The husks advanced, a disorderly, screaming, wailing wall of mechanized flesh, glowing Reaper-blue and charging with the religious fervor that only the undead can muster. Within their ranks were taller figures, wider ones, Marauders and Cannibals, shoving their inferiors aside, bloodlust taking over.
THUD THUD THUD Went a heavy machine gun, barely audible over the horde.
CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK- The sound of a pistol, slow, rhythmic, speeding up gradually, as the shooter panicked, then going quiet altogether.
POW! A high-powered rifle cuts down a husk, the round fragmenting as it shredded through the augmented flesh, spraying a Marauder behind it with blue gore and ferrous shrapnel, tearing its body into four pieces. The arm flew through the air, and plopped right into Ellis' lap, spilling grey ichor across his massive chest and visor.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! Ellis pumped round after round from his rifle, focusing on freezing the Cannibals in the pandemonium. A larger, wider target, the Cannibal would provide excellent speed bumps for the husks, and good cover from the marauders.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! He brought his Cannibal count up to five, and reloaded. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!- Four more.
With only one arm, and one working leg, activating the Shield pylons was more difficult than it ever was. Each Pylon requires a cable-connection to a generator, and enough distance from another pylon that the energy doesn't conduct from the live one to the dead one. So, naturally, needing to get rid of one, he hurled the generator into the crowd from where he sat, the pylon flailing through the air like a tail, where it crashed against one of the frozen Cannibals, the resulting shatter-splosion releasing nitrogen-based cryonic gas, a by-product of the Cryo-Ammunition process, freezing two nearby husks, and slowing down a good many. He brought his rifle back up, and searched, to line up the shot.
It was difficult. Blue-grey feet clamored over the filthy floor, making a clean shot nigh impossible. But Ellis was not one for odds, and probabilities. He was a man of possibilities. And right now, he reviewed those possibilities.
Fire a concentrated burst. You'll be more likely to hit it.
No, you don't need that! One round. One good, clean round.
Deactivate your Cryo ammo, for greater penetration.
SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!
CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK! He unloaded the rest of the thermal clip into the general area that the generator had landed. With no landmark to go by, he had no choice but to fire.
The rounds slammed husk after husk after husk, freezing two, then three, then four, then the fourth shattered, taking the others with it, creating just enough concussive force to-BOOM!
-to detonate the generator. The pylon blew in a burst of blue light, setting fire to all nearby hostiles... Not that they cared.
He slapped the button on the other generator, shivering with delight as the energy overcharged his barrier. His suit was literally humming with power. He fortified his barrier, doing his best to ignore the splitting migraine that jolted to life as his Fortification hit home. He was still weak from his earlier stunt, but was unwilling to accept his incapacitation. He forced himself to his feet, using his rifle like a crutch. He set it, barrel end first, into his armpit, and gripped it tight between his arm and chest, reloading it slowly. His last thermal clip. But, he still had two Talons on his hip, but an unknown amount of ammunition.
But again, he was not a man for probability, but possibility.
Just then. "-mines-walls-entryway-compound-BLOW 'EM NOW!" Ellis' heart leapt into his throat, but he was not only in agreement with Anderson, but extremely enthusiastic about blowing the tunnel. Reaper-anything gave him the creeps.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACKCRACK!
His external audio output system pumped the echoes of his laughter down the tunnel.
"BWAHAHA! DESPAIR, YE MIGHTY! HAHAHAHAA!"
