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John snapped his helmet visor back down and sealed the armor’s environment system. “Yes.”
“Presumably your plan doesn’t involve getting shot . . . ?”
“No.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Cortana sounded worried.
“I’m going to finish counting to ten.”
John heard Cortana sigh in frustration. John shook his head in puzzlement. He’d never encountered a so-called smart AI before. Cortana sounded . . . like a human.
Worse, she sounded like acivilian . This was going to take a lot of getting used to.
Shadows moved along the wall of the tent—motion from outside.
Eight.
There was a snag in this mission and he hadn’t even reached the obstacle course. He would have toengage his fellow soldiers. He pushed aside any questions about why. He had his orders and he wouldfollow them. He had dealt with ODSTs before.
Nine.
Three soldiers entered the tent, moving in slow motion—black-armored figures, helmets snug over theirfaces, crouched low, and their rifles leveled. Two took flanking positions. The one in the middle openedfire.
Ten.
The Master Chief blurred into motion. He dove from the activation platform and—before the soldierscould adjust their aim—landed in their midst. He rolled to his feet right next to the soldier who firedfirst, and grabbed the man’s rifle.
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John brutally yanked the weapon away from the soldier. There was a loud cracking sound as the man’sshoulder dislocated. The wounded trooper stumbled forward, off balance. John spun the rifle andslammed the butt of the weapon into the soldier’s side. The man exhaled explosively as his ribs cracked.He grunted, and fell unceremoniously to the floor, unconscious.
John spun to face the left-flank gunner, assault rifle leveled at the man’s head instantly. He had the manin his sights, but he still had time—the soldier was not quite in position. To John’s enhanced senses,amped up by Cortana and the neural interface, the rifleman seemed to be moving in slow motion. Tooslow.
The Master Chief lashed out with the rifle butt again. The trooper’s head snapped back from the sudden,powerful blow. He flipped head over tail and slammed into the ground. John sized the man’s conditionup with a practiced eye: shock, concussion, fractured vertebrae.
Gunner number two was out of the fight.
The remaining gunner completed his turn and opened fire. A three-round burst ricocheted off theMJOLNIR armor’s energy shield. The shield’s recharge bar flickered a hairbreadth.
Before the soldier could react, the Master Chief sidestepped and slammed his own rifle down—hard.The trooper screamed as his leg gave out. A jagged spoke of bone burst through the wounded man’sfatigues. The Master chief finished him with a rifle butt to his helmeted head.
John checked the condition of the rifle, and—satisfied that it was in working order—began to pull ammoclips from the fallen soldiers’ belt pouches. The lead soldier also carried a razor-edged combat knife;John grabbed it.