Gladiator nodded as he said "Right, well, we best--" he looked up abruptly as five explosions sounded off in the distance, cutting off his words. The explosions sounded off one after the other. Gladiator looked to Shana and Hunter then, it was unwise to just leave them behind to hold down the fort but, his gut told him that those explosions were caused by a friendly and that they were in trouble most likely. Turning on his night vision he looked up into the sky and could barely make out the smoke that was slowly rising into the sky.<br/><br/>Looking to Shana "That may be Patric out there, I'm going to have a look. If it's him, I'll bring him here. I'll be fine on my own, I've done this kind of thing many times but, it is<em>imperative</em>that you, Shana, stay with Hunter since he's injured. Do not follow me, that's a direct order, you got it?" he waited just long enough for her to get the message that he was serious, before he gathered up his sniper rifle and his DMR rifle before getting up and jogging off in the direction of the smoke. Before he got too far ahead, he stopped and crouched down beside some parked cars and took a moment to see what was around him. For now, the street he, Hunter and Shana were on was clear of activity but, that could change at any second, and it'd do no one any good if he got himself killed like a first year cadet. He moved down the block at a half crouch, going as fast as he could. His stomach rumbled in protest and his body ached at the abuse it was forced to take but, he ignored all of it. Patric was depending on him, and if he could help it, he wasn't going to lose another Spartan tonight. One block melded into two, and two into three. The going was slow but, steady as he took time to recon the streets with the aid of the night vision and his sniper rifle, before moving onto a new block. He took special care to keep to any particularly dark shadows that were around. Soon he found himself at five cars that were still burning. He was still a half block away and the anticipation was killing him. He wanted to bolt to the cars and follow the path of wreckage but, he had to be careful especially now. If he spotted the smoke, the Covenant definitely would, and their patrols would be out in force, tracking the cause of the disruption by smell most likely.<br/><br/>It was then that he noticed that the static that usually played over the comms had lightened a hair, he smacked himself lightly on the head, why hadn't he noticed that before? Oh, right, he'd been caught up worrying about a comrade. Clicking the comm on he took a moment to calm himself "Sierra three three four, Patric, you there buddy?"<br/><br/>He crept closer to the destroyed cars, carefully walking in a circle to make sure the street was clear and nothing was trying to ambush him. "Sierra three three four, this is sierra zero one six one. Repeat, friendly. Patric, are you there?" Gladiator said into the TEAMCOM as he braced himself upon the first car which had been flipped on it's side. Raising himself to his full height slowly, he switched to his DMR rifle and brought it up over the edge of the car. Looking out, he spotted the remains of a com jammer, and a group of Grunts, Jackals and a few crispy Brutes. Hopefully he was close and Patric wasn't too beat up. Suddenly, Gladiator heard some rubble shift behind him, making him whirl around and stare into the stomach of a particularly big Brute in heavy armor, wielding a Gravity Hammer. Gladiator looked up as the alien snorted and smirked at him, preparing to bring the heavy weapon down on him.<br/><br/>The blue and gold Spartan was able to jump sideways in time, avoiding the messy death that had awaited him. He heard the metal frame and skin of the car crumble beneath the impact of the Gravity Hammer. Not bothering to get up he laid flat on his back and un-slung the sniper rifle and took aim. Just as the behemoth got his weapon dislodged from the car, the crosshairs of the long range weapon centered on the back of the beast's head. Gladiator didn't hesitate. A second later, a shot rang out. The sound echoed across the permacrete canyon walls of the city. The Brute Chieftain roared in fury as it's decorative helm went flying off it's massive gray head. "Oh shi-!" Gladiator's curse was lost in a hail of gunfire from his DMR rifle. The Brute drew closer and closer, it's massive and thickly muscled legs carrying it easily in long loping strides, bullets pinged off it's armor and tore into it's shoulders but, it still kept coming. It's mouth opened wide as it lept into the air, hammer raised. Gladiator's trigger finger tensed again and another shot fired, this one hitting it's mark right between the eyes, killing it instantly in mid-air. The Gravity Hammer slipped through the Brute's dead fingers and bounced off the ground, barely missing the Spartan's head. The body however, landed right atop Gladiator with a crunch as reinforced metal plates met reinforced metal plates. The air was pushed from his lungs hard as the Brute's body crashed down on him. After a couple of heaving coughs, he finally managed to get his breath back. The Spartan groaned and just layed there for a moment, looking at his radar to see if anything else was moving around him.<br/><br/>When he was sure that he was out of danger for the time being, he wiggled his arms underneath the Brute's chest and pushed with all his might. The body barely moved, despite the Spartan putting all his strength into getting the thing off of him but, eventually he was able to wriggle out from beneath the things torso. With the arm of the big ape-like alien still draped over his chest, Gladiator took a moment and regained his strength, then with more then a bit of frustration flung the Brute's arm away from him. Sitting up he got onto his knees and pushed the thing over again to retrieve his weapons. Getting to his feet he shook his head "I'm getting too old for this shit" he said with a huff as he trotted over to the building, taking cover behind the cars once again until he got to the entrance. Stepping inside, he followed the trail of battle past the wrecked and still flaming com jammer, to the kitchen, where he found Patric lying prone on the floor. He looked briefly past his body and realized that a sink had been torn out of the wall, and bits of rubble and debris lay strewn around his comrade. Gladiator's head hung on his chest as he approached Patric, not sure if his friend was alive or dead.<br/><br/>Taking a knee beside Patric, Gladiator touched the man's shoulder lightly "please don't be dead" he muttered as he went to remove his friend's helmet, and check for any signs of life. He facepalmed himself a moment later, he'd totally forgotten about the bio metric scanner in his helmet. He flicked it on with a quick flick of his eye and read the information it spit out. His eyes widened as he read that his friend was simply unconscious from lack of hydration "You've gotta be kidding me" he said in disbelief. He reached back to where his canteen was usually stored on his belt but, looked up in surprise when he couldn't find it. He must have dropped it somewhere during one of the battles. Taking Patric by the armpits, he dragged his friend over to where they had more cover, in case the Covenant decided to get nosey. Arriving in what probably had been either a lobby or a living room, it was hard to tell in the dim light that his nightvision gave him. Finding a empty water bottle after overturning a scorched couch, he spotted a bathroom not too far away and went to it. The sink failed to produce any water but, the toilet bowl was filled with water, and it looked clear but, that didn't mean anything. Grimacing, he dipped the water bottle into the toilet and filled the bottle with it. Now, all he had to do was boil the water.<br/><br/>Going over to the kitchen and turned the gas stove on, no flame lighted on the stove but, he could hear the hiss of the gas. Taking his DMR rifle in hand, he aimed at the wall and fired. The spark from the gun firing lighted the gas but, unfortunately, the fire exploded in his face, knocking him backwards into the counter. Kitchen utensils, plaster and drywall went flying everywhere. Breathing heavy from his breath being knocked from him, he saw that a small flame was still alive, feeding on the gas that was coming from the stove. He set the water bottle on the counter and went to look for a hangar or a piece of wire to suspend the bottle over the fire. After a thorough search of a nearby closet, he found just what he was looking for. Forming the hangar into a single strand of wire, he wrapped one end around the top of the bottle and made a hook with the other. After making a hole in the counter above the stove via his trusty DMR, he suspended the bottle over the live flame and waited for the water to boil.<br/><br/>After what seemed like an eternity, the water finally boiled and was thus safe to drink. Tacking the slightly scorched water bottle off of the hangar, he turned the stove off and went back over to Patric. Sitting down, Gladiator gently removed his comrades helmet, using his legs to support Patric's head. After letting the water cool to a drinkable temperature, gently, he opened his friend's mouth and poured a little bit of water inside his palate. The water was warm but, it was drinkable.