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"