Raiders of the Story Ark
They called it the Ark of the Covenant.
Broek didn't get why. True, the Covenant guarded the Ark, but it wasn't theirs. They'd stolen it. Their Elites, their Grunts, their Jackals, all of their species whose proper names only half the people in the world seemed to know. They'd stolen it and left it under a giant hula hoop, previously above a giant hula hoop that was thought to be an ark, but was revealed to be a portal to the real ark, which managed to be less of a giant hula hoop and more of a giant star. Or something. Until that star was actually revealed to be the smaller star after some new company came along and screwed up all the lore.
Which Broek was fine with. Let the Covenant be demoralized, he thought. Let them fight for their hula hoops. Project Phoenix would be revived. So to that end, they advanced. Behind the walls lay the Story Ark. The means to revive Phoenix.
With a roar, the men charged. All taken from concept art, in their grim, dark armour that was not like anything out of Myth at all. No, really, it wasn't. It fit, Broek reflected, even as he cleaved an Elite in two. Myth was colourful. Oni was colourful. Halo was colourful until its last two games, and by that time its creators were moving on to seize their destiny in a world that was, again, bright and colourful. They were to be left in the dark. And only the story ark could rekindle their fire.
So the charge continued. More aliens fell to their blades. Boulders served through the air above, courtesy of trebuchets. Holes opened up in the wall, only to be repaired by pixelated figures.
Minecraft, Broek reflected. The usurpers have aided our enemy!
Well, let the block figures repair their blocks, he thought. It would avail them not. Their stubby hands couldn't work fast enough, and soon, the way lay open. Before them, was a chest. The design documents. The concept art. Broek and more of his men stormed through the breach. They came to a stop.
"At last," breathed J'Jona, a large, cat-like creature that Broek didn't know was meant to be his friend or enemy in his game's lore. "The Lost Ark. Finally, we can take our lore. Finally, we can take our-"
Click.
He stopped short. And Broek couldn't blame him. Not when a power armoured super soldier was walking towards them, gun pointed in their direction.
"Master Chief?" Broek asked.
"No, dumbass, do I look like him?" the man said, waving his oversized pistol at them. "I'm the guy from Marathon!"
"So…Master Chief in the future then?"
"No, it's a separate universe, I thought we established that," the Marathon guy said. A guy who Broek tried to remember the name of, but forgot.
"But anyway, this ark is mine," the Marathon Guy said, walking towards the giant chest as if he was the Doom Guy, only with a visor over his head. "Not yours."
"But why?" Broek asked. "You got a trilogy, didn't you? I-"
"Screw that, I'm getting a remake!" the Marathon Guy yelled. "I-"
Click.
He stopped short. Broek stared.
"Actually, that ark is mine," said another voice.
Now all eyes turned to the newcomer. A woman with guns, and a form-fitting skinsuit that was obviously meant to appeal to the male demographic. A girl he recognised as-
"Konoko?" he asked. "From Oni?"
"Oni?" the Marathon Guy asked. "Isn't that some naval intelligence group from-"
"Firstly, my name is Mai Hesagawa," she snapped. "Secondly, Oni was my game. Thirdly, the ark is mine! Because unlike you Mister Silent Protagonist that isn't really a character, I only got one game! And if this ark can give me the chance for another one, I'll take it!"
"But…but we haven't got ours yet…" J'Jona whimpered. "I know you haven't all been treated fairly, but-"
Konoko shot him.
Broek and his men recoiled in shock. In the space of that second, Marathon Guy had trained his gun on Konoko, a.k.a. Mai Hesagawa, a.k.a. Oni Girl. It was a Mexican Standoff, only with one group being without guns. Or a game. Or…or…
The hell?
And then it happened. With a "pop," a special forces guy appeared, stumbling towards the ark with only an assault rifle, stumbling every step of the way.
Pathways into Darkness Guy?
With another "pop" a giant bearded man with an even larger axe appeared. The Leveler, Broek realized, from Myth. And as a series of other pops followed, two giant sticks and a small ball appeared in the sky, playing a game of Gnop!
Broek sighed, and tightened the grip on his sword. It was going to be a long development cycle. Never-ending. Never ceasing. Never…never…never reaching…it…it…
"Broek!"
And he blinked. And felt his hair on the grass. J'Jona looked down on him.
"Wh…what?"
"Are you alright?" the cat-thing asked him.
Slowly, Broek got to his feet. His men looked around him. In silence. Silence that he realized extended all over the battlefield.
"Wh…what happened?" he murmured.
"You passed out," J'Jona answered. "We reached the Story Ark, and you passed out. Started mumbling things about marathons and onis."
"Ah, onis," said one of the soldiers. "Japanese demons. Nasty stuff."
Broek rubbed his head, and glanced at the ark, now with cheering men and women all around it.
"So, we've done it then," he murmured.
"Well, don't sound so happy," J'Jona exclaimed. "We've only been waiting for this for the better part of a decade.
Broek nodded. Yes. They had. As people would always wait for continuation of the series they loved. Or wonder what might have been. Or ask "what if?" in the tides of time.
Perhaps the Ark could save them. Perhaps not. But in a way, Broek found he didn't mind.
Knowing that he wasn't alone in yearning…that made all the difference.
A/N
So...Project Phoenix...
As snarky as this is, I'd like to clarify that this isn't a 'protest fic' (and I have indeed written such things in the past). Yes, Bungie canceled Phoenix for Halo but it's academic as to whether that might have been the right move or not (and let's face it, it's not a decision Bungie lost out on). I will admit to being a bit miffed at the direction Destiny's taken, that if Halo was "Marathon 2.0," then Destiny's certainly shaping up to be "Halo 2.0," while in the past, they at least staggered out their sci-fi universe releases with Myth and, while technically sci-fi also, Oni.
Still, what's done is done. All I can say for sure is that Phoenix had some kickass concept art, and in an ideal world, I'd love to see it released. But in the near certainty that day will never come to past, I can always doodle things like this.