The hatch to the Pelican opened and I hopped out, rolling onto the pavement, Selina and Scott following. The hatch closed and Kade flew the Pelican above the skyscrapers to give air support and provide over watch for us on the ground, as the buildings made it hard to see incoming Covenant.

I looked around as I got up from my roll. We had been set down in the middle of the road that curved around the city center fountain, half destroyed with water leaking onto the pavement. Just past it was the defensive line the UNSC had set up with the river behind them. Three skyscrapers lined the sidewalk with small grassy areas and flowers, now torn up and littered with humans and Covenant alike. Half the windows in each skyscraper were shattered and glass, pieces of metal, and concrete covered the ground.

In-between the skyscrapers were different roads dissecting off of the half-circle plaza and the one lining the river. Concrete and large chunks of asphalt were missing along each with the occasional plasma or fire-scorched crater. People were stumbling out the front of each building and running randomly, some even sitting in a fetal position and rocking quietly despite the chaos around them.

I grimaced at the scene. This was way worse than the last city. "All right White team, weapons free but check your fire. Short bursts. Get the civilians on their way to the evac sites as fast as you can, help the hurt and sick but try to get the civilians to help each other so we can do this as quickly as possible and try to stay close to this area. I will get the Governor while Kade watches us, alert us if you spot any major Covenant activity or too many stragglers to manage on your own."

They nodded and Selina immediately dispersed towards the buildings, yelling at the civilians to head towards the sites. Scott paused for a moment and turned to me, "Senior, I almost forgot, I found these torn off on the ground when I was chasing the warthog." He tucked a hand into his chestplate and brought out a pair of dog tags. I took them and looked at the name, Kyle Mason Ridgewaters, Spartan 324.

I sighed and nodded gratefully at Scott before tucking it into a pocket. He nodded back and ran to join Selina. Kyle had to wait for now. I turned away and ran towards the tallest building where the I was told the Governor was holed up in. I pushed open the frames of the front doors, sliding them on shattered glass.

A few civilians in business suits ran out, pushing past me. I turned sideways and watched them go before walking inside. "Kade, what floor is the Governor on?"

"He's on the 115th floor. I'm descending to verify now." said Kade. There was a pause. "I see him, he's trapped under some fallen ceiling tiles with his bodyguard. No sign of injury from here. The elevator seems intact so far but I'd hurry."

"On it." I said. I looked around the square front office. The stairs were to my left and the elevator was to my right in the back. I walked over and pressed the button. Immediately the one in front of me opened. I stepped forward... and stepped back. The elevator looked all right internally but It was tilted slightly, giving me a clear view of the fraying cables on top. I looked around at the four other doors and spotted a second one open. The lights were flickering and the glass on the back was cracked but otherwise it seemed stable. Fortunately buildings like these had some pretty high weight tolerances too or they would never be able to lift my heavy armor. I stepped inside and inspected the wall panel, tapping on the 115th floor. The doors closed and it slowly began to rise, gaining speed as it went up.

I turned around and looked out the glass back where a view of the city could be seen as I rose higher. The skyscrapers were to my left, some tall but smaller buildings in front, and the housing developments to my right. The buildings were half destroyed, and only few lucky ones completely intact. Many were missing pieces, some fallen over, and one even missing completely. In the housing area there were many houses on fire from forgotten tools left on.

People ran on the streets towards the river, some heading the opposite way or walking around in confusion. I didn't have a view of the City center but I could see other soldiers trying to evacuate the citizens. The covenant cruiser was slowly coming closer to the city, taking its time. Ships were leaving and entering randomly as evacuation efforts continued. The elevator passed an open place in the exterior glass where it had shattered and the elevator shook as it scraped the bent pieces before slowing down. I turned around and spread my feet to steady myself as it shook again and came to a halt. There was a ding and the doors opened. I paused as a tile crashed onto the floor in front of me and then stepped out of the elevator, glad I had made it somehow. There were beams and ceiling lights on the floor, some hanging and wires tangled in with tiles. The floor resembled a large office with a few smaller offices on each side.

I looked straight ahead and saw the Pelican outside the window, hovering and shining a light on an area near the back right corner office. I looked over a large fallen beam and spotted the two. The guard had his leg trapped under a few ceiling tiles and a fallen office cubicle frame. The guard was currently trying to free the Governor who was on his back horizontal to the guard, the frame of the door and a metal filing cabinet laying on his lower stomach.

They both pushed at the frame but the debris had trapped the Governor in an awkward position as he was curled up against it and the guard had to reach over the frame and the Governor's head to get to it. I quickly looked for a way around and walked near the window, stepping around a few ceiling tiles and under a wire. It would take too much time trying to force my way through the wreckage directly between me and them.

I got closer and they looked up as they heard the sound of my boots. The Governor's expression melted into one of relief, "Oh thank goodness someone heard, can you help us out of this?" I nodded, "Just hold on, I'm almost there." I replied. Carefully I stepped over a fallen desk and weaved around another pile of ceiling tiles, almost there. Suddenly there was a cracking sound. I looked up just in time to see the ceiling above me and an entire section of the floor above it fall in. The Governor shouted, "Watch out!" as it collapsed on me.

I shielded my face and it knocked me down backwards, forcing me onto my back. As the debris settled, I felt something topple over above the pile and the pressure increased. My arms were now resting in a crossed position above my helmet. I opened my eyes that had instinctively closed to see a dagger sharp piece of metal resting inches from my visor. Pushing upwards slowly but steadily, my arms moved the ceiling off of me enough to free my head. I pushed myself out from under it and dropped it, the metal tearing into the tile floor. There was still the rubble on top of me but now the heaviest weight was gone. I pushed a hand up out of the rubble, grabbing onto a corner of the metal. I pulled and pushed with my legs, getting my second hand out as well. I twisted and pushed myself up, finally freeing my legs and sliding over the debris onto the clear area of floor.

The Governor and his bodyguard stared at me with relieved faces. "Are you okay? I almost thought we lost you there for a moment." I walked closer, "I'm still here, now let's get you both out of here." I said. The Governor nodded and prepared to lift as best he could, as did the bodyguard. I hooked my hands on the edges of the frame between them and lifted it gently, straining a bit. The frame was lifted upwards and small pieces of tile fell through but the rest held. I grunted as I locked position and the bodyguard helped the Governor out. They hurried clear and I slowly let the frame fall.

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I dropped it completely and turned to face them, scanning them for injuries. They were a bit scraped up but seemed okay. "Are you injured?" I asked the Governor. He felt his arms and midsection for a moment, "Maybe a broken rib but I can walk." he said. The bodyguard came over and draped the Governor's arm on his shoulder for support. I nodded at the guard and turned away towards the Pelican outside. "Kade, take the Governor down to the shuttle, I'll be right behind you, I need to continue the evacuation from here."

There was a flash from the Pelican and it slowly turned so that the ramp was now facing the open window. It backed up so that the ramp was just barely inside the building and hovered in place. "Get on, both of you, it will take you to the shuttle, Go!" I told them.

They nodded and limped over, stepping up onto the ramp. The Governor looked back and nodded in thanks. I returned the gesture. The ramp closed and the Pelican turned again, descending lower towards the front of the building. I walked back to the elevator and pressed the button. The doors opened, revealing nothing. I looked out over the edge of the drop and saw that the cable was no longer attached, the elevator a smoldering pile of wreckage at the bottom. I zoomed in my visor optic to see the edge of the cable was not frayed but sliced, slightly melted. Who or what cut it?

Looking up, I saw who. A covenant dropship was hovering near that side of the building, pausing at each level and sending a small crew to investigate. They must have heard the distress call. I backed away from the elevator shaft and looked across the room to the stairs. A glance down the staircase revealed it to be broken and mostly on fire, debris blocking it further down. I then looked over to the open window. Deciding I had no other choice, I quickly scanned the room for some long cables and stepped over to the left side where some of the electrical wiring had snapped. I tore off the other end of them and wrapped it around one of the standing supports, quickly tying a few longer cables to it that had been torn from long coils that would have spanned the entire building. Then I took the other end and wrapped it around my hand.

Stepping towards the edge, I pulled the wire so that the length to the window was taut and threw the rest of the coil over the edge. The extra cable swung down, unraveling for a while until it reached close to the 50th floor. Wind blew through the window and another piece of tile fell from the ceiling. Here I go.

I stepped on the edge and leaned backwards over the drop, testing the weight of the wire. Then I sprung away from the ledge and let the wire slide through my gloves. I swung back to the building and cracked the glass of the next floor, immediately pushing off again to go down farther in a technique called propelling, the wire sliding just fast enough through my hands.

I was down 20 floors when the wire shook, vibrations echoing down to my hands. I closed my hands and stopped propelling, the glass cracking with the abrupt change of force. There was a pause and it shook again. I looked upwards towards the floor I had started on. After a moment, a head looked over the edge. It was the gold, curved, and sleek helmet of a high-ranked Elite. I flattened to the building in alarm, magnetizing my boots to the building to stop me from swaying. Too late.

There was a call to the others from above and another Elite's head poked out, this time the blue light of an energy sword illuminating his face. I demagnetized my boots and began propelling faster, heat starting to seep into fingers of my gloves. There was an angry shout in Sangheili and the heads disappeared. With a large snapping noise, one of the cable strands violently sprung away from the building, falling past me and giving me a glimpse of the sizzling end. Another snap! and a second cord fell. I had four cords left and 40 floors.

I wasn't going to make it.

Two more cords snapped. I took a large leap away from the building and swung back, closing in on the 50th floor. The last two cords snapped. I let go of the cords and smashed into the floor below the target floor. I put my hands out and hit the floor hard, rolling and smashing into a desk before hitting something that propelled me into the air right into a support. My momentum was stopped abruptly as my back hit the support and I fell to my stomach on the floor. My shield flickered wildly. Pieces of plaster crumbled from the dent I had made in the support. My breath had been knocked out of me a bit and I took short breaths, lying there for a moment to catch it again. When it had returned I braced my hands on the floor and slowly pushed myself up. I groaned as pain presented itself along my entire back. It slowly dissipated as I pushed myself onto one knee and stood up.

You know, you would think with all of this crashing and debris, I would have been stabbed by now. I quickly checked myself just to make sure and let out a relieved sigh. I looked across the relatively stable room and spotted the entrance to the stairs. At least I don't have too far to go.

I walked over and pushed the door open to reveal a boxed, twisting staircase that was moderately unscathed unlike before. There was an open center to it as well. I looked over the edge, spotting a fancy fountain at the bottom. I grabbed the rail and hoisted myself over, looking down to judge my fall before letting go. I dropped down one level, bending the rail as I caught ahold of it. The echo of metal twisting out of shape rung throughout the staircase. Then I dropped again, landing at the next floor.

Forty-nine floors and about 5 minutes later I landed in the fountain. I looked up the path of bent rails, a bit sad I had ruined them but not that sad. No one needs them anymore anyway. People had long since evacuated the building and except for the crashes of debris and the Covenant search team at the top, it was dead silent.

I walked out of the skyscraper and looked around. There were a few straggling military personnel but this side had been mostly cleared. I saw some traumatized civilians and directed them to the shuttles before I saw Selina and Scott walking towards me, "Where were you? We have been trying to reach you for a while." said Selina. "I guess the Covenant at the top of the tower had a short range jammer with them, I didn't get anything." I replied.

"Well Civilians have been evacuated and Kade should be back soon. All that is left is defending the mall and the transports near it. We spotted Covenant heading that way but couldn't get through to tell you." Scott said. I nodded and signaled for them to follow me, jogging towards the ocean.

I took out my assault rifle as we got closer and slowed. We were too late. The mall was littered with dead Covenant and civilians. I looked on in regret. "Let's hurry to those transports." I said as Scott and Selina looked around. We passed through the mall and entered the docking area. There were about a dozen transports and marines had set up a blockade between them and the Covenant.

There were no vehicles but a large group of Covenant had amassed and boxed them in.

"Weapons free! Eliminate all hostiles!" I shouted to White team as soon as we were in view. We ran at the line of Covenant and started firing. Kade came in from above and mowed a line of them down. I threw a grenade and took out a group of grunts. The Elite in charge growled as it's shield was drained to half and yelled at the rest of the forces. I jumped over a grunt Selina killed and tackled the Elite, knifing him in his neck. I pulled my knife out and put it back in it's sheath. Scott ran in front of me and barreled through a group of jackals and their circular shields, grabbing one's head and throwing it at a second one. He fired on the other two, killing them instantly, and reloaded.

Selina and I advanced, ducking behind cover as a plasma grenade was thrown our way. I glanced over at the dock, two ships were lifting off and the others were getting ready. Our interference had thrown a wrench in the Covenant's formation and they were beginning to run away from the site. I keyed Kade's com. "Take the Pelican to the forest just past the military facility. The Covenant are retreating in that direction and we need to defend the base over there before we go after Kyle." I said. His acknowledgement light flashed and the Pelican flew East along the oceanside.

Selina and I jumped out from behind cover and ran after them, glancing back to see the last few civilians board a transport. I fired a few rounds, taking out a retreating grunt who was firing back at us. The Covenant ship had destroyed most of the smaller buildings, skipping the skyscrapers and heading towards the base as well. I happened to know that the base held many prototype weapons that would not be helpful if they got into the wrong hands. We needed to destroy them. Then we would save Kyle.

Time to bring the fight to them.