The chapter resumes at the front of the Prefabricated fob, Theta Base. It's 7 modular pads gleaming in the Ark's late evenings light.
Red team emerged from the base, locked and loaded with 2 squads of marines flanking behind, armor freshly cleaned and armaments cleared, Cutter was already briefing them via comms.
"Jerome, your mission is to bring a task force to the wreckage of the Enduring Conviction to investigate the nature of this distress signal."
Jerome nodded, pressing a finger to his helmet's communicator.
"Sir yes sir."
"I don't trust Oni, Spartan, Isabel is cautious too, and considering Agent Finch saw something at the wreckage."
Cutter stopped, letting the implication hang for a moment.
"I understand sir, we will get it done."
Cutter steadied a breath.
"I know you will, Cutter out."
The briefing ended as several Warthogs and a M312 elephant descended from the skies via pelicans and condor gunship.
"Looks like Cutter isn't holding back anymore."
Alice stated blankly.
"He never has, Alice. We're dealing with an Unknown, whose strength is unknown. Cutter has every right to be cautious."
Douglas responded, rotating his armored shoulder. Before the conversation amongst the spartans continued, Jerome climbed into the nearest warthog.
"Cut the chatter spartans, we have a mystery to investigate."
The 2 spartans glanced at one another and lept into their respective Warthogs as the Marines flanking them entered the M312 Elephant, the hulking behemoth turning on with a loud roar, shaking the ground around them.
"Listen to that engine purr."
Said a marine, making the others grin.
"We're ready Spartan!!"
Yelled another Marine, as if on cue the Warhogs turned on, roaring to life before taking off with the Elephant in tow, it's twin 50. Cal Turrets rotating into a forward position.
As the taskforce began it's trek to the wreckage, a faint scent of something floral stirred nearby.
-------
On the Warthogs, the spartans were doing a final check of their gear. Jerome with his Spartan Laser, Alice with her Chain Gun and lastly Douglas with his trusty Shotgun.
The Spartans much like Cutter did not trust ONI, but they did know when to take her word when it mattered... and right now was that moment.
And as the journey continued, the dust being tossed behind and the idle chatter of the marines on comms, Alice would be the one to speak first.
"What do you think is out there?"
She said first, Douglas responded, his voice low and uncertain.
"I'm not sure, but it must be something truly alien if the Banished are getting antsy. That alone is telling."
Jerome spoke next, the heavy clunk of his Spartan Laser landing behind his shoulders.
"From what I could gather, thanks to Captain Cutter, Finch's report was... unnerving, the report had plenty of parallels to the flood, how it moves, how it stalked and how it looked.. the only difference was, she described it as though it's form was merely a suggestion, not fixed."
Silence fell, the eyes of all 3 spartans narrowing as they all recalled what happened on the shield world 30 years ago, and even more recent 6 months ago with the Banished opening the ruins of high charity.
Alice gave her shoulder and twitch.
"That's not comforting, the way she describes it is uncanny"
Jerome acknowledged Alice with a slight tilt of the head.
The flood was scary, 'it' truly was the greatest threat the galaxy had, it was a miracle humanity survived, a miracle earth survived...
No one said a word, no one acknowledged that, it takes a lot to scare a Spartan, and the flood did so effortlessly.
"We know it's not flood, that much is certain"
Jerome began, shifting the conversation to what they KNOW about what they're going to investigate.
"Like mentioned, it's form shifts and changes, like it's amorphous."
Douglas said, racking a slug as the wreckage of the Enduring Conviction came into view, the scent of ozone arriving quickly.
"Similar flood pure forms, Finch also stated it was blue"
Jerome said, which got Alice to respond, her voice suddenly dry and sharp.
"Are we dealing with silly putty? Blue, amorphous, no fixed form. This sounds like sentient silly putty."
No one laughed, but the evident sound of an exhale came from Jerome.
"Perhaps so, perhaps not, we won't know unless we do this."
The spartans nodded as the first parts of the wreckage passed by. The local Fauna, the animals had begun to disappear. Not vanish, but merely 'leave' the area, leaving only silence.
The task force soon arrived near the outermost perimeter of the wreckage, the Spartans lept out of their warthogs, the Elephant locked down, it's ramp lowering.
"Let's get moving marines!!"
Yelled one as the 2 squads jogged out.
The marines took point, the synchronized sound of their safeties clicking off.
At first glance nothing seemed to have been out of the ordinary, but that was the issue.
There was nothing... no animal, no bodies, nothing to indicate a fight.
"Spread out and investigate."
Jerome said, turning his head to look around.
The marines and spartans nodded, spreading out to cover more ground.
As the Ark's artifical sun began to dip beneath the ark's horizon, the task force had found nothing to indicate a Banished presence, not a single thing.
"How does this make sense."
Alice spoke, rough, dry as she shifted her Chain Gun, it's frame clinking before continuing.
"There's nothing here."
Douglas glanced to Alice.
"Thats precisely why there is something here... there are no animals, everything is quiet."
Alice and Douglas shared a glance, Alice rolled her shoulders to mask the rising wave of goosebumps.
But before anyone could do anything about it, the Hud's of every spartan blipped. Jerome called it out.
"Movement at the northern most perimeter-"
But before he could finish several squads of Brutes and grunts emerged from the wreckage.
Bolts of plasma flew overhead toward the Spartans and marines.
"Contact!!"
Yelled a marine, the deafening automatic fire of his assault rifle echoing after.
The squads of marines got behind cover as Alice fired her Chain Gun, Douglas and Jerome took cover as the low sound of rumbling echoed in the distance.
"Well! There's the reason why everything's quiet!!"
Douglas yelled, ducking behind a girder before aiming and decimated some poor Unggoy into the next dimension.
"Focus spartans!! 'Jerome to Spirit of fire Actual, the wreckage has banished activity, they seem to be answering the call of three distress signal!!"
"Acknowledged Spartan, Vulture reinforcements inbound"
Responded Cutter, his eyes now wandering to the holographic display showing the real time position of banished and UNSC forces.
His eyes narrowed, glancing to the bulkhead window as 2 vultures emerged from the hangar infront, their massive armaments primed for the fight below.
------
Back on the surface the fighting only seemed to have intensified, a slugfest in the truest sense, the spartans and marines, ducking behind cover began to pull back.
In the midst of burning oxygen and soil, that scent of Ozone-floral intensified during their retreat.
"We need to get to the Elephant!"
Douglas shouted, dodging a bolt of green before sliding behind another piece of wreckage.
The marines heeded the order immediately, booking it back to elephant and warthogs, dust picking up behind them.
Jerome and Alice agreed and turned and ran, their steps heavy yet quick.
Not even seconds passed as the Hud in the spartans view flickered before shutting off with an electronic crackle.
Jerome's eyes narrowed.
"Hud's down!"
Alice responded.
"So are comms, it's not the banished!"
"Not the banished? Well, who the hell else could it be?!"
Douglas shot back just as that Floral intensified, Jerome glared, looking around him, his suspicion of Agent Finch rising.
From the tripped sensor, to the strange reports from Major Vaughan and at Omikron base.
--------
The rumbling of a banished Wraith shook Jerome out of his momentary train of thoughts. The crimson and grey tank rolled flowed around the wreckage.
"Thats not good!"
Alice shouted, aiming the chain gun at the incoming tank, firing off quick bursts of BRRRRRT
Jerome grit his teeth and slung his Spartan Laser onto his shoulder, the electric whine of the weapon began as his fingers coiled around the trigger.
He squeezed, the massive weapon fired off, a crimson beam flew forward and struck the curved armor plating of the Wraith, deflecting it.
"Damn!"
He roared just as the mortar reered it's head, but before it could fire-
"Movement!"
Shouted a marine, gesturing to his immediate right, Jerome ducked behind a girder and glanced, spotting movement. 3 figures moving behind another part of the Enduring Conviction wreckage, glowing dimly.
"Curtains of light..."
Jerome tapped the communicator on his helmet, trying to get a communication signal to the spirit of fire, but all there was. Was static.
"Damn. All spartans, marines! Keep an eye out, the enemy of my enemy isn't necessarily our friend! If they engage us, shoot to kill! We'll deal with the fallout later!!"
Alice, Douglas and the marines acknowledged the order, backing up to the Elephant completely, it's Turrets whirring, then firing at the Wraith.
FtzzzFWOOOM.
The Wraith fired, the large bolt of plasma striking the Titanium armor of the Elephant.
The bolt shook the behemoth, creaks and groans rumbling from the beast.
Jerome growled, squeezing the trigger once more, firing another Laser at the Wraith, penetrating it's outer armor like butter.
"Take cover!!!"
Shouted Jerome as the Wraith charged up another mortar shot, it's signature whine of charging weaponry becoming audible once more.
The marines and spartans took cover just a bright blue beam shook the ground to the right, illuminating the battlefield for but a moment, striking the Wraith and vaporizing it's left side.
"Oi!!"
Shouted a marine, pointing where the beam of light came from... Jerome turned, spotting a figure, no, 3 figures.
"Tall, lengthy, amorphous, that's not flood."
Just as quickly as they had emerged, they turned to them, Jerome locked eyes with the one in the middle.
"Bioluminescent, opaque."
Jerome for a but a moment, a half second, could only stare with wide yet sharp eyes at something truly "alien".
That half second passed as the 3 figures turned to the Spartans and marines before raising their arms.
"TAKE COVER!!!"
Shouted Jerome, grabbing a marine to pull him behind the elephant just as blue projectiles shot out at them, striking the elephants armor, denting it, scorching it.
"Jerome! That's not Banished!!! What in the fuck is ONI not telling us!!!"
Alice shouted, ducking behind one of the warthogs as a bioluminescent explosion came from the Wraith. Bright blue, opalescent flames shot out, blinding both sides.
"Jerome!"
Douglas shouted, running over to him.
"We need to get out of here! We're dealing with too many uncertainties!"
Jerome nodded.
"Everyone! On the elephant and warthogs we're getting out!"
The marines didn't need to be told twice, one by one the marines fled the front and onto the Elephant, occasionally shooting behind them to cover their brothers in arms.
In mere moments the chatter of orders and cracks of gunfire began to diminish, only to be replaced by the roar of the warthogs engines and the rumbling of the Elephant.
----------
Their retreat was swift, quick, but the unknown followed, the floral scent had kept up the pace and everyone knew it.
Jerome, atop the Elephant with his Spartan Laser slung over his shoulder and an Assault rifle in hand.
"This Jerome to Spirit fire, please copy!!"
He spoke loudly, trying for the nth time
"Comms are down Jerome, we're on our own until those reinforcements arrive."
Alice said, she riding the Warthog beside him.
"That's what worries me, Alice. That smell hasn't vanished."
She responded. Looking up to Jerome.
"We need to talk about what we saw.. we all saw it, saw... 'that'... that wasn't forerunner."
Jerome looked to Alice, helmet lowering and voice darkening.
"I know"
He said.
"They're on par with the Forerunners"