Prologue
Chief...Chief, can you hear me?
Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN John-117 shifted in his cryo-tube as a memory washed over him.
I thought I'd lost you, too.
Why was he remembering? He couldn't be...when one went into cryo-sleep, they didn't think...they didn't age...they didn't do anything.
What happened?
I'm not sure. When Halo fired, it shook itself to pieces. Did a number on the Ark. The Portal couldn't sustain itself. We made it through just as it collapsed.
Chief tried to open his eyes, but they wouldn't. That's when he noticed that something had him pinned.
Well, some of us made it.
But if he could feel, it meant that he was awake. Good; that meant he wasn't dead yet.
But you did it. Truth and the Covenant...the Flood...it's finished.
It's finished.
But what had him pinned? It felt metal and yet fleshy at the same time.
I'll drop a beacon...but it'll be a while before anyone finds us. Years, even.
John reached up and, using the strength of his MJONIR armor, he shoved off the object and finally managed to open his eyes. As his armor went through a routine check-up, John looked up and saw the metal of the Forward Unto Dawn twisted and ruined.
I'll miss you.
Wake me...when you need me.
Oh yes, and the metal was covered with Flood biomass.
Well, this is the Prologue of Hero's Return, a Halo fanfic I have planned for months. This basically depicts the continued adventures of the Master Chief after Halo 3. Orignally I intended this to be called Past and Present, but Hero's Return seemed better. I know this isn't much for a prologue, but, well, it's way better than the one I had originally intended.