Months ago…

Installation 04:

Corporal Peter Parker, fully decked out in his specialized ODST armor with his helmet on, stood along the ridge and observed what he believed to be quite an alien but majestic sight. Below, a dense forest of compact healthy trees and other plant life decorated the area, spreading beyond miles of land. In the far distance, the Corporal bared witness to a multitude of lakes that were both small and expansive. The seemingly freshwater pools of lakes, combined with the impressive display of teeming agriculture, would create a spectacular painting worthy of mounting on a wall to display to all.

Yet the cherry on top of the view would be the horizon. By any means of the imagination was it an ordinary horizon to gaze at. Setting his eyes and scanning the horizon would serve as a constant reminder of how foreign and alien the planet really was.

No, Peter corrected himself. The world. It would serve to destroy the illusion of an ordinary healthy world. World. This ring world brought a mixed bag of emotions to the grizzled veteran: awe, confusion, amazement, and wonder to name a few.

His gaze slowly traveled upward upon the horizon, taking in the sight of the shape of a ring that expanded upwards and all the way around. All the way around back to where he stood. It put into perspective that his very feet were planted on the ground of this mysterious, puzzling, and broad ringworld. On this very specific part of the land on the ring. Land and air that somehow managed to support life. Human life. The air was rich with oxygen. The ringworld had an intact atmosphere. Being the closeted scientist he was, Peter was baffled and utterly bewildered as he continued to think about two questions that had no logical explanation or any known answer: how and why?

As much as anyone can ascertain, the ringworld was very much artificial if the nearby structures he and a couple of troopers explored were anything to go off of. It confused Peter to no end how one can essentially create an artificial world that artificially supports all types of life. Humanity sure had made impressive feats and marvels in technology and concepts but none so far as to create an artificial world that supported life no less.

In the depths of his mind, the scientist barricaded behind years of combat and tragedy was clawing his way out to solve the mystery of this phenomenon he found himself standing upon. The scientist within would have managed to escape if not for the reality of the situation set in, forcing the scientist to regress and be pushed back indefinitely.

The Corporal let out a low sigh before letting his trigger finger idly scratch off a speck of dirt that managed to find its way onto a particular area of the handle of his MA5B assault rifle. Looking at the glowing ammo counter giving a readout of 60 rounds, Peter thought about the grim situation he and the others had found themselves in.

Things weren't looking too well for the UNSC forces. The Pillar of Autumn managed to perform a relatively safe crash landing several klicks of his position. If there was one word to describe the state the Autumn was in it would be recoverable. Recoverable in the sense that weapons and ammunition as well as vehicles could be recovered from the ship. As for being able to travel in the air, much less space, the odds of that were perhaps slim to none. Essentially the small contingent of UNSC forces were stranded on the mysterious ringworld.

But humanity hadn't survived for more than two and a half decades against the onslaught of the Covenant for no reason. Humans were tenacious. Vicious. Cunning. But most of all they were determined. Determined to fight to the bitter end. Determined to survive as a species.

At this time, Peter wasn't sure how he had survived this long into the war despite serving in a multitude of dangerous deployments. Perhaps it was something within his Parker genes that guided him along the way. Perhaps it was his humanity. Or perhaps it was unwavering determination. His unwillingness to give up and surrender. Parkers were built and thrived on it, he mused.

His ears perked slightly. Footsteps from behind were steadily approaching. The sound of combat boots crunching against the dirt. The faint sound of some item slinging and swishing across the belt. Heavy footsteps that held no ill-will toward him. Peter allowed himself to relax yet maintained a firm grip on his MA5B, ensuring the muzzle was safely pointed downward and away, his thumb instinctively checking and verifying that the safety was on. He breathed deeply as the person silently took position and stood beside him.

"Trooper, you're aware that your designated post is 25 meters back and about 10 meters high, right?"

Under his helmet, Peter allowed his eyes to flicker towards the lower left side of his HUD, catching a safe yellow blip to be registered. Shortly after, a rank and name popped up:

First Lieutenant Melissa McKay

Peter calmly exhaled, vaguely humming in acknowledgment to his superior. Within his peripheral, he took notice of her decked in her armor sans the helmet which lay hugged by one arm above her hip. He caught a glimpse of her hardened green eyes staring at him expectantly. Her short jet black hair, within the Corp's standards, allowed a few strands to be whisked as a short faint breeze overtook them both.

He hadn't gotten a chance to get to know her much. But he knew she wasn't Major Silva's second-in-command without reason. She proved she was quite the capable leader when first taking the area now known as Alpha Base from the Covenant. Driving back the Covenant forces that once occupied the small mesa hadn't been too much of an issue, especially with the strong leadership that both Major Silva and Lieutenant McKay brought to the table. It was almost especially trivial when factoring himself into the equation. Still, capturing the mesa hadn't gone without a few casualties.

Now he found himself beside the very Lieutenant that had proved to be resourceful during the initial battle. There was Alpha base just about 50 or so meters behind the both of them, the camp quietly buzzing with activity. In fact, overhead he made out an unarmed Falcon most likely filled with supplies returning from a recent excursion. Moments later it flew overhead the both of them, blowing a strong gust of wind as it passed by and a loud blasting hum of the engine reaching his eardrums. Thankfully the sound was dampened and wasn't quite bothersome due to his helmet. One quick glance to his left let him know that the noise hadn't bothered McKay in the slightest despite her lack of helmet.

"I'm aware ma'am," Peter finally answered her, still admiring and analyzing the view before them both.

Suddenly a small rock tumbled over the edge. His eyes immediately flickered over to the object before lazily watching it as it helplessly tumbled down to the lush forest below and vanished beyond the dense pack of leaves. Apparently, Lieutenant McKay had been the one to kick the inanimate object over. For what reason he did not know.

"That's quite the view isn't it?" She voiced as she took one step closer to where she barely stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him. He noticed her armor looked a little singed and a bit of dirt and small minor scorch marks decorated a few areas. Still, her armor seemed to be in relatively good condition. Combat ready. Well, mostly, he thought to himself as his gaze shifted to the helmet she was hugging close to her hip.

Peter maintained his silence.

He felt something nudge his side. He found McKay had elbowed his side. "Not much of a talker now, huh?"

Peter failed to see a faint frown donning her lips. In response to her, he shrugged his shoulders, raising his MA5B just a bit before returning to its original relaxed position. In the distance, he caught one of those structures shooting a mysterious blue beam of light straight up into the sky before it disappeared beyond the thick collection of clouds. He momentarily wondered what the purpose of those structures was and why the event happened periodically.

"Not at the moment, no," he had said quietly. Peter turned his head to face her directly, looking straight into her curious eyes despite his helmet preventing him from conveying his gesture. "Just tired is all."

She nodded. "We all are." She maintained her gaze on him, seemingly looking past his visor and straight into his eyes. There was a moment of silence before she continued, keeping her eyes on him. "How's your wound?"

Ah, yes. During the battle to take the Mesa, Peter had suffered, in his strong opinion, a minor wound. Much to the surprise and confusion of the participating UNSC troops, Corporal Peter Parker had managed to somehow cross the distance and get close enough to openly challenge the Elite commander to a duel. If there was one thing he had learned about the split-lips throughout the course of the war it's that their culture revolved around prideful honorable warriors. With his specialization in CQC and melee combat, Peter capitalized on every opportunity he could to fight the squid-heads one-on-one or even three-on-one on more than one occasion.

Of course, being the honorable devout religious warrior the Elite commander was, he had gladly accepted the challenge, drawing out and igniting his energy sword in front of the Corporal's very eyes. The commander's gesture clearly signaled to the nearby Elites, Grunts, and Jackals that they needn't interfere less they lose their life. Instead, as if ignoring the Corporal ODST standing out in the open as an easy target, they refocused their fire on the other attacking UNSC forces.

Parker was quick to rush forward to meet the split-lip head-on, weaving under a predictable swipe of an energy sword, and sank both his fangs into the foolish commander's legs, spurting out purple blood that coated part of his armor. Like all Elites before him, they hadn't expected him, a normal human soldier, to be so nimble, agile, and quick up close. Still, Elites by no means lacked agility and swiftness in close-quarters combat but compared to their large stature and size and his small and nimble frame, Peter possessed the advantage.

Still, Elites were tough SOBs that can take a severe amount of punishment. Add that to the fact they wielded deadly energy blades that can cut through just about any armor and you've still got a deadly opponent that can easily end a life with one strike.

And so, during the duel, Peter had momentarily lost his footing and focus when a wraith mortar unexpectedly struck the ground nearby. It wasn't close enough to cause any real damage but it was close enough to disrupt his balance if only for a moment.

That moment was all the Elite needed to deliver what would be a fatal strike with his energy sword. If it weren't for his quick thinking and seemingly unnatural ability to bend his body even with his armor the blade would have easily found its way deep within his torso. Instead, the scorching hot blade managed to only glide past his frame and the energy near the handle had burned through his armor and left a scorching but fairly deep cauterized wound near his shoulder. Any deeper and it would've met bone and might have amputated the appendage entirely.

Still, that presented a perfect opportunity to deliver his killing bite to the Elite. Not expecting such a maneuver, the Elite himself had slightly overestimated his swing and stumbled quite a bit forward and would've landed on top of Parker if not for him reacting swiftly, ignoring the searing pain.

From there, the Spider had unleashed its fangs and sunk them deep into the jugular of the warrior. The Elite had gurgled in surprise, instinctively de-igniting his blade and letting it drop to the floor as both his hands reflexively went to clutch the deadly wound. Peter, in retaliation, had used every bit of strength to twist his fangs and drive them in deeper.

Thus, that was the story of how he nearly lost his entire arm. Thankfully the wound wasn't as deep yet the medics still expressed concern. For some odd unexplainable reason he felt fine. Perhaps it was the adrenaline still going that allowed him to feel so.

Though, now, it felt quite sore. But stretching it didn't bring about a heavy influx in pain but rather a slight discomfort he was sure would wear off in a couple days. Well, if the outnumbered UNSC forces could survive that long.

"It's fine. Like I said earlier, Lieutenant," he replied as he shrugged his shoulders a bit to further prove his statement.

She eyed him with a hint of uncertainty. "That isn't some wound you can put a band-aid on and be combat-able afterward."

He shrugged yet again which prompted the Lieutenant to narrow her eyes a tad bit. She held the look for a moment before relaxing into a deep sigh. "Still…well, shit. Here I thought the UNSC had been greatly exaggerating your combat effectiveness this whole time."

Peter, for the first time since landing on the ring in his drop pod, allowed himself a deep chuckle. "Sorry to disappoint—or impress?" He clicked his tongue, unsure of the proper response.

For the first time, he saw an amused smile grace her hardened lips. "Not at all disappointed, Corporal. Quite glad, in fact."

Peter snorted to himself. "Hmph. I'm nowhere near the level that those Spartans are."

McKay let a thin line across her lips before speaking. "No, I suppose you're not. But you are closer than most, if not closer than all of us are."

"Sorry—I meant the Spartan," Peter corrected himself as he shifted his gaze to the amazing horizon. The smile on McKay's face was replaced by a somewhat grim frown as an unspoken word hung above their heads.

The Spartan. The only Spartan.

Not at all a soul-crushing fact, Peter thought to himself sarcastically. The fact of the matter was that the Spartans were apparently humanity's saving grace. They seemed invincible—nigh impossible to defeat by the Covenant. One of humanity's forces that the Covenant considered a serious threat. They participated in numerous ground battles and were the ultimate deciding factor in each battle they participated in. They were the only hope for humanity's victory over the Covenant. They were the only hope for humanity's survival.

Well, now, he was the only hope for humanity after Reach. Very demoralizing to think about but still that shred of hope was all that the UNSC forces on the ringworld needed. But as of right now, after Alpha Base was designated and fortified, his whereabouts were unknown after he had escaped the Autumn. To think that he was the only Spartan humanity had left…

"I still don't understand the Major's disposition on the Spartans," Peter found himself saying aloud, clutching his MA5B a little bit more tightly.

The Lieutenant beside him raised her brow at his sudden outburst. "Well, you've gotta look at it from his perspective."

Peter finally turned to face her, letting her know she had his complete attention and that he was listening to what she said intently. She continued, "ODSTs are supposed to be the best of the best. They're supposed to be humanity's best fighting force. Can't help it if he wants to be proud of it and wants a little bit of credit for himself as someone commanding what's supposed to be the very best. We all worked hard and earned the right to be called Helljumpers."

Ah, now Peter understood a little bit better. Still, if only humanity would lose its selfish qualities and dedicate all it could for the survival of its species. How disappointing, he thought to himself with a frown.

"Then you have these supersoldiers come in one day and take away that crown. Not to mention their sudden appearance and shady obscure backgrounds. No one knows who they are or where they came from. No one can connect with them. No one can match up to them. You see where I'm—where he's getting at?"

Peter responded with a curt nod.

Before either could speak, both heard a squawk coming from the helmet McKay was holding. The two shared a brief look before she briskly placed on her helmet and acknowledged the COMM signal she was receiving.

"Lieutenant McKay, go ahead."

Peter quietly stood beside her, unable to hear the conversation taking place. Judging by her stance, however, he was certain that both of them were about to move on back to Alpha Base for whatever purpose. He maintained his grip and low-ready position on his MA5B and his thumb hovering over the safety, ready to flick over at a moment's notice.

"Yeah, we're over here by the ridge," she answered back to the unknown person on the other side of the conversation. She turned a slight bit to look at him with an unknown expression beneath her helmet. "Yeah, I've got Spider-Man with me," she affirmed.

Peter narrowed his eyes a bit under his helmet, letting an unamused frown show. Not that the Lieutenant could tell what his expression was. So, he rolled his head in a clockwise motion as if to convey an eye roll. McKay gave no acknowledgment to the gesture.

Suddenly, in the distance, an object appeared in view beyond the horizon, seeming so insignificant compared to the ring in the background. Magnifying his optical camera through a neural command, Peter could finally make out the object. It appeared to be a healthy D77 Pelican approaching their location. He'd faintly make out the trail of the aircraft's front two active engines pitching down and the two tail-end engines increase in power. Due to its distance, the HUD couldn't register an IFF tag quite yet.

"Understood. We're on our way." McKay clicked the side of her helmet and turned to face Peter. "Well, Spider-Man," she said and he could just hear the relief and slight excitement in her voice as she addressed him so informally. She nudged her head pointedly towards the approaching aircraft. "That right there is Echo-419 and she's carrying some mighty precious cargo."

Peter stared at the distant Pelican a moment longer before turning towards the relieved Lieutenant. He stared at her as if to tell her to continue.

To which she did. "Just a couple of Marines, ammunition, weapons," she listed off with her fingers before foregoing the action and placing her hands on her hips. "But most importantly our very own Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan-117."

Peter's eyebrows shot up in surprise. His eyes flickered over to the Pelican arriving closer by the second and stared at it in amazement. This was perhaps the best news he had ever heard ever since dropping onto this mysterious world. So hope was still alive, he mused to himself.

Sending a neural command, Corporal Peter Parker depolarized his visor and allowed the Lieutenant to see his full-blown grin. McKay herself held a confident smirk with a relieved look in her eyes. "So, what are our orders?" He had asked.

"We're to personally meet the Chief and all those other leathernecks on the deck. Then we're to personally escort him to the Major."

Peter nodded, letting his left hand release its grip on the handguard of the MA5B and allowing his right hand to move and grip the butt-end of the stock and move the rifle over his head and allow it to magnetically attach to the mag-locks on the back of his armor. "Understood, ma'am."

At that moment the Pelican announced its arrival as it flew overhead, its wings and thrusters adjusting as needed to allow the aircraft to hover and safely land on an airpad not too far from their position. Both ODSTs hadn't bothered to look up and observe it.

Instead, the two immediately turned on their heels to face in the direction of their destination. McKay began speaking as they did so, "You're lucky I found some other Trooper to cover your post, Spider-Man. You would have been listed as AWOL."

Peter snorted for the second time that day. "Heh, wouldn't be the first—!"

Lieutenant McKay continued her walk back towards Alpha Base as if she didn't notice his sudden pause and alarming movement.

Because at that moment, in the clearing directly ahead not even five meters from where he stood was a…girl. A civilian. A teenager. Portrayed with red hair and shimmering green eyes. Some teenage redhead girl dressed in what appeared to be casual attire not fit for the time stood before him. Why did she look and feel familiar?

Her green eyes widened as he turned and caught sight of her. Within a second he had unmagnetized the MA5B, flicked the safety off, and shouldered it to where the muzzle was pointing directly at her. The blue haze of the weapon's HUD gave a clean readout of 60 rounds in the magazine.

The redhead gave a gasp of alarm and fright as the weapon was brought forth and aimed at her.

"What the hel—!" Peter couldn't even complete his exclamation, for at that moment he looked right into her widened and very afraid emerald eyes and felt an unimaginably irritating headache coming forth.

Present…

Midtown High School:

Suddenly, Corporal Peter Parker found himself locked in a gaze with the redhead with a persistently bothersome headache. Peter promptly tore his gaze away from the shocked eyes and took his surroundings into account. Again, the two were alone in the front courtyard of the high school, sitting beside the centermost decorative fountain. The only sound was the distant rumblings of passing airliners and motor vehicles as well as the occasional honking of a horn.

"Agh!" Peter stood up, wincing as he brought a hand to his temple to somehow relieve the headache. "What the hell was that," he murmured to himself as he leaned over the ledge of the fountain and gazed into his own reflection.

"I," spoke up the redhead beside him. He looked towards her, almost forgetting that she was next to him during the brief ordeal. "I-I don't know," she swallowed anxiously, horror evident in her tone. "Was that…real?" She whispered out in a trembling voice.

Thankfully the headache seemed to be diminishing and his hand returned to his side once more. Peter gave her a calculating look with narrowed eyes. She didn't seem to notice as she was still trying to collect herself.

Ah, crap. What the hell was her name again? Peter wracked his brain to come up with the correct name for the familiar redhead in front of him. The whole experience seemed to mess with his memory for a bit. After a bit of thinking, he finally remembered everything that led up to this moment.

Jean. That was her name. Jean Grey. He had recently befriended her. The only friend he had managed to make at all here in this, erm, universe or reality. They were having lunch and she seemed to have a bad headache. At first he had thought because the cafeteria was still loud and he had escorted her outside the swinging doors where it was relatively quiet yet she still continued to contemplate the noise of voices. Very odd so he took her to the front courtyard where no student or faculty member was in sight. That seemed to alleviate the pain she was undergoing.

But then he thought about the war, the Covenant, ODSTs, the Flood, everything. Somehow she had asked about all those out of nowhere. Perhaps he had voiced those thoughts out loud? No, he was certain he had remained silent. But then he looked into her green eyes questioningly and then…

A memory. One specific memory played out. On Halo. On Installation 04. His memory. And then she was right there. She appeared to be there the whole time the memory played out. Just behind him.

This was no ordinary situation. This was puzzling. Supernatural even. He turned to look at Jean with a grave expression despite her still sitting down, knees tucked together, and erratically breathing.

"You saw all of that didn't you?" He took a knee in front of her. She managed to control her breathing and bring her head up but not enough to maintain eye contact. She refused to make eye contact. "You remember all of that, don't you? How?"

The same question he himself had asked when he first landed on the Halo ring.

Jean timidly turned her head away from him, unsure herself. "I…I don't know," she said in a hushed yet unnerved voice.

Silence was shared between the two of them for what felt like an eternity. Peter continued to keep his gaze on her. He himself wasn't sure what to do. How to handle a situation like this. Still, he steeled himself to help this poor teenage girl he had befriended over a strange set of circumstances.

About five more seconds of silence passed over before she finally turned her head towards him and looked him straight in the eye. Peter braced himself in case the situation repeated itself. After about another five seconds nothing happened as the two shared eye contact.

"What was that?" Her voice seemed to have strengthened with control. Confidence was returning albeit slowly. Still, she remained unsure. "Was that real? It felt real. That had to have been a dream, right?"

Peter refrained from speaking. Instead, he thinned his lips. His gaze was unwavering. So was hers.

"No," she shook her head to assure herself. "That wasn't a dream. That was too real to be a dream. No—wait, you were the one in the armor, right?"

Peter flickered his gaze somewhere else for a second to contemplate. He nodded.

"You're," she swallowed apprehensively. "You're not Peter Parker."

"Yes, I am," Peter found himself answering almost instantaneously. He breathed deeply after seeing Jean's puzzled expression. "I am Peter Parker. Just not the one you kn—you're supposed to know." He finished almost quietly, letting the words hang in the air for her to take.

"I don't want to believe what I saw was real," she began before pausing to take a look at his expression. No change, she noticed. "But my mind knows it's real. For some reason. It's a…memory."

Peter nodded once more. "My memory," he affirmed.

There was a comprehensive expression on her face. Uncertainty as well. Maybe even doubt. Doubt in his truth. Doubt in his being. His character. "What are you? Who are you?"

"I am Peter Parker," he said once again to reassure her. He looked straight into her eyes with as much conviction and honesty as he could muster in his expression. He began to think about what to do from here. How to regard the anomaly that was Jean Grey.

The veteran can safely say that whatever happened was the first time he experienced something of that nature. Maybe this universe operated on different rules and laws that clashed with his own understanding. Right now, he didn't have a definitive answer on how to proceed.

It's clear she's somehow aware of the truth. She knows about the real him. How he doesn't belong. How vastly different he was to the person he was supposed to be.

Now that the cat was out of the metaphorical bag, he supposed that the best course of action to maintain trust and his moral obligation was to tell her the truth. Well, maybe moral obligation wasn't the correct term to use. His sense of morality. That seemed right.

"This isn't a good place to talk about everything," he began as he came to the conclusion. She looked up at him expectantly. "After school. You follow me, alright? I will tell you everything." Peter's mind flashed back to the construct that was Solemn Magnitude as well as the resources he had at his disposal. "And maybe have an answer for what you just did."

Peter stood up and extended his hand to the still sitting Jean Grey. With an honest expression, he spoke, "Now let's get to our next class. The bell's going to ring any minute now."

What great timing. As if to demonstrate his point, the bell decided to signal the end of lunch and a warning to get to their next class. Still, Jean sat there with an unreadable expression as she stared at the hand that Peter offered.

A few moments passed before she suddenly reached out and gripped his hand firmly with hers. Peter easily helped her up to her feet, allowing both of them to stand face to face. She meekly brought her hands behind her and averted his gaze as he continued to look at her.

Jean felt two gentle reassuring pats on her shoulder. "You're fine. Let's go."

She turned to face him but already found that he was moving towards the entrance. Jean remained still unmoving. Sensing that she wasn't following, Peter shot a look over his shoulder towards her.

Catching the look, Jean closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, holding it in for a moment, before exhaling, already feeling a sense of calmness creeping into her being. Her feet began to move and soon she was walking alongside Peter Parker.

Come 7th period and both Jean Grey and Peter Parker had walked into class together. The teacher regarded them with a 'good afternoon' and inquisitively eyed the rucksack Peter was carrying before returning to his computer.

The two misfits quietly departed from each other as they had assigned seats this period. Peter was the first to take his seat, dropping his rucksack and rummaging within to bring out the necessary materials needed for the period. Jean took her seat shortly after and rather than place her head on the desk and use her arms as pillows she remained upright with a blank expression. Peter surveyed the odd behavior, having an inkling of the reason behind it.

Peter closed his eyes and deeply sighed to himself knowing that this was going to be a long period once it started.

Two minutes later, the reason for his exasperation entered the classroom. Well, four reasons, actually.

Peter lazily lifted his icy gaze up to see an unwelcome sight. The four popular cheerleaders seemed to really hate his guts. Liz Allan, Sally Avril, Gwen Stacy, and Mary Jane Watson. Maybe back home he would have regarded them much more highly. But he wasn't home. This wasn't his home, he reminded himself.

This period had the misfortune of not only having assigned seats but grouped clumps of tables of five or six. Guess who had to share a five-tabled clump with the cheerleaders?

Those around Peter could have sworn the room temperature dropped several degrees once the four cheerleaders came near his clump of desks. Jean watched the inevitable unfold from her desk clump near the far corner of the room. The teacher, focusing on his lesson plan, remained clueless about the drama.

The four cheerleaders had ceased their lighthearted giggly vapid laughter as soon as they came close to his table. All four girls were looking at him as if he had done something to personally offend each and every one of them. He, likewise, returned the unfriendly look. The four then took their respective seats at the clump.

How fortunate was he to be placed right in the center of them all? Hatred central, he supposed with a tired sigh. To his right was Mary Jane Watson. Gwen Stacy was on his left. That left Sally Avril and Liz Allan to directly grace him with their stone-cold presence.

Whispers from the surrounding students began to stir up, taking notice of the situation. Peter didn't bother to listen. With this many glares up close, Peter began to truly wonder what Peter Parker did to deserve this kind of hate. Forgetting the example he made of Flash, Kenny, and Harry earlier, this Peter Parker pitied his counterpart if he had to put up with this.

If there was one thing the five of them shared at the table at the moment it was silence. Unadulterated, uninterrupted, complete silence. He would have appreciated the silence if it weren't for the icy looks and hateful glares thrown his way.

Peter refrained from speaking, biting his tongue lest he initiates a verbal smackdown or even something more physical. He'd like to avoid the latter as much as possible.

He took one glance to the left, to the right, then looked straight ahead almost as if he looked through and past Liz and Sally. Mentally shrugging, Peter pulled out his notebook and pencil just in time for the school bell to ring and for the last of the students to enter the classroom and take their respective seats.

Jean continued to watch from the back where she seemed to be with one other person at her clump. It seemed that the other three students at her clump were absent for the day, allowing her to endure the period in relative peace.

"Alright, class!" The teacher finally announced in an upbeat voice. The students slowly quieted down to listen intently to the teacher. "If you guys can quickly do the warm-up on the board we can start getting into character archetypes!"

Small grumblings reverberated throughout the classroom yet the students did their part and looked to the board. However, the four cheerleaders seemed intent on keeping their sights on Peter. He paid no mind to them and went along with the teacher's instructions and started writing down in his notebook. The four girls held their stare for a little longer before they broke it in unison and eventually looked toward the board to begin their work.

Once the warm-up had been completed and the teacher went over and reviewed it with the class, the teacher went on to lecture the class about character archetypes by introducing them with a video about the subject and then going over a slideshow that was more in-depth.

Throughout it all, Peter Parker began to tune him out, a glazed look in his eyes. In fact, everything was tuned out. He was now in his own personal world where it was just him contemplating. Thinking. Remembering. Looking back.

He'd find himself initiating that breathing exercise that was ingrained in him since enlisting in the ODSTs. Deep breaths and deep exhales calmed his nerves and allowed him to think more clearly. It allowed him to regain his bearings and make tactical and sound decisions in imperatively stressful situations. One such situation that called for this technique was his first encounter with The Flood on Installation 04. He'd—

No. He'd rather not bring those memories forth. That was a very unpleasant experience to say the very least. Even for someone as calm and collected as he was, The Flood was his breaking point. It was everyone's breaking point. Even the Master Chief had admitted to him that the Flood unnerved him and made him pause.

Peter Parker paused. He mentally shook his head. He closed his eyes and re-initiated the breathing exercise. He repeated the necessary steps several times. His mind began to expel the bad memories and…well, he didn't have too many good memories to focus on. Even then most of them were tarnished by the Covenant, he thought to himself morbidly.

"-rker? Mr. Parker?"

Coming to his senses, Peter's eyelids opened and he found himself back in the classroom with several eyes on him. Everyone in the classroom looked at him, regarding his silence as rather odd and unbecoming. He was sure the only person in the room that was looking at him with visible genuine concern was Jean Grey.

The four cheerleaders seated around him, however, gave varying odd looks. Not one showed even a shred of concern. Yet a glance to his right showed that, oddly enough, Mary Jane was looking at him intently. Analyzing and studying him.

Still, unperturbed by all gazes laid upon him, he answered the teacher firmly. "Yes, sir?"

"Glad you join us in the land of the living, Mr. Parker," the teacher said with a wry smile before steeling his expression. "Would you care to give an example of a character that fits the archetype of the Hero?"

Peter set a neutral expression on his face as he took a moment to ponder the question. Clearly, he couldn't reference any of the material he was familiar with because it would be…outdated? Updated? Either way, none would be familiar with the works he knew of due to his peculiar situation. But he also didn't know what this universe's and century's media consisted of. It could vary drastically from the one he was taught the 21st century would have. Plus he hadn't had the proper time to explore and see what this place had to offer.

But a hero. If there was one hero he personally knew, and that hero was non-fictional, that would be Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. The Master Chief. Spartan-117.

Wait a minute. Spartan. Spartan-117. Spartan…

"Leonidas," Peter had answered the question with the same neutral expression.

The teacher paused before recognition lit his face up and he nodded approvingly with a bright smile. "Of course! King Leonidas of the 300 Spartans would fall under the Hero archetype."

The teacher proceeded with the lesson with Peter not paying any mind to it, his mind transfixed on a Spartan. They had been close to the end of the war, he had felt it. He just knew that the Master Chief would be the one to bring an end to the Human-Covenant War and lead humanity to victory. It also helped that the alliance with the Elites, although shaky and rocky, would be a turning point in the war. Peter wondered what was happening on The Ark during his absence. Wondered if in fact, the war had ended already. They had to have stopped Truth from firing the rings. But last he remembered the Covenant holy city High Charity had made a sudden appearance and crash-landed where he and his squad once were. But last he had heard the city had been completely overtaken by The Flood…would that have changed the outcome of the ongoing battle on the Ark?

Shaking his head to dispel those thoughts, Peter finally noticed that the girls around him shared an odd look with one another before returning to the lecture. However, Liz Allan briefly made eye contact with him and tersely held it for several moments before breaking off to continue the lesson.

Later, the teacher concluded his lesson much to the relief of most of the classroom. That sigh of relief turned into a chorus of groans as he announced and assigned a group project. The first assessment grade of the quarter.

There sat Peter Parker looking down at the paper laid bare for the whole group to see, reading through the instructions of the group project. The ladies of his group appeared to share a cruel giggle before one of them spoke for the very first time during the period.

"Looks like you'll be doing all the work, Petey!" Liz Allan jeered with faux enthusiasm and friendliness. He looked up from the paper and was met with a ferociously malicious grin from both Liz and Sally. Safe to say that to his sides Gwen and Mary Jane mirrored it.

"All the work, huh?" He too spoke to them for the very first time this period. "You know that this is a group project, right? Teamwork, you know?"

Liz and Sally's grins faltered a bit, setting their narrowed eyes at him. They had expected a response, that much was certain. It's clear that the way he addressed them did not sit well with them. "You have to do it. You know you do. Or else," Sally warned in her irritating shrill voice, leaving the threat up to Peter's interpretation.

Undeterred, Peter leaned forward a bit, narrowing his eyes. "Or else what?" He challenged.

"You'll regret it," Mary Jane hissed from his side. He turned to face her, seeing her plaster on a very fake yet menacing smile. One that would undoubtedly scare his counterpart.

'This high school clique drama against geeks and wallflowers bullshit is so goddamn stupid. Is this what school is like in the 21st century or is it just these people?' Peter thought to himself in irritation.

"We know you wouldn't hit us girls, Parker," Gwen said off to the side snidely. "You hit any one of us and you'll have my dad to deal with." Man, Peter wanted to wipe that damn smug smirk off the blonde's face. "I don't know if you remember last time but my dad's the police captain. You don't remember the last time he dealt with you, do you?"

Peter's eyes widened only slightly at the implication that Gwen had given him. Inside, he was appalled to see how cruel and demeaning his childhood friends of this universe, besides Sally and to some extent Liz, were selfish heartless popular girls that went beyond to antagonize and even threaten him. Just what had his counterpart done to deserve this kind of treatment, Peter pitifully wondered.

He didn't respond to Gwen's threat. Instead, he put on a blank expression that he was certain would be unreadable to them. Hopefully, that would be a satisfactory reaction that wouldn't instigate anything.

"So you better be a good little geek and do as we say unless you want something really bad to happ—"

Liz was cut off as the bell sounded. That was sweet relief to the trooper's ear. With great precision and dexterity, Peter collected all his things, placed what needed to be stored, and let the rucksack magnetically attach to a small unnoticeable maglock on his back. Of course, he'd put on the backpack straps to maintain the illusion of a backpack.

He had done all of that in less than five seconds. He'd push in his chair and rush over to Jean Grey who was too busy collecting her stuff to notice him. Yet with precise grace and speed, Peter had collected all her stuff for her, stored it all in her backpack, and closed the zipper before grabbing the backpack itself.

"Let's go," he said to her. In her opinion, it sounded more like a command. Not that she would disobey once she remembered what had happened earlier during lunch. She wanted answers herself as much as he did. So, without uttering a complaint, she allowed him to carry her belongings and quickly followed behind.

In less than 12 seconds after the bell had rung, the class had witnessed Peter Parker and Jean Grey hastily making their exit, leaving nothing behind. None were as surprised as Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, Liz Allan, and Sally Avril all of whom were stunned into silence and looked like a gaping fish. Especially when he had left so quickly that they couldn't finish verbally threatening him.

Jean Grey didn't expect to find herself jogging to catch up to Peter's brisk pace as they left the school but she did.

It seemed that after his quick departure from the class into the hallway, people gave them a wide berth. It seems like they didn't want to catch themselves on his bad side after what he managed to do to three football players this morning. Peter paid no mind to it as he had other more important things on his mind. It was fortunate that they didn't run into Flash or Kenny or anyone from the Football team. At most, that confrontation would have delayed Peter and Jean further; a slight inconvenience.

Now she and Peter were walking along the sidewalk to a destination unknown to her. They were walking pretty fast—well, Peter was, and Jean had some trouble keeping up with his brisk pace.

"Hey, slow down!" She had said, losing her footing in the midst and almost tripping but managing to regain it. Peter looked over his shoulder and recognition flashed across his face before he did as she requested. "Dammit, I almost tripped! Why are we in such a rush?"

"No reason," Peter replied. Jean had been amazed that despite being empty of any weight she had trouble keeping up and yet Peter, holding her backpack by one single strap and along with his…containment unit thingy, kept a pretty fast pace and didn't seem winded in the slightest. Some sweat was building up, she noticed as she took a closer look at him as they walked alongside each other. "Dammit," he cursed to himself quietly.

Jean felt a question about to escape her lips but Peter seemed to answer as if he read her mind, "I forgot something that would have gotten us to where we need to go a lot more sooner but I guess we'll have to go through Times Square."

"Uh, that's a bit of a walk from here," Jean stated that obvious, making Peter roll his eyes.

"If your legs give out I'll carry you all the way there myself if I need to," Peter said with no hesitation in his voice, waving off the likelihood.

This statement created embarrassment within Jean at the mental picture of Peter carrying her bridal style or even over his shoulders, causing a blush to adorn her cheeks. "I can walk! I'm not that out of shape, you know," she finished with a mutter of indignation.

Peter hummed a tone of doubt, a playful twinkle in his eye. Jean picked up on his nature and proceeded to fold her arms and put on a pout. She could have sworn his lips briefly curl just a slight inch up in a smirk before thinning into a line.

Later…

Times Square Alleyway:

Now the two found themselves in an alleyway just near Times Square. Jean was rather confused about the strange place to hold such a sensitive discussion. Her eyes searched the area to find anything noteworthy to no avail.

"Uh, really? Here?" She voiced her thoughts aloud, looking straight at Peter for a reasonable explanation.

"No, this isn't it."

His neural interface already pointed toward a NAV marker placed above a location he had been accustomed to since his arrival. "This way," he beckoned Jean who followed hesitantly.

Now he stood directly in front of what the NAV marker was pointing toward. Jean watched closely as Peter pushed a dumpster a couple of feet away and cleared some debris. Coming closer, Jean was curious to see what Peter had been trying to reveal to her.

Then she saw it materialize out of what appeared to be thin air. Some blue grid adorning a white pad. It appeared that it could only fit one person on top of it.

Without warning, Peter grabbed her hand, bringing her close to him. Close to where their bodies were pressed up against one another. Yet again Jean Grey blushes madly especially when Peter's arms wrap around her body in an embrace.

"P-Peter," she said bashfully, looking away from him. However, it appeared that he had no issue with the sudden intimacy. Jean managed to bring her gaze to meet his and he looked rather indifferent to the situation.

"Mag told me it only responds to me and, well, this is the only solution I could come up with," Peter explained with no hint of shame or embarrassment at all. In reality he was fighting off a smirk at seeing Jean become so shy and quiet.

"Is this really—"

Jean stopped mid-sentence as a faint humming and whirring sound started. She looked down to see the object glowing and the blue grid slowly moving upwards.

"Hold on tight, Red," Peter instructed Jean. Fearing the unknown, she did as he said and reciprocated his actions from earlier, seeming to calm down her blush since this seemed to be far bigger than a random intimate moment. "I don't know if this will work."

Jean nodded her head against his chest as the noise became louder and more ominous. Her fists clenched a fistful of his shirt from behind as the noise reached a crescendo and then suddenly a white light filled her vision.

Forerunner Facility:

Feeling disoriented momentarily, Jean Grey blinked as the blinding white light vanished. Her eyes took in the surroundings. The first thing she noticed was the immaculate foreign walls that seemed to be reverberating with energy. Then she felt Peter break his non-intimate embrace from her and stepped away to someplace else. Jean didn't seem to notice as she was too engrossed in marveling at the architecture. She stepped toward a wall where a thin line seemed to be glowing with light blue energy. Tentatively, she slowly reached out and placed her index finger up against it. Expecting to feel something incredible, she was disappointed but nonetheless amazed to feel a warm energy current beneath the glowing blue line in the wall.

She took several moments staring at it before her mind started to catch up. Things were moving around in her mind and then the concept registered. She realized she had teleported. From that strange alley near Times Square to wherever…here was.

She stepped back from the wall, almost stumbling from shock after processing what had just happened. Her head swiveled around to catch the person that initiated this journey and could not find him anywhere in the admittedly vast vicinity.

"Peter?" Jean called out, hearing her voice echo around her, putting into perspective how expansive this place really was. She was about to call again when he heard his voice behind her.

"Relax, I'm here," he announced.

Jean felt relief wash over her, thinking the worst but was not prepared for the sight that stood before her.

As she turned around, she noticed that he was not wearing clothes. No, not the clothes she was familiar with seeing him dress up in. He was wearing armor. Armor that she became all too familiar with earlier. It was recognizable and distinct in not only its paint scheme but also in that it was the first she had ever seen.

There stood Peter decked out in his ODST armor sans his helmet which he was holding loosely to his side with one hand. His fangs were in their two sheaths near the upper right and upper left of his chest plate respectively. The holster near his right thigh was visible for her to see and holstered was his M6 SOCOM pistol.

Jean, taking in the sight, gave off a look that spelled recognition and awe. "That armor…you—"

"Yes," Peter nodded. "Just like what you saw earlier. In that memory. Although that was a few months ago and some things had been modified."

Jean nodded dumbly in agreement. For what she was agreeing with, she didn't know. Her eyes scanned from top to bottom, scanning him wholly although remained unmoving. "So then," she gulped, feeling as anxious as earlier. "Who, um, are you exactly?"

"As I told you before I am Peter Parker," he repeated what he had said earlier but with further emphasis and enunciation. He could see the skeptical look in her eyes and doubt flashed across her face. Feeling exasperated, Peter made to put on his ODST helmet with both of his hands, letting the helmet connect with his armor with a slight hiss and a green wink of acknowledgment flashing across his HUD as the visor powered up. There stood a shocked Jean Grey who could do nothing but stare at him in astonishment.

"But I'm not your Peter Parker—your universe's Peter Parker. I may look like him right now but that's only due to certain circumstances and requirements. Or so I'm told," Peter explained, his voice trailing off near the end.

Jean gave a puzzled look as if to say she didn't understand a word or couldn't comprehend what she was being told. Or outright didn't believe it. Peter felt a headache coming on but it was very much unlike the one earlier with his incident.

Peter sighed in slight exasperation before standing upright. "I'm Corporal Peter Parker, Service Number 72099-10616-PP. Callsign: Spider-Man. I'm an ODST; an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. Orbital Drop Shock Troopers are a special operations organization attached to the UNSC Marine Corp. UNSC means United Nations Space Command. I've been serving as an ODST for a little over two decades in a fight against a collection of religious alien species called the Covenant. They are hellbent on committing genocide against humanity."

Jean Grey stood there silent, eyes widened as her brain took the time to process the information. Her mind flashed back to that incident earlier where she witnessed a glimpse of a certain memory on a mysterious ring world. She thought back to every single minute detail she could remember and everything seemed to add up. She paused. That name. Spider-Man. Wasn't that the vigilante superhero who had shown up during summer fighting crime only to disappear about four months after his first appearance? Could it be one big coincidence, Jean wondered to herself.

Her lips were moving faster than her mind. "Spider-Man—"

"Yes, it seems my counterpart here, this universe's Peter Parker is that Spider-Man character. I didn't believe it myself when I first heard about it."

"I still don't—what the heck is that thing?!" Jean suddenly shouted as she pointed at what appeared to be a floating ball with a bright glowing orange light for an eye.

"He's—"

"Greetings! I am 377 Solemn Magnitude. I am the monitor of the Forerunner facility stationed in this universe categorized as thirty-seven." The bright floating ball spoke, shocking Jean even further.

"Hey, Mag," The ODST greeted casually, almost making Jean sputter. Her eyes traveled back and forth between the living being and the non-living entity. She wasn't even sure what to think.

"Ah, welcome back, reclaimer! May I inquire about this guest?"

Said guest remained silent during the exchange with an expression of disbelief.

"Ah, don't worry, Mag. She's a reclaimer, y'know? Human?"

The floating ball with a glowing orange eye hovered silently as it stared at Jean, making her feel uncomfortable under its gaze. It was almost like it was studying her. Analyzing her. The silence did little to ease her discomfort.

Peter turned to her with a casual wave of a hand. "Don't mind him. He doesn't have many guests. Well, none at all except for me. But his creators were pretty important in my universe. Do you remember that ring world you saw in my memory?"

Jean nodded numbly, trying to keep her attention on Peter but the bulb staring at her was making it difficult for her to do so.

Even though Jean couldn't see Peter's face at the moment, she felt he was making a difficult expression beneath that helmet of his. With the pregnant pause, she'd wager that this was a complicated subject that Peter didn't really relish discussing.

"It's called Halo," Peter began, a tone of discomfort setting in. "It's a…weapon. If activated it can—"

"Ah, apologies for my lack of response, Reclaimer, but it appears that this specimen you've brought with you does not fit the criteria of a reclaimer."

Both Peter and Jean snapped toward Solemn Magnitude with varying reactions.

"What?" Peter had almost exclaimed but managed to remain calm and collected.

"I've done an analysis. While most of her genetic makeup is fit for a reclaimer, she possesses an anomaly. One that's quite uncommon but not quite rare for humans in this universe."

The monitor continued, oblivious to the suspense he'd been creating for the two individuals before him. "It's really fascinating! I haven't been able to get a close-up analysis until this very moment but it appears this gene within her genetic makeup, which has laid dormant until recently, is now active. I believe they call it the: X-GENE. Reclaimers do not possess this or rather it remains dormant in this universe thus she cannot be considered a true reclaimer. I do believe people that possess this anomaly are commonly called Mutants."

Peter eyed Jean with worry, suspecting that she knows what Mag was speaking about. His suspicions were proven correct as a look of horror and grim realization replaced her expression of shock and wonder, a look he would rather see grace her face than the fear she was experiencing.

"Oh no…"

"Congratulations!" Solemn Magnitude chirped excitedly.

A/N: Yes, I'm still alive after all these years. I felt like updating this after so long. Re-reading it from the beginning there are some inconsistencies I'm ashamed to admit and the timeline is all messed up since I was young and didn't really understand what I was doing at the time but basically the retcon is

Peter Parker's Parents served as ODSTs since before the beginning of the war in 2525 and had a lot of experience. They would be declared deceased and a funeral service held between 2525 and 2531

Uncle Ben also served as an ODST aboard the Spirit of Fire which is the ship in Halo Wars where Spartan Red Team is. Of course, they all go MIA at this point in 2531 and, shortly after, Peter enlists despite not completing High School as a 17-year old Junior in which the UNSC looks the other way seeing as how desperate they are. They are also aware of Peter's lineage.

When he first becomes an ODST his main squad is Alpha-9 which consists of Buck, Mickey, Romeo, Rookie, and Dutch. Even though in canon that Alpha-9 lineup happens during Halo 2 and Halo 3: ODST but I guess I didn't understand it at the time I had already written it. Although Alpha-9 is his main squad he goes around where the UNSC needs him all from 2531 to 2552.

As for during the games I'm torn whether or not I want him to stay with Alpha-Nine and experience the events of Halo 3: ODST or go with Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson on board the In Amber Clad to Delta Halo and experience the events of Halo 2.

Just a reminder I write for fun and self-entertainment and to see ridiculous scenarios. I really only write when I feel it and to improve on that skill. But I hope you enjoyed this update even though it's been a long time.