Woo! Number 8! Alright, this story is obviously coming to a close soon, but I will be staring the next one right away, so I wont be leaving any of you hanging too long. As usual, leave a comment to let me know your thoughts, and enjoy!

I do not own Halo or Metroid.


Chapter 8

"Why can't this thing go any faster?" John thought to himself, as he descended down the gravity lift.

He had kept true to his word, rushing through High Charity as fast as he could. He had reached a large gravity lift, which Cortana had informed him would head straight for the location of the Prophets. But the lift really was large, larger then he thought. It was taking a while to reach the bottom. He tensed, making sure his Carbine was ready. The Prophets were sure to have company.

He finally made it down, and started to make his way forward, but stopped in his tracks, his heart sinking. Three dropships, Phantoms, were just leaving the platform he had arrived on, making their way towards a giant silver object in the center of the space station. He was unsure what to do next, when he also noticed the things on the ground nearby.

Flood infection spores were everywhere, many crushed. It seemed his targets had been attacked before they could make their escape. However, it was clear one didn't escape. A Prophet, Mercy, was on the ground, struggling weakly against a spore, which was ripping into the flesh of his chest and neck, trying with all its might to climb inside. Mercy was managing to hold it off, but it was clear he wouldn't be able to for much longer.

John walked up to him slowly, keeping his weapon at the ready. He leaned down closer to the Prophet, observing the situation with slight disgust.

"Your pal, where's he going?" He asked, not even sure he would get a reply. Mercy took a shallow breath, getting some air to speak.

"Earth, to finish what we started. And this time, none of you will be left behind…" He spat, growing weaker and weaker by the second.

John remained calm, not letting the threat get to him. He leaned down and grabbed the spore, crushing it and pulling it out of Mercy's chest. The Prophet let out one last gasp, then moved no more. Satisfied, John stood back up. He turned to look at the fleeing ships, Cortana appearing beside him on a pedestal.

"That structure in the center of the city, it's a Forerunner ship!" She exclaimed, "And Truth is heading straight for it!" She turned to him, eyes wide, and worry written on her face.

"If he leads the Covenant fleet to Earth…they won't stand a chance" she told him quietly.

But John had other plans. He had spotted a group of Brutes earlier with Human prisoners, among them his friend Johnson and his commander Miranda. He wasn't about to let them be taken that easy.

"That Brute had the index, and Miranda and Johnson. He can activate the ring" He reminded her.

She shook her head. "If he does, I'll detonate In Amber Clads reactors just like I did the Autumns, the blast will destroy this city and the ring."

John turned to look at the ship he had arrived at Halo in. It had flown in as he was running through the station, but he hadn't paid it much mind, focused on chasing his targets. He tried to think why is was here, or who had flown it in, but Cortana interrupted him further.

"And I'm sorry about Miranda and Johnson. They will have to fend for themselves…" she told him sadly.

He knew she was right, but he wasn't happy about it. He grumpily reached to retrieve her from the pedestal she was on, but she held up a hand, indicating for him to stop.

"No, I don't want to chance a remote detonation…I need to stay here." She said slowly.

John blinked. He could hardly believe she had said that. They hadn't been apart since they had first been put together. He really didn't want to leave her here alone. More importantly, he didn't want to leave alone. He was about to argue, when the sound of a ship engine coming closer caught his attention.

He looked up to see a Pelican dropship coming in fast, too fast. It crashed into a wall nearby, remaining still. John felt a feeling of dread, suspecting what might come out of that ship. As if on cue, the back hatch burst open, and Flood came pouring out, their wails and screeches echoing through the cavernous station. They leaped unto nearby Covenant, tearing into flesh and rending metal. John whirled back to Cortana, whose face was in a panic.

"John, go. Now!" She shouted, pointing towards a door. John did just that, not only running to catch up to the last Prophet, but now he also ran for his life.


Samus Aran was not having the best day. She had woken out in the future, to find that Humanity was at war with another group of aliens. They were trying to activate Halo, not knowing its true purpose. She watched the Phantom land near the big building, which was much closer now than when the Arbiter and she had started. Brutes piled out, among them their human captive, a woman she know knew to be Miranda Keyes. She turned to the Arbiter, frown on her face.

"We need to get inside there." She told him, as if it wasn't obvious enough. The Arbiter nodded, heading for a big, strange-looking vehicle. It was an odd shade of red, and had an ugly-looking turret on top. He hopped inside, bringing the ghastly thing to life. He turned to her, pointing up at the turret.

"Climb inside, we will find a way inside." He said, turning back to the dashboard. Samus looked back up at the turret, sighing and climbing up. After sitting there for about five seconds, she came to the conclusion that she was not going to be firing this thing, ever. She switched to her plasma beam, refining it until it was thin, focused. She then cut off the hideous weapon, using her arm cannon like a laser cutter.

It fell to the ground with a thud, causing the Arbiter to jump. He looked at her for a moment, before shrugging and turning back to the wheel. He began driving, heading towards a narrow canyon.

"Keep an eye out for our enemies" He shouted to her. She didn't reply, already watching the ground and skies for just that.

It was then of course, that the enemy decided to attack. Two Wraith tanks hovered around the corner, while a group of Banshee attack craft came flying down, their distinct scream growing louder and louder.

Samus opened fire, taking out the aircraft first. She fired several missiles, all of them finding their mark. The Banshees came soaring out of the sky, crashing into each other on the way down. She turned her attention to the Wraiths, who had opened fire, their huge blue plasma mortars raining down on them. She charged up her power beam, then fired missiles, sending several super missiles right into the front of one. When the smoke cleared, it didn't have a front, looking like the front half had combusted.

Satisfied, she turned to the other Wraith, which was still firing away. She changed to her ice beam, charging up and firing an ice spreader. The icy missile flew right into the firing mechanism of the mortar, causing the whole thing to be covered in a thick, icy coating. When the mortar tried to fire, it melted most of the ice, but it didn't come out of the weapon. Because of this, the weapon essentially destroyed itself, melting and warping out of shape.

There was a pause, then the driver, a Brute, opened the hatch and started climbing out. As they drove past it, she fired a charged shot at its head. The Brute turned, its whole head frozen solid. It stumbled around, before falling over, unable to get up.

She chuckled, finding the whole thing amusing, and turned her attention forward, more of the enemy's vehicles closing in. This continued for some time, with Samus raining fire upon the helpless Covenant in a variety of ways. The Arbiter just kept driving, content with letting her do all the killing. They eventually reached the base of another building, which just happened to have a Scarab parked outside of it.

"Do you think they would mind if we borrowed that thing?" She asked casually, running an appraising eye over the large vehicle. The Arbiter let out a small laugh, nodding.

"No, I don't think they would." He said, before tilting his head up, looking at a platform above them. Samus looked up too. She could hear noises, the distinct whine of plasma fire, and something else. Much sharper sounding, like a loud crack. She felt like she had heard it before. It took her a moment to realize she had, it was a similar noise to the primitive rifle John had used against her. Her eye's widened.

"We need to get up there" She declared, eyeing the edge of the platform, she walked around it slowly, as if looking for an exact spot.

The Arbiter remained still, not sure what she was doing. She turned to him, waving him over. He walked over, waiting to see if she would share her unknown plan.

"Ok, grab my waist." She instructed, waiting expectantly.

"What?" He said, slightly shocked. He tilted his head, looking at her like she was nuts. "Isn't that a bit forward? Not to mention this is not a good time. Also, you're a Human." He started saying, dribbling on.

"What? No, just grab my waist dammit." She said, rolling her eyes at his words. He did, after a moment of hesitation. He wrapped both his arms around her, holding on tight. He blinked, waiting for her next instructions.

"Right, hold on." She said, grinning. She pointed her hand towards the edge of the platform. A stream of energy flew out of her hand, making a beeline for the platform's edge. It impacted, seeming to stick. She gave it a tug, making sure it was stuck.

"Oh grapple beam, how I love thee…" She said quietly, before both of them were pulled up. The Arbiter tightened his grip, not wanting to fall back down. They arrived at the top within moments, both pulling themselves up. Samus stood and turned her gaze towards where the fighting was coming from. What she saw made her both happy and slightly scared.

A small group of Humans were hiding behind crates, trying to hold a larger group of Brutes off. They wore primitive armor, drably colored. They wouldn't last too much longer. Not waiting for the Arbiter, she charged forward.

She ran right past the Humans, heading straight for the Brutes. She heard gasps and wows, she even though she heard a small scream from one of them. She smiled as she met the Brutes head on, liking how impressive she must have looked. She switched to her plasma beam, making short work of the aliens. As the last one fell, its cries muffled by a melted throat, she turned back to the group of soldiers, still hiding.

"It's alright, you can come out now" She shouted, looking down at her handy work.

They came out from cover, looking at the devastation in awe. They then looked at her, expressions turning from awe to weary. They didn't know if she was a friend or a foe. The Arbiter appeared beside her, having been invisible the whole time. They jumped, raising their weapons and preparing to fire. Samus stood in between them, raising a hand.

"Whoa now, we are friendly, look, see?" She said, de-activating her helmet. She waved her hair from side to side, simply to make it more comfortable. To the soldiers however, she appeared as something else.

"Holy hell, you're human?" One of them yelled, walking closer. They all were a foot shorter than she was, but she was sure that without her suit on, they would be a more similar height.

"Well yeah, duh" She chuckled, trying her best not to freak them out. She knew that she would be telling her story multiple times once she met with the Human leadership, but for these grunts, she would appear as normal as she could.

"Must be a new Spartan model maybe?" Another considered, all of them coming to take a closer look. They didn't pay much attention to the Arbiter, but then they weren't shooting him either.

"Yeah, sure. That's what I am" She chuckled, letting them gaze at her in awe. One got a bit bolder.

"In all of my time in the Navy, I have never seen a woman as pretty as you" he commented, winking suggestively. She laughed, enjoying the conversation. Besides aliens, John the mute, and her oddly quiet friend Adam, she didn't have many to talk to. It was nice to chat with what she considered 'regular' humans.

"Well thanks, but save the flattery for later. Tell me, where is your commanding officer?" She asked them all, turning back to business. One of them pointed at the Scarab.

"Sargent Johnson went inside just a few minutes ago" He reported, all of them looking at the big mechanical monster, then back to Samus.

Samus and the Arbiter exchanged looks, and before anyone could say or do anything, the Scarab came to life. Its giant eye lit up, and it took several steps towards the platform, seeming to be looking right at the Arbiter. He took a step back, but didn't flee. A voice echoed out of the Scarab, loud and clear.

"Alright, listen up. You don't like me split jaw, and I sure as hell don't like you. Your lady friend I don't mind." The voice, Sargent Johnson, boomed loudly, the last part sounding like he didn't mind her at all.

"But if we don't do something, mister Mohawks going to activate this ring. And were all going to die." He said, a lot less aggressively. The Arbiter nodded, taking a step forward. Samus remained where she was.

"Tartarus has locked himself inside the control room" He informed Johnson. She heard a chuckle from inside the Scarab, which then back off.

"Well, I just happen to have a key. Come on, find a useable Banshee and give me some cover" He instructed, the Scarab slowly making its way back the way they had come, towards the control room.

Samus looked at the Banshee's on offer, and sighed. Most were completely destroyed, her handiwork, and those that weren't were a couple of shots away from being so. She raked her brain as the Arbiter looked around, trying to think of a solution.

Then, it suddenly hit her. She had something that would be very useful in this situation. She also thought annoyingly, that it would have been useful from the start of her adventure, but she didn't dwell on it too much.

"Adam, you there?" She asked him, not sure if she should be expecting an answer.

"Oh, you remember me do you?" He replied sarcastically. Clearly he was annoyed at not being talked to for some time.

"Look, sorry, but I have been a bit busy. Grow up" She told him. He made a noise and remained silent. She winced, realizing that she probably didn't say the best thing.

"Adam…I'm sorry. I'm stressed out, and I shouldn't have forgotten about you." She said, sincere. He perked back up.

"It's alright, what did you want to ask?" He asked her, back to his usual self.

"I…have a ship, don't I?" She asked, unable to keep a smile off her lips. Adam didn't answer right away. Samus thought he must have been thinking he was as stupid as she was, for forgetting that little fact.

"Yes you do, in fact it's nearby. Do you want me to call it over?" he asked, excitement in his voice.

She nodded, giving him something to do. She walked over to the Arbiter and told him about her ship. He nodded and ceased his search.

"Are you two coming or what?" Johnson shouted, the Scarab turning back around.

"Yes, our ride should be here any…" She started saying, before her ship came flying in, stopping just above the platform. Larger than either a Phantom or Pelican, it was an odd-looking ship by both Human and Covenant standards. It was Orange like her armor, with a large green windshield similar to her own visor. It had four multi directional thrusters on the bottom, allowing it to hover and move around. A platform lowered from its underside, which Samus made her way too. As she reached the ramp, she turned and beckoned the Arbiter over, who nodded and slowly followed her.

"You have a thing for Orange." He pointed out. Samus rolled her eyes, the platform rising back up, bringing them both up. She smiled as they ascended. As they both disappeared into the ship, she chuckled.

"This is going to be fun."