Chapter 3: The Arrival
Flashback
John-117
As the Flood Combat Forms surrounded the Master Chief, he fired Shotgun shells at them, gunning them down. He was down to his last shell and he fired it right into the center of an infected Elite's chest, where the root of the infection seemed to sprout up. He dropped the Shotgun and drew his Assault Rifle. He opened fire at the Forms until most of them were gone. He ran aboard the Pelican fighter and closed the hatch. He took out Cortana's data chip and put it in the AI slot. Cortana's holographic image appeared, having her arms crossed. "Fire the engines," the Chief said. "Now!" The engines fired, and the Master Chief got into the pilots seat.
"Punch it!" he said, as the Pelican took off. "Fifteen seconds, Chief!" Cortana warned him. "I got it, I got it." he said, as he guided the Pelican towards space. "Ten seconds!" she warned him once again. He left the ring's orbit, just as the Pillar of Autumn's fusion engines fired, destroying the ship and that part of the ring. After a few minutes, Installation 04 was gone. "Are we the only survivors?" the Chief asked. "Scanning." Cortana said. "Nothing. Just dust and echoes. We're all that's left! Halo, it's finished." The Chief shook his head, reaching to take off his helmet. "No," he replied, taking his helmet off. "The Covenant is still out there and Earth is at risk. We're just getting started."
...
"Cortana!" the Chief shouted as he woke up. What a nightmare. Alpha Halo, the battle and the Flood. But the Flood was gone and so was Halo. After the Battle of Installation 00, otherwise known as the Ark, it seemed that both the Flood and Delta Halo's Gravemind had been destroyed for the better. He got up and looked around. Sarge, Church or any other guys were no where to be found. "Sarge, Church!" the Chief called out, walking deeper into the canyon. "Anyone?" Where have they gone now, he thought. He walked around, this being the first time he had seen his surroundings for real. He was in the middle of a box canyon, and it was mostly desert, and rocks. Also, here and there, there were a few trees. He decided to take this time to make a journal entry, since he was alone. He activated the journal function on his hud and started speaking. "Journal entry number five. So, it's been a few years since I've done one of these, so I might be a little rusty. Let me catch you up. A few years back, after abandoning the Pillar of Autumn with Cortana the AI, we found Installation 04, one of the many Halo Installations in the known Universe. Turned out, the Installation was a prison for a parasitic race, known as the Flood. We destroyed the ring a couple days or so after it's discovery, which narrowly prevented the Flood's escape. I floated in space for a while in a Pelican with Cortana, until we discovered a group of survivors, including Sarge A.J. Johnson. With them, we boarded a Covenant Ship and were able to return to Reach. Weeks or perhaps months later, the Covenant attacked us at Cairo Station, right above Earth. We defended Cario Station and I defused a Covenant bomb that was present. After that, Cortana re-armed the bomb and we literally dropped it off the station, so I could guide it to the Covenant Carrier." he said, starting the journal entry.
"After that, I fell to the UNSC En Amber Clad and we went to Earth, to defend it as well. After hours of fighting and me single handedly dropping a Scarab, we followed the Prophets through a slipspace rupture, which led to Installation 05, another Halo. We dropped onto the Ring and fought through many ancient temples. I eventually got blown off of a pylon or something, I can't remember what it's called and sunk to the bottom of the lake, pond, ocean or whatever it was. Or so I thought. I was grabbed by a tentacle and found myself in a cavern. I was face to face with some monstrousity of nature, called the Gravemind, which is like, the leader of the Flood. I also came in contact with the Arbiter, a Covenant Elite that I'd eventually side with, for the battle of the Ark. More on that later. He sent us after the Index, something about keeping the key from turning. I went to one part of Halo and the Arbiter to another. I ended up on the High Charity, I believe. Sometime between then and now, I ended up back on Earth. My armor locked and Johnson had to find me and unlock it. We fought the Covenant, with the help of the Arbiter on Earth for several hours. Or days. I can't remember. Eventually, we found-"
"Hey Chief," he heard someone say behind him. "I'll, uh, have to finish this later." he said. The Chief turned around to saw the guy in black armor with yellow trim. "Oh," the Chief said. "It's you. The one they called Wash." The man grunted. "It's actually Agent Washington of Project Freelancer. Former Freelancer. You can just call me Washington. Or Wash as Church did. Whatever." he said. "Pleased to meet you, soldier." the Master Chief grunted. "Why aren't you a part of Project Freelancer anymore?" he asked. "Most of the Freelancers went rogue. I was supposed to hunt down Agent Maine. Also known as the Meta. Project Freelancer doesn't exist anymore."
"Mister Chief, Mister Chief!" the Chief heard Caboose's voice. He turned in his direction. "For the last time Michael," he groaned. "You don't have to call me 'Mister Chief', just Chief will do fine." Caboose stopped running in front of the Chief. "Mister Chief," he said, ignoring the Chief's recomendation. "I have a question." The Chief stared at him. "Well?" he asked, gesturing to the Blue. "Come on, I don't have all day." Caboose took a deep breath. "When is the ship you ordered going to get here?" he asked. "How did you know?" the Chief asked, slightly annoyed. "I might have spied on you," Caboose said. "Ok, I did spy on you." The Chief rolled his eyes in his helmet. "Whatever. And I didn't order it, I have no idea when it'll be around."
"Hey, Chief!" the Chief heard Church's voice. "Oh my god," the Chief muttered, walking in Church's direction. "I liked it better when Cortana was in my head." Well, techinically she was, but she was permenantly offline. "What is it Church?" he asked, upon reaching the Cobalt armored Spartan. "If Caboose is annoying you," Church said. "Then feel free to shoot him." The Spartan looked at Church. "You don't kill your teammates, Church." he said. "Even if he is an annoying little bitch?" Church asked. "Church," he said. "Do you want me to shoot you in the other knee?" Church started laughing. "It wouldn't matter!" Church said. "I'm just an AI encased in a robot body."
The Chief looked at Church. "Church," he said. "I'm a pretty fair man. Washington, get over here!" The Chief heard Washington running up to him. "Yeah?" he asked. "Ok," the Chief continued. "Church, I'll give you a ten second head start before I let Washington do whatever he wants to do to you." The Chief reached for his sidearm. "Oh, come on Chief!" Church said. "I was just kidding." the Chief raised his Pistol just as Washington raised his Assault Rifle. "One Mississippi, two Mississippi..." He started counting. "Ok, I'm going to be going now." Church said, turning around and running back to Blue base. He looked at Washington and they turned in Church's direction. They opened fire on him as a joke, but aimed around him, not at him.
"Hey guys, stop that!" Church said, still running. "Ok, he's gone Washington, stop firing." He and Washington stopped firing, reloading their weapons. He placed his sidearm on his thigh again and turned to Washington. "Thanks, Washington." he said. The Chief had been in Blood Gulch for three days now and he had yet to forget Cortana. And he wouldn't. Cortana was like a mother figure to him during the Battle on Alpha Halo. She became a friend to him during the Battle of Earth and the Battle on Delta Halo. And then, after relocating her on the Flood infested Covenant ship, High Charity, they had became close friends. Then after the events on the Ark, a Forerunner "control center" to the Halos, she became more to him. She had became human to him. But she wasn't. Then there was the tragic loss on the Composer. She was gone now and it was all his fault.
He had made a promise to get her back to Earth or where they would be able to find Dr. Catherine Halsey. Don't make a girl a promise, Cortana's voice echoed in his brain. "If you know you can't keep it." He finished the echoing words. "You ok, Chief?" Washington said, waving his hand in front of the Chief's faceplate. "I'm fine, Washington." he said. He would bring Cortana back, even if it meant the end of his life. "So, you ordered a ship to come?" Washington asked. "Why does everyone think that I ordered a ship here?!" the Chief screamed. "The officer just said a ship was coming!" Washington took a few steps back. "Okay, okay. Sorry Chief." he said. The Master Chief shook his head. "You're fine, Washington," he said. "I'm just stressed out from the action on Reqiuem and the Composer."
"What are those?" Grif asked, running over to the two Spartans. "Ah Grif," he said, turning to the orange Spartan. "I'm not the person you should speak to about that." Well, in reality he was, but it was kind of classified and these Spartans had no proof that they were part of the UNSC. "Then who is?" Grif asked. "I don't know." he said. "Oh, fuckberries." he heard Tucker say. "Chief, you might want to move. Like, right now." The Chief turned to Tucker. "Me? Why?" he asked. Tucker jumped and tackled the Chief to the ground, just as the sound of a Sniper Rifle went off. "Horse shit!" he heard Simmons' voice. "I almost hit the bird on your head!" Tucker got off the Chief and put his hand out. The Chief took Tucker's hand and got up. He brushed himself off and turned towards Red Base.
"What the hell are you doing, Simmons?!" the Chief yelled. "Just getting target practice in!" Simmons shouted back. "Using a fellow Spartan?!" Grif shouted. "Hey," Tucker said. "The Chief doesn't need help." The Chief heard someone Pistol whip someone and heard Tucker say, "Ow! Asshole!" The Chief turned back to the rival Spartans or former-rival Spartans. "That's enough, out of both of you!" he said. He turned back in Simmons' direction. "Simmons," he called in the maroon Spartan's direction. "If you do that again, I'll shoot you!" Simmons laid the Sniper Rifle across his chest, looked around, saw Donut, the Pink armored Spartan, standing there and shoved it into his hands. "Sorry, Donut did it!" he called. Donut looked over at Simmons, said something and hit him in the head with the Rifle.
Then Simmons dropped his Pistol and they started fighting. The Master Chief sighed in frusteration. He turned back to Washington, Tucker and Grif. "Look, you guys stay here, I have to go settle that fight." he said. "Try not to kill each other." He turned around and ran off towards Red base. The shouts of the two Reds got louder. "Quit hitting me, Donut!" he heard Simmons say. "I thought you were a pacifist?!" Donut continued hitting his teammate. "That was Doc, you dumbass!" The Chief had gotten closer and walked up the ramp to the roof of the bunker. He got up there, to see Donut and Simmons still fighting. He took out his Pistol and fired it into the air. Donut tripped over Simmon's legs and fell over the edge of the roof.
"There," he said, reloading his Pistol. "Now if everyone is clear, stop attempting to kill each other!" He heard both of them say yes sir at the same time. "Right then," he said, putting the Pistol back on his thigh holster. "Now stop fighting. No more target practice." He heard more yes sirs and he jumped off the roof, on the way back to Blood Gulch Outpost Alpha. "Chief!" he heard Carolina yell for him. "For the love of Christ!" he screamed. "What now?!" The light blue colored female Spartan ran out of Blue base, pointing in the distance.
The Chief turned around to see cruiser nosediving towards the cliffs. And not just any cruiser. He knew it was the UNSC Spirit of Fire was nosediving towards the cliff system that led out of the Gulch. "What in Sam Hill is going on here?!" he heard Sarge say. "That's the ship they said was coming!" the Chief yelled. The Spirit of Fire stabbed into the dirt above the canyon and fell backwards into the dirt, making a thunderous slamming noise. "Uh, what's going on here?" Grif said. "I don't know," the Chief said, looking up at the downed cruiser. "But I don't like it." He turned around and ran towards Blue base. He walked in, grabbed some ammo for his Assault Rifle, four Frags and more Pistol ammo. He then walked out of the base and up the ramp to the roof.
"Ok people," he said, walking to the edge of the roof. "Listen up!" He saw Caboose and the rest of the Spartans running towards the base. "Wait, don't start without me!" Caboose yelled. The Chief rolled his eyes and waited. Once all the Reds, Blues and the two Freelancers were lined up, he started. "Listen up," he started. "I don't like how that cruiser landed. So, I'm going to check out the crash site. I'll be taking a five-man fire team, including me. Any volunteers?" Sarge and Washington raised their hands. "Ok," he said, pointing at them. "Sarge and Washington are the volunteers. Any other takers?" No one raised their hands. "Ok," he said. "Then I'll pick. Church and Grif." Grif looked up at the Chief. "Why is it always me?" Grif sighed. Master Chief jumped off the roof. "Ok," he said, walking towards the cliffs. "Let's go. No wasting time."
A/N: So, what do you think is on the Spirit of Fire? Will it be a way for Chief to bring Cortana back? Rogue Covenant? You decide. The possibilities are literally endless for you to think of! Also, I'm sorry if the Chief's journal entry isn't accurate. It's been months since I've played a Halo game! Or read the books. Stay tuned!
