Author's note: I have not attempted to write anything in a very long time. I know I have several things out there that are unfinished and in need of my attention and I apologize if any of you still care. This fic is my attempt to try and get back into writing. There will be errors and there will be mistakes…I will try and fix them. And I will try to keep this coming. That said..here you are…

The Reclaimer Legacy

By: BrokenPoet12

Rating: T for now

Synopsis: "Gasping as air rushed back to him, he fought the blackness of his vision and tried to focus on the soft footfalls approaching him. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a face that was more familiar to him than his own. Impossibly so."

Part 1

The whispering started after a bad fall. One of many. He'd had to open the drop-pod a thousand feet up and abandon it because of the intense anti-air fire. He had landed with a sickening thud, leaving an impact crater several meters deep and shorting out his armor's power system in the process. It was her voice that brought him back to consciousness. As he shook his head to try and clear away the constant ringing, he heard it only faintly at first.

'Re…claim…er'

The Chief shook it off as his vision cleared and the muffled screams of dying Marines and Covenant alike filled his ears. There was a battle to fight. Rising, he quickly rebooted his systems and joined the fray. Arriving too late to save several soldiers pinned down by Jackals, he frowned behind his visor and surveyed the scene before him. Wasted lives for a waste of time. But he had his orders and he would follow them. Shaking his head he turned, only to be thrown aside by an intense green flash of light and heat and pressure.

'Re..claimer….'

'Re…claim…er'

'…..re..claim…..her'

His head slammed into the back of his helmet and his vision went black. Groaning quietly the Chief tried to regain control of his muscles and stand to face whatever had taken him by surprise. This time the voice was loud and he knew it to be different than the sounds on the fighting fields around him.

'John…I need you to get up. Please.'

"Cor…Cortana?" He whispered, trying to find footing as he heaved the weight of the MJOLNR armor up and scanned the area. He heard the distinctive whine of several fuel rod cannons re-charging and the heavy steps of a Hunter pair circling the forest around him. The armor on his chest was blackened by the blast and he felt a sharp pain that told of bruised muscle and broken bone. He ignored it. The voice he would know anywhere…her voice…he had heard it. Then, without warning the trees around him exploded in a hellish volley of fire and energy as the enemy troops opened up.

He was moving a split second before the first wave of plasma scorched the place he had been standing. Barreling underneath a barrage of green from several Grunts hidden in the tree line the Chief reached for a grenade at his waist. With one quick motion he pulled the pin, primed it and let it fly. Several seconds later there was a satisfying 'whump' and the screams of several dying Grunts. The grenade sparked off several of their methane tanks, causing a rippling explosion that engulfed a hidden Shade turret. By the time the flame and dirt had settled, tracers of plasma were stitching towards him. The eerie blue glow of a primed plasma grenade flew just over his shoulder and fell. It ignited as his feet left the ground. Using a fallen log as a step, the Chief launched himself through the foliage and came down behind a line of Grunts and Jackals. The barking and baying of the Grunts rose in panic as they realized he was in their midst. The lead Jackal shoved one of the smaller species aside and pointed, screeching as he did. The Chief's translation software had no trouble with the alien language.

"Kill him you fools or I will feed you to my kin and the Sanghelli will destroy your families."

Without waiting, the Chief pulled his pistol from his side and started firing. The Grunts and Jackals fell one by one. The last few standing took cover behind portable shield generators and started throwing grenades. One of the last few Grunts came running at him, plasma grenades in each hand and hurling threats and insults at him. Sidestepping the Unggoy, the Chief dove to his left and fired behind him as he fell. The rounds tore through the Grunt's midsection and he dropped the grenades at his feet, where they exploded a few seconds later.

"Kill him now! He can not get through! The Diadact's Hand will kill us all."

The heavy steps of the Hunters rumbled the ground beneath him as he rose. He could feel them approaching through the trees, their bulk hidden still. The whine of the fuel rod cannons began again, getting higher as they drew near. He drew his assault rifle, checked that it was chambered and began to move forward. But a voice stopped him again.

"Do not move Reclaimer. Wait until the moment is right."

Startled, he dropped to his knee and looked around. A quick scan via motion tracker showed four large forms approaching him from the West and a group of smaller red dots to his left and in front of him. Tentatively he keyed his comms and spoke,

"Identify yourself immediately."

The Hunters were drawing closer; an arc of superheated green plasma flew over and behind him. Landing in the brush twenty meters away and igniting it. He stood to move again when something stopped him. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand, even under the armor. Something held him. Without warning his heads up display went to static. All of his status indicators redlined as a wave of energy washed over him. Static crackled against the shields in his armor and he could feel it in his muscles as it seemed to grow stronger. Distantly he heard the howls and screams of the Covenant troops, but found he couldn't focus. His vision darkened along with all of his systems and it felt as if a giant hand was shoving him to the ground. Grunting with the effort, the Master Chief was forced to his knees again. Trying to keep his assault rifle up and level, he gritted his teeth and scanned for threats. Then his helmet went dark as his armor systems shut down completely.

"Identify yourself!"

Blind, and with the energy anomaly spiking, the Chief managed to raise a hand to his helmet, and release the safety interlocks. Taking a deep breath, he shoved it up and off of his head, blinked to clear his vision, and tried to open his eyes. When he did, the energy around him spiked and he yelled despite himself. His rifle fell to the ground useless and forgotten and he collapsed to his hands and knees. His head began to ache and his ears were filled with a dull roar as the noise around him seemed to peak.

"This is CTN…AI…UNSC….Reclaimer…Reclaimer."

"StopitStopitStopitStopit.'

"You're going to kill him."

"Reclaimer…Re…claim…Her"

"John!"

The noise was all he knew and it overwhelmed him. Collapsing down to his stomach, he tried to reach his assault rifle one last time. It was useless. Under the weight of some unknown force, Spartan 117 was helpless. And for the first time in a long time, he felt fear. One of those voices, so quiet in the overwhelming sound and clamor of the others was familiar to him. And it made something deep inside of his body ache to hear it. With his last ounce of strength, he opened his eyes. A strange blue light was all around him and all of the violence and noise suddenly ceased. Gasping as air rushed back to him, he fought the blackness of his vision and tried to focus on the soft footfalls approaching him. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a face that was more familiar to him than his own. Impossibly so.

"Cortana…"

X

So there you be. I haven't written in a very long time and this is my first foray. I cannot guarantee it will be updated regularly, but I will try. I really do want to start getting back into writing and I wanted to see if this was the way to do it.

Reviews are appreciated. See you next time!