Hey all! Sorry, this chapter will be a bit of a short one, but after this is where all the meat of the story is! So forgive me, and enjoy!


Chapter 3: Old Rivalries

John stepped out of the portal, taking a shaky breath. The trip had been instant, and yet he still felt slightly nauseous. He examined the room they had arrived into, appearing to be just an empty room, void of any noteworthy features save for the usual Forerunner style architecture and the door across from him. He took a few shaky steps, re-gaining his balance.

"What were those things?" He asked Cortana, the thought of them still unnerving him. Again he felt like they had been warning him, more than attacking.

"I didn't get a good look, but they seem to be some kind of defense A.I." She replied, her voice sounding just as worried as he felt. "Related to the Sentinels I'm guessing, but it's hard to say without a closer look."

He walked through the door, having found his balance, to find them now standing atop a large platform, that overlooked a huge, hollow area. It was spherical in shape, making John think that they had passed through one of the layers of this world. Wherever they were, they must be pretty deep inside. All the walls were metal, and the only light source was a large purple flash in the middle. After looking closer, he spotted what looked like another platform inside. The platform had shields, connected by two beams of energy that led down below them.

"Let's figure out where that transit system dumped us…" Cortana said. John spotted a console on the platform they stood on, and walked over. He removed Cortana's chip and placed it inside, waiting for her to find the info they needed. John looked around the huge expanse before them, and quickly realized that something wasn't right.

"Where's Infinity?" He asked Cortana. It might be hidden from view, though John had a nagging feeling that wasn't the case.

"This is Requiems core, though Infinity is definitely not here." She said, looking thoughtful. She pointed over to what John had called a platform. "That satellite in the center is amplifying the ships broadcasts like a relay."

John blinked. A Satellite? Maybe it could be used to send a signal out, call for help.

"Could we use it to respond?"

She paused, considering. "Maybe…" She pointed to the beams that met on the satellite, her finger following them back to their bases. "Those beams are what have been creating the interference we've been hearing. We'd have to take them out to contact the Infinity."

John considered this. "Could you find a teleport to get us there?"

She paused, before pushing a few buttons. A portal appeared not far from them, on the edge of the platform. "This will take us to the first pylon powering a beam, yank me and let's go."

He nodded, retrieving her chip and slotting it back in his head. He turned to face the portal, sighed, and then walked through it.

The effect was less severe this time, though he still felt a wave of nausea hit him as soon as he came out. He examined his surrounding to find himself inside a hallway, ornately decorated with glyphs and dimly lit. He could see the exit at the other end, an open doorway.

"This is the first pylon?" He asked, doubtful.

"As close as I could get us." Cortana said. John imagined her rolling her eyes. "Hope you don't mind hoofing it a little."

He made his was down the hallway, soon arriving at the open doorway. There was no actual door, just an opening that led to the outside. John too one step outside and spotted his radar light up with activity. He raised his Beam rifle, only to spot a flash of gray vanish over a cliff face above him. He continued aiming his weapon at the cliff face, before taking a breath and resuming his walk, weapon in hand. It wasn't long before he found more contacts. He walked around a bend to find a small, gray machine creature waiting for him. It screeched and lunged at him, insect like mouth open.

Unable to ready the rifle in time, he swung it instead. The rifle gave out as it impacted the creature, breaking in his hand. The Machine wailed, as if in pain and collapsed. Moments after its death, it began to glow orange, and vanished as if it was disintegrating. John dropped his rifle, now useless. He worried about the fact that he was now essentially weaponless, until he spotted a small metallic thing on the ground. From the looks of it, it was a weapon of some kind.

He picked the little gun up slowly, wary of any surprises. It reacted to his touch, parts shifting and shaping until it sat in his hand, looking a lot like a more traditional weapon. He tried to find a firing mechanism, but it lacked any sort of trigger. Several more of the machines climbed down a wall, screeching and running right for him.

John pointed the weapon, willing it to fire. As if it listened to his command, it did. Bright orange shots of energy fired from the weapon, destroying the little creatures in one shot each. Their bodies fell apart, before beginning to disintegrate.

"Those weren't the same things we saw in the terminus…" he commented, looking over his new weapon once again. He spotted another on the ground. He picked it up, watching it change shape to fit in his hand. He holstered it, keeping his first one out and ready.

"They have a similar cortical footprint as the tower A.I's." Cortana replied, sounding intrigued. "They're connected alright."

John saw a light bridge, a common sight amongst Forerunner buildings, just ahead. He crossed it, trying not to think how it was holding him up, as if the thought would break the bridge and plummet him to his death. They crossed, continuing to follow the natural chasm that had formed. It felt like a pathway, as if it was leading him where he needed to go.

"Chief!" Cortana screamed. He looked at his radar too late.

A large object crashed into him from above, its heavy weight pinning him to the ground. The force of the blow had popped his shielding, leaving him defenseless. He looked up to find one of the tower A.I's looking down at him. It just stared, its head cocking slightly as if it was curious. It continued like this for what felt like minutes. John didn't dare move.

It suddenly leaned in and roared. As it did, what John had thought to be its face lifted back, revealing its true face. The face underneath made John's skin crawl. It had two empty eye sockets, and a series of teeth. Its nose was hollow, like a skulls. John suddenly realized it looked very, very human. He managed to wriggle an arm free, and punched the machine in the face as hard as he could. It recoiled, as if feeling pain. Its face plate closed up again, leaving a blank face save two glowing eye slits. While it was distracted, he pushed his legs under it and shoved. It fell back, landing on its backward legs.

John quickly rose, getting into a fighting stance. But the creature had no interest, its body glowing before it vanished, teleporting away. John looked at his radar. All clear, for now.

"Well he was just a ray of sunshine, wasn't he?" Cortana joked, sounding shaken. She coughed, as if clearing her voice. "From that peak under the hood I'd say these constructs must be mimetic in nature."

He looked ahead to find several more of the machines, staring at him. He walked forward, slowly, but they vanished the moment he began moving.

"More of them?" He commented. From the force of the blow earlier, he certainly wasn't eager to fight one, much less more.

"I'm detecting similar phasing activity at the edge of our sensors." Cortana said, urgently. "We're about to get busy."

Rounding a bend, John found the source for the activity. Several of the tower A.I stood above him on ledges, almost like they were there to judge him. One of them stepped forward, leaping off its ledge to the ground below. It rose to its full height, which stood a full head above him, and stared. To John, it felt like it was waiting for him to make a move.

John raised his weapon and fired, also running for cover. The A.I roared and began moving toward him at a steady pace. It processed shields, large blue energy barriers springing to life to reflect the shots. John didn't know what kind of shielding it was, but judging from the creature's steady advance, he hadn't damaged it. He jumped back up, firing once again. This time, it jumped to the side, covering a lot of ground in one stride. It hissed, raising a weapon of its own. A large, yellow beam of energy flew right for him.

John dodged just in time, the shot sailing past his chest. He turned back to the creature to find it had run right for him. It lobbed an arm at him, its massive weight behind the strike. John ducked, before darting to stand behind it. He fired again, his weapon peppering the creatures shielding. The shields started turning red. It roared and vanished, appearing again near where it started.

It then began to shift its body, its back 'shell' slowly opening up. Another type of creature emerged from inside the shell in a bright orange flash. This A.I floated in midair, and had two large circle 'wings' on its sides. John fired his weapon at this new opponent. It didn't appear to have shields, and was destroyed in moments, its body dissipating into orange light. The larger creature roared and ran at John again. John continued to fire, the creature too focused on him to evade. Its shields turned bright red, then died.

It fell shortly after, its body beginning to vanish as the others had before it. The other A.I still on ledges vanished, teleporting away. John gave the area a quick look around, in case any more surprises were lying in wait, before approaching the remains of his opponent. Its body was mostly gone, turning into that odd orange light before vanishing. He noticed the creature's weapon on the ground, much larger than the one he held now. He bent down to pick it up, doing so carefully in case it had any nasty surprises. It shifted in his hands, as the other one had. When finished, it resembled a more traditional rifle, though a very high tech one. In fact, the orange energy it shot reminded him of one of Samus's weapons. He gave it a once over before cradling it, relaxing slightly though staying alert.

"I've discovered some information about our new friends." Cortana chimed in, having been silent during the fight. "That flash we keep seeing when they die is actually a data purge."

John let that sink in. "Can you tap into it?"

"So far I've pulled multiple strings referring to the big ones as Promethean Knights." She said. John nodded, finally happy to have a name to place on the enemy. "Beyond that though, things get a little dense."

"What about their weapons?" he asked, looking down at his new rifle again.

"Both weapons you've fired used something called Hardlight, which is the same material that is used in the light bridges. I won't bother with the technical jargon, but it's essentially plasma in a solid state." She told him.

He nodded. That's why it reminded him of Samus, her Plasma Beam seemed to do something similar, the results of which were very devastating. He turned his attention to the path ahead, the pylon he needed to reach looming in the distance. With a tired sigh, he proceeded forward. He walked though several metal corridors within the rocky pathway, none of which had any major landmarks.

His HUD suddenly began glitching, the edges of his visor turning blue and displaying static. He did a quick scan, trying to spot a potential enemy. "What's happening?"

Cortana was silent for a moment. "That's me. Something about the portal jumping is increasing the load on my systems."

John wasn't sure exactly what to say to that. "Are…you going to be alright?"

She chuckled, though it wasn't cheerful. "I've held of rampancy this long haven't I?"

They soon arrived at the first pylon, the land barren around it save for a few small Forerunner style bunkers. The pylon itself rose high into the air, its tip sending out the large beam that connected to the satellite in the center of the area. John looked up at the satellite, eyeing the metal ceiling above them as Cortana went over the plan.

"The pylon is shielded, meaning we won't be able to just walk in. I'm detecting two shield generators in the little bunkers around it. Destroy those, and we can enter the pylon. I'll mark them for you."

John made his way to the first target, moving swiftly but cautiously. He spotted several smaller A.I, which Cortana referred to as Crawlers. He skirted around them, not wanting a firefight to break out. He was outnumbered, and the enemy possessed much greater technology than he did. He darted into the first bunker, spotting the shield generator. It was nothing more than a ball of Hardlight, suspended in midair. He fired two shots from his new rifle, which was called a Light rifle apparently, and the generator died. The sound of the shields hum outside grew quieter. A series of roars accompanied it.

"Chief, multiple Prometheans are on their way, go go!"

He darted back out of the bunker, crouching down behind a rock nearby. He chanced a peek, watching several Knights and Crawlers rush the bunker. When they couldn't find him, they seemed to go on a sentry mode, one of the Knights ordering the others on directions to patrol.

"Great, now they know I'm here…" He thought to himself, slowly making his way to the second marker. He moved from cover to cover, taking his time. There were several moments when he was sure he would be spotted, either by a Knight or one of the Watchers as Cortana called them. He however reached the bunker unnoticed. No guards stood inside, leaving the generator vulnerable. He shot it, destroying it as he had the first. From outside, he could hear the shields hum die completely, as well as the roars like before. But this time, more noises accompanied them. Familiar noises.

He rushed outside to find the Prometheans locked in battle with Covenant troops. Phantoms dropped off Elites, who then dueled Knights, blade to blade. Grunts squealed and shot at Crawlers, who screeched and shot back. Jackals took potshots at Watchers, taking out the Prometheans support. John watched a lone Knight defeat three Elites, their bodies either filled with holes or bent at unnatural angles. It was clear that the Covenant were also outclassed by this new foe, though for John they couldn't have arrived at a more crucial moment.

All of the enemies were distracted with each other, leaving John free to sprint into the pylon unnoticed. A knight stood inside on an upper level, shooting down at the Covenant below. John shot a few Light rifle rounds into its back, killing it quickly. He was again amazed at the power these weapons had, but didn't stop to think about it, continuing to run up the pylon to the top level. He emerged onto the pylons roof, spotting a light bridge extending toward another building in the sky.

"That's it, that's where you can shut off the beam. But we need to hurry." Cortana said urgently.

He ran across the bridge, glancing down at the fighting below him. He made it inside, a large lift moving him up to within the building. Inside it was hollow, empty, save for the massive generator that powered the beam, shooting out energy in waves to the sky above them.

"Big switch, in front of the beam." She told him.

John spotted his goal, a large lever like thing sticking out of the ground. He grabbed its handle, and pulled. It was heavy, struggling to stay put, but John slowly lifted it out of its cradle. Then, he slammed it back down. The beam died, its generator slowly powering down.

His ears were filled with white noise, the Infinity again. Though this time, he could pick out a few words. Distress. Planet. Dawn.

"Did he say…?" John began, but Cortana interrupted him.

"John, Infinity isn't inside the Planet, they're outside! They must have picked up our beacon."

John froze. "The beacon was pulled inside with the rest of the ship. And they don't know…"

"They'll get caught in the gravity well. John, we have to warn them!"

"Can we contact them yet?" He asked. He spotted a portal across the room come to life.

"No, there's still too much interference. We need to get to the other pylon!" She said urgently. "I've opened up another portal, go, now!"

John didn't need any more prompting. With the lives on the Infinity now in the balance, he felt his mission more important than ever. He ran right through the portal and vanished.


Samus stared down at the enemy she had just killed. It was an odd looking thing, its back holding a shell, similar to a beetles. When she had tried to scan it, an error had occurred, implying it had security systems that was better than her suits scanner.

"Adam, what can you tell me about this thing?" She asked him. She had arrived at the transit to find that this particular one was derelict, and that these things had been lying in wait for her.

"Well, it's an A.I, though its matrix is unlike anything I've seen before." He began. "Its weapon systems share striking similarities to your own, as well as the shielding, though on a weaker scale."

"Can you give me a name?" She asked, watching its body slowly vanish in orange light. It gave her the creeps.

"I can. This particular one is called a Promethean Knight." He said. She frowned.

"No, I've fought Prometheans before. They're Forerunner, not…whatever this is." She muttered, the Knights existence now troubling her. She had fought the Forerunners for years, and had never come across anything like this.

"The data doesn't lie. Perhaps they were just for security, not for use on the battle field." He suggested.

She shrugged. "Whatever. Regardless, I need a new way to get to John's position. Have any suggestions?"

He sighed. "You'll need to find another terminal. The closest one available is the one that John and Cortana used. The ship is nearing one hundred percent, and is capable of flight. As long as we avoid the Gravity well, we should be alright to fly there."

She made her way back out of the terminus, emerging back into the thick jungle that covered the landscape. The building had been hidden within the underbrush, covered in vines. It had taken Samus awhile to actually spot the damn thing, and it had been fruitless anyway. This annoyed her.

She trudged through the jungle, stepping over tricky vines and branches. She kept an eye for more of the Prometheans, but none moved to stop her. "Might be scared. Good, they should be." She thought to herself, mentally chuckling.

The good news was that the ship and terminal had not been too far away from each other, and she soon arrived back in the clearing that served as her landing sight. The ship looked much improved from the damages it had sustained getting inside the planet, though it still possessed the ugly scars in the metal from her side on collision.

"Adam, any news?" She asked as she entered her ship, stepping off the lift and moving to her pilots chair in the cockpit. She slumped down onto the chair, eager to move on.

"Yes, actually. I've noticed several radio signals that are used by the Covenant. Judging from the wreckages outside, it's not unlikely that some of them would have made it inside." He said.

She nodded slowly. Covenant shouldn't pose too much of an issue. "What about John?"

"He's somewhere deeper in the planet still, and I still can't get in contact with either of them." Adam muttered, as if it bothered him. "I can however, detect powerful fluctuations within the core. Whatever he's doing down there, it's big."

Samus didn't like the sound of that. "Alright, plot a course for the terminus they used. I'll jump out when we arrive, and you can land the ship somewhere safe. Keep it close by though, I might need the help." She instructed him.

She felt the ship lift off, watching out the windscreen with mild interest. She pushed herself out of the chair and made her way to the command table behind it. She typed a few keys in, bringing up a little image of a Promethean. She stared at it, frowning.

"Something wrong?" Adam asked, avatar appearing beside the Knight.

"Yeah, this thing. What is it exactly?" She asked, to herself as much as to Adam.

He turned to look at the image beside him. "If it makes you feel better, I was right in that they are security." She raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue.

"According to the records I can access, they're were assigned to this world in order to contain…something." He said, hesitating on the last word.

"Something?" She asked.

He nodded. "I can't find any records of what they are actually protecting. It's as if they were deleted. He said quietly. She could tell the fact disturbed him, it disturbed her as well. Something didn't want to be found, or known about.

She tried a different approach. "Can you tell me who assigned them? Were they Forerunner?"

Adam nodded. "That I can tell you. I have a name, though I can't tell if it's a literal translation. The one who placed these Prometheans here calls themselves the Librarian."

Samus's breath caught in her throat. That name, where had she heard it before? Her head throbbed slightly, the dull pain making her narrow her eyes. Then she remembered. The Librarian was the woman who was in the room when Samus went into hibernation, along with her old mentor Old Bird, one of the Chozo. The memory was one that was still blurry to her. Most of her memories had come back over the last few years, though this one and a couple of others remained a mystery. Who was the librarian exactly?

"Do you know anything about the Librarian?" She asked Adam. He frowned.

"No. In accordance with both Forerunner and Federation law, my memory was wiped save for crucial information. If we knew a Librarian, I'm afraid I can't help."

She stared down at the still image of the Knight, frowning under her visor. The more she learnt about this Planet, the more questions were raised. She didn't like it.

"We are about to reach the transit hub, do you want me to land?" Adam asked, changing the subject in the tactile way he did.

She shook her head. "No, I'll jump out. Go find a safe place to land and wait for my word." She told him, making her way for the lift. It opened up, revealing that they now hovered above a temple looking site, nestled in a rocky outcropping. She jumped out, falling toward the ground. She used her thrusters to slow her impact, hitting the metal floor of the temple with a loud thud. She rose from her crouch to find a lot of Alien bodies, all riddled with weapon damage. Her scans told her it was ballistic in nature, confirming that this was Johns work. She followed the trail up to the top of the temple, leading to a large door in the side of the cliff it sat against.

"Alright, it's clear. Wait for my word." She said over the radio. She watched the ship speed off, disappearing over the rocky outcroppings around her. Alone again, she sighed. She gave the area around her one last look over, before moving for the temple entrance.


John burst through the portal, rifle raised. The fighting around the second pylon had been much fiercer, the Prometheans fighting to protect it, and the Covenant trying in vain to make ground. John had been in the middle of it all, enemies all around him. He was surprised he had made it at all, killing anything that stood directly in his path. Cortana had activated a portal to the Satellite after he had dealt with the second relay, and he had hurried through.

They emerged onto a series of interlocking platforms, which a large red sphere in the center. It was covered in angry glowing lines. It must have been the source of the broadcasts, though to John, it looked anything but. In fact, it made him nervous.

He spotted phantoms dropping Covenant off onto the platforms, the Prometheans already acting to exterminate them. Cortana let out an exasperated sigh.

"This doesn't make any sense!" She said. "Why would the Covenant care about a broadcast relay?"

"I'll handle them, you just focus on finding the control point." He told her. The Infinity had sent several more alarming messages, including that they had discovered the entrance to Requiem. Time was almost out.

"Already found it, it's on the far side from us, on the top most platform." She said, her voice dripping with alarm.

He began running, engaging the enemy only when they took direct notice. One Elite turned to face him as he ran, only to have its face blown off by the new Scattershot he had found. It was the equivalent of a Forerunner Shotgun, and it was deadly. A Knight roared at him, beginning to raise its weapon. It never got the chance, Johns Light rifle tearing through its shields and blasting its head apart, causing it to vanish in orange light.

As he moved further and further up, the Prometheans began to focus on John exclusively, even if Covenant were firing right at them. Almost as if he was the more urgent threat. As if they didn't want him to reach the control console. John felt that nagging feeling again, as if something about this wasn't right, but pressed on. He mowed through the Prometheans, using the Covenant fire to his advantage, picking off the weaker Knights who had lost their shields, as well as the Crawlers and Watchers.

He made it to the top platform, the sounds of fighting below him still going. One Knight stood between him and his goal. This one seemed to possess a sniper variant. It fired, narrowly missing John and causing the metal wall behind him to vanish, the same way the Prometheans themselves did when they died. Its weapon must have had a slow recharge, because it didn't shoot again before John destroyed it. This left John alone on the platform, the controls in front of him. The controls consisted of two small pillars sticking out of the floor, with large pads on their tops. John got the sense he was meant to lay his hands on them.

"John, somethings not right…" Cortana began.

"We don't have time!" He shouted, placing his hands on the pillars. For a moment, nothing happened. He tried the radio.

"Infinity, this is sierra one one seven of the UNSC Forward unto Dawn, do you copy?" He said, pleading that it would work. To his surprise, his message echoed throughout the area, his voice heavily distorted.

"Infinity, do you read?" he tried again. Again, his message repeated, but no response from Infinity reached them. It was eerie quiet, and John suddenly felt a pit in his stomach.

The red sphere in the center of them room began to move, its glowing lines pulsing. If this wasn't enough to worry him, both the Covenant and the Prometheans stopped fighting, all eyes on the sphere. John suddenly understood why the Prometheans had been fighting so fiercely. They were protecting something, or trying prevent something getting out.

"Chief…chief let go of the contacts." Cortana's said urgently. He forgot his hands were still on them, and he immediately let go. The sphere continued to rise, its lines pulsing faster.

"Find us an exit." John instructed her, looking around for an escape.

"Don't wait on my account!" Cortana shouted. The sphere began to shake.

John ran for the edge of the platform, pushing himself with all his might to jump. He leapt for a platform below them, racing for cover. Just as he reached a small wall, the sphere let out a wave of energy, its bottom half fragmenting and splitting open, orange light pouring from within. The blast knocked several Elites off their feet, but none dared move otherwise.

John chanced a peek over his cover, looking up at the sphere. It continued to open from the bottom. From within the orange light emerged a small object, which looked like a platform. On the platform though, was something living. John shuddered, unable to make out its features just yet. It sat crouched on its platform, before slowly rising. It was tall, very tall, and heavily muscled. Pieces of what looked like armor materialized from thin air, attaching themselves to the things body. It sighed in satisfaction, and even though it was far away, John felt like he could hear it inside his head.

"So fades the great harvest of my betrayal…" It said, its voice sounding powerful, dangerous. It turned to look down upon the Prometheans and Covenant below. It waved its hand, a shimmer filling the air around them. The lights on the Prometheans changed, from the blue to the angry orange the sphere was colored. John felt the pit grow.

The Elites all began bowing to this creature, their heads lowered in reverence. This led John to believe that this creature was, somehow, Forerunner.

"Even these beasts recognize what you are oblivious to, human." It said. John's blood ran cold. It knew he was here. "Your nobility has blinded you, as ever."

The wall he hid behind suddenly vanished in orange light, leaving him exposed. He sprung up and raised his rifle, finger ready to slam the trigger. The being gestured with its hand, holding its palm up at him. And suddenly he couldn't move. His body froze, arms at his side. His shields flickered as the unknown energy touched them. He felt his body lift off the ground, and he watched as he was pulled toward the Alien. Up close, it looked even more monstrous, with several feather like quills passing for hair and lacking a nose. Otherwise, it looked similar to a human.

"The Librarian left little to chance, didn't she?" It continued, looking down at the army below it. "Turning my own guardians, my own world against me…"

It then looked right into his eyes, as if his visor wasn't there. It eyes were red, and angry. "But what hubris, to believe that she could protect her pets from me forever." It gestured with its hand, forcing John to turn his body. He got the sense it was inspecting him, his armor. It let out a single laugh, as if amused.

"If you haven't mastered even these primitives, than man has not attained the mantle." It said, its smile growing slowly. "Your ascension may yet be prevented."

John had no idea what it was saying. Mantle? Librarian? He didn't understand. But he didn't need to. The Alien pulled him closer, so that they were close enough to touch. It gave him an evil smile, and for the first time in what felt like forever, John felt afraid.

"Time was your ally human…but you it has abandoned you. The Forerunners, have returned."

John was right, this thing was Forerunner. He struggled in vain to free himself, but it was useless, whatever it was doing to him was unbreakable. A series of armored pieces formed over its face, leaving a helmet with two angry orange eyes staring at him. Johns radar suddenly lit up, showing a friendly tag.

"This tomb, is now-"

It didn't finish, as an orange blur collided with it from above. The Forerunner let out a cry of alarm, and all three of them toppled off the platform to the ground below. John hit the ground hard, rolling sideways until his momentum broke. The Alien landed on the ground hard, hitting the ground in a crouch, and slowly rising. His rescuer also landed hard, rising to face the Alien, standing in front of John.

In the flurry of action, he hadn't recognized the armor. But now, as he looked over the orange suit, with green highlights and the ridiculously large shoulder pads, he smiled.

Rising slowly, Samus Aran pointed her cannon at the Forerunner and waited.


Samus stood before her foe, eyeing it cautiously. It seemed familiar, really familiar, but that could wait.

When she had walked into the transit hub, Adam had urgently informed her that John's vitals were spiking, as well as some unusual energy readings from within the core. She had ordered him to activate the teleporter, and get her as close to John as he could. He had obliged, thought failed to mention it would bring her out with no ground to stand on, literally. She had begun plummeting to the platforms below, using her thrusters to avoid the massive sphere that floated in their center. That's when she had spotted John, being held by the enemy she now faced. With no time to form a plan, she had sped her fall, using the force to plummet into the Alien foe.

It now stood, looking at her. She got the sense it was confused, as if it had never been surprised before.

"Well, this is unexpected…" It muttered, making no move to attack her. Around them Covenant and Prometheans all shouted and roared.

"Cut the talk. Surrender, and I promise no harm will come to you." She said, her cannon pointed right at it. John groaned weakly behind her. She chanced a glance to see if he was alright. He was slowly rising, clearly struggling. She felt anger well up inside her but suppressed it. She couldn't lose her cool, not now.

"Samus…" John groaned.

"I'm here big guy, saving you again." She said, forcing a smile.

"Samus…he's a Forerunner." He muttered, breathing heavily.

She looked at the Alien again, and it hit her. She had seen him before, at the battle onboard the G.F.S Olympus. He had been the Promethean General, the leader of their armies. He had a name, which was…

"You're the Didact." She said suddenly.

His helmet retracted, exposing his face. His alien lips curved into a smile. "Glad to see the great Samus Aran remembers me." He chuckled, clearly a taunt.

She ignored it. "Doesn't change anything, you're coming with me."

He continued to smile. "After all the history we have shared, I am surprised that you are showing as much restraint as you are, Samus."

This confused her. "We fought in one battle, I wouldn't call it much history."

He frowned then. "…You do not remember, do you? Oh you poor woman."

She gritted her teeth, his words staring to get to her. "What are you talking about?"

He smiled. "Think."

She did, where she seen that face, that armor before? Her head suddenly began pounding and she cried out, her legs wanting to fail her. She refused to fall, standing as her head exploded with another memory.

"Where's my mommy?" Samus cried, tears of fright flowing down her cheeks. The large monster in front of her seemed to chuckle, its large snout folding back into a toothy grin.

"She's gone little girl" it hissed, red eyes glowing with delight. "But do not worry, you will soon join her!"

It ran toward her, its large teeth gnashing together. She screamed and covered her eyes. But just before she did, her eyes glanced behind the monster. Behind it stood a very tall man, in armor that had glowing lines and two, angry eyes. It turned and walked off, as if watching them had become boring.

She gasped, looking at the Didact with new eyes. She felt like she was a child once again, just for a moment. "You…you were…"

"Yes, I was there. I watched your parents, and world, die." He said, still smiling.

Anger surged up within her, she couldn't control it. She began shaking, taking big, rattling breaths. She began charging her cannon.

"No don't…he's too…" John tried to say, but she didn't care. She was beyond caring now. The Didact would die, even if it meant they all would go down with him.

She fired, sending a stream of Plasma at him. He gestured, catching the Plasma and tossing it aside like it was paper. She rushed him, colliding into him with her shoulder. He grunted, aiming a swift jab toward her head. She ducked, leaping back and firing a missile at him. He gestured again, sending it back toward her. She dodged, but not quickly enough. It impacted the ground under her, taking out a massive chunk of her shielding. She fell to the floor, and tried to get up. But her body wouldn't obey her.

She managed to turn her head to find the Didact was holding his palm toward her, pinning her in place. He gestured again, slamming her into a wall, and damaging her shields further. She cried out, the pain from the impact a surprise. He pulled her in closer to him, leaving her hovering beside him. She spotted John struggling to stand. The Didact waved his other arm at him, sending him hurtling into another wall. He fell, and didn't get back up.

The Didact turned to look at Samus, and smiled in an evil manor. "Come, Samus Aran. I want to show you something, and then, you can join your parents."

She glared defiantly at him, as they rose up into the sphere above them. She managed to catch one last look at John on the ground, feeling both rage and sadness. She had one final thought before her vison blacked out.

"Damn…"