-1Garrett woke up to darkness, and oddly enough he couldn't move. He tried to turn his head but couldn't, and his arms seemed pinned. He tried to scream, heard himself scream, and noticed that he was screaming into an enclosed area around his head. At that moment he heard the same male voice "Pilot engaged. Blowing containment locks. Unlocking main systems and altering NNet controls. Verifying… pilot is 40 incapable of control."

Garrett became puzzled at what was happening. You'd be 40 incapable of moving too if you fell fifty feet and tangled with a hunter plus got into a gun fight with an elite. "Pilot will be modified to counteract the problem." "Wait a minute. Modified? What the hell…" but before he could finish that sentence he felt extreme pain in his body. His bones felt like they were on fire, and his muscles turned and twisted. He screamed again, in pure agony and bit his tongue. He could taste blood in his mouth now, and felt nauseous. Suddenly, the pain was gone, and he felt absolute relief. He panted, and was rewarded with "Pilot requires more oxygen?" His eyes bulged at that thought. The air conditioners in wherever he was turned on full blast, cooling him to the core, like someone had thrown him outside without clothes.

"STOP!" He yelled and the AC stopped. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Where am I?" he mostly said to himself, but didn't mind being helped. At that moment, a holo image blazed across his eyes, allowing him to see outside. He was still inside the complex, but he seemed to be seeing at a higher vantage point. Other objects were in his sight, and from the looks of it, the objects were along the lines of radar, body statistics of what he was inside, and other things like weapons, power control, temperature, and special systems, just to name a few. He looked down and could actually move his head now. What he saw were two legs that weren't his, or so he thought. He moved his left leg and the one he was looking at moved in turn. His leg felt like it was slightly encased in something, but barely noticeable if he hadn't brought his attention fully to it. The body statistic diagram looked oddly like the diagram on the terminal.

"Where am I?" He asked again. "You have asked that question before. All sensor systems have been engaged. You are currently in Azraha complex 12, sub complex 4C, branch 19, sub branch 2, experimental production stations 12 through…" He cut the voice off "Okay okay, I get the hint. Who are you?" "I am the A.D.N. Auron at your service." Garrett really had some questions now. "Ok, what is an A.D.N.?" Garrett asked quizzically. "Automated Defense Node. I am a Special Operations Battle A.I." THAT Garrett knew. "Who made you? And why am I in here? How do I get out of this chicken shitted outfit?" He struggled and the armored body moved. "No information is available of creators. Data main frame missing multiple directories. All directories attach to production and creature identification. You are here as pilot. You have been scanned as control of this battle frame. Your DNA has been registered. To exit, request disengagement and armor will condense to arm unit. However, disengagement is unavailable at this time. You are in a battle zone."

Garrett perked up at the battle word used. "What do you mean! Where!" He demanded. "Target area is 480 meters above you. Sensors register two sides engaging in combat. One side numbers 60 targets similar in body to your own, and other side registers as multiple species. Both are ill equipped with class 2 weaponry." Garrett looked up and the armored head looked up. Wherever he moved, this mech like armor was moving. "You mean I can't leave? Damn. Fine. Are there any other objects of use in this room?" He might be able to use something in here to take the armor off forcibly. "All prototype objects in station area have been destroyed either by poor maintenance or damage from ruptured ceiling panels. No known technology is useful here at this time. A request for maintenance crew has been sent, however, the communications stations in the complex are not functioning. Perhaps you should seek out the crew and request maintenance be done to area…" But the AI was cut off.

Garrett looked to the control terminal he was at just a few minutes ago, and saw that one of the bolts that nearly hit him last time had fried it. He cursed under his breath. "So no known technology or electronics is useable in this complex?" He asked, hoping his answer would be what he wanted to hear. "Affirmative. All known usage of complex is unusable except for self destruct sequence. The complex is a shell. No known life forms inside. Request for self destruct sequence activation is suggested." Self Destruct! Was this thing insane? Garrett thought for a moment. The place was large, quite large, and he knew there was nothing left here to do. The covenant wouldn't be able to get anything from here though, so that was some small comfort. Maybe he had gotten what they were searching for already. "So I'm the pilot of this… battle frame you called it?" Auron acknowledged the question. "You are the registered pilot of battle frame 0001. Prototype mechanized armor. Your DNA is verified and you are the only one who is allowed to pilot the frame. Any other beings will be dealt with by defense systems."

He sighed inwardly and started to walk to the door. He was much larger now, looking out as with eyes from the mech. He could see as though he the actual armor. At least it won't play with his self awareness as to where his body was in proportion to the outside world. The problem was getting to the outside world. His chest was at the top of the door frame, so he had to kneel to get through. "May I make a suggestion?" Auron piped up. "What now?" Garrett grumbled to the AI as he attempted to waddle like a constipated toddler. "The main bay doors were made to allow you to gain entrance and exit to the complex. The tunnels nearby were made for smaller beings." Garrett stopped, thought for a moment, and backed up. He banged his head against the top of the entrance arch and barely noticed it aside from a loud CLANG sound. "Okay, so where is the door and how do I open it?" And with that thought, a giant wall disengaged its locks and lifted. Snow cascaded off and fell to the floor. "Your thoughts will activate items as you would your own body. If you ask questions, verbally or thought controlled, help will be given." Well at least he wouldn't be flying by the seat of his pants.

He ran out of the room to find that he could move much faster than normal. There was a speed indicator telling him he was moving at a brisk pace of 90 kph. He slowed down, as he had overshot where the sensors were telling the battle was. Apparently, the marines were winning, as the icons that registered humanoids were pushing the other icons back. He turned, saw a very steep slope, and asked if he could get up there to Auron. "Boosters can be engaged. Think of them and they will activate." Well that was a laugh. He at first thought he didn't know how to control the armor, but somehow information was placed in his mind telling him how. The back jets burned to life and he lifted off the ground as fast as ever, the problem was aiming correctly. He shot towards the side of the cliff and slammed hard against it. "OUCH! Whoa, I thought you said I know how to work this thing?" Garrett yelled out. "You are still adapting to the armor. You will soon learn to control all forms of movement; however, I would ask permission to assist you in gaining the altitude needed to enter the combat zone." Auron helped Garrett get to the top of the cliff carefully and landed fairly well on top. His "eyes" zoomed in on the battle zone no more than fifty meters away and ten meters lower than where he was standing. "You have exited the complex. Self Destruct engaged." Garrett heard the voice, tried to stop Auron, but he was too quick. The explosion blew through the ground and shook everything. The ground slightly caved in near the marines and covenant, like an earthquake had passed through. The ground didn't lower, but most of the area had very uneven terrain now.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!" He yelled. "I have engaged the self destruct systems in the complex. It is unable to be used anymore. The humanoid life forms are your allies correct?" Auron asked. He cursed at the machine before acknowledging it. "I suggest you assist them. The enemies you call covenant have regrouped and have brought air support. Six class 3 fighters have engaged the battle zone. Shall we attack?"

Garrett glanced at the weapons in a list. There were so many to name, and one looked interesting. "What is the P.R.S.?" He asked. "The P.R.S. stands for Portable Replication system, but it only works on the frame, as too much energy is used to have multiple items created and kept. Usage is limited to military supplies; however, maximum size allowed is relative to an Oharil class carrier, or in your human terms, a mobile moon fortress. Use it wisely. The frame must recharge heavily for multiple weeks if it replicates the largest size. The item will deteriorate quite rapidly after a few days if not used on the frame, therefore…" He was cut off again. "I get the idea. Don't use for anyone else. Damn. I wish I could. Having a few Heavy Cruisers up there and having them manned could really help."

He looked over the rest of the list. The list was substantial, having everything from projectile weapons to gravity cannon. As he didn't want to cause even more problems to the terrain, he ignored the gravity weapon and went for some good old fashion projectiles. What looked to be a machine gun he engaged, and boosted down the platform he was on. He realized he could skate along the ground, and used that ability to great effect, hosing the area with firepower and tearing most of the covenant, including the hunters, into fleshy chunks.

"How did you know that they were called covenant anyway?" He asked while fighting. "I have been listening to communication channels that you humans are using and they have called the enemy covenant." He sighed and continued to fire on the enemy.

They were retreating now, and the fighters were mostly destroyed, save two that ran and one of them trailing smoke. He stopped his onslaught then turned around to head towards the marines only to find a group of them aiming their weapons at him. "Whoa, hang on guys, it's me. Lieutenant Garrett. Last time I checked I was on your side." The marines looked at each other, then him again. "Lieutenant? That really you?" One of them asked. He confirmed it. "What happened to you?" He looked at himself, and then realized he could turn the armor off now. "Auron, disengage the armor." Auron complied and the armor seemed to melt into a sort of cybernetic attachment embedded in his left forearm. It seemed to slightly resemble a bracer. The marines lowered their weapons. "Command is gonna wanna report about this."

Command interrogated him for hours on end. They gained about as much information as he knew about what happened, which wasn't very much. "So you're saying you can make a ship in space and drive the surrounding covenant forces away?" Captain Arasin asked. "Uh, yes sir that was what I was told by Auron." The captain looked to his left and was met by the eyes of a very geeky looking AI scientist, Dr. Michael Darinel. "Unfortunately, all the AIs I've used to hack into this Auron's code have either been pushed back effortlessly or damaged heavily. It seems this AI is beyond anything we have." "In any case, you may have some hidden problems that we are unaware of son. If what you say is true, your body could have some problems internally, and we still don't know if you might be infected with anything out there. I want you to report to the infirmary to get checked out, and if your alright then we can discuss this later when you have had some time to rest. You're dismissed." Garrett saluted and turned to leave, then walked to the door. He continued down the hall and to the infirmary. When his check up was finally complete, he was allowed to go to his bunk. "Your body seems to be similar to that of the records of a SPARTAN, but different in certain areas. You haven't grown in height, your muscles have stayed the same size but have increased in strength in ways I can't figure out, and your eye sight and brainwaves are off the chart" the doctor had told him. Similar, but different in many ways. The only cybernetics or foreign items in his body compared to a SPARTAN was the implant in his arm, and other then that he felt normal. He could see things move quite slowly when he wanted to, but it seemed he could control it. He was a normal human in some ways and at par with a SPARTAN in others. He didn't care at the moment; he just wanted to get some sleep. The other marines were staying somewhat clear of him at the time, and he didn't really care. He was normally somewhat social with the others, playing poker sometimes and telling jokes, but now he just wanted to catch some Zs. His eyes were locked shut before he had even hit the bed and he was out like a light. No one would nor dare wake him up for at least eight hours that he had definitely earned.

(So Garrett has a mysterious armor called a battle frame now. He's not a normal marine anymore. I wonder what the brass will have to say about that. Oh, sorry about the last chapter. And ICE-pick is a small computer used solely for hacking and cracking codes on access terminals and keypads to access locked down areas. Its only purpose is to break access codes and open inaccessible areas. It has normally one use, though some have been MILSPECed to allow two times.)