Three parallel columns of vehicles are pretty hard to hide, and McKaydidn’t even try. The combination of some thirty Warthogs and four Scorpionsraised a cloud of dust that was visible from more than two kilometers away.
No doubt the heat produced by the machines registered on sensors4 clear outin space. Banshee recon flights could have tracked them from the minute theyhit the trail, and there was only one logical place the vehicles could beheaded: the butte called Alpha Base.
It wasn’t too surprising that the Covenant6 not only organized a response,but a massive one. Here, after days of humiliation8, was the opportunity torevenge themselves on the beings who had taken the butte away from them,paid a surprise visit to theTruth and Reconciliation9 , and raided more thana dozen other locations besides.
Knowing she was in for a fight, McKay organized the vehicles into threetemporary platoons. The first platoon was comprised of Warthogs under thecommand of Lieutenant Oros. She had orders to ignore ground targets andconcentrate on defending the column from airborne attacks.
Sergeant10 Lister was in charge of the second platoon’s Scorpion2 Main BattleTanks, which, because of their vulnerability to infantry11, were kept at thecenter of the formation.
The third platoon, under McKay herself, was charged with ground defense,which meant keeping Ghosts and infantry off the other two platoons. A thirdof her vehicles, five Warthogs in all, were unencumbered by trailers andleft free to serve as a quick reaction force.
By giving each platoon its own individual assignment, the officer hoped toleverage the Company’s overall effectiveness, ensure fire discipline, andreduce the possibility of casualties caused by friendly fire, a real dangerin the kind of melee12 that she expected.
As the Marines headed east toward Alpha Base, the first challenge lay at thepoint where the flat terrain14 ended. Hills rolled up off the plain to form amaze of canyons15, ravines, and gullies which, if the humans were foolishenough to enter them, would force the vehicles to proceed single file, whichrendered the convoy16 vulnerable to air and ground attacks. There was adifferent route, however, a pass approximately half a klick wide. All threecolumns could pass through it without breaking formation.
The problem, and a rather obvious one, was the fact that a pair of rathersizable hills stood guard to either side of the pass, providing the Covenantwith the perfect platform from which to fire down on them.
As if that weren’t bad enough, athird hill lay just beyond, creating asecond gate through which the humans would have to pass before gaining thefreedom of the plain beyond. It was a daunting18 prospect19—and McKay felt arising sense of despair as the company drew within rifle shot of theopposing hills. She wasn’t especially religious—but the ancient psalmseemed to form itself in her mind. “Yea, though I walk through the valleyof the shadow of death . . .”
Screw it,she thought. She ordered the convoy to lock and load and preparefor a fight. Psalms20 weren’t going to win the coming fight. Firepower would.
From his vantage point high on what Covenant forces had designated as“Second Hill,” the Elite21 Ado ’Mortumee used a powerful monocular to eyethe human convoy. With the exception of five vehicles, the rest of the alienLRVs were hooked to heavily laden22 trailers, which prevented them from makingmuch speed. Also serving to slow the convoy down was the presence of four ofthe humans’ cumbersome23 tanks.
Rather than risk passage through the hills, their commanding officer hadopted to use the pass. Understandable, but a mistake for which the humanwould pay.
’Mortumee lowered the monocular and turned to look at the Wraith24. Thoughnot normally a fan of the slow-firing, lumpy-looking tanks, he had to admitthat the design was perfect for the work at hand, and in combination with anidentical unit stationed on First Hill, the monster at his elbow was certainto make short work of the oncoming convoy.
The counterthreat, if that’s what it was, would come from the armoredbehemoths which rolled along at the very center of the human formation.
Theylooked powerful, but never having seen one in action, and having foundprecious little data on them within the Intel files, ’Mortumee wasn’t surewhat to expect.
“So,” a voice said from behind him, “the Council of Masters has sent me aspy. Tell me,spy, who are you here to watch: the humans or me?”
’Mortumee turned to find that Field Master Noga ’Putumee had approachedhim from behind, something he did rather quietly for such a large being.
Though known for his bravery, and his leadership in the field, ’Putumee wasalso famous for his blunt, confrontational25, and paranoid ways. There was agood deal of truth in the officer’s half-serious suggestion, however, since’Mortumee had been sent to watch both the Field Masterand the enemy.
’Mortumee ignored the field commander’s blunt tone, and clicked hismandibles. “Someone has to count all the human bodies, write the reportcelebrating your latest victory, and lay the groundwork for your nextpromotion.”
If there was a chink in ’Putumee’s psychological armor it was in thevicinity of his ego26, and ’Mortumee would have sworn that he saw the otherofficer’s already massive chest expand slightly in response to the praise.
“If words were troops you would lead a mighty27 army indeed. So, spy, are theBanshees ready?”
“Ready and waiting.”
“Excellent,” ’Putumee replied. The gold-armored Elite turned his ownmonocular on the approaching convoy. “Order the attack.”
“As you order, Excellency.”
’Putumee nodded.
McKay heard the incoming Banshees and the prospect of action banished28 herbutterflies to a less noticeable sector29 of her stomach. The sound started asa low drone, quickly transformed itself into a buzz, then morphed into abloodcurdling wail30 as the officer keyed her mike.
“This is Red One: We have hostile aircraft inbound. First Platoon is clearto engage. Everyone else will remain on standby. This is the warm-up,people, so stay sharp. There’s more on the way. Over and out.”
There were five flights of ten Banshees each, and the first group camethrough the pass so low that ’Mortumee found himself lookingdown on thewave of aircraft. Sun glinted off the burnished31, reflective metal of theBanshees’ wings.
It was tempting32 to jump into his own aircraft and join them, thrilling tothe feel of the low altitude flight, as well as the steadyboom ing ofoutgoing plasma33 fire. Such pleasures were denied the spy if he was tomaintain the objectivity required to carry out his important work.
Eager to have the first crack at the humans, and determined34 to leave nothingfor subsequent flights to shoot at, the pilots of the first wave fired themoment they came within range.
First Platoon’s Marines saw the aircraft appear low on the horizon, watchedthe blobs of lethal35 energy blip their way, and knew better than to engageindividual targets. Not yet, anyway. Instead, consistent with the ordersthat Lieutenant Oros had given, the Helljumpers aimed their M41 LAAGs at apoint just west of the pass, and opened fire all at once. The Bansheesdidn’t have brakes, and the pilots had just started to turn, when they ranright into the meat grinder.
’Mortumee understood the problem right away, as did ’Putumee, who orderedthe following waves to break up and attack the convoy independently.
The orders came too late for eight of the first ten aircraft, which wereripped into thousands of pieces, and fell like smoking snow.
A pair of the flyers got through the storm of gunfire. One of the Bansheesmanaged to hit a Warthog with a burst of superheated plasma, killing36 thegunner, and slagging37 his weapon. The LRV continued to roll, however—whichmeant that the trailer and its load of supplies did as well.
Once through the hail of bullets, the surviving Banshees turned and lined upfor a second pass.
As the second flight of Covenant aircraft arrived from the east, split up,and launched individual attacks, Field Master ’Putumee barked an order intohis radio. The mortar38 tanks on First and Second Hills fired in unison39. Blue-white orbs40 of fire, trailing tendrils of energy, shot high into the sky,hung suspended for a moment, then began to fall.
The plasma mortars41 fell with a deliberate, almost casual slowness. Theyarced gracefully42 into the ground and a deafening44 thunderclap shook theground. Neither round found a target, but these were ranging shots, and thatwas to be expected.
McKay heard a Marine13 say, “What the hell wasthat?” over the command freq,then heard Lister tear a strip off him.
She couldn’t help but wonder the same thing herself. The truth was thatwhile the officer knew the vehicles existed, she’d never seen a Wraith tankin action, and wasn’t sure if that was what she faced. It didn’t mattermuch, though, because the weapon in question was quite clearly lethal, andwould cause havoc45 in the close quarters of the pass. She keyed her radio.
“Red One to Green One: Those ‘energy bombs’ originated from thosehilltops. Let’s give the bastards46 a haircut. Over.”
“This is Green One,”Lister acknowledged.“Roger that, over.”
There was a burst of static as Lister switched to his platoon’s freq,though McKay could hear every word on the command channel.
“Green One to Foxtrot One and Two: lay some high explosive on the hill tothe left. Over.”
“Green One to Foxtrot Three and Four: ditto the hill to the right. Over.”
Banshees wheeled, turned, and poured fire down on the hapless humans as oneof the pilots fired his fuel rod cannon48 and scored a direct hit. A trailerfull of precious ammo exploded, wrapped the Warthog in a fiery49 embrace, andtook the LRV with it. Covenant forces watching from the hilltops felt asense of exultation50, and more than that, the pleasure of revenge.
’Mortumee was there to document the battle, not celebrate it, though hewatched in fascination51 as two of the tank turrets52 swiveled to his left inorder to fire on First Hill, while two turned in the opposite direction andseemed to point directly athim .
The Elite wondered if he should seek cover, but before the message to movecould reach his feet, he heard a reverberating53 roar as the 105mm shellpassed through the intervening air space, followed by a loudcraack! as theshell landed about fifty units away. A column of bloody54 dirt flew high intothe air. Body parts, weapons, and pieces of equipment continued to rain downas the half-deafened ’Mortumee recovered his composure and ran for cover.
Field Master ’Putumee laughed out loud and pointed55 to show a member of hisstaff where ’Mortumee had taken shelter behind some rocks. That was whenthe second round detonated just below the summit of the hill and started asmall landslide56. “This,” the Elite said happily, “is areal battle. Keepan eye on the spy.”
Stung by the loss of a Warthog, a trailer-load of ammo, and three Marines,McKay was starting to question the division of labor57 she had imposed, andwas just about to free her platoon’s gunners to fire on the Banshees, whenher driver said, “Uh-oh, look at that!”
A series of plasma bolts stitched a line along the ’Hog’s side, scorchedthe vehicle’s paint, and kicked up geysers of dirt as the officer followedthe pointing finger. A force of Ghosts skittered into the pass.
“Red One to all Romeo units . . . follow me!” McKay yelled into her mike,and tapped the driver’s arm. “Go get ’em, Murphy—let’s clear thatgap.”
No sooner had the officer spoken than the Marine put his foot into it, thegunner whooped59, and the LRV leapt forward.
The rest of the five-vehicle reaction force followed just as the Wraith onHill One hurled60 a third then a fourth plasma ball high into the sky.
McKay looked up, saw the fireball slow to a near stop at the point ofapogee, and knew it would be a race. Would the bomb land on top of thereaction force? Or, would the fast-moving ’Hogs slip out from under it,leaving the plasma charge to explode harmlessly on the ground?
The gunner saw the threat as well, and yelled, “Go! Go! Go!” as the driverswerved to avoid a clutch of rocks, did his best to push the acceleratorthrough the floor. He mumbled61, “Damn, damn, damn,” as he felt somethingwet and warm puddle62 on his seat.
The energy bomb fell with increasing velocity63. The first LRV slippedunderneath it, quickly followed by the second and third.
Heart in her throat, McKay looked back over her shoulder as the plasmaweapon landed, detonated, and blew a large crater64 out of the ground.
Then, like a miracle on wheels, Romeo Five flew through the smoke, bouncedas it hit the edge of the newly created crater, and lurched up over the rim65.
There was no time to celebrate as the Ghosts pulled into range and the leadvehicle opened fire. McKay raised her assault rifle, took aim at the nearestblur, and squeezed the trigger.
Master Sergeant Lister faced a harsh reality. Never mind Banshees thatswooped overhead, or the Ghosts up ahead, it was his job to do somethingabout the mortar fire, and as the hills loomed67 ahead, Second Platoon’sScorpions were coming up on the point when their main guns would no longerbe able to elevate high enough to engage the primary target. One more salvo,that’s what the tanks could deliver, before their weapons could no longerbe brought to bear.
“Wake up, people,” Lister said over the platoon frequency, “the lastgroup on the left was at least fifteen meters too low, and the last group onthe right overshot the hill. Make adjustments, take the tops off thosehills, and do itnow . We don’t have time to screw around.”
Each tank commander adjusted aim, sent their shells on the way, and prayedfor a hit. They all knew that facing the Covenant would be easier thansuffering Lister’s wrath68 should the shells miss their marks.
Field Master ’Putumee watched impassively as the Wraith on First Hillexploded, taking a file of Jackals with it. He was sorry to lose the mortartank, but the truth was that with two dozen Ghosts milling around in thepass below, he was going to have to cease fire anyway. Either that or riskkilling his own troops. The Elite snapped an order, saw one last fireballsail into the air, and watched the humans enter the gap.
Lance Corporal “Snaky” Jones was screwed, he knew that, had known it eversince the front end of his ’Hog took a hit and flipped70 end-for-end. He wasstanding behind the LAAG, firing forward over the driver’s head, when hewas suddenly catapulted into the air. Jones saw a blur66, hit hard, andtumbled head over heels. Once his body came to a stop the Marine discoveredthat it was almost impossible to breathe, which was why he just lay there atfirst, staring up into the amazing blue sky as he gasped72 for air.
It was pretty,very pretty, until a Banshee screamed through the picture anda Warthog roared past on the left.
That was when Jones managed to scramble73 to his feet, and yelled into hisboom mike, only to discover that it was missing. Not just the mike, but hisentire helmet, which had come loose during the fall. No helmet meantnomike,no radio, andno possibility of a pickup74.
The Lance Corporal swore, ran toward the wrecked75 Warthog, and gave thanksfor the fact that it hadn’t caught fire. The vehicle was resting on itsside and the S2 was right where he had left it—clamped butt5 down behind thedriver’s seat.
It was hard to see Sergeant Corly strewn over the rear fender with half herface blown away, so Jones averted76 his eyes. His rucksack, the one thatcontained extra ammo, a med pack, and the stuff he had looted from thePillarof Autumn , was right where he had left it, secured to the bottom of the gunpedestal.
Jones grabbed the pack, slung77 it across his back, and grabbed the sniperrifle. He made sure the rifle was ready to fire, then clicked on the safetyand ran for the nearest hill. Maybe he could find a cave, wait for thebattle to end, and haul ass7 back to Alpha Base. Dust puffed78 away from theMarine’s boots and death hung all around.
Lieutenant Oros estimated that First Platoon had reduced the number ofattacking aircraft by two thirds—and she had a plan to deal with the rest.
McKay wouldn’t approve—but what was the CO going to do? Send her to Halo?
The Lieutenant grinned, gave the necessary order, and jumped down to theground.
She waved to the volunteers from four of the thirteen Warthogs she hadremaining, then scampered81 toward a group of likely-looking rocks. All fiveof the Marines carried M19 SSM Rocket Launchers slung across their backs,plus assault weapons, and as many spare rockets as they could carry in thetwin satchels82 that hung from their hands. They pounded across the hardpan,scurried into the protection offered by the surrounding boulders83, and set upshop.
When everyone was ready, Oros pulled the pins on one flare84 after another,tossed them out beyond the circle of rocks, and watched the orange smokebillow up into the sky.
It wasn’t long before the Banshee pilots spotted85 the smoke and, likevultures attracted to fresh carrion86, hurried to the scene.
The Marines held their fire, waited until no less than thirteen of theCovenant aircraft were circling above them, and fired five rockets, all atonce. A second volley followed the first—and a third followed that. Therewas a steady drumbeat of explosions as ten Banshees took direct hits, somefrom multiple rockets, and ceased to exist.
Of the aircraft that survived the barrage87 of rockets, two bugged88 outimmediately. The last staggered in response to a near miss, belched89 smokefrom its port engine, and looked like it would go down. Oros thought it wasover at that point, that she and her volunteers would be free to fade intothe hills, and beat feet for home.
But it wasn’t to be. Unlike most of his peers, the pilot in the damagedBanshee must have had a strong desire to transcend90 the physical, because heturned toward the enemy, put the aircraft into a steep dive, and plungedinto the pile of boulders. Oros tried to make the shot but missed—andbarely had time to swear before the mortally wounded Banshee augered intothe rocks and swallowed the ambush92 team in a ball of fire.
The fact that Lance Corporal Jones made it all the way to the base of thehill without getting killed was just plain luck. The subsequent scramble upthrough the loose tumble of rocks was instinctual. The desire to gainelevation is natural to any soldier, but especially to a sniper, which waswhat Jones had been trained to be when he wasn’t busy humping supplies,operating LAAGs, or taking crap from sergeants93.
The fact that Jones was about to go on the offensive, about to take it tothe Covenant,that was a decision. Maybe not the smartest decision he’d evermade, but one he knew to be right, and to hell with the consequences.
Jones was only halfway94 up the side of the hill, but that was high enough tosee the top of theopposite hill, and the tiny figures who stood there. Notthe Grunts96 who were running this way and that, not the Jackals who lined theedge of the summit, but the shiny armor of the Elites97. Those were thetargets he wanted, and they seemed to leap forward as the Marine increasedthe magnification on his scope, and let the barrel drift slightly. Whichlife should he take? The one on the left with the blue armor? Or the one onthe right, the shiny gold bastard47? At that moment in time, in thatparticular place, Lance Corporal Jones was God.
He clicked the sniper rifle’s safety catch, and lightly rested his fingeron the trigger.
’Mortumee had emerged from hiding by that time and was standing71 next toField Master ’Putumee as the human convoy cleared the pass and turned up-ring. There was a third hill off to his left—and it, too, was topped with aWraith.
The mortar tank opened fire. For one brief moment ’Mortumee harbored thehope that the remaining tank would accomplish what the first two had not anddecimate the convoy. But the humans were still out of range, and, knowingthat the Wraith couldn’t do them any harm, they took the time to put theirown tanks into a line abreast98.
A single salvo was all it took. All four of the shells landed on target, themortar tank was destroyed, and the way was clear.
’Putumee lowered his monocular. His face was expressionless. “So, spy, howwill your report read?”
’Mortumee looked at the other Elite with a pitying expression. “I’msorry, Excellency, but the facts are clear, and the report will practicallywrite itself. Had you deployed99 your forces differently, down on the plainperhaps, victory would have been ours.”
“An excellent point,” the Field Master replied, his tone mild. “Hindsightis always perfect.”
’Mortumee was about to reply, about to say something about the value offoresight, when his head exploded.
Lance Corporal Jones steadied his aim for a second shot. The first shot hadbeen perfect. The 14.5mm slug had flown true, entered the base of BlueBoy’s neck, and exited through the top of his head. That blew his helmetoff, allowing a mixture of blood and brains to fountain into the air.
’Putumee snarled100 and threw himself backward—and thereby101 escaped the secondbullet.
Moments later, the twin reports echoed back and forth102 between the twohillsides. The Field Master crabbed103 back to cover and fed positioninformation to the Banshee commander, and snarled into his communicationsgear: “Sniper! Kill him!”
Satisfied that the sniper would be dealt with, ’Putumee stood and lookeddown at ’Mortumee’s headless body. He bared his fangs104. “It looks likeI’ll have to write that report myself.”
Jones spat105 into the dirt, angry that the gold Elite had evaded106 the secondshot.Next time, he promised himself.You’re minenext time, pal107 . Bansheesbanked overhead, searching for his position. Jones backed into a deepcrevice among the rocks. Fortunately, thanks to the loot gathered aboardtheAutumn , he had twenty candy bars to sustain him.
The security system neutralized108, the Master Chief made his way back throughthe alien construct, and headed toward the surface. Time to find this“Silent Cartographer” and complete this phase of the mission.
“Mayday! Mayday! Bravo 22 taking enemy fire! Repeat, we are taking fire andlosing altitude.”The dropship pilot’s strained voice was harsh and grating—the sound of a man about to lose it.
“Understood,” Cortana replied. “We’re on our way.”
Then, in an aside to the Spartan109, the AI said, “I don’t like the sound ofthat—I’m not certain they’re going to make it.”
The Master Chief agreed, and in his eagerness to get topside, made apotentially fatal error. Having just cleared the room adjacent to whatappeared to be the ring world’s Security Center, he assumed that itwasstill clear.
Fortunately, the Elite—equipped with another of the Covenant’s camouflagedevices—announced his presence with a throaty roar just prior to firing hisweapon. Plasma fire still splashed the Chief’s chest, followed by a briefmoment of disorientation as he tried to figure out where the attack wascoming from. His motion sensor3 detected movement, and he aimed his weapon asbest he could. He fired a sustained burst and was rewarded with an alienscream of pain.
As the Covenant warrior110 fell, the Master Chief made a mad dash for the rampthat led up toward the surface, reloading as he went. Walking into the once-cleared room too quickly had been stupid—and he was determined not to makethe same mistake again. The fact that Cortana was there, seeing the worldvia his sensors, made such errors that much more embarrassing. Somehow, forreasons he hadn’t had time to sort out, the human wanted the AI’sapproval. Silly? Maybe so, if one thought of Cortana as little more than afancy computer program, but she was more than that. In the Chief’s mind atleast.
He smiled at the irony112 of the thought. The human-AI interface113 meant that, inmany ways, Cortana wasliterally in the Chief’s mind, using some of hiswetware for processing power and storage.
The Spartan made his way up the ramp111, through a hall, and out into brightsunlight. He paused on a platform, and dropped to the slope below, asCortana cautioned him to keep an eye peeled for Bravo 22.
Covenant troops were patrolling the beach below—a mix of Jackals andGrunts. The Master Chief drew his sidearm, switched to the 2X magnification,and decided114 to work from right to left. He nailed the first Jackal, missedthe next, and killed a pair of Grunts who were waddling115 around on top of themesa opposite his position.
As he moved farther down the slope, he could see Bravo 22’s wreckage116, halfburied in the side of the mesa. There were no signs of life. Either the crewand passengers had been killed on impact, or some had survived and beenexecuted by the enemy.
The possibility made him particularly angry. He turned to the right, caughtthe surviving Jackal on the move, and put him down. He switched to his MA5Band made his way down the grassy117 slope to the sand beyond. It was a shortwalk to the smoking wreckage and the scattering118 of bodies. Plasma burns onsome of the bodies served to confirm the Spartan’s suspicions.
Though not the most pleasant of tasks, the Chief knew he had to obtain ammoand other supplies wherever he could, and took advantage of the situation inorder to stock up.
“Don’t forget to grab a launcher,” Cortana put in. “There’s no tellingwhat might be waiting for us when we go back to looking for the ControlRoom.”
The Master Chief took the AI’s advice and decided to ride rather than walk.
The Warthog that had been tucked under the dropship’s belly119 had come looseduring the final moments of flight, hit the ground, and flipped over on itsside. He approached the vehicle, reached upward, got a good purchase, andpulled. Metal creaked as the ’Hog swayed, tilted120 in the Spartan’sdirection, and started to fall. He stepped back, waited for the inevitablebounce, and climbed up behind the wheel. After a quick check to ensure thatthe LRV was still operable, he was off.
He skidded121 the Warthog into a slewing122 turn, then headed back to the missionLZ—the beachhead the Marines had been left to hold.
The Helljumpers had fought off two assaults during his absence, but theystill owned the real estate they had originally taken, and remainedundeterred.
“Welcome back,” a Corporal said as she took her place behind the three-barreled gun. “It was getting boring without you.” She had a grimy face,the wordsCUT HERE tattooed123 around the circumference124 of her neck, and a short,stocky body.
The Chief eyed the hastily dug weapons pits and foxholes125, the large pile ofCovenant corpses127, and the plasma-scorched sand. “Yeah, I can see that.”
A freckle-faced PFC jumped into the passenger seat, a captured plasma riflecradled in his arms. The Spartan turned back in the direction he had comefrom, and raced along the edge of the water. Spray flew up along the leftside of the LRV and he wished he could feel the moisture on his face.
A kilometer ahead, a Hunter named Igido Nosa Hurru fumed128 as he paced backand forth across a docking platform still stained with Covenant blood. Wordhad come down from an Elite named Zuka ’Zamamee that a lone129 human hadkilled two of his brothers a few hours earlier, and was about to attack hisnewly reinforced position, as well. This was something the spined131 warriorhoped would happen so that he, and his bond brother Ogada Nosa Fasu, couldhave the honor of killing the alien.
So, when Hurru heard the whine132 of the surface vehicle’s engine, and saw itround the headland, both he and his bond brother were ready. Having receivedthe other Hunter’s characteristic nod, Hurru took up a position directlyoutside the entrance to the complex.If the vehicle was some sort of trick, aruse to lure133 both guards away from the door long enough for the human toslip inside, it wasn’t going to work.
Fasu, always one to seize the initiative, and something of an artist withthe fuel rod cannon attached to his right arm, waited for the LRV to comewithin range, led the vehicle to ensure that the relatively134 slow-movingenergy pulse would have an adequate amount of time to reach its destination,and fired a single shot.
The Master Chief saw the yellow-green blob appear in his peripheral135 vision,and made the decision to turn toward the enemy both to make the ’Hog looksmaller and to give the Corporal an opportunity to fire. But he ran out oftime. The Spartan had just started to spin the wheel when the energy pulseslammed into the side of the Warthog and flipped the vehicle over.
All three of the humans were thrown free. The Master Chief scrambled136 to hisfeet and looked up-slope in time to see a Hunter drop down from thestructure above, absorb the shock with its massive knees, and move forward.
Both the Corporal and the freckle-faced youngster were back on their feet bythen, but the noncom, who had never seen a Hunter before, much less gonehead-to-head with one, yelled, “Come on, Hosky! Let’s take this bastardout!”
The Spartan yelled, “No! Fall back!” and bent137 over to retrieve138 the rocketlauncher. Even as he barked the order, he knew there simply wasn’t time.
Another Spartan might have been able to dodge139 out of the way in time, butthe Helljumpers didn’t have a prayer.
The distance between the alien and the two Marines had closed by then andthey couldn’t disengage. The Corporal threw a fragmentation grenade, saw itexplode in front of the oncoming monster, and stared in disbelief as thealien kept on coming. The alien charged right through the flying shrapnel,bellowed141 some sort of war cry, and lowered a gigantic shoulder.
Private Hosky was still firing when the gigantic shield hit him, shatteredhalf the bones in his body, and threw what was left onto the ground. Theprivate remained conscious, however, which meant he was able to lie thereand watch as the Hunter lifted his boot high into the air, and brought itdown on his face.
The Master Chief had the launcher up on his shoulder by then and was justabout to fire when the Corporal screamed something incoherent, dashed intothe line of fire, and blocked his shot. The Chief yelled at her to hit thedeck and was moving sideways in an attempt to get a clear line of fire whenFasu blew a hole the size of a dinner plate through the leatherneck’schest.
The Spartan hit the firing stud, and a rocketwhoosh ed for the Hunter. Withsurprising agility142, the massive alien hunched143 and sidestepped, and therocket skimmed past him. It detonated behind the Hunter, and showered themboth with debris144.
The Hunter charged.
The Master Chief stepped back, knew there wouldn’t be time to reload, andthat the next rocket would have to fly straight and true. The surf swirledaround his knees as he backed out into the ocean, fought to maintain hisfooting in the soft sand, and saw the alien fill his sight. Was the targettoo close? There wasn’t time to check. He pulled the trigger, and a secondrocket streaked145 ahead on a column of smoke and fire.
The Hunter had reached full speed and couldn’t dodge in time. Thecreature’s massive feet dug into the soft ground as it tried to altercourse to avoid the rocket—to no avail. The 102mm shaped charge explodedagainst the very center of the Hunter’s chest armor, blew through historso, and severed146 his spine130. There was a mighty splash as the aliencreature fell face first into the water. A pool of vibrant147 orange bloodstained the surf around the fallen Hunter.
The Master Chief took a moment to reload the launcher then slogged back uponto the beach. A distant howl of anguish148 issued from the other alien’sthroat.Serves you right, he thought.You only lost one brother. I lost all ofmine.
He felt a pang149 of sorrow for the two dead Marines. Heshould have anticipatedthe long-range attack, should have briefed the leathernecks about thepossibility of Hunters, should have reacted more quickly. All of which meantthat it washis fault that the Marines were dead.
“That wasn’t your fault,” Cortana said gently. “Now be careful—there’sanother Hunter up on the platform.”
The words were like a bucket of cold water in the face. “Mental combat,”
that’s how his teacher, Chief Mendez, had referred to it, always stressingthe importance of a cool head.
Slowly, methodically, the Master Chief worked his way up the slope, killingCovenant soldiers with machine precision. The small groups of Grunts wereirrelevant. Thereal challenge waited above.
Hurru heard the firing, knew he was being flanked, and welcomed it. Rage,sorrow, and self-pity all churned around inside him causing him to fire hisfuel rod cannon again and again, as if to obliterate150 the human by the weightof his barrage.
The human made good use of what cover there was, put his left arm againstthe cliff face, and inched his way forward. The Hunter saw him and attemptedto fire, but the fuel rod cannon hadn’t had time to recharge after the lastshot. That left the human free to fire, which he did. Hurru felt warmrelief.
He was about to join his bond brother.
The rocket was a hair high, hit Hurru in the head, and blew it off. Orangeblood fountained straight up, splashed the alien metal around the Hunter,and splattered his body as it collapsed151.
The Spartan paused, switched to his assault weapon, and waited for thefeeling of satisfaction. It never arrived. The Marines were still dead,wouldalways be dead, and nothing would change that. Was it fair that heremained alive? No, it wasn’t. All he could do was accomplish what theywould want him to do. Forge ahead, find the map, and make their deaths countfor something.
With that thought in mind, the Master Chief reentered the complex on foot,made his way through halls still slick with alien blood from his last visit,turned down the ramp, proceeded to the lower level, and passed through thedoor he had worked so hard to open.
The Master Chief moved into the bowels152 of the structure. From outside, thespires stood several stories high, which was misleading. The interior of thestructure plunged91 deep below the surface.
He wound down a curving ramp. The air was still and slightly stale, andthick pillars of the first large chamber153 he moved through made the room feellike a crypt.
He slipped through heavily shadowed rooms, padded down spiral ramps154, passingthrough galleries filled with strange forms. The walls and floors were madeof the same burnished, heavily engraved155 metal that he’d encounteredelsewhere on the ring. He clicked on his light and noticed new patterns inthe metal, like the swirls156 in marble—as if the material were some kind ofmetal-stone hybrid157.
The tomblike silence was shattered by the squalling of several Grunts andJackals. There was opposition,plenty of it, as the human was forced to dealwith dozens of Grunts, Jackals, and Elites. “It’s as if they knew we wereon the way,” Cortana observed. “I think someone is tracking our progress,and has a pretty good idea of where we’re headed.”
“No kidding,” the Master Chief replied dryly as he shot a Grunt95 andstepped over the body. “I hope we reach the Cartographer before I run outof ammo.”
“We’re close,” the AI assured him, “but be careful. There’s bound to bemore Covenant ahead.”
The Master Chief took Cortana’s counsel to heart. He hoped that he wouldfind a way to bypass whatever the Covenant had in store, but that wasn’t tobe. As the Spartan entered a large room, he saw that two Hunters had beenassigned to patrol the far side of it. He slung his rifle and readied therocket launcher. It was the right weapon for Hunters, no question about that—so long as he didn’t allow either one of the monsters to get too close. Arocket fired under those conditions would killhim if it detonated nearby.
One of the spined aliens spotted the intruder and bellowed a challenge. TheHunter was already in motion when the rocket flashed across the room, struckhim in the right shoulder, and blasted him to hell.
A second Hunter howled and fired his fuel rod cannon. The Chief swore as thewash from a slightly off-target plasma bolt set off the audible alarm, andthe indicator158 in the upper right hand corner of his HUD morphed to red.
The Spartan turned, hoping to put the second Hunter in his sight, but themassive alien slid behind a wall.
Unable to fire, he backed off. The Hunter lunged forward, and the deadlyrazor-spines raked across his already-weakened shields.
The Chief grunted159 in pain as the tip of the uppermost spine spiked160 throughhis armor’s shoulder joint161. He felt a sickly tearing as the meat of his armparted beneath the scalpel-sharp limb.
He spun162, and the spine wrenched163 free.
The Master Chief felt a rising sense of frustration164 as he switched to theassault weapon, backed up a ramp, and used his greater mobility165 to circlebehind the alien. Then he had it, a brief glimpse of unprotected flesh, andthe opportunity he needed. He put a quick burst into the warrior’s back,spun away, and barely escaped a blast from the plasma pistols of the Jackalsthat had dropped into view and opened fire.
The Master Chief hurled three grenades over a divider. One of them scored adirect hit, sprayed the walls with chunks166 of alien flesh, and finallybrought the frantic167 firefight to an end.
Cortana, whose life had been on the line as well, and who had been forced towatch as the Spartan fought for both of them, processed a sense of relief.
Somehow, against all odds168, her human host had come through again, but it hadbeen close,very close, and he was still in something akin17 to shock, his backpressed into a corner, his vital signs badly elevated, his eyes jerking fromone shadow to the next.
The AI hesitated as she processed the dilemma169. It was difficult to balancethe need to move ahead and complete the mission with her concern that shemight push the Master Chieftoo hard, and possibly endanger them both.
Cortana’s affection for the human, plus her own desire to survive, made itdifficult for her to arrive at the kind of clear, rational decision that sheexpected of herself.
Then, just as Cortana was about to say something, anything, even if it waswrong, the Chief recovered and took the initiative. “All right,” he said—whether to himself or to Cortana wasn’t exactly clear. “It’s time tofinish this mission.”
Working carefully, so as not to walk into an ambush, the Master Chief leftthe large room, found his way onto a downward slanting170 ramp. He backed intoa corner and, satisfied that the area was reasonably secure, disengaged theshoulder plates of the MJOLNIR armor.
The wound was ragged171, and blood flowed freely. The Chief could ignore thepain, but the blood loss would take its toll172 and jeopardize173 the mission. Hemade sure the motion sensor was still active, then slung his weapon.
He dug into his equipment pack and drew out his med kit58. The Spartan hadbeen wounded before, and had on several occasions performed first aid oninjured comrades and himself. He quickly cleaned the wound, sprayed astinging puff79 of bio-foam into the wound, then applied174 a quick-adhesivedressing.
In minutes, he had suited up, popped a wake-up stim, and moved on.
“Foehammer to ground team: You’ve got two Covenant dropships comingfast!”
The Master Chief stood at the edge of a massive chasm175 and monitored hisallies’ radio chatter176. In the distance, he could barely see the twinklingof the luminescent panels that Halo’s creators had left behind toilluminate these subterranean177 warrens. Below him, the abyss yawned andappeared to be bottomless.
He recognized the next voice as belonging to Gunnery Sergeant Waller, theHelljumper in charge of their LZ.“Okay, people,” Waller drawled,“we gotcompany coming. Engage enemy forces on sight.”
“It’ll be easier to hold them off frominside the structure,” Cortana putin. “Can you get inside?”
“Negative!”Waller replied.“They’re closing in too fast. We’ll keep ’embusy as long as we can.”
“Give ’em hell, Marine,”the AI said grimly, and broke the connection.
“We’llall be in a tight spot if we don’t get out of here before enemyreinforcements arrive.”
“Roger that,” the Master Chief replied, as he pushed his way down a ramp,through a pair of hatches, and into the gloomy spaces beyond. He marchedover some transparent178 decking, crossed a footbridge and killed a pair ofGrunts he found there, followed another ramp to the floor below, tossed agrenade into a group of enemies that patrolled the area, and hurried througha likely looking opening. There was a roar of outrage179 as an Elite fired upat him from the platform below while some Grunts barked and gibbered.
The Spartan used a grenade to grease the entire group and hurried down tosee what they had been guarding. He recognized the Map Room the moment hesaw the opening, and had just stepped inside when another Elite opened up onhim from across the way. A sustained burst from his assault weapon wassufficient to drop the alien’s personal shields, and he put the alien downwith a stroke of his rifle butt.
“There!” Cortana said. “That holo panel should activate180 the map.”
“Any idea how to activate it?”
“No,” she replied, her tone arch. “You’rethe one with the magic touch.”
The Master Chief took a couple of steps forward and reached a hand towardthe display. He seemed to know instinctively181 how to activate the panel—italmost seemed hard-wired, like his fight-or-flight response.
He banished the random182 thought and returned to the mission. He slid hisarmored hand across the panel and a glowing wire-frame map appeared andseemed to float in front of him. “Analyzing,” the AI said. “Halo’sControl Center is”—she highlighted a section of the map in his HUD—“there.Interesting. It looks like some sort of shrine183.”
She opened a channel.“Cortana to Captain Keyes.”
There was silence for a moment, followed by Foehammer’s voice.“The Captainhas dropped out of contact, Cortana. His ship may be out of range or may behaving equipment problems.”
“Keep trying,”the AI replied.“Let me know when you reestablish contact.
And then tell him that the Master Chief and I have determined the locationof the Control Center.”
Captain Jacob Keyes tried to ignore the incessantslam-bam beat of theSergeant’s colonial flip69 music that pounded over the intercom as the pilotlowered the dropship into a swamp. “Everything looks clear—I’m bringingher down.”
The Pelican’s jets whipped the water into a frenzy184 as the ramp was loweredand the cargo185 compartment186 was flooded with thick, humid air. It carried thenauseating stench of rotting vegetation, the foul187 odor of swamp gas, and theslight metallic188 tang typical of Halo itself. Somebody said,“Pe-euu,” butwas drowned out by Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson, who shouted, “Go! Go!
Go!” and the Marines jumped down into the calf-deep water.
Somebody said, “Damn!” as water splashed up their legs. Johnson said,“Stow it, Marine,” as Keyes cleared the ramp. Freed from its burden, thedropship fired its jets, powered its way up out of the glutinous189 air, andstarted to climb.
Keyes consulted a small hand comp. “The structure we’re looking for issupposed to be overthere .”
Johnson eyed the pointing finger and nodded. “Okay, you slackers, you heardthe Captain. Bisenti, take point.”
Private Wallace A. Jenkins was toward the rear, which was almost as bad aspoint, but not quite. The ebony water topped his boots, seeped190 down throughhis socks, and found his feet. It wasn’t all that cold—for which theMarine was thankful. Like the rest of the team, he knew that the ostensiblepurpose of the mission was to locate and recover a cache of Covenantweapons. Still an important thing to do, even in the wake of LieutenantMcKay’s efforts to raid thePillar of Autumn , and the fact that Alpha Basehad been strengthened as a result.
It was a crap detail, however—especially slogging through this dark, mist-clogged swamp.
Something loomed ahead. Bisenti hoped it was what the Old Man had draggedtheir sorry butts191 into this swamp for. He hissed192 the word back to thetopkick. “I see a building, Sarge.”
There was the sound of water splashing as Johnson came forward. “Stayclose, Jenkins. Mendoza, move it up! Wait here for the Captain and hissquad. And get your asses194 inside.”
Jenkins saw Keyes materialize out of the mist. “Sir!”
Johnson saw Keyes, nodded, and said, “Okay, let’s move!”
Keyes followed the Marines inside. The entire situation was different fromwhat he had expected. Unlike the Covenant, who killed nearly all of thehumans they got their hands on, the Marines continued to take prisoners. Onesuch individual, a rather disillusioned195 Elite named ’Qualomee, had beeninterrogated for hours. He swore that he’d been part of a group of Covenantsoldiers who had delivered a shipment of arms to the forces guarding thisvery structure.
But there was no sign of a Covenant security team, or the weapons ’Qualomeeclaimed to have delivered, which meant that he had probably been lying.
Something the Captain planned to discuss with the alien upon his return toAlpha Base. In the meantime, Keyes planned to push deeper into the complexand see what he could find. The second squad193, under Corporal Lovik, was leftto cover their line of retreat, while the rest of the team continued topress ahead.
Ten minutes had passed when a Marine said, “Whoa! Look at that. Somethingscrambled his insides.”
Johnson looked down at a dead Elite. Other Covenant bodies lay sprawledaround the area as well. Alien blood slicked the walls and floor. Keyesapproached from behind. “What do we have, Sergeant?”
“Looks like a Covenant patrol,” the noncom answered. “Badass Special Opstypes—the ones in the black armor. All KIA.”
Keyes eyed the body and looked up at Bisenti. “Real pretty. Friend ofyours?”
The Marine shook his head. “No, we just met.”
It took another five minutes to reach a large metal door. It was locked andno amount of fooling around with the keypad seemed likely to open it.
“Right,” Keyes said, as he examined the obstacle. “Let’s get this dooropen.”
“I’ll try, sir,” the Tech Specialist, Kappus, replied, “but it lookslike those Covenant worked pretty hard to lock it down.”
“Just do it, son.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kappus pulled the spoofer196 out of his pack, attached the box to the door, andpressed a series of keys. Outside of the gentle beeping noises that theblack box made as it tapped into the door’s electronics and ran throughthousands of combinations per second, there was nothing but silence.
The Marines shifted nervously197, unwilling198 to relax. Sweat dripped downKappus’ forehead.
They held position for another few minutes, until Kappus nodded withsatisfaction and opened the door. The Marines drifted inside. Theelectronics expert raised a hand. “Sarge! Listen!”
All of the Marines listened. They heard a soft, liquid, sort of slitherysound. It seemed to come from every direction at once.
Jenkins felt jumpy but it was Mendoza who actually put it into words.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this . . .”
“You’ve always got a bad feeling,” the Sergeant put in, and was about tochew Mendoza out when a message came in over the team freq. It sounded likethe second squad was in some sort of trouble, but Corporal Lovik wasn’tvery coherent, so it was difficult to be sure.
In fact, it almost sounded like screaming.
Keyes responded. “Corporal? Do you copy? Over.”
There was no reply.
Johnson turned to Mendoza. “Get your ass back up to second squad’sposition and find out what the hell is going on.”
“But Sarge—”
“I don’t have time for your lip, soldier! I gave you an order.”
“Whatis that?” Jenkins asked nervously, his eyes darting199 from one shadowto the next.
“Where’s that coming from, Mendoza?” Sergeant Johnson demanded, thesecond squad momentarily forgotten.
“There!” Mendoza proclaimed, pointing to a clutch of shadows as theMarines heard the muffled200 sound of metal striking metal.
There was a cry of pain as something landed on Private Riley’s back, drovea needlelike penetrator through his skin, and aimed it down toward hisspine. He dropped his weapon, tried to grab the thing that rode hisshoulders, and thrashed back and forth.
“Hold still! Hold still!” Kappus yelled, grabbing onto one of the bulbouscreatures and trying to pull it off his friend.
Avery Johnson had been in the Corps126 for most of his adult life, and hadlogged more time humping across the surface of alien planets than any of theother men in the room combined. Along the way, he’d seen a lot of strangestuff—but nothing like what skittered across the metal floor and attacheditself to one of his men.
He saw a dozen white blobs, each maybe half a meter in diameter, andequipped with a cluster of writhing201 tentacles202. They skittered and bobbed ina loose formation, then sprang in his direction. The tentacles propelledthem several meters in a single leap. He fired a short, almost panickedburst. “Let ’em have it!”
Keyes, pistol in hand, fired at one of the creatures. It popped like aballoon, with surprising force. The tiny explosion caused three more toburst into feathery shards204, but it seemed as if dozens more took theirplace.
Keyes realized that Private Kappus had been correct. The Covenanthad lockedthe door for a reason, and this was it. But maybe, just maybe, they couldpull back and close the blobs inside again. “Sergeant, we’re surrounded.”
But Johnson’s attention was elsewhere. “God damn it, Jenkins,fire yourweapon !”
Jenkins, his face tight with fear, clutched his assault rifle with white-knuckled hands. It seemed like the little things were boiling from thin air.
“There’s too many!”
The Sarge started to bellow140 a reply, but it was as if a floodgate had openedsomewhere, as a new wave of the obscene, podlike creatures rolled out of thedarkness to overwhelm the humans. Marines fired in every direction. Manylost their balance as two, three, or even four of the aliens managed to geta grip on them and pull them down.
Jenkins began to back away as fear overwhelmed him.
Keyes threw up his hands with the intention of protecting his face andaccidentally caught one of the monsters. He squeezed and felt the creatureexplode. The little bastards were fragile—but there were so damned many ofthem.Another attacker latched205 onto his shoulder. The Captain screamed as arazor-sharp tentacle203 plunged through both his uniform and his skin, wriggledunder the surface of his skin, and tapped his spinal206 cord. There was anexplosion of pain so intense that he blacked out, only to be brought back toconsciousness by chemicals the thing had injected into his bloodstream.
He tried to yell for help, but couldn’t make a sound. His heart raced ashis extremities207 grew numb80, one by one. His lungs felt heavy.
As Keyes began to lose touch with the rest of his body, something foulentered it, pushing his consciousness down and back even as it claimed mostof his cerebral208 cortex, polluting his brain with a hunger so base that itwould have made him vomit209, had he any possession of his own body.
This hunger was more than a desire for food, for sex, or for power. Thishunger was a vacuum, an endless vortex that consumed every impulse, everythought, every measure of who and what he was.
He tried to scream, but it wouldn’t let him.
The sight of Captain Keyes struggling with this new adversary210 had frozenPrivate Jenkins in place. When the Captain’s struggles ceased, however, hesnapped into motion. He turned to flee, and felt one of the little beastsslam into his back. Pain knifed into him as the creature inserted itstendrils into his body, then subsided211.
His vision clouded, then cleared. He had some sensation that time hadpassed, but he had no way to tell how long he’d been out. Private Jenkins,Wallace A., found himself in a strange half-world.
Due to some fluke, some random toss of the galactic dice212, the mind thatinvadedhis body had been severely213 weakened during the long period ofhibernation, and while strong enough to take over and begin the worknecessary to create a combat form, it lacked the force and clarity requiredto completely dominate its host the way it was supposed to.
Jenkins, helpless to do anything about it, was fully43 aware of the invadingintelligence as it seized control of his musculature, jerked at his limbslike a child experimenting with a new toy, and marched him around in circleseven as his friends, who no longer had any consciousness at all, werecompletely destroyed. He screamed, and the air left his lungs, but no oneturned to look.
点击
收听单词发音
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1
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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scorpion
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| n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭 | |
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sensor
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| n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官） | |
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sensors
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| n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 ) | |
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butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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reconciliation
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| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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melee
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| n.混战；混战的人群 | |
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marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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terrain
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| n.地面，地形，地图 | |
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canyons
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| n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 ) | |
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convoy
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| vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队 | |
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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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daunting
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| adj.使人畏缩的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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psalms
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| n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的) | |
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21
elite
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| n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的 | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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cumbersome
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| adj.笨重的，不便携带的 | |
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wraith
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| n.幽灵；骨瘦如柴的人 | |
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confrontational
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| adj.挑衅的；对抗的 | |
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ego
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| n.自我，自己，自尊 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sector
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| n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形 | |
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wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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plasma
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| n.血浆，细胞质，乳清 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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lethal
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| adj.致死的；毁灭性的 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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slagging
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| v.造渣；（使）成渣（状）( slag的现在分词 )；诋毁；贬损；辱骂 | |
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mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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orbs
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| abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
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mortars
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| n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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bastards
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| 私生子( bastard的名词复数 )； 坏蛋； 讨厌的事物； 麻烦事 （认为别人走运或不幸时说）家伙 | |
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bastard
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| n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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53
reverberating
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的现在分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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54
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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55
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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56
landslide
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| n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利 | |
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57
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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58
kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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59
whooped
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| 叫喊( whoop的过去式和过去分词 )； 高声说； 唤起 | |
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60
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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61
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
puddle
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| n.(雨)水坑，泥潭 | |
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63
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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64
crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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65
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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66
blur
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| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
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67
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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68
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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69
flip
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| vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的 | |
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70
flipped
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| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
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71
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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72
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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73
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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74
pickup
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| n.拾起，获得 | |
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75
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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76
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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77
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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78
puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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79
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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80
numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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81
scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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82
satchels
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| n.书包( satchel的名词复数 ) | |
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83
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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84
flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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85
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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86
carrion
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| n.腐肉 | |
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87
barrage
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| n.火力网，弹幕 | |
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88
bugged
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| vt.在…装窃听器（bug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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89
belched
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| v.打嗝( belch的过去式和过去分词 )；喷出，吐出；打（嗝）；嗳（气） | |
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90
transcend
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| vt.超出，超越(理性等)的范围 | |
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91
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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92
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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93
sergeants
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| 警官( sergeant的名词复数 )； （美国警察）警佐； （英国警察）巡佐； 陆军（或空军）中士 | |
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94
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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95
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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96
grunts
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说； 石鲈 | |
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97
elites
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| 精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物 | |
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98
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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99
deployed
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| （尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用 | |
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100
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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101
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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102
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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103
crabbed
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| adj.脾气坏的；易怒的；（指字迹）难辨认的；（字迹等）难辨认的v.捕蟹( crab的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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104
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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105
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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106
evaded
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| 逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出 | |
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107
pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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108
neutralized
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| v.使失效( neutralize的过去式和过去分词 )；抵消；中和；使（一个国家）中立化 | |
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109
spartan
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| adj.简朴的，刻苦的；n.斯巴达；斯巴达式的人 | |
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110
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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111
ramp
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| n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速 | |
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112
irony
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| n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄 | |
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113
interface
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| n.接合部位，分界面；v.(使)互相联系 | |
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114
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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115
waddling
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的现在分词 ) | |
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116
wreckage
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| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
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117
grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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118
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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119
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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120
tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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121
skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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122
slewing
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| n.快速定向，快速瞄准v.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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123
tattooed
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| v.刺青，文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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124
circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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125
foxholes
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| n.散兵坑( foxhole的名词复数 ) | |
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126
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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127
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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128
fumed
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| 愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
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129
lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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130
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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131
spined
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| adj.有背骨的，有刺的，有脊柱的 | |
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132
whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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133
lure
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| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
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134
relatively
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| adv.比较...地，相对地 | |
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135
peripheral
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| adj.周边的，外围的 | |
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136
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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137
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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138
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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139
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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140
bellow
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| v.吼叫，怒吼；大声发出，大声喝道 | |
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141
bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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142
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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143
hunched
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| （常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的 | |
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144
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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145
streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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146
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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147
vibrant
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| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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148
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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149
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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150
obliterate
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| v.擦去，涂抹，去掉...痕迹，消失，除去 | |
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151
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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152
bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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153
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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154
ramps
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| resources allocation and multiproject scheduling 资源分配和多项目的行程安排 | |
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155
engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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156
swirls
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| n.旋转( swirl的名词复数 )；卷状物；漩涡；尘旋v.旋转，打旋( swirl的第三人称单数 ) | |
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157
hybrid
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| n.(动，植）杂种，混合物 | |
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158
indicator
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| n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器 | |
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159
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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160
spiked
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| adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的 | |
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161
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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162
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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163
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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164
frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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165
mobility
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| n.可动性，变动性，情感不定 | |
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166
chunks
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| 厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分 | |
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167
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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168
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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169
dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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170
slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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171
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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172
toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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173
jeopardize
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| vt.危及，损害 | |
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174
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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175
chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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176
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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177
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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178
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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179
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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180
activate
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| vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用 | |
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181
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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182
random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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183
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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184
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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185
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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186
compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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187
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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188
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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189
glutinous
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| adj.粘的，胶状的 | |
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190
seeped
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| v.（液体）渗( seep的过去式和过去分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出 | |
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191
butts
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| 笑柄( butt的名词复数 )； （武器或工具的）粗大的一端； 屁股； 烟蒂 | |
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192
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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193
squad
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| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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194
asses
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| n. 驴，愚蠢的人，臀部 adv. (常用作后置)用于贬损或骂人 | |
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195
disillusioned
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| a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的 | |
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196
spoofer
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| n.哄骗者，幽默讽刺诗文的作者 | |
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197
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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198
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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199
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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200
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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201
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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202
tentacles
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| n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛 | |
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203
tentacle
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| n.触角，触须，触手 | |
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204
shards
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| n.（玻璃、金属或其他硬物的）尖利的碎片( shard的名词复数 ) | |
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205
latched
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| v.理解( latch的过去式和过去分词 )；纠缠；用碰锁锁上（门等）；附着（在某物上） | |
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206
spinal
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| adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的 | |
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207
extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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208
cerebral
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| adj.脑的，大脑的；有智力的，理智型的 | |
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209
vomit
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| v.呕吐，作呕；n.呕吐物，吐出物 | |
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210
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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211
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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212
dice
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| n.骰子；vt.把（食物）切成小方块，冒险 | |
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213
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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