Here's Part 35, it's quite long, but it's got just the right amount of humour and action to keep you interested, enjoy! [b]Part 35: Into the fiery depths...[/b] "Holy crap!" I exclaimed as a Banshee flew literally inches in front of my HEV pod, so close that I could see the Elite piloting it within. "Just...hold...on!" Blade shouted at us, even as a fuel rod blast narrowly missed his pod. Laser fire, enemy aircraft, insane speeds, and a horde of Covenant waiting for us below. Just another average drop in an ODSTs life. I felt a surge as we passed through Harvest's atmosphere, and passed through the dark clouds. My communications dropped for a second as they passed through, entering the clear, night sky. Contrary to Switch's belief, this trip [i]had[/i] been a bumpy ride. Our decoy pods hadn't deceived the Banshees at all, they must have been using heat sensing technology. The only thing keeping us alive was the fact that our pods were moving faster than the Covenant aircraft. That all changed though as the emergency breaks hit in, and the HEV deployed it's parachute like extension, slowing us down considerably. I could also hear thrusters kick in at the bottom of the pod, further decreasing our speed. Whilst this was usually good, as it meant we weren't going to be splattered upon impact, in this scenario it didn't bode well. I could hear the Banshees behind us, catching up. In about ten seconds or so, they'd be able to shoot down our pods. "Sir, Banshees' on our six!" Switch reported to Blade rather unnecessarily. We all began to curse, except the Spartan, who were remaining unnatural still throughout the turmoil. Were it not for the vital signs display, I would have thought them dead. "I know that!" Blade cried back, panic clear in his voice, "We're gonna have to bail out, now!" I understood his order, despite the fact it made me as nervous as hell. I hit the button at the side of the HEV, and the door slid open. I could instantly feel the G-Force winds battering at my armour. I unbuckled my harness, and felt a sharp crack in my back as it hit the roof of the pod, my body pushed upward by the speed it was descending. I gripped the searing hot edges of the HEV's entrance with some difficulty, took a deep breath, and pushed myself out. I felt weightless doing so, after hurtling down in the burning drop pod, any other form of descent seemed slow. After a few moments of vertigo, I remembered my training and spread my arms and legs out wide. A scream tore passed me later as the Banshees chased the now empty pods, oblivious to my presence. A quick look around showed that everyone else had bailed out fine. Almost everyone... "Sir, my pod door is stuck," James' voice echoed over the COM channel. The Spartan managed to keep his voice calm somehow, despite being chased by a squadron of Banshees. It was hard to concentrate while falling freestyle, so how Blade managed to keep his cool and give an order whilst speeding down to the ground below was beyond me. I could see the skirmish on the ground now, and just hoped we'd land well away from it. Our target, the golden, ominous bubble, was in plain site. I suddenly realised with a start that we'd [i]have[/i] to land somewhere near the skirmish, our key codes to the bubble shield, the Jackals, were currently speeding down to the ground below without us. Damn, I should have grabbed mine as I left the pod. "Okay Spartan," Blade began, "Keep your cool. Have you tried smashing the door open?" There was silence for a few moments, followed by a large metallic bang from James' end. A moment later James replied again. "No good sir, I'm gonna have to ride this hell out. Uh oh, that's not good. Sir, there's a Banshee right on my tail!" The Spartan's voice displayed the first sign of panic, slight. Blade swore loudly. I was still painfully aware that we were flying through the air, and the ground was rushing to meet us. Another 15 seconds or so and we'd have to deploy our chutes. "Just hold on James, you're nearly at the destination now. Just hold--" Blade was cut off suddenly as an explosion tore through James' pod below, and the COM wave was flooded with static. "Dammit..." Rook breathed. Blade looked stunned for a second, then regained his composure. "Everyone, deploy chutes now!" he barked, and I complied with the order, yanking the string attached to the pack on my back. Immediately, my speed slowed, and the camouflaged material spread out above me. I just hoped they hadn't had time to set up anti-air cannons. The Banshees were also a worry. "James? Are you there? Report!" Micheal called over the COM line. There was no reply. "Spartan! Respond!" Blade also called. After a few moments, static was replaced by gunfire, and James' voice broke out again. "I'm okay! I thought they had me for a second there, but I managed to break out before the HEV exploded. I've hijacked one of their Banshees, I'll keep the rest off you. Brown three, out." I let out a sigh of relief, not only because James was alive, but also because we were safe from a Banshee attack. Similar exhales echoed through the COM link. "Sir," Switch called over to Blade, "We're gonna need some new access codes, my Jackal's still in that pod below. "Understood. Land in that forest over there, we'll ambush a patrol." Blade replied back. "Oorah sir!" Rook, Switch and I chanted back. The two Spartans simply flashed acknowledgement lights. The forest rushed up to greet us. I just hoped it would be a warm welcome.