Chapter 2:

Harvest

Halo: New Propagation

Buck and Richard stepped out of the building, treading on the rubble that had been cleared to allow civilians to pass. The boy stopped and looked back, a little apprehensive. The soldier placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Buck: "I know this isn't a good time, but we can't stay here for long. I hope you understand that, Rick."

Rick: "Yeah... yeah, I know. Let's go."

Many other civilians were waiting for orders, talking in voices that were a bit too loud — something that could attract the attention of unwanted intruders.

Buck: "Hey! Can I have your attention, please?"

Everyone fell silent and looked at him, startled.

Buck: "We have three vehicles waiting for you; make sure everyone fits inside. And we also have two military-spec Warthogs to escort us."

He pointed to the vehicles. Three of them were greenish, with two front seats and a spacious rear section with optimized seating space. The other two were nearly identical, but instead of a rear passenger section, each was equipped with a mounted machine gun.

The civilians took up every available inch of space, but some had to lie down in the passenger area without seatbelts. Buck looked at them, concerned.

Buck: "If you're ready, let's go. Rick, take the passenger seat next to me."

Rick: "Huh? Why me?"

The soldier jumped into the driver's seat of the center vehicle. The others were already occupied, including the Warthogs — though they were crewed by Marines, as were the drivers. Buck set his shotgun aside in the center section between the two seats while Rick jumped into the passenger seat.

Buck: "You're a kid, aren't ya? Kids love wild rides! Buckle up."

Rick: "S-Sure..."

The boy struggled to fasten his seatbelt due to anxiety and the fear of becoming a burden to everyone. He took a deep breath and then calmly buckled the belt.

Buck: "Ready? Let's go, everyone!"

The Marine stomped on the gas, startling everyone — especially those who were lying down. Rick's heart raced as he tried to sit up to see what lay ahead. Buck gently pushed his head back down.

Buck: "Get down, Rick. You don't want to get hit by a stray bullet."

Rick: "Oh, okay..."

The journey was relatively smooth, without many obstacles, until a wall of stopped cars came into view just past an intersection. The entire street was blocked. "Victor 39?" a voice came over the radio. "How should we proceed?"

Buck: "Goddamn..."

Plasma shots crisscrossed the intersection, while bullets flew from the opposite direction. The firefight was too intense to cross through, yet they couldn't simply turn back and risk another encounter.

Buck: "Squad Victor to all nearby Marines: I'm transporting dozens of civilians, ready to cross the intersection! Cease fire — and pop a smoke grenade, if possible!"

"Copy that, Victor," a voice crackled over the radio, confirming his request. "Cease fire! I repeat: cease fire!" The bullets stopped, but the plasma bolts continued. Many small, cylindrical objects were launched from the Marines' position. Thick smoke filled the intersection, and the plasma shots gradually subsided.

Buck: "Everyone, get down! Take cover behind the vehicle's armor! We aren't going to make the turn — we're going over the sidewalks!"

"Over the sidewalks?" a squad member asked, incredulous. "Say that again, Corporal?"

Buck: "Civilians are in the cars, in the alleys, or in their homes! We can't risk running over our teammates, nor can we stop!"

"And the people on the sidewalks?" the soldier asked.

Buck: "They... they're dead. Better to run over corpses than living people. Line up, everyone! The sidewalk is only wide enough for one vehicle at a time! One Warthog behind each group!"

Two vehicles lined up on the left — closer to where the plasma fire was coming from — with Buck driving the lead vehicle; three others followed on the opposite side. Each group had a Warthog escorting the lead vehicle. As they passed through the smoke, everyone ducked their heads to take cover behind the armor. Green and blue plasma shots struck the vehicles, scorching the bodywork but causing only superficial damage. Emerging from the smoke, each group advanced along its respective sidewalk, rolling over dozens of corpses.

Buck: "Hold on tight!"

They slowed down so the unbuckled civilians could steady themselves. Buck spotted movement amidst the crowd of dead and stopped the vehicle.

Buck: "Hold up! There's a living one here!"

He quickly jumped out of the vehicle and helped the person up. Their legs were burned from plasma fire.

Buck: "Stay with me! We're getting you to safety."

The other civilians helped the survivor climb into the back of the vehicle, making room for them to sit. Buck quickly returned to the driver's seat.

Buck: "If you see anyone else alive, stop!"

He stepped on the gas, as did the others. He held his earpiece, ready to speak over the radio.

Buck: "Thanks for the help, Marines."

"Get them to safety, Corporal!" replied the Marine commander who had assisted them with the smoke grenades. "Or all of this will have been for nothing!"

Buck: "Copy that."

As they reached another intersection, the line of vehicles didn't stop. Buck glanced to the left: an army of aliens was overrunning the buildings. "I can't risk it..." he thought, seeing that all the vehicles were packed. Upon spotting him, two rounded, purple, hovering vehicles began to pursue him, leaving blue propulsion trails streaming from their side wings. One of them collided with other vehicles and came to a halt. The other stayed right on Buck's tail, firing blue plasma projectiles at the rear of the Warthog.

The Marine manning the heavy machine gun opened fire on the pilot of the winged craft — a humanoid figure clad in blue armor. As soon as the bullets struck the creature, a holographic shield materialized, blocking the damage. One of the plasma rounds hit the Marine in the leg, burning it. He kept firing until the alien died and its vehicle came to a halt. Buck saw everything in the rearview mirror.

Buck: "Are you hurt, Marine?"

"I can't walk..." the soldier replied, wincing in pain. "Let's switch up..."

The soldier in the passenger seat jumped into the back, helping the wounded Marine switch places with him.

Rick: "I want to help..."

Rick's voice was barely audible. It sounded more like a whisper, revealing a weight he carried deep within his chest. It was a desire to help in every way possible.

Buck: "Not getting in the way is a form of helping."

The boy glanced at the soldier who had saved him, his eyes shining with hope. He hadn't been able to see things that way since he began blaming himself for his mother's death. Trying to get in the way of professionals could be his undoing.

Buck: "Everyone to the right!"

The line of stalled cars finally came to a halt upon reaching another intersection. They were about to form a single line again when Buck spotted something large to the left: a massive, rounded blue vehicle hovering just centimeters off the ground. It had been facing the opposite direction when it noticed Buck and his allies, slowly rotating on its axis. The vehicle aimed a cannon-like device, located at the rear of its structure, at the convoy.

Buck: "Damn it! It had to be on this route!"

They swerved sharply to the right as the blue tank began to pursue them, leaving a blue trail in its wake. Buck held his earpiece, looking anxious.

Buck: "Command, is there anything you can send us? We're in a tight spot here! We're carrying dozens of civilians!"

A massive, dark metallic structure appeared in the sky.

Buck: "A Frigate? Haha, took you long enough!"

A small alien was positioned at the front of the blue tank, operating a plasma machine gun and firing at them. The soldier manning the machine gun returned fire, aiming at the small creature; it died instantly but managed to land a headshot on the Marine, burning him to death. His body fell onto the street and was run over by the giant tank. The cannon began to charge and fired a large blue sphere that sped toward the nearest Warthog, causing a massive explosion that disintegrated the vehicle.

Buck: "Damn! What the hell is that thing?"

In the distance, the space elevator was visible. A massive explosion occurred, and the sound took a few seconds to arrive. "All ground troops, head to the space elevator immediately!" a voice echoed over the radio. "We are under attack! I repeat: we are under attack!" Buck held his earpiece, looking distressed.

Buck: "We're in a bit of a tight spot here, sir!"

"Whatever you're doing, stop and come to the elevator immediately!" the officer repeated. "We need ground troops, or the elevator will be destroyed and no one will be able to get in or out!"

The blue tank fires another blast, aiming at Buck's vehicle.

Buck: "Hold on tight, everyone!"

He quickly turned the steering wheel, narrowly dodging the explosive projectile. The impact still gave the car a slight shove.

Buck: "Copy that, Commander! We'll be there soon!"

The gunner on the remaining Warthog fired at the tank, but it was in vain. The armor was too thick for the rounds to cause any damage. The road ended there, giving way to two narrow passages. Luckily, they were clear.

Buck: "Head for the alleyway!"

As they advanced through the narrow corridors, the tank fired a blue round that destroyed part of the wall, but the vehicle was still too large to get through. They had temporarily shaken off that monster.

Buck stared at the Frigate, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel and growing increasingly anxious. They pulled out of the alley. He glanced in the rearview mirror: another blue sphere was flying in from behind. It was on a collision course with the vehicle, so he slammed on the brakes, stopping in the street and startling the passengers. The blue spark hit the ground, releasing a powerful shockwave.

Buck: "Sorry, guys!"

It was the same tank as before, but stationary, firing only its cannon.

Buck: "You don't know when to quit, do you?"

A vehicle with purple wings came down the street toward them — its front end was damaged. It was the hovering machine that had struck the line of cars — and it was being piloted by an unarmored gorilla. Buck stepped on the gas again, making Rick feel nauseous. They turned into another alley, and the gorilla pursued them.

On the end of the alleyway, an immense corridor came into view: it was perpendicular to the path they had come from. It resembled a shopping complex devoid of vehicle lanes — featuring only pedestrian walkways. The area was littered with human corpses and a few alien bodies. A small, narrow bridge connected the two sides, which were separated by a slight difference in elevation. Another blue spark appeared — but this time in the vast corridor ahead, moving from left to right.

Buck: "Another tank?"

Another Warthog appeared in the wide corridor, moving from right to left and firing at the tank on the far side. The Warthog was closer to Buck, while the tank was positioned on the opposite side of the bridge. The tank in the corridor fired another glowing projectile, aiming at the moving military vehicle. The sphere exploded upon impact with the bridge. The passageway became unusable as it buckled upward. A purple-winged craft pursued that Warthog while plasma fire and bullets rained down from both sides.

Buck: "We can't turn around — the area is too hot! Jump across the broken bridge!"

"But, sir!" one of his squad members protested.

Buck: "It's the only way out! Everyone, hold on tight! We're almost there!"

Lined up, they leapt over the bridge, one by one. While airborne, they could see a human military tank — a Scorpion — firing an explosive round at the blue tank that had destroyed the bridge. Upon landing, some civilians who weren't strapped into their seats tumbled from the vehicle, serving as human shields against the plasma fire unleashed by the purple machine.

Buck: "It's good to have some help!"

He smiled for a moment but soon realized that some sacrifices had to be made. What if that hadn't been the best choice? What if more people could have been saved? He pushed those thoughts aside, as they could distract him and lead to even more deaths.

They left another alleyway, grouping up once again. About a hundred meters ahead, a slender alien carrying a circular blue shield was wielding a plasma pistol in its other hand. It spotted them, while the rest of its squad was distracted by another skirmish to the right. Two giant creatures clad in silver armor were firing continuous green beams.

The purple vehicle had leapt over the bridge and continued to pursue them, firing plasma bursts at the wheels of the remaining Warthog, destroying them and immobilizing the vehicle. The Marine in the passenger seat of the remaining Warthog threw a grenade that destroyed the purple machine, but the military vehicle was now at a standstill. The alien with the circular shield fired an unstable green charge that struck Buck's vehicle, disabling it.

Buck: "An EMP?! Right now?"

He worked furiously at the vehicle's interface, trying to get it running again. The rest of the convoy pulled up, careful to stay out of the Warthog's line of fire.

Buck: "Don't stop! Get to the elevator, now!"

The other two civilian vehicles ran at top speed. The two giant creatures turned their attention toward them. The remaining Warthog opened fire, distracting it, but the creatures wielded silver shields that blocked every projectile. Wielding a cannon in their other hand, they unleashed a continuous green beam that tore through the lone military vehicle, triggering an explosion.

Buck: "They made it! Now we're on our own, Rick..."

The soldier grabbed the shotgun beside his seat, ready for a fight.

Buck: "Everybody, jump!"

They all quickly leapt from the vehicle. Two objects plummeted from the sky. They were dark and slightly rounded, resembling capsules. They slammed into the asphalt behind the giant creatures — their hatches bursting open. The aliens were about to fire again when two soldiers in dark armor emerged from their capsules and blasted their shotguns into the creatures' backs, drawing their attention.

Buck: "ODSTs?! Hell yeah!"

As they turned, they exposed their backs to Buck and Rick. Their backs were orange and made up of swarming worms. Buck drew his Magnum and fired at their backs, drawing the creatures' attention once more. They became disoriented as the ODSTs fired into their backs again. They tried to strike the soldiers with their pointy shields, but the ODSTs were quick enough to slide between their legs and fire the final shot, killing them. Buck holstered his weapon with a smile. The soldiers eliminated the rest of the platoon.

Buck: "The elevator is right over there, around the corner! Let's go — the others are waiting for us!"

As they ran, UNSC troops were locked in an intense battle.

Buck: "Can you still run, kid?"

Rick's legs were trembling, but he could still move. He nodded.

Rick: "How can I become like them?"

Buck: "ODSTs? It's a long road, Rick."

Rick: "I want to join them!"

Buck: "You're still too young. In a few years, if you haven't changed your mind, you can enlist in the army."

Rick: "Please!"

He clutched Buck's hand desperately.

Rick: "I know how to shoot! I learned from a game!"

They stopped in their tracks. Buck let out a laugh.