0901 hours, August 30,2552 (Military Calendar)Epsilon Eridani system, ONIunderground facility, planet Reach.

The secure storage doors whispered open, and overhead fluo.rescent lights strobed on.Fred saw motion—but it was only his own reflection in the burnished-mirror finish of thechamber's stainless-steel walls. Will stepped  inside and looked up, then glanced backdown the corridor.

The room was a three-by-five-meter vault with steel walls, floor, and ceiling. Theirfootfalls were muffled as they entered, so the floor had to be at least a quarter meter thick. Along the right and left walls stood secure floor -to-ceiling lockers, and two metalcrates sat along the far wall. Every surface was spotless, and every seam had been precision-milled to prevent explosives or acids from penetrating.

"One moment, please," Kalmiya told them. "I'm attempting to access the locks now. Please stand by."Will stood at the doorway and watched their backs. It didn't make Fred feel any more atease. The abandoned ONI base was somehow more intimidating than facing the Covenant invasion force overhead. He had walked  down these corridors a dozen times during histraining on Reach. This base had always been full of people; now, empty, it drove thepoint home that the Cove.nant were winning. First the Outer Colonies had been  crushed;now Reach. How long before humanity was forced to retreat all the way back to Earth?And after that... what? There would be no other choice but victory or extinction.

Enough. Such musings didn't help him achieve his immediateERIC NYLUND 133objective. He'd leave the long-range strategies to Generals and Admirals. It was time toconcentrate on what he did best.

The walls hummed as thick metal bolts inside the lockers re.tracted, the sound of heavy oiled steel sliding over steel. With a final thump, the sound ceased.

Kalmiya said, "Lockers open and safeties disabled, Spartans. Help yourselves.""Secure the outer door, please," Fred told her.

The door to the hallway eased shut and locked, and Will moved to Fred's side. EachSpartan opened one of the wall lock.ers, standing to the side in case there was some leftover booby trap within that Kalmiya had failed  to disable.

Fred peered inside and saw a rack of handguns. They weren't the standard-issue HEpistols; these had oversized barrels— easily 30 percent larger and longer—and they hadgrips of self-molding plastasteel. He picked one  up and hefted it—its balance was barrelheavy, to be expected from an unloaded pistol. He found three boxes of clips at thebottom of the locker, opened one, and took out a clip. Whatever this new handgun shot, itwas high caliber, slugs the size of his thumb.  He slid the clip into the gun, and it securedwith a satisfying click.

Now it was perfectly balanced, far better than the standard-issue sidearm.

He secured the weapon and turned to see what Will had found.

Will examined a plastic-wrapped rifle. He removed the rifle from the locker, ripped off itssheathing, and shouldered it. He nodded with satisfaction.

Unlike the MA5B, this rifle had a longer barrel and stock, with a cutdown muzzle shroud.A scope was mounted on an op.tics railing along the top of the rifle. Will hefted a clip and in.serted it into the receiver.

He shouldered the rifle again and peered through the scope. "Auto zoom, nice."Will and Fred then traded and inspected the new weapons. Fred liked the feel of this new rifle, but wondered how much punch it had—enough, he hoped, to make the trade-off ofhaving fewer rounds in the clip worth it.

They filled two sacks with the new pistols, rifles, and ammu.nition, then moved to thefootlockers and lifted the lids.

134HALO: FIRST STRIKEInside the first locker were satchel charges. Fred grabbed three and looped them over hisneck. "I think we can find a use for these."Will knelt next to the second footlocker. Within were plastic boxes marked MJOLNIRMARK V followed by a long list of serial numbers. "This must be what Doctor Halsey wanted," he said.

There was a flutter in the floor—which got Fred's full atten.tion, because a "flutter" in a solid steel floor meant trouble.

The COM channel opened, and Dr. Halsey's voice crackled with static: "Get back to the labASAP. I might have a way out. Quickly!"The vault room flexed, and thunder rumbled through the walls.

"Detonations," Will said. "They're coming.""Secure those boxes," Fred ordered. He raced to the closed doors. "Open," he shouted toKalmiya and waited as the door slowly eased apart. He scanned up and down the corridor and then ran back toward the lab.

When they got to the medical wing the lights were dead, and Fred saw Kelly's helmetlights cut through the velvet-rich, dust-filled darkness. She had Dr. Halsey draped overher shoulder. Blood ran from the doctor's nostrils.

"Her office collapsed," Kelly told them. "Support beam missed her by a centimeter."Dr. Halsey looked up and whispered, "I'm fine. Really." She pushed away from Kelly,stood, and teetered in place.

Fred scooped her up and set her on the examination table. "With all due respect, ma'am,you're not."Another detonation rippled through the earth—this one stronger than the previousexplosion. Fissures snaked through the con.crete walls.

Vinh and Isaac bounded into the room. "Enemy contacts at extreme range," Vinhreported.

"Down," Dr. Halsey said, and she held a palm-sized data pad for Fred to see. It had a mapon its display ... but not of this base. "We have to go lower."Fred wondered if Dr. Halsey was delirious.

"Down the elevator shaft in Section Sigma," she explained. "We'll seal it behind us. Wecan't let them follow.""Kelly, take point," Fred ordered. He grabbed two of the newERIC NYLUND135magnum pistols, loaded them, and then tossed them to Kelly, along with three extra clips.

"I guess you get to test these."Kelly gazed at the new weapons and gave a low whistle.

Fred opened the bags with die new rifles and handed them out to his team. "Will, youmule the extra parts and ammo.""Roger," Will replied and slung them over his shoulders.

"Those satchels, over there," Dr. Halsey said and waved to four duffel bags. "Medicalsupplies. Food and water. We'll need them, too."Will grabbed them as well.

"Just a few more things," Dr. Halsey whispered. "We can't let them get into ONI's records." She tapped her pad once and then said to Kalmiya, "Begin Operation White Glove.Irradiate all computer memory crystal. Code  file access Beta-Foxtrot-99874." Dr. Halseyclosed her eyes as if she were concentrating, and she whispered, "Not all AIs h............