Chapter 20: Reveille
December 26th, 3237, 0722 hours
Coruscant
En route to Forward Unto Dawn
The Ebon Hawk wouldn't be able to get anywhere near the burning hulk. Already emergency vehicles were swarming around the hole where the Dawn's rear end ploughed through the cityscape. Even from this distance, sirens and emergency lights were visible. A Hammerhead even descended from orbit to assist in firefighting. There was turmoil too. Final estimates for bodies was still coming in but the count was currently mounting five thousand citizens killed by the falling ship's fire, metal, and mass; so much pain for something so irrelevant.
Regardless, they got the bird as close as they could. The freighter's engines flared in the sunlight. Johnson piloted the ship so that it nimbly flipped and rolled over smaller ships and in between buildings. Johnson may have had training to pilot just about any ship but the Captain couldn't take his antics for much longer. Chris sat strapped into the copilot seat forced to watch the cyclone of shapes and color that was Avery's corkscrews and helixes. His face was a shade of emerald green and his cheeks bulged trying to keep the pressure level. It'll be over soon, C. he constantly reminded himself. Sally had lumbered across the deck like a drunken sailor "Sergeant…I order you to-" but she upchucked into the waste receptacle. Johnson pulled out a pair of Ray Bans and put them on. "You ain't seen nothing yet, baby." Chris looked forward and said, "God in heaven save a seat for me."
Despite the fear, the Ebon Hawk made it safely without even disrupting traffic. They were able to land the ship about a kilometer from the hole on a public airstrip. The freighter touched down and Johnson deactivated her. Chris unstrapped himself and shakily stood up. "Good flying I guess Sarge." Johnson snickered to himself happily. Chris clapped Sally on the shoulder. "Shake it off, Princess." He said flatly. Sally retched and continued her vomiting.
The Captain entered the center section of the ship. Everyone else was recuperating from the agonizing flight. Ryan had passed out from G-forces and Tails was using a selection of smelling salts to get him up and running again. Ryan groaned since the Ammonia irritated his mucous membranes. "Welcome back big guy." Tails said with a smile. "How was happy land?" "Sucky." Chris stood with hands on hips. "Alright ladies, up and at 'em! Most of you are recovering from extremely high G-forces. That's OK but we need to get moving." Everyone assembled. "OK, let's hear it, Cap." Bunnie said clenching her metallic fist in anticipation.
"This ship below us has the most important soldier in it. I don't know for sure but I want to recover that soldier." Sally leaned back on her chair. "Who the hell are we talking about Chris? In case you forgot, we've been separated from humanity for over a thousand years!" Chris removed his cap. "OK, crash course on military history. In 2517, the UNSC started a program called SPARTAN II. It was a top-secret program established by ONI. Children were gathered from all over the galaxy to become Spartans. Medical augmentations that made them superior to us mere mortals, incredible mental training and proficiency in just about every form of weaponry were only a few of the things that were done to these kids. By the time they were 14, they already had substantial body counts." Sally whistled.
"The most distinguished of all these Spartans was Spartan 117, only known as John or Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan 117. He murdered scores of Covenant infantry with his bare hands and thousands more with weaponry on both sides. In 2552, John destroyed Installation 04 by detonating the cruiser Pillar of Autumn's fusion reactors. He killed the high Prophet of Regret, Destroyed the Flood and did a major number of Installation 00 outside the galaxy. His ship disappeared shortly after…" Tails finished it off. "…and ended up here." "Right."
Johnson's eyes darted left to right. "But how? He must have crossed some quantum gateway or something like that." "Regardless, we're going down to get either him or his corpse. I want to know if it's him. He can help us. Problem: I need a few of you to stay behind and watch the ship. I need two others to come with me." Rouge rolled her eyes. "I know who it's going to be." "Sally, and Miles." The bat sat up straight. "OK, Sally I expected but not Tails." Chris explained. "Tails has the expertise required to operate any UNSC equipment that we may need to get past. Last time I checked Rouge, I don't think you can hack into a shipboard supercomputer." "Point taken, get the hell out there." "Move out, guys." The Captain ordered.
The three Marines ran outside towards the nearest turbolift. A Republic soldier guarded the entrance. "Hold it there civilian. You're not getting past this door." Chris stepped forward. "We're on an official mission. We need to get into the Undercity." The officer cocked his head and smiled mockingly. "I'm sure you do. Why don't you turn around and go back the other way nice and quiet like, eh?" They could see in their peripheral vision that the soldier's hand hovered over his holster. "I'm sorry but I don't think we're going to do that." The Captain said. "Shame. Now I'm going to have to splatter your scorched remains over the wall."
The Republic soldier whipped out his blaster quickly. Chris was quicker though. He activated his Bullet Time reflex to grab the gun out of his hands and throw it over the railing. As an added measure, he grabbed his arm and forced him into a half nelson. "Are you going to let us into the Undercity?" "Go to hell, civilian." "Thought you'd say that. Sally, break his legs." Acorn cracked her neck and stretched her legs. "With pleasure boss." "Wait, wait, wait! Let's be civil now!" Chris pretended to be surprised. "Oh he wants to talk. OK, let's talk." He spun the frightened soldier around. "Are you going to let us in, or are you about to die needlessly? Somebody down there needs our help. You aren't going to stand in our way are you?" The soldier shook his head and actually started sniffling and blinking furiously. "You're afraid to die aren't you?" Chris asked. He nodded slowly. "Let us through and there won't be any trouble." The soldier tapped in the code and the elevator door opened. "Thank you." Chris said and whacked him across the head with his Desert Eagle.
"What did you do that for?" Tails asked looking at the soldier's unconscious body. "Don't want any reinforcements following us." "I can't guarantee that won't happen when someone finds him and wakes him up!" Sally shrugged. "We'll be in and out before then. Let's move."
The three entered the turbolift and punched in the Undercity. It wasn't a wonderful place to be. As soon as the car hit rock bottom, Chris regretted coming here. It was very dark with only a few scattered lights to filter through. This was truly the lowest of the Underlevels. Even a few hundred stories up, there was life even if it was sleazy and booze swilling. Here, it was just somber.
The Dawn's tail section was plainly visible. The crashing through the buildings acted as a sort of primitive air break slowing the ship's descent to a point where she wouldn't be pulverized on impact. Search and Rescue teams haven't been down here yet to pick up the remains yet but they didn't want to take any chances. "Move up quickly. Don't stop for anything. I want to get aboard that ship." "Yes sir." The others responded.
They quickly jogged for the frigate. Twice they were ambushed by mutant rats that were quickly put down with bullets and a lightsaber. The ship got closer and closer until they could see the corridors that were exposed to air. The outer walls were dull red which suggested that they were still hot. "Get inside quickly; don't touch the walls until we get further in." Chris ordered. They did as they were told and stepped into a corridor. To their surprise, the door immediately opened as if they were expected. Chris' soldier sense was buzzing in the base of his skull. "Sally, get your gun out. Tails, light your glowstick." The Princess obeyed and pulled out her .357. Miles ignited his lightsaber with a snap-hiss throwing a blue light around and a humming noise. "Just to let you know, I can get you blueprints of this ship." NICOLE suggested.
"How can you do that? This ship is 684 years old." Tails disputed. "I just need to tap into the ship's data cluster and—what the hell?!" "What?!" Chris demanded. "I've been locked out!" "By an AI?" Sally asked. "No, by Keith David surprisingly. OF COURSE AN AI!" "Don't take that tone of voice with me, missy!" Sally warned. "Shut up the two of you." The Captain ordered. "I need to think about where we are."
For five solid minutes they were wandering around. Tails made a few marks on the walls with his lightsaber to prevent travelling in circles. Metal stressed here and there threatening to bring the Dawn down on their heads. "I don't like this place." Tails said scared. "Keep it together, man." Vennettilli calmly said. Suddenly, the lights turned on. Chris' gun came up so fast the air hissed. They blinked their eyes in disorientation. "What the fuck?" Sally cursed. Tails said, "I think the AI wants us to go that way." He said pointing straight ahead of them. "What makes you say that, Tails?" Sally asked. "The lights are only going on in that direction." He pointed out. "It could be a trap, Chris." Sally advised. "Agreed. We don't know what this AI went through. It could be rampant for all we know." "I agree but we need to take the chance. It can't hurt us here." Sally and Tails locked uncertain glares for a second then obediently followed.
They followed the lights all over the ship until they reached what appeared to be a cryo bay. Cryo tubes lined the walls that weren't unlike the ones Johnson was found in. Only one though had lights on flickering at regular intervals. "That tube." Chris pointed. Sally found an assault rifle latched to the wall. Satisfied that it held ammo, she pointed it at the tube. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice said. It originated from the holotank next to the cryotube. Right before their eyes, an AI appeared.
"Identify yourself." Chris curtly said. The AI folded her arms impatiently. "Don't you think that seems a little unnecessary here?" "I gave you an order AI." "OK, sheesh! And here I was thinking I'd be happy to see you. I am AI Cortana serial number CTN-0452-9. And you are...?" "Vennettilli, Captain, UNSCDF." "Great, about time we got help. Who are they?" "Acorn, Sergeant Major, UNSCDF." Sally said. At this, Cortana did a double take. "Did you say 'UNSCDF'?" "Want me to say it again?" "Just what are you?" "I'll get to that." Chris said impatiently. "Can you tell me the date, Cortana?" The AI cocked an eyebrow. "OK…December 26th 2552. I don't see why that's relevant, Captain." The Captain cracked a small smile. "I knew it. Cortana, it's December 26th, but it's 3237." The AI chuckled. "Very funny." She took on their straight faces though. "Wait…you're serious aren't you? It's 3237?! That doesn't make any sense! It was 2552 when we were at the Ark and that was only a few days ago!" Tails stepped forward. "Evidently you must have crossed a quantam gateway of some sort. What appeared to be a few days crossed over into this universe where it's 3237 in our calendar." Cortana placed a hand to her head taking it all in.
"Where are we?" Chris cleared his throat. "We're on a planet called Coruscant in a universe known as Star Wars. Can you do a reference check?" "Yes, I'm done already. If you're with the UNSC, apparently you don't belong here either. How did you get here?" "We can discuss that later when we rescue the Chief and get topside. Recovery teams will be here in minutes." "I never said this was the Chief. How did you know?" Chris shrugged. "Long story Cortana. You're ancient history on our Earth." "I'm so confused…" The poor AI said sadly. "Be confused. Tails, get the Chief up." "Alright, but I'm not familiar with this model of tube." Cortana put her hands on her hips. "OK, Cryonics for Dummies it is." The Princess said, "If it's so easy, why can't you do it?"
"The crash jumbled some of the subsystems on the ship. I want to revive him, but I can't since the circuits aren't functioning correctly. What do you think I've been trying to do lately?" "You mean you didn't anticipate crashing on an ecumenopolis?" "Well excuse me if passive sensors are all I could use! I didn't know it was a city-planet!" Tails coughed, "Hey, can we thaw this guy out?" "Yes, thank you Mr…" "Prower, Miles Prower." Cortana nodded her head. "Thank you Mr. Prower. Forgive me for noticing but your name has a funny relation to the expression 'miles per hour'!" Tails laughed as he tapped the keyboard. "Yeah, I get that a lot. What's the first step?"
"First you want to raise the temperature on the inside of the tank. The thermostat's broken so you'll need to estimate." "Or, they could use me to sense the temperature from the outside of the tank." Cortana said, "What was that?" in a surprised tone. She had turned a shade of bright blue. Sally unlatched her computer from her leg holster. "This is NICOLE, my Artificial Intelligence." The AI looked at Chris. "AIs are commonplace now?" "Long story and I don't have the energy to tell it." Sally placed NICOLE on the side of the cryotank. "OK, internal temperature 27 degrees Celsius and rising." "Good! Keep going on that!" Cortana said with a smile. "38 degrees and rising, 42 degrees, 50…"
"Stop! That's enough! Let the gasses hold inside for approximately ten seconds then vent them to avoid burning." Tails tapped the wall for each second until he reached ten. The Mobian's hands danced across the panel and the hot vapor shot out of vents in the side of the cryotube. "He's hot! Stay away from the steam!" Tails warned. Everyone stepped back as steam filled the immediate area and fanned out on the ceiling. Tails looked at the screen that showed blue. "I'm getting an exception message. The temperature is stabilized but the pod won't open. Motors are shot! Damn!" Chris calmed him down. "We can fix this, stay calm! Sally, blow the hinges off the cryotube. How many shots are in the rifle?" "32, full count." "Fire."
The Princess pulled the trigger of the assault rifle and spat ten rounds at her side of the pod. Sparks flew from the bullet impacts and the joint splintered into smoking plastasteel. "Good, get this side too." The Captain said. Sally took care of that side too. "OK, now what?" she asked. "Lift the casing. I get the left, you get the right. Tails: front and center." "Yes sir."
Chris grabbed the left side of the hood of the pod. Sally grabbed the right, and Miles grabbed the front. "OK, lift!" With three grunts, they pulled the cover clear from the rest of the pod. They had to jar it left to right a few times but they accomplished the task. 'Chris…My arms are going to pop out of my sockets!" Tails said with veins visible on his neck and head. "Alright, down everyone!' The Captain said in a strained voice. They dropped the casing on the ground with a large thump which vibrated through the ruined hull. The three ignored their pain to look inside the cryo chamber. Inside was a two meter tall warrior with green armor and an orange mirrored visor. "Jesus, this is him!" Chris said with a wide smile. "The Master Chief!" "Is he dead or alive?" Sally asked. "I don't know. I can't tell with the visor." Chris came closer to the green giant and said, "Master Chief Petty Officer, can you hear me? Move your head, groan, do anything." To his amazement, the helmet shifted an inch to the right. "Brainwave patterns show he's coming to, guys." NICOLE said.
Master Chief Petty Officer John 117 cracked his eyes open for the first time in days. He was in pain. Soldiers weren't meant to be put in cryo while still wearing armor but he persisted. All he could remember was the explosion at the Ark, the flash of light, then him getting into this cryo-chamber. Now here he was after an unknown time waking up from his sleep. Funny how Cortana didn't say something encouraging or even explain why he was woken up. Instead he saw three figures. They were dark against his vision so he activated his flashlights which caused the figures to jump back.
The bright lights flash blinded the Marines. "Christ!" Sally exclaimed as her corneas burned. "I think he's awake." Cortana turned a shade of pink. "Chief? Chief can you hear me? Say something!" The Master Chief groaned for a second. "C…Cortana?" "Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead! Time to wake up!" The chief lay still for a second and then leapt out of the tube. He grabbed Chris around the chest and thrust him into the wall. 'Who are you?!" He thundered. "Chief, no!" Cortana shouted.
The Captain could feel the pressure the Master Chief was putting on him. He was beginning to black out from air loss… "Stand down, Soldier!" he commanded. The Master Chief froze for a second and his helmet tilted towards his shoulder insignia. Then it looked back at his face. Chris was looking for a few seconds at a reflection of himself. Then the iron giant dropped him and saluted.
"Sir, please forgive my actions. If you had identified yourself sooner I wouldn't have acted so unjustly, sir." Chris rubbed his sore sides. "Don't worry Master Chief. I'm fine, at least for the moment." He looked at the Spartan and saw he was still saluting. "At ease." He finally said, and then the hand dropped. "Sir, permission to speak?" "Granted." "Where are we? Who are you? Who are they?" Chris placed his cap back on his head. "Long story short, you're in an alternate universe. I'm a UNSC Captain from the 33rd Century and these are my anthropomorphic associates." The Chief looked at Cortana. "33rd Century? How did this happen, Cortana?" "Unknown, Chief. Apparently when we tried to make the jump to Earth, the end half of the Dawn separated and went through a quantum temporal gateway which deposited us here." The Chief looked at the Mobians. "Anthropomorphic?" Tails nodded. "Yeah, stemming from the Greek words ánthrōpos meaning 'human' and morphē meaning 'form' or 'shape'. The term has been pretty general over the centuries but we are specifically anthropomorphic animals." The Chief said, "Oh I see. How did this happen? Are you two the only ones or...?" Sally spoke up. "No, actually we have an entire planet in a parallel universe populated with anthros and recently with baseline humans. Are you familiar with Doctor Matthew Mobius?"
"I am." Cortana said. "Doctor Matthew Mobius, born 2163 in Chicago, USA. It says he disappeared in 2190 while attempting to colonize the stars with a prototype warpgate." "He was the one who found our planet, Mobius in an alternate universe. I'll be happy to explain once we get out of here." Sally said. They could all hear sirens in the distance. "OK. Just let me get my gun…where is it?" Sally looked at the weapon sheepishly. "Oh was that yours? I just used it to free you." "Give me it." "You know, technically I outrank you because I'm a Princess." "Is that so?" "You bet it is, tin man. Shape up or ship out!" The Chief saluted but they were pretty sure he was mocking her. "As you wish, Princess Furry." Chris shook his head.
Sally bit her tongue in anger. "I really don't like that word." "Just stay out of my way Furry." That time the insult was intentional. Sally whispered, "Call me 'Furry' one more time." "Fu-" She tackled the half ton monster. Somehow she managed to get him onto the floor and he was so surprised, he didn't even fight back. Sally managed to find the seal for his helmet and rip it off. She landed blow after blow to the man's face until Chris and Tails were able to hold the squirrel back who was screaming expletives at the Spartan. "That was interesting." Cortana said. "Don't you ever mention this to anyone." The Chief's lip was bloody and a few bruises were forming around his eyes. "OK, you've made your point and you socked it to me. Can we leave now?" Chris calmed the Princess down. "One more thing: We need to raid this ship's armories and pick up as much ammo and guns as we can carry. I'm sick of blasters."
Ten minutes later, they were on their way back to the turbolift with ordinance in tow. "Hey Chief, are you man, or machine?" Tails asked. "Actually I'm both. Sort of. I was augmented with chemicals to help me accomplish any combat objective and even non-combat oriented. Non breakable bones, see in the dark eyes, the works." "Oh, I see. Just like our SPARTAN program. "You have a SPARTAN program?" Cortana said who was inside the Chief's helmet (Cortana was downloaded onto a data crystal and inserted into a layer in the Chief's armor). "Yeah, series X." "How far are we separated again?" Tails quickly said, "684 years." "I can't believe you would continue something like that for so long-"
A snap-hiss was heard and a robed figure leaped over some debris. He was clothed entirely in black and held a ruby red lightsaber. "Who's this freak?" The Master Chief asked. "Dark Jedi!" Chris shouted. The figure landed right in front of them with its saber raised. The Marines drew their weapons. Miles activated his own saber. "I've found you." He said in a gravelly tone. "Excuse me?" Sally asked with her .357 trained on his chest. "Lord Malak sent many of us out to kill you. It was a mistake that you all managed to get away alive. We are not willing to make the same mistake again." With that, he swung his sword first at Sally who dodged it. The Sith reversed his strike at Chris but it was blocked by Tails. "Are you insane?" Chris asked the Dark Jedi. "You can't beat all four of us!" "You underestimate the power of the Dark Side!"
The Jedi flung Force energy out in all directions and blew Chris, Sally and Miles away about 15 feet. John however stood his ground and charged towards the Jedi who immediately shot him with lightning. The Spartan's shields took the brunt of the attack glowing blue as the lightning spread across the MJOLNIR's surface area. The Jedi swung a high blow but the Master Chief sidestepped it and grabbed the Jedi around the throat. "Your master just made a big mistake." He whispered. With that, the Spartan snapped the acolyte's neck and let the body fall face first into the dust." "Excellently executed, Chief." Cortana complimented. Chris got his bearings and stood up. He saw the body of the Dark Jedi just laying simply on the ground. "Damn! That was sort of anticlimatic!"
"Any 'legends' you may have heard of the Chief were definetely exaggerated. He's just a soldier who dispatches somel enemies this way. No epic battles or anything like that." "Your armor can deflect the Force?" Tails asked kicking the Sith in the head. "That lightning? Just dissipated in the electromagnetic current. That wave that blew you all away, just dead weight." "I like him. Modest and efficient!" NICOLE said. Chris stepped forward. "Regardless. This guy sent us a message: Malak is out looking for us. I want to get off Coruscant because I'm not sure if this place is safe for us anymore." "Agreed. I'll send word ahead." NICOLE told them. "Johnson, get the ship up and running. We'll be topside fifteen minutes max." "Roger that, ma'am. I'll get on to that now." At that, the Chief activated his internal speakers to talk privately with Cortana.
"Something's going on here and I don't like it. You know what I'm talking about." "Chief, he's dead. It can't be possible." "It sounds possible to me. It sounded exactly like him. They never found his body though…" "Chief, the odds are astronomical. I find it highly unlikely, damn near impossible that Johnson could still be alive. Perhaps though…" "Explain." "A 20th Century writer named Micheal Moorcock wrote about fictional universes all connected with each other in some way. The theory was proposed that each universe held its own timeline and laws of physics. We never knew if they existed but, here we are…" "Right. Here we are."
The lift scraped to a halt at the top of the shaft. The Marines stepped over the unconscious form of the Republic soldier they subdued not too long ago. "Did we miss something?" Chief asked in a humored tone. Chris scanned the intersection with his pistol's sights. "No. Some people were less than cooperative to let us into the Underlevels." "I see." The Spartan said. "Looks like they haven't discovered buddy here." The Captain said. "Why don't we just dump his body over the edge so they never find him?" "No, Master Chief! These people are allies, not enemies." The Spartan stared at the prone form. "Yes sir. Allies, not enemies."
The Ebon Hawk was running hot. Reactor temperatures were well in the green zone ready to fly. All they needed was the missing passengers. Johnson drummed his fingers on the dashboard staring at the entrance of the landing pad. For about ten minutes he had been doing this waiting for the Captain and his squad. So far, no luck. Ryan sat right next to him making beats with his hands on his legs. "Hey Sarge, suppose we find the Chief. That won't help us find the Emerald faster, will it?" Avery took a drag on a cigar. "Well, that depends on whether Cortana's with him or not." "Cortana?" "His companion AI. She's probably one of the smartest I've ever met. NICOLE aside of course." "Oh right. Your vintage era." "Shut up." The Sergeant finished breathing out sweet fumes. Suddenly the door to the pad cycled open. The Captain led the pack with his two squadmates and a green armored giant. "God in heaven. It's him!" Avery said staring at the Chief. "Wow. He's smaller than in the textbooks."
The Chief scrutinized the ship. "This is your ride?" Chris smiled. "I'm afraid so. No cruisers for you, Master Chief. Just this small little freighter." "Well, for a freighter she seems well put together. Looks like it's expensive." "Ah it was a steal." Sally said also smiling. "Uh…A steal? That's a literalism, I take it?" "Are you always this assuming?" "Well…yeah." The ramp extended and the Captain ordered them all inside. "OK, we're in! No fancy stuff, Sergeant!" he shouted once inside. The Ebon Hawk activated her main engines and sped towards the edge of the atmosphere. The Chief sat down on a crash chair that was in the main hold. He removed his helmet and breathed in the mettalic air. "Well, there she goes." Cortana said. The AI was monitering the wreckage of the Dawn which was burning away beneath them. Cortana was sure to make whatever was left of the reactors to overload so that the hulk burned to the ground. No evidence, so to speak.
"How much longer until we break orbit?" Chris asked in the cockpit. "Ten minutes at our current speed. I may open up as soon as we clear the atmosphere and satellite clutter zone." "Okay. Just try not to kill us, Sergeant." "Aye aye, sir." With that, he pushed the throttle to full. The Ebon Hawk ploughed through the atmosphere at high speed blowing straight past a pair of Hammerhead cruisers. Luckily, the two vessels didn't dare give chase to something so fast. Fifteen minutes later, they were far outside Coruscant's gravity well. 'Engaging autopilot. Waiting for your jump command sir." "Wait, where are we going?" Chris asked. Sally cleared her throat. "We've decoded the third piece of the map. Our best bet is probably to head there. Maybe Bianca found out the coordinates herself." Chris shrugged. "OK. You know best after all." The stars streaked in front of them and they were catapulted into Hyperspace.
"OK. We're good on that note. What's the planet we need to go to?" Sally tapped the navicomputer. "According to the data gathered, we're heading for a frozen ice planet known as Rhen Var. It's a planet located in the Tion Cluster. Um…it'll take about two weeks to reach with all the gravitational interference." "OK, steady as she goes." Sally smiled but continued to look at the navicomputer. "You're not doing a half bad job of commanding a starship." "I'm not perfect princess. I'm totally gonna screw this up. I never learned how to fly a ship." "You flew that Longsword two years back with Tails." "That was on autopilot most of the way. I just started the ignition sequence." Sally looked around. "Where is Tails anyway?" Johnson answered, "In the cargo hold. He and Jolee are sparring."
There were heavy footfalls behind them, which could only suggest John. "Sir, permission to enter the bridge?" "Granted, Master Chief." "Sir, I never thanked you and your team for getting me out of there. I'm pretty sure that they would have taken me in for experimentation." "No thanks needed, Master Chief. I saw a soldier in need and I helped him out. That's all." "If you say so, sir. Now, I'd like to ask you a few-" The Spartan froze instantly. The Marines followed the supersoldier's mirrored gaze which was pointed directly at Johnson. In a flash, the sergeant was pinned against his own chair. "Stand down, Master Chief! NOW!" Chris commanded. The Captain saw that there was a Desert Eagle in the Spartan's hand. "Hey, where did you…" He looked at his holster and saw that it was empty. "Wow." He said amazed. He didn't even feel the gun being pulled away. Kind of frightening actually.
"This is starting to get on my nerves." The Chief breathed. Sally took out her MA5K and sighted it. The barrel trembled slightly since she was nervous. She cycled the bolt and made a loud clack. At once, everyone rushed to the bridge just in time to see John push the barrel of the Deagle deeper into Johnson's forehead. "Are you going to do this every time we get together now?" Avery asked sweating slightly. He didn't know what he did wrong this time. Existing? "You're supposed to be dead!" Chief roared. "I SAW YOU DIE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!" "Chief, calm down! There should be a perfectly logical explanation for this!" "Got suggestions Cortana? I'd love to hear 'em!" "Chief! Let me talk! I can explain everything!" Johnson cried out. Chris took the initiative and announced, "Master Chief. You will lower your weapon this instant or you will be placed under arrest."
The Master Chief took the gun away and looked around at the faces both Human and Mobian. "I…" he began. "Alright. Explain to me how you're still existing, Sergeant." "The fuck is he talking about?" Ryan asked. "Sergeant? Is there something you need to tell us?" Avery looked straight at Chris for a full ten seconds. He looked at Sally, then Bunnie, and so on before locking gaze with the Chief. "I…It's sort of a confession to all of you." He paused to choose his words. He took his cap off and the cigar out of his mouth. "Everyone, I'm not Sergeant Avery Johnson Junior. I'm a bioengineered recreation of him. I'm Johnson's clone."
There was silence for five seconds. Everyone looked around at everyone locking gazes and sharing silent thoughts. The silence was broken when Tails said out loud, "Ho. Lee. Shit."