January 1, 2543

Leo stared straight ahead, he feat placed at approximately 45 degrees apart, his hands cupped at the seams of his pants. A man in a decorated uniform entered the room and looked at Leo, slightly intimidated by the SPARTAN's sheer size.

Standing at 7ft even, Leo was a tall and muscular man. His black hair was cut close to his head, and several small scars appeared on his face, though not detrimental to his handsome face. Leo's bright blue eyes bore into the wall ahead of him as the officer approached and stood in front of Leo, who snapped a salute.

"At ease, soldier." The officer said. Leo moved his left foot out and placed his hands behind his back, waiting for the man to speak again.

"Leo –A219.. You're a fine soldier, you know that? Speak freely, son."

"I just do my duty, sir." Leo responded, his eyes still glued to the wall ahead. The officer nodded respectively and turned, walking over to a window placed on his right. Outside, a storm was brewing. Dark clouds dotted the sky, casting a moody setting on the landscape.

"Your being assigned to Zulu team, Leo. A special-ops reconnaissance force. You'll be participating in search and destroy, recon, and infiltration missions." The man spoke. Leo's eyes didn't move as he took this in. He was already more than prepared to get into action, seeing as he'd been cooped up for a while now.

"Your gonna need to be prepared for placement by 0500 hours tomorrow. Understand, Spartan?" The officer asked, walking back over to Leo.

"Affirmitive, sir. I'll be ready." Leo replied.

"Glad to hear it. You've done me proud, soldier." The man said, extending a hand out to Leo. The Spartan grabbed the hand and shook it, and was met by a generous smile from the officer. Leo returned this smile before letting go of the hand and throwing up a salute.

The officer sighed, returning the gesture. He turned and walked for the door. Just before the door slid open, the man looked over his shoulder and said his last words to the Spartan.

"Good luck."