The Elite Soldier
In the year 2554, there was an elite team of ODST Soldiers who were the best of the best. They took on fleets of Covenant and always came out with scars, but no wounds. The one thing that kept them alive was their leader, Colonel Jason Briggs. Now Jason had trained in the UNSC for quite some time. He had trained day in and day out. He took the hardships and earned his spot as an ODST. One day, when the ODSTs were back at headquarters, Jason got a call into the main office. He walked in and in there, right in the middle of the room, was Lord Hood himself.
"Lord Hood." Jason said.
"Why the hostility, come sit, we have some things to discuss." Lord Hood replied.
"I'd be more comfortable standing, sir."
"Haha, you ODSTs and your seriousness."
"Sir we were trained to be the best." Jason said.
"I understand this, but this is a matter considering your status as a UNSC Opertive."
"What do you mean sir?"
"You think I called you here to chat son? No, I called you here because I have a proposition for you."
"Proposition? Sir." Jason said curiously.
"Yes. How would you like to become a Spartan?"
"Are you serious sir? I have a team, I have commands, I have duties I must fulfill here,"
"We have it covered. We have a "Sergeant Buck" who will take your place as leader."
"Well, will my tea be okay?" Jason asked cautiously.
"Yes, I can guarantee their safety." Lord Hood said confidently.
"Well, I guess…I'll take it sir." Jason said, with a sense of accomplishment in his mind.
"Good, see you in 600 hours to get your armor fitted."
"Thank you sir."
"Just win us this war and that'll be all the thanks I need."
"Can do sir."
Jason walked out of the room, wondering what will happen, concerned about if he had the skill to make it as a Spartan, but more than anything, concerned about whether or not his team would be ok. The next day Jason was flown out to UNSC Flame of Wisdom. There he met with Lord Hood once again. Lord Hood brought him to the armory. There Jason could pick out what he wanted. As he looked around trying to decide what his helmet would be, he saw what he wanted.
"Sir, I've decided."
"What've you picked son?"
"I decided to stick to what I'm used to, so I choose the ODST Helmet."
"Are you sure son? We have better helmets, we have the Mk. 5, the Mk. 4, hell, we even have the Gungir Helmet."
"I'd like to stick to ODST sir."
"Okay then, let's move on."
After picking his armor Jason headed to the Suit Room.
"Hello Jason, today we will be suiting you up." A voice from the wall said.
"I have a question." Jason said, not concerned about where the voice was coming from.
"Ask away."
"What am I being suited with?"
"An A.I."
Jason was confused.
"A.I? Sir."
"Artificial Intelligence."
"Yes I understand, but I know from UNSC code that every Spartan doesn't get an A.I."
"Your right, every Spartan doesn't get one. You do."
"Why me?"
"Because you can handle it."
As Jason was getting used to the idea of having a second conscience, at one moment the room became filled with virtual programs who started stating their names.
"I am Alpha."
"I am Gamma."
"I am Omega."
"I am Foxtrot."
"I am Nova."
"I am York."
"I am Z."
"Make your choice Jason." The voice from the wall said.
"This is very hard. You all are obviously brilliant, Z, what qualities do you have?"
"I am programmed to be strategic, wise, and I can use the enemies weaknesses, and even strengths against them."
"Have you had any other hosts?"
"Well my last host was an ODST who,"
"I pick Z." Jason said, cutting Z off.
"Are you sure, Nova is programmed to be,"
"I pick. Z."
"Okay."
As Z was loaded into Jason's armor Jason felt a strange sense that he'd been acquainted with Z before.
"Have I met you before?" Jason asked.
"Not that I am aware of." Z responded.
Over the next 2 weeks Jason was trained to be a Spartan. He was put through hell. They did not let up on training.
After about 2 months of practice field work, Jason was let into the field. In one instance Jason had to infiltrate a Covenant Crusier and blow it up from the inside. Jason got inside the cruiser and started moving through the ship.
"Would I suggest turning on your motion trackers Jason?"
"Go ahead Z."
"Thank you sir, now, watch your right flank, that's where they seem to be heavily guarded."
"Dually noted Z."
"Because of Z, Jason went left. He got lower into the ship till he hit the core.
"Sir, this room is filled, I would suggest turning on your equipment."
"Roger. Activating cloak."
At that moment Jason became invisible. He snuck over to the base controls where he planted the bomb. He set up the remote device, but as he was doing this, an Elite General came up behind him and flung him aside. The elite called for his engineers to disarm the bomb. As they were walking over Jason pulled out his signature weapon, the shotgun. He pushed the elite off of him and ran towards the bomb. He immediately dived in front of the bomb and, BAM BAM BAM! He had blown off the heads of the elites. The dead corpses dropped to the ground. Jason finished setting up the remote device and started running. Halfway through the ship he pulled the device. The ship started blowing up. He was running for his life, the ship falling apart behind him. A piece of the ceiling fell off the ceiling and blocked his path.
"Sir what are you going to,"
"NOT NOW Z!"
Jason threw a grenade and blew the piece right from in front of him. As he was running for the exit the ships doors started closing. He pulled out his pistol and started shooting Grunts and Jackals. He ran for the exit and tackled an elite out of the ship. As gravity started taking its effect they started falling into the atmosphere of Earth. The elite and Jason were not giving up, they fought and fought as they feel threw space. Jason tried to pull out his shotgun but the elite knocked it out of his hand. They started getting closer to the ground, Jason got tactical. He knocked the elite in the face with his elbow and as the elite was retaliating Jason pulled out his pistol and knocked him in the head with the butt of the pistol. The elite unlatched from Jason and flew off. As it happened Jason was trying to figure out what to do. Jason was always good under pressure. He told Z to lock his armor. Z did just that. His armor locked, Jason crashed into Earth, from the ground it looked like a meteor surrounded by with fire and breaking armor. As he crashed into the ground vibrations spread everywhere and the ground flew into the air.
Two days later the UNSC tracked and found his location and retrieved him. But he was badly damaged. The armor did take most of the hit, but as he was fighting the elite the elite stabbed him right through the chest with an energy sword. They rushed him back to base where they brought him into the hospital. They stripped him of his armor and removed the sword. Z was removed from the armor and taken to make sure he wasn't damaged. The hospital worked its hardest, but he couldn't be saved. Jason was dead.
The next day Lord Hood walked in to pay his respects.
"You were the best damn soldier that this army has ever seen."
A tear shed from Hood's eye. As he walked away a hand grabbed him, he turned around and from the medical table arose Jason. He was alive! The whole base was shook from shock and awe. Days, weeks, months passed as Jason recovered. Finally he was ready to return to the field. He strapped back on his armor and reprogrammed Z.
"Welcome back sir." Z said, with a tone of worry and happiness in his voice.
"Did you miss me Z?"
"Oh dreadfully sir."
"You ready to finish this?"
"What do you mean?"
"We're taking the fight straight to High Charity, the Prophet's holy city."
"Sir, are you sure?"
"Sure? No. Pissed? Yes." Jason said.
A week passed and Jason set out. He took a hijacked Phantom to High Charity. While on his way Lord Hood radioed him.
"Jason are you sure about this?"
"More than sure sir."
"Well. Make me a promise."
"Sir?"
"Come back alive."
"I can't guarantee that, but I'll try."
"Jason, there's something else."
"Hold on sir I've reached High Charity. Turning off radio. Sierra 118 out."
As Jason pulled into High Charity the door was opened. Brutes piled in to make sure it was clear. Jason had hidden in a platform in the Phantom. Once the Brutes cleared out Jason vacated the Phantom. He'd breached High Charity and was looking for the Prophet. He found his chambers. He was heading in, he snuck up behind the Prophet and pointed a gun at his head. As he was about to pull the trigger the Leader of the brutes, Tartarus, tackled him to the ground. Jason had been knocked out from the blast. When he awoke he was in a jail cell in High Charity. As he woke up 2 brutes had walked in his cell.
"HUMAN!"
"What?"
"WHY ARE YOU HERE, THEN YOU TARGET THE PROPHET, GIVE ME 1 REASON I SHOULDN'T SPLIT YOU IN HALF!"
"Cuz' you'd have one hellofa time trying."
"YOU INSIGNIFICANT BASTARD!"
The brute attacked Jason, but Jason countered, broke the brutes arm and stole his Spiker. He used it to kill the other guard.
"Sir?"
"Z!"
"Yes?"
"I thought you were gone!"
"No sir."
"Well help me here, where is the Prophet?"
"Hangar Bay 13D sir, he's about to leave."
"He hopes!"
Jason charged out of the cells and headed towards the hangar. He found his shotgun in the confiscated weapons armory and recovered it. He sprinted with everything he had. He reached the hangar. The brutes started shooting, spikes stuck into Jason's with extreme pain. Jason still pushed through and killed them. The prophet tried to escape, but as he tried, Jason snatched him right out of his chair.
"Go ahead human. Kill me." Prophet pleaded.
"No, I won't make it that easy."
He took the Prophet hostage and brought him aboard a Phantom. He reached for Z, yanked him and put him in an escape pod. Z still lurked in his mind a bit.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
"Winning the war."
He hit the escape pod and launched Z away. As Z flew away a tear shed from Jason's eye.
"Goodbye Z."
Jason started the Phantom and broke from the hangar. He started crashing through High Charity heading for the center.
"HUMAN, YOU'LL KILL US BOTH!"
"I know."
Jason hit the boost on the Phantom and sped towards the center. Going fast as possible. He said one last word. His last words were, "I am an ODST."
Jason crashed into the center with extreme force and all of High Charity exploded. Place by place it exploded. Then in a giant ball of light, High Charity disappeared.
"I never even got to tell him." Lord Hood said to himself.
"He never could've known, his team is dead…"
It is present day as I tell you this. Looking back, I wonder if I could've stopped him. I wonder what would happen if I never would've met him. All I know is, he was the best host ever. Yes, I am Z. I tell you this story exactly as it happened dear reader, and now I know why Jason found me familiar. Because my last host, was his father.
~THE END~