UNSC Forward Unto Dawn, adrift in deep space.
John-117, the Master Chief, sleeps in cryo-sleep, unaware of imminent danger. Fortunately, his A.I. is. "John, up, now," Cortana wakes him.
"Situation?" he asks as he abruptly awakes.
"Wormhole, ETA, thirty seconds. It's pulling us in. Based off of what I've studied on wormholes, things are about to get very weird, and very bumpy, so brace yourself."
Just as Cortana promised, they enter the wormhole and the ship starts shuddering violently. John grabs an S7 Sniper Rifle, a BR75, and dual M6 Magnums, and for good measure, an Energy Sword. Out the large, unshattered window, he can see an incredibly dark, swirling mass out in space. The ship starts accelerating at outrageous levels towards the mass. The ship enters the mass, and starts hurtling through, at first glance, nothing. John looks a little more, and sees that they're flying past planets, and systems. He sees planets he's never seen before, and he jumps when he sees a figure standing on an island, with his arms spread wide. Just as he's about to ask Cortana to scan the figure, the ship stops. "Cortana, where the heck are we?" John asks impatiently.
"Ten-thousand kilometers from Earth, we're above the Americas as of now."
"UNSC presence on Earth, or in the area?"
"I'm picking up millions of UNSC IFF tags all over Earth, and I'm reading several UNSC frigates on the other side of the planet, they seem to be locked in a scuffle with... no, it can't be."
"What is it?" John asks, noticing the concern on Cortana's face.
"They seem to be in a scuffle with two small Covenant scouting cruisers, although, we're too far away to be of assistance."
Just as John is about to reply, the ship gives a massive heave, and John is thrown to the floor. Dazed from the impact, John stands, and looks at Cortana.
"This ship is going down, and not in a fun or good way," she says to him.
"Acknowledged, we're abandoning ship," John replies as he yanks Cortana's chip and inserts into his helmet. John walks to his cryo-pod and rips the door off it. He takes out his S7 and fires three bullets into the window. It cracks to the point of shattering, and John slides forward on his cryo-door. The door bumps the window and it shatters, the vacuum of space pulling John and the door out into space. As soon as he's in space, he starts picking up UNSC radio chatter.
"Firing MAC rounds into back cruiser's starboard flank," he hears.
"Acknowledged, you are clear to fire," comes the response.
"This is SPARTAN-117, can anyone hear me, over," John asks. He waits for thirty seconds, and hears nothing in response.
"John, no one can hear us," Cortana remarks.
"Oh really? I had no idea," John replies sarcastically.
"Is that sarcasm coming from the stoic Master Chief?" Cortana asks with a slight giggle.
"Shut up, stay on point, I have no clue why we're back to Earth, why there are Covenant cruisers engaging UNSC frigates, and the heck no one is paying attention to COMs," John growls.
"They may be focused on the battle, I mean, two Covenant cruisers at once, even scout cruisers, that's a huge handful. Depending on how updated the UNSC's tech is, they might not be able to pick up your broadcasts on COMS," Cortana replies.
"Just focus on getting us on solid ground," John orders.
"Setting a course for Earth, we should be pulled into the atmosphere soon."
Five minutes go by, and John drifts towards Earth. He gets in range of the atmosphere, and he starts to descend, going faster and faster. His armor starts to glow from entering the atmosphere, and he starts to sweat inside his helmet. "Brace yourself for a rough landing, John," Cortana tells him.
John braces himself, and sees a body of water, with an island and a statue. They hit the water, and John sinks, dazed from the impact. He recovers, and swims to the top, an easy feat with MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor. "Cortana, where are we?" he asks.
"Welcome to New York, it's been waiting for us, apparently," Cortana replies.
"First priority, find someone, other than UNSC, who can help," John sets his jaw.
"Why no UNSC?" Cortana asks curiously, knowing John's nature is to find the nearest UNSC and go straight to work, and ask sensible questions later. That mind-set had always annoyed Cortana, but she understood it, as that's how all Spartans were, not just John, but John's Spartan mind-set was ten times that of the newer Spartans.
"We need answers as to where, and possibly, when, we are. One moment, I'm asleep in a cryo-chamber, the next we're going through a wormhole, and end out not far from Earth. We don't need someone giving orders to go to this base then go to this battle," comes John's reply.
"Agreed, I'll scan for anyone who might can help," Cortana agrees.
John climbs out of the Upper New York Bay, onto Liberty Island, and looks out at the sprawling New York City. He sees taxis by the dozens stuck in traffic, hundreds of people walking back and forth on packed sidewalks, and something that makes him stop. A woman with blonde hair, and a guitar, stands on a stage. He uses his HUD's scanner and scans the crowd, and sees seventy-eight people standing around it. "Cortana, I'm going in close, there's something I need you to scan."
"Acknowledged, take us in," Cortana replies.
John dives back into New York Bay and swims, noting the fact that he's swimming faster than the ferries are going. "John, do you remember the pellet that was put in your back to turn you into a robotic killing machine?" Cortana asks.
"Yes, what about it?" John replies shortly, not liking to talk about the pellet that stole his humanity and replaced him with essentially a robot.
"When we went through the wormhole, several things happened to you. None of them affect you negatively, although the pellet was affected. I scanned you just now, and the pellet is gone. It burst, the casing that held the chemicals dissolved, something the UNSC added to your bloodstream dissolved it, so no shrapnel sticking in your tissue. But the chemicals, the only reason they worked so well, was they were so concentrated. When the pellet dissolved, the chemicals dispersed. They're circulating in your bloodstream, eventually they will work their way out," Cortana explains
"So, I'm going to be human again?" John asks as he nears the ferry docks.
"Yes sir, and on the plus side, the amount that's circulating allows you to maintain the laser-focus Spartans are known for," Cortana says.
"Sounds good, just as long as I don't turn into an annoying clown or anything stupid like that." John climbs out of the water and onto the dock. He walks through the ferry boarding lobby, and notices people saying "That's a Spartan, oh wow, a Spartan." He walks out onto the busy street and almost gets run over by a taxi that's flying down the street.
"Head up, soldier," Cortana says with a laugh.
John does something he hadn't done in years, and grins. "Agreed, no dead Spartan in the middle of the road." He walks up to the crowd, and being 7'2, he can easily see the stage. "Cortana, scan the woman on stage."
"Done. Taylor Alison Swift, age 30, born December 13 1989. She's an internationally famous singer-songwriter, known for her country and pop. Parents: Scott and Andrea Swift, brother, Austin Swift. Her brother is known for being top Auror in the MACUSA, or, Magical Congress of the United States of America. The file then goes onto to note several of Swift's donations, noteworthy successes, and other events. Maybe she can help us," Cortana says after she reports what she finds from the scan.
John nods and walks up to the stage. "Hi, I'm John, SPARTAN-117, Master Chief Petty Officer. I have reason to suspect you may be of assistance."
Taylor just looks at him, slightly puzzled. A Spartan asking me for help? That's definitely not right, she thinks. She narrows her eyes at him, "You can talk to me after the show."
"Thank you," John replies. He makes to walk up to the stage, but a burly security guard makes to stop him. "Buddy, you don't even wanna think about messing with me." The guy backs off and John walks up onstage.
"John, I'm detecting a man on the roof of the shortest building, he's crouched laying down, he has a US military grade 50 caliber sniper rifle, his sights are on Taylor."
John looks and sees the man. Quick as a flash, he whips out his S7 Sniper Rifle, sets his sights on the man, and fires off a shot. The shot hits the man, and through the high-power scope, sees the man's head explode. "Target eliminated," he says.
"What the actual heck was that?" Taylor asks, standing up.
"A man was about to snipe you, my AI alerted me, I drew my S7 Sniper Rifle, and shot him in the head, you're welcome," John says loudly, making sure the crowd and particularly her "security" guards. "I'll help you, whatever you need, it's yours, just ask, I truly am grateful, you saved my life," Taylor says, out of breath.
"No problem, all in day's work for a Spartan, just glad to know I can still shoot," John shrugs. "We're done here for today, thank you all for turning up, but this man needs help and I promised to talk to him," Taylor calls out to the crowd.
Ten minutes later, John and Taylor sit in Central Park. "So, if I'm understanding correctly, you went through a wormhole and you ended up here?" she asks.
"Correct, I have no idea what's going on, I do know, that it is the year 2019, it was the mid 2500's where I was."
"A wormhole, huh. What not a lot of people know about me, is that I have a degree in astrophysics. My dad is good friends with Doctor Erik Selvig. Selvig always had a soft spot for me and my brother, he said he would get us jobs, but Austin turned out to be a wizard. He went off to Illvermorny, and I went to college. Austin could have become an astrophysist, but he wanted to become an Auror. After I got my degree, on a whim, I took a gig singing in a band, and one thing led to another, and here I am now. Erik understood, and kept on with his research with Jane Foster. After the events with an Asgardian landing in New Mexico, he went to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the SCP Foundation to try to figure out the secrets of the anomalies that SCP has documented. I understand perfectly what you're saying," Taylor tells John.
John nods and looks around the park and sees normal looking people doing normal things. He wonders if he was ever one of those kids with his parents back on Eridanus II. He sees something red out of the corner of his eye. He stands and draws his Battle Rifle. "Stay here," he orders Taylor. She nods and watches as John sprints towards the balloon. A small boy of about 4 toddles over to it, oblivious to the danger. John looks beyond the balloon and sees a sinister clown watching and coaxing the boy towards him. He slings his Battle Rifle, draws his S7 and sets his sights on the clown. He pops off two shots, back-to-back. Both shots hit their mark, and white fluid gushes from holes in the clown's face. "Cortana, what is that thing?" John shouts as he reloads his rifle.
"A Deadlight, origins unknown, all I know, is that they can live for billions of years and can shapeshift into their prey's greatest fears. This one, known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, hunts children, and turns into a clown. The only known way to kill a Deadlight is to believe you can kill them, and not fear the Deadlight itself. I think you can make short work of this particular one," Cortana explains.
"Agreed, I have no fear of clowns," John replies confidently. He watches as the Deadlight's bullet wounds instantly heal back up. Impossible, two S7 shots to the head should've obliterated him, but he just shook it off like it was nothing, John ponders. As he draws closer to Pennywise, he slings his Sniper Rifle, and grabs his Energy Sword. He ignites it and charges. The clown attempts to slash with his claws. John anticipates this, feints left, and brings his sword up. It connects with Pennywise's left arm, and completely severs it. "Good luck growing that back," John growls.
"Thank you, I will have that grown back in thirty seconds," Pennywise replies with a disturbing smile. John watches in astonishment as the arm grows back, as if nothing had happened.
"Cortana, I'm running out of options here," John says urgently.
"Got it, go for the neck," Cortana replies.
John ducks and strafes left. As the clown slashes, John comes up and swings with all his might. His sword meets neck, and the clown crumples. Defeated, the clown jumps up, and runs, incredibly fast, faster than John himself.
"I calculate the clown ran at over four-hundred miles an hour," Cortana remarks.
"Incredible, not even a Spartan can hit that speed," John replies, dumbstruck. He walks back over to Taylor and a man Cortana identifies as Austin.
"Where's the fight?" he asks.
"Gone, I ended it," John replies.
"My sister called and said you might need some help, clearly she underestimated you," Austin says with a grin.
"I never did any such thing, I just thought you might wanna get in on the fight," Taylor replies with a guilty smile. John just shakes his head, and grins. "This is getting kind of awkward." "Agreed, I need to go to MACUSA, figure out what and how magic works, because clearly magic exists," John sets his jaw and looks at Austin.
"I'll make an exception to the no No-Maj's in the MACUSA. I think it'll be fine, since you're a Spartan, and the UNSC has friendly relations with the Ministries of Magic and the MACUSA," Austin replies. "Take my arm, we'll Apparate." He sticks out his arm, and John grips it carefully. Austin turns on the spot, and the next thing John knows, he feels like he's about to suffocate. Then, as soon as it had started, it stops. John looks around and sees people walking all around, some reading papers that appear to float of their own volition. "Welcome to the Wizarding World, Master Chief," Austin says with a grin, interpreting John's silence and head turns correctly.
"Swift! Who is this man?" a man walks up to them.
"Mr. President, this is John," Austin replies.
"A Spartan, eh? I never trusted the UNSC, or the Spartans. As Arthur Weasley once said, never trust something that thinks for itself, if you can't see where it keeps its brain. The Marines, I'm okay with. The ODSTs and Spartans are a different matter."
"Master Chief, what is you need? Anything you want, you got it. We have hundreds of Aurors you can command, we have resources, and we have contacts, particularly, Albus Dumbledore," Austin asks.
"Who is Dumbledore?" John inquires.
"Albus Percival Wulfric Bryan Dumbledore, very powerful, very wise, very old. He can explain magic better than anyone here at MACUSA can," Austin replies.
"Acknowledged. I'm going to see this Dumbledore character, in that case," John says.
"Alrighty then, let me give you a tour," Austin replies happily. They walk through the massive MACUSA building. Austin explains what the MACUSA does, including Aurors, a man called Grindelwald and another man called Voldemort.
"So, Voldemort was a Dark Wizard who fell after he tried to curse a boy called Harry Potter?" John asks for clarification.
"Yep, we have rumors of Death Eaters who went abroad, making their way back to Britain. The Ministry of Magic over there has reinstated the Triwizard Tournament, so we think it's something to do with that, especially with the fiasco at the Quidditch World Cup. Death Eaters levitating Muggles, MACUSA and Ministry running all over the place, and then the Dark Mark being cast into the air, it was chaos."
"I may be of use at Hogwarts in that case," John muses.
"I bet so, and I imagine Taylor would be all too happy to accompany you," Austin says with grin, knowing Taylor would kill him if she was left home, while a No-Maj go to go see Hogwarts.
"We need to set out, now. The sooner we get to Hogwarts, hopefully before the fun begins, I wouldn't mind getting attacked by evil wizards, and absolutely stomping them into the ground, then moving on to big boss," John says, envisioning himself firing his rifle at masked individuals, and seeing curses flying back towards his armor.
"Might not wanna underestimate the Dark Order, the Avada Kedavra spell kills whatever it hits, but it can be blocked by a solid object. Maybe your armor can withstand a blast from it, as it's a solid object, clearly."
Austin and John walk to the Atrium, and out the massive front doors. "When do we leave for Hogwarts?" John asks.
"Depends on what Dumbledore says. I reckon he'll let you two go at once. I'll go meet with him tomorrow, and I'll come straight back and tell you what he says."
"Thank you," John says as he shakes Austin's hand.
"No problem, I'll see you tomorrow."
Austin goes back to work, and John walks back to Central. He sees Taylor lying on the grass, apparently fast asleep. He grins and resists the urge to fire his Sniper Rifle into the air to wake her up. He nudges her with his boot, and she flies straight up. "Welcome to the land of the living."
"You could've said something," she grumbles at him.
"That would not have been much fun though," John replies.
She shakes her head and grins, "What did you two talk about?"
John explains everything, "We leave tomorrow."
An hour later, John stands in Taylor's monster of a penthouse. He looks out the enormous window, and sees the whole city. He looks down and sees hundreds of cars going down Broadway, and thousands of people walking up and down the busy streets. Taylor shows him to his room, and he pulls of his armor with some difficulty. He falls into bed, not even getting under the blankets. It feels like he had only been asleep for five minutes, when bright sunlight pierces his grey eyes. He gets out of bed, and looks in the floor length mirror. A battle-hardened man stares back at him. Numerous scars line his face. He had once been described as having a cold, but heroic look. His nose was slightly bashed in, his face was very pale, from rarely taking his helmet off. He determines to try to get some sun, just to make his face look more human and less terrifying. Anyone who saw him without his armor would immediately grab their child's hand and walk the other way. He steps over to his armor and looks at it. He takes his boots and puts them on. They clasp around his feet, and he instantly feels stronger. He takes the leg coverings, opens them, and clasps them shut as well. The tricky part was the torso armor. John takes it, and opens it with difficulty, then he slides his arms into the slots, puts his hands in the gauntlets, and manages to close it. By this time, John's sweating from the effort, but all that was left was the helmet, his favorite part of his MJOLNIR armor. He takes it, and slides onto his head. It clasps until it's tight around his neck, but not too tight to choke him. He looks in the mirror again, and SPARTAN-117 looks back at him. He hears the whirr of his shields charging, sees his HUD coming online, and grabs his weapons. He walks downstairs, stomach growling.
"Good morning, Master Chief," Taylor says when she sees him.
"Likewise," John replies.
"I figure while we wait for Austin, we can hang out here and I'll fill you in on everything," Taylor says as she makes coffee. John looks out the window and sees people walking down the streets, presumably going to work. He sees something that makes him stop. A man, wearing gold and red armor, flies past.
"Cortana, scan him," John demands.
"I can't find anything on him, the files are encrypted. I'm getting a message saying: Nice try, but my firewall is supreme," Cortana replies.
"It's alright, John. That's Tony," Taylor calls from the kitchen. Just then, John hears a knock on the door. He stalks over to it, and draws his M6 Magnum.
"Swift! It's your favorite billionaire," comes a voice from the other side of the door.
"Let him in, John," calls Taylor.
"Woo, a Spartan. You know, I've helped design armor for you guys. You sure do require a lot of stuff," Tony quips.
"You helped design MJOLNIR armor?" Joh asks.
"Yeah, after the UNSC saw what I made and what Stark Industries has produced, they decided they wanted me. I've revolutionized the manufacturing of SPARTAN armor, according to the big bosses," Tony replies. "Your armor looks a bit dated. It has the characteristics of the MJOLNIR Mark VI."
"That's what it is," John says. "It was top-of-the-line in my old timeline. It sure has seen some miles."
A couple hours later, Tony leaves, and Austin calls. "You guys packed and ready yet?" he asks. "Austin, this is me you're talking to. Yes, we're packed," Taylor replies, rolling her eyes.
"Get ready, I'll be there in two minutes."
John walks into the living room and picks up his S7, BR75, dual M6 Magnums, and his Energy Sword. He grabs his helmet off the table and puts it on. It locks onto his head, and his HUD comes online. He puts his M6 Magnums on his thigh holster, his Energy Sword under one of his Magnums, and his rifles on his back. He turns around and sees Austin standing behind him. "How did you get here? I didn't hear the door open or footsteps," John asks, puzzled.
"I Apparated, meaning I transported myself magically from one place to another," Austin replies. "That sounds very tactically useful, although I imagine Spartans and magic don't mix well."
"Ready, John?" Taylor asks as she walks into the room, a massive suitcase towing behind her.
"Yes, ready to ship out whenever," John says as he draws his Magnum.
"Trust me, John. We're on one of my private jets, you won't be needing that," Taylor laughs.
Thirty minutes later, John is sitting on a luxury jet, flying over the Atlantic Ocean. He sees the occasional Pelican, and UNSC Chinook fly past. He also picks up radio chatter, "This is UNSC Pelican Echo-817, can anybody hear me, over?"
"This is UNSC Chopper-091, we read you, how's the day going?"
"Not bad, just trying to avoid any Covies, we're not a gunship, just dropping some SPARTAN-IIIs in New York, Sydney seems to think Innies or Covies may attack the city."
"Innies, attack New York? Don't they know it houses the second-largest UNSC facility on the planet?" 091 asks incredulously.
"Seems like they don't, which they do attack, they flying into a deathtrap, Street-Class Spartans patrol everywhere, usually they clean up scum, but they do have orders to attack any Covenant spies, or investigate suspected Insurrectionist hideouts, 817 out."
"That was interesting," Cortana remarks.
"Yeah, my question is, what the heck are 'Street-Class Spartans'"? John replies.
"One sec," Cortana says as she scans UNSC databanks. "They're Spartans with specifically designed MJOLNIR armor, and specifically trained to be Spartans that patrol the streets of major metropolitan cities. They do stuff like bust major drug deals, bit juvenile for Spartans, but they also sometimes have to clean up really nasty stuff. You should probably get some sleep," Cortana finishes.
"Agreed, wake me when we land," John says as he leans his chair back and disables his HUD, and soon he's drifting off to sleep.
Hours later, John's HUD comes online, and Cortana wakes him, "Up soldier, we land in ten minutes."
John sits up, and adjusts his rifles.
"Welcome to England," Taylor says as John looks out the plane's window.
Forty minutes later, John, Taylor and Austin walk out into the early morning air in London. "We're meeting up with Arthur Weasley, Alastor Moody, and Kingsley Shacklebolt, to Apparate to Hogsmeade, where we'll walk you to Hogwarts," Austin explains. They walk towards King's Cross, where three unmistakable wizards stand.
"This them, Swift?" a man with a magically revolving eye asks.
"Yes, Mad-Eye, this is them, my sister, Taylor, and John, who literally fell from the sky into New York."
"Alright then, let's get out of here, before a stray Death Eater kills us all," Mad-Eye growls. He sticks out his arm, motions for John grab hold. John grabs hold and they turn on the spot. It was the most curious feeling John had ever endured. It felt as though his armor had shrunk, and he had grown. He starts to feel like he's suffocating, when as soon as it starts, it stops. He finds himself standing in a lane, with buildings on both sides.
"This is Hogsmeade, Hogwarts isn't far," Austin says. They walk for fifteen minutes, and John and Taylors stop. She gasps, and John just stares, dumbstruck. A massive castle, with countless turrets and towers is visible. John looks over to Taylor, and sees her just staring, open-mouthed. "Welcome to Hogwarts," Austin says with a smile.