Chris went back to his room aboard the ship and lay down but no sleep came to him. He was going over all that he had done that day. He was tired he needed a few days off, but Spartans don't get days off, marines don't even get days off, it wasn't school it was the army, war killing and tactics. Why did he like it here so much? John was now just a large annoyance. Kelly, Fred and Linda were good but nothing really special. Kelly revealed new parts of herself every day though. He went to her room at 07:00 She was sitting on her bed, in her Spartan armor helmet removed. She looked at him as he entered.

"Orders?" She asked.

"Not yet. Mind if I sit?" She motioned for him to join her. She looked him hard in the face.

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

"Yes." He lied.

"Your not telling me the truth."

"Your too good at reading people's eyes." Chris joked.

"Not most of them, Just you." He smiled at her.

"I am so tired. My leg hurts bad now." She was talking he looked at her worried.

"Maybe you should see a medic if it still hurts."

"No it's fine, but it'll take a while to heal."

"You sure you should come with us?" Chris didn't like seeing the men or women here hurt; really not spartans.

"Yes I'm coming, wouldn't miss the end of this war." She tried to stand and slipped Chris's speed kicked in and he caught her and pulled her up.

"Thanks."

"Anytime." John was yelling things when they got downstairs, the man Chris knocked out was fully recovered and Chris was careful not to meet him. The group was preparing to use the elite technology to glass the main brute planet. After that the main mop up could be done by the Aliens, the flood would flee, and brutes would go into hiding. Chris lifted his shotgun and swapped his assault rifle for the sniper rifle. Kelly and Fred were to be with him just as guards from possible invaders. Only one or two brutes came, nothing big, the planet was wiped away and they left. That was it. The war was, more or less over. Allies now lived and foes had died. The spartans all took the time to sleep to relax. Chris walked to John who did apologize, he'd been annoyed during the war. He was never right until the fight was over.

"Now I need to be getting home." It was a joke and both laughed, loudly.

"Chris!" Kelly was behind him.

"What?"

"I need to talk to you for a second." Chris walked to her.

"Ok."

"It's about the mission I was on. The doctor I was with found a way to open time portals to reach into the past. I was to go and find the best fighter there and bring them here, I think the best one came to us though." She smiled at him.

"Well, I am glad to finally understand all this." Chris shook her hand.

"Now I think you do need to go home." She said.

"Your right, I will miss you guys." He said seeing John, Fred and Linda come up behind Kelly.

"Bye, I'll miss you deeply, Spartan 106." Kelly said and embraced Chris, he was shocked it was brief but the fact that spartans could to a point feel for others showed that they were human. It was scary. Kelly lead him to an odd portal and gestured for him to go in. He did so waving back to her fully. He sat up on the floor. He was again back in the year 2006. He was tired, more tired than he'd ever been. So unusually tired. He walked slowly upstairs, trying to remember the way. He didn't eat the time travel had been unkind. He went to sleep waking in the morning and packed to go to school, his work wasn't done but forget all the teachers and their stupid ideas. He already knew what he was gonna do. Get his writer's degree and become a writer. Or would he? Chris now had tons of military skills. The army possibly could be open to him. No, he wouldn't go into writing, he needed a future with more action.

The day at school couldn't have been worse. Chris had been popular, but nevertheless he made quite a few enemies of bullies. One of them, Theldon, was coming over to him. Chris slowly turned to watch him, he had him body squared and cracked his knuckles. Instead of trying to avoid the fight Chris was thinking of the quickest was to bring his opponent down. He waited for the man to come close to him and he struck catching the larger boy in the neck hard with the side of his open hand. The boy yelled and grabbed his neck where there was a large welt. Chris dodged two kicks and kicked him hard in the chest hard and the boy went down. Then the teachers and the guards came, the guard tried to come at him nightstick drawn. Chris wasn't going to let this guard hurt him. He flipped hard over the guard and punched him in the back of the head. Blood came from the wound.

"Boyer! Calm down." Said his teacher, mr. middleton. Chris flicked him off and ran hard. Then he heard three guards coming at him, ten seconds left him captured and one guard knocked out. He was tied in a chair. Stupid, stupid mistake. The main principle was pacing in front of him.

"I know he could've attacked you but he didn't actually threaten you."

"Uh-huh." Said Chris bored. He looked at the clock, near twelve, time for lunch.

"You can't go around beating every student into a pulp."

"Can we hurry this up? I'm hungry."

"And you-- what?"

"I'm hungry, It's not hard to work out."

"Was that an insult?"

"If your too stupid to work that out you need not worry about it."

"I could expel you for that." She actually growled.

"It's likely."

"It's much more, plus you knocked out two guards."

"One, the other is merely hurt."

"What happened. Two days ago you were a polite little man."

"I help those who don't hurt me. Those who try don't get out of it well. The men hurt me, I hurt them, that boy tried to hurt me, I hurt him."

"That is the talk of military men."

"I have had, troubled fights." Chris said.

"Get out."

"No."

"What?"

"No." The man sighed.

"I hate what you are making me do."

"Yeah I am sorry but we're going to have to try this another time."

"In case you haven't noticed, your tied down." Chris flexed and broke his bonds. The principle didn't speak and Chris walked out of the door heading to the cafeteria he payed for his lunch chicken with fires. He then went to his table with his friend Andrew Charter.

"Hey man, you coming to our contest tonight?"

"Sorry?"

"Halo 2 tonight, me you and David remember?"

"Oh right sorry, yeah come over when your ready." That night David Chrichoff and Andrew appeared on his doorstep. David with a controller. The contest began at 5:00 and ended at 5:40, Chris won all eight games in that time.