Twin Parasites
By Bass GSX
Chapter One: Another Visor
Click. Click. Click.
The Battle Rifle was disassembled, cleaned, then reassembled. The Chief checked his stopwatch. One minute, forty-two seconds. He was slowing down, now that the war was finally over. Heavy footsteps caused him to snap up, Battle Rifle raised to head-level. Those footsteps were an Elite's. The Arbiter stood in the doorway, mandibles twitching—the equivalent of a human grin.
"A little high-strung, Demon?" he chuckled.
"Just used to pulling triggers whenever I hear a Sangheili walking..." the Master Chief replied, also smiling. He was wearing his dress uniform, as Admiral Sir Terrence Hood was expecting him in twenty minutes. The Arbiter wore his silver, medieval knight-esque armor. An Energy Sword rested in his grip, inactive.
"I came to give you...a gift. It was my father's sword. I wish it to be...a peace offering. For all the trouble I and my race have caused you", the Arbiter said slowly. He held out his hand. The Chief took the sword. Etched into the grip were curled letters, Covenant script...beside them was an almost illegible attempt at Standard. The Spartan strained to read it, studying each individual letter in the four-letter scrawl. His eyes widened when he finally deciphered it—JOHN.
"You know my...?" Master Chief whispered. The Arbiter averted his eyes.
"Your teacher...the one called Mendez...I asked about you because I was curious. I am sorry", he apologized.
"No...I appreciate it. Here. Take this", the Chief said. He pulled out the old helmet for the MJOLNIR Mk V armor, which rested under his bed as a memento from Halo.
"Are you sure?" the Arbiter asked cautiously. John-117 smirked.
"I could ask the same about this sword. It's a family heirloom...so's that helmet", the human said.
"But your family didn't have this-" the Sangheili warrior started.
"My family died on Reach. But they did have these", the Spartan sighed, deep sadness and longing bubbling up to the surface of his emotions. The Arbiter looked away.
"With humility and exceeding gratitude, I accept your gift. May you always have the blessed wind to refresh your tired soul", the silver-clad Elite said softly. He walked off. The Chief checked the clock beside his bunk. 10:53 a.m. The ceremony would start in seven minutes. Master Chief rose and walked out into the hall. A lone weapon was strapped to his waist—an inert, black and silver hilt.
ooo
"Spartan-117, reporting", John saluted Admiral Hood. The admiral returned the salute respectfully. The Spartan towered over the superior officer...and everyone else at the ceremony as well. John didn't like sticking out, but apparently that was his lot in life. Everyone cheered for him.
"Master Chief, on behalf of all UNSC forces, I'd like to thank you. But not just you...all the Marines who fought and died for this day...and all the Spartans who gave their lives for Reach, even though..." Lord Hood's voice faded as he approached the subject of the fallen military planet. Now a charred hunk of rock and dust, there were no practical uses for Reach.
"Sir, thank you, sir", the Chief replied. A pedestal next to him lit up with an unusual figure. It caused the Spartan's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"You!" the Master Chief hissed in surprise.
"Miss me, Chief? Maybe I should've been promising when you left High Charity..." Cortana grinned.
"But you...but Gravemind..." the Spartan stammered.
"I'm the Mark Two. Be careful what you wish for..." the smart-mouthed AI smirked.
"A token of our thanks..." Admiral Hood said softly. The Chief pulled out the chip that held Cortana, cradled it in his palm, and saluted smartly.
"Dismissed, Master Chief", was Hood's last remark. John turned and walked down the stairs, heading out the door to the side.
ooo
"Chief...can I talk to ya?" a sharp voice asked. The Spartan turned from disassembling his Battle Rifle to face Sergeant Major Avery Johnson. The Spartan nodded.
"Hey...Ah was just wonderin'...you stayin' fo' the parteh? I hear Cap'n Keyes's got some great ideas..." the loud-mouthed sergeant asked. John shook his head.
"No...I don't think so. I think I'll take a transport out to some colony...start a new life where no one knows me", he replied.
"Good luck with that, Mastah Chief. Most likeleh evereh-one on a human colony and definitleh alla Covenant know who you are", Johnson chuckled. The Chief sighed.
"Well...I'll find somewhere. Tell the captain I'm sorry I couldn't go to her party", he told the sergeant. Johnson nodded.
"Will do. Been nice workin' with ya, Mastah Chief. You've been a hero to us all..." Johnson told him before walking from the room. The Master Chief assembled the Battle Rifle and stood. He walked over to the suit of armor resting in its rack. He ran his hands along the chestplate, admiring its smooth, green surface. The MJOLNIR Mk VI... he thought. Piece by piece, he placed the armor on himself. His heavy metal boots echoed through the hall as he strode for the hangars, Battle Rifle in the crook of his arm. He found a Prowler and headed for it when he heard a shout.
"Chief! Wait!" a woman's voice called. The huge Spartan turned to face Captain Miranda Keyes.
"Captain Keyes", John saluted. She saluted in response.
"Before you go...I have some things for you", the captain said.
"Like...?" the Chief asked. He turned to the door to see a team of Marines hauling several boxes into the hangar.
"Going-away presents. As a reminder of Earth", Miranda told him. The cyborg sighed inwardly at the hold-up, but said nothing. The Marines loaded the crates into the small cargo storage of the Prowler, then jogged off.
"Humanity will always remember you, Chief. It's been an honor, no, a blessing working with you", Miranda said softly. The Spartan nodded.
"And with you, captain", he replied. The armored soldier stepped into the cockpit of the Prowler and reached for a button when a voice came through his speakers.
"How about you relax and I drive?" Cortana MkII suggested.
"Whatever works, Cortana", he replied. The Master Chief pulled her data storage chip out from his helmet and inserted it into the computer interface slot in the Prowler's dashboard. It lifted from the hangar and sped out into space, quickly engaging its Shaw-Fujikawa drive and jumping to Slipspace.
ooo
"No bounties...this job is getting dull. I wish I had somewhere to go...someone to talk to..." Samus sighed glumly. She had already run several system diagnostics on her armor and polished it a couple times, too. When there were no jobs...her life was quite boring. Suddenly, an alarm blared on her readouts.
"WARNING! Unidentified ship jumping insystem!" text flashed across the console of her Hunter-class gunship. Samus flicked a few switches and entered a command, heating the plasma turrets of her gunship up to operational status. A sleek, black, contoured craft appeared out of a shimmering blue tear in space, which quickly closed. A hail transmission appeared on her console. Samus returned the hail and engaged her radio.
"Identify yourself", she said simply.
"Master Chief Spartan-117, retired UNSC military personnel. And my questioner is...?" came a rough, battle-hardened voice. Human, though...and he spoke Standard.
"Samus Aran. Bounty hunter from the Outer Colonies. Been a while since I've seen a human. I heard something about a big war in the Inner Colonies, though. Was it a civil war, or...?" Samus asked. There was silence on the other line.
"Hello? Do I still have contact?" she questioned.
"Maybe we should find somewhere to land...and talk in person", the Chief replied softly. Samus detected a note of something...sadness? It sounded like herself, when she told other people about her...late parents.
"Sure. I've got a planet nearby that's actually quite nice, if it hasn't changed since I last visited", Samus told him cheerfully. She pushed the throttle forward, making her ship accelerate. The black craft that held this retired soldier followed her closely. They began entry into the atmosphere of a seemingly tropical planet called Tallon IV. Samus' ship's retro-rockets fired and the landing gear unfolded. The ship beside her did likewise. They touched down softly on an open plain. Samus walked over to her suit and put it on. She primed her Arm Cannon. No telling whether this "Master Chief" was dangerous or not...
ooo
"Are you really going outside with this person? We don't even know if she's safe or not!" Cortana objected. Master Chief walked over to where his armor rested.
"That's why I'm putting this on", he replied. He heard a mechanical buzzing noise, a few whines, and...was that humming?
"Oh, I forgot about him. Captain Keyes saved him for you...said you'd understand", Cortana giggled.
"'Him'? What do you-!" the Spartan asked, cut off as a bag shot open.
"Greetings! I am Three-Four-Three Guilty Spark, the Monitor of Installation Zero-Four. Oh, hello again. It is so nice to see you again, Reclaimer. We have much work to do. I am a genius", the floating, blue-grey orb chirped, apparently no worse for the wear.
"Cortana, you lousy-!" the Chief glowered. He grabbed the Monitor, stuffed him back into the sack, and then locked him in a crate. Then, the human opened another crate and picked up a Battle Rifle, five clips for it, two Magnums, spare clips for them, and a quartet of frag grenades.
"What, do you think the Covenant are going to go against their word?" Cortana teased.
"Hah. You're funny", the Spartan snorted before exiting the Prowler. He came face to face with a suit of orange, red, and yellow armor. The shoulder plates were bizarrely shaped, not to mention large and bulky. This bounty hunter, Samus Aran, was a good eight inches shorter than he, maybe more. Samus studied him as well...but through her Scan visor.
"Hmm...recharging energy shields, auto-targeting system, temperature regulators...pretty good stuff", she mused to herself. The Chief extended a hand.
"I'm...John", he offered. She took his hand.
"Samus", was her reply. Their helmets came off with a hiss. Samus was taken aback. He was handsome! Close-cropped brown hair, icy blue eyes, sharp, intimidating cheekbones...he was a little too pale, but so was she, right? The suit did that to a warrior...Samus liked this guy already. The Chief was a little surprised by this bounty hunter person as well. She had pale blue eyes that burned with a fire of internal rage...the Spartan knew how that felt. Her blond hair spilled over her upper armor, and she had red, full lips. She was very pale, almost ivory...but John knew why.
"Umm...so...do you know anything about the war I heard rumors of?" Samus asked, starting the conversation. Her new acquaintance's countenance darkened, and something appeared in his icy eyes...rage? Hatred?...Both?
"I fought in that war. It was a collection of alien races versus us humans. It...wasn't pretty, but now, after so many years, it's over", the Chief spoke in a clipped tone.
"Oh. Was it...fairly even? Is that why it took so long?" Samus inquired, very curious.
"Hell no! Even? It was slaughter! Every time we had even a small victory on the ground, they'd draw back to space...then glass the whole damn planet. Emerald Coast...Reach...so many colonies...so many planets..." John snarled, pounding an enraged fist into the Prowler. His strike bent the Titanium-A plating in four inches.
"I...I'm sorry to have awoken those feelings. Hey...you wanna drink?" Samus apologized, motioning towards her ship. The Master Chief nodded.
"Sure. Let me take off my suit, and I'll join you in your ship", he replied. He picked up his helmet and Battle Rifle and walked off into his Prowler. Samus nabbed her helmet as well and walked into her own ship.
ooo
"So...she cute?" Cortana teased. The Chief rolled his eyes.
"Yeah. So?" he replied. Cortana brought a hand to her cheek.
"I'm insulted. You're cheating on me", the smart-mouthed AI joked, faking hurt.
"Hey, Cortana. Input system command—codeword 'Kiss My Ass'", John growled. Secretly, when she wasn't looking, the Spartan grinned. The...unorthodox AI was probably his closest friend, seeing as they had shared a body for the past couple years. After setting his Battle Rifle down with care, the Spartan dusted himself off, checked himself in the mirror, and walked for the egress ramp.
"You really groomed yourself well, Chief", Cortana teased.
"Thanks", the human replied.
ooo
"Do you think he will be a good ally, Lady?" the gunship's AI, a reconstruction of Samus' old boss, Adam, questioned.
"He seems nice enough. There's a lot of...rage in him. Loss. Might be dangerous", Samus noted while removing the sections of her Power Suit.
"And there isn't any in you? You seem to have turned out quite nicely..." Adam commented. Samus sighed. He had a point. She heard a knocking on the top hatch of her ship.
"Just a minute!" Samus called. She looked around for some decent clothing to put on. For maximum comfort, she wore just the bare essentials under her Power Suit, but...in public, what she wore under the armor was embarrassing. Finding jeans and a tank top, Samus quickly put them on.
"Come in!" Samus called. The hatch irised open, and the seven-foot-tall warrior dropped in, causing a shock wave to reverberate throughout the flight deck. Samus admired him out of the corner of her eye. He was incredibly muscular, and the khakis and long-sleeve shirt did nothing to hide his bulging biceps, pecs, and thighs. Master Chief looked Samus over as well as she searched for beverages. She had a very curvy figure, and her tank top didn't hide much in the way of her upper body. The Chief forced his eyes away from her chest and studied the rest of her. Her arms were well-muscled, and he noted that the left triceps were very well-developed...maybe from swinging on some sort of rope. Her legs were long and slender, but he couldn't see the muscles covered by her jeans.
"I have wine and soda...which do you prefer?" Samus asked, holding up a can of cola and a bottle of wine.
"Wine, please", the Spartan requested. Samus took out two glasses and filled them both halfway.
"Thanks", he said.
"So...tell me about yourself. Where are you from?" Samus asked, sipping the purplish red wine.
"Eridanus Two. It was glassed by the Covenant during the war. I was taken as a small child and trained to be a soldier...and I have some modifications to my body as well. And you're from...?" the Chief replied, taking small sips of his wine as well.
"A colony. Can't remember the name. The Space Pirates destroyed it, killed my parents. I hate them. I hate them!" Samus snarled suddenly, shaking.
"Easy. Save the rage for when it's needed", John advised. You've lost your family? That makes two of us...
"Your suit. What's it called?" Samus asked, changing the subject.
"MJOLNIR Mark VI. It's nice—recharging shields, radiation protection, auto-targeting, motion tracker, reflex enhancer, strength amplifier. Yours?" Master Chief returned.
"Chozo Varia Suit. It allows me to survive in extreme temperatures, modifies my jump with jets, has a cannon attached to the right arm and a grappling hook on the left", Samus replied. The Chief nodded.
"So...where are we?" he asked. Samus smiled.
"Tallon IV. It's a planet formerly inhabited by the race of bird-people who gave me that suit—the Chozo. Want a tour? You'd better suit up", Samus grinned. The Spartan smiled in reply.
"Sure. Meet me outside", he said. He walked out. Samus sighed.
"Wow. What a person!" she blinked.
"You're attracted to him, Lady", Adam observed. Samus huffed.
"And what makes you think that?" she said.
"I noted your increased heart rate when talking to him and your blushing when he looked at you. Also, you studied him quite...intently", the AI responded. Samus attached the final component to her suit, then locked the helmet in place.
"Whatever", Samus snorted. Maybe I am attracted to him. I guess we'll just have to see...
ooo
"So...gimme an update on your new squeeze", Cortana joked as he entered the Prowler for the second time.
"Maybe if you didn't make fun of my new friend every time I walk in here, then I'd tell you", John growled, smirking.
"Oh, your friend? Did you forget the 'girl' at the front of 'friend'? Or are you 'just friends'?" Cortana grinned.
"I don't know what you're prodding at, Cortana, but don't make me shut down all power to all systems", the Chief glowered.
"Ooh, you really know how to turn a girl off", the AI snickered. She shrugged as the Spartan attached his helmet with a hiss.
"Have fun, be back before eleven", Cortana waved. The Master Chief returned the wave, and walked out, Battle Rifle slung over his shoulder.
ooo
"And this is the Arboretum", Samus said as the pair of them walked into a huge dome. In the center of a lake was a gigantic tree. On its branches, there were platforms that spiraled up so high the Chief couldn't see where they ended. The light was fading quickly.
"We should head back to our ships, John. It gets dangerous in the nighttime..." Samus noted. The Master Chief nodded.
"Funny how that works..." he commented. They trekked back through several halls and soon reached the elevator.
"This will take us back near our landing site", Samus commented. On the long elevator ride up, the Spartan noticed that the woman beside him was slowly but surely edging closer and closer to him. Their hands brushed.
"Oh...sorry", Samus blushed, even though it could barely be seen past her visor. She could see no facial features of the soldier beside her because of the impersonal orange faceplate.
"It's alright", he replied. Their hands touched again. Samus was about to say something when the Spartan grasped her hand. She closed her mouth quickly and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back. Even through the armor, each could feel something akin to electricity flowing through their veins. The elevator lurched to a halt, and the armored pair walked hand in hand through the adjoining tunnels. They came out into the plain where they had landed and walked towards their ships.
"See you tomorrow, John", Samus said, sad that she had to loose his hand from hers.
"Sleep well, Samus", John replied, just as downcast. They each walked up their own loading ramp and suited down. They went to their beds, and fell into a deep, restful sleep.
ooo
"Chief! Chief, wake up, there's a problem!" Cortana's urgent voice shook Master Chief into a dreary wakefulness.
"What's wrong...?" he said slowly.
"I've been talking to Spark, and-" she started.
"That piece of shit?" John growled.
"It's more than that. Listen!" Cortana said forcefully. The blue, self-sustaining AI hovered about head-level with the Chief.
"Greetings, Reclaimer. My scanning shows that there are shards of Installation Zero-Four embedded all over this planet. We must hurry if we are to-" 343 Guilty Spark started.
"Wait—Zero-Four...Halo?" John stammered, instantly awake and alert. Cortana nodded.
"Apparently, the explosion caused by the Autumn made a ripple in Slipspace...and pieces of Halo got through. They landed here. And that means..." she trailed off.
"The Flood", he finished.