The crunch of gravel echoed lowly through the dark tunnels as the heavy rubber wheels of the purring machines compressed the loose soil. The convoy journeyed further into the dizzying black, the hog lights only penetrating so far. Some of the squad members shuffled, not out of fear or discomfort of the blackness, but more out of boredom. The Spartan in the lead Warthog scoured the walls up ahead of them, his eyes never ceasing in their arduous task. Ale kept his helmet lamps turned off, making him a less distinguishable target in case there were rebel snipers. Although, it was fairly difficult to miss a half ton Spartan riding around in a brightly lit Warthog in a tight space.
Soft conversation emanated from the Troop Transport Hog, the troopers slowly relaxing the further they went in. Staff Sergeant Chronos held onto the top support running above his head in the center seat with his right arm, gazing out at the gathered ODST’s. His eyes ran along each individual, instinctively searching for any loose buckles, unmaintained equipment, and any other potential dangers. Being the oldest in the squad and over half a century old, he was naturally expected to be the slower, dumber, and weakest member of the squad, even with his rank. It came as a surprise when the greenies learned that he was the exact opposite. Quick, intelligent, and having a seemingly never ending level of stamina, the 66 year old war vet had lived through it all.
He glanced at one of the troopers who currently had his helmet off and flipped upside down in his lap. He was toying with some of the internal components of the helmet, swearing quietly every time the Hog hit a rough patch. “Everything alright there Private?”
The trooper looked up, “Yes sir. I’m just about finished cleaning the air filters.” He shot a venomous glance towards the only female member of their squad other than their respected Captain. The fiery redhead raised a clenched fist with the exception of a single digit up, causing Chuck to grunt before he returned to his task.
Chronos lips pressed flatly before he continued looking on, the rest of the squad still conversing with one another quietly. It was fairly common for the old trooper to be as quiet as he was. He had a lot to think over. 40 plus years of battle will do that to someone; the long years giving him much to reminisce about, some thoughts not of war. His life before the conflict was but a hazy memory now. As far as he knew, he could very well be the last member of his blood lineage. He would never know, the casualties caused by the alien menace were too numerous to count. All in all, life hadn’t treated him well before the ODST program, hell, even before the Marines. That didn’t matter now though. He would never admit it out loud, but as far as he was concerned, these men and women with him right here, right now, were his family. They were his kids just as they were Luna’s.
Corporal Eton set his Battle Rifle down and un-holstered his two magnums, the dull grey metal shining dully. He watched as the stealthy assassin procured a small cleaning kit from within his armor. Nisitra Eton was a fairly recent addition, only having been in the squad for a few months. The Captain had neglected to inform the Staff the reasons of his addition, but Eton had, at first, been incredibly distant from them. He watched as the Corporal swiftly took apart his weapons and began cleaning them with precision. The soldier looked up to him, receiving a nod in return from the Staff, gesturing for him to carry on. Chronos had an idea as to why he was assigned to them, but, as he trusted Luna’s judgment, kept his suspicions to himself.
Speaking of suspicions, Chronos turned his attention to Corporal Sanchez, turning his head to the front passenger seat. The medic and hobbyist ‘cook’, if you could call him that, had just laughed mirthfully in response to a joke from Sergeant North, whom was currently driving. They spoke loudly and brought life to the dreary atmosphere. They were a strange pair, being the best of friends one moment, and the bitterest of enemies the next. While Chronos could still smell the rancid concoction of stew and… whatever the hell was in his fatigues beneath his armor, he still held a modicrum of respect for the hispanic. He pulled his own weight around and, when situations were dangerous, he performed his job flawlessly.
The Staff’s eyes narrowed; he still had yet to figure out who exactly put margarine in the showers.
“... chance you should stop by sometime. It’s an unbelievable place and, as a bonus, is untouched by the Covenant. They blew right past it.”
Sean glanced quickly towards Dan, “Trying to get her to ‘swing’ by your bed is more like it eh?”
The Private shook his head in good humor, “No, not at all. The view is quite incredible.”
Sean stared at Dan for a few seconds before giving a sigh. “We need to get you laid.”
“Ah, I may know of someone. Back in my hometown there’s this place my brothers took me when I was little.” Rico began a wheezing laugh, “And we would look through the walls.” He paused before beginning to laugh again. “Our mom was not happy. My backside was tanned for days.”
Chuck, having finished cleaning his helmet and placing it back on his head, replied, “How could you tell it was tanned?”
Rico stopped laughing and stared straight at him. “Is that a racist joke?” Chuck simply shrugged. Rico sniffed audibly through his helmet, “Well, at least I wasn’t given the last acronym of a woodland animal for a name.” The soldiers remained quiet, a single cough breaking the relative silence. Rico looked back and forth before sighing, “I tried.”
Private Hanson shifted his armor, “To get back on track, no Rico, I’ll take a rain check on your, uh, chicas.”
The medic waved his hand, “Your loss.”
The Private turned to Sean, “I wasn’t making a pass at Lilly either. Besides, she has a boyfriend remember?”
Sean’s smile was visible under the un-polarized visor of his helmet as he looked straight ahead. “Aye, you are clueless ain’t ya?” At Dan’s questioning silence Sean tilted his head at an angle towards Lilly, “She ain’t the kind for commitment. You see, this ‘boyfriend’ of hers is actually one of what I’m sure to be many boy-toys she lures along.”
Dan shook his head in disbelief while swiping his hand outwards, “Nah, that’s not true. She’s too respectable for that.”
Sean shrugged, “I don’t hear her disagreeing with me.”
Dan turned to look at Lilly, who currently had her visor polarized. “He can’t be right, right?” When the PFC didn’t respond and continued to hold an air of indifference Dan seemed to falter slightly. “What about… Jeff, yeah, Jeff was his name. The Stock Master in military surplus?”
“Where do you think she gets all of those blue toys of hers from?” Chuck quipped, pointing at one of the metallic blue balls equipped to the PFC’s grenade gondolier. Dan’s form faltered slightly. Rico waved his hand in a ‘see’ gesture.
The squad continued to chat for several more minutes, all the while keeping their eyes peeled for anything unusual or hostile. Nisitra had long since finished cleaning his weapons and stayed quiet throughout their conversation, just as Chronos was doing. The old man didn’t like wasting words on conversation that wasn’t relevant to his current mission objective. His neck beginning to stiffen, Chronos looked up to stretch. He stared at the cave ceiling while rotating his head before he saw something unnatural flash past above him. He paused and continued to watch the ceiling as it moved. A mere second passed before another object flashed past. He quickly identified it as a grated light that had been drilled into the rock and watched as a power cable snaked along to the next light.
“Captain, look up.” He waited patiently for the Captain to come to the same conclusion.
“Ryan, stop the Hog. Chronos, we need eyes ahead.”
Chronos acknowledged before looking up to the angsty troopers. He pointed, “Eton, you’re with me. The rest of you stay put.”
Chronos scooped his M41 Rocket Launcher off the bed of the Hog before shuffling past the troopers and jumping out the back, Corporal Eton following closely behind. Chronos quickly looped the strap for the explosive weapon through his left arm and over his head before he hefted his Assault Rifle and jogged past the troop transport. He moved quickly, much faster than others his age and had already cleared the gap between the Hogs. He acknowledged a small nod given to him from Ale before racing past the bright lights of the lead Warthog.
“VISR on Eton,” he reminded over the radio, reaching up briefly to turn on his camera for the Captain to keep tabs on them. The Staff Sergeant could see through the dark abyss as green lines lit up the boundaries of boulders and other obstructions along their path. He continued to follow the snaking cable above their heads while maintaining a five meter lead in front of Nisitra. The two continued to jog, their armor jostling slightly.
A dark rectangle shape loomed into range of his VISR, prompting Chronos to sprint into cover behind a nearby rock. Eton dropped next to him and checked his DMR. Using hand signals, Chronos signalled for Eton to scan the anomaly. The stealth specialist crouch walked towards the edge of the rock and peered around the corner with his weapon sighted in. Chronos waited patiently for the Corporal to finish his assessment.
“Guard house, no lights. Doesn’t look like anybody’s home.”
Chronos creeped behind Eton and peered with him for a few seconds before tapping him on the shoulder. Chronos moved past with his rifle raised and sprinted towards the dark shack with Eton tailing right behind. Reaching the shack, he placed his left shoulder to the concrete wall while Eton faced the opposite direction. Chronos dropped his left hand and briefly touched Nisitra behind him before swinging around the corner of the building. He approached the dark entryway and stopped at the edge, covering Nisitra as he raced past the open door to the other side.
The pair paused briefly before breaching the room. Chronos and Eton cleared the room almost instantaneously as it was very small. There were computers by gate control, a lunch table sat in the middle, and a pair of weapon lockers hugged one wall. Chronos shifted over towards the lockers while Eton inspected the dead computers. Chronos opened one of the lockers and turned on his helmets tactical lamp. A brown leather jacket was hanging inside of it while a magnum sat at the bottom, bullets strewn around it in a haphazard fashion. He closed it and turned towards the table. Eton was experimentally tapping on some of the computers buttons, attempting to get them working. Chronos sifted through some papers on the table, finding only log sheets and timetables.
“No power,” Eton quietly said, aware that there could still be others nearby. “That would explain why the lights are off.”
“That doesn’t explain why their are no guards, rebel or civilian.” He lifted a plate that held a partially eaten sandwich. “The question is, where did the inhabitants go in such a hurry?”
“Maybe they knew we were coming. The abrupt departure points towards rebels.”
Chronos pondered thoughtfully, “That would explain the missing rifle from the locker.” The pair stood quietly for another second before he lifted his rifle in his hand, resting it on his shoulder. “Better get the Captain’s call on this.”
“Sir, did you receive the transmission?”
“Yes Staff. Hold down the fort, we’re on our way.”
Chronos acknowledged before he pointed towards a window facing away from the direction they had arrived in. Eton stood next to it while looking through it into the dark. “Call out anything you see.”
“Yes sir.”
Chronos moved over to the gate control and peered through the reinforced glass at the ground. The barricade was a hydraulic bollard-type road barrier. They were lowered, meaning the Hogs would be able to pass over them.
“Sir, I see a structure on the other side of the cavern.”
Chronos shifted away from the glass and approached Eton. “Anything else?”
“No sir. No contacts. It’s dark as well.”
Chronos nodded, “Keep an eye on it.”
The two troopers didn’t need to wait long before the low rumble of the Warthogs could be heard approaching. Chronos walked out of the guard shack and waved down the lead Hog. He approached Luna while she was still manning the LAAG.
“Sir, there is a structure up ahead. No contacts as of yet.”
Luna’s lips were a grim line before she nodded, “Alright Staff. We’re moving in. Let’s go Ryan.”
Chronos stepped away. “Let’s go Corporal!”
The Staff Sergeant approached the Troop Hog and climbed into it, turning in time to see Eton double-timing towards the now moving vehicle. The Corporal vaulted into the back of the vehicle, settling down in his previous spot.
“Prep your gear. I want a perimeter around the Hogs when we dismount at the structure.”
Chronos checked the acknowledgement lights before shouldering his weapon, waiting patiently for their arrival to the dark building. The rest of the troopers stowed away any loose items before sitting in silence. The Warthogs rumbled through the dark cavern, their lights only just beginning to light up the building. Chronos scanned the windows for the glint of scopes and, finding none, prepped to dismount. The Warthogs pulled along the front side of the concrete and steel building, parking in front of a large steel door.
“Go, go, go!”
The troopers jumped off the sides and out of the back of the Hog, rushing to cover while setting a perimeter around their transports.
“Stay on the gun Brenden,” the Captain radioed over to the rear patrol. She stood by the steel door and motioned for James. Chronos stood nearby with his back to them, scanning the black from which they had come from.
“I want this door open Sergeant,” Chronos overheard.
“Yes sir!”
The Sergeant took his backpack off and set it on the ground. He rummaged in it briefly for a small scanner before plugging it into the door controls. The Captain approached Chronos, “What are you thinking Staff?”
“Rebel outpost. Heard we were comin’ and packed up shop.”
Luna thought momentarily. “Civilians?”
“Unlikely. They wouldn’t leave.” Chronos scanned the perimeter again. “They would have resisted our ‘invasion’ and claim that we ‘threaten their work’.”
“But why leave a defendable area?”
Chronos paused, “Perhaps to throw us off our game.”
Luna smirked briefly, “Straight to the point.” She gazed around quickly. Chronos noted the Spartan’s position, crouched near the front of the lead Hog and gazing into the blackness with his rifle raised. He turned his attention to James as Luna began talking again, “If that’s the case, we need to find out where they went. We’ll clear the building.”
“Yes sir.” Chronos shuffled away from Luna as she headed back towards James. “Shadow, let’s go!”
He waved his arm in a circle towards the door as the squad members hustled past. He followed the last trooper, Sergeant Brenden, whom was carrying his shotgun with his MG-3 draped across his back, back towards the steel blast doors.
“Sir, ready when you are,” James announced.
“Stack up!” Luna called.
The troopers made two lines on both sides of the blast doors, Ale leading the left line while Lilly led the right. Subconsciously knowing when, James executed the door commands. The steel doors hissed briefly before sliding apart with a loud whirring. The troopers ran in, thundering across the grated floor. They were in a long rectangular room with another steel door partially open on the other side. Two corridors intersected the middle of the covered room, the troopers splitting up and pouring down them. Chronos held his Assault Rifle forward and cleared room after room, finding them empty of life. Tactical lights strobed through the dark as the troopers kicked open doors and checked the vacant rooms.
“Clear!” Chuck announced as he backed out of the last room in the corridor.
“No contacts!” was announced from the other hallway.
“Alright Shadow, the previous occupants are possible Rebel forces. Begin investigating for any clues regarding their whereabouts. If you find anything, let Staff or I know.”
Acknowledgement lights winked on following the Captain’s orders. The troopers began searching the rooms closer, scattering stray paper and rummaging through drawers. Chronos browsed the objects on top of one of the desks. Finding nothing, he attempted to turn on the computer. When that failed he radioed, “We need to get the power on. There could be information on the computers.”
“On my way to the power box sir,” Private Daniel called back.
“Sir, the rear door is jammed. Looks like some cable got caught in the gears.”
“Can you clear it James?”
“Maybe, give me a couple minutes Captain.”
Chronos glanced around the room once more before stepping out of it. He quickly gathered the locations of the other troopers in the corridor, noticing that all their searches were fruitless. Shaking his head, he said, “Alright troopers, there’s nothing here. Rally in the central causeway.” The ODST’s ceased their investigations and moved up the corridor.
Chronos watched as James struggled to unwind as much cable as possible from the door gears in the floor. Luna looked up at him.
“Find anything?”
“No sir.”
The Captain shook her head. “Neither did we.”
“Sir, you better come take a look at this.”
“On our way Private.”
The Captain began moving towards one of the maintenance hallways. Chronos began to follow before looking over his shoulder, “Stay put. Help James if he asks.”
The two ODST’s moved through the cramped hallway before finding Dan standing next to a door. “In here.” He stepped inside and led them to a large blackened box on the wall.
“Explosives,” Luna muttered while observing the sparking power box. After a few seconds she turned around, “Too much shrapnel. We won’t be turning it on.”
Dan began following her out of the room. “Why would they, assuming they’re Rebels, destroy their own power?”
“To prevent us from using their own equipment is the most likely reason Private,” Luna responded. Chronos tailed after them back into the central room, noticing that James had stopped working on the gears.
Luna moved towards the corridor in which the other part of the team had disappeared down, motioning for the troopers to come back. “Status report James.”
“The drives are fried sir. Someone destroyed the back up generator on them.”
Luna stepped clear of the corridor as Sean, followed by more troopers, entered the room. Luna looked towards the ground in thought. “So they destroy their power and the door…. Well, they’re determined.”
“Or they had a disagreement.” Chronos looked up as their resident Spartan spoke up, stepping out of the corridor.
Luna’s eyebrow raise was visible through her helmet visor as it was unpolarized. “What did you find?”
Ale motioned for them to follow as he turned back into the corridor. Shadow Squad followed as he explained, “The barracks here are unmade, meaning that the occupants were rudely awakened. I also found some spent shell casings.” He opened a weapons locker in the hallway. “All the rifles are taken, but all other gear is untouched.” He faced Luna. “Someone shot at someone.”
Chronos nodded. “That still doesn’t explain their disappearance.”
The half ton Spartan shrugged. “Maybe there was a change in leadership?”
The three stood in contemplative silence for a few seconds, the rest of Shadow Squad waiting patiently for orders. Ale hefted his Rifle. “I found a map as well.” He handed over a tacpad. “Found it in one of the offices.”
“Good work soldier,” Luna replied, looking at him with thanks before tapping on the controls, uploading the map to her VISR. Everyone waited as their Captain studied the map.
“Alright, the tunnel outside only leads to the surface again. There's another tunnel beyond the rear door that leads further into the cave complex. The map isn’t super extensive, but we should be able to find more.” She turned and hustled back into the causeway. “Let’s go troopers!” She pointed to the partially open door.
“You heard the lady! Double time!” Chronos shouted as he pushed the troopers out the door. He watched as Ale squeezed through the small gap, immediately scanning his surroundings before covering the other soldiers coming through. Chronos stepped through, meeting Ale’s gaze briefly. Chronos waved for him to go clear the tunnel ahead with the other troopers, internally pleased with the new replacement. He would do.
Shadow Squad began patrolling down the cave, leaving the derelict and silent building behind.