Section I: Chapter I
The Arbiter was being flung viciously around. The life was slowly leaving his faint heart. His last words were, "There is no way you can win." Then, a grin appeared from his mandibles. A light as bright as the sun landed on Suto. It went inside him and he glowed. It was the Holy Light! The ground started to shake violently. The hard rock under Suto produced cracks, and caved in. Startled by the fall, Suto let go of the Arbiter. The ground closed and the Holy Light floated into the Arbiter's hands. A hologram appeared from the tip of the rock. A prophet was floating in the hologram. "By sacrificing your life for the Great Journey, you have been spared," It said, then vanished. The Arbiter paused, and then closed his hand on the Holy Light. He let loose a cry of pain. He loosened his grip, and let it fall on the ground. His hand was branded with the Blessed Mark, but purple blood seeped through the lines. He had broken his vow and loyalty to the Great Journey. He had the choice to follow what The Parasite said, or kill himself now. His decision was quick. With his next move, he grabbed the Holy Light and smashed it. He was wanted already so he did what he had to do.
John could do nothing. He was too weak to even notice what was going around. Cortana had enough power to send a message to Base 1. She sent, "Get Cryro-Tube 117 prepped and ready!" and then teleported John to Cryro-Tube 117. John couldn't see or feel anything. Before he lost sense of everything. Cortana said, "You're fine…"
Suto was enraged. He wasted all his strength trying to get out, that he started to weaken. He found strength to push himself out. When he was above ground, he snarled at the purple blood that smeared the ground. He ran after a shadow in the sky. It had some strange call that brought the entire flood after it. The shadow was one of a bird.
The Arbiter watched as the fleet of Banshees searched the sky. They formed parallel lines then broke into singles. Now-a-days the Covenant could never be careful. Suddenly, a siren went off. Red lights pulsed on and off. Elites in black clad armor approached the barbwire surrounding the base. It was time…
Section I: Chapter II
John woke from a 3-hour coma. He looked around and saw that he was alive. He noticed that his armor was still on. He heard a long hiss that echoed through his external speakers. He checked his biometer. It was a faint pulse, but good enough. He tried to move, then groaned. John still urged himself to climb out. He unlatched his helmet, and spit out a teal fluid. He regained his senses, and his skin was burning. He strode to his quarters, then stripped himself of his armor, leaving him in a t-shirt and sweatpants. He grabbed his armor and locked it in its case. He punched in the code to lock it, and then it clinked. John sat on his cot, for a few seconds. 'What the hell was that shadow,' John thought. He pondered over the subject for a few more seconds, and then stopped due to the intercom. "Massive Flood invasions in sector 5 and 6. All military personnel report to these sections immediately." As soon as that shut off, John grabbed his weapon, a standard M16, and left. In his Quarters, he left his armor. He was going into battle unprotected.
The Arbiter readied his 3.75 lb Plasma Rifle. Checking his invisibility function, he noticed a spark from the corner of his eye. Then, he looked around. All the elites were facing him. The only thing out of the ordinary was a cyborg was leading them. Wearing his Mjolnir Mark XII armor, crafted from pure evil, a red glow lit the creases of the pitch black armor. With one hand movement, all the elites charged towards the Arbiter. Overwhelmed and overpowered, the Arbiter could do nothing.
Will watched the elite army charge. His laugh was deep, His eyes, although not visible, were pitch red. They were cut in slants. His HUD flashed, and live video feed appeared. It was occupied by a black, with a tint of purple, beaker. It had an elite holding it. "We found it in the lab. May it be of use to you?" Will answered, "Make copies for future use. Send the original to me." "Immediately, sir!" The video snapped off. A few seconds later, the elite held it up to him. "The instructions say it will make the drinker 10x more powerful," the elite said. "Good, very good," Will growled.
Section I Chapter III
John appeared at the mid-sector of 5 and 6. Oddly, it was unusually quiet. "I swear, I thought flood—'' John stopped talking after he heard a sound. It came again, and someone said, "I don't feel safe, Chief." John turned around, but didn't see anybody. "Chief, we're hiding," someone whispered. John looked up and saw a load of marines hanging on the ceiling. "….What the hell are you hiding from? There are no dangers…" "Or are there?" Something hissed. "Damn, it's back!" a marine whispered. "What?" John looked around, backing up. John heard a hiss echoing around the room. "It's here, in this room! Jeez, if I live this through, it'd be a miracle," a recruit said. John set his hand on his M16, and jumped when his foot hit metal. In a flash, John saw his target. He didn't waste any time about aim, he just fired away. One problem, the bullets went right through the enemy. "Damnit!" John cursed, as he stopped firing. Weak as he was, John still looked for something to destroy it with. He quickly turned his flashlight on, and searched for another weapon. He found an Assault Rifle and spun around to face the enemy. It screamed and disappeared. Curious, John turned his light off, then paused. The light! John thought. He looked at the door to leave, and a nanosecond later, it blew open. An armada of Flood stood behind the door. It looked as if hell had brought itself up onto Halo.
Death, which was all the Arbiter could think of. His time was up on this dreaded planet. Flashbacks, none of which the Arbiter could recall. In fact, it didn't even look like anything he had went through. These weren't flashbacks. It was the distant future. Fire and smoke filled the atmosphere. A being and another being stood on a hill. Both of which looked familiar. One shaped like a human, one of an elite. It suddenly disappeared. He woke up in the battlefield. He had won, he just didn't know how.
Suto followed the bird, then into a portal. He fell on the cold ground. Slowly, he looked up. A crack appeared in the sky, then it fell. The world fell apart. Suto frantically looked around. He had no air, and died in space. It was all over for Suto…
Section II Chapter IV
Will grasped the beaker, snapped off his helmet, which revealed a tan face with dirty blonde hair down to his eyebrows. Will downed the liquid without and doubt. His eyes widened. He dropped the beaker and floated in the air. A tint of red surrounded his whole body. Over time, it got brighter. Then, then ground started to quiver as Will touched the ground. When he was completely on the ground, the ground spit gigantic flames out for a few seconds. After it was over, the elite that had given Will the beaker, was Will's new punching bag. With nothing but a punch, the elite flew about 274 meters. Will ran to the base at a burst of 40 MPH. When he reached the base's lab, he got a blood sample from himself, and inserted it into the Defragmentator. It read, "150 Strength and Speed, 50 Intelligence." Will then went to rest.
Back on Earth, a man the age of 21 walked on the grass. He had blonde hair, blue eyes. Light tan skin, and was irregularly short. He was a technician, and a professor at the ROTC academy. He taught how to become in the UNSC. His name was Mitch.
The Arbiter scanned the destroyed battlefield. He was puzzled by what has just happened, but banished the thought. He walked slowly down the burnt hill he stood upon. There were no dead bodies, and no live ones. He was by himself. He walked over to a buzzing walkie-talkie, and pressed the Talk button and said, "Hello?" No reply. Instead, the Arbiter disappeared into thin air.
Mitch gazed into his Personal Computers screen. He was researching training tips. He pressed the intercom button and punched in the number 018743219. He called Zakk, who was 17. Immediately after, Zakk reported to Mitch, saluting once he stopped. "What did you want?" "Zakk, I" "Mitch! I need to show you something!" Rachael said. Rachael had blonde hair down to her shoulders, teal eyes, and light tan skin. She wore a white lab coat with a red splat on the middle area. She grabbed Mitch by the arm and brutally yanked him into her room. Inside was a red portal. "Sensors indicate a new world!" Rachael gasped. Zakk went in the doorway, and the portal sucked Zakk, Rachael, and Mitch in.
Sector II Chapter V
John was taken aback by the sudden army. "Just more enemies to sweep up," he grunted. The first little infection pod moved towards John. Then, they all started to move. After hours of brutal fighting, John began to realize that there were more then he thought. He pulled the trigger to activate his gun, and the counter read 00. They started to overwhelm John, and when he was completely covered, Zack came down and started to kill the different flood. When they were all gone, Zack disappeared as he usually did. John sighed and left.
Mitch, Zakk, and Rachael spun in total zero-G environment. Moments later, they fell on the hard ground. Mitch looked around, and then felt a hot sensation. A silver beam sliced right past his face. Rachael looked behind her, and gasped. She saw 40 foot tripod's with flexible legs. It looked like one of the creatures off of War of the Worlds. Zakk looked at the tripods, and gasped in awe. He took out his Brute Shot, and started launching grenades at the tripods. There was one flaw. They had shields. They bounced back at Zakk. They exploded in mid-flight. Zakk charged towards the tripods. But Mitch stopped him. "Zakk! What the hell are you doing? You could get yourself killed, Damnit!" Mitch shouted. "I remember these, they destroyed my hometown," Zakk said. Again, the silver beam sliced past them. "Wouldn't you have learned from that? They have shields!" Mitch replied. "Uh, guys? Look!" Rachael pointed at a tripod, and it shot the beam right at Zakk's arm. It disintegrated. Mitch grabbed Zakk and Rachael, and ran. The heat ray shot again. This time, it skimmed across Mitch's head. But it wasn't the heat rat. Mitch was picked up by a writhing tentacle, and thrown into a cage. "Run! I'll get out soon!" Mitch yelled to Zakk and Rachael. A fog horn was heard, and Mitch was sucked into a red room. Covered In blood.
The Arbiter was falling in weird symbols. He landed on the grounds of New York City. A tripod walked by the Arbiter. It raised a sharp tentacle, and poked the Arbiter. It sucked the blood out. The Arbiter lay motionless. He was dead. Or was he?
Section II Chapter VI
John was walking by the bases main control panel. A warning siren pulsed slightly. He touched the screen, and then a live video feed appeared. It showed a boy and a girl running. It changed from that, to a menacing tripod with 5 writhing tentacles and two with claws. The claws would shoot out a silver beam every now and then. "I've got to help them," John said. "Not so fast," a voice said. John turned around and saw a Spartan in a black suit.
Mitch examined the room. "This is weird, there is blood, but no doors or signs pf weaponry," he said to himself. A red light pulsed on and off. On and off. Then, another tentacle came out and wrapped itself around Mitch's legs. It pulled him up with amazing speed. He had little time. At the correct moment, he would have to put all his strength to yank the tentacle off. He was almost at the moment. But, his calculations were slightly off. Frantically, he searched for something to grab on. He felt a sudden pump of adrenaline, and rocketed himself out. He slammed the tentacle against the wall, and a hole appeared in the wall. Mitch didn't even worry about how high he was, he just jumped.
Rachael and Zakk ran. Many tripods were behind them now. Every other second, a heat ray would shoot out. "Zakk, Go behind that building!" Rachael ordered him. He did as he was told, and Mitch landed right in front of him.
Mitch ran past Zakk without even talking to him. "Rachael, are you alright?" Mitch asked. "Yes, but we need to bring Zakk to a medical station ASAP!" Rachael stated. "I think they're all destroyed," Mitch said. Zakk walked over to them. "Sorry to be the breaker of this convo, but look, there's like seven tri's behind us!" Zakk said. "Ahhhh!" they all yelled. One, the largest, picked them all up, and threw them in a dark and cold chamber. The small echo of footsteps rang in their ears. Out of the darkness, a figure stepped out. The figure flipped the light switch and revealed a short scientist in black robes.
Section III Chapter VII
Will said," Not so fast," and stepped towards John. "Outta my way," John angrily said. "No," Will said, and swiped a kick at John's chest. He flew and hit the wall. "I have to help these people," John said. "What?" Will asked, and looked at the screen. Slowly, he whispered," Mitch." "Sorry, I know him, let's help them," Will said. "Fine, let me grab my suit first," John said. They ran down the hall and John grabbed his suit and slipped it on. They got in a pelican and rode to that location.
"Haha fools," the figure said. "I am Jaired Fidelio," the figure said. "Why do you want us?" Mitch asked. "I don't want you, I want that amulet," Jaired ordered. He pointed to the sapphire necklace on Rachael's neck. "No! My grandmother gave it to me before she passed away!" Rachael cried. Jaired stared at the necklace, then spotted Zakk creeping away. Then, a bunch of wires strapped Zakk to the wall. "What the?" Zakk said startled. "I see your arm is gone, are you in need for a new one?" Jaired snickered. "Yea but…" "Ah, shut up! I can get you one," Jaired said. He snapped his fingers and Zakk's old arm appeared. "What did you" Zakk sputtered. "Now, for the amulet," Jaired said. It started to pull off of Rachael's neck. "No! I won't let you!" Mitch shouted. He tackled Jaired. The pulling stopped. "Ah! Get the hell off me!" Jaired shouted. The room started to tip. They rolled to the lower side. "What the hell are you? You're not Jaired. I know him! Where is he?" Mitch said as he threw a punch at Jaired's face. His fist went right through his head. Mitch got electrocuted and saw wires and circuits in the head. An invisible wall opened, and the Real Jaired walked out. The room started to collapse and a hole appeared in the machine's hull. Jaired ran to the group. They all jumped at the same time. They fell a good 30 or so feet until they landed on the pelican. They all climbed in the back, and the door shut. The air locks sealed, and they sped into slip space. "Likewise, these things, these horrid tings, what are they?" John asked. "I don't know, they rose up and out of the ground. Then started torching people," Mitch explained. "Well, they're invading Earth, so I guess we have to stop them," Will said. It all seemed slow once he had said that. A hole was blasted in the hull. They all fell into an abandoned house.
Section III Chapter VIII
The group was blasted and they all fell in an abandoned house. It took them about an hour to recalibrate. The time was 22:42 hours. Mitch looked out the window, and gasped. He saw a land covered in red weed. It was starting to grow in the window. He looked at his hands and shivered. It was covered in blood. Human blood. Mitch walked towards John and asked, "What happened?" "I don't know, but we'd be better off staying here," John replied. A distant thump could be heard off the south. Eventually, it got louder. A few minutes later, it seemed as if it was right over their heads. The fog horn blew. "Everybody duck!" Will shouted. The heat ray shot at the ruins. "In here!" Zakk said. As he said that, it shot him. He disappeared into thin air. Everyone climbed into the basement. The noise ceased. "Listen, it stopped," Mitch said. "We're gonna die, I just know it!" Jaired complained. "Will you shut up and listen?" Mitch shouted. A few bricks fell. Something attached to a thick wire came down. It looked like a mechanic eye. It had two arrow ( ) lights at the left and right ends. It searched the room. Everyone scattered. It was so close to Rachael that it almost touched her. Jaired ran to the stairs, but was caught by the eye. A tentacle came down and grabbed him. It threw him in a cage with a bunch of people. Will found an axe, and raised it to cut the eye off the wire. John gestured for him not to do it. He set it down. He raised it up again. "No!" John whispered. Will slid under the wire and to John. He got up, and smashed a glass object. The eye retracted and John, Mitch, and Will ran. It searched some more. It finally decided that nothing was alive there. Mitch sighed. They all rested, and then Rachael opened her eyes. "Ahhhh!" she screamed. John and Mitch woke up. Mitch grabbed the axe while John held it down. Mitch swung at the wire, and cut it off. It went back up, and Rachael screamed again. Mitch, John, and Will sped up the stairs. They opened the door and gasped. What they saw scarred their lives for as long as they lived. An open field and farmhouse was there. Something was wrong. They were both covered in blood weeds.
Section III Chapter IX
Rachael ran. Carefully avoiding the weed she found a hill. Maybe civilization rests behind it, she thought. She reached the top and gasped. A barren wasteland was all red. She ran down the hill. She stopped and looked up. A tripod bent down to her height. It gazed into her eyes. Mitch, John, and Will approached the tripod. A wiry tentacle snatched her up. She was throws into a cage. As she was, the fog horn blew, and something came down through the top. It was yet another wire. It searched for a victim. It grabbed Jaired. "What? NO! NO!" Jaired yelled. He was thrown onto the ground and the wire punctured a hole in his heart. It sucked the blood out of him.
"Where'd she go?" Mitch asked. "I don't know!" Will said. "Wait, she's up there!" John protested. "Hey, over here!" Mitch yelled. He grabbed a grenade from John's belt. He threw it at the tripod. It blew up at the force field. It looked at the trio, and grabbed them. They were hurled into the cage. They covered Rachael so the wire wouldn't see her. The fog horn blew, and the wire came down. It found John, and he said, "Don't worry, just wait." With that, he was thrown on the ground. This time however, it threw him in the main body. A few moments later, it blew up. The cages broke and fell. The mighty tripod fell. Mitch ran to it, and went inside. He saw John. He was on the ground. Mitch shook him, but he wouldn't wake. Mitch closed his eyes. John started to stir. He got up and said, "It's all you, I have to get back to the UNSC, here." He gave Mitch a big container. Inside contained a Mjolnir Mark VII armor set. "Use it wisely," John said. He teleported away. He quickly slipped the suit on, and felt different. He ran out and said, "We have to get out of here. We can worry about the tri's later." They all searched for a vehicle. Rachael found a pelican. Everyone hopped in. Will sat in the passenger's seat while Mitch sat in the driver's seat. "Wait do you know how to drive this?" Will asked. "Nope," Mitch said as he checked to make sure everyone was buckled in. "I have no clue," he grinned.
Section III Chapter X
The pelican shot forward. It crashed through a few buildings before Mitch regained control. He flew it to the atmosphere. He burst through the Troposphere, Then the Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, and finally, the Exosphere. Suddenly, the ship jerked to a stop. "What just happened?" Rachael asked. "Dunno, out of fuel?" Mitch guessed. Will looked at the panel. "You didn't shift gears, retard," Will stated. Mitch let Will drive. They stayed in the blackness of space for a bit. Mitch noticed that Rachael looked as if she was about to pass out. He himself felt funny. He checked his biometers. There was limited oxygen! Quickly, Mitch alerted Will. They searched for a breathing apparatus. They found one, and gave it to Rachael. Mitch looked at the panel for anything wrong. "Will, I'll be right back," Mitch said. He went down to the cockpit. The air seal was broken. He reached for it, but felt queasy. He urged himself to close it. He came so close, but the seal fully broke, and Mitch was sucked into the blackness of space. He looked at the pelican. "Will! Turn around!" Mitch said into the COM channel 4. The pelican turned around. Mitch started to move towards the pelican, but was being pulled backwards. He and the pelican were being sucked into a black hole! As he got closer, Mitch calmed down. As he knew, a black hole spits the items not too far from each other. Still, he tried to get in the pelican. He grabbed on, and the black hole sucked and spit them out. Mitch climbed in, and completely sealed the air lock. Mitch looked at Rachael. She was fine. He looked at Will. His head lay on the panel. Mitch picked him up, and put him in the passenger's seat. "Where are we?" Rachael asked. "Don't know, maybe a little outside the Halo Universe?" Will woke up. "Where are grunt we?" he asked. "Yet again, a little outside the Halo Universe." Will set his head back down. He started to feel weaker. The mixture must be wearing off, Will thought. "Everybody strap in," Mitch announced. Rachael and Will buckled themselves. Mitch did so himself. He grabbed the wheel, and stepped on the exhaust pedal. They moved, but saw no clues of it. By a miraculous chance, a Covenant flagship pulled up right behind them, "Uh-oh." Rachael groaned as she looked behind. Mitch and Will looked. Mitch looked at a big red button. "What does it do?" Rachael asked. "I don't know, but we're going to find out!" Mitch yelled. He pushed it, and a wormhole appeared. They shot through, leading them into an unknown land. What they didn't know was that it was in the middle of a covenant battlefield!