corner. Elite matter was plastered everywhere. That grenade had a lot more bang than he expected. Shaking his head, Pulse went as fast as he could towards what the schematics displayed as the engine core. As he rounded a corner, he heard the ding of the elevator, followed by the shouts of Elites. He broke into a sprint. Shadow snapped awake. It took him a few seconds to come to his sense. Once his vision cleared, he gazed at his surroundings. Pink lights. Curved walls. Covenant. He leapt to his feet. And smashed his face into a low roof. [i]Damn Covenant design[/i]. [i]Tricks the mind[/i]. He rubbed his forehead. A definite bruise. "The filth is awake" grunted a deep voice. [i]Oh crap[/i]. A hulking Brute stood in front of him, staring down through the slits in its helmet. " "Hurry up and kill him Rulon! My belly aches and I'm sick of the taste of Kig-Yar." "Quiet yourself Gorlak! This human is worth something to us. He killed a [i]Chieftain[/i]. The Prophet will wish to see this. "Why don't you both shut up, let me go, and sit tight while I knock your heads off" Shadow said quietly. "Ahaha! I like this one! Will prove to be good sport once the Prophet sees him. Plot a course in for the [i]Unjust flame[/i]. And step on it!". Shadow kept his head lowered. He needed to find a way out. If only That was when he noticed the door release. Across the room, on the wall. He would have to time it right "Agh! I tire of this Rulon! I wish to feast! Do not deny me this!" The Brute "Gorlak" made a run for his cage. A fist saved Shadow. "Calm yourself or I'll eat you! No one is to touch this specimen. He can offer insight that will prove crucial to attacking their Home world." Home world? Rulon received a punch in the gut from Gorlak. The two broke into a fistfight. "Ragh! I'll kill you and hang your hide on my wall!" They continued fighting. Eventually Rulon emerged victorious. Gorlak was dead. "Aha! Now, Human" The Brute turned around, and stepped back as Shadow pointed a Brute Plasma Rifle at Rulon's head. A boot lay underneath the door controls. "Tell me. Where am I?" Shadow questioned, shaking the rifle to show he wasn't joking. "You're on a Phantom human. I underestimated you. You [i]are[/i] good." The Brute broke into a chuckle. "What's so damn funny Gorilla face?" Shadow demanded. The Brute stopped laughing long enough to reply. "You may be good." Shadow heard footsteps behind, followed by a searing pain in the back of his head. "But I'm better." The wind swept my face as I sat on the back of the Mongoose. It was a refreshing feeling amidst this ruined world. Flame drove quietly on the front. We had been driving for little more than an hour, and so far had found no survivors. I was having little luck with a signal. I had already tried 98 frequencies, and so far had only gotten emergency broadcasts, some commercials playing on automatic and lots of static. "Flame, how long until we hit the target point?" I yelled over the roar of the Mongoose. "5 minutes. Hang on." 5 minutes to get a signal. This was going to be hard. I tried the next 5 frequencies and finally hit home. "This is Kilo-Three-Four, does anyone read over". The marine's voice was like music to my ears. "This is ODST Trooper 119, Codename Echo. What's your current status Kilo 3-4?" "I got a Falcon ready for take-off and a few men. Do you require assistance?" The man on the other end seemed shaky. "If you'd be so kind, that falcon could help us. Fly to these co-ordinates in 20 minutes for immediate pick up." I fumbled with my wrist pad, and after several attempts finally managed to send it while keep steady. "Affirmative, location set in. Hang on a minute. UNSC satellites are showing this as a Covenant vessel in low orbit. Can you confirm?" "Those satellites aren't lying. We're going to need you to land on the topside landing pad. Be prepared for heavy resistance. Banshees in the area have cleared, heading into the city, so you should be okay. "I heard the man gulp. [i]Anyone would be scared[/i]. "Affirmative, Prepping now. Good luck trooper. Kilo 3-4 out". I looked up from the radio to see we had arrived. I jumped off with Flame, and pulled my rifle off my back. "Into the belly of the beast" I said jokingly. Flame nodded, slowly approaching the Gravity Lift. "Area's clear. We have 20 minutes. Let's make them count." As we stepped into the light, I heard a large crack of static. My radio was out. [i]No turning back now[/i] I thought. We kept rising until we reached the top. I had already pulled out my rifle before Flame barked the command to take cover. A fuel rod blast hit the ground upon which I stood seconds ago. I peeked over cover and saw a frightening sight. A hunter, 11 feet tall, was examining a Pelican. Flame spoke over the comm. "Pulse, what in God's name have you done"

[quote]Here it is! Please critic![/quote] [quote]Chapter 10: The sky is not a parking space[/quote] "Can you get us out of here any fast?" yelled Pulse over the comm to the evac Pelican's pilot. "I'm already overdoing the engines; if we go any faster we'd be falling" "Keep going then. This bird armed?" "Nay, all she's got is 40mm rotary cannon". Damn, thought Pulse, talk about old. "Where are we headed?" asked Pulse. "UNSC Playboy. Wet Navy. We're going to touch down and get these civilians into an evac ship." Pulse nodded as he stared out the rear window. He saw the city in the distance, burning under the Covenants glassing beams. He lowered his head in frustration, knowing Shadow was out there lying in the streets. He hit his fist against the rear door of the Pelican. "Trooper. We have a problem. A BIG problem". Pulse ran into the cockpit, his heart racing. When he saw the cruiser, his heart dropped. He wasn't looking at the ship, looming above the surface. Pulse was watching the hundreds of banshees, pouring out of the launch bay. "'ll do my best to avoid 'em, but their pretty agile." "Do you know how to fly a Phantom?" "Well, I ran the simulation if that's what you're asking". Pulse eyes leapt with glee as he stared at the pilot, and uttered a command even the craziest ODST wouldn't think about. "Take her into the ship. Let's see how well these bastards can fly without their engines." Pulse gripped the side of Pelican as it lurched sideways, narrowly avoiding a fuel rod blast. "Listen up Civilians! We're going straight into the belly of the beast to teach these Covenant sickos a lesson! Grab a pistol from the overhanging compartments and get ready to defend the Pelican." They cheered as they grabbed a weapon, obviously excited to be helping out in the war. Poor people, thought Pulse. They didn't know about the nuclear properties Covenant engines had when a Pelican detonated near them. Pulse rocked forward as the Pelican lurched downwards. His face smacked into the drop ship's floor. "Ugh... What the hell happened!" roared Pulse over the sound of Pelican's front gun, firing round after round at the agile air-craft of the Covenant. "Fuel rod, hit us in the wing. We're losing altitude; we only have one shot at this bucket of bolts into that landing bay" The Pilot took a sharp intake of breath. "Ugh! Plasma bolts popping everywhere around us. I can't hold her! We're going down!" Pulse got up and sprinted to the cockpit. He tried to think of a way he could save the Pelican, but his mind was frozen in terror. He could drop thousands of metres from the surface in a pod, but he couldn't handle a crashing Pelican. That's when he noticed the Gravity Lift underneath the ship, going to the surface. "Aim for that Purple light! It's the only way we'll get into the ship!" Pulse yelled into the Pilot's ear, as a flash blinded both of them. It passed quickly, but when Pulse opened his eyes his heart dropped. The Pilot had been hit squarely in the chest by a plasma round. "Oh crap" ***************************************** I awoke in a ditch. The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was that it was much colder than I had expected. I got up, my arms feeling like lumps of rock. I shook myself to get the blood pumping, and blew in my hands to keep some body heat. The parts of armour that hadn't been stripped off me did little to insulate my body. After several minutes of body exercises, I stood up. My legs felt like jelly, and every step I took to get out of the muddy ditch made my legs scream in pain. I rolled onto my back as I got out the ditch. And received a kick in the stomach. "Get up now!" a familiar voice yelled into my face, breaking through the fog that encased my mind. "Come on kid, get up! We need to get out of here!" Flame said urgently. I raised my arm, and got a hand from Flame. "Ugh What happened?" I asked. "We got caught by some lady and her giant. I managed to give him a kick in the crotch, before using the emergency knife in your suit to cut my bonds. That lady ran outside once she saw me beat up her protection. I don't know what happened to her, but I heard her scream as a Phantom flew off. I managed to carry you outside of the city limits. I put you in that ditch in case we were attacked, while I got some rest. Now, let's start paying back Flame! Let me get on your shoulders!" Flame eagerly came towards me, obviously trying to hitch a ride. I stepped back. "In your dreams old man. Now, what's the plan?" Flame removed his helmet, a slight grin on his face. He pointed at a ridge. "Go over that ridge, find a vehicle capable of space flight, and link up with Anchor 8. We can scan for the others transponder signals from orbit. I already found the Captain of the Honey Suckle. Died on impact in the city. I found Shadow's and Pulse's pods in a street. Neither was to be found, but I did find a certain stolen shotgun, empty and lying next to a dead Brute. They'll be fine." I nodded, and started walking towards the ridge, when a large object struck me in the back. "Forgetting something?" I flipped over, and found a M7S. A Silenced SMG. "Where would I be without you, oh great Flame?" I joked. "Lying in that ditch over there, dead". I shook my head, and walked over to the top of the ridge. I stopped dead in my tracks. "Flame?" I whispered over the comm. "Yeah?" "I think you should see this" I finished with a choke, as a large Covenant ship loomed in the distance. But that wasn't what worried me. A Pelican was close by the ship, and going down. Flame came over to me. When I heard the choke, I knew it was someone we'd be familiar with. "Pulse, what in god's name have you gotten yourself into now?" Flame muttered. "Well, we better go help him. Ah, over there." Flame pointed at a Mongoose, lying under some rubble. "Get on the back. We're going for a ride". ***************************************** Crack sat on an ammunition tin, staring straight into the visor of the hulking Spartan. "What the hell were you thinking kid!?" the Spartan yelled. Even with his face covered, Crack could feel the crippling glare coming from the Spartan. "I need to get back to my squad" Crack mumbled. He didn't just [i]need[/i] to get back to his squad, he [i]had[/i] to. The only thing stopping him was this Spartan and his gang. The Spartan let out a sigh. He slowly removed his helmet, and stared Crack straight in the face. "I know your situation. Hell, there have been times where I've almost ruined a mission just to get to my teammates. But you need to realise, you're no use to them dead. Now calm down and listen. Our squad is going into that Pelican" He gestured to a sleek, black Pelican in the corner of the makeshift camp. "And we're going to ride it straight to CASTLE Base. You're coming with us. Now, if you give us any trouble, I have no problem getting my pal over there" He gestured to a tall Spartan holding a knife, "to punch you out and strap you down to the bottom of that pelican. Is that understood?". His voice lowered as he finished to a deadly tone. Crack nodded solemnly. "Good. Now get ready, we leave in 3 hours". Crack's shoulders sagged. As he sat on the tin, he wondered why he had reacted the way he did. While he didn't trust the Spartans completely, there was no reason to act like a child and run. [i]The mysteries of life[/i], Crack thought. He rose as the first few drops of rain fell, making small mud puddles on the ground. He would prove to these Spartans he was worth something. He would show them what he had. ***************************************** Pulse pushed the Pilots body out of the pilot seat. Taking control of the Pelican, Pulse directed the Pelican towards the Gravity Lift of the Covenant vessel. He looked down at the diagnostics, and almost flipped. There were 2 critical engine explosions, the bay doors were out of control, multiple fractures were scattered across the hull and to make matters worse the only functioning engine was overclocking, making the Pelican accelerate as it started to fall. No wonder the Pilot was under stress. Pulse suddenly realised something. At current speed, they would fly straight through the Grav lift, missing their chance and crashing. Pulse strained to think of a solution while avoiding the thick plasma fire raining down on him. Abruptly the answer hit him; several strips of metal had begun to peel off the wings, and with the right positing, he could use them to slow down his ascent. "Hang onto your teeth people!" He yelled to the passenger bay, as the Pelican began to violently shake. "Here we go!". A large Purple light shone brightly over the windscreen, blinding Pulse. The Pelican jolted forward, and Pulse felt it slowly rise. They had made it. The Banshees receded into the distance, heading towards New Alexandria. Pulse had no time to relax. He leapt up, and took in the sight of the passenger bay. It was empty. The bay doors had malfunctioned and open mid-flight, creating a vacuum which sucked out its inhabitants. Pulse lowered his head. He wouldn't let them die in vain. He looked up and found just what he wanted, a spare Mongoose engine. Hoisting it onto his back, he grabbed a Battle Rifle from the roof. Cocking it, he slowly exited the Pelican. ***************************************** [Edited on 05.30.2012 1:41 AM PDT]

This is good :D

This is awesome! Keep it up!

Going through it, sifting out the bad in the next chapter. I'll also fix up the dialouge in the old ones.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Master Chief Gotta keep up with this :) [/quote] Next chapter is going to have a slow arrival, School has started where I live. Don't worry; I won't give up on these guys :D

Gotta keep up with this :)

They should. [i]They should indeed[/i]

>.> Your sentiments scare me.

I remember when you were just a member reading this Bloodguard...

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] OfTheBloodguard Good on you, dawg. Also, it was one of the better chapters of yours, to boot.[/quote] Thanks

Good on you, dawg. Also, it was one of the better chapters of yours, to boot.

My longest Chapter to date!

"Get out of the elevator!" Pulse yelled over the roar. The workers ran out of the elevator and hid in various places in the room. "Shadow, your Magnum! I'll distract it; you fire at its chest with your Shotgun!" Pulse ordered. Shadow tossed him his Magnum, while putting his helmet back on. Pulse fired 3 rounds at the Brutes power armour, sending it into more of a rage. It jumped, hammer swinging down. Pulse rolled to the side, missing the hammers shockwave by centimetres. It roared at Pulse, its huge gaping jaws showing a row of sharp yellow teeth. Pulse scrambled up and ran towards a desk. He made it just in time as another deafening blow hit the floor which he was just standing on. Cracks appeared on the floor. Pulse looked over the desk, firing more rounds, and froze as the monster launched itself at him. He was blown back by the shockwave, hitting the window. It shattered from the force. Rain and wind poured into the room, dampening the fur of the Brute. It brought its hammer up for the killing strike. It swung down, but stopped halfway as a shotgun shell hit it square in the chest. The power armour in that area shattered, revealing its tough skin underneath. "Hey Bastard" Shadow called out. "Why don't try and fight someone your own size?" The Brute glared at Shadow, accepting the challenge. It got back on its feet and stood ready, waiting for Shadow to attack. Shadow pumped his shotgun, ready for the next shot. "Let's dance". ******************************* Crack awoke inside a small house. He shook his head, feeling the weight that came with a major headache. His armour was in a pile on a chair in the corner. He tried to get up, but a strong hand held him back. "Whoa there, you aren't going anywhere. The state we found you in, you're lucky to be alive" the hand said. Crack looked up, his vision blurry. He could make out a face with some metal around the body. "A..a..Spartan?" Crack asked, remembering that Spartans wore heavy armour. "That's correct. You're at our field camp. We were fighting the Covenant air forces when our Falcon crashed. We found you nearby. You were pretty beaten up" A look of concern crossed the Spartans face. "Don't worry though; you're safe here. You've been out for a few hours, and your condition is pretty serious" The Spartan continued. "What's wrong with me?" "Nothing we can't fix; broken leg, fractured arms, and your spine had a nasty shake when you hit the surface. You'll be alright soon" he finished. Crack thanked the Spartan, and started devising an escape plan. He knew he couldn't trust Spartans. ******************************* Shadow dived out of the way as the Brute lunged. It crashed head first into a desk, which made a woman hiding behind it scream and run away in terror. Seizing the opportunity, Shadow fired at its back, shredding more of the armour away. The Brute roared in pain, and swung backwards. It missed Shadow completely, but managed to hit a computer. The computer exploded, knocking the brute towards the open window. Shadow turned around, seeing Pulse leading the civilians into the elevator. Pulse gestured for Shadow to come into the elevator. Behind him, he heard the brute grunting in the effort to get up. "Go! I'll deal with the Brute" Shadow called over the comm. Pulse, understanding, nodded, and Shadow felt a pang of sadness as the doors slid closed. He turned around, clicking his shotgun. It was empty. "You want me? Well, here I am!" Shadow screamed, charging the Brute. The Brute stood up and roared to the heavens, the wind whipping at its fur. It ran full speed at Shadow. "Let's do this!" Shadow yelled, and they collided, falling out of the window. Shadow punched the brute in the face and pulled out his combat knife. The Brute moaned in pain and tried to claw at him. Shadow's own armour broke in several places from the brutes strong hands. Shadow punched the Brute again, as Flashes of lightning lit up the area. "This is for John!" Shadow bellowed, impaling the flesh in the broken gaps of the armour with his knife. He jumped on top of the Brute and held it down, bracing for Impact. Shadow heard the creature's spine snap as he was flown off the body by the force of the impact. He landed near a destroyed car, flat on his back. His body functions slowed down as his strength disappeared, the adrenaline passing out of his system. His vision started to blur as heavy rain drops hit his helmet. Watching the sky, Shadow saw the Evac Pelican lift off the top of the building and fly away. He knew he wouldn't make it out of the city. Relaxing, he lay down and remembered his life. He passed out somewhere between being 10 and 14. The last thing Shadow remembered seeing was a Phantom dropping down towards the street, its engines glowing blue. ******************************* Crack got out of his bed when he could hear nothing but the low drone of the wind. Tip-toeing, he grabbed his armour and walked out the hut. The campsite was deserted, save for a few Moa that had wandered in. Glancing around Crack noticed an AA Battery had been placed up, A damaged Falcon behind it. Realising this was his only way to escape; He crouched down and slowly approached the cockpit. The hatch was open. I'm in luck, Crack thought happily, remembering the racket Falcon's usually made when someone opened their hatch. He placed his armour in the passenger bays central container and climbed into the cockpit. Activating the Falcons engines, Crack gently raised the Falcon. He managed to get a few metres before the left engine exploded into a shower of bright orange sparks. The Falcon dropped and smashed into the earth. The Falcon wasn't in to bad of a shape; Crack thought as he grabbed his things and tried to run. He ran nothing on his mind but escaping. He heard footsteps behind him, saw lights in the sky. He heard alarms in the background, and ran harder.

Chapter 9: Survival Crack woke up bleeding. At first he was frightened, fearing that he was mortally wounded, until he realised it was minor cuts. Crack noticed as he examined his left arm his vision was blurred and hazy. Shaking himself to reality, he glanced around the dim pod and saw the explosive bolts. After releasing them, he dropped down and landed of his stomach. His helmet rolled away to a nearby shrub. A wave of nausea overcame him, and he vomited on the hard ground. He rolled onto his back, and fell unconscious. ******************************* [i]New Alexandria, Reach, 2521 Hours, July 31st (Military Calendar)[/i] "No, no, no you put [i]that[/i] wire into [i]that[/i] socket." Pulses voice crackled over the static. "I sure as hell wish your arm wasn't broken". "Well it is, and now I have to rely on you to do this for me.". Shadow and Pulse bickered over the comm. It had been a rough re-entry, but they had survived. Unfortunately, Pulses Pod door crashed opened on impact, shattering his right arm. Now, Pulse thought, He had to rely on this madman to open a simple security door. "Almost got it... There! Who's the dumbass now?" Shadow gloated as the doors slid slowly open. "Alright, I admit that was good. Now get inside, we need to find out what happened to this place." They walked in, Weapon's ready. The room was dead silent. Pulse turned on his VISR, hoping to get a better look at the room. He wished he hadn't. Pieces of mangled human body parts littered the floor, blood staining the walls. A large fountain in the middle of the room was smashed to pieces, and chrome desks were upturned. A brute lay dead in the corner. "Keep moving Pulse, there's nothing we can do". Shadow moved towards the elevators, Pulse following behind. Shadow hit the button to summon the elevators. As the doors opened, Pulse gasped. "Son of a gun..." ******************************* "What the hell did you do that for?" Flame yelled in my face. I staggered a few steps from the force of it. "Uh, um, I thought you were a Grunt" "Do I look like a Grunt you moron?" He yelled, pulling off his helmet. I stared at his face, hoping he would finish up. He put the helmet back on after a few seconds and said in a normal voice: "Come on, there's two phantoms up there looking for my flesh. Does this tunnel go anywhere?" He finished. "There's a pathway that goes on for quite a bit, but I have no idea what's in it." "Why didn't you use your VISR?" Flame asked his tone deadly. "Uh...Because a woman pushed me down this hole" I said in a low voice. I knew he was going to tell a lot of people about this as he dragged me down the tunnel, my broken helmet reflecting the pale moonlight that drifted into the pit. ******************************* Shadow pulled out his magnum and aimed at the elevator's passengers. They froze. Shadow looked at their pale faces and lowered his magnum. His instinct told him he had to help these people. And he [i]always[/i] trusted his instinct. He gestured for a businessman to rise up. He stood stock-still, cowering behind his suitcase. "Who are you?" Shadow asked, removing his helmet. "We were in this building when the Covenant fires those rays. We took shelter in this elevator. The Brutes came and tried to get in... They managed to drag John away..." Shadow felt a pang of compassion in his heart. "John? Was he a work associate of yours?" "Head of building resources" The man looked down, shaking. He was obviously in shock. The others in the elevator remained quiet. Shadow jumped when he heard Pulse croaking over the comm. "I signalled an evac Pelican. We need to get to the roof pronto" Shadow looked at Pulse, his figure a black ghost against the dim lighting. Through one of the large windows he could see a storm brewing. "Affirmative. Everyone, we are going to get you out of here. We're going to roof to board an Evacuation Pelican. Understood?" When they all nodded, Shadow and Pulse got in and hit the button to the top floor. Shadow watched the numbers go up on top of the door. 39...45...56... When they reach floor 64 the power went out inside the elevator and the doors slowly slid open. A woman screamed as a flash of lighting illuminated the level they had stopped on. A Brute Chieftain wielding a Gravity Hammer Roared at them, and started charging. ******************************* It was early dawn when we emerged onto the surface once again. An early morning mist covered the ground, restricting vision more than a metre away. The ground was littered with Plasma Scorches. We trekked through the fog, feeling our way through the area. Over the comm., I kept hearing Flames muttered curses against my stupidity. Although he appeared to be angry at me, I knew he was worried about the rest of the squad. I was worried too; It felt like a constant pressure on my chest. I didn't enjoy the feeling. We kept walking through the haze, saying a word or two about the events of the past week, but otherwise we remained silent. That was, however, when I saw the Woman trying to open a Falcon's cockpit hatch. I walked up to Flame and nudged him on the shoulder, gesturing towards the Falcon. He nodded, pulling out his Silenced SMG. I kept down low, hoping my black armour wouldn't be too obvious in the white cloud that surrounded us. Flame sent me a message with the small keypad on his arm. The message read: [i]Get behind her. You knock her down and I'll tie her up[/i]. I nodded at him and slowly walked in an arch, so that I was directly behind her. I noticed my Magnum hanging at her side. She was still struggling to open the Falcon when I pounced up and shoved her to her knees. I waited for Flame to show up. I looked at her fiery eyes, my reflection shining back at me. I turned around, and saw the largest man I've ever seen. Flame was lifeless behind him. "Time for you to go to sleep" He said, a wide smile on his face as he brought a towering fist straight onto my head. *******************************

I read it in Halo Database. I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just watched the occasional verb tense mismatch and spelling.

Almost done! Just and update to let you know I'm still going.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Doctor Jensen Just do it the way you like it, bow to no one. It's [i]your[/i] story even if it's halo material. Make it yours.[/quote] Alright.

Just do it the way you like it, bow to no one. It's [i]your[/i] story even if it's halo material. Make it yours.

any suggestion you guys want me to add into Chapter 9?

Chapters take a long time... But I guess that's what happens when its crammed full of interesting things!

Good to hear it. Keep your story going. It's good.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Doctor Jensen Sorry to take your spot. It'll be back up on the hot topics in no time.[/quote] Its fine :D. As long as people are reading it I'm happy.

Sorry to take your spot. It'll be back up on the hot topics in no time.

Damn, No more Hot topics D: