UNSCDF3 Chapter 17- Without Options

Jinnah Town, Quetta, Pakistan

Government Officer Residence

May 14, 2001

1600 Local Time

            “Check out this puppy.” Dau lifted a M82A2 sniper rifle from a wooden crate.

            “Yeah, I’ll just mind my own business.” Johnson sat in the passenger seat of a Warthog.

            “Can you guys seriously help?” Frederick rolled a fuel barrel with Daniels to the Falcon docked on the intersection of the street.

            “Yes ma’am.” Johnson hopped off the vehicle and went to push a fuel barrel.

            “Hey guys, where’s Hariprasad?” Frederick watched Daniels link cables to the Falcon.

            “That way.” Dau pointed at the building right of him with his newly acquired sniper rifle.

            There was a sound of a vehicle coming from the corner of a building which heightened Frederick’s defenses.

            “Incoming! Get to positions.” Frederick ordered.

            The marines quickly got to their nearest cover and readied their guns. A Warthog skidded around the corner and halted to a stop in front of the Falcon.

            “It’s Hariprasad!” Dau looked in the scope of his sniper rifle.

            “A Gauss hog.” Frederick looked at the unique turret on Hariprasad’s Warthog.

            “Ma’am, here’s a surprise.” Hariprasad touched the hood of the vehicle.

            “You sure did surprise us.” Johnson got of his cover.

            “That thing is beast.” Dau admired the gun with awe.

            “How come we don’t see more of these on the fields?” Frederick asked.

            “This is an early prototype built by the engineers in High Command. It’s been made to combat the boss zombies, but we haven’t tried it yet.” Hariprasad explained.

            “Good, maybe we can take out the choppers with it.” Frederick smiled.

            “It doesn’t have that much ammunition. I’d say ten rounds and we’re out.” Hariprasad sighed.

            “Oh, that’s a shame.” Frederick looked disappointed.

            “Don’t forget we have the other Warthog.” Johnson interrupted.

            “Gentlemen, new plan.” Frederick suddenly thought of an idea.

            “Yes LT?” Dau looked interested.

            “We’ll leave the Falcon here and drive the two Warthogs to the Pelican’s location. Then we combine out firepower and attempt to rescue Blake and maybe others.” Frederick briefed.

            “And what about Zyrok ma’am?” Hariprasad asked.

            “We’ll have air support with ground support. I’m sure we can establish a capable means of finding him.” Frederick reasoned.

            “Last time I checked, the Russians still have air superiority.” Johnson joked.

            “That’s true, but we have better gear now.” Frederick pointed at Dau’s M82A2 and the Gauss hog.

            “And one Pelican once we reach our destination.” Hariprasad reminded.

            “Exactly.” Frederick crossed her arms.

            “Might I say that we’re a bit…outnumbered?” Johnson spoke truthfully.

            “That may be true marine, but we aren’t UNSC marines for no reason. We are good at what we do.” Frederick looked at Johnson with a cold stare.

            “Understood ma’am. Cobra Squad’s still with you.” Johnson replied firmly.

            “To the end.” Daniels shouted.

            “Hoorah!” Dau cheered.

            “Alright marines, let’s get formed up.” Frederick patted the hood of the Gauss hog.

            “Ma’am?” Johnson asked.

            “Daniels, you drive the Gauss hog with Dau. Hariprasad, drive the other Warthog with Johnson on the turret. I’ll take the passenger seat.” Frederick climbed into the seat of the Warthog and looked at her Lock 17 sidearm.

            “You heard the LT, get a move on it.” Johnson climbed onto the turret and rotated it to check.

            “Time to pop some heads.” Dau smiled mischievously as he got onto the Gauss cannon.

            “Don’t waste it.” Daniels hopped into the driver’s seat of the Gauss hog.

            “Nah, trust me.” Dau grinned.

            “I bet I’m a better driver than Hariprasad.” Daniels joked.

            “We’ll see about that…pilot.” Hariprasad shot a glare and honked his horn.

            “May the best operator win then.” Daniels smiled.

“Hey Hariprasad, I think you’ll lose. We’re Spec Ops remember?” Johnson teased.

            “True, but I know this terrain better than you do.” Hariprasad countered.

            “Alright…alright. Let’s move!” Frederick waved forward.

Erazi, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Russian Communications Outpost

May 14, 2001

1845 Local Time

            “How do you like it here?” Dimitri sat at the end of a table eating with Zyrok and Sarah.

            “It’s pretty good.” Zyrok replied with his mouth full.

            “What about you Sarah?” Dimitri pointed with his fork.

            “Good.” Sarah nodded without looking into Dimitri’s eyes.

            “Look Zyrok, my men need someone with skills leading them to the Secronom Research Facility.” Dimitri spoke seriously.

            “You want to go back down there?” Zyrok stopped eating.

            “Well, what’s down there that needs to be destroyed so badly?” Dimitri put down his fork.

            “Look Dimitri, don’t go down there. Secronom was researching the Nerotonin drug and it mutated. All I know was that we received a log from the chief scientist asking it to be destroyed to prevent it from reaching the surface.” Zyrok explained briefly.

            “Interesting…” Dimitri rubbed his chin.

            “The zombies…they had multi-limbs.” Zyrok described.

            “Zyrok, look we’re all about finding a cure for the virus.” Dimitri continued to eat.

            “Really now?’ Zyrok asked uncertainly.

            “Yes, if you have information to share, so do we.” Dimitri nodded.

            “Such as?’ Zyrok studied his plate and turned to take a quick glimpse of Sarah.

            “Such as you folks failing on the containment of the spider zombies.” Dimitri replied.

            “What? No!” Zyrok pounded the table.

            “You somehow brought it back to North America and now levels are at a critical. Why we want to go down again is to recover their research…do you understand?” Dimitri briefed.

            “I don’t believe it.” Zyrok shook his head in disbelief.

            “Here’s a report.” Dimitri waved at a soldier holding a folder.

            The soldier placed a grey folder in front of Zyrok and walked away. Zyrok opened it and scanned the contents. There were pictures of spider zombies on the streets of San Francisco and the destruction of various UNSC outposts.

            “My god.” Zyrok closed his eyes and shut the folder.

            “The situation is pretty bad.” Dimitri nodded.

            “What can I do to help?” Zyrok offered his knowledge.

            “Are you willing to take a team down underground?” Dimitri asked.

            “Research info right?” Zyrok asked.

            “Anything else that you can offer us that you know?” Dimitri wondered.

            “Secronom was working on a piece of armor.” Zyrok replied.

            “Armor?” Dimitri looked intrigued.

            “It appeared to be a prototype, but we’re not sure if it was functional.” Zyrok answered.

            “Did the UNSC take it?” Dimitri grabbed a plate of dessert.

            “Yeah, my Lieutenant took it. As far as I know, they made it out alive.” Zyrok took his plate of leftovers and set it aside.

            Dimitri rubbed his chin and smiled as he enjoyed his dessert and the information Zyrok had given him. Zyrok’s knowledge may be of more use to him than he had hoped for.

Downtown Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan

British Embassy

May 15, 2001

1010 Local Time

            “The Pelican should be there.” Hariprasad stood at the adjacent building overlooking the British Embassy.

            “Well, I don’t see it.” Johnson took out his binoculars.

            “That’s because it’s stored underground in the facility.” Hariprasad pointed at the center courtyard inside the embassy.

            “Well, can someone explain why I see the Russians?” Dau looked through the scope of the sniper rifle.

            “They’re here?” Frederick took Johnson’s binoculars and looked at two Russians patrolling the outside gates.

            “Damn it!” Frederick kicked the railing on the roof in frustration.

            “Plans LT?” Daniels crossed his arms.

            “Time is running out. We have to split into two teams to get more work done.” Frederick brushed her hair.

            “I’m guessing we’re taking the Gauss to Blake’s location?’ Hariprasad guessed.

            “Yes, it’s a risk we have to take with the ammo it has.” Frederick nodded.

            “What are the teams?” Johnson asked.

            “Since Daniels can fly a Pelican, he’ll head with you and Dau.” Frederick looked at Johnson.

            “You going to be alright LT?” Dau raised an eyebrow.

            “I’ll shoot, Hariprasad drives.” Frederick tossed the car keys to Hariprasad.

            “Yes ma’am.” Hariprasad caught the keys with one hand.

            “Good, we’re call sign 2-2. Dau, you’re 1-3.” Frederick patted the RaidComm device on her helmet.

            “Test, test…do you read?” Daniels tested the RaidComm.

            “Loud and clear, over.” Hariprasad replied.

            “Guys, why are the Russians scrambling?” Dau looked at the Russians rushing out of the embassy preparing to set up defenses.

            “Did they know we’re here?” Frederick waved at the marines to crouch.

            “I don’t think so, but I doubt it was a coincidence…” Johnson replied.

            “I highly doubt it too.” Frederick agreed.

            “Is it me or when we used the RaidComm, the Russians became alert?” Hariprasad voiced his concerns.

            “You think the Russians know our frequencies?” Johnson asked.

            “Let’s give it a try.” Frederick suggested.

            “Hey, are there any UNSC marines out there? I’m lost a couple of blocks south of the embassy. Anyone copy?” Hariprasad played with the RaidComm.

            Frederick studied the movement of the Russians and saw them preparing a van full of soldiers. In a few minutes, the van exited the embassy and went onto the streets south of the embassy.

            “Yup, RaidComm is out. Now what?” Johnson crossed his arms in frustration.

            “Encryption.” Frederick replied instantaneously.

            “That could work…” Daniels rubbed his chin.

            “It will work unless we tell others our encryption code.” Frederick removed her helmet and turned some dials on the communications.

            “Code ma’am?” Hariprasad asked.

            “Sierra Pappa 215.” Frederick replied.

            “Alright marines, you heard the LT. Encrypt to Sierra Pappa 215.” Johnson ordered.

            “Move out marines!” Frederick motioned at the stairwell.

UNSCDF3 Chapter 13- Holding Prisoners

Erazi, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Russian Communications Outpost

May 12, 2001

0810 Local Time

           Blake woke up to the sound of car horns honking. He had a black cloth over his head with his hands tied behind him. He heard the sound of a door opening and some minor flashes of sunlight penetrate the dark cloth.

            “Move!” a soldier shoved from behind him.

            Blake’s muscles ached and his head pained as he walked a coarse road. He remembered missiles hitting the bridge and the shockwave sending him out the window. The darkness immediately followed as he splashed head first into cold water. Next, he recalled the sound of a helicopter nearby as he floated on a piece of debris. It was a UNSC Falcon, but he was too weak to call out. His head throbbed with pain and he passed out on the sea and back into the darkness. The events after involved another helicopter, but it was the Russians this time. He was airlifted and then placed into a van transporting him to an unknown location.

            “Sit down!” a soldier pushed Blake onto a chair.

            Blake felt his hands locked to the armrests of the chair followed by the sound of a door opening.

            “Mr. Blake, what a surprise.” a man spoke in front of the captive marine.

            “What do you want?” Blake scoffed.

            “Everything.” the man removed the cloth from Blake’s head.

            Blake noticed he was in a small room with a light hanging above him. The man was behind him and had his hands on his shoulder.

            “Who are you?” Blake spoke angrily.

            “Who am I? Hahaha.” the man spun the chair to face Blake.

            “I am Dimitri, your enemy, of course.” the man opened his arms in pride.

            “Why are you here?” Blake questioned.

            “Let me be clear with you Captain Blake…I ask the questions here.” Dimitri punched Blake in the stomach.

            “Screw you.” Blake spitted.

            Dimitri nodded to his soldiers standing next to the door. Two soldiers knocked the chair holding Blake to the ground and began to kick him.

            “If you haven’t noticed Captain, I am in charge of you now. Until you are clever to see that, some things won’t be changing.” Dimitri stormed off.

            “I’ll kill you.” Blake coughed as the soldiers continued to kick him.

            “Huh, we’ll see.” Dimitri laughed and walked out of the room.

            Dimitri walked down the halls when a tall man with a scar on his cheek approached him. He saluted Dimitri and looked at him.

            “Captain Dima, a job well done.” Dimitri complimented.

            “Thank you sir.” Dima replied.

            “I must say, Captain Blake is quite a fighter.” Dimitri crossed his arms.

            “I’m not so sure about the others.” Dima said with confidence.

            “Others?” Dimitri smiled.

            “Five marines, sir.” Dima pointed down the hall.

            “Good, let’s see what they can offer us.” Dimitri rolled up his sleeves.

            “Right this way sir.” Dima led Dimitri towards the captured marines.

Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan

UNSC Cobra Squad’s Camp

May 12, 2001

1000 Local Time

            “How are they doing?” Frederick asked Parker as she examined Dau’s vitals.

            “He’s holding.” Parker recorded some notes.

            “Lieutenant, I have something.” Sears rushed into the room with a piece of paper.

            “What is it Staff Sergeant?” Frederick turned her head.

            “We know the Russians came back to pick up the survivors, but we don’t know how many people made it.” Sears reported.

            “Calm down Sears. Tell me.” Frederick listened attentively.

            “They transferred our marines by car into Afghanistan. Erazi, to be exact.” Sears looked at the paper.

            “Is the Intelligence reliable?” Frederick was interested.

            “I believe so ma’am. Blake’s emergency transponder was turned on prior to him entering Erazi.” Sears read the paper.

            “Blake, he’s alive?” Frederick’s eyes widened.

            “Appears so.” Sears replied.

            “Okay, I hate to be pessimistic, but what if it’s a trap? A trap set by the Russians to kill all of the remaining marines.” Parker interrupted.

            “That’s a possibility…” Frederick thought deeply.

            “It is possible, but what if it isn’t?” Sears challenged.

            “What if it is?” Parker asked.

            “Okay people. We need to do an assessment of our risks.” Frederick waved at the marines to follow her.

            “Guys, I think I may have the solution.” Johnson rushed into the room holding a tactical map.

            “What’s that?” Frederick looked amused.

            “Oh, that map…I totally forgot about it.” Sears brushed his hair.

            “It’s Fire Team Kilo’s assets.” Johnson handed the paper to Frederick.

            “A Pelican?” Frederick flattened the map on a table.

            “Yeah, it’s a supply Pelican modified for heavy payloads. It’s slower and lacks firepower.” Sears read the map.

            “Problem…the Pelican is in Afghanistan.” Parker reminded.

            “Yeah, we go in by Falcon and take the Pelican with us.” Sears explained.

            “Russians are stationed in that area. Once we lift it up, we’ll get blown out of the sky.” Parker pointed at the surrounding buildings.

            “Damn it. Any ground assets available?” Frederick studied the map.

            “Warthogs and Mongooses.” Sears quickly replied.

            “Still, like I said, Afghanistan.” Parker frowned.

            “Where’s the other map?” Sears flipped the maps.

            “On the desk, but it’s incomplete so I didn’t bring it.” Johnson answered.

            “Incomplete?” Frederick looked impatient.

            “Ma’am, Hariprasad was the one doing it.” Johnson replied quietly.

            “Sears? What about you?” Frederick turned to look at her Sergeant.

            “I’ll see what I can do. I was focused on assets within Afghanistan because we’d never expect to go beyond the borders.” Sears replied.

            “And Hariprasad was?” Frederick questioned.

            “No, nobody was. Hariprasad and another marine had set up communication relay stations outside of Afghanistan.” Sears answered.

            “And they seemed to have failed when the Russians knew where we were when we discovered the Secronom facility.” Frederick crossed her arms.

            “I believe so, but that doesn’t mean we have lost our assets.” Sears replied optimistically.

            “Alright, let’s head to the central room and get that map completed to the best of our ability.” Frederick rolled up the maps.

            “Ok.” Johnson and Sears replied in unison.

            “Parker, stay here and watch Dau and Hariprasad.” Frederick pointed.

            “Yes ma’am.” Parker nodded and turned.

            Johnson opened the door and waved at the marines to pass.

            “After you.” Sears motioned for Frederick to go first.

            “Thanks.” Frederick smiled warmly as she passed the two marines.

UNSCDF2 Epilogue Version 1.1

San Francisco, California, USA

UNSC San Francisco Outpost

April 23, 2001

2100 Local Time

            Red lights flashed inside the whole Outpost and a siren blared through the complex. Cookson rushed through the dark foggy fields armed with a M16. In the distant, gunshots echoed the fields and screams were heard. A few hours after Echo 21 landed back to the Outpost, no one had bothered to check up on each other to see how everyone was doing. Forester called it a night and people went their ways. There was one thing they had left out to check. It was Tanya, unknown to the marines and covered in blood stained clothes, she had been hiding a bite from a spider she had contracted prior to Zyrok’s rescue. Now Tanya had mutated into a spider zombie and was infecting the marines and civilians at the Outpost. The good thing was that Cookson and May had killed the infected Tanya, but the bad thing was that she had turned a good amount of humans into her kind. The UNSC Outpost was literally swarmed with spider zombies and the marines had lost control. Now, Cookson was running to the building where Sarah lived.

            “Sarah!” Cookson called out loudly down the halls.

            A figure ran towards Cookson and pointed his flashlight at Cookson’s face.

            “Don’t shoot.” Cookson blocked the blinding light with his hand and recognized the figure to be Fields.

            “What the hell are those things?” Fields looked at Cookson with a frightened look.

            “Spiders…or so we call it. We thought we had contained it back at Afghanistan, but we didn’t.” Cookson handed his Lock 17 pistol to Fields.

            “Those things are everywhere. Thanks.” Fields took Cookson’s pistol gratefully.

            “Where’s Sarah?” Cookson asked.

            “I don’t know. We got split up. Last I saw her was with Fisher one floor up.” Fields replied.     

            “Come on man, let’s find her.” Cookson ran up the stairs.

            As the pair reached the floor, bodies were everywhere. Two gunshots fired at the end of the dark hall and a feminine scream was heard.

            “Sarah!” Cookson shouted as he sprinted towards the scream.

            Fields quickly ran behind him while keeping alert of his surroundings for any zombies. As Cookson charged into the room where the scream came from, a spider zombie was munching on a woman. Cookson fired three rounds into the back of its head and ran up beside the spider’s victim. It was Fisher and she was half alive as blood gushed out of her neck.

            “Sarah’s in the…next room….kill me…before I turn.” Fisher coughed on her own blood before she slowly closed her eyes.

            “Thank you Fisher for taking care of my wife. I’m sorry it had to go down this way.” Cookson aimed his M16 at Fisher’s forehead and fired once.

            Cookson frowned and quickly went to the next door. He attempted to open the door, but it was jammed from behind.

            “Sarah?” Cookson called out loudly.

            “Sarah, you in there?” Fields shouted and pounded on the door.

            “Is that you Mike?” a quiet voice was heard from behind the door.

            “It’s me Mike and Fields. Open the door and let’s get out of here.” Cookson replied softly.

            “Okay.” Sarah mumbled as she slowly removed the barricade behind the door.

            Sarah opened the door and felt a sense of security as she saw her husband.

            “It’s so good to see you dear.” Cookson hugged Sarah tightly.

            “Guys…we got to go.” Fields saw two spiders walk up the stairs.

            “Other stairs…there.” Sarah pointed at a set of stairs a few meters down the hall.

            “Good girl.” Cookson smiled at Sarah.

            The three ran down the stairs and exited the building and back into the foggy fields.

            “Anyone from Jackal Squadron or Echo Squad copy?” Cookson spoke on the RaidComm.

            “This is Forester here with Echo. We’ve got a Pelican docked next to the main gates. Where are you Cookson?” Forester responded.

            “We’re at the fields. It’s too foggy to make out where the gates are.” Cookson replied.

            “Hey Cookson, Frederick is driving around the Outpost looking for survivors to evacuate. Activate your transponder.” May interrupted on the RaidComm.

            “Copy, will do.” Cookson replied and pressed a button on his utility belt.

            “Cookson, I see your location. Sit tight.” Frederick spoke on the RaidComm.

            From the mist of the fog, three spiders ran towards them. Cookson fired wildly while Fields squeezed off a couple of rounds. Out of nowhere, two headlights appeared from behind the spiders and Frederick’s troop transport Warthog splattered the zombie into pieces.

            “Get on.” Frederick honked the horn.

            Cookson noticed Christopher and Hariprasad seated in the back with two civilians. As Cookson, Fields, and Sarah climbed onto the back of the Warthog, a couple of spiders ran onto the fields.

            “Go! Go! Go!” Christopher shouted as he fired off a few rounds from his pistol.

            The Warthog sped through the fields and then skidded a turn as Frederick nearly hit a stationary Warthog hidden in the thick fog. Frederick continued driving as she looked at her datapad on the dashboard of her vehicle. She was nearing the main gates where the Pelican was waiting.

            “Get to the Pelican now!” Forester yelled as the troop transport Warthog came into view.

            Taylor was mounted on the M60 turret holding the line as hundreds of spiders crawled towards them. The minute everyone was inside, Pruett and Foo lifted the Pelican up just as the turret ran out of ammunition.

            “Get to High Command. They’ll need to know about this.” Forester ordered.

            From the air, the UNSC Outpost was pitch black half covered by the thick fog. Faint screams and gunshots could be heard in the distant.

            “We couldn’t have saved everyone.” Frederick looked below while turning to look at Cookson and Sarah.

            “I know that…” Cookson sighed.

            “Vickers, Patrick, and Fisher…did they make it?” Sarah asked as she looked around.

            “I’m sorry Sarah, they didn’t.” Fields replied apologetically.

            “Hey Sarah…” Cookson eyed Sarah and reached into his pocket.

            “Yeah Mike?” Sarah replied softly.

            “Do you remember a Charlie?” Cookson fished out Zyrok’s UNSC dog tags.

            “Um…” Sarah scratched her head.

            “Well, he was our commanding officer for our operation back in Afghanistan. He was the guy who joined the UNSC to look for you…and he wanted you to have this.” Cookson handed Sarah Zyrok’s UNSC dog tags and the poem he had written for her.

            “Oh…I remember now.” Sarah looked at the UNSC dog tags and saw the name “Charlie Chu (Zyrok)” engraved on it.

            Sarah looked at the piece of paper Cookson handed her and read the poem quietly. The face of Sarah turned to sadness as she finished the poem and looked at the dog tags.

            “Charlie also wanted me to tell you that he loved you till the very end.” Cookson stumbled on the words.

            “I know…I know…” Sarah took the UNSC dog tags and Zyrok’s poem and tucked it under her jacket as a tear trickled down her warm beautiful face.

UNSCDF2 Chapter 31- Finding Level Zulu

Reygi, Kandahar, Afghanistan

UNSC Camp

April 21, 2001

1525 Local Time

            A troop transport Warthog approached the UNSC camp and was greeted by Reid and Mendoza. Zyrok stepped out of the passenger’s seat and waved the marines on the Warthog to get off. Casey turned off the ignition and grabbed his Sega-20 whilst Williams and Christopher jumped out the back of the Warthog. Frederick just sat coolly in her seat.

            “Captain, the guns are out.” Reid handed Zyrok a pair of binoculars.

            Zyrok took the binoculars and looked at the Secronom Research Facility in the distant. The sentry guns were no longer there and seemed to have gone back underground.

            “Good job.” Zyrok smiled in satisfaction as he returned the binoculars back to Reid.

            “Zyrok, shall we go?” Reid asked.

            “We’re going, but you and your team is staying behind to watch the camp.” Zyrok replied.

            “Sir, I would like to join you. Morgan and Mendoza can take care of this camp pretty well.” Reid requested.

            “That’s correct sir.” Mendoza replied in agreement.

            “No, we need you here in case the Russians or the militia show up.” Zyrok countered.

            “Understood sir.” Reid said with disappointment.

            “I’ll let you know if we need you.” Zyrok replied.

            “Camp, this is Forester. Are Zyrok and Frederick on their way here? We’re waiting at the entrance.” Forester spoke on the RaidComm.

            “Forester, this is Zyrok. We’ve reached the camp and are on our way there.” Zyrok replied back.

            “Get back on marines.” Casey ordered as he got into the driver’s seat.

            Williams grabbed a seat beside Frederick while Christopher sat in front of her.

            “See you soon Lieutenant.” Zyrok saluted Reid and got in the passenger’s seat.

            “Good luck sir.” Reid saluted back as he watched Casey turned the ignition on.

            Casey stepped on the accelerator and the Warthog sped forward towards the facility. As the Warthog passed the broken fence with a stationary troop transport Warthog, Zyrok turned his head.

            “Stop.” Zyrok shouted.

            Casey slammed on the brakes and Zyrok got out. Zyrok looked at the Warthog and then looked at the ground.

            “What is it Zyrok?” Frederick asked as she climbed out of the vehicle.

            “Powell…” Zyrok saw a half buried Powell in the sand.

            Zyrok ran to the body and knelt to the ground.

            “I’m sorry Powell, may you be in a better place now.” Zyrok reached for Powell’s UNSC dog tag and removed it.

            “Rest in peace.” Frederick approached Zyrok and placed her hand on Zyrok’s shoulder.

            “Let’s bury him.” Zyrok cupped his hands in the sand around him and poured it over the body.

            Frederick watched as Zyrok continued to put sand over Powell’s body and froze in thought. She knew that Powell was not part of Echo Squad, but Zyrok treated him like he was in their squad. Most officers would pick up the UNSC dog tags and leave, but Zyrok did more. Suddenly Frederick realized that she was motionless as Zyrok was burying Powell. She knelt to the ground and began to help Zyrok bury Powell. As Frederick assisted Zyrok, the rest of the marines seated in the Warthog rushed over and began to follow Zyrok’s actions. In a matter of minutes, Powell’s body was buried in a heap of sand.

            “Thank you.” Zyrok thanked the marines and stood up.

            “You’re different Zyrok.” Frederick whispered as she got up.

            “Huh?” Zyrok didn’t quite catch what Frederick said to him.

            “Oh, it’s nothing.” Frederick looked away and walked to the Warthog.

            “Williams, get the other Warthog and drive with us to the entrance.” Zyrok pointed at the Warthog between the broken fences.

            “Yes sir.” Williams replied and hurried off.

            Zyrok got back in the passenger’s seat and pointed at the main gates. Casey watched as the marines got on his Warthog and then sped to the gates where Forester and her marines were waiting.

            “Open sesame!” Casey hollered and smiled.

            Forester nodded and pressed a button inside a small room and the gates slid open. Casey slowly drove the Warthog to the building as Williams drove the other Warthog behind him.

            “Need a lift Lieutenant?” Williams stopped beside Forester and her team and offered a ride.

            “Sure, thanks.” Forester thanked and climbed to the passenger’s seat.

            The rest of Forester’s team climbed aboard the Warthog and sat comfortably in their seats. As Casey drove his Warthog to the building, Zyrok studied the exteriors and looked at the map he brought.

            “Park it there.” Zyrok pointed at a side door.

            “Aye sir.” Casey steered the Warthog left.

            Williams followed Zyrok and parked his Warthog beside Casey. All the marines got out of their vehicles and huddled next to a door.

            “Alright people, this is it. We’re here at the Secronom Research Facility and now we have to find whatever secrets it holds within.” Zyrok briefed.

            “Most doors require a Secronom keycard, so be on the lookout for these.” Forester held up two keycards in the air.

            “What’s the plan Zyrok?” Taylor asked.

            “Search the entire building.” Zyrok replied instantly.

            “Here, have one.” Forester gave Zyrok a keycard.

            “Are these hard to find?” Zyrok asked quietly.

            “Somewhat, but most of the time it can be found in the office desks.” Forester answered back quietly.

            “Marines, you are to report back to your commanding officers and await further orders. Forester and I will be in charge of Echo while Frederick will be in charge of Jackal.” Zyrok ordered.

            “Let’s get going soldiers.” Frederick shouted.

            “Frederick, May’s team is currently guarding the Control Room.” Forester interrupted.

            “Ok, thanks. Williams, Christopher, and I will head on over there.” Frederick thanked.

            Frederick opened the door for her marines to enter. Zyrok smiled at Frederick as she walked in and the door closed behind her.

            “Forester, you guys can go first. Taylor and Schmidt on me.” Zyrok looked at his watch.

            “Sir?” Casey looked at Zyrok.

            “Go with Forester.” Zyrok directed.

            Forester looked at Zyrok with a confused face, but decided not to ask Zyrok. Forester led her team inside as Zyrok took out his map.

            “Zyrok?” Taylor attempted to break the awkward silence.

            “Oh, right. The map we recovered from the Archives does not indicate Level Zulu, but the Archives mentioned about this level. I want to see if we can find it.” Zyrok explained.

            “Do you think it’s outside here?” Schmidt asked as he looked around.

            “Could be…the sentry guns in the map are shown on Level 1. However, you can see that the guns clearly go underground, but it’s not shown on the B1 map.” Zyrok flipped through the maps.

            “Are you suggesting we find the entrance to the sentry guns and see what’s down there?” Taylor pointed at the ground.

            “Something like that.” Zyrok nodded.

            “Then let’s got check it out.” Schmidt said enthusiastically.

            The marines ran to the side of the building where a sentry gun originally was. The ground had a metal cover enclosing the guns.

            “Do we pry it open or blow the cover off?” Schmidt stomped on the metal ground.

            “What’s with people and blowing things up?” Zyrok shook his head.

            “Because it’s fun?” Schmidt joked.

            “There’s an access panel right there.” Zyrok pointed at the edge of the cover.

            “I didn’t see that…” Schmidt’s voice trailed off as he felt stupid.

            Zyrok crouched beside the panel and swiped the Secronom keycard. The panel beeped and prompted for an access code.

            “Get me a bypass.” Zyrok ordered as he stepped away from the panel.

            Schmidt crouched and began to unscrew the access panel. Taylor watched as Schmidt studied the wiring and cut two wires. Zyrok removed his datapad from his belt and gave it to Schmidt.

            “Thanks.” Schmidt took the datapad from Zyrok and attached two cables to it.

            After a minute, four digits popped up and Schmidt pressed enter. The metal cover hissed and slid open.

            “Get ready.” Zyrok took out his Desert Fox sidearm and readied himself.

            The ground below was illuminated by some wall lights and the light outside. In the center was a sentry gun with a stockpile of ammunition.

            “Schmidt, take point. Taylor, watch our six.” Zyrok ordered as he quickly checked his Exterminator Mesh GT armor.

            Schmidt pointed his M16 down and saw a ladder. He slung the gun over his back and climbed down while Taylor watched from the top with his MSG-9 ready to shoot at any hostiles. Once Schmidt reached the bottom, he scanned the room with his M16 while Zyrok climbed down.

            “See anything boss?” Taylor yelled from the top.

            “No, it seems like it’s just a sentry gun and some computers for controls.” Zyrok walked around the floor.

            “A wild goose chase.” Schmidt sighed.

            “Alright, let’s head back up.” Zyrok replied in disappointment.

            “Zyrok, this reminds me of hunting the Titans.” Schmidt spoke his thoughts.

            “It sure does, but at least we’re not looking to pick a fight.” Zyrok climbed up the ladder.

            “I hope not.” Schmidt joked.

            “Zyrok, this is Frederick here. We found something in the Control Room. You have to come see it.” Frederick spoke on the RaidComm with a hint of surprise in her voice.

            “What is it Frederick?” Zyrok responded back.

            “Just come to the Control Room and see for yourself.” Frederick urged.

            “Alright Frederick, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Zyrok laughed lightly.

            “Level Zulu?’ Taylor guessed.

            “Don’t know Taylor, but let’s see what Frederick and her team have in store for us.” Zyrok slid his pistol back into his holster.