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ERIC NYLUND
181
"I see, sir," Lieutenant Haverson replied in a whisper, then
glanced at his watch. "This was how many days ago?"
"Got plenty of time left," the Admiral told him. "Around
twenty hours."
Lieutenant Haverson swallowed.
"There's just one snag in that plan, though." The Admiral re-
moved his hand from Haverson and his gaze settled onto the
dirt floor of the cavern. "I had a team of Marines—Charlie
Company—that got wiped out before we could get to those No-
vas." He sighed. "Brave kids. A damned waste of good men.
That's when I picked up Red Team on coded COM. I 'convinced'
them to lend me a few of your Spartans. We got to the Novas,
armed them, and we've been raising eight kinds of hell down
here with hit-and-run exercises—just to keep everyone busy,
you understand. Wouldn't want to get bored."
"And the rest of Red Team, sir?" the Master Chief asked.
Whitcomb shook his head. "We got one last transmission
from them before they said they were falling back." He walked
to the table, unrolled an old paper topological map, and pointed
at Menachite Mountain. "Here. Where ONI had their CASTLE
base." He paused. "But the Covenant are tearing that mountain
apart, rock by rock. I want to believe they're still there ... but
we've counted at least a dozen companies. Those Covenant have
air support, close orbit patrols, and, on the ground, armor. The
place is a fortress. Could anyone survive?"
The Master Chief scrutinized the lines on the map and had an
answer for the Admiral. "They're underground," he said. "The
CASTLE facility. We did a lot of training there. The Covenant
can fill up those tunnels with only so many search parties."
"Then you think they all have a chance?"
"Yes, sir. More than a chance. I'd guarantee they're in there.
That's where I'd be."
The Admiral set his fingertip on the representation of Mena-
chite Mountain, tapped it twice, thinking, and then suddenly
looked up. "You got into this canyon in a captured Covenant
ship, right? A dropship?"
"Yes, sir." John hadn't told him that. Despite his brusque man-
ner, the Admiral knew his business.
"Then we'll go get them, son."