The newly trained Private Joe ‘Echo’ Langston was looking down on the planet awaiting launch, when he saw flashes on the surface of the planet below. Before he could make anything of his observation, he was hurtling towards the planet. Private Langston continued to look in wonder at the flashing, he thought it may be fighting although the planet was meant to be deserted.
His squad leader came up on screen and announced that the flashes on the surface was in fact an electrical storm in the upper atmosphere. The ODST squad leader said, "This is gonna' get a bit bumpy."
The pods entered the atmosphere and were now moving towards their destination. Private Langston looked back down as two other pods entered his view, Langston smiled to himself as they entered the storm. The pods screens lost their connection and Langston felt alone, then he heard a screech, a faint screech in the distance, before he could think about what the strange noise may have been the storm broke and he was welcomed by a most worrying sight. The area where they were intending to land was an open park like area, Private Langston was looking down at skyscrapers and a half destroyed city.
His comms returned only to hear the yells of his Squad leader saying, "We are off course, we are off course!” The Private tried to reply only to find out his comms were not functioning correctly, he could only hear his squad. He looked out to the other pods to see the high rises growing closer.
All seemed to go quiet for the Private as he watched his screen. Langston switched the connection from his Squad leader to his fellow rookie, all was fine. He switches to the Squad leader’s brother to see a black screen. A flash from a shorted electric revealed the ODST to be dead, the lack of a physical clue to his death indicated the storm must have fried him alive.
Private Langston switches back to his Squad leader and begins to look at the closing city. He looks up at the two pods across from his own thinking of the dead ODST. His line of thought was broken only by the sight of his Squad leader’s pod entering view and the other two exiting. The Private took a breath as he read the glowing hull of the pod, ‘Covie killer’ Langston smiled only to have his smile wiped when he witnesses his Squad leader’s pod hit a skyscraper. The pod smashed through the building as Private Langston lost sight of it as a second building appeared between them.
Langston closed his eyes for a mere second, only to feel the crash as he finally landed on the surface of the planet. Langston opened his eyes as he ran his instructions through his head. He opened the pod door and gasped as he realised he hadn’t actually landed yet. He looked down to see he was only about six floors off the ground. Private Langston grabbed his equipment and looked down to the base of the building. His pod had crashed into an eighty story building and lodged itself on the edge of the seventh floor.
Private Langston was about to try and clamber out when he noticed movement in the building across from him it was the Rookie. Langston waved as he heard his helmets comms crackle into life. The Rookie turned and began to run down the stairs to the ground level. As he did that Private Langston lowered himself over the side of his pod and swung through the window below. The ODSTs met at the bottom and exchanged Intel. The Rookie told Private Langston that their Squad leader had crashed into a building and had been burnt alive in a fire sparked by the super-heated metal igniting the building.
The two ODSTs looked at each other as they acknowledged the fact that both their training officers had been killed, but before they could think about their most unfortunate situation, they were interrupted by the sound of gun fire in the distance. “That was a 99D-S2!” Yelled the smiling Rookie. “ODSTs must be nearby, we need to move to their position for de-briefing.” Replied Private Langston.
The ODSTs ran through two broken buildings and passed a ruined group of vehicles, as they grew closer to the continuing fire fight. The ODSTs made their way through a small alley way and stopped at the edge, as they witnessed a Brute plummet into the area ahead.
The ODSTs moved back and into a building that overlooked the Brute’s position. Once they reached the floor below the roof they stopped to scan for the other ODSTs comms channel. “No luck?” Asked the Rookie. “Damn it!” Replied Private Langston.
(Just thought there may be some Halo fans on here. Believe it or not, but I don't like Halo)