Red Spartan Chapter 2, a Halo + RWBY Crossover fanfic

\\\\

Winter Schnee was not in the best of situations. She had no idea where she was, wearing clothes she didn't recognize. She had a throbbing headache and soreness in her limbs.

At least she had a pillow beneath her head.

Her eyes focused on the flat ceiling above as she tried to move her head. Her neck stung as she turned slowly to the left, trying to get some idea of the space she was in at the moment. She saw nothing but a grey metal wall. She turned to the right, wincing at the pain, but again saw only another grey metal wall.

Winter paused and focused on the wall to her right.

Her vision was blurred.

She squinted and thought she could make out a faint outline. Was it a door? She stared for a few moments, willing her eyes to focus before she gave up and gazed at the ceiling again.

Everything was grey.

She closed her eyes again, enveloped in the stillness of the room. When she opened them back moments later, she let out a small, startled gasp.

Blinking her eyes, she realized the soreness was gone.

Winter groaned as she pulled herself upright on the bed. Her white bangs fell in front of her gaze, briefly obscuring the room before she brushed them away.

She turned in her spot, feet dangling off the side of the bed.

There was no clear indication of how much time had passed; it could've been a few minutes, an hour, or even a day at best.

She took a step forward.

Her balance was gone; that much was obvious. Like a piece of paper, she crumpled, falling face-first to the floor. "Ow," she muttered. The pain was brief, but it was like being pelted with thousands of tiny rocks. A few moments later, she tried to stand again.

"Oh, you seem to be in pain," a male voice suddenly spoke. "Then again, that isn't surprising... you're not very used to cryo, so you're experiencing a side effect."

What did the voice mean, cryo?

She tried again to push herself up from the floor. Her head craned up and scanned the room, trying to find the source of the voice. She leaned back against the bed and finally spoke, "Who are you? Where am I? What do you want with me?"

"How adorable," the voice responded snarkily. "You know I had this whole thing planned out. I would've got someone to come to get you, lead you through the hallway. But, I decided on something a bit more fun." Winter stood on wobbly legs and remained quiet as the voice spoke. "You're pretty smart for a seven-year-old. Your records show an above-average I.Q., as well as being in honor's classes."

Winter furrowed her brow and looked around the room, trying to spot a speaker of some kind.

The voice began to ramble slightly. "Don't know why they didn't choose you, but I can't argue... Orders are orders. Well, might as well get the door for you." The door began to hiss, then slid to the left, slowly opening up to a well-lit hallway. "Go on; follow the pretty lights."

Winter looked at the open door, and then around the room, before taking a step away from the bed. Gods, her legs felt so weak! She took another step and stumbled, arms stretching forward to help her balance.

"It's like watching a toddler take their first steps."

She scowled at the voice's comments before taking a moment to regain her composure. A minute later, she walked through the doorway and found herself in a sterile white hall.

"Where am I?" she whispered.

The hall was empty, not a single soul in sight.

She noticed that there was a line of lights extending in one direction. Everywhere else she looked was darkness. Her only option was to follow them.

Seeing her only option headed down the hallway of lights, only to come to a door.

It slid open for Winter as she approached and closed as she entered the room.

The room appeared to be empty, save for a grey table placed in the center. Winter took a step towards the table while her eyes scanned the room with unease. Just as her foot came down, the table lit up, and a holographic man appeared.

"Hello, I am ALN-0343-8, or Alain if you prefer to say names."

Alain was an odd man. He had a thin black mustache. His clothing consisted of a knee-length cuffed coat buttoned from chest to navel, a pleated green petticoat with a white puff-sleeved shirt, and a frilled ascot over his chest. He also wore knee-high leather boots with bows tied at the ankle and a cocked velvet hat with ribbon loops.

Adding to his odd form was the noticeable blue hue around him. Winter snorted as she focused on his mustache. It was comically thin - why did this man think it was a good idea to have one of those? She raised a hand to her chest and patted it in an attempt not to laugh.

Alain leaned on a non-existent ledge as his lips curled into a small smirk. "Oh, it seems someone finds the 'stache funny. Well, this isn't the first time someone has mocked it also won't be the last." He let out a soft sigh before quickly adding, "Sorry for the lack of seating, most of the crew took them off this level for some viewings."

There was a pregnant pause as neither spoke, both just staring at each other before Winter finally spoke. "What are you?"

"An A.I."

"A what?"

"Artificial Intelligence. Specifically, I am a smart A.I."

"So you're... a machine?"

"In a way, you're correct. But you needn't worry about that."

"Where am I?"

"That's classified. I can't tell you, and if I did, I'd have to find a creative way to kill you."

"Why couldn't I feel anything earlier?"

"I told you, it's a side effect of cryo. They didn't put you in there nicely, and on top of the fact that it was your first cryo experience."

"Cryo?"

"Cryogenic sleep. You were put on ice. Frozen, preserved. You didn't even age a day."

Winter took a step back, shocked by Alain's words. "What?"

"I said you didn't even age a day; you don't age in cryo."

"How long was I out?"

"Can't give you an exact answer; I'm not permitted to, but I can say that it was between two to three years." Alain tapped his digital fingers before continuing, "Then again, I may just be saying that to keep you confused. To be clear, you don't need to worry about how long you were out; you need to worry about why they thawed you out."

"They?"

"My bosses, O.N.I, or ONI, Office of Naval Intelligence. Boogeymen, scary people willing to do some very wrong things to make a better future."

"Why me?"

"Your records. I said it before - you're a brilliant girl. Top of her class, elected student council president not once, but three times in a row." Alain's hand waved through the air as flat, holographic squares appeared, containing information on Winter. "Your genetic records were damn near perfect. Your I.Q. is 110. Your family tree has many impressive individuals I could say more, but I think you get the point." Winter looked away from Alain, her left hand rubbing her right arm.

"ONI salivated at such raw potential, and that is one reason why they wanted you. Of course, once they realized that the actual prize was not within you, or the other one," Alain paused again as he waved away the squares and let out a sharp sigh, "they decided to tie up loose ends."

She gazed at the A.I. as he waved his hand once more, "What do you mean?"

Another square appeared this time, showing a picture of a young girl. She was pale, with black hair and red tips, curled into a ball in the back of a room. A small bar next to the picture read: 'Subject: Ruby Rose.'

Winter stared at the image for a moment. Her eyes darted back and forth as something dawned on her, "I've... I've seen that girl before. I don't know where, but I've seen her before!"

Alain said nothing.