Master Chief was given orders to go secure the perimeter with the marines. Instinctively, I followed after. But as soon as we were going down the steps, he turns to me.
"Where do you think you're going?" He asked. I looked at him quizzically.
"What do you mean?"
"You're not suitable for this at all."
"Didn't you hear me in the pelican? I know what happens, Chief." I crossed my arms. He seemed to notice something else though.
"Do you also know what will happen in the future?" I looked away.
"Yes, but... I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"Because no one should know too much of their future. It might mess things up. I do not want to be responsible for messing up your timeline any more than I already am by being here. And if I mess something up, then that'll lead to a different reality I know nothing of, and could make things worse." I said. He nodded.
"...It was Dahlia, right?" My heart skipped a beat as he said my name.
"What?"
"Your name."
"O-oh, yeah. It is."
"Any warnings before I go?"
"Just prepare for the hordes of Covenant. For the rest of today. Tomorrow. The whole war, actually." Chief simply stared at me.
"The game doesn't show me exactly how much rest you get, so it's just non-stop mission after mission, okay?" He nodded once again in understandment. He turned to walk away, but I grabbed onto his arm; the armor surprisingly cold. He looked over his shoulder to face me.
"Does this mean, I can come with you..? I've only ever been able to play in your perspective, and I-"
"As long as you know what you're doing, and don't get hurt." I smiled and hugged him out of habit when my friends accepted my barters.
"Thank you! Thank you thank you thank-" I beamed, but instantly let go of Chief as he tensed and jumped from surprise. I rubbed the back of my neck, avoiding any eye contact. I was sufficiently embarrassed when I realized I hugged the Master Chief, even if it only had last for less than a second; leaving me to wonder if he knows such feelings.
Master Chief made his way down the stairs, and stocked up on ammunition. I followed after, pondering if I should even bother grabbing a weapon if I was terrible at shooting, and couldn't handle the recoil. I knew I was being watched, but somehow my body knew to look at Chief.
He waited for me to choose my weapon.
I stared at the weapons rack in front of me, recognizing the few that were left.
Although SMGs were cool, I always preferred ranged weapons, so I grabbed a battle rifle, and one grenade. Once I had chosen my means of protection, the marines lead us to the perimeter. I heard them talk, saying that the bunker was built during the 20th-century, but the technology of the doors seemed way too high-tech to be built in the 1900's. Then again, I came from an entirely different universe. The universe of Halo always seemed to be more intelligent anyway.
We reach the hallway, Chief opening the door. In front of us is a warthog, but I quickly hid behind the armored-door as it explodes. Chief doesn't even so much as flinch once it explodes. He fires at the grunts ahead, and leaves my field of vision. I try to look for him through the crack of the door, but I yelp as a fusion coil goes off, followed by the squacks of jackels. I get back on my feet, this time spotting Chief further down the road, shooting inside another hallway, with the help of a few marines.
I run over to him, taking cover behind a large crate. I try my best to shoot with the battle rifle, but I still lacked skill. I set it on the ground, next to me, as I spot a plasma pistol in front of me. I crawl to grab it, and turned it on, just like the way I always saw John turn them on whenever I grabbed them in-game. The weapon began to glow in my hand as I pressed the button. I pressed the red button on the side, knowing that it'd open the top part of the gun. I was amazed by the glowing plasma inside the tiny compartment; I closed it. I thought for a moment, and aimed at the wall. The plasma pistol was surprisingly heavy, forcing me to place my hand underneath it to support its weight.
It made that familiar high-pitched plasma sound as I shot the wall. I felt shivers go down my spine as I satisfied my inner child.
"I have to do that with every single weapon now." I promised to myself. I set down the pistol, taking back my battle rifle. I noticed that the echoes of battle disappeared; had they already gone to the hangar?
I jogged down the hall, turned left, then right. I could her explosions, screams, and gunshots, from both Human and Covenant. I peered through the doorway, wondering if the stairs were clear.
Without a radar like I was used to, I couldn't be entirely sure.
'Screw it.' I thought.
I ran up the stairs, only to encounter a grunt on my way. I screamed, and so did the grunt. I kicked and hit him with the butt of the gun, until it fell off the stairs. I looked over the edge, only to see it running away from marines. I continued my way up into the Control Room.
From here, I could see Master Chief making use of the machine gun in the hangar. After he gunned down the phantom's main firepower, causing it to leave when he killed the rest of the canon fodder on the ground.
A third one came in, and John shot at it as it came closer. When the phantom noticed where the line of fire came from, it began to shoot at his location. Before any of the plasma shots could land, he let go of the turret, and took cover. When it stopped shooting, John resumed fire.
Once the hangar was clear, the pelican was finally able to leave. John hopped down from his spot, and took a deployable shield from the ground. I decided to leave my spot too, going down the stairs.
We double-timed it back to the ops center, the bunk shaking, marines no longer with us. I felt the need to spark up a conversation, as John had curiosity.
"Just how much do you know?" He wondered.
"Almost everything. I can assume humanity's past is about the same, but I know mainly of Human-Covenant War." I articulated. "But to be frank, I know how you're tied up in all of this. I know everything about you."
John slowed his jogging pace, until he completely stopped. He turned, his helmet facing down at me.
"Everything?"
"Yes." I confirmed.
"My name?"
"John."
"My ranking?"
"Master Chief Petty Officer Class III. The highest achievable ranking, I believe."
"My armor?"
"Mark VI Mjolnir Armor, specifically named after the Norse God Thor's hammer."
He took two steps closer, now four feet away from me. "Spartan II Program?" He asked warily.
"Children 'chosen' by Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, at the age of six." I began.
"You trained arduously nearly every single day. At the age of eight, you and your class of spartans executed a mission ordered by Chief Petty Officer Mendez and became squad leader after completing it, even if everyone made it home, when there was supposed to be one child left behind. Of course, you had been assisted by Deja." I grinned, but slightly worried over the next topic.
"At the age of fourteen, you all underwent augmentations, and only 33 of you survived, out of 75." I grimaced at having to remind John of that event.
"After that, you had the body of an 18-year-old Olympic athlete. You effortlessly took out four ODSTs, without even meaning to. On your first mission with the Mjolnir armor, your team, Green Team, had to take out a Covenant ship. You suffered only one casualty: Sam. He stayed behind, as his armor had been breached; he wouldn't have made it out there alive, the tear had been too great to instantly fix." I furrowed my brows, feeling sympathy.
"When you received Cortana, your first experience with her was a test made by ONI, which they intended you to fail. You nearly-" John placed his gloved hand on my mouth to shut me up. I backed away, disgusted, knowing he's been in that suit of armor since Halo 2.
"Ew, John, that's gross, you've killed the flood in that-" He attempted to shut me up again.
"John?" His head bobbed down as he quoted me.
"What? Is it a sign of disrespect to call you by your first name?" I questioned, pushing his hand away from my face.
I wondered why it bothered him so much, but then it dawned on me.
"Dr. Halsey always calls you John. She always did. Does it bother you if I do too..?" I asked shyly, slightly afraid.
Before he could even answer, we were interrupted by Miranda's voice on the intercoms. This returned Chief to his objective. We continued jogging, back to where I mused with the plasma pistol. I heard the sounds of drones above me in the ventilation pipes, scaring me. I've always had a phobia of bugs, and these things were like 50 times stronger than a normal human, and about the size of one. If these things can pick up a buff marine, with his gear and all without breaking a sweat, they will surely rip me apart like a twig.
Before stepping inside the cave, I warned John. "One of the drones are going to pick up the guy that's behind the cage-wall thing. Shoot it down."
"Sir. This way." Said the marine in front of us. John aimed his gun just as the pipes behind the poor fellow fall down, a swarm of drones fluttering everywhere. One of them suddenly flies above the marine, and picks him up. He begins to yell for help as he's picked up. Before the drone could fly any higher, the Chief shot it down.
He walked forward, the drones falling by the second.
I stayed behind, unwilling to face the terrifying aliens. As Chief used strategy to eliminate them without them flying out of the pipe, I aimed the battle rifle, trying to catch at least one enemy in my line of sight. But I didn't get a chance to, since they have all already been wiped out. I sighed, leaving my hiding spot behind the door.
I spotted the living legend himself gathering ammunition, throwing his brute shot to the side as he replaced it with battle rifle.
Back upstairs, we see a huge bomb in the center. Miranda is on screen, advising Johnson to put out his cigarette.
"Chief, have a look. A little going away gift for the Covenant. We've linked it to smaller charges throughout the base. Johnson, as soon as the evacuation is complete, start the timer."
"Understood." Johnson replied.
"Good luck everyone. See you on the last pelican out." She then disconnected.
"Follow me Chief." Johnson directed us to the dreaded barracks. If I truly left Halo 3 on Legendary, I was sure to die. "Brutes have taken the barracks. Marines are trapped inside. Those apes ain't much for mercy, Chief. We both know what they do to them." I cringed at the thought of it. John walked over to the door, pushing the button to unlock it.
"Get to the barracks, save those men. Then escort them to the Landing Pad for evac." He nodded in acknowledgment, then walked down.
'Wait. Does he expect me to go with him?'
I slowly went after him, nervous. But before I could even see what was going on, I heard two plasma grenades go off, then one spike grenade. The sound of the brute spiker resounded in the barracks, along with an assault rifle.
Midst the chaos, I dove for the barricade in front of the entrance. In doing so, I scraped my knee, making me wince and growl from the pain. I sat there for a few seconds, waiting for the pain to wash over. I heard something heavy fall, and knew Chief was working on clearing the place. I moved slowly, checking up on said hero: I saw a line of fire coming from the right side, bullets piercing a brute in his chest.
The power armor weakened, and popped off the ape's chest, clattering onto the ground. The brute howled at the Chief, taunting him; but then quickly fell down, blood pooling under the perished body.
I sat down before a brute could spot me. I wished desperately to help eliminate enemies, but I wasn't the Arbiter, a Spartan, or even a trained soldier. I placed my battle rifle on my lap, and began to admire the details. I picked it up, and looked through the scope, recalling a time when I was but a child, playing the sandbox map with my brother, who had been my current age. 'Stop screen picking!' he would tell me, but I would laugh as I chased him down.
I felt strange, as I stopped zoning out. What had brought me back to reality?
I saw something wet land on the pavement, and I stiffened when I had heard heavy breathing behind me. I was too shocked to move, or to scream for help. I was also completely trapped; the only way to escape it would be to run around the barricade, but I was confident it would catch me. I would have to risk interrupting John. I took a deep breath in, and screamed.
"John! Help!"
... Is what I thought had been yelled. Of course, with such fear coursing through my veins, all that came out had been a whisper. The brute cackled at me, "Worthless human!"
The brute grabbed the barricade separating us, and threw it aside violently. I flinched, hearing it collide against the wall. I willed my body to turn to look at the ape up-close. As I turned, I noticed a hole in the walls leading into the little sections that hid the ammo caches, and truck.
Without warning, I dashed to the left, hoping through the opening. The brute snarled, and tried to follow me through it, but he was just too big. I laughed, and snatched a gravity lift from under the truck.
Suddenly, as I searched the device for a way to turn it on, the brute threw crates off of the truck's trailer, howling. Frightened, and without a weapon, I threw the lift at the brute, hitting him in the face. The lift fell to the ground, and activated. Another victory for me, but another way of pissing him off.
Before he could do anything else, think anything else, his power armor fell apart, and was killed with a head shot. I looked back to my savior, standing tall, and confident. I noticed something glowing near his feet; it was the brute chieftain hammer. Like a child, I ogled it, and jogged to Chief. I tried to pick it up, but without success. Even though ODSTs were able to, it was certainly done for sake of game play. I kicked it, slightly angry that I couldn't use it.
Chief chuckled, sensing my frustration. I furrowed my brows at him.
"That thing weighs like 343 lbs! There's no way I can pick it up." I walked down the road to retrieve my battle rifle.
Walking into the hallway, towards the marines, I remembered the jumps Master Chief makes. And he had to fall down at least three times. In the middle of the hallway, I stop him. He looks down at me in a questioning manner.
"The moment you walk to the end of the hall, a drone is going to pop up." I warned him. He looked behind me, raising his gun. He walked cautiously, and the drone came, shooting with its plasma pistol.
"Chief, wait!" I caught his attention after he killed the drone. "You certainly can survive that jump, but if I go down, I'm going to break my legs." He thinks for a moment, then grabs me, wrapping his arm around my waist. I was uncomfortably close to him, but I didn't mind that much.
"What are you doing-" I yelp the rest of the sentence as he jumps down. He lands, slightly crouched. He doesn't let go, even if I try to loosen his grip. I realized he was having a "Cortana Moment".
After five seconds, he releases me. He stared at me, asking, "Do you know about... What I see?"
I nodded. "Cortana is speaking to you telepathically." We both glanced down the corridor, hearing noises coming from pipe entrances. I search for cover, but see that I will have to fend for myself.
After all commuting drones are dead, we proceed. He sees the deep vertical shaft, and picks me up once I'm at his side. We see the Arbiter shooting at some drones, telling them, "Half-wit insects! The Prophets use you like they used me! Reject their lies! Rebel, or all your hives will perish!"
"How many more jumps am I going to have to carry you for?" Chief suddenly wondered.
"This is the last one. I promise." I smiled sheepishly.
"That did it Chief! Bomb's armed."
"We got your exit! A service elevator in the hangar. Head downstairs, cut through the caves!" I heard Johnson order. Chief had allowed it to play outside his helmet for me to hear, which I thought was nice.
The alarm had gone off as soon as John armed the bomb, nearby lights flashing red. We ran downstairs, cutting through the caves just as Johnson said. Whatever Covenant that weren't fleeing, and felt cocky, were mowed down by bullets. Getting to the hangar, many of the grunts were putting up a fight. John was the one mainly killing everything, while I barely shot one or two enemies. While I knew the mission had no time limit in-game, I felt frantic hearing Johnson telling us to leave.
The area now free of Covenant, we finally made it to the elevator. I walked in, and fell to my knees. I had not ran that much since, ever. I was a panting, sweaty mess. My throat felt dry, my body tired. My eyes wandered, and saw the Chief's hand press the button. With what little energy I could muster, I stood up, and sat down on the opposite side of the elevator, away from the flames that would come. The elevator struggled for a moment, then I felt it go down. The fire from the explosion seeped through the bottom of the doors, making me sweat even more.
The further down, the more flames. I threw my arms over my head, a weak attempt to shield myself from the heat. In the darkness, I couldn't see that my arms weren't the only things keeping me safe from the oncoming inferno.
"This place will become your tomb."