There was motion behind the Elite; Sergeant Johnson and Locklear still struggled to get their hatch open more than a crack.
"Sergeant-prepare to fire."
"Ready, Master Chief!" the Sergeant cried from the other side of the hatch. The Chief tightened his grip on the Elite's sword arm, shoved his forearm into the alien's throat and drove it backward, across the bridge. He slammed the creature into the partially opened hatch. The energy blade cut into the Master Chief's armor, boiling through the alloy that protected his upper arm. "Sergeant, now! Fire!" Gunfire exploded from the hatch, oddly muffled because the rounds impacted directly into the Elite's back.
