I don't own Halo of Justice League; they are the property of 343 Industries and DC Comics/Warner Brothers respectively.
Happy Halloween 2022!
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I have been called many things since I first arrived in this universe. The locals call me a hero. That boy scout, Superman, calls me a mindless killer. The Amazon…a necessary evil. Gotham's Batman…a murderer…
I'm all that, and much more…
I'm a Spartan.
…
Elise Hemsley gasped for breath as she raced down the dark alley, desperate to escape her pursuers. The University of Gotham Major in Engineering student could hear the gunmen closing in on her.
The same gunmen who, not even an hour earlier, had murdered her mother and younger brother - both of whom had just returned home after the former's day shift at GCPD. Elise herself had just come home from a late afternoon class to find her family lying dead in their driveway, and the gunmen standing over them as their house was burnt to the ground. Now, determined to tie up all loose ends regarding their crime, they chased Elise her away from her home, and deep into the heart of Gotham City.
A city that was already ridden with would-be and already-were murderers, rapists and serial killers.
But Elise didn't think about all that. Right now, her main concern was trying to escape the pursuing gunmen following behind her.
Emphasis on trying.
Panting for breath, she glanced back over her shoulder, only to gasp as a bullet rang out over her head. Desperate, she ducked into another alleyway, stopping only to pull a rotting pallet down onto the ground. In her panicked state, any form of obstacle that would slow her pursuers was a welcome respite. Sadly, this desperate act made the gunmen chuckle darkly; they were now starting to enjoy the pursuit.
"Come on, babe," one of them called. "Come on back here. We won't hurt ya…much." This earned another laugh from his cohorts. Elise couldn't answer, her breath coming out in heavy pants. She ran out of the alley and onto a main road, hoping to find someone, anyone, who would help her.
Instead, she stopped just meters from another, much larger group of gunmen. Elsie could see they were wielding machineguns with a quartet of armored vehicles blocking off the adjacent alley way. Behind and beside them were large crates, some of which were being moved from the vehicles into a nearby warehouse.
"Well, well. Look what we have here, boys," one of the thugs stated as he noticed her standing there. "Did the little lady get turned around…in Dead Man's Alley no less?"
"She the daughter of that B%#$ -cop we wacked earlier," came the reply as the pursuers finally came to a stop behind her. "We thought it best to make sure that she didn't tell anyone else what she saw."
"Did she now? Well, that's a crying shame, that is. Well, we can't have any of that now, can we boys?" The assembled gunmen smirked.
Elise' blood ran cold, unable to move as the men closed in around her. She was trapped, with no hope of escape.
"Tough break for ya, sweetheart," one of the men grinned, as he brought his weapon to bear. "But it looks like yer luck just ran out." Elise just stood frozen in terror as the rest of the gunmen brought their weapons up.
Elise shut her eyes tightly, tears rolling down her fear-stricken face. She waited, hopelessly, for the feeling of bullets ripping into her chest, and for her body to fall to the ground lifeless.
Then, came the gunfire. Followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground.
Except it wasn't hers.
She hesitantly opened her tear-filled eyes, and saw one of the gunmen lying on the ground, blood pouring from a freshly made hole in his head. His cohorts just stared in shock at the sight of
"What the Fu-"
Another gunmen's exclamation was cut short as another shot rang out, followed by him falling down next to his dead partner. Soon, more gun shots rang out, causing three more gunmen to fall dead. Then, they all heard something fall amidst the group of gunmen behind Elise. The gunmen glanced down to see a small, cylinder-shaped object lying at their feet.
One of them had time to cry out, "GRENA-" before the object exploded, bathing the alley in a bright flash of light. Whilst Elise, who was too frightened to turn around, was spared the majority of the blast, the gunmen were not so fortunate. Disoriented and blinded by the grenade, they were unable to react in time as more gunfire rang out. Soon, all of Elise' former pursuers were lying dead on the ground.
Then, they all heard the sound of something massive flying overhead. Elise opened her eyes in time to see a large figure land between her and the surviving gunmen. It was wearing dark green coated armor with red and yellow accents, and was wielding some kind of rifle in his armored hands. The figure quickly analyzed the situation before giving Elise a reassuring nod.
"The F&#%? Where'd he come from?"
"Oh s%#$, it's one of those superhero freaks!"
"Think he's with the Bat?"
"Who cares? Just kill his ass!"
The figure quickly jumped in front of Elise, causing the bullets to hit him instead of her. Elise stared as a bright blue shield flared up and absorb most of the bullets. The figure then turned and fired at the two men wielding RPG's. Both men collapsed as if they were puppets whose strings had been suddenly cut. Three more gunmen dropped lifeless before the rest took cover behind the armored vehicles.
"HOLY CRAP!"
"WHAT KIND OF F$%#ING BULLSHIT IS THIS?! HEROES AREN'T SUPPOSED TO USE LETHAL FORCE!"
"GET ON THE DAMN RADIO, CALL FOR REINFORCEMENTS!"
One of the men crawled into one of the vehicles, and reached for the radio…only for a drop-pod to crash right on top of the vehicle, crushing it and the thug under it immense weight. The pod panel burst open, revealing what appeared to be a twin-barreled rocket launcher. The gunmen watched as the figure fired his grapple-shot at the rocket launcher, and pulled it back towards him.
The figure pushed Elise into cover behind a nearby garbage container, then turned back towards the vehicles. The gunmen could only look on in horror as the figure aimed the rocket launcher in their direction. Time seemed to slow as the first rocket was fired, leaving a trail of exhaust as it flew towards them.
"GET THE F%$# DOW-!"
The rocket hit one of the undamaged vehicles, causing its fuel tank to erupt in a massive fireball. Those close to the explosion were instantly incinerated in the blast; the others were killed by the shockwave caused by the explosion. Another group of thugs came rushing out of the warehouse to reinforce their cohorts. They barely had time to bring their weapons to bare before a second rocket finished them off.
The figure quickly exchanged the rocket launcher for his rifle, and moved to engage yet another group of thugs as they rushed onto the warehouse balcony. One tried to fire his RPG, but fell to a headshot just as he pulled the trigger. The rocket went wild, hitting a parked car at the side of the road. The rocket detonated the car's fuel tank, causing it to detonate in a fantastic fireball. Elise shielded her eyes from the bright flash, and tried desperately to drown out the sight and sound of dead and dying men.
Suddenly, a flying piece of debris came hurling towards her, striking her in the head and sending her into blissful unconsciousness.
…
When she regained consciousness, Elise opened her eyes to the sound of silence. She cautiously glanced around the garbage bin, and saw the armored figure gathering the last of the fallen gunmen's weapons and ammo. She stared at the four vehicles, all reduced to burnt out husks, and the nearby warehouse, smoke and ashes starting to rise from its interior. The gunmen's bodies were nowhere in sight, much to Elise's relief. She tried to stand, but her throbbing head caused her to flinch.
The figure then walked over and kneeled down in front of her. "It's alright," the Spartan said, offering his hand in assistance. "You're safe now."
Elise stared at the armored soldier, unsure as to what she should do. After a moment, she took the Spartan's hand and allowed him to help her back on her feet. She swayed slightly from her injury, though the figure kept her upright. Thankfully, the wooziness passed and she was able to regain her bearings.
"The GCPD will be here any moment," the figure said, calmly. "You can give them your statement about what happened here when they arrive. I recommend that you stay away from this part of the city from now on." He then turned towards the nearby skyscraper, placing his rifle on his back next to the rocket launcher.
"Wait!" Elise called out, prompting the figure turned to turn back towards her. "W-who are y-you?"
The figure stared at her for a few moments, before he replied, "I'm a Spartan, ma'am." With that, he then turned around and fired his grapple-shot at a nearby building. He then rocketed upward and disappeared over the rooftop's edge.
Elise just stared after the figure…the Spartan…hardly daring to fully accept that she was alive. After watching her family being murdered, being chased by her family's killers, nearly dying at the hands of said killers, and finally, watching her would-be savior utterly slaughter those monsters with ease…she was alive.
She was alive.
But her family was not.
As the sound of sirens echoed through the now empty street, Elise fell to her knees, her anguish and sorrow coming forth like water from a breached dam. She hardly took notice of the GCPD vehicles as they screeched to a halt just meters away. She didn't notice as the police officers swarmed around her. She hardly even noticed that one of them had the face of her mother's older sister.
At that moment, all Elise Hemsley could do…was cry like the innocent young woman who had just lost her mother and younger brother.
…
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SPARTAN CHARACTER:
SPARTAN ARMOR – GEN 3 MARK VII
ARMOR COATING – NOBLE PORTAL
GENERATION – CLASSIFIED
…
Expect the next update within the next week…hopefully. Until then, please read and review.
