Land of heroes: DC Style.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to DC or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.
A/N: This is the DC version, it is mostly set in the JLU universe, more precisely the very beginning, there will be a mixture comic and cartoon lore here so please bear that in mind.
Chapter 3
"I shall go with the J'onn, I need to know more about what we face." The Spartan said to the group, the Martian nodding in agreement.
"I shall join you, to know ones enemies is the key to victory." Wonder Woman said.
"I as well shall join you then." Batman said to the duo.
"Is that wise? You are the biggest group, you could be spotted easily." Stewart said though he was glad to be away from the Spartan and his A.I.
"We are two unknowns, you do not like neither of us, making working with you impossible, Superman is the most powerful one here so more than one person partnered to him is overkill, Batman and myself are more strategic oriented so we can outthink the invaders, while Jonzz holds knowledge I and Diana need in order to function against this foe."
"Aww and I wanted to show the Princess a good time." Flash whined.
"You're coming with me." The lantern ordered much to the relief of the Amazon.
"Then I shall go with Superman." Hawkgirl said.
"Very well, now let's move people, the world is counting on us to win this fight, pick a target and be careful." Superman spoke to them all.
Green Lantern and Flash raced to the South, Superman and Hawkgirl flew to the Northeast.
This left the three remaining heroes and the Spartan to choose their destination.
John extended his hand and Cortana appeared once more.
"Cortana, check the satellites, see if they can show us which complex is less guarded, we may be able to obtain Intel on these invaders." He spoke to his friend.
"I'm on it Chief." She said as she closed her eyes and checked the satellites they had placed so as to avoid arousing suspicions, it would not due to hijack an NSA or CIA satellite on a vital mission.
"She can access our satellites from here?" Batman asked the man, though his tone even his mind was abuzz with activity at such a thing.
"Not even Hardac was that powerful, yet she can though from this range through this man's armor?" He thought as more was adding to the mystery that is the Spartan.
"Why does she call you "Chief"? I thought you were called Spartan-117?" Diana asked.
"It is part of my official rank from where I am from, ma'am." He replied.
"What is your official rank then?" She continued.
He thought it over and saw no harm in telling, he would eventually when he explained his origin when this crisis was over.
"My full rank is Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan-117, though I prefer to be referred to as Chief by those I work with in the field." He replied.
"May I call you that then?" She asked as he was her ally.
"Yes ma'am."
"Please call me Diana, there is no need for formalities among allies."
"Under the circumstances I rather not, do you have a codename by which you refer to yourself in the field?"
"I'm sorry; I am not familiar with that term."
"He means a name to which you refer to yourself when you are on mission like now for example, I refer to myself as Batman when I go fight crime, as does Superman or Hawkgirl." The Dark Knight answered.
"I see, is such a thing necessary in man's world?" She asked the Spartan.
"I believe it is for those who wish hide their true identities from their enemies as a means to protect their families and friends, I simply follow it as standard procedure." He replied to the Amazon.
"Hmm, I can think of nothing, the only other time I have ever been called something other than my name was by my mother, she called me her little wonder." She said, a little embarrassed that she had revealed such an intimate thing to this men.
"More like Wonder Woman if you ask me, Hey! We can call you that." Cortana said as she finished with the data.
"Hmm, Wonder Woman, I like it." The newly christened hero replied with a smile towards the A.I who returned it, while John agreed silently as he found the name suited her, he then turned his attention towards his partner.
"What did you find out?" he said as he kept her at eye level with the others.
"Currently there is zero visibility thanks to the coverage these factories, if they can be called that, are producing, however I did check for earlier timeframes when the incursion began."
"What is the situation Cortana?"
"Bad Chief, their everywhere, France, Germany, China, Russia you name it, they have run over all opposition, however I did find that the African continent has very little enemy forces, the least one is in Egypt near the Sphinx, take a look." She said before a holographic display showed a factory with a single Walker.
"We can use the ruins next to it as cover and see if there is a way inside." Batman said.
"Agreed, it is our best shot at them." The Spartan replied.
J'onn nodded as well as Wonder Woman.
"Very well, we should use my vehicle to get there faster, no offense intended to yours." He said to Batman.
"None taken." He replied in an even tone already planning to have his Jet follow from behind just in case.
All agreed and John sent a message to the Longsword to come in low for pick up, they would meet it in the air as it had no VTOL capabilities like the Pelican or Albatross.
Once all were inside, John headed to the cockpit followed by the heroes; Batman sat in the copilot's seat while the Martian and the Amazon sat in the auxiliary stations.
John then transferred Cortana to the A.I station, her avatar appearing before them, he then let her pilot while he turned to face J'onn, who didn't need his telepathy to know what he wished to know but still let him ask.
"J'onn, what can you tell us about them, their strengths, weaknesses, technology, anything you can think of that can help us fight them." The others agree to those questions.
"They are as stronger than average humans, so I suggest Batman that you avoid a close confrontation with them." He said to the man in his usual even tone, Bruce nodded as he remembered the bruised ribs he got the last time while mentally going over his equipment for a confrontation similar to Clayface, as he used the mutated man as a basis for battling the aliens.
"Their bodies are quite malleable to a certain extent, capable of reshaping themselves to suit their needs, but if struck with enough force they can be killed, so in the case of both you and Batman, explosives are effective on them." He said to the men, John decided to bring some C-12 as they need to demolish this complex.
"What of you J'onn?" Diana asks.
"You and I have superhuman strength so we have a good chance of inflicting heavy damage." He replied.
"What about extreme heat? Are they vulnerable to that?" Cortana asked, making John wonder if she was referring to breaking out the Covenant weaponry they had on board.
"Their bodies would react as expected to such conditions." He told her.
"Time to bring them out then Chief." He said to her friend.
"Break out what?" Batman asked.
"We a have a cache of weapons of alien design that are suited for this situation, that is all I can say for now." He said just adding another mystery for the Bat to solve.
"What of their technology?" Batman asked.
"They rely on techno organic systems, we never had a chance to study much of it during the invasion of my people, but some connects directly to them so damage them you damage it." Was the reply.
They asked many others question until they believe to have covered all their bases, they hoped they did, too much hanged in the balance.
With Flash and Green Lantern…
The pair raced at high speed towards the South American region, in the case of the Flash it was literal as he ran at speeds that allowed him to run over the water parting it as he passed while Stewart flew next to him encompassed in a green glow.
Of course Flash was still miffed to being next to the Amazon and chose to voice his grievance.
"You are no fun!" he said to the man.
"This isn't supposed to be fun, we have a job to do and we will do it better without any distractions, understood?" He replied gruffly.
"Yeah, yeah I hear ya." He said before accelerating "Man, why couldn't I be partnered with someone who isn't a stick in the mud, heck that computer chick was better than this…Heh heh wait till I tell Jay about that, he'll get a kick for sure." He thought.
Within hours they arrived to the jungles that surrounded the complex, three Walkers moving around the perimeter.
Stewart observed the situation and began to formulate a strategy.
"That´s our target, now listen up here´s the plan…"
"What plan? We kick their butts right? Let´s get this over with." The crimson clothed hero said before he ran down, leaving a disgruntled Lantern.
"Maybe I should have brought the Amazon." He thought.
Flash moved near the alien guardian and gave a high pitched whistle to get its attention…it worked as it targeted and fired.
"Hah! Missed me!" he mocked as the blast hit 4 feet to his right thanks to his speed, not waiting for another shot, he ran beneath them as they tried to eliminate him.
However he did not see the trap in front of him until…
"BANG!" "AH…Ugh." He soon found himself incased in viscous liquid that kept him in place, one of the Walkers came to capitalize.
"Fool" the Lantern spoke before he flew towards him "Hang on hotshot!" and blasted the offending machine.
"Heh…I'm sorta stuck here." Flash said weakly to his ally. "Wait a go Flash!"
"I hope the others are having better luck than we are." Stewart said.
In Egypt…
True to plan John and his group landed a mile away from the complex, from there Both John and the Martian scouted ahead, the Spartan using his cloak and J'onn using his abilities, while Batman and Wonder Woman went on foot using the land as cover until they reached the nearby ruins.
Batman peered at the facility as a Walker passed.
"Hiding like cowards is not the Amazon way." She spoke as her warrior nature was affronted by this.
"They must have a particular weakness, when we find it we strike." He replied.
J'onn and the Spartan came back at that moment.
"I have scouted around the perimeter, there are no openings."
"Same, no patrols except for our "friend" over there." He said as he held in his arms a long rifle with crystals coming out of the top, this weapon being the Needle Rifle, based on the handheld version, this weapon delivered better range and punch while sacrificing the tracking ability, it wasn't the only weapon he brought as he carried as he had on his thigh plates a pair of DEP (Directed Energy Pistol) and on his back a pair of DER (Directed Energy Rifle), the designs of the weapons clearly showed they were not of human make.
Diana decided it was time for action.
"Then we shall just have to make one!" She said before flying after the Walker, J'onn made an attempt to stop her but Batman stepped in.
"Wait…let's see what she can do." He said.
She shot towards the Walker while pulling her golden lasso free, like a cowboy in the old west she swung it around and grabbed the leg, and then much to the shock of the men looped the rope around the legs, finally stopping on one of the legs.
"Hera give me strength!" she said before giving a mighty pull, the force so great the legs closed in, the result was the Walker losing its balance and landing on the wall, crushing it completely.
"There is your opening." She said as she stood over the remains.
J'onn went in, while Batman voiced his approval.
"She definitely is a wonder isn't she John?" Cortana said.
"So it seems." He replied.
He soon followed the Martian and Batman and were assaulted by a group of aliens who made a hasty retreat, however one caught his eye, this seem to run then skip to the right as if to avoid something.
"They run like cowards! What are you waiting for!" Wonder Woman said as she gave chase followed by J'onn, he and Batman however hanged back.
Batman also saw that alien and then turns to look at opening.
"Are thinking you what I am?" the Spartan asked as he readied his weapons, Batman didn't say anything but gave a slight nod.
In Metropolis…
Hawkgirl and Superman got into the thick of things as soon as they arrived as they took on the alien assault.
The Thanagarian woman quickly showed her warrior nature as she pummeled a Walker into the ground with her mace giving a war cry every time she struck, Superman then appeared on the downed machine and gave a swift chop to the leg, grabbed it and then used it to force entry into the complex.
"Hawkgirl! Follow me!" he yelled back at her as he went inside, she soon followed.
They entered into complex, the insides a mass of curves and tunnels.
"Keep a sharp eye out." He told her as he scanned the area.
"I always do."
Soon however they encountered resistance from the invaders.
"Stay back I'll…." he never finished.
"Huaah!"
With a war cry she threw herself into battle swinging and smashing them for all her worth, one went into the direction of the last son who ducked, letting the alien hit the wall with a resounding splat.
"Whoa." He said as he looked in her direction.
It ended with the remains of the aliens decorating the walls.
"What? There's a time for words and a time for action." She said casually as she neared him surrounded by the unconscious creatures, he simply looked on.
With Green Lantern and Flash…
As green Lantern managed to both free and berate the Flash for rushing in, the found themselves in trouble as the rest of the Walkers fire at the targets.
"Blast!"
"Uh maybe you should the motivational speeches till later!" Flash quipped as he finally freed himself.
Lantern flew upward and placed a shield around himself, it deflected several blast, however the aliens then fired a strange pod that released a yellow gas that clearly did not agree with him.
Thankfully the speedster quickly spun his arms at such a speed he blew the gas away from the knocked out hero.
"GL!" he spoke only to look up to the Walkers closing in.
"Uh oh, got to run." He quipped before picking him up and running for safety.
Back with Superman and Hawkgirl…
Both flew through the factory, and strangely enough had not encountered any resistance.
"This isn´t right." Superman thought.
Eventually they landed Hawkgirl tense and ready to act.
"They´re close by, I can almost smell them." She said in a dangerous tone.
"Are you always so eager to fight?" He asked.
"My home Thanagar is a war like world; there one must strike first or die." She replied.
"Note to self never take a vacation there." He thought before a laser blast past his face.
They turned to the right and saw three creatures run through a sealing door.
Superman looked back to find the door they use seal itself as well.
"It´s a trap!"
Soon Hawkgirl was hit by the same knock out gas GL suffered from.
"Hang on Hawkgirl I´ll…AAARRRG!" he screamed as thousands of volts of electricity hit him effectively subduing them.
Back with John and the others in Egypt…
The sounds of laser fire and plasma discharge filled the air as the aliens once more cut off the group Wonder Woman shielded herself with her bracers, while John bought her some breathing room as he fired the Covenant pistols at the creatures, their bodies reacted even worse than humans did to the blast as the superheated substances practically fried them, this of course made him a priority target.
His shield glowing with every blast, the lasers they fired were powerful enough to drop his shields, but their enhanced recharge system compensated for it, and even though they could dropped them completely he still had the refractive coating to fall back on, he still made sure to teach them the error of making him a target.
"They have cut us off again." John said.
"It's like they know where we are heading." Batman added before firing an explosive batarang that caused them to flee.
They all turned to J'onn for answers when they saw his eyes glowed then stopped.
"Superman and Hawkgirl are down, they have failed." He spoke his tone seems to drop a bit indicating his remorse at the situation.
"What! Are you certain?" Wonder Woman asked in disbelief.
He nodded, making her heart drop at that.
"Do they live?" the Spartan asked as he replaced the battery and fuel cells to his pistols.
"Yes, they have been taken prisoner, most likely for interrogation…or feeding." His voice clearly telling them his disgust at the idea.
"Then once we finish here we will go and rescue them, we cannot let this creatures win." He spoke as he switched to the DER.
"Up there it will take us closer to the core." He pointed to an opening high up, the flyers going up easily enough and Batman following via grapple hook.
Through the maze like complex they went until finally they had arrived at their destination.
The aliens were working diligently, unaware of them, John spotted what appeared to be some sort of crystal in cased in a force field.
"I am going to take a wild guess and say that looks important." Cortana spoke.
"How do we shut them down?" Batman asked as gave the scene a look and clearly did not like it.
"The ion matrix crystal, remove that and the whole plant shuts down, I will need a diversion." He said to them.
"You got it." Batman spoke as he launched another batarang to sever a stem conduit, Diana doing the same, John began firing at the creatures to draw their attention away from the Martian as he phased through the floor towards the crystal, he succeeded in its capture but one guard who had not been drawn in by John fired upon him and hit his back.
Soon more fighters' came to engage the three.
"Wonder Woman get J'onn out of there, we'll cover you!" the Spartan said as he switched the DER to automatic and let loose a barrage of plasma, the room filling with the smell of ozone and burnt flesh, the sounds of agony clearly broadcast, those who got to close met their ends when he clubbed them using enhanced strength, Batman took out a an electrified silver knuckle and beat back the aliens with a good shock to their systems.
Wonder Woman quickly grabbed the Martian in the frenzy and went for the exit; John followed holstering his weapons, then Batman using his grapple to follow while picking up the crystal along the way.
Diana and J'onn quickly made through the exit, but it sealed before John and Batman could make it in.
Batman beat at the door causing the electricity to spark but nothing more, John took out his hammer and with the blade slashed at it; however the cuts sealed faster than he could damage.
"CLICK!"
Both turned around to a horde of aliens pointing their weapons at them.
"Do you think if I surrender the crystal they'll let us live?" Batman asked as he considered all possible escape routes.
"I think the many guns pointed at us are answer enough." He replied as he tightens the grip he had on the hammer it giving off a low hum of power, while reaching towards his back.
"Batman! Chief!" Wonder Woman yelled as she prepared to rip the door off when the sounds of laser fire came, followed by small impressions on its shape.
"No!" she yells now even more determined to charge the door.
"Wait! There's nothing more that can be done for them." He said to her solemly.
"You mean their…" she began "…gone" he finished,
"Hera help us." She prayed, before they left the place to regroup with Lantern and Flash and rescue Superman and Hawkgirl.
On the other side of the door…
The aliens fired their weapons at the duo, creating a lot of dust and smoke from the discharge, many pointing their weapons away; however what they found were not a pair of dead bodies but a small shield that protected the duo.
"What in the world?" Batman asked in wonder at the device.
"No time, cover your ears!" He said as he launched some sonic grenades at them.
They activated soon enough and the creatures were disoriented enough that they dropped their weapons.
Batman thankfully had some protection in this case, still he covered his ears to block out some of the noise, John picked up the crystal he dropped when he shielded himself and both made a break for it.
They ran through the maze like halls avoiding patrols that searched for them.
"We will have to make our own exit if we want out of this mad house." The Spartan spoke.
"I don't carry anything stronger than C-4 on me." Batman said.
"I do I just need a good place to put it."
They both looked around and soon found and alcove high up.
"Wait here I'll fly up and set the charge, take this just in case..." He said as he handed him a bubble shield "Just slam it hard on the ground and it will activate." He explained before activating the cloak and flied towards the alcove to set the C-12 charge.
"John is it safe to use a full charge?" his partner asked.
"We have to risk it." He replied.
He carefully place the explosive, this kind of work required it.
He soon came back down and asked that they move some distance away.
Batman did not argue seeing how all his technology packed some punch.
Once they reached a safe distance John activated the charge.
"BOOOOM!"
The plant trembled from the force of the explosion that parts of the ceiling came loose letting light come in, it was there they came to the realization of why the creatures blocked out the sunlight as several of them were caught in its light and began to smoke and blister.
"Of course! These creatures must exist in the darker regions of space; they have no natural protection against the sun's UV radiation." She said to both men.
"Hmm, then maybe we can use that against them, if I can somehow reverse the polarity of the crystal, than we can undo the cloud cover and let them have a full taste of it." Batman spoke.
"Do you have the resources to pull it off?" John asked willing to take him to the Dawn if he had too.
"Yes back at my lair, it will take some time though." The man replied.
"Do it, I will head towards Metropolis see if can aid our allies and get you the time you need." John said to the man who nodded, soon both ran through the newly made exit, since there were no guards Batman called his Jet while John flew towards the Longsword.
He got in the pilot seat and placed Cortana back into the A.I core.
"John we have an incoming message from the Dawn, it reads that they are in geosynchronous orbit over China right now." She said to him.
"Will meet up with them there, I need to change vehicles anyway." He said.
"Roger that, sending message now."
He gave her nod an soon flew off, he gained enough thrust that he broke through the atmosphere and headed to the Dawn, she uncloaked upon his approach and the reactivate it as soon as he docked.
He made his way towards the command center, will the Huragok and Constructors tended to the vehicle.
Once he arrived he saluted the Commander who promptly returned it.
"At ease Chief, what is the situation down there."
He soon relayed all pertinent information he had obtained from the cause of his dreams, his battles with the creatures with the other heroes as well as the objective they had.
"Damn! If they think we are going to let them walk all over this Earth they are in for a shock." Miranda says in anger to which John nods.
"Is it possible for an orbital bombardment?" She asked the A.I's.
"Negative, coverage is global and targets are in high casualty zones, making it impossible to even get close to them and launch an air strike." Cortana replied.
"Looks like it's all on the Batman then."
"Commander, I request permission to enact a rescue operation for the captured." John spoke in military fashion.
"Granted, get them out of their Chief; no one deserves to be food for this scum." She said to him, he saluted before turning to the Forerunner construct.
"Have a Pelican ready with the standard armament."
"At once Reclaimer." He spoke before sending the order to the machines both living and artificial.
Meanwhile in Metropolis…
J'onn and Wonder Woman waited for Flash and Green Lantern while looking at the chaos cause by panic and the fear of people, the authorities hard pressed to maintain order.
"Perhaps mother was right about mankind. They're nothing but untamed savages." Said the princess looking the chaos with sad eyes.
"Batman and the Spartan sacrificed themselves for this rabble?" She thought
"Do not judge too lightly, they act out of fear." Said the blue skinned alien in monotone tone as they watched on.
"I pray my shielding hold on them; this planet survival depends on it." He thought.
Green Lantern and Flash soon joined them after making sure the civilians were safe from the looters and criminals.
"Sorry for the delay, we had to help some civilians." The former marine said.
"So what did you call us back for?" The Flash asked.
"Superman and Hawkgirl have been taken captive, they're somewhere inside that facility." He said as he pointed at it, darkness and lighting adding to its already macabre feel.
Flash resisted the urged to shiver at the sight.
"Where are Batman and the Spartan?" GL asked as he saw they were not with them.
"They fell as heroes in battle." J'onn spoke.
"Like true warriors." Diana added as she thought of them, notably the Spartan who lived up to the name.
"You mean Bats and the Spartan are gone?" Flash asked in disbelief, he like many others had heard of how the man with no powers faced off against fierce foes such as Clayface, Mr. Freeze and others, and the Spartan just radiated this aura of power that could not be contained.
"This not good, definitely not good." He said as he looked at the facility.
Soon they acted as the stormed the facility, there was little resistance encountered, and the ones they did fell too easily, this did not sit well with J'onn.
"This too easy, something is wrong."
Soon they found the holding cells that contained the heroes' arms and legs incased in a hard substances heads down as if they were asleep, that's when J'onn felt it.
"It's a trap!" He yelled, but it was too late as they suddenly awoke and morphed into their true forms, the chamber was sealed and the gas they used before knock them all out.
With the Spartan…
John flew the Pelican through the city looking for a good landing site when he received some distressing news.
"Chief! We have inbound heading towards your location, whatever it is, it is big!" Keyes said.
"Can you intercept?"
"Negative by the time we reach it will already enter the Earth's atmosphere; Redeeming says it's heading your way."
"…I'll have to improvise then, put yourself in orbit over it, if we fail you have to blow it out of the sky, let's hope it doesn't come to that." He said to her.
"Kick ass Chief, will back you up if you need it, over and out."
John soon landed it in and abandoned lot leaving a copy of Cortana behind, he then took to the skies under cloak.
He soon found Batman observing the facility that held the rest of the captives.
"Did you succeed?" he said from behind him as he dropped the cloak.
Batman did not say anything but mentally he was spooked that he had not felt him appear.
"Yes, however the others have been captured and are held inside, the…"
"Look up there!" Cortana suddenly spoke as a massive vessel pierced the heavens.
"This must be the leader of the aliens." John said while Batman nodded.
"We are running out of time, I have to get this emitter inside to reverse the ion flow." The Dark Knight said to the Spartan.
"Go, I will help the others; once the fighting starts things will get intense." He said in return and the Batman nodded as they both went ahead into the complex.
As they made their way into the core a vessel had detached itself and landed in fronted of the captured heroes.
John and Batman watched as a hideous creature emerge from it, John and Cortana feeling the memories of their battle with Gravemind come, She felt fear at that, and he felt anger, they vowed he would not live to plague this world.
Soon enough Senator Carter appeared and showed what John had alluded too, he did show surprise that they figured he was a spy, but still he mocked along the Imperium, leader of the aliens.
Soon screams were heard and both saw how the leader mocked and tortured J'onn, burying its tentacles into his body, both having to resist the urge to help him as they made their way to the main chamber where the crystal was held.
Once there Batman tried to cut through with a miniature laser but it proved too time consuming.
"Time to go low tech." John said as he took his hammer, J'onn sensed this and made it known that now was the time.
"NOW!"
The Spartan placed all the strength he had in the blow and shattered the protective layer, Batman got to work by inserting the emitter and activating it, the red veins suddenly turning blue.
"Guys!" Flash yelled in shock and awe.
"It can't be!" Wonder Woman said in shock.
"I mentally shielded them from detection." The Martian spoke as regained his chosen form and strength.
"What have you done!" the Carter doppelganger yelled.
"Reversed the ion flow." Batman said casually.
"DESTROY THE CRYSTAL, KILL THEM!" The Imperium commanded as aliens poured out to do just that.
"Not happening." John said as he jump down to the platform where there was a circle of six creatures there, his hammer hummed with power before he slammed it onto the floor launching them away with enough force they splattered their remains.
Another group began firing at him but his shields held, and then threw the hammer at the group who were sliced in half until imbedded itself in the wall near Superman's manacle, making cracks to appear.
The ones who were not engaged with the Spartan attacked the crystal, but a force field prevented its destruction.
John decided it was time for a closer encounter as he activated the wrist energy blades, his mind then went into Spartan time as all slowed down to mere moments and that's when the carnage began as he rushed them.
Blasts rained down on him from all sides, lasers mere inches of him were evaded, not once did a shot hit his shields.
He hacked one down the middle, its flesh seared shut.
He dodged left then decapitated another on the right,
Rolled forward and rammed them into a creature's torso, then used it as a shield as it screamed.
Another tried to attack from behind with his hand morphed into a blade, but a back spin heel kick took its head off.
The momentum continued he kicked another in the chest and the sound of wet paper torn was heard.
Batman had come down to free the others and would occasionally look to see the Spartan's progress, and every time he looked he saw something that no normal man in such armor should be capable of, he wasn't alone as the others were shocked into silence by the man's dance of death.
"How is he moving that fast!" Flash.
"He doesn't seem to be struggling at all." Hawkgirl.
"I tried to pick a fight with this guy?" Stewart thought as he the Spartan literally ripped a head off and threw it at another alien.
Superman was silent at the battle.
"He truly is a Spartan." She thought in awe of this warrior she was looking at, a rare thing given her upbringing.
Soon the tables turned even more for the heroes as the sun broke through the clouds and bathe all in its light, the aliens melting and scurrying like rats in a doomed vessel.
The Imperium flesh was bursting as he tried to hide in the shadows, but J'onn had something to say about that.
"You live underground and shun the light! Why! Does it burn your pale putrid flesh!" He yelled at the creature he held in place, taking some measure of joy at hearing the cries of the destroyer of his people.
"They cannot survive in the sunlight." Batman explained as he freed Diana.
"So you did find a weakness." She spoke as she was finally freed
"KILL THEM ALL!" It screamed those still capable of fighting complied.
Once freed Superman shielded the others by ripping off a piece of the platform and bent it to cover them.
The other's soon joined the Spartan in battle, Hawkgirl bashing aliens left and right with her mace, Flash using his speed punched all in his path, Stewart with the help of his ring blasted them from up high, Superman decided to make some more windows and punched holes in the ceiling, one of this hit Carter full blast and melted him.
The Imperium freed itself from the Martian and entered his shuttle, it began to ascend when Wonder Woman used her lasso to rope the tail and keep it in place that is until a laser was fired from it forcing her to shield herself, it seemed the leader would escape until a field of energy held it in place.
John-117 was trained t never let the enemy live to regroup, and used his hammers abilities to keep it place, he activated the magnetic soles to keep himself in place but it was a struggle as the ship increased its speed to escape.
"Hawkgirl now!"
"HUAAHH!" she screamed as she bashed her fully powered mace into the hull, she did this until finally it was to damage to move and crashed into the facility killing the leader of the invaders.
The crash weakened the structure and now the heroes needed to get all the prisoners out, once the complex fell, and al turned to the sky to see the creatures make an escape.
"The cowards flee!" The Amazon said in anger as they live to hurt others.
"Not on my watch." The Spartan said.
Before anyone could ask what he meant, the sound of powerful engines filled the air and above them a ship uncloaked itself, its cargo bay wide open.
"What the devil!" Stewart yelled over the roar.
John flew to meet it there, and then turned to face the heroes.
"You coming?" he asked then in an emotionless tone.
Wonder Woman gave no thought and flew up there, he took her hand to steady her and she smiled at the gesture.
Hawkgirl gave a shrugged and followed, J'onn said nothing he just went feeling he needed to see this through.
The other four went thanks to the Lantern, and when all boarded the cargo bay closed, and John headed to the cockpit.
They gave chase to the vessel and soon broke the atmosphere.
"Um, is there a plan? Or are we just winging it?" Flash asked.
Before he could get an answer a barrage of missiles impacted the invaders mothership.
"What the hell! Where did that come from?" Hawkgirl asked.
"Look!" Superman spoke as through the windows a massive vessel suddenly appeared, and from the looks of it, it was not made with the intent for exploration.
John steered the Pelican to the Dawn's vehicle bay, and landed it, never speaking along the way.
Soon they landed, and all got out, they saw this strange floating creatures floating about as well as machines doing the same.
The ship trembled for a moment then stabilized.
"Quickly follow me."He said as he led them through the corridors.
"Where is everybody?" Superman asked as he used his X-ray vision and found no one on board.
He didn't get a reply, but that soon change as they reached the bridge, and there he saw a command chair facing away from them and a floating machine next to it, the windows showed the alien vessel as it fired again.
"Commander." John stood straight and saluted.
The chair turned and revealed a woman in uniform no one recognized.
"At ease Chief, I need Cortana at tactical control." She spoke only giving the heroes a once over.
He nodded and approached the terminal, placed his hand there and transferred her into the ship.
"I'm in Commander, what do you need?" she said as her avatar appeared.
"Prepare MAC cannons to fire; find me the places for maximum damage." She ordered as she sat once more in the chair and faced the enemy.
"What's a MAC cannon?" Wonder Woman asked.
"It's short for Magnetic Acceleration Cannon; basically it fires a 600 ton bullet at incredible speeds to tear apart enemy vessels." John said in answer to her question.
"600 tons!" Stewart yelled in shock.
"Commander they have released fighters, they are causing some interference." Cortana spoke.
"Power up point defense guns and rail guns, fire a compliment of archer and pulse missiles now." Keyes ordered.
Space was soon filled with explosion as missiles flew and struck the small ships, those who got to close were soon destroyed by the defensives guns, any shots they manage to give off were absorb by the shield.
Soon however they witted down the number to only a handful.
"Commander main vessel is attempting to flee." Redeeming spoke for the first time, causing the heroes to give start.
"We have a targeting solution." Cortana spoke.
"Fire!"
They soon all felt as the main weapons powered up, the walls shielded them from feeling it physically, they could tell though that it was going to be impressive, and soon the ship gave a lurch as six objects flew at high speed, had they been on Earth a scream would be heard as they tore the very barriers of sound and speed.
The invaders only had seconds before the massive rounds tore into them, metal bent and explode outward and inward, air escaped along with a few screaming bodies, fires roared and finally the ship exploded into the void.
"Target has been neutralized." Cortana spoke.
Everyone was silent at that news, many shocked at the display of power.
"Let's get you people home, there still work to do there." Keyes said to the group.
"Wait a minute! We have questions that need answers lady, who are you people? Where did this ship come from? And…" The lantern once again walking into a situation without thinking.
"Mr. Stewart! Do not think you can demand answers onboard my ship!" Keyes spoke as if he was a rowdy subordinate.
"Please we mean no offense; we are simply looking for an explanation to all we have witnessed." Superman spoke as he tried to deflate the situation.
"Be that as it may, Superman, the Earth has just gone through a trying ordeal and there are still facilities and invaders there, and people to save, do you want to stay up here and play twenty questions or do you want to help?" She asked the man knowing his answer.
He looked at the others and knew answers could wait.
"We would appreciate a ride back." He said.
She nodded.
"You have your heading." She told the A.I's
"Do any of you wish to rest or eat before returning?" She asked.
"No thank you, as you say the sooner we go back, the sooner we can help." He replied.
"Very well, Chief please aid them as well." She asked the Spartan.
"As you wish Commander." He replied.
"May we know your name?" Wonder Woman asked her.
"I am Commander Miranda Keyes, and this is my ship the UNSC Frigate Forward Unto Dawn." She said to the group.
"This is a Frigate?" Hawkgirl asked completely poleaxed.
"It's complicated but we will explain everything once were ready, please believe that if nothing else." She said.
They accepted that answer for now as they headed home.
Once there, clean up began, facilities were demolished, the remaining invaders were either destroyed or fled to the depths of space, and through it all the heroes did so together, the media caught wind of it and documented their efforts, John regardless of his efforts was caught on camera so the world was now aware of HIS existence at least, much to his chagrin as he was constantly asked for interviews, finally when all was said and done the world breathed a sigh of relief and was what now?
It was Batman who gave an answer.
Two Months later…
High above the Earth stood massive structure that stood guard of the planet, the Watchtower.
Superman gazed at his adopted planet with warmth and awe, Batman came up behind him.
"Incredible, do your stockholders know about this Bruce?" He asked the man.
"A line item hidden in the aerospace R&D Budget, this watchtower will act as an early warning system for detecting other threats of invasion from space." He replied.
Flash and Diana appeared with two glasses in their hands, Flash decided to speak up.
"It has fully stoked kitchen, Ice mocha?" He offered Superman.
"No thanks" politely rejected the man of steel.
Diana taking a sip of the drink in her hand.
"Hmm, they don't have these of Themyscira." She said as she enjoyed her drink.
"Stick around princess, I'll show you the ropes." Offered the Flash with a smile.
"Perhaps I will." She replied.
"An impressive installation." This time it was Green Lantern that ascended from above with Hawkgirl with him.
"Most impressive, but what's it got to do with us?" He wondered.
Superman turned from their gazes and looked again at the Earth responding while walking towards the glass gathering his thoughts for what he wanted to say.
"I once thought I could protect the world by myself, but I was wrong, working together we saved the planet and I believe that if we stay together as a team we could become a force that fights for the ideals of peace and justice." He said seriously to them.
"What like a bunch of super friends?" asked the Flash getting the idea he was talking about.
"More like a justice league." he said with a smile and placed his hand out.
"Do you have any idea how corny that sounds?" voiced the Flash again in humor.
"But maybe the big man's got a point, with all of us behind it, it might just work, count me in." he reassured putting his hand on Superman's.
"Me too" said Green Lantern approaching them and putting his hand over Flash's.
Hawkgirl followed his example "and me" placing her hand on his.
"My mother may not approve, but I find man's world to be intriguing, I'll gladly join." She said with confidence placing her hand on Hawkgirl's.
Then all turned towards the Dark Knight.
"What about you Batman?" The man of steel asked his counterpart
"I'm not really a people person, but when you need help, and you will, call me."
"Understood" answered the man of steel.
Diana looked around "Wait J'onn is not here."
"Yeah, where is he?" asked the Flash.
They found J'onn sitting in front of the console staring at Mars.
"J'onn, are you all right?" asked superman.
"My family and loved ones are long gone; I am the last of my kind." He said with an aching heart.
Superman placed a hand on his shoulder, completely understanding where he was coming from.
"I know the feeling."
"Mars is dead, and I am alone in the Universe."
"J'onn, we can never replace your family you lost, but we'd be honored if you learn to call Earth home." Clark said in a warm tone.
J'onn thought it over then smiled and extended his hand towards him, and he replied in kind, they came down just in time for Flash to ask something of great relevance.
"Hey! What about the Spartan? Doesn't he have a stake in this too?"
"Yes he did help us during the battle and the clean up." Wonder Woman added.
"He did but he disappeared afterwards." Hawkgirl spoke.
"Him and that ship, I have tried to locate it but it is either well hidden or not here." Green Lantern spoke.
"There is still a great mystery to the man and his companions." Batman spoke.
"But how do we find them?" Superman asked the question everyone had on their minds.
"I do not believe that will be a problem, look behind you." The last Martian spoke.
They all turned and saw the Dawn become visible, and then a ship they all recognized came out towards the installation.
Superman flew up to the controls and opened the hanger bay.
And as one they all went to meet the man.
Once sealed and filtered air came inside they saw him just as they met the first time, weapon in hand and with an aura of power, precision and control he exuded.
"Chief, we were just talking about you." Diana said with a smile at the man.
"Yeah man where have you been anyway?" Flash added.
"I apologize but we had to make sure there were no stragglers left behind."
"Yeah, last thing we need is for one of them to start some trouble that ignites world war three, hey Diana how are you?" Cortana spoke as she and the Amazon became friends during the clean up, she understood she was not a real live person but she acted like one though.
"Hello Cortana, I am fine."
"We had a proposition we were talking about and wished to ask you about it." Superman said to the man.
"Can it wait? The Commander wishes to talk to you all on some important matters." He said in a tone that rival J'onn's.
"Is it the explanation of who you people are?" Batman asked in his usual emotionless tone.
"Yes, if you could board the Pelican, I will take you to the Dawn, it is a long story and we have proof to back it up there." He said to the group who agreed and followed him to the ship.
Soon they came on board and the Dawn engaged the cloak once more, moving to the halfway point between Earth and the Moon.
John led them towards the conference room used for strategic meetings and such, there they found Commander Keyes and the monitor A.I sitting at the head of the table or floating there.
"Hello everyone, I hope the ride here wasn't too uncomfortable, we don't really get that many civilian personnel here, please have seat." She said.
"Greetings to you all." Redeeming Bias spoke.
They all sat around the table Superman, Batman, Hawkgirl and Green Lantern on the left in that order with Superman closest to the Commander; J'onn, Flash, Wonder Woman and John on the right in that order with the Martian next to Miranda.
"First thing first, you already know who I am as well as Cortana, so allow the others to introduce themselves." She said as the Monitor floated forward.
"Hello I am Redeeming Bias, Monitor A.I, manufactured on Onasis Prime, home world of my masters the Forerunners by way of my predecessor Offensive Bias." It said making the Lantern make a mental note to look up these beings.
John stood up and his hands went to his helmet, surprising them, with a hiss and pop it was released, he removed it and revealed a man in his prime possibly his mid twenty's, with brown hair in a military cut and brown eyes that told a story of pain and triumph, his pale skin giving him an exotic look.
Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman found themselves staring at him whether because of his pale skin or something only they knew.
"I am Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, Spartan II commando of United Nations Space Command Defense Force." He said in an even tone.
"That's impossible! The UN has no such organization." Batman said.
"That would be true on this Earth." He said as he looked at the man with no hint of emotion that could be seen.
"What? You don't mean…?" Superman began as he had dealt with something similar.
"How much do you know of alternate realities?" He asked.
To be continued…
A/N: There you have the conclusion of the origin of the league and the beginning of John's tale; I will come out and say yes he will join, with some conditions of both parties involved what they are I haven't decided yet, but the kill issue will be touched upon.
I sort of started having a small link between John and Diana develop, this does not mean she will be the only one, like I said there is a possibility for more than one woman here given we have amazons involved, but I have final say where this goes, so please respect that.
Now in regards to Supergirl there is a quandary there, yes she does LOOK young, however remember many years passed after Krypton blew up, so technically she is older than him, she just doesn't look like it, but personality wise she is a teen so there is that to consider, and if someone says that Galatea is an older version by looks that is discounted by her actual age in a Petri dish, she is like two or something.
Still I shall consider them as well but I promise nothing, so please do not flame for that, and thank you Jacob for giving me this information.
And on a final note to one of the best authors out there, Freedom Guard, I am sorry to hear about your house, the coming months shall be torture, but I and so many others will endure, all I ask is that if you can please finish the Roanapur arc in your Joe/Halo fic, and I ask are there any women other than Cover Girl you can use? I think I saw a student of Snake eyes in one of the CG movies but I'm not too sure.
Also I am on the fence on introducing more Halo characters into this but I'm not sure how to do it, I want to do what you did of having an alternate Reach, but I fear I come off as a rip off, what do you think? That is all whether you answer or not is not important, I am just thankful for your reviews, now and forever you are the one true Master of the Halo crossover, peace out everyone.
P.S Ghost Rider Ranma is up next on the update list and if you find misquotes or errors in this or others stories, I have found out it's the upload, it somehow screws up my stories, and I don't know why I have yet to report this.