第55页

　　He  had  always  been  a  hairsbreadth  from  death.  John  wasn't  a  fatalist,  merely  a  realist.  He  didn't  welcome  the  end;  he  knew,  though,  that  he  had  done  his  best,  fought  and  won  so  many  times  for  his  team,  the  Navy,  and  the  human  race  ...  it  made  moments  like  this  tolerable.  They  were,  ironically,  the  most  peaceful  times  in  his  life.
　　"Cortana,  status  please,"  he  asked  again.
　　There  was  a  pause  over  the  COM,  then  Cortana  spoke.  "We're  safe.  In  Slipspace.  Heading  unknown."  She  sighed,  and  her  voice  sounded  tinged  with  weariness.  "We're  long  gone
　　88 HALO:  FIRST  STRIKE
　　from  Halo,  Threshold,  and  that  Covenant  fleet.  If  this  tin  can  holds  together  a  bit  longer,  I  want  to  put  some  distance  between  us  and  them."
　　The  Chief  replied,  "Good  work,  Cortana.  Very  good."  He  moved  toward  the  elevator.  "Now  we  have  a  hard  decision  to  make."
　　He  paused  and  turned  back  toward  the  Covenant  Engineer.  The  creature  moved  away  from  the  repaired  power  coupling  and  drifted  to  a  scarred,  half-melted  panel  that  had  been  hit  with  stray  plasma  fire.  It  huffed,  removed  the  cover,  and  delved  into  the  tangle  of  optical  cables.
　　The  Chief  left  it  alone.  It  wasn't  a  threat  to  him  or  his  team.  In  fact,  it  and  the  others  like  it  might  be  key  to  repairing  this  ship,  and  their  continued  survival.
　　He  continued  to  the  elevator  shaft,  stepping  over  the  bodies  of  the  Grunts  in  the  hallway.  He  nudged  them  with  his  foot  to  make  certain  they  were  dead,  and  then  retrieved  two  plasma  pistols  and  one  of  the  needle  launchers.
　　He  entered  the  elevator  shaft,  pushed  off  the  deck,  and  floated  upward  in  the  null  gravity.  The  Chief  kept  his  eyes  and  ears  sharp  for  any  hint  of  a  threat  as  he  moved  through  the  corridors  to  the  bridge.  Everything  was  quiet  and  still.
　　At  the  open  bridge  door,  he  paused  and  watched  as  Warrant  Officer  Polaski  supervised  a  Covenant  Engineer  while  it  re?moved  the  blasted  door  control  panels.  The  Engineer  turned  a  melted  piece  of  polarizing  crystal  before  its  six  eyes,  and  then  picked  up  an  unblemished  crystalline  panel  off  the  floor  and  in?serted  it  into  the  wall.
　　Polaski  wiped  her  hands  on  her  greasy  coveralls  and  waved  him  in.
　　Thin,  blue  smoke  still  filled  the  bridge,  but  the  Chief  noted  that  most  of  the  display  panels  were  once  again  active.  Nearby,  Sergeant  Johnson  tended  Haverson's  wounds  and  Locklear  stood  guard.  The  young  Marine's  eyes  never  left  the  Engineer,  and  his  finger  hovered  close  to,  though  not  quite  on,  his  MA5B's  trigger.
　　The  Engineer  floated  back,  spun  on  its  long  axis,  and  looked  first  at  Polaski,  then  the  Chief.
　　A  burst  of  static  issued  from  the  bridge  speakers,  and  the  Covenant  Engineer  looked  to  them  and  then  to  Polaski.  It  tapped  the  control,  and  the  massive  bridge  doors  slid  shut.
　　ERIC  NYLUND
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　　The  Engineer  passed  a  tentacle  over  the  controls.  They  flashed  blue,  then  dimmed.
　　"It  locks  now,"  Polaski  told  them.  "Ugly  here  knows  his  stuff."
　　Three  ultrasonic  whistles  filled  the  air.  The  Covenant  Engi?neer  who  had  just  repaired  the  bridge  door  snapped  to  attention,  and  its  eyes  peered  intently  forward.  It  chirped  a  response  and  then  floated  toward  the  Master  Chief,  trying  to  maneuver  be?hind  him.