A/N: Thank you for the reviews. I'm happy to be back with the adventures of John 'Rookie' Oltz and sorry for the extremely long delay. Everything has been crazy it's like you think things will go the way they're supposed to and then life throws a nasty curve ball. Anyway enjoy.
John looked at the crowd of people sitting at the dinner table, all of them gawking at him like he was some man that just recently escaped from an insane asylum. The silence wasn't helping either due to the fact that 5 minutes ago he told them the truth about how he ended up on the island and the only person that wasn't as shocked as the rest was the Toph lady. She was just leaning against the door frame of the entrance and was gazing down.
From just looking at the surroundings John knew that they were not even close to the UNSC, technologically speaking of course. Him talking about ships that could fly from planet to planet was definitely something to keep to himself. The silence finally was cut through when Katara's brother Sokka coughed to get everyone's attention.
"Toph you're absolutely positive that this guy is telling the truth?" he said hoping that his earth bending friend just got the readings a little mixed up.
"Yes, I'm sure. Not one thing he said in that ramble was a lie."
The room yet again filled with silence, John would have no more of that. He stood from his seat "Look everyone I know what I said might sound ridiculous to you but I need to get back to my home. It's under attack by my enemy and if I don't get back my home and everyone that lives there will be slaughtered". John emphasized the slaughter part but what he knew along with most of the UNSC was the odds were against them to halt the Covenant from destroying Earth. Still with the odds against them and their backs to the wall everyone would fight harder than ever, Earth will not be destroyed as easily as the Covenant believe.
John was breathing heavily and was focused on the crowd in front of him. So he was surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder plate and turned to see Katara with a sincere smile on her face. "Your home is under attack John, we all know that feeling". Her smile fell and she looked at the floor.
John turned to see everyone else looking down in sadness. "What did Katara mean when she said you all know that feeling?"
"Our world was at war for 100 years" John looked at Aang's face incredulously and felt like an idiot for not putting their lives, whatever they were into consideration first. The war he was in currently did not even come close to half of the years these people endured in battle. Well the way everything was transpiring back at home the UNSC would not last another few months unless something extremely lucky happened.
He was going to ask what happened but Toph's harsh voice cut him off. "Now is probably not the best time to explain, if you want to sit here for a few hours and hear the story be my guest."
John was going to say that he would wait and listen to the stories of these people but the words were flat on his tongue. Pictures of carnage ran through his mind, first were the explosions of the Orbital Defense Platforms Athens and Malta. There were about 400 operators on those Platforms and in one foul swoop they were taken from this world by a Covenant bomb. Then there was the Covenant cruiser that went into slipspace inside the city of New Mombasa. John knew that carnage was probably going through that city, the cruiser sent a shockwave that probably killed hundreds of civvies and Military personnel. Even his squad of ODST's that he was with before the drop probably didn't survive the impact.
He was squad less again for the 2nd time in his life.
"Whoa are you good Tin man?"
John snapped out of his trance and looked around the table to see everyone staring at him, what the hell? "Are you talking to me?"
"Yes I'm talking to you tin man. I felt your heart spike to dangerously high levels". John looked at the top left corner of his HUD and saw that Toph was telling the truth his heart rate spiked to near 350 beats per minute, but the hell did she know that?
Even though he found it weird that she knew if he was lying or not and the fact that she knows his heart rate, those weren't the top things in his mind. "Why did you call me tin man?"
"Because of your hard cased armor".
"Before we go on about nicknames we should focus on getting you back to your home world". John looked away from Toph and realized Katara was the one talking to him, "On a second note how are you going to get back home?"
"I have a machine back on the beach that continuously sends out a call for help to my allies. If one of you would like to help me find that beach again I would be most grateful."
John thought he saw Aang about to volunteer but a young woman that was dressed in the same colored robes as Aang and actually still had her blonde hair came into the dining room. "I'm sorry to interrupt you Avatar Aang but Kya has awoken and requests you and Master Katara immediately".
Katara and Aang said thank you simultaneously and smiled at one each other. "I have just the person in mind for you John" he turned to Toph and merely nodded at her and unbeknownst to Josh she caught his drift.
"Sergeant Aponte" Toph shouted and a few seconds later a man dressed in the same armor as Toph walked into the room and bowed. He had a nice black mustache with his ragged black hair hanging out of the hat that sat atop his head. A few scars were noticeable on his face and the man's left eye was blind.
"You are to escort this man to the Northeast beach and make sure he finds what he is looking for. Is that understood?"
"Yes chief".
The man without even acknowledging John walked out of the dining room. The Rookie had to speed walk to catch up with the Sergeant and was able to track him down just as he walked out into what seemed to be a courtyard. He fixed the bag on his shoulders and took in the beautiful surroundings. It was very peaceful with different types of animals going from here to fro. Even though it was dark the courtyard was still bustling.
The people were also very nice. Each of them asking how he felt and thanking him sincerely for saving Kaya. John took a note of that, news traveled fast on this mansion something that might come in handy later.
A few minutes later the courtyard ended and became a forest. Seeing how there was nothing to catch his eye John started to think about his predicament. If he was indeed on another planet then the beacon wouldn't help. The UNSC Brass wouldn't allow any ship to leave the defense of Earth and travel to a different planet to answer a distress beacon. He was only just one man, what difference could one man make.
The idea of this being a dream was thrown out the window already and know he had to face the facts, there was no getting home. He would try though if luck would help him John would be more than appreciative.
"We have arrived". John came out of his thoughts and noticed the stairs from before leading down. He simply nodded at the Sergeant and walked slowly downwards.
The pod was already in sight when the pair stepped onto the sand. John kicked the hatch of the pod and looked inside quickly finding the off world beacon, he had already activated the Squad beacon earlier but to his disappointment it was destroyed when he fought Aang and Zuko. The Rookie typed in the frequency into the large black circular device. A small like sliver with a microphone attached slid out of the beacon once the code was typed in and John prepared himself to make the recording.
He cleared his throat and pressed the record button, "This is Private John Oltz of the 68th ODST division. I am stranded on an unknown habited planet with other possible survivors that are also unknown. If anyone is hearing this we need immediate evac. Prioritization code Delta 6-4-3-5".
John nodded in approval and placed the beacon inside his bag. He moved the pod slightly and heard a loud clunk. The back of the pod seemed to move and when he stared at it for a second John knew that his luck couldn't have changed for the better. A latch was on the back wall, ripping it off a Shotgun laid in a hidden compartment and on closer inspection it was in perfect condition.
With a big smile on his face that resembled a little kid getting a homemade chocolate chip cookie John started to delve into the massive amounts of Shotgun ammo he brought for the Cruiser mission. Pumping his Shotgun just to hear the noise made him feel great for some odd reason.
Feeling satisfied John exited the pod and was about to say something when his motion sensor added another white blip which told him an unidentified anomaly. The Sergeant standing in front of him accounted for one but the other dot was above them.
John looked up at the cliff and noticed a few trees that would be a good spot for another person to hide. John felt his eyes roam the trees and stopped when a very small branch movement caught his eye and on closer inspection he noticed an outline of a young male.
"Sergeant up there!" John called out causing the assailant to expose himself. He jumped out of the tree and headed for them. Pulling back his arm he shot it forward and sent an incredibly large fire ball at Josh and the Sergeant.
The Sergeant shot his hands up into the air and created a large rock wall. The blast hit the defensive wall and was barely able to stop the fire from cracking the rock. The Assailant noticed that as well and he kicked his foot out roundhouse kicking the stone wall causing it to explode. Josh felt the heat melting through his shields and was just barely able to get out of the way of the explosion.
Josh didn't waste any time getting to his feet. He noticed the Sergeant laying on the ground with smoke coming off of his body. Standing over his body was the Fire bender, "Don't move!" John pumped his Shotgun and aimed it at the assailants back.
The man slowly turned around only for John to see his face completely covered by some black cloth. His whole body in fact was covered in some black suit with the exception of a red dragon logo on the chest. John could practically feel the heat that was radiating off of this fire bender.
"What are you?" the mysterious man asked. "Are you friend or foe?"
John felt the grip on his Shotgun tighten, there was no doubt that this man is a part of the Fire Nation loyalists. Aang had the brilliant idea to tell him about the enemy he was accidentally mistaken for and how dangerous each member was. "That depends" John answered and looked for any movement from the Sergeant, none came. "Are you friends with the Avatar?"
The mysterious man made a 'tsk tsk' sound before starting to walk forward slowly. "I said to not move you bastard" the fire bender just kept slowly walking toward John, he didn't want to shoot him but John was pretty sure he didn't want his skin to melt from this guy's fire ball.
"I swear if you take another step I'll drop you where you stand". The man chuckled now when all of a sudden he sprinted forward. John opened fire and watched as the man jumped over his blast, also jumping over him as well. Landing perfectly behind the ODST John turned and fired off another round, the fire bender also dodged the second shot and was able to get close enough to disarm John with a simple roundhouse kick to the hands.
John slid backwards narrowly avoiding an uppercut. The two men stared at each other in hatred, John reached down for his boot and took out his Hunting knife. "You need a weapon to defeat me machine?" the fire bender chuckled, "Pathetic".
This time John initiated the charge. He swiped right and left trying to hit the man in the chest but every time the fire bender dodged. This only made John angry and after a few more swipes one made contact with the man's chest. It wasn't deep at all to seriously injure him but something changed in the fire benders eyes.
With a shout of rage the fire bender returned with a volley of punches and kicks. Most of them were blocked but the few that did get by his defenses hurt immensely. A few of his ribs were definitely broken.
John blocked another round house kick making the attacker furious. He back flipped a few feet away, "You may be able to block all of my punches and kicks machine but let's see how that armor does against fire".
He threw out two fists and sent a large fire ball at the metal machine. John smirked, now was the best chance he was ever going to get to test out his new armor. He pressed down on the button on his left hand and with a large amount of force punched the ground.
The fire at that exact moment consumed John and the mysterious fire bender smirked. No one could have survived that, the machine was an idiot for not trying to dodge. He pulled his hands back ending the continuous streak of fire and waited in anticipation to see the thing laying on the floor in a crisp. With a gasp of shock he realized that he had survived.
A blue like shield was around the machine while he was sort of kneeling into the ground, his fist planted firmly into the ground.
With a loud 'pop'John stood back up with a smirk. If he ever saw his superiors again he had to remember to thank them for equipping armor lock on his suit. "I'm done playing games" John stated and with extreme speed pulled his pistol out of his other boot and popped off a single round. The fire bender was too stunned to see the projectile flying at him. It impacted his chest right through the dragon logo's head and went straight through his heart. The body flew back onto the floor. Dead.
John took in some oxygen and enjoyed the feeling of his air conditioner in his helmet. That was easily one of the toughest fights he had ever had. That was saying something to seeing as though John had a few Zealot kills under his belt. Those bastards were definitely tough.
John grabbed his Shotgun and was relieved to see that it was still in perfect condition. Holstering it he rushed over to the Sergeant's body. He still did not move, rolling him onto his back John was able to see a few burn marks. He was alive, just needed some serious medical attention.
5 more white blips appeared on the motion sensor behind him. John turned in time to see 5 more of those fire nation loyalists land right next to their dead friend. Without a single word 4 of them picked up the body and the fifth stood in a ready stance with a look in her eyes, almost like she was daring John to make a move.
"Let's go" a gruff male voice called out and off they ran with the body. Not before the female fire bender threw her hand out. Except fire didn't shoot out at him, in fact nothing happened. It was kind of like she flipped him off and then continued on with her allies.
John made sure they were really gone and then grabbed the beacon from his pod. Then he picked up the Sergeant and threw him over his shoulder before making his way back to the mansion. He made it to the tree line and almost immediately the servants walking around noticed him carrying the Sergeant. They were doing small examinations while keeping up with his walking pace.
John was about to enter the mansion but was stopped when Katara, Aang and Toph ran out. "What in spirits name happened?" Toph yelled out as Katara checked out one of Toph's metal bending Officers.
"We got ambushed." Katara finished checking the Sergeant out and ushered John to bring him inside and into something called a 'healing room'. He did as he was told and followed her into the house and found said room. It was rather peaceful a single bed with a few windows that were left open, letting the outside air in.
John carefully placed the man's burnt body on the bed. Katara ordered everyone out so she could concentrate. "Who ambushed you?" Aang asked as the impatient Toph tapped her foot on the floor.
"I think it was a Fire Nation Loyalist. He had a logo of a dragon on his chest and when he asked if I was a friend or foe. I then asked if he too was a friend of the Avatar's, to which his reply was to attack me."
"This is ridiculous" Aang commented as he started to pace the hallway in thought.
"I need to question him Tin man. Where is he?"
"That won't be possible. There was more than one and they dragged his body away before disappearing into the forest". Aang and Toph seemed to take in his words and after a little awkward silence Aang spoke up.
"You killed the fire bender didn't you?"
"Yes" John answered without a single thought. What else was he supposed to do? His life and the Sergeant's life was in danger. Just like he was taught back in basic, if there was a threat it had to be neutralized.
Aang nodded and then excused himself from the conversation. John watched the Avatar walk slowly away before asking the question to Toph. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Aang sees the world one way and others see it a different way." Toph commented as she felt Aang's heartbeat slow down slightly. "He is not fond of killing any living thing, it's the way his masters taught him when he was young. Every life is sacred. Even the bad guys."
John yet again felt like an idiot. He really needs to know these peoples back stories, maybe then he could understand what these people have been through. Maybe he could share a little back story of his but only if they asked to hear some of it, he wasn't that fond of sharing his past. Most of it wasn't happy memories.
A sudden surge of energy made John cringe slightly, not in pain and not in pleasure. It was a feeling he had never felt before. "What was that Tin Man? Your heart rate spiked again".
"First of all stop it with the Tin Man and secondly I don't know. I've never felt such a rush like that before". The sliding door to the healing room opened and all Toph could think about was the accelerated heartbeat. A few good Officers had that same feeling before hours later they were hospitalized.
"All right Toph" Katara said expecting the answer. When none came the Water bender looked at her friend in confusion. "Toph!" she said with a little more spunk.
The Chief of police jumped slightly, "Sorry I was just thinking, anyway thank you for healing Sergeant Aponte". A different Metal bender officer came up from behind Toph and tapped her on the shoulder. He whispered something into her ears and when he was finished walked slightly backwards and stood at attention.
"I must return to the city and deal with a few things, have a good night Katara". Toph exited with the Officer leaving John and Katara.
"It's late" Katara commented, a topic that came out of nowhere. "While you were gone I took the liberty to make you a guest room"
"Thank you Katara, you didn't have to do that for me. Back at my home they trained me to never need sleep. So we could fight the enemy 24/7". John said proudly and in return only got a rather disgusted glare.
"That's terrible" she said while walking past him. "I'm glad our war has ended and lucky for you, you're not back home. In my house we live in peace and can sleep until midafternoon if anyone wants to". John smiled and snorted he could get use to the no fighting thing, he could just never imagine his life as a civilian again. His life was now all military.
"Follow me to your room". The Water Bender and the ODST walked up the flight of stairs and down the hallway for quite a bit before coming to a dead end. She slid the door open and walked into the room. All that really was in the small room was a bed which looked to be too small, a night table and an open window which actually gave him a great view of the city. Which gave him the idea to visit that city one of these days.
"It's not much but" she fluffed one of the pillows on the bed, "it's something, better than nothing".
John checked his surroundings and with careful precision unlatched his helmet, a hiss of air following in suit before pulling it off. He felt the cold night air against his face and it felt extremely good and needed. He looked back at Katara only to see her staring at him.
With some self-consciousness kicking in John looked at his reflection through his visor. His short brown hair looked fine, his hazel eyes seemed a little lighter than usual which was fine. Then he realized what the problem was. The scar that started from the right corner of his forehead and went diagonally down his face until it stopped at the left corner of his chin.
"Don't worry about the scar it's just a little blemish to me".
"Sorry, it's just I have never seen such a scar as big as your before".
John nodded understanding her amazement. How he got that scar was a story for another time. He gently lowered himself onto the bed and felt a surge of pain, he tried to keep it under wraps but Katara caught his change in facial expression.
"What's wrong" she asked concerned.
John didn't want to get into a real frenzy about it so with compliance he took off his chest piece to reveal his black endo suit. He lifted that up and she was able to see all the bruising around his abdomen. She placed her hand there and he flinched away from him.
"Broken" she said simply and then took water from the pouch on her hip. She applied it to the area and was astonished when he asked her something that caught her off guard.
"I need you to tell me about what happened in the past, with the war and you guys. I need to be able to understand why these Fire Nation Loyalists are attacking you. Tell me everything".
Katara nodded solemnly and continued to heal his ribs. "It's a good thing you were trained to never sleep, because this story is going to take hours".
Then just like that she started at the beginning, with the boy in the ice.