Author's Note: Hello! I am proud to present another epic journey across the Halo universe with my new fic, Heart of Courage! Hope you all like the first chapter! Time for the catchphrase:
I am Duuuuuuuuudeeeee, I got the dude-osity like nobody else.
===OUTSIDE DOCKING BAY, PLANET SACROS IV===
They had finished off the Flood's hive-mind and saved New York City from an army of robots as well as a Covenant invasion force. Fireteam Gamma's exploits had become well-known within days. The UNSC had publicized the heroics of the team, and they were known for being the main assist force in saving the city. The team also had a temporary additional team member... SPARTAN-099 Jessica. Only Ryan knew why she was really on the team... To get around to knowing Joe better, so she could ask him out. Ryan was sorely disappointed in himself for letting a temporary team member in for that purpose. Along with it, they still had to deal with Frag, Bolt, and Chopper, the triplet Bounty Hunters that had almost succeeded in bringing Tweezer to Nemesis to activate an ancient piece of Forerunner technology that would wipe out all of the human race, except for anybody in the firing station. The team had stopped Nemesis, but the triplets had escaped and are still holding many people for ransom.
Ryan did some research, and found out that the triplets were in for it...
The person that the mercenaries were going to lose a few body parts for was Ryan's stay-at-home wife, Cheryl, and their kids, Johnny and Lily.
"Well, i'll be in the firing range. Don't wanna have any degration of aim. This enhanced eyesight works wonders. It'd better stay that way." Joe said.
"I'll come, too! I love shooting!" Jessica said. Most of the team just called her 099.
"Ummm... Okay?" Joe replied, confused and slightly startled. Most people weren't very excited to work with him. Experiences with his last 6 fireteams are able to prove it.
"I'm gonna find my wife and kids. Ric, I need you with me. Trent, you come along, too. I may need your hacking skills." Ryan said.
"You got it, Boss." Ric replied.
"Coming along would be a great way to pass the time." Trent said.
"I'll be wondering when i'll find a unicorn. One day..." Tweezer said.
"We'll be... Alone, I guess." Taffy said, referring to himself and his twin, Crouton.
"You do that." Joe said to the twins. Then he walked off to the shooting range, Jessica trailing behind him. She mouthed "Thank you." to Ryan before leaving, then Ryan gave her the thumbs-up.
"Alright, Ric and Trent. Let's take the Dragon Fighters (Fangame Air vehicles with flamethrower cannons). They're pretty damn fast, so we should get to the stronghold where my family is within an hour or so."
They each mounted a Dragon Aircraft and were off. The Dragons were VTOL's, meaning that they flew as though they were in Hornets. They started the trip.
===SHOOTING RANGE, GAMMA STATION===
"Holy shit, nice shot, 099."
Joe and 099 had just reached the firing range and taken some sniper rifles, and Jessica was already trying to impress Joe. She started off by firing a perfectly-aimed shot from her sniper into the center of a holographic target, which dissipated and then reappeared. Jessica didn't want any... Distractions, so she asked Joe to leave his helmet on, saying he looked BA with it.
"You'd make a kick-ass sniper, 099."
Thanks, cutie- I, um, mean, Corporal."
"Ummmm... No... Problem...?"
Then a mysterious voice came up. It was around the same as Ryan's, slightly deeper. It also had an english accent.
"Well, isn't this sweet? Just the eternally good-looking Corporal Joe T. Carman and some pretty girl. Things were looking up for you, but i'm afraid that your little moment is over."
Joe didn't even turn around. all he did was tilt his head slightly downwards and then respond.
"Frag."
"Ah, so you do remember me? That's good to know. I was afraid that possibly, you had forgotten me."
"How could I forget you? You betrayed the SPARTAN-IV program and went off in that Warrior armor of yours to become a bounty hunter with your brother and sister. Seems pretty memorable to me."
"That all depends on the point of view, old chap. I, for example, remember it differently. I remember it as showing the moronic trainers of the SPARTAN-IV program a lesson for their brutal treatment."
"I'm bringing you in for being a bastard to the others."
"I don't think so... See, you and your friends had trouble taking on me and my siblings, and there are 8 of you. Try taking us on... Alone." And with that, the triplets appeared.
"Can I kill the girl? She seems like a bitch." Bolt asked to her brother. Her voice was American, and the only reason that Frag's was english was because he used a voice modulator in his helmet to sound english.
"Don't ask. Just do. It's the easiest way around things in situations like these." Chopper said to his sister. His voice was essentially a male version of Bolt's.
"Come and get me." Joe asid, and dropped his sniper rifle.
"What are you doing?" 099 asked.
"You'll see." Joe replied.
The triplet's leader moved in and grabbed Joe's wrists. He was greeted with an electric shock of 250 volts. He passed out and fell to the floor.
"BRO!" Chopper yelled, going to his brother's unconscious body.
"At least now, Ryan can free his family without any interference." Joe said cheerfully.
"Ryan? The dirty bastard decided to try to infiltrate our base? Bolt, back to the Eagle (Famgame flying heavy assault vehicle, seats 3 people)!"
"Got it." Bolt replied, and ran off to the Station's docking bay. Chopper carried Frag over his shoulder back to the aircraft.
"Alright, now... Where were we?" Joe asked.
"You called me a kick-ass sniper?" 099 replied, blushing.
"Oh yeah. Umm... Why you blushing?"
"I blush when people make compliments about me."
"Ummm... I see."
===TRIPLETS' STRONGHOLD===
Ryan, Ric, and Trent landed their Dragon Fighters on the landing pad of the Citadel. It was essentially a small prison, large enough to hold 25 people. They got out and stood in front of the door... Way.
"Umm... Trent... Hack... Yourself... Into... The... Door... Way. Ah fuck it, let's just go in. It was convenient of them to leave the doors open." Ryan said.
"I'm not sure if they ever had doors in the first place, general." Ric said.
They entered and walked through the prison cells, where energy doors held the captives in. They walked about 40 paces, and then looked into the cell they were in front of. Inside, there was a dark-haired, short-haired woman who looked to be in her 20s. With her was a 10-year-old dark-haired girl and a 14-year-old boy with the same hair color. They noticed the people outside their cells.
"You three triplets decided to take an armor change? Good for you." The woman said.
"Honey, it's me. I'm here with Trent and Ric to bust you guys outta here."
"Ryan?"
Ryan pulled his helmet off, and his physical attributes were finally revealed to those who were looking and hadn't seen Ryan's face yet. He had short, scruffy, light brown hair and brown eyes, one eye quite darker than the other.
"Dad!" The two children said simultaneously.
"Ryan!" The woman said.
"Heheheh... Yes... Ryan... Looks like the romance is alive today." A male voice said.
Frag, Bolt, and Chopper came up behind the three team members and locked their wrists in handcuffs.
"Let... Us... Go." Ryan demanded.
"Oh, we're not letting you off the way we did with Joe and that chick. No way, you're coming with us."
"Not on my watch."
The triplets were instantly zapped and fell to the ground, knocked out. Ric busted out of the cuffs, and broke open the other two pairs.
"Trent, place an L69 Electrical Charge on the control panel." Ryan ordered.
"Yes, sir." Trent replied, placing the charge, which zapped the panel and the energy door dissipated.
"Let's get outta here." Ric said.
Author's Note: First chapter, complete! Hope you all liked it. I would like to know who's POV (Point Of View) you'd like to hear the rest of the story from. Leave a review saying whether you think it should be Ryan, Ric, Trent, or Joe's POV. Then, when I write my next chapter, I'll announce whose POV the rest of the story will be told from, depending on how many votes each SPARTAN gets. I am Duuuuuuuuudeeeee, I got the dude-osity like nobody else.