DISCLAIMER/ I don't own Halo or RWBY


Chapter VIII: Obligation


"Neurologically, people have a need to feel oriented, to know where they are, not just in terms of a compass and not just in terms of geography, but in terms of their culture and history. To be informed about where they're coming from and to have some glimpse towards a hopeful future."

-James Howard Kunstler


Thursday, December 20, 2526 [MILITARY STANDARD TIME/06:00]


Above the trees and high in the dawn sky, a SKT-13 shuttlecraft gracefully glided through the air. Its jets began to simmer and the landing gear lowered itself toward the landing pad after an unknown amount of seconds.

Inside the middle class deck, a middle aged woman sat with a distant look and held a small feeling of unassertiveness. She was a slender woman who stood at five feet eight inches and wore ONI standard scientist clothes. On her face she wore a pair of antique bifocal glasses in front of her blue eyes, and on the lower right side of her chin, just below her lip was a mole. Her hair went down to her shoulders and was rather wavy, although she appeared to becoming of age with a few gray strands in her summer autumn hair and a few wrinkles lingered under her eyes.

On her lap was a toddler, a little girl wrapped in a pink blanket and had a really tired look at her hazel eyes. She had a small patch of brown hair on the top of her head and rather pudgy cheeks. She yawned before clutching onto her mother and licking her dry lips.

This woman sitting in the cabin was named Catherine Halsey, and this was her daughter Miranda.

She gingerly held the little girl on her lap while looking out the window and observing the view on the outside.

She frowned deeply and thought to herself that this planet environment was nowhere near as special to what she had been told before. While the atmosphere had the same gasses earth had, there is nothing special beside the fact that these humans I'm on this planet known as remnant could define the impossible.

Catherine looked at her wrist data pad as she held it up to her face and clips among a few buttons and glanced at the time. It was nearly 6 a.m. now and her voyage to Remnant had ended only after three days of traveling from Reach to be called from.

She had to take her daughter Miranda since her father, Jacob Keyes, was in the middle of a civil conflict in another system being the leading naval officer for security teams. He was busy for the time being and wouldn't be available for 3 months, leaving her in Catherine's care.

'Hopefully the time I'm wasting won't be sacrificed.' Catherine thought to herself while the shuttles rear engines were beginning to slow down and she felt the landing gear touch the ground. She felt it rock the inside cabin very gently, and she turned to the left to see the outside land for the first time.

Parangosky had informed Catherine via tela-relay signals, that she was needed on Remnant to conduct research on the so-called 'abilities' that the people of Remnant could perform. The testing was to be kept secret for the time being, and Catherine, with her knowledge, she could easily crack the code that they were holding from them. If problems were given to her she could find the answer for it in no time at all.

Not only that, but there are specific details upon this planet that made Catherine quite interested. Another species of look like humans called Faunus which looked undoubtedly down the center similar to the human being, besides small animal features consisting of ears, fangs, claws, and the ability to see in the dark for some species.

She had asked for more information concerning the matter butts the only way she was going to find out anything was if she entered the next flight out of Reach and toward Remnant.

She didn't want to. But she had to.

For her daughter's sake.

Catherine herself was a bit unsure at first, with her daughter only being a year old and all and the war was ravaging Harvest as she spoke. But, while she was unsure she was also interested to seeing what they could do and how it could be beneficial to humanity. Curiosity within her was almost like a firecracker about to go off, she needed to know.

No.

She wanted to know what this was and how she could control it.

One of the airships crew members came up to her and said softly, trying not to wake up Miranda. "Parangosky has arranged an escort to take you to one of the military bases where you and your daughter will stay for the time being. Please come this way, Ms. Halsey." Catherine complied and set up with her arms wrapped around her daughter tenderly and walked down the aisle towards the opening sliding door that led to the new world she had studied so much previous from her arrival, but has experienced so little.

Catherine stepped down on the elevating stairs and took the scent of the forest around her, and noticed it was rather clean and not pollution and like some of the other worlds where the Misriah armory factories were located. She also felt the warm summer breeze blow back a few of her hair strands and caused her eyes to become a bit dry. The Sun was barely in the sky yet and the sky was a reddish color with orange hue surrounding the Sun.

When the elevator touched the ground, four Marines came beside her and let her onto one of the civilian transport warthogs. She walked towards it with the evident frown appearing on her face as she sat down inside on one of the seats. Looking at the driver than back to her sleeping daughter, she wondered when there would be a time or place she could rest.

"How far is the building?" Catherine questioned without looking at the driver.

"Not far." The driver said as he applied pressure to the gas.

"Where can I meet Parangosky? I'm in a rush and must speak to her." Catherine asked the driver who replied.

"Parangosky said she'll talk to you when you're situated. For the time being you're to stay in the designated area upon arrival." Said the driver with Catherine frowning at that.

XXXXXXX

In a densely populated area surrounded by trees and brush, grunts and metal being smashed were heard. Almost echoing in the area like guns going off next to car crashes taking place. Inside the strategic base a few marines with a pair of suited ODST's watched something that most people often talked about and wished they could have seen firsthand.

That being an unarmed Spartan in combat.

While an armed Spartan was increasingly dangerous to confront in battle, it was also very unwise to engage one that was unarmed and willing to do anything to survive.

All in all, fighting a spartan was inadvisable.

Their training was very shady, said to be hazardous to anyone besides them, and anyone who had asked about it were never answered. It was only after seeing them in a mission for the first time that they knew the full dangers of being caught in the sights of one angry spartan solider.

In the ring, John batted against the training automatons with a clenched fist and strained lips. Spinning in a full circle he delivered an upper kick, sending one robot onto another before getting caught in one's grasp from behind.

The robots he was fighting against, or better known as a specific training unit designed for combat and analysis training. They were constructed of a high durable alloy made for primarily hand to hand combat training for Spartans only.

While they were bulletproof equipped with more advanced reflexes that could reach up to a speeding car, they weren't very durable on the inner circles and hinges that connected to their arms and legs, and going up against a Spartan in hand to hand combat always ensured they would be properly dismantled by the sheer combat.

The robot behind him wrapped its mechanical limbs around John's frame tightly to the point that any normal man would be in two with just a fraction of strength. This robot was sadly mistaken when it was suddenly barraged in the face with multiple elbow strikes that bent it's plating inward, and had its arms ripped off from the shoulders like paper.

John lifted his leg back, tripping the robot over before gripping one robot that came to him by the neck and slamming it in the ground face first. John spun around in a flicker and slammed a palm in one robot's face that smashed inward, and launched in the air that flew right out for the area and onto a stack of crates that were smashed.

"How long has he been at this?" Private Giles asked with widened eyes.

"Two hours." His buddy, Gunner Gerald said while exiting the bottom of a warthog with a few oil stains on his white tank top. Gerald was a lean man with an athletic build yet small frame. He came out this morning and found the Spartan doing some vigorious exercise routines before asking for training bots.

"What's his problem? I know when someone's pissed," He moved his head to the side avoiding a robots head that was knocked clean off its shoulders and on the ground where it spun, "off." Giles finished with a sick tune. He had only been in the UNSC for four months and he thought he'd seen it all.

"Beats meh," Gerald started. "He juz came out here to burn off some steam, but from this here looks of it, he ain't lettin up any time soon. He got these eyes that look like the eyes of a hawk that's about to catch dinner." Gerald finished while wiping a dirty rag over his face before he smelled the rag and gagged.

"Ah sonova bitch! This is the rag I used to unclog the latrine earlier!" He then, quite literally, bolted over toward bushes to empty his stomach's contents.

Some days were not better than the last.

"You could say that again." Giles said while slowly stepping away from the ring. The ODST's showed no impressed glances or even a sign of disapproval at the Spartans training before them. They simply watched with mild interest.

John smashed an elbow on the top of one robot's head smashing it down its metallic neck before being kicked in the side, sending it flying over the ropes.

John stood still with his fists balled up and raised, but he quickly noticed one thing in particular: He was out of robots to fight.

All around him in heaping piles were metal limbs with sparking appendages and some twitched a few times. Most of the robotic parts were so mutilated that they appeared as if they went through a car crusher and pulled out with pincers.

John grunted in mild approval before walking to the rings chain links and stepping over them and toward one of the barracks.

The marines watched him in slight interest until an ODST said aloud. "Hey big green!"

John stopped. Not on purpose but considering the fact his entire world around him seemed more silent than before.

The ODST, name Private Smitherson Doyle said. "You should fight more like that on the battlefield, maybe then you would ACTUALLY be useful and we wouldn't have casualties!" This action emitted a few chuckles from the ODSTs and more than enough gasps from the Marines.

There were many things not to do in the Navy and one of them was pissing off a Spartan.

John's hand twitched and his back tensed, but he ignored it and ultimately began walking forward into the stationary building to recuperate himself. After he walked inside, John took a deep breath and clicked his tongue in mild aggravation. Blinking and taking the surroundings, he loosened his knuckles a bit from the tension.

The past few hours have been quite dreadful and he had almost lost control of his anger a few times to minor tasks. Losing comrades in action was nothing new; it was to be expected when the human race and come across something they had no knowledge of prior. He had lost more than he could count for from the augmentations to a series of unfortunate events in the past. A memorial service might have occured if he had said anything, but the dead should not be honored for what it expected. The most he could feel now, and all he could define right now, was the ever-growing gaping hole in his chest of grief.

John went over to the reinforced benches and sat down on the far left corner, suddenly feeling tired in his legs. He crossed his arms over his knees while looking down at the blue tiled floor. In his mind there was a storm. A storm that was in a cataclysmic downpour of his suppressed feelings getting to a boiling point.

He sat there in pure silence for a few minutes and tried to find some type of enjoyment. He began listening to nothing but the flicker of the light above his head in the long case, as it tinkered every now and again.

This is what he truly enjoyed the most and what seemed to calm him down. But right now it hurt...

While he had an obligation to uphold and wouldn't step down from orders given to him by his superior officers, the thing he found solace in was something that contradicted his career.

Suddenly, the store beside him swung open and then the suns light entered the room. He turned his head to the right in a startled manner and saw Avery Johnson standing there with an earnest stare. Seat trickled down his clean head and his dog tags hung loosely around his neck.

"Good day ain't it?" He began while walking inside toward a closed locker.

John didn't reply.

Johnson swung the code in and opened the locker door before placing a few of his belongings inside. "It's understandable to know what're goin through. I know it," Johnson suddenly stopped rummaging in his locker and said. "Regret is one painful sonova bitch; it's like all the damn politics that rattle in our brains... They just won't quit."

Avery was specifically talking about, while not mentioning OPERATION: TREBUCHET, specifically what occurred on June 16, 2524...

It was one of Avery's greatest failures up to date and one of his last that he had hoped for. After that incident that costed him the lives of hostages and his entire platoon he swore that nothing would ever come of it and his self-loathing would have to wait.

"Can I help you?" John asked suddenly. He felt like he should have acted more discreet when he was out their training. Maybe he might have had let his emotions out of check just once but it was like trying to grip a bar of soap with all your might. It simply slipped.

"Listen Chief, I know what you're going through; I was given clearance of the data frequency from Admiral Preston." Johnson said. "But I also know that M.I.A isn't a lost cause, in fact there's a bright side to it. Chances are they're still alive."

"..." Was John's reply as he stared at Johnson.

"I've been getting relays of my own men being slaughtered out there to kingdom come. K.I.A, K.I.A, K.I.A, K.I.A, over and over. That's a definite sign of being gone forever. M.I.A though, that means there's still a chance they're out there." Johnson lectured while scratching the itch on his left shoulder.

John thought for a moment at Johnson's words, and assumed he was trying to speak to him about Blue team. He wasn't in the mood to talk about that, nor was in the mood to talk at all. He wanted to be left alone and that's all he desired right now this moment. No missions, no calls, and especially no conversations with anyone at the moment. He was about to speak before Avery cut him off.

"At Harvest... I was supposed to train the local militia against the insurrectionists. But to my surprise it wasn't insurrection goons but intergalactic space goons... I was ready. Ready to start and willing to die, all of a sudden I'm called here to maintain control of the gung-ho Marines. Those militia groups on Harvest are probably dying now and it's my fault." Avery sighed the last part.

"You want advice? I'll give it to ya, the covenant ain't gonna be waiting for you to get out of your soapbox in fact that's what they want. They need you to feel this way... And when you've got your head up your ass they'll eat you alive."

The staff sergeant breathed out the last part after remembering the reports of aliens eating citizens roll through his mind. "You need to find out what sadness is worth crying over get your ass back in the fight." Avery lectured while looking John dead in the eyes, and slamming his locker door shut. Avery then grabbed a canteen from the sink and walked outside the door. Chief blinked and looked back to the floor for himself.

'You don't win until your team wins...' Was the thought that went through John's mind. He could feel the stun rods painful sting in his chest. He could hear his drill instructor screaming his lungs out at him, but most of all, he could see the flag at the top of the hill.

Being marked missing in action was as far as being considered dead if you were a Spartan. There wouldn't be any search parties sent out for them, let alone a thought of it. Blue team as of right now was just him and only him... Frederick, Linda, Kelly was nothing more than a memory now...

John's fist clenched in rage.

No! He wouldn't give in to this! He wouldn't submit. NEVER! Being submissive was a quiters way talking and Spartan's don't quit.

'You gonna cry trainee! Then cry in a grave, cause that's where your allowed to!' Mendez roared in John's imagination.

If Blue team was gone and he was the only living member of it, then it wouldn't stop him until his orders were carried and fulfilled. He was still considered the leader of blue team, even if they were missing or possibly dead.

He was making a dedication to the lives of those who sacrificed themselves for the greater good of humanity. It didn't matter if they were non-existent anymore, but he refused to let their sacrifices be in vain.

Mendez had made that sure the day he was appointed as John's senior petty officer, that he would pound the mercy right out of John and fill him to the brim with dedication, discipline trust, and along with every other Spartan soldier in his care for boot camp training.

Everything that had went through to get to where he is now was not going to end until he said so ... Not by a long shot. John knew for sure that the time would come and be killed. He just didn't know how long it would take him. As of this moment didn't matter if it took him this life or another, he would not quit until every single covenant cruiser was in shambles, every single covenant unit was dismembered, and every single solitary thought of a covenant was vanquished from the entire galaxy.

Stepping up with his muscles being rigid in his eyebrows furrowing by the second. Descendants of sadness and grief the heaviness enveloping his mind minutes before was now replaced by the burning sensation of vengeance. Once he was through being stationed here in Remnant, it was off harvest and end this war once and for all. Even if it killed him.

John left the building with a new sense of hope in his chest, and a great amount of vigor building up to the breaking point.

XXXXXXX

"You want to speak to me headmaster?" Orez asked the holographic image of Ozpin in his office. It was odd getting a vocal transmission from a school teacher. Not very current indeed, although the schools here on this planet were breeding grounds for top of the line warriors and killers with inhuman abilities.

But in the meantime, Ozpin was a civilian and Orez was a commander, meaning, he outranked him.

"Yes. It has come to my attention that one of your own servicemen was seen in Emerald forest during the beginning trials of the initiation." Ozpin said. The video of the initiation had been recorded and watched thoroughly over and over again by the schools proctors. Some of the comments involving the Spartan were rather jarring, many of them were constantly criticizing him for his anti-pathetic attitude, and saying the Spartans actions were uncalled for and detrimental to the operation that was taking place.

A very small handful of teachers however, thought the Spartans actions were poetic in a way, claiming that the Spartan could have easily passed as a mentor to the students involving cooperation routines. One professor even proposed he was to be sought out and given a job interview for part time.

"The representatives were told to notify you of this." Orez remembered from the briefing.

"Oh they did, what they seemed to have left out though was him actually trespass in the middle of it. That was unplanned Commander." Ozpin took another sip of his coffee while keeping the air around him at a minimal tense level. While he was welcoming students far and wide to take part in his school he cared very deeply for the laws and rules that constructed the schools very foundation.

"I cannot justify Spartan-117's actions Ozpin, I can say though his intentions were not ill will, but he did suffer minor consequences for his act of insubordination and disobedience." Orez avowed quite sternly. Spartan-117 or John had been lectured upon return by his failure to remain hidden and to not interfere with the school's deadly initiation. "He was not-"

"I have to say he couldn't have done it any better." Ozpin chimed. "From the looks of things someone, if not all were about to die." He admitted. "I truly don't condone students dying, not in a million lives, but that Spartan... 117 correct?" Questioned Ozpin with Orez nodding.

"Was a gallant unflinching character. I will admit I wasn't planning for an uninvited guest but all the same it wasn't inadequate either." After hearing the Master Chief speak for the very first time, Ozpin had begun to distrust the armored clad soldier that day. He thought nothing more of him and an emotionless machine you only gave answers when given orders. Nothing more than a lap dog.

This all changed however when he heard the Spartan speak from experience, Ozpin's friend James Ironwood had seen his fair share of war before and led many men and women with severe PTSD. Spartan 117 that sound almost identical to those hardened war veterans from previous skirmishes that carved themselves into the world and became permanent in the world history.

"You... contacted me to talk about Spartan-117? Why?" Orez asked with a dominant tone. He can speak from a lot of people, but he most certainly did not trust anyone in Vale. Every person is either a victim or criminal. There was some type of violence occurring at this very moment, and it was more than likely in Vale. From peaceful faunus groups turned violent to gun runners Vale was a breeding ground for the criminal underworlds empire that strove inch by inch as the day went on...

Orez wasn't very sure about Beacon Academy, a school filled with heavily armed trained killers [3], or hunters and huntresses of these as they are called here, being the best idea to station near. The idea of being attacked in the dead of night by them had occurred in his mind not once but twice since the robberies and so on data pads had occurred on numerous occasions. Only heavily trained killer would have been able to break in, sneak around, dispatch guards quietly, and escape without anyone noticing until the next shift of guard patrols begin. It didn't add up, and he didn't like it.

"Simple, I wish to speak to him." Ozpin answered making Commander Orez raise an eyebrow precariously.

"Your reason exactly?" Orez asked in a neutral tone, not at all sounding formal. This was new to him and very odd at the same time. Wanting to speak to a single solitary soldier out of the whole army was strange, and wanting it to be done as soon as possible was even more unusual, but what really stood out to him was the fact Ozpin wanted to speak to one of the most mysterious unit out of all the UNSC. That being the spartan.

"A discussion on the students and customs we follow, a rather enlightening conversation I'd like to present. I'd also like to talk about certain aspects that have been hurtful to both of us. The white fang specifically commander." Ozpin hummed.

"The rogue Faunus group?" Orez crossed his arms and frowned at the screen. The White Fang or Faunus in general were an annoying bunch, always trying to ensure regularity and all this nonsense on equality. All Orez saw was blood markings, death threats, and unwanted violence. If they had a quarrel with the UNSC then they would more than gladly like to rethink their answer on who had more firepower...

"Yes commander, that one. It has come to my attention that they are in possession of technology that isn't ours and they plan to use it against the innocent." Ozpin said toward the end more slowly. Ozpin had spies of his own that regularly took tabs from anything that might prove too important to avoid, and recently there was word going around of new shipments of technology getting shipped in from unknown places. Ozpin had two theories, one: It was stolen by the UNSC, or Two: It was stolen from Atlas' military. Ozpin wanted to rule the UNSC out first since they were obviously more technologically advanced than them.

"How do you know of this information?" Orez asked slowly himself with a click in the back of his mouth.

"One of my acquaintances is the general of the military, James Ironwood, if something is out of place it is him to know of it first commander. However, news travels fast." Ozpin informed lightly.

"I don't see what the point is of speaking to one of our Spartan-II units. They are not the most communal." Orez mentioned while looking off to the side and thinking of the green giant that said more in his actions than actual words. Orez wasn't very interested in the Spartan-II's at first but after witnessing the level of devastation one could create, he only wished he could be one.

"Well, if you change your mind we can always work on further propositions to strengthen the relationship between the UNSC and Beacon... Like Aura for example." Ozpin offhandedly motioned the last part with a tap of his cane on the image. The last part in the sentence caught Orez by surprise, only slightly.

"Aura, What about Aura?" Orez recounted from numerous scientists that has tried to examine aura on more than one occasion. But alas, it was almost invisible to the naked eye. from what field operatives are able to gather in Remnant's 'Hall of recorded records of a True History', aura had saved humanity from the brink of extinction when dust was discovered and used to fight off the Grimm and give them a fighting chance at survival.

It had never occurred to him, Orez specifically, of harnessing the power of aura, but he had an idea of a large group wanting to find out the powers abilities first hand. Marines often talked of learning the arts of using such feats as aura. Orez wasn't one of them however, since he had other business to attend to and more prime objectives before him, but the idea did sound extremely useful right about now since the UNSC was at risk of another breach.

Although he had to remember he had no clearance of sending John anywhere and could get in serious trouble for even considering it.

"From what I have gathered and witnessed from several individuals is that your Spartan or any soldier in that matter does not posses Aura. Is that true?" Ozpin asked, but already knowing the answer to his own question. Ozpin knew for a fact that the UNSC would not be willing to hand over any of the Marines for a job as a teacher at Beacon Academy.

However, he would get the feeling Ironwood would be paying him a visit considering the thin lines between the nations on Remnant, more specifically the security of its people. He had gotten messages from Atlas every now and again and an occasional call from signals best academics and combat trainer Professor Qrow.

In his eyes, the Spartan proved to be a very good instructor coordinator for the teams, or so to speak by his claims. But he liked any type of aura or semblance training, he didn't even use a single smidge of dust in his arsenal, yet he was able to take out a fully grown Nevermore with a single blast of a Laser. Ozpin was rather intrigued by the weapon, but was more intrigued with the man behind the barrel of the laser...

"Affirmative, why does it matter, or better yet what does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm just making a simple observation commander... Or better yet a chance. Do you believe in chance?" Ozpin interjected the last part.

"Enough Ozpin, spit it out already. What do you want!" Orez snapped in sheer agitation. "If you're saying what I think you're saying then the answers no. Now get off the channel frequency now!"

"I was proposing your soldiers could possibly wield Aura... That's unless you want to commander." Not only, would he be killing two birds with one stone, but he would also be gaining a bit of ground in the security department with Ironwood, making that two good deeds into three...

Now it was up to the naval commander in front of Ozpin and to give him the green light.

Orez didn't respond as he stayed silent. What was he supposed to say? Yes, and potentially make the unkillable soldier into an even more powerful death machine that could possibly defy all physics as is? Or no, turn down the very good opportunity and keep the Master Chief exactly the way he is with no more tune ups added into his arsenal. The offer was extremely profitable in the UNSC department and would more than likely to secure the war and battle against the covenants forces. Although he would get a serious trouble with the Office of Naval Intelligence is superior officers if he had been caught making negotiations without their approval.

He could end up in jail or worse court-martialed for his disobedience with the men and women who ran the galaxies superior trade routes and government policies.

Still, thoughts continued to banter around his mind. Almost like a pinball ricocheting off each side of the machine, becoming higher and higher in the score charts.

It could probably save trillions of dollars on military software, vehicles, ammunition, and most importantly the lives of citizens. This could prove to be the answer to the war among the stars, the answer to eliminating the threat to humans...

Orez then made a life changing decision in his mind...

"Is that a yes, no, or may-

"When would you like to talk to Spartan-117?" Orez said, not knowing he was making history at the very second.


XXXXXXX


John's personal living quarters was composed of a semi small room with a single extended bed and a single solitary dresser beside it. There were no windows or even a closet to hold clothes since he only wore his armor.

The walls were a dark made entirely of dark grayish metal used the interior of the battleships. The floors were made of a similar alloy but colored differently, but it was all the same. This just gave the room a much colder atmosphere to it.

The only thing that was moderately unique in entire room was the massive treadmill in the far left corner of the room. Which was currently occupied by John who was running at full speed, and making the machine nearly wear out from the sheer length it had been in operation.

He was without his armor and was beginning to pant heavily as he neared speeds of 29.36 miles per hour, but had been doing so for the past 57 minutes and 23 seconds. The limitations of his of his physical capabilities were making him more agitated by the second. The discussion or words of wisdom as he tried to call it helped barely. Sure the covenant were still rampant but it didn't change the fact that Blue team was nowhere to be found.

His calves were a bit sore, his toes felt like they were on fire, and his fists were clenched as he shot leg after leg forward, trying to stay in motion. While some parts of his body were being put under strain, his heart rate was going at a steady forty-five beats a minute since he had started his cardio workout.

He wasn't going back outside with all of these the treadmill was specifically designed for Spartans only. It was meant to sustain a good amount of weight but not exceeding 789Ibs, and used more powerful framing to stay in one piece. It's top speed went up to 70 miles per hour, but this is quite foolish since John had only been able to reach.

Not only that, but he wouldn't be able to pass his top speed without his Mjolnir. In his suit he was able to run 33.21 mph. Kelly was able to run up to 38.5 mph in her armor, Fred could hit 27.5 mph, and Linda could go about 22.8 mph.

As John was about to hit sixty minutes he went in for the kill as he pushed himself even harder, making the machines gears scream at the force being leveled into it. Inhaling and exhaling through both his nose and mouth, John felt the roof of his mouth become increasingly dry and his thighs tighten a bit.

When his stopwatch landed on sixty minutes and stopped the door on the other end of the room slid open and Commander Orez appeared.

John quickly looked at the watch to see his distance.

Thirty-two kilometers in one hour and two seconds. Good, he just beat his record by one second.

"Sir?" John asked Orez who stepped into the private living quarters with a scrunched face that didn't seem all too happy.

"117, you have hereby been authorized to undergo on Omega section level mission that could turn the tide of the war against covenant and the Unified Earth government with Remnant's relations. You are to report at Beacon Academy at the latest notice and not return until the tests are over. After that, you are to be put on Medical watch for 24 hours and viewed by the scientists' team led by Catherine Halsey. This could change your combat drastically, if not alter your entire prowess if done correctly."

"Halsey, she's here?" John questioned in mild disbelief from what Orez had said before. He had not seen Catherine for so long that she felt like a faded memory to him. The weeks and months of pent up frustration had completely blinded him from his personal handler.

"Yes. You will be able to speak to her once experimentation has finished 117, but not until afterwards."

John thought for a moment before asking. "Why was I chosen for the testing sir?"

"Considering you have a performance record labeled as "hyper-lethal" and you have experienced no life threatening procedures for the past couple of days, you have been deemed fit for the experimentation that will be taking place." Orez listed off while unintentionally leaving out the no life threatening like it hadn't mattered. "There isn't another soul on this planet deemable for it."

John thought for a moment before agreeing, although he wasn't too sure what experimentation consisted of. By law and an oath he swore he had to abide the experiments they put him into. Physical, mental, vehicle training, weapon operations and tactical critical thinking, he had seen it all... But he didn't know what he was in for though. The Spartan-II augmentations or chemical enhancements were probably the longest effecting training he had ever endured and wouldn't forget about it.

Was it something new altogether that he had never heard of or had ever thought of happening before?

"Alright sir, it'll be done." John muttered.

"Then you are dismissed." Orez concluded to the Spartan-II who left the room and towards the warthogs.


XXXXXXX


John walked through the main double doors of Beacon with his boots creating a rhythmic smack on the tiles. When walking inside he couldn't help but feel naked without any types of firearms on him. He unfortunately was told to leave his weapons back in the warthog after yesterday's issue with Blake Belladonna.

Ozpin wouldn't change his mind on the matter and neither would Glynda Goodwitch. Even though they were in a school that was filled to the brim with weapons and seasoned trained killers, this didn't mean they didn't have their own rules to follow and enforce.

This seemed to be the only normal thing this school had right, even though John never attended any type of school.

John heard a buzzing sound in his left ear and clicked on his com-link with his index finger.

"Greetings Spartan, a rather nice day isn't it?" Ozpin asked through the com links channel in a carefree tone. John however brushed the question aside with silence at first before saying.

"Where is the testing station happening?" John asked as he made a turn in one of the hallways.

"The testing will take place in the main battle routine area. Please take your time petty officer." Ozpin said as he signed off. John only kept to space at a minimal well he walked down then your endless cream-colored halls with a number of large brown doors leading into a multitude of different classes. He kept this up for about 4 minutes until he heard very obnoxious and loud noises coming from one particular room. He became quite curious at this but continue to walk forward and almost walked past it when he heard the familiar girl yell out, "Come on Weiss, show it who's boss!"

He began to hear grunts and a very fertile growl emitting from the room beside him. This continued more drastically to the point he began hearing running boots skid across the floor and loud hooves smacking the floor. He looked on his HUDS scanner, seeing a room full of students, or at least that's what he thought since the school year had begun.

He then heard a few clangs, almost as if a steel rod had hit the floor and spun across the room at a very fast pace, like someone had thrown it. John took a cautionary step near the door and wrapped his fingers are on the handle when he heard. "Oh ho, now what are you going to do without your weapon?" said a very joyful male voice through the walls.

Ruby who was in tactic mode yelled out to her comrade. "Weiss, go for its belly, there's no armor underneath i—"

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss yelled very loudly and clearly agitated.

John, finding the yelling a bit eerie, finally swung the brown door open and caught sight of something white and black for his part envisioned trained on something that seemed almost too animal like for his taste. Something very fast and hard smashed into his chest, right above his stomach. It made him gasp for air and spit slightly in his helmet.

It felt as if he was hit straight on by a speeding warthog. He shook his body and before he knew it, he had been pushed onto his back and slammed on the floor, grunting out loud and assessing what was going on.

His arms instinctively wrapped around the creature's body and he at first tried to pry it off him with all his might. The thing caught him off guard and he was in a position where he couldn't get his arms around it properly.

He looked down to see a double pair of fiery orange eyes staring into his own.

It was a boar styled Grimm. A massive question though I peered inside the master Chiefs head. Why on earth was there a Grimm inside beacon Academy? Weren't the students inside the school supposed to kill these things? Not let them inside?

This Grimm though was different, a type that he had never seen before. John had always been told to study the enemy before battle otherwise you were walking in a death zone, but some species of the grimm were scattered and hard to come by.

The grimm had massive tusks that were on each side of his head with red markings on them and were in a curl up words meant for goring and jagging into flesh.

Like all of the agreement had several plates across its body made of the same strong bony material that all Grimm possessed. It had a two piece mask with red markings along it, but this grimms mask had one that resembled distinctive arrow like mark on its forehead, right between its eyes.

The thing on John's chest snapped and growled into his helmets face, trying to use its overly extended canines to tear into him. John could see the hundreds of pointed teeth in its mouth and see the hot breath coming from it's nostrils and fog up the outside of his visor. John wrapped both hands around the creatures bone tusks and growled loudly at the fight this Grimm was putting up. Wrenching toward the left, he forced the thing off of him and rolled on top of it to properly execute it.

John reached for his thigh and was about to grasp the grip of his M60 Magnum, and put a bullet right between the Boars eyes, but felt his fingers grabbed on to nothing. His fingers brushed the side of his thigh plating for something, anything, but alas, nothing. With one hand he looked for a weapon and held down the boar with his knee stabbing into its ribs and his hand clutching a clump of ragged hair between his fingers. He soon realized he had left his weapons in the armory at the strategic base.

'Damnit.' John mentally cursed. The time it took to feel down for a weapon was long enough for the boar to struggle out of John's grasp and roll back onto its feet as it pushed him off roughly.

John shuffled back a bit and held his arms out to the sides while spreading his legs and locking up his muscles, studying the animal infront of him and thinking of any way to take him out.

The boar let out a curdling squeal as it charged at John, but also made the biggest mistake at charging a Spartan who had his eyes locked on him.

John let the air exit out of his nose and tightened his fingers as he sprinted towards the boar that lunged out at him with it's jaws open wide...

Weiss was just about to deliver a killing blow to the boarbatusk when she became distracted to the side of the door opening and a pair of heavy feet walking in. She wasn't able to see the grim mow her down and then on to the unsuspecting visitor into the room. When she regained her bearings and looked out the door she saw the grim mauling someone and became very worried, almost hysterical when seeing that happen.

She automatically went for her weapon while ignoring the gasps of surprise and the teachers panicked yells, and was about to alter the situation and save the man being mauled by the grim.

It was unexpected however when the wall exploded.

Pieces of dust and plaster sprayed all over the place and onto students who watched the full body of the boarbatusk fly across the room and smash into the desk. The wood crunched and collapsed with the excessive 500 pounds that suddenly fell on top of it. John stepped through the door beside, the newly created hole, in the wall and asserted his surroundings. Twenty-one students, one teacher, and one Grimm.

Some of the students began muttering to themselves while many stayed deathly silent. Some didn't even breathe at the sight of the soldier who began walking through.

Yang however was mentally groaning. 'Beside the long ass lecture HE HAS TO SHOW UP AGAIN!'

Yang wanted to put the last couple of days behind her, or at least try to forget about them completely and revert to the happy go luckiness she seemed to have radiating around her. It has been hell for her to go through these last few days feeling like a criminal, the guilt that would sometimes linger in her mind and pester her uncontrollably for minutes on end.

But fate, the indestructible string that seemed to be a bitch and toy with her flipped her off again by dropping the Spartan near her. IN HER CLASSROOM NO LESS!

She didn't want to admit it, but what he said yesterday was completely and undoubtedly true to the fullest extent. It was just in a flare the moment where she became so angry that she just couldn't tell left from right, and all she could see was red.

They were sloppy.

She just didn't want to admit it because she wasn't too embarrassed to submit and say sorry in front of everyone. It seemed to her that Sierra just brought bad luck wherever she was.

The first time they met she was thrown in jail, her beloved weapons were crushed, and her bike was taken to the impound. The second time he was around her very own partner, Blake, had been having some very serious trust issues. Yang didn't know why, but she blamed Sierra for it since he had an altercation with Blake sometime in the past. Then the golden moment was number three, when ruby was almost killed, but he saved her...

...

Yang thought for a moment before changing her idea on that.

At least be saved her, she couldn't use that against him.

But that didn't change the fact she still didn't like him, she gave him respect but her viewpoint wouldn't deter.

What was with him coming to beacon? In fact why on earth would he be here in the first place? He's a solider for crying out loud, not some teachers-aid that needs to be here every five minutes making her life miserable!

Blake was in the same boat as well and was trying to think of a silent way to leave the room. When she saw the boar ignore Weiss and go for someone outside she was about to leap over her desk and see what happened, but stopped herself when the boar flew through a wall and the Spartan made his appearance. Some of the past few weeks have been the hardest for her and a very long- long time. It seems that letting go of the past was almost near impossible when something as important as a Spartan, kept rearing its head around every corner and coming back into her life.

She wanted to turn her life of crime anticipated history and move on with a brighter side of life and forget the white the fangs bloody days. She had stolen, she had lied, she had participated in villainous acts, she had even killed on more than a few occasions.

She wanted to bury it.

Bury it deep.

Keep it hidden from the world.

But with him, the past would soon escape the cover of the dirt and into the light and everyone will truly see for what she was and who she truly stood for. As it turned out the past is like dust.

Dust that would be brushed away and unconcealed for everyone's eyes to lay upon.

It would happen whether she likes it or not, eventually. Today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, it wouldn't matter.

Ruby was a bit amazed at how Sierra handled a boarbatusk. Because some when full grown could easily weigh a ton.

"Teacher. Now." John ordered stoically but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What's it to you anyway tin man?" a rather built boy said. The said boy looked around seventeen years old with burnt orange hair and indigo eyes. He was well built, and wore a standard Beacon student uniform. That was all John could see since the orange haired boy was sitting down. Around him there were a mass of chuckling students who didn't seem at all friendly nor helpful in any manner. John was getting an odd vibe from these four, and he didn't like that.

John eyed the boy for a moment longer before brushing off his advances. John looked to see a man in a red uniform come up and say. "My good sir, can I help yo-

"Why was there a Grimm in here?" John questioned while ignoring some of the classes further talking. A Grimm inside a building spoke words, but one being deliberately placed here was another.

"A powerful Hunter must know when to fight against Grimm." The robust man said aloud and full of enthusiasm. John looked over the man and saw a rather large iron barred cage.

"And you brought one into a school? Isn't that pushing it?" John questioned while the kids in the class began to talk amongst themselves.

"See here you valued stranger, I was simply showing the future hunters and Huntress is how to handle, and properly vanquish one of these beasts in their midst. It was only a test run and no one was in serious danger, but it would seem your intervention has caused some rather severe damages to my classroom." After that being said a larger piece of the poster wall collapse on itself, making the medium size hole in even larger hole with pipes and wood sticking out on all ends right next to the door.

"It would seem I have spoken too soon I'm, afraid. I hope this won't be deducted from my paycheck." The teacher said while, rubbing his chin in concern.

The boar who was beginning to exit out of it's dizziness tried to sit up and escape. John didn't allow this as he walked forward over to the boar, lifted his left foot up right above its neck, and stomped down on it with all of his force. In that moment a sickening yet dull crack echoed throughout the room and the grim took its last breath.

Blood seeped through it's nose and the massive amount of exertion caused the boars eyes to pop right out of it's sockets. Its final thought ran crazily though it's head like a pinball. Scattering aimlessly as it entered a world of darkness and finally into oblivion.

"Holy crap!" Yang yelled. Whenever she was pushed to her limit and flew into a rage she would commit or sometimes do dirty things, but this was a whole new level of gore.

Ruby's mouth dropped open as she gasped at the bloody sight.

Blake sat silently but her eyes were wide and her fingers clenched.

Weiss growled loudly, not at all feeling content with herself after being humiliated twice in front of everyone, including Pyrrha herself. She stepped forward threateningly to the Spartans back and yelled. "That was my kill you walking piece of-" Weiss began loudly but was cut off abruptly when John suddenly, much faster than she had expected, turned to her just a few inches away and looked down at her.

He held an imposing stature with his shoulders and frame tensing. She noted that he was quite easily the tallest person should ever witnessed in her entire life.

Some of the possessed knights that she would use for practice in her home almost reminded her of this man in front of her now that she was this close. It took a fair amount of all her willpower not to strike him down at this moment.

"The yelling said otherwise Weiss. I'm not deaf." John said in a detested tone toward the young heiress. "When taking on Grimm there are three things you should know... Stay alert, lock your eyes... And don't give away your position." John said the last part louder making her recoil from his voice.

His sheer rage reminded her almost of her father.

'He's quite different today, I wonder what's troubling him.' Pyrrha thought while watching the spartan clench his fingers tightly.

Professor port pinched the side of his overly large grey mustache and analyzed the man in armour before him for a moment longer. Instantly he snapped his fingers and said quite loudly. "Oh my dear boy, I almost didn't recognize you for a second. You're that soldier that was talking, oh wait my mistake, lecturing the students how to be a proper hunter during the initiation exams yesterday. That's it! The Spartan."

John frowned at this, like he was being corrected for something that was vital. He cleared his thoughts then said. "It wasn't lecturing, it was... essential."

"Yes, yes good show! I couldn't have said it better myself, indeed. Volumes your voice spoke and its magnitude of resilience above all others really shook me down to the core! But I must request Spartan? What business do you have here? Have you come to tell use tales of your travels?"

"I'm looking for Ozpin. I was told to come here and find him in the battle training area. I can't find it though." John answered back while a hundred pairs of eyes staring into him. This action made him feel as if he were in a fishbowl.

"The battle room?! Oh yes it's down the hall you were coming in and toward your left behind a pair of sliding doors. As a matter of fact Miss Pyrrha can show you the way. Pyrrha, be a dear and give the Spartan the route." Port said rather passionately. Pyrrha looked at the master chief who stood like a statue before she stood up and walked down the steps over to the door.

John complied and walked out with her, feeling downcast at his actions... In a unearthly way.

"Good day to you." Port waved off to the two as another chunk of the wall fell loose and crashed on the now bigger pile and created a dust cloud. "Very we'll class, until we get this hole fixed," port then glazed his eyes at his desk with the dead Grimm boar on top of it, "along with purchasing a new desk, class will be dismissed until further notice. Your homework will be on page 1337. You must answer all the questions in complete sentences, and please no plagiarizing. Fail to do so will be an immediate sentence to Ozpin's office."

The class complied. Yang looked at John leaving the room and said to herself. 'What is up with him?' While she picked up a few of her bunched up papers and fixed her skirt a bit. These school uniforms were brand new and hadn't ever been worn yet, they were still a bit stiff in some areas.

Jaune who saw the whole thing whispered to himself. "Jeez, what's her problem..." Then he looked at the boars corpse and shivered when he saw it's tongue hanging out. "And his?" Jaune uttered in disgust. That soldier was uncanny to him.

When he was a child his grandfather told stories of the soldiers who would stand by him at the front lines, ready to die defending the outer walls from grimm. He didn't really know why there was a soldier participating in the initiation, but he had become worried that the Spartan might have found out his secret and that he was sent to arrest him for faking his way into Beacon.

He had trouble sleeping the last few nights because of it and he was worried that his time here would be cut shorter than that nevermore yesterday...

Ruby watched Weiss leave the room rather quickly and hastily, like something was biting her and she's trying her hardest to leave the room without letting anyone know what her issue was. But deep down, Ruby knew exactly what her problem was and wanted to get this mild situation sorted out. After all, they were partners for the next four years until they graduated, she just wanted to try and bury the hatchet so they can get things to a positive beginning and that's decent relationship as being a leader ... The key word being 'try.'

Blake reached below her desk and finally took a book out and red writing labeled 'Ninjas of Love' before sliding it into her book bag in between a stack of papers and zipping it up, making sure no one saw it under any circumstances. She also took out a small journal that she would sketch in every now and then, for opening it and looking at an old face sketch of her former teacher/ partner Adam Taurus. For some odd reason, Adam and the Spartan were alike in a way, yet both different in many ways. While she didn't agree to the way he solved things she still missed his voice. His smell. His face. She missed him.

Both silent yet strong types, but they both had darkness within them. Blake held a thorough dislike for the Spartan, and a somewhat negative feeling to Adam with connections to his dark past.

Blake reached up to adjust the bow on top of her head gingerly, making sure no one was watching her also tender the small bandage that wrapped the wound on her ear.

When the Spartan attempted to hit her with his combat knife days before, he had missed. That is until she had went to the bathroom to check her injuries and saw he had sliced a good portion of her right ear, nearly cutting it right off. She was not only very angry for the scar he had created but greatly hurt inside. She wanted her Faunus heritage hidden since everyone with him included would ridicule her without a blink in the eye.

Earlier viewpoints were based upon how the world saw her and treated her kind, and it wasn't good at all. He was probably no better, in fact he was probably one of the men and women who would take great pleasure in exterminating off all faunus on the entire planet.

Blake had a frown on her face as she got up and left the room.

As Professor Port watched all his students pack their things up and leave. He felt rather joy-ish that he made it through day one without any incidents. He then looked back at his smashed desk and sighed.

On his first day he had to order a new desk...


XXXXXXX


"That was rather violent." Pyrrha admitted to him while trying to avert her own attention from the Spartans obvious dark demeanor.

Silence as John's reply as he kept walking forward. Being too violent was absolutely inconsequential when it came to killing. Silence yes, but he Grimm was down and had already suffered several bone fractures that wouldn't allow it to ever walk again, internal hemorrhaging, and was not going anywhere anytime soon.

It was clean, efficient, and lethal. He had done it without so much as a blade.

"...I wanted to say though that it was a rather quick way to kill it. Your aura must be very potent for you to throw the boar like that." Pyrrha mentioned. She could tell that the boar was thrown by the height it had entered when it made the hole. If it had been kicked the boar would have been coming in at an upward angle followed by it going further than what it should have.

"No aura." John said back and made Pyrrha look at him questioningly, almost like she misheard it.

"You don't use aura?" Pyrrha asked.

John shook his head.

"Really? So you don't have a specific semblance?" Pyrrha questioned while looking at him. Everyone she had battled alongside had a semblance. Her own was quite rare and very effective in combat almost to the point she was untouchable.

"None. Everything I do is me. I'm not sure how to use aura... Or in a sense, activate it." John said make Pyrrha nod and agree.

They both walked a few steps further, ignoring the oblivious yells behind them in the hallway, courtesy of Weiss's declaration from allowing Ruby, the invalid child, of being called the leader.

"She's angry." Pyrrha noted. "I wonder what has her in such a fuss." Weiss was weird to her. She was so kind angels generous to her yet mean and rash without everyone who so much as looked at her the wrong way. Pyrrha made sure to put some distance between her and stick to what was ahead.

"I wouldn't know. What I know is that she's incapable of controlling her emotions, too many." John claimed while making a right turn. Even though he had met her yesterday he instantly

"About yesterday... I wanted to apologize and ask you something. If you were in the same position what would have you done?" Pyrrha asked while stopping, John took this action and stopped as well.

"A plan would have been better... And order. All that noise does nothing but attract them." John said barely above a loud tone. When planning a retrieval mission he would appoint jobs to each of Blue-TEAM.

Linda was the eyes with her precise sharpshooting,

Fred was the assault specialist with his deadly combat skills and guerrilla warfare tactics.

Kelly was the tactical support with her sheer speed.

"Negative energy does too. Sadness, anxiety, hopelessness..." Pyrrha listed off with a thoughtful expression. "The Grimm are dangerous Chief, but we are not in a position where we can't defend ourselves. We're here to become the best after all..." She also told the chief who scoffed at this.

The Best? Please. The best were all but dead by now...

"Ruby was almost killed and so was Jaune. If you hadn't found him the Grimm would have, not to mention you could have too with the deathstalker." He told Pyrrha with an upright tone. It was self confidence like that that would end up getting you killed on the very first day. "Being the leader takes determination and sacrificing for the greater good..." John said to Pyrrha since he had heard that the teams were announced, and based on their level of skills the strongest was put up as leader.

Pyrrha caught on to his gestures and waved her hands. "Oh, I wasn't appointed leader." Pyrrha admitted bashfully, making John tilt his head. "Jaune was. He was paired with me, Ren was paired with Nora. Our team name is JNPR." She answered making John think for a moment.

'Juniper?" Before another thought crossed his mind. "Jaune? Why is that?" From his perspective Jaune wasn't exactly a top of the line survivalist. As a matter of fact he couldn't even get himself out of a tree, let alone lead a battalion in a war if there ever was one.

"Ozpin appointed him as the leader." Pyrrha admitted and also looked back at chief. "Ruby was made the leader of her own team. Team RWBY with Weiss, Blake, and her sister Yang." Pyrrha said making John want to face palm at that announcement.

Who in their right mind would make Ruby the leader? From John's statistics, Ruby showed no special or physical attributes and would be considered a failure by all his superior officers. She wasn't mentally capable either of handling such a task. None of them were.

From his outlook and otherwise mental notes on Weiss, she was far too loud and obnoxious. A bit of a control and superiority issues were apparent as she was seen complaining the most out of them all and gave more than enough insults to all of her peers on more than one occasion.

Blake was irrational and would let her demeanor become ravenous when pushed to the limit. Possible signs of a personality disorder with links of a psychotic mental disarray were viable. The White fang could have possibly attributed to this since she was a murderer along with her teacher.

And Yang let her emotions cloud her judgement. He didn't know why though, possibly from pent up anger.

"Team RWBY? Interesting." John said a bit sarcastically, making Pyrrha laugh a bit at that.

"I know. It was a coincidence I have to agree..." Pyrrha also took note that John wasn't carrying any weapons. "About the aura, have you ever thought of unlocking it?" She questioned again to John who thought at this.

"No. I can handle fine without it." John brushed off. To him this aura could take decades to learn. Decades that he didn't have time to spare with Harvest burning.

"I'm not saying you need it, but does anyone you know use it? Maybe they could teach you." Pyrrha offered, while slightly suggesting something that chief didn't quite catch at the end.

"I wasn't born or raised by the people of Remnant, and I've fought people who use aura. It wasn't something I like to remember, but I managed through." John said firmly to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha thought for a moment and wondered who on earth would ever want to fight him? She questioned how long he'd been on this planet and was going to ask him before he said aloud.

"Is that the training area?" He pointed to the room.

They both took the same route before coming across the wooden double doors.


XXXXXXX


"John? Why is he here and why wasn't I notified?" Catherine asked with a neutral look as she sat at a half oval table with her hands trembling at the fixation she was giving. Catherine had left Miranda back at one of the barracks in base and was being currently watched by commander or as, much to his chagrin. When she had arrived at Beacon and seeing all the students carrying weapons, wearing armor, and taking classes appointed on how to fight is grim, she had to say she was impressed. But not much.

Catherine had also heard the news of John's battles with some of the people on this planet... And she had to say that this was quite scary to her. People engaging Spartan Twos and surviving was unheard of to her. Not to mention some of the people who have fought had no military background whatsoever. Not only that, but they were just kids. Some of, No, one of them was his age, maybe a few months younger since John had spent a few weeks in cryo-stasis, and she had a very high track record for exterminating the hostile life known as Grimm with 101% accuracy. She very well could have been eligible for a hyper lethal rating if she were a Spartan-II candidate.

It was Margaret Parangosky who had given her the news of John's grievous injuries and relocation to remnant. She was feeling multiple emotions at this very moment, but one step above all. Anger.

"Injured, almost dead I'm afraid." Ackerson rebuffed while clicking his wrist pad. "Don't worry though, he luckily pulled through with no severe anomalies..." The last part came out almost like regret.

"Why. Is. He. Here? I didn't ask why he was hurt nor why he was close to dying but why isn't he with the others?" Every Spartan was designated with a group, and they would not leave that group until the mission or war was complete until the very end. Seeing John here and the rest of blue team nowhere to be found was possibly the sickest thing at Catherine had yet to see.

He was their leader! What kind of leader is taken away from the group and put some more else leaving now them completely alone? Blue team was not incapable of leading themselves, in fact Frederick-104 was more than qualified, but he had put more faith and reliability on John more than anyone else.

While she may have been the one who had taken them from their families at such young ages, sacrifices had to be made to ensure the success for Humanity's reach into serving themselves.

"Because he nearly died and had to be carried out for surgery. Your Spartan-II'S aren't invincible as they were required to be." Ackerson began smugly. "I cannot lie and say that the reports of pure surprise from many spectators Halsey... He let down a lot of people that day."

That twitched something inside her.

"Do not, under any presumption circumstances underestimate him admiral." Catherine spat out. "He is one of many who will save the human race, so do not be surprised if you get captured by covenant and tortured to the point of breaking insanity."

"Is that a threat Halsey!" Ackerson said rather loudly as he leaned over the table angrily.

"It's a promise." Catherine promised.

"That is enough out of you two..." Parangosky snapped slowly to the two while looking over to the blond teacher known as Glynda, Goodwitch. Parangosky was a bit steamed at the fact that she did not allow such orders taken foot, but the interest of aura was too great to pass up on. Glynda herself was engrossed with her clipboard that she didn't notice the head chief of ONI until she huffed in her direction, catching her attention.

"I don't seem to understand why Ozpin couldn't be here with us." She acknowledged.

"He had other matters to attend to at the moment, he should return shortly." Glynda countered while brushing her wand against the desk. "What I don't know is why he insists of one of your soldiers gaining aura." Unlocking aura was not unusual. In fact as someone began to walk it was unlocked by peoples parents or legal guardians. An adolescent was not new either, a teenager was a bit unusual, but a fully grown man was completely far out of her imagination.

Parangosky's wrist-pad buzzed and she looked at the small videopad with Ozpin on it for a moment and observed him. No fear or conflicted feelings coursing through him. His stature was calm and stiff, besides the fact he was waiting for her answer, there wasn't anything she could have used against them at this striking moment.

"You contacted me, in order to give one of the Spartans the ability to use aura?" Parangosky claimed, gaining Halsey's and Ackerson's attention as they sat around a table.

"Yes. I believe course of action would this would achieve a better-" Ozpin was cut off as the double doors opened.

"They are here." Parangosky breathed out seeing spartan-117 walk in.

John blinked his eyes when his vision caught sight of someone who he had known since he was only seven years old.

"Halsey?" He called out seeing the only mother figure in his life.

For the first time in almost thirty-seven hours, a smile spread across her face as she saw one of her 'favorites' walk in. "Greetings. It's a great pleasure seeing you once again." As she looked toward the left a rather tall red head girl with a very large pair of green eyes. She looked at her with an oppressed look. Who was she and why was she in here?

"Hals-Ma'am..." John caught himself in the middle as he walked forward to Catherine with an awkward walk in his legs. Catherine who marveled John reached out and touched his shoulder plate. "I-

"Don't stress. I'm surprised as you are..." Catherine said while looking over John's helmet. For some reason she could still see a typical six-year-old male, with tousled brown hair and a sly smile that revealed a gap between his front teeth. That memory of when she had first met him on Eridanus II was still branded into her memory banks.

"Are we going to get this testing started or what?" Ackerson said making Glynda and Catherine frown at him. Parangosky looked over at John and said toward him.

"Alright then... Glynda would you?" Parangosky gestured to John with an outstretched finger. Glynda bit back a scoff and wondered who died and put her in charge.

Glynda walked over to John, feeling quite hesitant at what she was about to do, before reaching her hand out that began to glow purple.

At first John wanted to recoil, or possibly stop what was happening, but knew there wasn't anything stopping him now. Glynda's hand touched were John's heart should be... and...

She felt nothing.

Nothing at all.

Like her hand was being pushed up against an empty case.

...

Glynda made a puzzled look, pulling her hand back and thinking. 'How odd... This is new.'

Parangosky said through her hands folded. "Results?"

"Nothing happened. When we first try to unlock aura we use our own and link it to our souls... I can't feel his." Glynda claimed making Pyrrha think for a moment.

'No soul... That's impossible.' She thought to herself. Was the Master Chief human?

"Try again, maybe you missed it." Ackerson offered, making Glynda surge even more aura in her hand. Pressing her hand a bit harder and linking, or trying to find anything within him, all she could feel was a very outstretched cold emptiness that seemed to go one forever.

"Nothing. Are you sure this thing is even human?" Glynda asked bluntly making Halsey bit back a remark that could have been catastrophic.

"Yes he is..." She said slowly, trying to keep her mind on track.

"Ozpin may know-

"Wait... I have a thought. If I could." Pyrrha said suddenly and everyone looked at her. "Maybe... It's his armor." She confirmed the ending part while gaining a few looks of weirdness and uncertainty. Ackerson only shook his head and thought. 'These kids.'

"What would his Mjolnir have anything to do with his aura connecting?" Halsey questioned while Parangosky's eyes narrowed at the upstanding lift in the rooms air.

"As I was saying, Ozpin may know what the problem is once he is finished with his business. For the time being, I have to collect forms for the classes first exam. Come back the few hours and professor Oobleck can run a scan on you." Glynda affirmed making Catherine think back to this.

"Does your facility have any degrees in medical science or even a degree in chemistry? If he doesn't then he would be wasting his time." Catherine said. She had dozens of degrees in genetics ranging from medical technology to chemical engineering assorted with a plethora of bachelor degrees in human health and robotics/cybernetics.

"He happens to be one of the academy's top aura specialists and is an avid society expert who has been meaning to talk with one of your own..." Glynda replied before being interrupted by Parangosky, who wasn't at all thrilled by the news.

"I don't see how this is relevant." Catherine said before Parangosky could say anything. She looked back at her quickly before saying more assertively.

"Ms. Halsey, if you would, I'd like you to report back to the strategic base."

"Why must I go?" Catherine questioned, feeling quite offended. "There's no one else on this planet, who knows more about John than I do."

Glynda glanced at the Spartan with a raised eyebrow. 'JOHN? His name is John?' This could have helped with some areas of the Spartans, or now John's identity since Ozpin with the rest of

"Yes that is true, but don't you have other plans that need to be taken care of at the strategic base ASAP?" Parangosky questioned with a raised eyebrow. Catherine held back a frown that wanted to expose itself, and contained her emotions at such audacious words that's the chief of ONI was exposing her to.

Parangosky then looked back at John. "You will stay here in one of their spare rooms for the time being, and you young lady can let yourself out as well." She shot at Pyrrha who walked out of the room and out the door. Feeling unwanted and embarrassed.

John felt quite like a prisoner now, not being able to return to base or at least have a single weapon.

'This is upstanding, marching in here acting like they control everything!' Glynda seized her own thoughts before Colonel Ackerson stood up, "If nothing's being improved then my time shouldn't be wasted here." And with that he left the room, feeling contempt of associating himself with Halsey or her excitement ever again.

"Perhaps we should have a full body check once we get back..." Catherine said as she went back to the door. John's re-adjusted his mental bearings before leaving himself.

Glynda shook her head before she went back to trying to contact Ozpin again.


XXXXXXX


John walked briskly through the empty hallway before coming across two people he didn't want to see.

Ozpin and Ruby.

They were both talking and discussing something rather important that they seemed so enticed that they didn't notice him just a few feet away. He planned to walk pass them without giving them a thought. But before he could Ozpin said more loudly.

"You've been burdened with a donating responsibility. I advise you take some time to think about how you will uphold it." And he walked the other way with a mug in hand. He took a glance over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of John who stood there. Ozpin turned his head back to the front and kept walking.

Ruby was left alone looking down and outside the open door that showed the once blue sky radiating a dark orange. He paid mind though as he walked passed ruby and outside.

"Hi Sierra!" Ruby shouted making John and Weiss nearly buckle at the volume at her voice. Ruby walked over to John and said. "That was sooo cool on how you totally crushed that boarbatusk!"

"Are you alright?" John questioned while glancing at Weiss who averted her own eyes from him.

"I'm fine. Just tired, and a little confused." Ruby admitted while twirling a piece of her hair.

"With?" John questioned toward the short huntress.

Ruby thought back to the lecture Ozpin had given her, but became entwined with her own conflicts about Weiss. Ruby looked at the spartan and started. "Being a leader... And taking responsibility with my burdens?" She tried to repeat the last part from Ozpin's talk, but not quite catching the message. Her father had an easier time to explain things to her, but Ozpin wasn't her dad.

John honestly could relate in some ways to Ruby's case but at the same time couldn't in a multitudinous of ways. Ruby wasn't being going to be put on the front lines and have to make life changing decisions with her own comrades and civilians. At least not now of course.

That was John's job everyday.

And he would more than likely die executing it.

"True, I know that feeling." John admitted with a tired glance to the drifting sun down the mountains.

"Ummm... are you alright?" Ruby questioned with some traces of worry. Sierra was a strong to the book type of guy in her eyes, and seeing him act strangely was making her bit unsure.

"I don't comply." John answered, not understanding what she wanted from earlier.

"You seem sad." Ruby pointed out making John become stiff. She had caught him on that. Quickly thinking of a rebuttle he brushed it off.

"It's nothing..." John claimed. He wasn't sure what Ruby was getting at but had a feeling she wouldn't leave it.

Ruby then remembered something rather quickly and got his attention. "That laser was pretty cool, what's it called?" Ruby asked with a gleam in her eye.

John nodded. "It can be complex to handle, and it's called the M6 laser." He then thought for a second of the lasers key inner components before saying to her. "It's an anti-vehicle weapon that shoots a concentrated beam after charging for three seconds. Can neutralize anyone caught in it's path." He answered making Ruby smile even wider. If there was one thing she loved to talk about it was weapons, and Sierra was the defining specialist in weapons.

"How much does it weigh, what type of batteries does it take, can righties and lefties use it at the same time or does the battery overheat when used for too long for both hands, can it be attached to smaller more portable weapons?" She said so fast and jumbled John had to catch himself from his mind going in circles.

"The Spartan laser is a weapon, not a plaything." John told Ruby who pouted at him. She wasn't a kid!

"Weapons are so much better anyway! They're like definitions of our personalities!" Ruby said making Weiss flinch in irritation as she looked over the balcony with a distant look.

"It's too loud and its battery life is enough for four shots." John rebutted making Ruby gain a challenging look.

"But you took that never more and deathstalker out with just 2 beams... I-...uhh, never said thank you for saving me. Thank you Sierra." Ruby said with a kind smile.

John looked at her before replying. "Welcome." Ruby felt a bit safer now that he seemed to calm down and wasn't in his predatory mode. Yang wouldn't get off him about that.

"I don't know why Yang is so mad at you though, what's there to hate about you?" Ruby said while rubbing the back of her arm from her clothes from sticking.

'A lot actually.' The answer rang through his thoughts.

"Angry at herself but wants to take it out on me." John answered to Ruby who nodded discreetly. John knew what she was going through but she didn't have the right to still be mad at him.

"I kinda had a feeling she was... but I don't think she hates you personally." Ruby said to him lightly.

"I really don't care." John said with little to no interest. Ruby blinked once before thinking quite rhetorically.

'Very weird...' She thought but said. "It's been nice but I need to get going, big paper due tomorrow for Professor Port." Ruby said as she lightly punched John on the forearm, but recoiled when her hand surged in pain from bopping the alloy. John looked at his forearm strangely, like a bug had just planted itself on him.

"What was that?" John asked while watching Ruby who blowed on her hand to ease the soreness. A punch? Why did she hope to achieve from that scenario? Did she want to spar maybe?

"Uh... I was hoping you would know, Yang gives me those all the time. That's her way of saying good luck I think." Ruby said thinking back to her sister's ways of showing affection... Which included being suffocated in her sisters chest to being humiliated on different occasions.

"All the same, goodbye." John said turning around and heard Ruby say 'Bye' as well and she too walked the opposite direction.

"Excuse me... sir." Weiss asked to the Spartan who stopped his walk and looked towards the young heiress dressed in all white. John, who sighed in defeat, stayed still. He had done more than enough interacting for one day and was already wasting enough time doing this.

"Yes?" He asked in a bit of a curt tone while keeping his neck very dense.

"I needed," She began hesitantly. "wanted to apologize for my earlier actions." she admitted while rubbing her hands for warmth. "I didn't mean to disrespect you. Truthfully it was all my fault..." She apologized while closing her eyes and waiting for his wrath to come down upon her like meteors from heaven above.

"The fault was understandable, but unimportant." John brushed off not wanting to subside himself in this any longer.

"All the same sir, I deeply apologize." She repeated making John wonder what this was about.

"It's alright." He assured. "But what was all the yelling about?" he asked, feeling he should know what was causing all of this in the first place.

Weiss herself thought for a moment, weighing the options of whether to tell him or not.

"I mean what makes Ruby a more of a reliable leader than me?" She asked herself loudly while turning the other way to the balcony. "I mean... It's still crazy. I know I should be thankful for what I should give... But it's crazier once you think about it! Why her though, what is so special about her?"

"Nothing." John said to Weiss, not exactly sure where this was going but had an idea it was about the properties of leading skills.

"Exactly! That's what I wanted to hear." Weiss exclaimed with new found hope. Now she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she was replenished by glory.

"Neither are you though." John said more emphatically to her, making Weiss stop mid-sentence and look at him dead on. All that glory seemed to dry up like water in the middle of a volcano.

"You, Blake, Yang, or Ruby make the worst leaders. Your inexperienced, loud, brash, and made the worst decisions. You don't even have a plan." He recalled from their initiation stats.

"What would you know about leading then?" Weiss challenged while crossing her arms over her chest. Screw what Port had to say, she was really interested in what this lunkhead had to preach.

That was the last straw.

John straightened his back and boomed. "Because I was assigned as squad leader of three highly trained Spartan-II members. Our name was Blue team and we've been separated for months now because of my failures. I've made the choice whether or not one of them lives or we all die together trying. I know what it takes to be a leader. And you need to stop pretending to be one, because your not, and never will be." He announced making Weiss's expression take on a surprised one. She never expected him to be so... Deliverable with his words. It was like being beaten with a bag full of bricks.

It was uncalled for.

John took a deep breath while looking to the side painfully, berating himself for letting his emotions get the better of him. He looked back at Weiss and concluded. "You better learn that being leader is not only the most dangerous but calls for the most sacrifices. Sacrifices that you aren't willing to commit to... You don't have what it takes to make those decisions, until then you need to be patient and grow up." And with that, he turned and let himself walk to the stone staircase, feeling angrier than before...

After a few minutes of going through a near endless hall he heard clicking of a stick on the ground and someone say. "Leadership is an uneasy task is it not?"

"It never is." John agreed to Ozpin who walked up beside him. "I never thought... But it was."

"You know the burdens I'm discussing then to Ruby?" Ozpin asked urgently to the soldiers frame.

"Sort of." John replied. He was appointed as leader by Catherine after that retrieval mission involving him leading all of the Spartan children to a pelican dropship after dispatching a number of marines, belonging to TANGO COMPANY out of uniforms.

"Tell me, if you can, what trials you had to commit to when you were appointed as leader." Ozpin asked offhandedly.

"Classified, but we learned trust." John said to Ozpin. To him, trust was the most vital thing when on the front lines. Trust was something that kept you protected. Loyalty and Trust were the same in some regards, but trust is something so powerful yet so fragile at the same time. Many tarnished the gift, but he and the other Spartan-II's couldn't pass a day without it.

"Hmmm, interesting. I would agree on that note. Go on." Ozpin urged very lightly.

"Trust with one another, and to never abandon one another. Ever." John said to the headmaster who nodded. He trusted Blue team to help him, just like he would do the same without batting an eye for a second.

"And who taught you all this?" Ozpin asked making John think back to one rugged face. Someone who taught him everything he knew on how to kill someone.

John recollected his old teachers name. "My commanding officer was Franklin Mendez. He taught me everything I know. He taught me that no matter what you do, you don't win until your team wins." He stopped for a bit. "And I've lived by that for as long as I could remember." John truly wouldn't have been where he is now without him and so many others.

"Very intriguing. Where is he now, it would be an honor meeting him."

"Don't know, but even if I had that information I can't tell you." John answered. Anything ONI didn't want out to the public was to be strictly upheld by every member and individually aligned with them.

"A pity. He sounded like a very audacious one, if only we held the best like that." Ozpin claimed since he had worked alongside men in the military before and he knew how much respect some of them held for their superior officers.

"But back to why I wanted to talk to you about. I came to speak with you about something important." Ozpin said making John look at him earnestly. "Do you know about the White fang?" He asked to the armored man who shook his head.

"Not much." John answered. He'd heard the name, bits and pieces from a couple television sets that had been set up in the strategic base by the marines. But he didn't pay much mind to that type of thing.

"Then you should know that Adam will return with an even stronger force against you." Ozpin said making John's hands twitch. Adam was the first person to fight John and live. Not only that, but this proved to be bad for ONI's Spartan cause. If news got out that one of their own 'Unkillable soldiers' was put in a par strength and skill with an average person, this could not only be detrimental to his military career but numerous sanctions in ONI's business.

Ozpin cleared his throat, gaining John's attention before clarifying. "Yes, I know of your battle with Adam... And you should know that no one has even come that close to beating him before."

"When?" John asked seriously. If Adam wanted a fight then he would be disappointed... Because John would not hesitate to bury his knife in Adam's throat the next time he saw him.

"Unknown to me, but Blake has been around him more than anyone else. She used to be part of the White fang, Adam was her teacher after all." Ozpin told him as a matter of fact.

"I know that." John answered. He had read through Blake's file and tried to learn her history but came up with nothing. Same for Adam.

There wasn't a trace of them besides their crimes.

"Did you also know that they don't accept humans and have a low tolerance for human presence." Ozpin murmured to John who looked at him. "The White fang were always ridiculed for what they are, it even lead to a war that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands... Blake was one of the leading members."

"...Blake's... not human?" John questioned almost unsure what to make out of it. He should have known she wasn't normal, but not this abnormal though? Then again it wasn't very surprising though.

"No Spartan, she is not." Ozpin clarified. He had followed her case for numerous weeks, debating whether or not she should be allowed to attend her school with her criminal records.

"I don't care what she is. Just as long as she stays out of my way, but why are you telling me this? This seems rather... Unimportant." John said to the headmaster with little or no careness in his tone. He wasn't the type to judge anyone on how they were born. They didn't have the choice on the matter...

"What's important to you then?" Ozpin suddenly asked the Spartan.

"My mission. To reclaim Harvest." John said since it wasn't necessarily classified.

"Harvest? What is that?" Ozpin asked suddenly very interested.

"A planet sir, that's under attack by an alien race." John revealed without saying too much. He didn't want word getting out about this but he could tell that Ozpin wasn't the gossip type.

"Aliens you say, that must be quite serious." Ozpin said a bit more interested.

"It is." John claimed to the headmaster with a tired nod. Thinking of the covenant only brought one feeling to his overall stupor: Rage.

"When you talked about Blue team, and this planet Harvest, did you also mean to say is that they have perished there?" Ozpin pieced the facts altogether.

John disagreed almost instantly. "They are missing in action and no. That's classified information."

Ozpin hummed "I only wish to know because your presence in my school is both hazardous while accommodating. Hazardous to the trust between both factions, and accommodating to the young minds here." Ozpin said while John didn't know who to respond to this.

"What is this all about?" John questioned a bit harsher. His patience was beginning to falter and he wanted to know why Ozpin wanted him.

"You. The soldiers or marines as they're called, have caught my interest... But someone else as well, and his name is Roman Torchwick. I fear something is brewing and he's the cause of it." Ozpin answered making John think for a moment on who he was addressing. John had heard that name somewhere before but it was unimportant to him and he didn't pay much mind to it.

"I don't know much about him." John admitted honestly.

"There's nothing more to know except the fact he's a criminal who is planning something that involves you." Ozpin said. Roman had a thing for stealing the latest software or weapons. Numerous officers had been chasing him down for weapon/dust dealings on a multitude of occasions.

Roman ignoring a new military base with a plethora of weapons was like a fish ignoring water.

"What?" John asked. What was important about him? He was just a soldier. He could offer absolutely nothing, and he sure as hell would never align himself with a criminal.

"I don't know, but the longer you're here the closer the answer will be revealed. For better or worse." Ozpin said as he took the last sip of his coffee. He looked down at his now empty mug before saying. "I'm out of coffee."

"That you are." John said in a salty manner. Ozpin looked at his mug then back to John.

"Would you care to join me for a cup?" Ozpin offered in a fashioned manner. If John was going to spend the night here then he might as well feel at home. It was the least Ozpin could do without making the UNSC offended by his actions.

John thought for a moment before saying. "No thanks." And going back into his temporary living quarter, leaving Ozpin to nod and walk off by himself.

'Such a charismatic fellow I must say.' Ozpin thought.


XXXXXXX


"So he was a leader, squad leader?" Yang asked as she slipped her orange tank top over her head and slipped into her bed, getting under the beds sheet covers. She had finished her paper a few minutes before and was going to get some sleep in for tomorrow's assignments. And by finished with her homework she had copied all the answers from Weiss's notebook while she went to the bathroom.

Weiss had come back to the room earlier than expected and told everyone about the Spartan, who had still remained anonymous to the rest of Beacon.

"Yes... He was angry. Very angry." Weiss claimed while going over to fluff her pillow. She honestly thought there was no one more angry or frustrated than her own father. She was dead wrong on that assumption. Very wrong.

"Did he try anything?" Blake accused without looking up from her book. She couldn't think of anything positive about the Spartan at this point, even if you paid her to.

"Nothing of the sorts, but he said was. Their name was Blue-Team." She remembered from the earlier talk with him. He sounded tired, and there were small and evident traces of... Guilt?

"Does that mean their dead?" Ruby questioned while lifting the blanket off of her bed and revealing an assortment of books, papers, and scribbled pages. Studying the anatomy and combat of grimm was more difficult than she had anticipated.

"I don't know, but remind me never to get on his bad side ever again." Weiss said while blowing out of her nose.

"Chit chat pushed moved over, now lets go over what we know about him." Yang said while pulling out a small notepad and pen from her cleavage. "His name is Sierra-117 or Master Chief, he's a Petty Officer. And he's called a Spartan, like special forces. He's been in a war, and very important, he hates blondes." She said the last one making Ruby laugh a bit.

Yang wanted to find something on the spartan that she could use against him since he kept showing up. Sometimes at the worst moments. If this was going to be a regular thing, which she didn't like, might as well make use of it.

"A bit harsh?" Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow making Yang shrug. That's what she thought anyway of the Spartans demeanor to her.

"So what does that have to do with anything? A few of my own relatives have been to war." Weiss said, not understanding what they were getting at.

"For one there hasn't been a war in centuries, and two it means he could be a bit schizophrenic." Blake chimed in.

"Schizowhat?" Ruby asked while picking her nose with her pencil. Blake bit her cheek in frustration from their obliviousness.

"A mental disorder where people have a difficult time telling what is real and having clear thoughts. There's like 20,000 cases a year." Blake answered since she had once read a book full of mental issues... Not that she had any of course.

"So he's crazy." Yang asked before saying. "I kinda had a feeling he was something nutty related? Well there goes my first plan of getting to know him."

"I thought you hated him?" Blake questioned with a raised eyebrow. Ruby stared at Yang and wondered what her exact thoughts of him were since she had repeated to herself that the next time she saw him someone was, and quote, 'going to pay.'

"Oh I do... But he did save my sister. That speaks a lot to me, he has my kudos for that." Yang told Blake who rolled her eyes at her stupidity.

"While I don't trust him he seems alright..." Weiss muttered the last part so no one would hear but Blake held her book a bit tighter at that statement.

"Either way we should try and avoid him at all costs, all he brings is trouble." Blake contorted while easily flipping a page in her book.

"In my defense he threw the first punch." Yang lied before looking back at Blake. "Ya know, since we're partners I think you should at least chime us in to what kind of history you two share." Yang said while crawling to the edge of her bed and letting her hair hang down the bed frame. Blake looked up at Yang with a sour glance.

"It wasn't anything mutual if that's what you believe. What's happened in the past stays in the past." She said while crossing her legs. "Let's just get ready for tomorrow, we have battle practice." She breathed out as she put the book under her pillow and blew out the candle.

Weiss shook her head.

About five hours later, everyone was fully asleep. Blake was under her covers with her bow on strangely, Yang was asleep with the covers kicked off of her, and Ruby's was completely covered in sheets with a small light above her. Weiss rubbed her eyes before getting out of bed to see what Ruby was still doing up.

She walked over to her bed, up the ladder and flipped the blanket off only to see Ruby passed out with a pencil still in hand. Next to her was her data scroll but it was currently turned off from the excessive power usage. Her journal was filled to the brim with notes, and she was drooling.

Weiss had to admit she was impressed with the surprised look she had gracing her features. She knew only a handful of people who worked this hard to get good grades, but Ruby was going ahead of that like a bullet. Weiss lifted her left hand and barely touched Ruby's exposed arm before she woke up instantly and said loudly. "Weiss, I-I was studying, and then I fell asleep! I'm sorry!"

"How do you take your coffee?" Weiss asked toward Ruby who looked like a deer in headlights.

"Uh I-I." Replied Ruby, trying to say something without pissing off Weiss too much.

"Just answer the question." Weiss said abruptly. If there was one thing she absolutely hated it was incoherent stuttering.

"Cream with five sugars." She answered quickly, feeling more awake than asleep.

Weiss sighed in defeat before saying. "Don't move..." she said before lowering down steps of the ladder and securing for just a very brief moment before returning with a mug in hand. "Here." As she handed Ruby the mug.

Weiss thought for a moment, thinking about what to say before starting off at a friendly pace. "Ruby… I think you have what it takes to be a good leader. Just know that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have! Good luck studying." She finished as she slid down the ladder... Before coming back up and pointing to her textbook. "That's wrong by the way." As Weiss went over to the bathroom she stopped and turned to Ruby.

"Oh Ruby." She called softly.

"Uh-huh?" Ruby replied.

"I always wanted bunk beds as a kid." Weiss said as she left. Ruby looked back at her textbook before grinning to herself. Her negative friend was now in the green zone as friend number 1! Although she didn't know what to place Sierra under though... Friend or acquaintance?

'I wonder if Sierra likes bunk beds?' Ruby thought to herself before re-reading question 7...


XXXXXXX


"These beds." John muttered as he pushed the short fuzzy blanket off him that only went down to his knees. It was 4 AM, only ten minutes from five and he wasn't getting any sleep any time soon. After he had his time getting to know the grounds of beacon through a satellite's view connected to his armor, John was taken to his temporary living quarters in Beacon. Professor Oobleck was still currently unavailable with recent documents that needed filing an wouldn't be available until further notice.

The room was ten by ten feet and had a twenty-foot length from the ceiling to the floor. The bed he was currently sitting on was pressed up against the wall in the far right hand corner and was thirty-five inches in width and seventy-five inches in length. He was given two sheets for the bed that obviously hadn't been slept in for decades. A few of the pillows even had soaked in dust like a sponge.

Behind the bed was a single window that showed the courtyard and the front fountains in the school, but John had attached some old newspaper clippings, sealing the light from entering. Across from his bed was a desk with a single drawer. Above the desk was a light fixture that hung from the ceiling by a single dark looking wire and looked like it had burnt out years ago with a cobweb hanging on it.

The walls were made from polished wood and had a few picture frames but no pictures inside of them, like someone had forcibly ripped them out. The room smelled old, not to mention there was mold growing in the corner of the far left corner below the desk.

His armor was currently on standby, and by standby it was manually removed with power tools John had been given to him by the engineers that had worked with him. He had taken the necessary components to help him when he was going to be involved with something drastic as experimentation. Halsey had made sure to let the engineers know he was going to be here and needed some tools to complete this. His armor was inside a closet on the opposite end of the bed, just right next to the door leading to the outside hall.

After killing the boarbatusk without any weapons, Ozpin allowed John to carry weapons if he received any, but not to brandish them under any circumstances except for grimm related dangers. John received a M6C magnum with 200 rounds of ammunition. He didn't understand why though he needed this much ammo, he thought he would only be residing here or less than a week, nothing more than that.

John, who currently wore a sleeveless tank top and black cargo shorts stood up and sighed, these days were confusing to him. He was a product of the UNSC to fight in wars, to give marines and civilians a fighting chance, but here he was pulled from it all off and placed in a school. Not as a student, not a teacher, but to try and learn these powers they could use. It didn't make any sense to him... But orders were orders.

Seeing that there was no point in going back to sleep and his early workout was needed, he removed the sleep shorts before placing on a pair of dark green sweatpants and then fitting on a pair of standard black UNSC combat boots. He tied the boots laces before stepping outside to commence his morning run.


XXXXXXX


As Ruby scribbled away on her paper she scrunched up her toes on the sheets and bit the tip of her pencil, thinking of what came after a deathstalker in the threat zone levels. The question was based on speed and strength depending on the age of grimm and most of the details were very sketchy.

As she looked out the window she saw the moon was beginning to go up to it's highest point and the sun was slowly beginning to rise past the mountains in the distance.

The sun's rays shined off the rooftops shingles of the numerous buildings outside of Beacons gates in the residential districts. Some of the buildings lights began to turn on, signaling another long day of work ahead.

In Vale many of the buildings had tower features and they would often create shadows when the light was directly behind it. Ruby glanced over the beauty of the morning created before she saw something below that caught her eye. Looking further down the window she saw a very big man running. No, scratch that. Sprinting. Sprinting like rushing water down a stream. His legs were almost a blur and he didn't seem to get any strain from the vigorous run.

She couldn't make out details since he was so far below and how fast he ran. She blinked once when seeing he was no longer there and must have went around the corner.

Ruby let her thought drift off to her paper and she frowned again. "Still stuck on number 7... Dangit."

Yang snorted in her sleep, choking on the dryness in her throat and pulled a piece of her hair from her mouth. Her eyes opened slightly before she looked over to the right and seeing Ruby still working on her paper. She smiled a bit, feeling proud that her sister was putting everything she had into her studies since her weapon wielding skills were at her fullest.

Yang could smell coffee and her nose scrunched up a bit. Her father, uncle, and the headmaster Ozpin all liked the stuff. When she was younger she drank some and became sick for a week. Yang couldn't stand the scent, taste, or flavors of it.

Yang rubbed the drowsiness from her lilac eyes a bit before she felt a draft around her chest. Looking down she noticed her shirt was up above her stomach and the undersides of her breasts were exposed. She must have lifted it up sometime in the night when their room got quite stuffy and felt like it was ninety degrees in there, when it was only forty-five degrees outside.

She pulled her shirt down to her shorts, covering her modesty before looking at the clock on the desk below. It read 5:24 AM on the dot. Class wouldn't begin until 10 AM, this gave her a few more hours of precious sleep. She rolled over to the left, scratching the back of her thigh before drifting back off to sleep.


XXXXXXX


John panted as he completed his 8th lap around the school just under twenty minutes. After passing the main entrance he began to slow down before breathing deeply in his nose then out his mouth. Loosening his fingers and straightening his muscles he walked over to the fountain and observing the stature while listening to the calm noises around him.

The sound of the morning birds was relaxing, the scent of the cold morning dew filled his nostrils, and the feeling of the chilly autumn air really lifted his insides.

He looked over the statue to see the sun was beginning to rise. Now all he needed was a meal high in carbohydrates before continuing his morning workout sessions. As he walked over the stone walkway he could silently make out the sound of footsteps that were not his own but ignored it. He walked forward until someone passed by him and he instantly recognized her.

Pyrrha.

She currently wore red sweat pants and a white tank top with the same hair clip, but didn't seem at all affected by the rather cold weather this morning.

John let her pass him as she said. "Excuse me." And walked past him while looking forward down the hallway.

"My mistake." John said to Pyrrha who nearly bumped into him. This startled her at the resemblance in his voice. She turned towards him and observed him for a second. Silently debating with herself if there was anyone around.

After seeing no one beside the rather sweaty young man she instantly apologized. "Sorry, I thought you said something." She told him, trying to shake the Master Chief's voice from her mind.

There was no way this guy said that.

"I did." John confirmed making Pyrrha nearly do a double take.

His voice... Didn't at all fit the person she was looking at. The Master Chief's voice was very distinctive, too distinctive in fact. It sounded like it came from a hardened war veteran who smoked up teen packs of cigars a day and more than likely had vocal problems. She was expecting an old man, maybe even a middle aged man but no.

He was a young man. Eighteen or nineteen tops in her mind, but what really caught her off guard was his face. It looked almost too good to be true. He had a face of a kid. 12-13 years old. 15 maybe. 16 tops in her book. He looked very young for what came out of his mouth.

Maybe a professional athlete with how lean he was and devoid of any body fat. A clean shaven head devoid of any brown hair, a rather strong well defined jaw and flat cheek bones. He had a medium sized mouth and very serious blue eyes that seemed to stare right through her. He was handsome. Other than that he looked very average. Young, big, but average.

She did however take note that there was massive scarring on his skin from what she could see. A little one here and there on his face that went unnoticeable if you didn't look close enough, but the ones that caught her attention though where the deep jagged straight ones on his forearms and hands that seemed to go on forever.

They looked too straight to her, almost like they were surgical scars. But what in the name of dust caused that. She looked back into his blue eyes before exclaiming softly.

"Master Chief?" She asked in an unbelieving tone. "Where's your armor and why are you here so early?" Pyrrha asked suddenly making John rub his forehead.

"Off and I was exercising." He said to Pyrrha who nodded. That would explain the sweat that made John's muscled forearms gleam.

"I can see that, but why so early?" She questioned to him. Pyrrha usually did her workouts in the late afternoon after she had finished her lunch to burn down the calories.

"A habit." John said since Mendez had gotten him up on even earlier days to vent out his body. "What are you doing up this early?" He questioned.

Pyrrha then gestured to the school around. "Just getting to know the school grounds, in case my partner Jaune gets lost again." She said making John nod.

"I understand. Professor Oobleck says I have to stay here and let him examine me. For the aura activation." John said making Pyrrha blink.

"You still haven't activated it?" She questioned making John shake his head.

"Negative. But I trust the proctors here know what they're doing." John assure to Pyrrha, or himself that this.

"I was hailed and blessed with gifts by my teachers at Sanctum. I took multiple lessons involving aura, one being activation... I could try." She said making John blink strangely at this.

"I'm not sure this would be wise." He said to the redhead beauty.

"Don't be silly, nothing could go wrong. I'll just use a tiny ounce of my aura and place it," She pointed to his heart, "here."

John was not sure he would be allowed to do this. He wasn't sure he could trust Pyrrha since he had only met her just a few days prior.

"I don't know." John said again. He really didn't know what Pyrrha knew or how skilled she was, he wanted to know a bit more about her before taking such an extreme risk that could probably cost both of them greatly.

"I wouldn't dream of hurting you Chief... You're my friend and you have my word." Pyrrha soothed John who nodded, feeling a bit at ease from her words. What was she saying though? This feeling he had? Was it joy or relief? He couldn't tell. But what he could tell, or the signs that Pyrrha was giving was that there wasn't anything ill or bad behind her. She was nice, happy, kind, smart, and strong. John knew someone who was pure. Someone who was there to be there, not there to collect something or abandon them. She had these traits.

She was there because she wanted to. That was the part John didn't understand though. What could possibly go wrong? Tons. Was there a chance she could actually be a wolf in sheep's clothing, and the minute he showed a sign of weakness she could use it against him? Maybe, but he didn't truly know.

All he could do though was trust her... And what she would do next would define her.

All he could do now... Was give her trust.

"Alright...Do what needs to be done." John said to Pyrrha who nodded. She stepped forward to the super solider who was completely still, watching every move she did. She placed her left hand on top of John's shoulder and pressed the other one directly in the center of his chest. Pyrrha felt his sweaty shirt under her hand as she surged a very small ounce of her aura into him.

She linked with his soul and could feel the radiating heat coming off of it. Odd. Souls all had different feelings to them. Some were cold, some were warm, and some gave off the feeling that you were on fire or being constricted by death itself.

His soul was like being in a warm summer forest.

You could feel the warmth.

You felt at ease, like nothing could hurt you or make you unhappy.

His soul was... Clean.

But what really caught Pyrrha's attention was the colossal aura she was detecting. Mountains or rivers were nowhere near comparison to it's sheer size. It was astronomical really. She had never felt such an untapped source of power being hidden so quite easily with it's expanse. It was bigger than hers, maybe even bigger than all of Team JNPR combined. She had only met certain men and women with this aura that was this potent and possessed this sheer size.

It was rare..

She dug deeper and broke the seal... then she saw it.

John didn't feel different, but Pyrrha had to take a step back when his aura surged out and bit her hand, or that what she could tell what occurred when her hand stayed on his chest for a bit too long.

His aura poured through every square inch of his body by lightning in a power plant. A green glow emitted off of John's frame that seemed to get brighter and brighter by the second. When Pyrrha stopped touching John he felt a bit warmer. He opened his eyes to see something green shining on him. He looked in front of him to see Pyrrha staring at him with sweat running down her forehead.

"What's going on? What happened?" John asked as he raised both his hands and saw the green light radiating of his skin. "And... Why am I glowing?"

"Your aura... It's going through you... I've never seen so much aura though." She commented while looking at John who still stared at his hands, front and back.

"So it's unlocked?" John questioned while running his fingers over his bicep, trying to prove that the light was real or feel it.

"Yes..." Pyrrha breathed. Unlocking his aura had taken a toll on her body. She felt absolutely drained of energy and drenched in sweat.

So much for a morning walk.

Johns glow simmered down to where he was back to normal and he looked back at Pyrrha. "Are you alright?" He asked in a worried tone.

"I'm fine thank you, the process just took a little out of me." Pyrrha said while leaning against one of the walls trying to ease the fatigue consuming her. "I just need some rest." She began walking back the original way she came.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" John questioned.

Pyrrha looked back, green eyes meeting blue, and said reassuringly. "No, but thank you." She said making him gain a confused look.

"For-"

"Trusting me." She said making John bite his tongue. There it was again. That unexplained feeling in his chest.

Pyrrha waved at him. "See you around Chief." John nodded and waved back. And with that, Pyrrha walked back to her room leaving the confused John standing alone in the hallway. He looked at his arm again before turning it over and gazing back at his scars from the augmentation process.

'She must never know... Not one person.' He thought to himself very earnestly. He saw the way she stared at his scars, but the ones that were from the augmentations, not the battle. He knew questions about his appearance would rise and questions would spur.

He couldn't allow that, it be a rather large breach in ONI security and the UNSC along with all its occupants would be in danger if they ever found out.

What no one knew however was at that moment, the fate of Remnant was sealed with a touch to the heart and soul..

The Aura 'DEMON' had been born...


XXXXXXX


"I have to say... I dig all the new toys we picked up." The criminal known as Roman Torchwick said as he glanced at all the UNSC weapon cases that lined up against the caverns wall.

Two hundred forty of them, all just waiting to be opened and used.

Roman was a semi middle aged man with a carrot colored hair combed to the side. He had dark green slanted eyes, or eye since it was the only one visible. He wore a pure white suit coat with a gray scarf wrapped around his neck. Under his white coat was a black shirt. He donned a pair of dark black pants with a pair of Brown oxfords, and on the top of his head was a black bowler hat with a red ban stripe.

Roman walked up to a single green case and clicked it open to get a full view of a Spartan Laser. He licked his lips in anticipation and could only imagine the atrocities he would be able to commit now with a laser on his shoulder.

Cinder looked from Roman to her accomplice and said. "Did you do as you were told?" she asked toward the short hooded figure who nodded.

Cinder smiled at her small associate. "Good... You know what to do now."

The hooded figure slowly retracted the hood over its head and revealed itself to be a girl.

The girl was increasingly short, only standing at four foot nine and wearing a rather fancy outfit that consisted of a white jacket with pink interior, brown pants, and a grey boots very high heels she wore a black corset underneath her jacket that was cut in the middle the bottom, exposing her hips. Around her neck was a multitude of beaded necklaces which hung down her chest to her small yet exposed cleavage. She was also sporting a pink umbrella with frills in the middle and with a Brown wooden handle in her left hand.

Her face was the most distinguishing since half her hair on the left side was pink with a few noticeable white streaks, and half her hair on the right side was a medium shade of brown. Her skin was chalk white and she had two different colored eyes. One pink on the right side of her face, and one brown on the left side. She seemed to be suffering from a rare condition called heterochromia iridium, which causes the person's eyes to be different colors.

Her name was Neapolitan, assassin for Roman Torchwick and psychopath for hire for Cinder. She was the one responsible for the two ONI agents disappearing in later being found mutilated in the alleys, and the one for breaking into the strategic base and placing bugs around computers and data plans and was able to get all the information hacked and stolen.

She was the cause of all of this, and her job was not only unfinished, but it was just beginning.

Neapolitan nodded gratefully, and grinned showing her pure white teeth. A very tenacious yet vicious gleam lingered in her right eye that seemed to turn pure white for a brief moment. But barely noticeable.

This meant she was on the prowl, ready to bathe in the blood of her victims corpses after she had 'licked' them dry. She wouldn't kill someone straight away, but toy with them until they were too terrified to fight back.

When she broke into the strategic base she was told not to be seen or be found. That part was easy. The hard part was containing her blood lust when being told she was allowed to use deadly force. Two marines survived her mauling but probably wouldn't be able to walk ever again. The first one she killed was but plunging her umbrellas hidden knife right through the back of his throat and proceeded to stab him in the chest through his Kevlar clothing twenty-eight times in a nonstop succession.

The second one she killed was on accident. A very good accident to her that is.

The second one walked into the barracks she had hidden herself in and by surprise she swiped her sword vertically across his throat, making the cut spray all over the room like a broken pipe with crimson fluids running down his neck and down his clothes.

The two ONI agents that were sent to track her down spent days looking and searching... But found out they were the ones being hunted after spending almost a week of searching.

The first one she killed had his skull crushed after she jumped off a building and landed on him, killing him almost instantly. Then the second one was swiped across the stomach with Neo's blade, causing all of his internal organs to spill out and onto the pavement.

The look in his eyes to her was magnificent. Her best work yet. The true defining look of absolute fear. That's what she truly wanted, was for everyone to be afraid, and all her victims to know who she was and what lengths she would cross what red lines she would pass.

He died only minutes later of blood loss with the same look in his eyes as they lost their color. Neither of them didn't have time to figure out what had happened in those 4 seconds...

She had been given orders by Cinder fall once all the weapons and military software was stolen from the UNSC. It specifically had to do with the Spartan-II soldier who had been holding the data pad with all said information on the day before Beacon started school.

Now that he had seen Cinder, He had to be dealt with. Permanently.

Neopolitan's next mission was simple.

Top Priority: Murder Spartan-117.

Seemed like it was going to be fun.~

As Neapolitan left to do her boss's bidding, Cinder opened up another scroll and scrolled down the screen for a few seconds before she came upon a glowing red link and clicked on it. She enhanced the image on the multiframe television set in front of her and a single face came up. That face being John-117. And on the top right corner it read.

'Classified Information Under The strict allegiance to the Office of Naval Intelligence, file Safety Code Omega - 7 XL 9/ PRIORITY SECTION,,,John-117. CLICK TO CONTINUE?'

"Perfect." Cinder smiled as she opened up the file.

Things were going according to plan.


XXXXXXX

What is done cannot be unfulfilled.

XXXXXXX


Stay tuned.

-SHIPWRECK5897