“There’s a large tower a few hundred meters from your current position.
Find a way above the fog and foliage3 canopy4 and I can move in and pick youup,” Rawley said. Her eyes were glued to her scopes as SPARTAN5-117 took thelead and the Marines left the ancient complex and entered the fetid embraceof the swamp. The rain and some kind of interference from the structureplayed hell with the Pelican’s detection gear, but she was damned if shewas going to lose this team now. She had a reputation to maintain, afterall.
“Roger that,”the Chief replied,“we’re on our way.”
She kept the Pelican circling, her eyes peeled for trouble. There was noimmediate threat. That made her even more nervous. Ever since they’d madeit down to the surface of the ring, trouble always seemed to strike withoutwarning.
For the hundredth time since lifting off from Alpha Base, she cursed thelack of ammunition7 for the Pelicans8.
Knowing the dropship was somewhere above the mist, and eager to get the hellout, the Marines forged ahead. The Spartan cautioned them to slow down, tokeep their eyes peeled, but it wasn’t long before he found himself backtoward the middle of the pack.
The tower Foehammer had mentioned appeared up ahead. The base of the columnwas circular, with half-rounded supports that protruded9 from the sides,probably for stability. Farther up, extending out from the column itself,were winglike platforms. Their purpose wasn’t clear, but the same could besaid for the entire structure. The top of the shaft10 was lost in the mist.
The Master Chief paused to look around, heard one of the leathernecks yell“Contact!” quickly followed by the staccato rip of an assault weapon firedon full automatic. A host of red dots had appeared on the Spartan’s threatindicator. He saw a dozen of the spherical13 infection forms bounce out of themist and knew that any possibility of containing the creatures undergroundhad been lost.
The Pelican’s sensors14 suddenly painted dozens—correction, hundreds—of newcontacts on the ground. Rawley cursed and wheeled the Pelican around,expecting ground fire.
No fire was directed at the dropship. “What the hell?” she muttered.
First, the contacts appeared out of nowhere, charged into the open, butdidn’t shoot at the air cover? Maybe the Covenant were getting stupid aswell as ugly.
She hit the radio to warn the troops and winced15 as the muffled16 pop ofautomatic weapons fire burst from her headset. “Heads up, ground team!”
she yelled. “Multiple contacts on the ground—they’re right on top ofyou!”
The radio squealed17, then static filled her speakers. The interferenceworsened. She thumped18 the radio controls with a gloved fist. “Damn it!”
she yelled.
“Uh, boss,” Frye said. “You better take a look at this.”
She glanced back at her copilot, followed his gaze, and her own eyeswidened. “Okay,” she said, “any idea what the hellthat is?”
The Chief fired short bursts from his assault weapon, popped dozens of thealien pods, and turned to confront a combat form. It was armed with a plasmapistol but chose to throw itself forward rather than fire. The Chief’sautomatic weapon was actually touching20 the creature when he pulled thetrigger. The ex-Elite’s chest opened like an obscene flower and theinfection form hidden within exploded into fleshy pieces.
He heard a burst of static in his comm system. Interference whined21 as theMJOLNIR’s powerful communications gear tried to scrub the signal, to noavail. It sounded like Foehammer, but he couldn’t be sure.
It hovered23 in front of the Pelican’s cockpit for a moment, and lightstabbed Rawley’s eyes. It was made from some kind of silvery metal, roughlycylindrical but with angular edges. Winglike, squarish fins26 shifted and slidlike rudders as the device bobbed in the air. It—whateverit was—shone abright light into the cockpit, then turned away and dropped altitude. Belowher, she could see dozens of the things flying in a loose line. In seconds,they dropped below the tree line and out of sight.
“Frye,” she said, her mouth suddenly dry, “tell Chief Cullen to work thecomm system and punch me a hole in this interference. I need to talk to theground teamnow .”
The tide of hostiles fell back into the ankle-deep water and regrouped. Adozen exotic-looking cylindrical25 machines drifted out of the trees to floatover the clearing. The nearest Marine6 yelled, “What are they?” and wasabout to shoot at them when the Chief raised a cautionary hand. “Hold on,Marine . . . let’s see what they do.”
What happened next was both unexpected and gratifying. Each machine produceda beam of energy, speared one of the hostiles, and burned it down.
Some of the combat forms took exception to this treatment, and attempted toreturn fire, but were soon put out of action by the combined efforts of theMarines and their newfound allies.
Despite the help, the Marines didn’t fare well. There were just too many ofthe hostile creatures around. The squad28 dwindled29 until a pair of PFCsremained, then one, then finally the last of the Marines fell beneath acluster of the little infectious bastards30.
As the newcomers overhead rained crimson31 laser fire on a cluster of thecombat forms, the Chief slogged through the swamp toward the tower. Highground—and the possibility of signaling Foehammer for evac—drew him on.
He climbed a supporting strut32 and pulled himself onto one of the odd,leaflike terraces that ringed the tower. He had a good field of fire, and hefired a burst into a combat form that strayed too close.
He tried the radio again, but was rewarded with more static.
The Spartan heard what sounded like someone humming and turned to discoverthatanother machine had approached him from behind. Where the othernewcomers were cylindrical in design, with angular, winglike cowlings, thisconstruct was rounded, almost spherical. It had a single, glowing blue eye,a wraparound housing, and a cheerfully businesslike manner.
“Greetings! I am the Monitor of installation zero-four. I am 343 GuiltySpark. Someone has released the Flood. My function is to prevent it fromleaving this installation. I require your assistance. Come this way.”
The voice sounded artificial. This “343 Guilty Spark” was some kind ofartificial construct, the Spartan realized. From above the little machine,he could see Foehammer’s Pelican moving into position.
“Hold on,” the Chief replied, trying to sound friendly. “The Flood? Thosethings down there are called ‘Flood’?”
“Of course,” 343 Guilty Spark replied, a note of confusion in itssynthesized voice. “What an odd question. We have no time for this,Reclaimer34.”
Reclaimer?The Chief wondered. He was about to ask what the little machinemeant by that, but his words never came. Rings of pulsating35 gold lighttraveled the length of his body, he felt light-headed, and saw an explosionof white light.
Rawley had just gotten the Pelican into position for a run on the tower, andcould see the distinctive36 bulk of the Spartan standing37 on the structure. Sheeased the throttle38 forward, and the Pelican slid ahead, and nosed toward thestructure. She glanced up just in time to see the Spartan disappear in acolumn of gold light.
“Chief!”Foehammer said.“I lost your signal! Where did you go? Chief!
Chief!”
The Spartan had vanished, and there was very little the pilot could doexcept pick up the Marines, and hope for the best.
Like the rest of the battalion’s officers, McKay had worked long into thenight supervising efforts to restore the butte’s badly mauled defenses,ensure that the wounded received what care was available, and restoresomething like normal operations.
Finally, at about 0300, Silva ordered her below, pointing out that someonehad to be in command at 0830, and it wasn’t going to be him.
With traces of adrenaline still in her bloodstream, and images of battlestill flickering41 through her brain, the Company Commander found itimpossible to sleep. Instead she tossed, turned, and stared at the ceilinguntil approximately 0430 when she finally drifted off.
At 0730, with only three hours of sleep, McKay paused to collect a mug ofinstant coffee from the improvised42 mess hall before climbing a flight ofbloodstained stairs to arrive on top of the mesa. The wreckage43 of what hadbeen Charlie 217 had been cleared away during the night, but a large patchof scorched44 metal marked the spot where the fuel had been set ablaze45.
The officer paused to look at it, wondered what happened to the human pilot,and continued her tour. The entire surface of Halo had been declared acombat zone, which meant it was inappropriate for the enlisted46 ranks tosalute their superiors lest they identify them to enemy snipers. But therewere other ways to signal respect, and as McKay made her way past thelanding pads and out onto the battlefield beyond, it seemed as if all theMarines wanted to greet her.
“Morning, ma’am.”
“How’s it going, Lieutenant47? Hope you got some sleep.”
“Hey, skipper, guess we showed them, huh?”
McKay replied to them all and continued on her way. Just the fact that shewas there, strolling through the plasma19-blackened defenses with a cup ofcoffee in her hand, served to reassure48 the troops.
“Look,” one of them said as she walked past, “there’s the Loot. Cool asice, man. Did you see her last night? Standing on that tank? It was likenothin’ could touch her.” The other Marine didn’t say anything, justnodded in agreement, and went back to digging a firing pit.
Somehow, without consciously thinking about it, McKay’s feet carried herback to the Scorpions50 and the point from which her particular battle hadbeen fought. The Covenant knew about the metal behemoths now, which was whyboth machines were being dug out and run up onto solid ground.
The officer wondered what Silva planned to do with them, and sipped51 the lastof her coffee before wandering onto the plateau beyond. Covenant POWs, allchained together at the ankles, were busy digging graves. One section formembers of their armed forces, and one for the humans. It was a soberingsight, as were the rows of tarp-covered bodies, and all for what?
For Earth, she told herself, and the billions who would go unburied if theCovenant found them.
There was a lot to do—the morning passed quickly. Major Silva was back onduty by 1300 hours and sent a runner to find McKay. As she entered hisoffice she saw that he was sitting behind his makeshift desk, working at acomputer. He looked up and pointed52 to a chair salvaged53 from a lifeboat.
“Take a load off, Lieutenant. Nice job out there. I should take naps moreoften! How are you feeling?”
McKay dropped into the chair, felt it adjust to fit her body, and shrugged54.
“I’m tired, sir, but otherwise fine.”
“Good,” Silva said, bringing his fingers together into a steeple.
“Because there’s plenty of work to do. We’ll have to drive everyone hard—and that includes ourselves.”
“Sir, yes sir.”
“So,” Silva continued, “I know you’ve been busy, but did you get achance to read the report Wellsley put together?”
A crate55 of small but powerful wireless56 computers like the one sitting on theMajor’s desk had been recovered from theAutumn but McKay had yet to turnhers on. “I’m afraid not, sir. Sorry.”
Silva nodded. “Well, based on information acquired during routinedebriefings, our digital friend believes that the raid was both less andmore than we assumed.”
McKay allowed her eyebrows57 to rise. “Meaning?”
“Meaning that rather than the real estate itself, the Covies were aftersomething, or more preciselysomeone they thought they would find here.”
“Captain Keyes?”
“No,” the other officer replied, “Wellsley doesn’t think so, and neitherdo I. A group of their stealth Elites59 were able to penetrate60 the lowerlevels of the complex. They killed everyone they came into contact with, orthought they did, but one tech played dead, and another was knockedunconscious. They were in different rooms but both told the same story. Oncein the room, and having gained control of it, one of those commando Elites—the bastards in the black combat suits—would momentarily reveal himself. Hespoke passable standard—and asked both groups the same question. ‘Where isthe human with the special armor?’ ”
“They were after the Spartan,” McKay said thoughtfully.
“Exactly.”
“So, whereis the Chief?”
“That,”Silva replied, “is a very good question. Where indeed? He wentlooking for Keyes, surfaced in the middle of a swamp, told Foehammer thatthe Captain was probably dead, and disappeared a few minutes later.”
“Think he’s dead?” McKay inquired.
“I don’t know,” Silva replied grimly, “although it wouldn’t make toomuch difference if he were. No, I suspect that he and Cortana are out thereplaying games.”
With Keyes out of the picture once more, Silva had reassumed command, andMcKay could understand his frustration61. The Master Chief was an asset, orwould have been if he were around, but now, out freelancing somewhere, theSpartan was starting to look like a liability. Especially given how many ofSilva’s troops had died in order to defend a man who wasn’t even there.
Yes, McKay could understand the Major’s frustration, but couldn’tsympathize with it. Not after seeing the Chief in that very room, his skinunnaturally white after too much time spent in his armor, his eyes filledwith—what? Pain? Suffering? A sort of wary62 distrust?
The officer wasn’t sure, but whatever it was didn’t have anything to dowith ego63, with insubordination, or a desire for personal glory. Those weretruths that McKay could access, not because she was a seasoned soldier, butbecause she was a woman, something Silva could never aspire64 to be. But itwouldn’t do any good to say that, so she didn’t.
Her voice was level. “So, where does that leave us?”
“Situation normal: We’re cut off and probably surrounded.” The chairsighed as Silva leaned back. “Like the old saying goes, ‘a good defense40 isa good offense65.’ Rather than just sit around and wait for the Covenant toattack again, let’s take the hurt to them. Nothing big, not yet anyway, butthe kind of pinpricks that still draw blood.”
McKay nodded. “And you want me to come up with some ideas?”
Silva grinned. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
“Yes, sir,” McKay said, coming to her feet. “I’ll have something bymorning.”
Silva watched the Company Commander exit his office, wasted five secondswishing he had six more just like her, and went back to work.
The Master Chief felt himself rush back together like a puzzle with amillion pieces, wondered what had happened, and where he was. He feltdisoriented, nauseated66, and angry.
A quick look around was sufficient to ascertain67 that the machine named 343Guilty Spark had somehow transported him from the swamp into the bowels68 of adark, brooding structure. He saw the machine hovering69 high above, glowing athin, ghostly blue.
The Spartan raised his assault weapon, and fired half a clip into it. Thebullets were dead on, but had no effect other than to elicit70 a bemusedresponse.
“That was unnecessary, Reclaimer. I suggest that you conserve71 yourammunition for the effort ahead.”
No less angry, but with little choice but to accept the situation, the Chieflooked around. “So where am I?”
“The installation was specifically built to study and contain the Flood,”
the machine answered patiently. “Their survival as a race was dependent onit. I am grateful to see that some of them survived to reproduce.”
“ ‘Survived’? ‘Reproduce’? What the hell are you talking about?” theChief demanded.
“We must collect the Index,” Spark said, leaving the Spartan’s questionsunanswered. “And time is of the essence. Please follow me.”
The blue light zipped away at that point, forcing the Chief to follow, or beleft behind. He checked both his weapons as he walked. “Speaking ofyou ,who the hell are you, and what’s your function?”
“Iam 343 Guilty Spark,” the machine said, pedantically72. “I am theMonitor, or more precisely58, a self-repairing artificial intelligence chargedwith maintaining and operating this facility. But you are the Reclaimer—soyou know that already.”
The Master Chief didn’t know anything of the kind, but it seemed wise toplay along, so he did. “Yes, well, refresh my memory . . . how long has itbeen since you were left in charge?”
“Exactly 101,217 local years,” the Monitor replied cheerfully, “many ofwhich were quite boring. But not anymore!Hee, hee, hee. ”
The Spartan was taken aback by the sudden giggle73 from the small machine. Heknew that the AIs humans used could, over time, develop personalitiespolitely described as “quirky.” 343 Guilty Spark had been here for tens ofthousands of years.
It was quite possible that the little AI was insane.
The Monitor chattered74 on, nattering about “effecting repairs to substationnine” and other non sequiturs.
His dialogue was interrupted as a variety of Flood forms bounced, waddled76,and leaped out of the surrounding darkness. Suddenly the Chief was fightingfor his life again, moving back and forth77 to stretch the enemy out, blastinganything that moved.
That was when he first identified anew Flood form. They were large misshapenthings that would explode when fired upon, spewing up to a dozen infectionforms in every direction, thereby78 multiplying the number of targets that theshooter had to track and kill.
Finally, like water turned off at a tap, the assault came to an end, and theChief had a chance to reload his weapons.
The Monitor hovered nearby, all the while humming to himself, andoccasionally giggling79. “There’s no time to dawdle80! We have work to do.”
“What kind of work?” the Chief inquired as he stuffed the final shell intothe shotgun and hurried to follow.
“This is the Library,” the machine explained, hovering so the human couldcatch up. “The energy field above us contains the Index. We must get upthere.”
The Spartan was about to ask, “Index? What Index?” when a combat formlurched out of an alcove81 and opened fire. The Chief fired in return, saw thecreature fall, and saw it jump back up again. The next burst took theFlood’s left leg off.
“That should slow you down,” he said as he turned to deal with a new hordeof shambling, leaping hostiles. A steady stream of brass82 arced away from theChief’s assault weapon as he worked the mob over, felt something strike himfrom behind, and spun83 around to discover that the one-legged combat form hadlimped back into the fight.
The Spartan blew the creature’s head off this time, sidestepped to evade84 acharging carrier form, and shot the bulbous monster in the back. There wasan explosion of green mist mixed with balloonlike infection forms and piecesof wet flesh. The next ten seconds were spent popping pods.
After that the Monitor took off again and the noncom had little choice butto follow. He soon arrived in front of a huge metal door. Built to containthe Flood perhaps? Maybe, but far from effective, since the slimy bastardsseemed to be leaking out of every nook and cranny.
The Monitor hovered over the human’s head. “The security doors are lockedautomatically. I will go access the override85 to open them. I am a genius,”
the Monitor said matter-of-factly.“Hee, hee, hee.”
“A pain in the ass11 is more like it,” the Master Chief said to no one inparticular as a red blob appeared on his threat indicator12, quickly joined bya half dozen more.
Then, as part of what would become a familiar pattern, combat forms leapedfifteen meters through the air, only to shrivel as the 7.62mm slugs torethem apart. Carrier forms waddled up like old friends, came apart like wetcardboard, and spewed pods in every direction. Infection forms danced ondelicate legs, dodging86 this way and that, each hoping to claim the human asits very own.
But the Chief had other ideas. He killed the last of them just as the doubledoors started to part, and followed the monitor through. “Please followclosely,” 343 Guilty Spark admonished87. “This portal is the first of ten.”
The Chief replied as he followed the AI past a row of huge blue screens.
“Moredoors. I can hardly wait.”
343 Guilty Spark appeared immune to sarcasm88 as it babbled89 about the first-class research facilities that surrounded them—and blithely90 led its humancompanion into still another ambush91. And so it went, as the Chief worked hisway through Flood-infested galleries, subfloor maintenance tunnels, andmoregalleries, before rounding a corner to confront yet another group ofmonstrosities.
The Spartan had help this time, as a dozen of the hunter-killer machineshe’d seen in the swamp appeared in the air above the scene, and attackedthe Flood forms congregated92 below.
“These Sentinels will assist you, Reclaimer,” the Monitor trilled. Lasershissed and sizzled as the robots struck their opponents down, and havingdone so, moved in to sterilize93 what remained.
The Spartan watched in fascination94 as the machines took care of the heavylifting. He lent a helping95 hand when that seemed appropriate, and started togag when the air that came through his filters grew thick with the stench ofcooked flesh.
As the Spartan fought his way through the facility, the Monitor, who floatedabove it all, offered commentary. “These Sentinels will supplement yourcombat systems. But I suggest you upgrade to at least a Class Twelve CombatSkin. Your current model only scans as a Class Two—which is unsuited forthis kind of work.”
If there’s a battle suit six times as powerful as MJOLNIR armor,hethought,I’ll be first in line to try it on.
He jumped to avoid an attack from one of the Flood combat forms, pressed theshotgun muzzle96 into its back, and blew a foot-wide hole through thecreature.
Finally, after the hardworking Sentinels had reduced the Flood to littlemore than a lumpy paste, the Spartan made his way through the carnage andout onto a circular platform. It was enormous, easily large enough to handlea Scorpion49, and in reasonably good repair.
Machinery97 hummed, bands of white light pulsated98 down from somewhere above,and the lift carried the human upward. Maybe things would be better upabove, maybe the Flood hadn’t reached that level yet, he thought. Hedidn’t hold out much hope, however. So far, nothingelse had gone right onthis mission.
Deep within the recesses99 of Halo, Flood specimens100 were confined tofacilitate future study, and to prevent them from escaping. Aware of theextreme danger the Flood posed, and their capacity to multiply exponentiallyas well as take over even advanced life forms, the ancient ones constructedthe walls of their prison with great care, and trained their guards well.
With nothing to feed upon, and nowhere to go, the Flood lay dormant102 for morethan a hundred thousand years.
Then the intruders came, broke the prison open, and nourished the Flood withtheir bodies. With a way to escape, and food to sustain it, the tendrils ofthe malevolent103 growth slithered through the maze105 of tunnels and passagewaysthat lay below Halo’s skin, and gathered wherever there was a potentialroute to the surface.
One such location was in a chamber106 located beneath a tall butte, wherelittle more than a metal grating prevented the Flood from bursting out ofits underground lair108 and shooting to the surface. Unbeknownst to the men andwomen of Alpha Base, they had anew enemy—and it lived directly below theirfeet.
The lift jerked to a halt. The Master Chief made his way through a narrowpassageway into the gallery beyond. The Flood attacked immediately, but withno threat at his back, he was free to retreat into the corridor from whichhe had just come, which forced the mob of monstrosities to come at himthrough the same narrow channel. Before long, the bodies of the fallen Floodbegan to accumulate.
He paused, waiting for another wave of attackers, then shoved aside a pileof the dead and moved into the next section of the complex. They gave underhis feet, made gurgling sounds, and vented107 foul-smelling gas. The Chief wasgrateful when his boots were back on solid ground again.
The Sentinels reappeared shortly thereafter and led the Spartan past a rowof huge blue screens. “So, where were you bastards a few minutes ago?” thehuman inquired. But if the robots heard him, they made no reply as theyglided, circled, and bobbed through the hallway ahead.
“Flood activity has caused a failure in a drone control system. I mustreset the backup units,” 343 Guilty Spark said. “Please continue on—Iwill rejoin you when I have completed my task.”
The Monitor had left him on his own before—and each absence coincided witha fresh wave of Flood attackers. “Hold on,” the human protested, “let’sdiscuss this—” but it was too late. 343 Guilty Spark had already dartedthrough an aperture110 in the wall and disappeared down some kind of travelconduit.
Sure enough, no sooner had the Monitor left than a lumpy-looking carrierform waddled out into the light, spotted111 its prey112, and hurried to greet it.
The Spartan shot the Flood form, but let the Sentinels clean up theresulting mess, while he conserved113 his ammo.
A fresh onslaught of Flood came out of the woodwork, and the Spartan adopteda more cautious strategy: He allowed the sentry114 robots to mop them up. Atfirst, the defense machines mowed115 through a wave of the podlike infectionforms with little difficulty. Then more of the hostiles appeared, thenmore ,then still more. Soon, the Chief was forced to fall back. He crushed one ofthe pods with his foot, smashed another out of the air with the butt39 of hisassault rifle, and killed a dozen more with a trio of quick AR bursts.
The Monitor drifted back into the chamber, spun as if surveying the carnage,and made an odd, metallic116 clicking that sounded very much like a cluck ofdisapproval. “The Sentinels can use their weapons to manage the Flood for ashort time, Reclaimer. Speed is of the essence.”
“Then let’s go,” the Master Chief growled117.
The Monitor made no reply, but scooted ahead. The small construct led theSpartan deeper into the Library’s gloomy halls. They passed through anumber of large open gates prior to arriving in front of one that wasclosed. The Chief paused for a moment, expecting that 343 Guilty Spark mightopen it for him, but the Monitor had disappeared. Again.
The hell with it,he thought. The little machine was rapidly draining hisreserves of patience.
Determined118 to move ahead with or without the services of his on-again, off-again guide, the Chief retraced119 his steps to the point where a steeplysloping ramp120 emerged from below, followed it downward, and soon foundhimself in a maintenance corridor packed with Flood.
But the narrow confines of the passageway again made it that much easier tokill the parasitic121 life forms, and five minutes later the human walked up aramp on the other side of the metal door to find that the Monitor was there,humming to himself.
“Oh, hello! I’m a genius.”
“Right. And I’m a Vice27 Admiral.”
The Monitor darted109 ahead, leading him across a circular depression toanother enormous door. Machinery whirred, and the Chief was forced to pauseas the doors started to part. Then he heard a clank, followed by a groan122, asthe movement stopped.
“Please wait here,” Spark said, and promptly123 vanished.
Just as the Master Chief pulled a fresh clip and rammed124 it home, dozens ofred dots appeared on his threat indicator. He stood with his back to thedoor as what looked like a platoon of Flood forms prepared to rush him.
Rather than simply open up on them, and risk the possibility that they mightroll him under, the Chief threw a grenade into their midst, and half hisopponents went up in a single blast. It took a few minutes plus a fewhundred rounds of ammo to put the rest of them down, but the Spartan managedto do so.
That was when the machinery restarted, the doors opened, and the Monitorreappeared, humming to itself. “I am a genius!”
He had moved through the new chamber—a high, vaulted125 gallery, dimly litwith pools of gold-yellow light. For the first time since Spark had draggedhim here, he had a moment of respite127. Ever since entering the Library, theSpartan’s head had been on a swivel. Wave after wave of hostile creatureshad attacked him from all sides.
He popped a stim-pack, downed a nutrient128 supplement, and gathered up hisweapon. Time to move out.
As he proceeded deeper into the Library, he found a corpse—a human one. Hestooped to examine the body.
It wasn’t pretty. The Marine’s body was so mangled129 that even the Floodcouldn’t make use of him. He lay at the center of a large bloodstainwreathed by spent brass.
“Ah,” 343 Guilty Spark said, peering down over the Spartan’s shoulder.
“Theother Reclaimer. His combat skin proved even less suitable thanyours.”
The soldier looked up over his shoulder. “What do you mean?”
“Is this a test, Reclaimer?” the Monitor seemed genuinely puzzled. “Ifound him wandering through a structure on the other side of the ring, andbrought him to the same point whereyou started.”
The Chief looked down at the body and marveled at the fact that anyone couldmake it that far. Even with his physical augmentation, and the advantages ofhis armor, the Spartan was reaching the end of his endurance.
He checked, found the leatherneck’s dog tags, and read the name. MOBUTO,MARVIN, STAFFSERGEANT,followed by a service number.
The Chief put the tags away. “I didn’t know you, Sarge, but I sure as hellwish I had. You must have been one hard-core son of a bitch.”
It wasn’t much as eulogies131 go, but he hoped that, had Sergeant130 MarvinMobuto been there to hear it, he would have approved.
A good trap requires good bait, which was why McKay had one of the Pelicanspick up Charlie 217’s burned-out remains132 and drop them into the ambush siteduring the hours of darkness. It took three trips to transport a sufficientamount of wreckage, followed by hours of backbreaking effort to spread thepieces around in a realistic way, then position her troops in the rocksabove.
Finally, just as the sun speared the area with early morning light,everything was ready. A phony distress133 call went out, and a speciallyprepared fire was lit deep within the wreckage. Scattered134 around the “crashsite” were some “volunteers”—the bodies of comrades killed on the buttehad been laid out where they could be seen from the air.
As half of the first platoon tried to get some sleep, the rest kept watch.
McKay used her glasses to scan the area. The fake crash site was locatedbetween a low, flat-topped rise and a rocky hillside, covered with a jumbleof large boulders137. The wreckage, complete with a trickle138 of smoke, lookedquite realistic.
Wellsley believed that having first dismissed the Marines and Navalpersonnel as little more than a nuisance, the enemy had since been forced tochange their minds, and had started to take them more seriously. That meantmonitoring human radio traffic, conducting regular recon flights, and allthe other activities of modern warfare139.
Assuming the AI was correct, the aliens would pick up the distress call,backtrack to the source, and send a team to check the situation out. Thatwas the plan, at any rate, and McKay didn’t see any reason why it wouldn’twork.
The sun inched higher in the sky, and down among the rocks the temperaturerose. The Marines took advantage of any bit of shade that they could find,though McKay was privately140 pleased that the customary bitching about theheat was kept to a minimum.
Thirty minutes into the wait McKay heard a sound like the whine22 of amosquito and started to quarter the sky with her binoculars141. It wasn’t longbefore she spotted a speck142 coming down-spin. Very quickly, the speck grewinto a Banshee. She keyed her mike.
“Red One to squad three—it’s show time.”
The officer didn’t dare say more lest any Covenant eavesdroppers growsuspicious. She didn’thave to say much more, though. Her Marines knew whatto do.
As the enemy aircraft came closer, members of the third squad, some of whomwere made up to look as if they were injured, hurried out into the open,shaded their eyes as if watching for an incoming Pelican, pantomimedsurprise as they spotted the Banshee, fired a volley of shots at it, thenran for the safety of the rocks.
The pilot sent a series of plasma bolts racing143 after them, circled the crashsite twice, and flew off in the direction from which he had come. McKaywatched it go. The hook had been set, the fish was on the line, and it wouldbe her job to reel it in.
Half a klick away from the phony crash site, another Marine, or whathad beena Marine, emerged from a subsurface air shaft, and felt the sun hit hishorribly ravaged144 face. Well, nothis face, because ever since the infectionform had inserted its penetrator into his spine145, Private Wallace A. Jenkinshad been sharing his physical form with something he thought of as “theother.” A strange being that didn’t have any thoughts, none that the humancould access, at any rate, and seemed unaware146 of the fact that its hoststill retained some cognitive147 and possibly motor functions.
That awareness148 was entirely149 unique to him insofar as the leatherneck couldtell, because in spite of the fact that some of the bodies in the group hadonce belonged to his squad mates, repeated attempts to communicate with themhad failed.
Now, as the untidy collection of infection forms, carrier forms, and combatforms emerged to bounce, waddle75, and walk across Halo’s surface, Jenkinsknew that wherever the column was headed it was for one purpose: to find andsubsume sentient150 life. He could dimly sense the other’s yawning, icyhunger.
Hisgoal, however, was considerably151 different. After it had been convertedinto a combat form, his body was still capable of handling a weapon. Some ofthe other forms had them—and that’s what Jenkins wanted more thananything. An M6D would be perfect, but an energy weapon could do the job, aswould any grenade. Not for use on the Covenant, or the Flood, butonhimself . Or what had been him. That’s why he’d been careful to concealthe full extent of his awareness from the other. So he had a chance ofdestroying the body in which he had been imprisoned152 and escape the horror ofeach waking moment.
The Flood came to a hill and, following one of the carrier forms, soonstarted to climb. The other, with Jenkins in tow, tagged along behind.
McKay knew the trap was going to work when one of the U-shaped dropshipsappeared, circled the phony crash site, and settled in for a landing. Oncefree of the ship the Elites, Jackals, and Grunts154 would be easy meat for theMarines hidden in the rocks and the snipers stationed on top of the flat-topped hill.
But war is full of surprises, and when the Covenant ship took off again,McKay found herself looking at everything she had expected to seeplus acouple of Hunters. The mean-looking bastards would be hard to kill and couldrip the platoon to shreds156.
The officer swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat, keyedher mike, and whispered some instructions. “Red One to all snipers androcket jockeys. Put everything you have on the Hunters. Do itnow . Over.”
It was hard to say who killed the Hunters, given the sudden barrage157 ofbullets and rockets that came their way, but McKay didn’t care, so long asthe walking tanks weredead . . . which they definitely were. That was thegood news.
The bad news was that the dropship returned, hosed the boulders with plasmafire, and forced the Helljumpers to duck or lose their heads.
Encouraged by the air support, the Covenant ground troops rushed to enterthe jumble135 of rocks, eager to find some cover, and kill the treacheroushumans. They were forced to pay a price, however, as the snipers on the hillpicked off five of the alien soldiers before the dropship moved in to exactits revenge.
The Marines were forced to dive deep as the enemy aircraft marched a doubleline of plasma bolts across the top of the tiny mesa, killing158 two of thesnipers and wounding a third.
Things soon started to get ugly on the rock-strewn hillside as both humansand Covenant hunted one another between the huge, weather-smoothed boulders.
Energy bolts flew and assault weapons chattered, as both sides took part ina deadly game of hide-and-seek. This wasnot what McKay had envisioned, andshe was looking for a way to disengage, when a wave of new hostiles enteredthe fight.
A torrent159 of the bizarre creatures attackedboth groups from the other sideof the hill. McKay had a glimpse of corpse-flesh, twisted and mangledbodies, and swarms160 of tiny little spheres that bounced, leaped, and climbedover the rocks.
The first problem was that while the Covenant forces seemed familiar withthe creatures, the Helljumpers weren’t, and three members of the secondsquad had already gone down under the combined weight of multiple forms, andone member of the third had been slaughtered161 by a grotesque162 biped, beforeMcKay understood the extent of the danger.
Even as the officer fought her way uphill through the maze of boulders theradio calls continued to boom through her earpiece.
“What the hell is that thing?”
“Fire! Fire! Fire!”
“Get it off me!”
The radio traffic tripled and the command freq turned into such a confusionof screams, requests for orders, and pleas for extraction, that the Marinesmight as well have spoken in tongues.
McKay cursed. No way. No way were thesethings going to break them. No way.
She rounded a boulder136, saw a Grunt155 running downhill with two of thespherical creatures clinging to its back. The Grunt squealed and spun andshe got her first close look at the creatures. A sustained burst from theassault weapon brought all three of them down.
As the Marine worked her way farther uphill, she soon discovered that thenew enemy tookother forms as well. McKay killed a two-legged form, saw aprivate put half a clip into a lumpy-looking monster, and watched in disgustas the dying creature spewed evenmore grotesqueries out into the world.
That was the moment when the third form emerged from between a couple ofboulders, saw the human, and launched itself into the air.
Jenkins had the same view that the others did, spotted the Lieutenant, andhoped she was a good shot. This was better than suicide—this was . . .
But it wasn’t meant to be.
McKay tracked the incoming body, sidestepped, and used the butt of herweapon to clip the side of the creature’s head. It landed in a heap,flailed163 around, and was just about to jump up when the Lieutenant pounced164 onit. “Give me a hand!” she shouted. “I want this one alive!”
It took four Marines to subdue165 the creature, get restraints on both itswrists and ankles, and finally bring it under control. Even at that, one ofthe Helljumpers suffered a black eye, another wound up with a broken arm,and a third bled from a ragged126 bite wound on his arm.
The ensuing battle lasted for a full fifteen minutes, an eternity166 in combat,with both humans and Covenant forces taking time out from their battle withone another to concentrate on the new enemy. The moment the last bulbousform was popped, however, they were back at it again, tracking one anotherthrough the maze in a contest of life and death, no quarter asked and nonegiven.
McKay radioed for assistance, and with help from the Reaction Force, plustwo Pelicans and four captured Banshees, she was able to drive the Covenantdropship away and kill those ground troops who weren’t willing tosurrender.
Then, on McKay’s orders, the Helljumpers combed the area for reasonablyintact specimens of thenew enemy which could be taken back to Alpha Base foranalysis.
Finally, after the bodies were recovered, Jenkins was the only specimen101 thatwas still alive. In spite of the way that he jerked, bucked167, and tried tobite his captors they threw him onto the Pelican, roped him to the D-ringsrecessed into the deck, and delivered a few kicks for good measure.
With fully33 half of her Marines making the return trip in body bags, McKaysat through the seemingly endless journey to Alpha Base. Tears cut tracksdown through the grime on the Helljumper’s face to wet the deck between herboots. The Covenant had been bad enough—but now there was an even worseenemy to fight. Now, for the first time since the landing on Halo, McKayfelt nothing but despair.
The Spartan left Sergeant Mobuto’s body behind and approached one of thelarge metal doors, pleased to see that it was open. He crouched168 and passedthrough. 343 Guilty Spark disappeared on one of his mysterious errands a fewmoments later, and, like clockwork, the Flood came out to play.
He was ready for them. The Flood swept into the room—dozens of the bulbousinfection forms scuttling169 along the walls and floor, with another half dozenof the combat forms in tow.
They paused, as if in confusion. One of the combat forms looked up—and theSpartan dropped from the pillar he’d shimmied up. His metal boots pulpedthe creature’s face. Assault rifle fire raked the leading edge of thecluster of infection forms. The pods detonated in a chain-reaction string.
Thatgot their attention , he thought. The Chief turned and ran. He jumped uponto a raised platform as he fought, disengaged, and fought again. Finally,as the last body fell, both the Monitor and the Sentinels reappeared.
The Spartan looked at them in disgust as he reloaded his weapons, scroungedammo off the Flood combat forms, and followed 343 Guilty Spark out onto alift that was identical to the last one he’d been on.
The platform carried the human up to a still higher level, where he got off,paused to let the Sentinels soften170 up the Flood welcome wagon171 that waitedout in the hall, then emerged to lend a hand. There was a loudboom! as oneof the combat forms leaped from an archway and landed right on top of aSentinel. Its whip-tendril flailed at the hovering robot’s back and wasrewarded with a series of sparks and a gout of flame. A moment later, theSentinel exploded, and the Flood and the wrecked172 drone crashed into thefloor in a ball of flesh, bone, and metal. The resulting shower of shrapnelcut three Flood forms down and wounded a score of others.
The Spartan took another out with a burst from his assault weapon and theother robots moved in to fry the remains.
Once that contingent173 of freaks had been dealt with, the Chief followed theMonitor down a hall lined with blue screens, through an area that wasinfested with Flood, and out onto a lift that looked different from the lastone he’d been on. Geometric patterns split the floor into puzzlelikeshapes, a series of raised panels stood guard around a column of translucentblue light, and the whole thing seemed to glow.
The Master Chief stepped on board, felt a slight jerk as ancient machineryreacted to his presence, and saw the walls start to rise. He was headed downthis time—and hoped that his journey was near an end. Without hesitation,he slammed fresh ammo into his weapon; it seemed as if he emerged into ahuge cluster of Flood every time he traveled on a lift.
The lift made hollow, rumbling174 sounds, fell a long way, and stopped with areverberating thud.
343 Guilty Spark hovered over his shoulder as the Spartan stepped off thelift and approached a pedestal. “You may now retrieve175 the Index,” theMonitor said. The artifact glowed lime green; it was shaped like the letterT. It slowly rose from the top of the cylindrical tube in which it had beenkept for so many millennia176. A series of metal blocks that encircled thedevice rotated and spun, releasing their protective grip on the Index.
The Spartan took hold of the device, and pulled it up and out of its tubularsheath. He held it up to examine the glowing artifact—and was startled whena gray beam lanced from Spark. The Index was yanked from his hand anddisappeared inside a storage chamber in the Monitor’s body.
“What the hell are you doing?” the Spartan demanded.
“As you know, Reclaimer,” Spark said, as if addressing an errant child,“protocol177 requires thatI take possession of the Index for transport.”
343 Guilty Spark swooped178 and dived, then floated in place. “Your biologicalform renders you vulnerable to infection. The Index must not fall into thehands of the Flood before we reach the Control Room and activate179 theinstallation.
“The Flood is spreading! We must hurry.”
The Master Chief was about to reply when he saw the bands of pulsating lightflowing down around his body, knew he was about to be teleported, and againfelt light-headed.
It wanted something,Keyes realized. The memories that replayed like anendless library of video clips were being sifted180 for something. The buzzingpresence in his mind sought . . .what?
He grasped at the thought, and pushed back against the wall of resistancethe other that burrowed181 through his consciousness had erected182. He brushed upagainst it and it almost slipped away . . .
Then he had it—escape. Whatever this thing was, it wantedoff the ring. Ithungered, and there was a perfect feeding ground to be found.
The other plunged183 a barbed-wire tendril into his mind and ripped forth animage of a lunar Earthrise, which blurred184 into images of cattle in aslaughterhouse. He felt the other’s tendrils eagerly grasp at the image ofEarth.Where? It thundered.Tell.
The pressure increased and battered185 through Keyes’ resistance, and indesperation he summoned up a new memory. The alien presence seemed startledat the image of Keyes and a childhood friend kicking a soccer ball on avibrant green field.
The pressure eased as the hungry other examined the memory.
Keyes felt a stab of regret. He knew what he had to do now.
He dragged all he remembered of Earth—its location, his ability to find it,its defenses—and shoved them down, as deep as he could.
Keyes felt the gaping186 sense of loss as the memory of the soccer field wasripped away and discarded forever. He quickly summoned up another—the tasteof a favorite meal. He began to feed his memories to the invading presencein his mind, one scrap187 at a time.
Of all the battles he’d ever fought, this one was the toughest—and themost important.
The Chief rematerialized back on the walkway which seemed to float over theblack abyss below—the Control Room. He saw the replica188 of Halo which archedabove, the globe that floated at the center of the walkway, and the controlpanel where he had last seen Cortana. Was she still there?
343 Guilty Spark hovered above his head. “Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing.”
“Splendid. Shall we?”
The Spartan made his way forward. The control board was long and curved ateither end. An endless light show played across the surface of the panel asvarious aspects of the ring world’s extremely complicated electronic andmechanical machinery fed a constant flow of data to the display, all ofwhich appeared as a mosaic189 of constantly morphing glyphs and symbols.
Here, if one knew how to read it, were the equivalents of the ring world’spulse, respirations, and brain waves. Reports that provided information onthe rate of spin, the atmosphere, the weather, the highly complex biosphere,the machinery that kept all of it running, plus the activities of thecreatures around whom the world had been formed: the Flood. It was awesometo look at—and even more awesome190 to consider.
343 Guilty Spark hovered above the control panel and looked down on thehuman who stood in front of him. There was something supercilious191 about thetone of the construct’s voice. “My role in this particular endeavor hascome to an end. Protocol does not allow units from my classification toperform a task as important as the reunification of the Index with theCore.”
The Monitor zipped around to hover24 at the Master Chief’s side. “That finalstep is reserved foryou , Reclaimer.”
“Why do you keep calling me that?” the Chief asked. Spark kept silent.
The Spartan shrugged, accepted the Index, and gazed at the panel in front ofhim. One likely-looking slot pulsed the same glowing green that shone fromthe Index. He slid it home. The T-shaped device fit perfectly192.
The control panel shivered as if stabbed, the displays flared193 as if inresponse to an overload194, and an electronic groan was heard. 343 Guilty Sparktilted slightly as if to look at the control board.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” Spark chirped195.
There was a sudden shimmer196 of light as Cortana’s holographic figureappeared and continued to grow until she towered over the control panel. Hereyes were bright pink, data scrolled197 across her body, and the Chief knew shewas pissed. “Oh, really?” she said. She gestured, and the Monitor fell outof the air and hit the deck with a clank.
The Spartan looked up at her. “Cortana—”
The AI stood with hands on hips153. “I spent hours cooped in here watching youtoady about helping that . . .thing get set to slit104 our throats.”
The Chief turned toward the Monitor and back. “Hold on now. He’s afriend.”
Cortana brought a hand up to her mouth in mock surprise. “Oh, I didn’trealize. He’s yourpal , is he? Yourchum ? Do you have any idea what thatbastard almost made you do?”
“Yes,” the Spartan said patiently. “Activate Halo’s defenses and destroythe Flood. Which is why we brought the Index to the Control Center.”
Cortana’s image plucked the Index out of its slot and held it out in frontof her. “You meanthis ?”
Now reanimated, 343 Guilty Spark hovered just off the floor. He was furious.
“A construct in the core? That is absolutely unacceptable!”
Cortana’s eyes glowed as she bent198 forward. “Piss off.”
The Monitor darted higher. “What impertinence! I shall purge199 you at once.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Cortana inquired as she waved the Index,then added the data contained within it to her memory.
“How dare you!” Spark exclaimed. “I’ll—”
“Do what?” Cortana demanded. “I have the Index.You can float andsputter.”
The Master Chief held both hands up. One held the assault rifle. “Enough!
The Flood is spreading. If we activate Halo’s defenses we can wipe themout.”
Cortana looked down on the human with an expression of pity. “You have noidea how this ring works, do you? Why the Forerunners200 built it?”
She leaned forward, her face grim. “Halo doesn’t kill Flood—it killstheirfood . Human, Covenant, whatever. You’re all equally edible201. The onlyway to stop the Flood is to starve them to death. And that’s exactly whatHalo is designed to do. Wipe the galaxy202 clean ofall sentient life. Youdon’t believe me?” the AI finished. “Askhim !” and she pointed to 343Guilty Spark.
The ramifications203 of what Cortana said hit home, and he gripped his MA5Btightly. He rounded on the Monitor. “Is it true?”
Spark bobbed slightly. “Of course,” the construct said directly. Then,sounding more like his officious self again, “This installation has amaximum effective radius204 of twenty-five thousand light years, but once theothers follow suit, this galaxy will be quite devoid205 of life, or at leastany life with sufficient biomass to sustain the Flood.
“But you already knew this,” the AI continued contritely206. The littledevice sounded genuinely puzzled. “I mean, howcouldn’t you?”
Cortana glowered207 at the Chief. “Left out that little detail, did he?”
“We followed outbreak containment208 procedure to the letter,” the Monitorsaid defensively. “You were with me each step of the way as we managed theprocess.”
“Chief,” Cortana interrupted, “I’m picking up movement—”
“Why would you hesitate to do what you’ve already done?” 343 Guilty Sparkdemanded.
“We need to go,” Cortana insisted. “Rightnow !”
“Last time you asked me: if it were my choice, would I do it?” the Monitorcontinued, as a flock of Sentinels arrayed themselves behind him. “Havinghad considerable time to ponder your query209, my answer has not changed. Thereis no choice. We must activate the ring.”
“Get. Us. Out. Of. Here,” Cortana said, her eyes tracking the Sentinels.
“If you are unwilling210 to help—I will simply find another,” Spark saidconversationally. “Still, I must have the Index. Give your construct to meor I will be forced to take it from you.”
The Spartan looked up at Spark and the machines arrayed in the air behindhim. The assault weapon came up ready to fire. “That’s not going tohappen.”
“So be it,” the Monitor said wearily. Then, in a comment directed to theSentinels, he added: “Save his head. Dispose of the rest.”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
pelican
|
|
| n.鹈鹕，伽蓝鸟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
covenant
|
|
| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
foliage
|
|
| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
canopy
|
|
| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
spartan
|
|
| adj.简朴的，刻苦的；n.斯巴达；斯巴达式的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
marine
|
|
| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
ammunition
|
|
| n.军火，弹药 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
pelicans
|
|
| n.鹈鹕( pelican的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
protruded
|
|
| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
shaft
|
|
| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
ass
|
|
| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
indicator
|
|
| n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
spherical
|
|
| adj.球形的；球面的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
sensors
|
|
| n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
winced
|
|
| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
muffled
|
|
| 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） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
squealed
|
|
| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
thumped
|
|
| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
plasma
|
|
| n.血浆，细胞质，乳清 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
touching
|
|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
whined
|
|
| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
whine
|
|
| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
hovered
|
|
| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
hover
|
|
| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
cylindrical
|
|
| adj.圆筒形的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
fins
|
|
| [医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
vice
|
|
| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
squad
|
|
| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
dwindled
|
|
| v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
bastards
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
crimson
|
|
| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
strut
|
|
| v.肿胀，鼓起；大摇大摆地走；炫耀；支撑；撑开；n.高视阔步；支柱，撑杆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
fully
|
|
| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
reclaimer
|
|
| n.回收程序 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
pulsating
|
|
| adj.搏动的，脉冲的v.有节奏地舒张及收缩( pulsate的现在分词 )；跳动；脉动；受（激情）震动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
distinctive
|
|
| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
throttle
|
|
| n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
butt
|
|
| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
defense
|
|
| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
flickering
|
|
| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
improvised
|
|
| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
wreckage
|
|
| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
scorched
|
|
| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
ablaze
|
|
| adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
enlisted
|
|
| adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
lieutenant
|
|
| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
reassure
|
|
| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
scorpion
|
|
| n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
scorpions
|
|
| n.蝎子( scorpion的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
sipped
|
|
| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
salvaged
|
|
| （从火灾、海难等中）抢救（某物）( salvage的过去式和过去分词 )； 回收利用（某物） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
crate
|
|
| vt.(up)把…装入箱中；n.板条箱，装货箱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
wireless
|
|
| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
eyebrows
|
|
| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
precisely
|
|
| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
elites
|
|
| 精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
penetrate
|
|
| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
frustration
|
|
| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
wary
|
|
| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
ego
|
|
| n.自我，自己，自尊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
aspire
|
|
| vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
offense
|
|
| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
nauseated
|
|
| adj.作呕的，厌恶的v.使恶心，作呕( nauseate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
ascertain
|
|
| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
bowels
|
|
| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
hovering
|
|
| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
elicit
|
|
| v.引出,抽出,引起 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
conserve
|
|
| vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
pedantically
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
73
giggle
|
|
| n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
chattered
|
|
| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
waddle
|
|
| vi.摇摆地走；n.摇摆的走路(样子) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
waddled
|
|
| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
thereby
|
|
| adv.因此，从而 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
giggling
|
|
| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
dawdle
|
|
| vi.浪费时间；闲荡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
alcove
|
|
| n.凹室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
brass
|
|
| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
spun
|
|
| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
evade
|
|
| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
override
|
|
| vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
dodging
|
|
| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
admonished
|
|
| v.劝告( admonish的过去式和过去分词 )；训诫；（温和地）责备；轻责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
sarcasm
|
|
| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
babbled
|
|
| v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
blithely
|
|
| adv.欢乐地，快活地，无挂虑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
ambush
|
|
| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
congregated
|
|
| （使）集合，聚集( congregate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
sterilize
|
|
| vt.使不结果实；使绝育；使无效；杀菌，消毒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
fascination
|
|
| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
helping
|
|
| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
muzzle
|
|
| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
machinery
|
|
| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
pulsated
|
|
| v.有节奏地舒张及收缩( pulsate的过去式和过去分词 )；跳动；脉动；受（激情）震动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
recesses
|
|
| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
specimens
|
|
| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
specimen
|
|
| n.样本，标本 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
dormant
|
|
| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
malevolent
|
|
| adj.有恶意的，恶毒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
slit
|
|
| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
maze
|
|
| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
chamber
|
|
| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
vented
|
|
| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
lair
|
|
| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
darted
|
|
| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
aperture
|
|
| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
spotted
|
|
| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
conserved
|
|
| v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
sentry
|
|
| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
mowed
|
|
| v.刈，割( mow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
metallic
|
|
| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
growled
|
|
| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
retraced
|
|
| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
ramp
|
|
| n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
parasitic
|
|
| adj.寄生的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
groan
|
|
| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
promptly
|
|
| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
rammed
|
|
| v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
vaulted
|
|
| adj.拱状的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
ragged
|
|
| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
respite
|
|
| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
nutrient
|
|
| adj.营养的，滋养的；n.营养物，营养品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
mangled
|
|
| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
sergeant
|
|
| n.警官，中士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
eulogies
|
|
| n.颂词，颂文( eulogy的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
remains
|
|
| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
distress
|
|
| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
jumble
|
|
| vt.使混乱，混杂；n.混乱；杂乱的一堆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
boulder
|
|
| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
boulders
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
trickle
|
|
| vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
139
warfare
|
|
| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
140
privately
|
|
| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
141
binoculars
|
|
| n.双筒望远镜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
142
speck
|
|
| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
143
racing
|
|
| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
144
ravaged
|
|
| 毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
145
spine
|
|
| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
146
unaware
|
|
| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
147
cognitive
|
|
| adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
148
awareness
|
|
| n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
149
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
150
sentient
|
|
| adj.有知觉的，知悉的；adv.有感觉能力地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
151
considerably
|
|
| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
152
imprisoned
|
|
| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
153
hips
|
|
| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
154
grunts
|
|
| （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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
155
grunt
|
|
| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
156
shreds
|
|
| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
157
barrage
|
|
| n.火力网，弹幕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
158
killing
|
|
| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
159
torrent
|
|
| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
160
swarms
|
|
| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
161
slaughtered
|
|
| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
162
grotesque
|
|
| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
163
flailed
|
|
| v.鞭打( flail的过去式和过去分词 )；用连枷脱粒；（臂或腿）无法控制地乱动；扫雷坦克 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
164
pounced
|
|
| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
165
subdue
|
|
| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
166
eternity
|
|
| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
167
bucked
|
|
| adj.快v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的过去式和过去分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
168
crouched
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
169
scuttling
|
|
| n.船底穿孔，打开通海阀（沉船用）v.使船沉没( scuttle的现在分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
170
soften
|
|
| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
171
wagon
|
|
| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
172
wrecked
|
|
| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
173
contingent
|
|
| adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
174
rumbling
|
|
| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
175
retrieve
|
|
| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
176
millennia
|
|
| n.一千年，千禧年 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
177
protocol
|
|
| n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
178
swooped
|
|
| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
179
activate
|
|
| vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
180
sifted
|
|
| v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
181
burrowed
|
|
| v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的过去式和过去分词 )；翻寻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
182
ERECTED
|
|
| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
183
plunged
|
|
| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
184
blurred
|
|
| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
185
battered
|
|
| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
186
gaping
|
|
| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
187
scrap
|
|
| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
188
replica
|
|
| n.复制品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
189
mosaic
|
|
| n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
190
awesome
|
|
| adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
191
supercilious
|
|
| adj.目中无人的，高傲的；adv.高傲地；n.高傲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
192
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
193
Flared
|
|
| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
194
overload
|
|
| vt.使超载；n.超载 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
195
chirped
|
|
| 鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的过去式 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
196
shimmer
|
|
| v./n.发微光，发闪光；微光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
197
scrolled
|
|
| adj.具有涡卷装饰的v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的过去式和过去分词 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
198
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
199
purge
|
|
| n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
200
forerunners
|
|
| n.先驱( forerunner的名词复数 )；开路人；先兆；前兆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
201
edible
|
|
| n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
202
galaxy
|
|
| n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
203
ramifications
|
|
| n.结果，后果( ramification的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
204
radius
|
|
| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
205
devoid
|
|
| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
206
contritely
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
207
glowered
|
|
| v.怒视( glower的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
208
containment
|
|
| n.阻止，遏制；容量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
209
query
|
|
| n.疑问，问号，质问；vt.询问，表示怀疑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
210
unwilling
|
|
| adj.不情愿的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |