Coastal Highway

Coastal Highway is the last Halo 3: ODST level.

Summary
The level takes place during the final stages of the Battle of Mombasa, as the Rookie, Buck, Dare, and Vergil fight their way to the Coastal Highway of New Mombasa, where Dare and Vergil board an Oliphant and Buck and the Rookie escort them along the Covenant-infested highway with various Warthogs and a Scorpion. They reach a building at the end of the highway and fight off the waves of Covenant that arrive, until they are finally picked up by the Phantom captured by the Squad, just in time to escape the Assault Carrier that begins glassing the highway.

Opening Cutscene
{Buck backs into elevator, removing his helmet, Dare, The Rookie, and the Huragok waiting.}

Buck: Whew! Lord, that thing stinks. Kinda reminds me of my-

{Dare punches Buck in the face.}

Buck: {Coughs} What was that for!?

Dare: Abandoning the mission.

Buck: What mission!? You dropped off the grid, my squad was scattered-

''{Dare walks up to Buck and kisses him. Buck relaxes and puts his arms around Dare.}''

Buck: {murmuring} And that?

Dare: For coming back.

{The Rookie and Vergil look awkwardly at Dare and Buck, then at each other.}

Dare: Thank you.

Buck: You did good Rookie, no doubt. But we're not out of this yet.

Gameplay
Buck: Captain, how about you hang back, let us clear a path.

Dare: Agreed. I'll stay with the asset, give it close cover.

{Buck and the Rookie come across a Covenant patrol, with a Covenant Sniper Tower.}

Dare: Buck, that turret has us pinned, we can't advance.

Buck: Flank the Watch Tower, Trooper! Take it out!

{After all the Covenant are clear.}

Buck: All clear, let's move!

{Dare and Vergil come to them as they move down a small street.}

Buck: Can't that thing move any faster?

Dare: All the shooting, it's frightened.

Buck: Want me to give it a little push?

Dare:(Whispering) What do you think?

Buck: Just trying to help.

{They enter a building}

Buck: This way, should be an elevator straight through here. We'll need the alien to power on the switch.

{Vergil powers on the switch.}

Buck: Okay we're all set. Hit it, Rookie.

{The Rookie activates the switch, and they enter the elevator.}

Second Cutscene
''{View of the Highway at dawn opens. Cut to Dare, The Rookie, Buck, and Vergil walking forward. Covenant Cruisers fly above. Dare points to one.}''

Dare: When did this happen?

Buck: They started showing up right before I went underground.

Dare: And you waited until now to tell me that?

{Buck takes off his helmet.}

Buck: Oh, I'm sorry, I was a little busy, makin' sure perfume {Points to Vergil} over here didn't take a round and blow us all up!

{Vergil looks sad, and floats away.}

Dare: Eddie Buck, always thinking with his gun, you haven't changed one bit!

Buck: Me? What about you!? Oh, so full of big ONI secrets you couldn't even give a guy a yes or no answer!

Dare: That's not fair!

Buck: Oh, you got that right!

{The Rookie tries to motion to the two that Vergil is gone, but to no avail.}

Dare: I never thought I'd see you again!

Buck: Yeah... Well... Here I am!

{A cruiser jumps out of Slipspace attracting the attention of the squad.}

Dare: We need to move. Now. Were you too busy to plan our exit?

Buck: I stole a Phantom! Yes. Thank you. I hid it in the shipyards down the highway. {Looks toward nearby Warthog.} But I only have room for two. So that thing's gonna have to sit on your lap.

{Buck points to where Vergil was, then realises he is gone}

Dare: The Engineer, where did it go!?

''{Everyone looks around in panic, and then to the Oliphant next to them. The hatch opens, and Vergil's tentacle appears. Vergil sounds the horn twice. Dare runs up to the Oliphant.}''

Dare: Keep me covered. And try to keep up.

Buck: Take my advice, Rookie. If you ever fall for a woman, {Puts on his helmet} make sure she's got balls.

Gameplay
Buck: Take the wheel Rookie, I'll ride shotgun.

''{The Rookie gets in the Warthog. He drives ahead of the Oliphant.}''

Buck: Hey, uh, captain? Pick a lane.

Dare(a little irritated): It's a little crowded in here. The Engineer is doing something with the control circuits.

Dare: Hey! Watch were you put that.

''{The four run into a pack of Grunts. The Oliphant is crushing the cars.}''

Buck: Got to be kidding me!

Dare:I'm doing the best I can! Just stay out of our way!

''{They fight their way down the highway. Next to a locked door is a flipped Warthog.}''

Dare: Covenant must have shut these doors! Give the Engineer a second to override the lock!

{The Engineer opens the door after a few seconds.}

Dare: That it's! We're moving on.

''The door leads to a small checkpoint. A second door opens up back to the highway, where a group of Jackels fire on the group. As the Oliphant moves on, shields erupt on it.}''

Buck: Whoa! What just happened?

Dare: I think the Engineer found a way to extend it's shields. It sent a currency out the plating. I don't know how strong the shields are. Stay close.

''{Grunts and some Brutes protect the door up ahead, but the Rookie and Buck kill them. They head through the door.}''

Buck: Brake shop!

{The second door opens, revealing a lookout tower with a Grunt wielding a Fuel Rod Gun.}

Buck: Heads up, Banshees!

{A Covenant cruiser flies over them.}

Buck: Another cruiser!

Dare: They're all heading to the Slipspace crater, the Covenant dig site north of the city.

{A huge air force of Banshees are seen ahead, but they're too far to be much of a threat.}

Buck: Move! Move, move!

''{The Oliphant approaches the door, which opens. A whole swarm of Drones appear.}''

Buck: We got Drones inbound, Marine!

''{The Drones are defeated after a while. The door opens ahead. Lying on the highway is a piece of the Mombasa Space Elevator. A Covenant cruiser flies up ahead.}''

Buck: Reinforcements!

''{Two Wraiths and some Covenant infantry fill up the highway, but the group speed past them to the door. The small group of Jackels and a Brute are defeated. Next to the door is another Warthog. Phantoms drop off reinforcements and fly away. Another Covenant cruiser flies over them. A group of Ghosts crowd around a crashed Phantom. The group defeat them and head to the door.}''

Buck: Hey! Hold up. It's a Gauss 'Hog. Let's change vehicles.

Buck: Same deal, trooper: You drive. I shoot.

Buck: Concentrate on driving. I got this.

''{The door opens to reveal the next section of the highway. More Phantoms come. A huge group of Ghosts and Banshees come, but Buck easily takes them out. The door opens at the end. The next section has a Scarab in the distance, along with some Banshees.}''

Dare: Buck! Scarab!

Buck: I see it. Must've dropped out one of the cruisers. Just keep driving, it hasn't spotted us.

Third Cutscene
''{The Rookie secures the Phantom's landing zone. Dutch drops off from the dropship, and points at the Huragok.}}''

Dutch: That thing safe?

Buck: Long as it don't get hit!

''{The ground suddenly shakes as an Assault Carrier exits slipspace dangerously close to the surface. It begins charging its Energy Projector.}''

''{The Huragok sees the Assault Carrier, seems to panic, and refuses to move. Dare attemps to drag the Huragok to the Phantom.}''

Dare: Come on... dammit! Move!

Buck: Aw, nuts.

{Buck pushes the Huragok, until it and Dare are under the Phantom and pulled inside.}

Buck: What can I say? ... It was a hell of a night.

{The Assault Carrier begins glassing the area as the Phantom pulls out with everyone aboard.}

Final Cutscene
{Buck and the Rookie pull an injured Romeo from the Plasma cannon to the centre of the vessel.}

Buck: Easy does it.

Romeo: We went through hell for that?

Buck: Give him some meds, would ya?

Buck: It's important. It knows things.

{The Rookie gives Romeo an injection.}

Romeo: Heck Gunny, I wasn't talking about the alien.

Buck: Mickey? I'm sending you a very special co-pilot.

Mickey: Aw, come on! I don't want one of those things in here!

Buck: It won't bite. And unlike you, it knows what to tell those cruisers to keep 'em off our tail.

{Vergil floats to the controls.}

Dare: I think they're too busy to care.

{Dare walks to the side of the ship to watch the carriers burn the city.}

Dare: Looks like they found what they're looking for.

{Buck joins her.}

Buck: What about you? What about us?

{Dare holds Buck's hand.}

Dare: Win this war... then ask me that again.

''{The Phantom's sides close as it sets off for space, leaving multiple Covenant Assault Carriers and Battlecruisers to destroy the city. As the camera zooms out, it reveals the Covenant ships uncovering the Ark Portal.}''

Epilogue
''{Words read: "Epilogue" ONI orbital facility" One month after drop}''

{Veronica and a Marine walk down a passageway, the screen cuts the Marine's face from view.}

Dare: Lord Hood may have given you clearance, but it was my op, and it's my interrogation. We only captured one. It's very delicate.

{The Marine is revealed to be SgtMaj. Johnson.}

Johnson: Don't worry... I know what the aliens like.

''{Johnson presses the door lock, and the two walk into the interrogation room. In it, is Vergil. Buck's squad sit or stand nearby.}''

Johnson: It has access to the Covenant battle-net?

Dare: Limited, but yes. We're not entirely sure how it manages a remote connection to the w--

{Johnson throws a Cigar lighter to the Huragok, who catches it.}

{The Marines arm their weapons.}

Buck: Whoa, stand down! Stand down!

Dare: Sergeant Major, please! It's extremely flammable!

{Johnson walks right up to the Huragok.}

Johnson: The Brutes. The bastards who put bombs on your buddies and killed millions of my people... (grunt)

{Johnson sits down on a nearby crate.}

Johnson: ...They're digging a mighty big hole.

{Johnson puts a Cigar in his mouth.}

Johnson: You're gonna tell me exactly what they're looking for. And then, you're gonna help me stop 'em.

''{Easter egg: At this point, if the right thumbstick is held left, one can see Buck with a monkey which is sitting on a grating. Buck carefully picks something off the monkey (possibly a bug), and apparently proceeds to put it in his mouth.}''

{The Huragok lights Johnson's cigar, suggesting a deal.}

(Legendary-only scene)

''{In the Superintendent's underground data center, many Huragok begin looking around the area, as one looks behind to see the Prophet of Truth arriving from above, on his Gravity Throne. He examines the two Huragok behind him, who then leave. A large hole is shown, with a part of a Forerunner relic located underneath. Several Phantoms fly around in the area. The Prophet of Truth smiles and leaves. A Phantom is seen moving towards the structure.}''

Trivia

 * Completing this level on Normal or above unlocks the Coastal Highway achievement, as well as the map Last Exit on Firefight mode.
 * The Vidmaster Challenge: Deja Vu can be unlocked by beating this level on Legendary LIVE Co-op, with Iron Skull activated, with four players, and without Warthogs or Scorpions.
 * This level prominently features the Oliphant; the waste collection variant of the UNSC Elephant.
 * When viewing the level in Theater mode, you can see that the Scarabs are climbing out from underwater leaving some to believe that Scarabs can submerge underwater like a submarine.
 * The ONI orbital facility is actually the multiplayer level Orbital.
 * If the Oliphant is destroyed, a corpse will fall out bearing Dare's tag. Upon closer inspection however, the corpse is actually the Rookie's character model.
 * The AA Wraith in this level can be hijacked using the same glitch that allowed you to hijack them in Halo 3. Buck will say that he'll get in the AA Wraith's turret, but will continue on foot as if you were in a ghost. It is unknown if getting into the AA-Wraith will invalidate the Deja Vu achievement, though it would be advisable for the group to stick with the Mongooses and Rocket Launchers.
 * When the Phantom arrives after the final wave of enemies, it is worth noting that the ODST's manning the turrets are not Dutch and Romeo, but two Rookies and have two carbines
 * Throughout the level, several landmarks from previous missions can be seen, such as the smoking ONI Alpha Site and the bridge in Uplift Reserve that Dutch witnesses the collapse of the Space Elevator. These structures are best seen in Theatre mode.
 * In the beginning cutscene, where the Rookie is in the elevator with Dare and Vergil, Buck's Assault Rifle is missing the front barrel. This is seen when they are leaving the elevator, when the Assault Rifle is on Buck's back holster.
 * The quote where Johnson says "Don't worry... I know what the aliens like." is a tribute to Johnson's quote in the Halo 2 level Metropolis where he says "Oh, I know what the ladies like." as a reply to Cortana's remark about how John-117 never gives her gifts. It may also be a nod to the fact he had previously seen Engineers and even rounded them up in Halo: First Strike.