His eyes adjusted to the dark as he focused on his helmet that was sideways on the metal floor. He desperately pulled on the chains but even his inhuman muscular augmentations couldn't break him free. Every second he hung here he was convinced it was one of his nightmares and any soon he will wake up to the sound of his 5:30 alarm clock back in his small room on Infinity. But his mind knew that the pain was too real, to agitating to be a dream, this was real, all too real.

His shoulders burned as they practically held his armored body. His neck was getting irritated because it was at in uncomfortable angle. His head felt venerable without the protection of his helmet his blue eyes and pale skin was bright in comparison to his dark green armor. The Didact stood on the balcony his tall form overlooked the last of his army load the aircrafts and prepare for their murdering flight ahead. Chief was powerless as he hung there and waited as time ticked by like an hourglass. He hadn't felt like this since he was young. When he first was conscripted into the Spartan II program and stood there with officers gripping his shoulders refusing to let him run. He memorized Halsey's words, forever imprinted in his head. Often he would hear those words in his sleep, in the empty hallways, in training.

"As per Naval Code 45812, you are hereby conscripted into the UNSC Special Project, codenamed SPARTAN-II." Followed by a long pause until she continued, "You have been called upon to serve," She explained. "You will be trained…and you will become the best we can make of you. You will be the protectors of Earth and call her colonies. She paused again overlooking the room of frightened and confused 6 year olds. "This will be hard to understand, but you cannot return to your parents. This place will become your home. Your fellow trainees will be your family now. The training will be difficult. There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead, but I know you will all make it."

The last words always made him angry. They hadn't all made it and to this day he always wondered if she knew that, or if she was lying to them. He remembered his words to Chief Mendez and Dr. Halsey before he went under augmentations.

"How are you feeling?" Dr. Halsey strolled into his room.

"I'm fine, ma'am," he was fighting against the medication so his words were slurred. "The nurse said the sedation would take effect soon. I'm fighting it to see how long I can stay awake." He paused to regain his floating thoughts. "It's not easy." He saw Mendez enter the room behind Dr. Halsey and attempted a salute but failed. "I know this is one of the Chiefs exercises. But I don't know what the twist is. Can you tell me, Dr. Halsey? Just this time? How do I win?" At the time he was totally oblivious to his future, what they planned for him. He drifted off, his heavy eyelids closing. The last thing he heard was Dr. Halsey's voice, "I'll tell you how to win, John," she whispered. "You have to survive."

He had woken up from his normal routine to a nightmare. Ignorant to what had become of him and his fellow brothers and sisters. He viewed it as a mission that had failed, on his hands. He was Squad Leader and the death of his closest family was his fault. He never had a chance to say goodbye to those who didn't survive augmentations.

"And so we commit the bodies of out fallen brothers to space." He couldn't hear the words as his ears buzzed. The only sound was his heartbeat blocking out any additional noise. From an outsider, he stood rigidly at attention as the ash canisters were loaded into the ejection tubes. But inside he was broken, confused and guilty.

"Honors…ten hut!" Mendez barked.

John and the other surviving Spartans saluted in unison.

"Duty," Mendez said. "Honor and self-sacrifice. Death does not diminish these qualities in a soldier. We shall remember." A series of thumps resounded though the Atlas' hull as the canisters were hurled into space. He watched as the canisters drifted out one by one he felt like he was losing a part of himself. It felt like leaving his people behind.

"Crewmen, dismissed."

He looked around the launch chamber and looked upon the faces that still remained. Sam, Kelly and thirty others stood at attention in there black uniforms. There were a dozen others, though, who had lived…but were no longer soldiers. It hurt him to look at them. Fhajad sat in a wheel chair shaking uncontrollably. Rene and Kirk were in neutral-buoyancy gel tanks, their bones had been so twisted they no longer looked human. There were others, still alive, but with injuries so critical they could not be moved. He rushed over and stopped the crewmen who were pushing the injured towards the elevator but he was interrupted by Mendez.

"Let them go…they can't fight anymore." After discussing their future orders he walked with Mendez down the long hallway.

"A leader must be ready to send their soldiers under his command to their deaths. You do this because your duty to the UNSC supersedes your duty to yourself or even your crew. After a long pause Mendez continued, "It is acceptable to spend their lives if necessary. It is not acceptable, however, to waste those lives. Do you understand the difference?"

"I…I believe I understand, sir," He stated. "But which was it on this last mission? Lives spent? Or lives wasted. Mendez turned away from him and never answered.

The question had always been in the back of his thoughts, typically locked away but found its way back drifting in his mind with painful memories. He'd always been taught that the UNSC is priority, everything and everyone is below the UNSC. Mendez's words strangely contradicted Commander Lasky's.

"Soldiers aren't machines…were just people."

Somewhere in his early training he had put a barrier around himself, blocking him from emotions and feelings. Creating this fake reality that he was nothing more than a soldier who followed orders and he was military hardware that would give anything and anyone to the UNSC at all costs. Slowly the barrier had been cracking since waking up on Forward Unto Dawn and now right in front of him he watched as it collapsed reveling this harsh reality like bright light shining into a dark room.

Bright blue lights.

He zoned back into reality and watched as Cortana stood stiffly next to the Didact waiting for the Didact to give more details on her current order.

"Kill the Guardian, Cortana."

Would she do it? Was she that lost? Was she really gone and broken? Should he just have accepted her death like he accepted his brothers and sisters? As the thoughts rolled through his mind he yanked at the chains in a desperate attempt to break free. The Didact turned around and walked over to him, his 11ft frame looked down at him. The Didact looked hesitate as if a new idea was rooming in his thoughts.

"Hand me an energy sword." He barked and in seconds he held the glowing purple and white blade in his hands. He walked over slowly and once more studied him. John braced himself expected to sword to slice through his neck. But instead, the Didact swung and broke the chains that restrained his wrists with a sizzling crack. He fell forward as he elbows slammed into the ground, unprepared for the sudden action. He looked up, unable to barely move as his feet were still chained on the wall. He used his upper body strength to try to snap the chains but found even his new ability was useless. He looked up, confused at the Didact.

The Didact grabbed Cortana and yanked her about a foot away from Chief and ordered her to not move at any costs obediently Cortana nodded and stood still, immobile.

"Cortana…Cortana please…Your better than this…remember…Cortana please." He begged hoping that he would see her blue eyes again. But sadly, her lifeless red eyes just studied him, she wasn't there.

The Didact reached for a Handgun that rested motionless on the floor. He gripped the Handgun in his right hand, and with his left picked up Chief with this telepathic power that made his insides feel as if they were caving in. He picked up Chief and clammed in hard on the ground so his knees were planted on the ground. He groaned at the pain that jolted up his back, the armor thankfully took most of the impact. The Didact grasped the Handgun in his hand and glanced at Cortana's immobile figure before speaking.

"You have one bullet, kill her." He handed the gun to Chief who hesitantly took it.

"Don't bother trying to shot me, you won't leave a dent." He added as if reading Chiefs thoughts. Chief glanced around the room trying to use this sudden gift to his advantage.

"Try using the bullet for anything else and I will make sure to keep you alive, just enough to be breathing." He added again.

He squeezed the gun in his hands and his eyes shut. "Cortana please…Cortana I need you…Just please remember…remember who you are Cortana." Fluid pricked at the corners of his eyes and he was startled not understanding what it was. The hot fluid suddenly flowed down his face and he realized that humanities hero, Spartan 117, Master Chief Petty Officer was…crying.

"Dammit Cortana, please, just wake up, get through it, I need you right now I can't!" Emotions flowed through him uncontrollably and he couldn't help it. He opened his eyes and looked at Cortana who stood there as if she was in another universe, not hearing a word he was saying.

"Humanities hero is on his knees crying and begging for mercy." The Didact stood there amused.

"You have 10 seconds or I will do it for you, it won't be quickly, and you will watch." He added and studied his face. How can anyone, any creature do this – torture. He lifted the handgun so it pointed directly at Cortana's head, right above her red eyes. He was so familiar with her face, the way she yelled at him, the way she laughed, the way she would make fun of the new Spartans on their internal com, the way she would quietly mock an officers command, question an order, get angry if someone questioned her calculations, the look on her face when she told her she wasn't coming with him, when she backed away. His arm was shaking uncontrollably; his hands were sweating as his grip tightened on the grip. He placed his index finger on the trigger – he wouldn't miss, he never misses. He took a deep breath as the silent clock ticked away in his head.

10

They let me pick, did I ever tell you that?

9

Choose whichever Spartan I wanted. You know me. I did my research.

8

Watched as you became the soldier we needed you to be.

7

Like the others, you were strong and swift and brave.

6

A natural leader.

5

But you had something they didn't.

4

Something no one saw... but me.

3

Can you guess?

2

Luck.

1

Was I wrong?

Bang.

A/N: Okay…So if you need a moment to recover like I did from just reading this go ahead and give yourselves 10 seconds before reading my end of the chapter spiel. I'm going to answer your first possible question – No this is not the finale chapter and this isn't exactly the end of our story folks. Just to give you guys a heads up, if the story isn't updated by Sunday morning then it won't be updated again for a solid week. I'm heading off to an "electronic free zone" and I won't even be able to check my PM's. So, if I don't get a chance to finish the next chapter by that time then don't expect any update. As usual, you guys are amazing for reading this and I am extremely appreciative for the feedback I have been getting from you guys! I apologize if I went too far off Chiefs character on that last scene but I didn't really want to dull down a dramatic moment. Please as always – Review and give me your thoughts! See you (hopefully) soon.