Prologue

August 30th 2552, Reach 18:08 hours

"James, James we have to leave", yelled Rodey from the smoking door way.

"…a few more seconds"

"James!", shouted Rodey as he tackled James.

"What was that for! I was about to-" stopping as he looked at the twisted metal beam embedded in the floor were he was standing three seconds earlier.

"Sorry, but we have to leave, intelligence says a Covenant carrier is aiming its cleansing beam at this facility, we have five minutes tops till it fires."

Pushing himself off the floor, "I know, I know," mumbled James.

Rodey threw his hands up, "Then why are you staying!"

"To finish this," pointing to a cryo-chamber.

Rodey frowned, " What's in there that's so important that it means risking your life?"

James open the cryo-chamber's door reveling a ladder and started to clime down, "You cumin' or not?" Rodey just shook his head and followed James down the ladder.

Once at the bottom, "Hmm, were is that light switch? Ah, here it is." Rodey heard a click and the lights came on reveling a large lab.

"What is this?"

"Normaly, if I told you, I'd have to kill you," Rodey gave him a odd look, "but seeing how this place is about to be blown to bits in about four minutes, I guess it really doesn't matter."

"So, what is this place?" asked Rodey as he examined the room.

"This is the birth place of the Beta Spartans or better known as Spartan V's…" said James.

"Wait, I thought we only had Spartan III?"

"We did," replied James, "but a Spartan IV project is already underway so these became Spartan V's"

"We'll you didn't get very far with it anyway," stated Rodey as he pick up what looked like a Spartan II helmet.

"Oh, did we?" said James as he flipped a switch, opening a blast door.

Rodey raised an eyebrow an walked in.

"W_Who is he?" asked Rodey as he starred in awe at the figure in the cryo-chamber.

"That Rodey, is Spartan 077, or Ben as we like to call him, the first and only Spartan V"

A blast shook the building, "James, I think we'd better leave" said Rodey as started to climb up the ladder.

James sighed, "Alright," he was about to hit the switch that would close the blast doors then a thought struck him. He rushed to the cryo-chamber and franticly pushed buttons, setting a timer.

"I might not see in action my friend," said James as he closed the blast doors, "but the Covenant will…"