As the group infiltrated the complex, they heard distant gun fire coming from deeper inside

"Gun fire..... There could be other survivors!" Wallace exclaimed

"Exactly my thinking. Everyone hold position here, I don't want anything in or out. I'll deal with the survivor." Reaper ordered, handing a spare comm link to Klark, who put it on shortly after

Reaper began to sprint down the narrow hallway, until he arrived into an open room with multiple paths leading to various hallways "C'mon..... Where are you..?" Reaper began, before a pained yell was heard "Bingo." Reaper continued down the third path until he arrived at his destination

"You won't take Reach!" It was a white Spartan III with orange highlights, equipped with a JFO helmet with a silver visor, left security shoulder, a HAZOP right shoulder, grenadier knee pads, tactical patrol chest, and a tactical UGPS

"Cortez?!" Reaper exclaimed, before witnessing Cortez get stabbed in the abdomen by the zealot from before "No!" Reaper sprinted towards the zealot but it was too late, he used the same trick as before

"C-commander..?" Cortez asked, his life slowly draining as he watched his former commander crouch beside him and tried to help

"Cortez, just hang in there!" Reaper told, pulling out a med kit

"I-its too late for me, sir... You have to..." He began breathing in his last few breaths "...save Reach..... F-fidelis Ad..... Mor...tem..." He said, becoming lifeless

"Fidelis Ad Mortem....." Reaper repeated, taking Cortez's dog tags and picking up his body, before returning down the path he came from

"Reaper, are you there?!" Klark asked, sounding frantic

"I'm here, I'm on my back. What's wrong?" Reaper replied, somewhat concerned

"We've got hostile reinforcements closing in! Looks like an entire army!" Klark answered, gun fire can be heard from the comm link

"Sit tight, I'm nearly there!" Reaper answered, speeding up, before he arrived back at the entrance and sat Cortez in a corner, before his shields began to flare up from indirect plasma fire

"O-oh. I'm sorry, sir!" Peter expressed hi condolences, before continuing to fire at the enemy

"Save it. Kat, this is Reaper, I need immediate support." The spartan reported, picking up a discarded MA37 and fired it's remaining mag

"All we have on standby are longswords." Kat answered

"Better than nothing. I'm marking targets with a flare, do not target the structure!" Reaper replied, pulling out a red flare and igniting "You guys might wanna get down!" Reaper warned, tossing the flare towards a wraith

"Time to target, 15 seconds. Get your heads down." A longsword pilot told, before arriving to it's destination and dropped multiple bombs on the horde of covenant

"That softened them up, thanks pilot!" Reaper said, standing up and assaulted the remaining enemies

"Any time, sir. Good luck." The pilot replied, before returning to base

"Come on, let's finish them off so we can get out of here!" Klark said, picking off scattered grunts

"Kat, can we get a ride home?" Reaper asked, as the last elite was taken out by Rix

"Pelican inbound, sit tight." Kat answered

"Kat?" Reaper began

"What is it?" She replied

"We have a fallen spartan....." The commander told, sighing

"..." Kat began to take a moment to process what was told before speaking "Understood."

"The pelican is here, everyone get in!" Klark ordered his men, before taking his fallen comrade and placing him in the pelican, while Reaper did the same with Cortez

Reaper approached Rix and pat her on the back "Great work, Rix. I'm glad you have my back. When we return to base, I'll make you some food, my treat."

Rix began to smile slightly, nodding her head before boarding the pelican and sat on the left seat closest to the bay door, while Reaper followed suite on the right side, then looked down at the acquired dog tags