The year is 3255. The very fabric of reality is tearing and nobody has a way to stop it...
The Council of Preservation has fallen, the Corruption, tore it asunder long ago...
Now, the fate of everything rests in the hands of one young Life Preserver, obsessed over a fool's gambit, that he believes could save it all. Now, an hour from the start of his plan, he hopes to be able to halt the progress of the corruption, and maybe reverse it, but only the few people he has selected can do it.
That's if they agree to help...
-3255 Aboard the Surveyor class Preservation vessel, Sanctuary-
A lone man stood on a catwalk overlooking a large, metal, ring-shaped object. It had wires, hoses, and many different colored lights attached to it, as well as a few nearby liquid nitrogen tanks connected to it. The lights were red and steam was flowing out of a few places as it awaited its activation. The man was dressed in a dark brown, leather trench-coat with a yellow backpack slung across his back by a single thick strap, with a few odd tools hanging off of it. Under his coat was a matching pair of blue sweatpants and a blue tank top. A design of a double helix with a shield behind it was emblazoned on his shirt, and he also sported a pair of welding goggles atop his fiery red spiky cropped hair. The man sighed as he looked as his work, his topaz colored eyes full of sadness and regret, with a touch of hope.
"Something the matter, Dr. Flaine?" A voice called from his left.
The man turned to see a hologram of a young boy dressed in a simple black pair of shorts and a green t-shirt. The boy was smiling, though he looked concerned. Dr. Flaine grinned at the boy and shook his head.
"No, Drake. I'm fine..." In reality, Flaine was far from 'fine.' He was terrified. Terrified of what the future could hold for the Universe if he was unable to pull off his plan. Over the last 500 years the very fabric of reality had begun to break down. An enemy of all life, known only as The Corruption, had torn holes in hundreds of dimensions, causing them to eventually collapse and disappear. The Corruption would creep in like a shadow, slowly eating away at time and all matter within, until eventually the dimension it had invaded was unable to remain stable, then it would flee unnoticed and watch as the dimension's inhabitants were snuffed out as everything withing was turned into a massive vacuum that sucked in everything.
This had been how the Council of Preservation was formed. With the hope of saving as many as possible and sending them to new dimension to call home as they fought The Corruption. It was not to last however. Eventually, about 200 years ago, The Corruption had wormed its way to the dimension that the Council called home. It wasn't long after that it too disappeared completely. A few council members were able to escape and hide, Dr. Flaine being one of them, but for the most part, everything had been destroyed. Over the last 100 years, the young Doctor had spent an immeasurable amount of time working on a project that he hoped could work together to stop the end.
Now, it was time for that plan to be put into action. Minutes away from the activation of the 'Dimension Skipper,' as Flaine had called it, he was getting nervous. If he failed, then everything would be lost. Nothing would be able to stop The Corruption from destroying it all...
No pressure.
Dr. Flaine smiled as he looked at his AI friend. Drake had been with him for the last 50 years, helping him finalize the construction of the Jumper and overseeing the final preparations for the day when Flaine would enact his plan. Though at first, Drake was more than skeptical about the whole idea, he eventually gave in and assisted Flaine. While Flaine knew that his plan was a long shot, hell even insane, he had no other options. Every other plan he had come up with to stop the Corruption had proven a failure, leaving him to do the one thing a Life Preserver was told to never do under any circumstance, which was jumping between the dimensional barrier. He knew the risks, but he also knew that if he didn't the Corruption would end it all.
"Dr. Flaine? The Jumper is ready for activation." Drake said as he took a few steps closer to the man.
Flaine shook himself from his thoughts and looked down at Drake. "Okay then. Start the sequence," He began walking away to prepare, but stopped quickly and turned back to the AI. "And please make sure you have the coordinates set correctly this time. I don't want a repeat of what happened to the apple we sent through during testing."
Drake sighed and crossed his arms as he glared at Flaine. "That was one time. How was I supposed to know it would be sent back like that?"
"Regardless, I don't want to come back a burnt, smoldering pile of ash." Flaine said as he walked away.
Drake grumbled and pulled up a holographic display as he activated the Jumper. "Might do your brain some good..." he said under his breath.
It was a few minutes later when Flaine was down on the floor where the Jumper sat. The steam had intensified and the lights were now green. The ring was filled by a green wall of energy as it sat, ready for Flaine to cross it's threshold.
"Okay Doctor. Coordinates are set and the exit space is confirmed. Ready when you are!" Drake said over the ship's intercom.
Flaine, now dressed in a bright red EVA suit, complete with a bubble helmet, turned and gave Drake a thumbs up. "Copy that, buddy." He turned back to the Jumper and breathed out slowly as he walked closer. "I'll contact you when I'm ready. Keep the ship warmed up and ready for when I get back, this first one might freak out a bit."
Drake silently nodded as Flaine walked into the portal, then frowned when the Jumper automatically turned off. "Good luck, sir." he said with a sigh.
-December 11, 2552/ Rear Half Of FFG-201 Forward Unto Dawn-
"Chief? Can you hear me?"
The Master Chief shook his head. The last thing he remembered was escaping onto the Forward Unto Dawn with the Arbiter and then flying towards the portal to Earth. Then everything had gone white. He reached his hand up and clicked on his helmet's flashlight.
Cortana, his AI companion, that rested within his suit of MJOLNIR armor, breathed a sigh of relief as he moved to look at a large hole in the hallway they floated in.
"I thought I'd lost you too..." She says to the man.
The Master Chief moved himself along towards his assault rifle and holstered it across his back. He blinked a few times as he shook of the headache that was forming as he drifted to the end of the hallway.
"What happened?"
"I'm not sure. When Halo fired, it shook itself to pieces. Did a number on the Ark. The portal couldn't sustain itself, we made it through just as it collapsed..." She trailed off as the Master Chief reached the end of the hall. He looked out to the black of space as he realized the ship was sheared completely in half, some of the deck plating still red hot from the sudden collapse of the slipspace portal. The Chief sighed as he stared out, knowing what that meant: they were stranded.
"Well... some of us made it," Cortana said grimly, finishing her thought.
The Chief turned and continued drifting down the halls of the ship, following the signs on the walls as he floated. He eventually found a cryo bay and made his way inside.
"But you did it. Truth and the Covenant, the Flood..."
The Chief pulled Cortana's AI chip out from the back of his helmet and plugged it into a holotank that sat in the middle of the room. The tank lit up as Cortana's avatar was projected onto it, flickering slightly at the low power in the ship. She smiled at the Spartan and held her hands together in front of her.
"It's finished."
The Spartan clicked off his flashlight and nodded. "It's finished," he agreed. He turned and floated over to a cryo tube, placing his weapon in a racket on the wall and opened the tube.
"I'll drop a beacon. But it'll be a while before anyone finds us." Cortana frowned at that and looked down towards the floor. "Years even..."
"I'm afraid you won't have to wait long."
The Master Chief quickly sprung into a flurry of movement at the new voice. Grabbing his assault rifle, he clicked off the safety and aimed it towards where the voice had come from. Behind the holotank was a man wearing what looked like a red spacesuit, he leaned against another cryo tube in the back of the room and was smiling.
"Who are you?" the Chief barked as his magnetic strips in his boots were turned on. His feet slammed into the deck and he made his way over to Cortana. Watching the man intently, he grabbed the AI chip and plugged it back into his helmet and turned his light back on to look at the man.
"Relax, soldier. I mean you no harm," the man said as he stood up straight and raised his hands. "My name is Dr. Martin Flaine, and I have a proposition for you."
Cortana stared at the man through the camera in the Master Chief's helmet and frowned. She hadn't detected the man at all when they entered the room. He had somehow got into the ship completely unnoticed, without being detected by the motion tracker in the Chief's armor. He looked harmless, with no visible weapons on his person, though she still was nervous. She decided to trust the man and spoke to the Chief privately.
"John, lower your gun. I think he's safe."
The Master Chief's eyebrow raised in suspicion at the idea, but he decided to listen to his friend. He lowered his rifle, but continued glaring at the man behind his visor.
"How did you get here?" The Chief asked.
The man chuckled and grinned. "Well that, hmph, is a secret. But know this 117, that I can help you get home."
The Chief flinched at the mention of his Spartan number. How did this man know him? He knew that he had never met him, though it was obvious that he knew the Chief. "How do you know that number?" John asked angrily.
"There are a lot of things I know, 117. For example, I know about Halo, The Ark, The Flood." He paused and pointed to his own head, tapping on his helmet a few times. "And I know about you, Cortana. There's no need to hide, I'm here to help, truly I am."
At this point, both Cortana and the Chief were dumbfounded. The Chief was quiet, though Cortana was very curious and decided to voice her concerns. "Alright then, why should we trust you?"
"Because, I'm the only person capable of getting you to Earth before you rampancy sets in, my dear."
Cortana froze. She knew that Rampancy was inescapable. All 'Smart' AI's went through it. As she thought about it, she realized that within just 3 years it would start to affect her, starting her down a path that would eventually lead to her 'death.' But, if what this man said was true, then maybe she could avoid it...
"John, what do you think?" She said to the Spartan.
"If he can stop this Rampancy, then I'm open to suggestions."
The man smiled under his helmet and clapped his hands together. "Wonderful!" He made his way over to the holotank and hopped on top of it, his legs dangling over the front of the small tower.
"What is your proposition, Dr. Flaine?" Cortana asked.
"I need your help," he paused and sighed, then began telling the two about where he was from, what he was, and The Corruption. It took a while, but he wanted to make sure that the Spartan and AI knew the whole story before they made a decision. Throughout the entire explanation the two were silent, only the Chief nodded a few times as he was told the long tale. Cortana was equally interested, making sure to record every detail and file it away for later, just in case, as she knew it would help to be able to recall the information. Eventually, Dr. Flaine finished and sighed again as he shook his head slowly in sadness. He was silent for a few seconds before he looked back up into the Master Chief's visor with a hopeful smile.
"And that about covers everything." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.
The Chief pondered everything for a moment then he finally mustered the will to ask one more question.
"Will I be the only one you recruit for this project?
Flaine smiled and shook his head. "No, in fact you are the first of many, hopefully."
"Alright, I'll help," He paused and then spoke to Cortana. "How about you?"
"Well, saving Humanity from Halo, the Covenant, and the Flood were tiring... But, I suppose another ride wouldn't hurt."
Flaine laughed at the AI's response and stood. "I have a feeling you and Drake are going to be the best of pals." He lifted his wrist and pressed a button on the sleeve of his suit. Then not a minute later a large green circle appeared behind him.
"Well, we'd better get going. Drake can't hold this open for long." Flaine said as he turned and made his way towards the portal.
John was hesitant but followed him, but before the doctor entered, Cortana asked him one more question.
"Dr. Flaine, what does W.U.B.A.T. stand for? I mean I know it's the name of your project, but what does it mean?"
Flaine didn't turn, but he grinned under his helmet. "World's Ultimate Bad Ass Team. Why?"
"Just curious..."
And with that the Master Chief stepped into the portal, leaving the rear section of the Forward Unto Dawn drifting aimlessly in space.
Author's Note:
Well, here is chapter one of a new story. This is going to be a huge crossover fic, covering many different things in terms of universes. I know I have it marked as a crossover between Halo and RWBY, but since those are going to be the first two categories, I thought I would mark it as that.
Anyways, I want to explain the idea behind this.
A few months back, a few of my friends and I started a Dungeons and Dragons campaign named W.U.B.A.T. The idea was that the players could choose from ANY universe they wanted, in terms of a character base. Whether it be from a video game, anime, TV show, Book, or something of their own design, I would let them be it, within a few parameters of course. However, slowly but surely, I realized that what I was trying to do would never be, the characters ended up becoming overwhelmingly complex, and we strayed far off the path of what I had envisioned for a storyline. So I eventually abandoned the main story that I had wanted to use altogether.
It was only until a few days ago that I realized what potential that the story had, provided I tweaked a few of the concepts. It was through that that I ended up creating this Fanfic. I know that it is probably a huge risk in terms of writing, but I'm optimistic. I really think that this could turn into something wonderful. I hope that my optimism pays off, allowing this to thrive into something that not only I am proud of, but that many other people will appreciate and enjoy as well.
So anyways, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this first chapter, and I hope you will stick around and take a look at the future chapters. I know it's a lot to ask, and I know I really have no right in asking, but please. Let me know what you think of this, leave me a review, follow/ favorite this story and go ahead and recommend it to a friend if you like it. All feedback helps me grow as a writer, and it also lets me know what I'm doing right.
And if you liked this, please go ahead and look at my other works of writing:
The Ranger And The Rose
The Red Reaper
Halo: A Long Time Coming
Thanks again!
As Always,
I'll See You Starside,
Soul's Release
