Noble 7

Noble Seven felt the thud of a fuel rod impacting the combat barricade he had his back to.

Just another day at the office, he thought as he dropped the spent magazine out of his rifle and slapped a fresh one in.

He swung the rifle around the barricade, aimed, and popped off a few shots. He managed to land the first shot in whatever passed for the creature's face, but the others were deflected by its helmet and arm shield. The cannon on its other arm glowed green. Seven pulled back behind cover.

He braced for the heavy thump, but instead heard the sneeze of a shotgun and the sound of buckshot hitting metal.

Kachoong!

"How 'bout you pick on someone your own size!" Burke yelled.

Kachoong!

Seven leaned out of cover and landed two more shots on the Hunter, who had turned to deal with his savior.

Savior. Now isn't that ironic?

Just then, Seven finally got eyes on the other Hunter. It had up until this point stayed camouflaged while its partner did the dirty work, and now suddenly appeared behind the famous Spartan I with both massive arms raised. Seven shouted a warning to his comrade.

"Look out!"

Burke looked up and saw the Hunter's arms coming down and simply pivoted. It was just enough to sidestep the Hunter's barbaric ground smash. As he turned, Burke calmly raised the shotgun level with the exposed back of the Hunter's head. The sun was reflecting brightly off of his wide glass visor, and below that, Seven could see his smug grin.

The other Hunter that was originally fighting Seven turned back around to finish what it had started. Seven held his ground and fired off round after round in a textbook shooting stance. He caught the beast a couple of times beneath the helmet and really pissed it off. It groaned and grunted as it swung back and forth. Seven ducked under the first swing, then hopped back as the Hunter advanced.

When he hopped back, he released his grip on the DMR and spread his arms apart. The Hunter's shield arm backhanded the gun to pieces and grazed his energy shield a half second later.

Damnit. I needed that.

Seven gulped as the Hunter's arm cannon started to glow brighter and brighter. As he backpedaled away from the Hunter practically toeing the ground like a bull, he reached for his equalizer.

Easy... easy now...

The Hunter seemed to be staring him down, daring him to try something. Seven felt goosebumps trickle down his spine. Suddenly, screaming, Seven pulled the M6 off his back, but the arm cannon discharged first. Seven didn't have the same selfless determination as the sniper trooper he'd witnessed earlier. He evaded the Hunter's blast, caring more about saving himself than killing the enemy.

Now what does that say about me? Seven briefly wondered as the deadly green beam burned just a meter past him. Too cautious?

The M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle, often dubbed the 'Spartan Laser' by many in the UNSC, is a devastating directed energy weapon that depletes twenty-five percent of its reserve per shot. Unfortunately, the battery that powers it is non-replaceable and can only be recharged via a PP-16979/AM-Sh Charger. The charger wasn't exactly standard issue; Seven knew he was one of about ten or fifteen field operatives that owned one.

Problem was, he'd left the charger safely with Colonel Holland, as it wasn't a portable device in any sense of the word. In short, missing shots, when he only had four to work with, would not be prudent. He only had three left and had to make them count.

Just then, a grenade explosion erupted behind the Hunter. The Hunter went down! Seven's relief was short lived as the alien monster groaned what sounded like a string of curses and began picking itself back up. Seven saw a dead Grunt nearby, upside down in a puddle of it's own turquoise blood. Also sitting in the brackish liquid were two orbs. He grabbed them both but only armed one as he rushed the rising Hunter.

One, two full strides, then a third, which was more of a leap up. Seven planted a foot on the Hunter's shoulder, then slapped the active plasma grenade onto its helmet and dove forward. He didn't have time to watch it explode.

As soon as he touched down, the other Hunter, apparently not dead, was aiming its hot green cannon right in his face. Seven sighed in disbelief. But right before he met his doom, a pair of hands yanked him out of the way.

"Let's move!" Burke yelled.

The fuel rod rocked the floor behind them as they raced to the bunker. Once inside, Seven knelt by the entrance.

"What are you doing?" Burke asked him. "They're right on our asses!"

Seven lifted the M6 up onto his shoulder. With a click of the trigger, the protective shroud over the barrel flipped up and the targeting beam found the resilient Hunter pair. They were coming in single file, one shielding the other. Seven lined up his shot.

Doing all this, he said to Burke, "Carter told us to greet them at the door, right? I'm just reminding them to wipe their feet before they come in."

The laser flashed and the leading Hunter paused and leaned against a weapons crate. The other kept trudging forward.

"Pays to be good hosts," Burke observed.

Seven stood and the two headed further inside.