A/N: People have to tell me when I forget to update. shakes head

James frowned. His name is Franz. He had read about AIs in school. They were used a lot before he was born but quickly they had become obsolete. No one had them. Even the government didn't really use them any more and those they did were dumb ones; smart ones just weren't around. But that's what it sounded like she was talking about. Why would his dad have an AI in his attic? MJC? That had to stand for Micheal J. Caboose. LLC? That one he had no idea. But if he wanted to go up in the attic… Well his dad would wonder what his was doing. This sounded like he shouldn't let his dad be involved.

Not now at least.

School. A temple of boredom.

James hated it. He hated the way the girls looked at him. He hated the look the teachers gave him; "Why did you disappoint me so?" The way… Well everything! The food. The teachers. The other students. All of it. He couldn't wait until he could get out of it. He was almost eighteen. When that happened he was outta here. He didn't care what his dad said.

"There you are." James looked up to see Jessy walking towards him. "Did you get my message?"

"Yeah."

Jessy gave him a cold look. After a moment he realized if he wanted to talk about this he had to start it. "Look, I don't care what other couples that have been together the same time as us are doing. It's great Kyle and Stacy are getting married but I don't know them that well." He looked away. "I'm sorry. Really I am."

Jessy kept looking at him. "I guess that's it then." She leaned down and kissed him. It was very different from their other kisses; it was… sad. "I'll see you around the school then."

Before she left she looked back. "Good luck with the finals."

He nodded.

She disappeared into the crowd.

Finals were next week. If he failed one, that was it. No matter what happened he was screwed. He didn't really care too much.

The rest of the day went by in whirl. He had been freed from his girlfriend. Most guys he knew would have been devastated when that happened but for him it was a wake up call. It was librating.

Back home he found yet another surprise.

James –

I'm going to the store to pick up some things for tonight's dinner. I'll be back in a few hours.

Dad

There was a time written down. 1:15. It was 1:45 right now. Just missed him. He had tons of time.

It was time to figure out who or what this Franz was.

Quickly he tossed his bag in his room and raced up to the top floor. There he snagged the flashlight, out of habit only, and dived into the attic. He had never been in there before and it smelled like musk. The air was stuffy and hot. But he didn't care. Right now he was looking for…

And there was one of them. Metal box with the letters MJC painted in faded blue. He paused there. Allison had said LLC was the one he wanted but what could be in his dad's?

He frowned at the lock and wondered if it still worked. It was one of those old data locks. Most people used dates for the passwords. Why not? What harm is there if I get it wrong? And he punched in his birth date. A beep. The light turned green.

"Booya."

He just had enough strength to lift the lid. Inside was …

"MJOLNIR armor?"

It was blue. He picked up the helmet and turned it around so he could see his own reflection.

James never had looked like Caboose. Not when he was a child. Not when he was ten. Not now. He figured he looked like his mother. "Guess I'm going to get that answer soon."

He set the helmet down and shifted the rest of the armor out of the way. Papers. A quick shuffle though showed he didn't care about them. The only thing vaguely interesting was a picture of his dad. Standard military picture. James never knew his dad had been in the military.

"Where is the other one?"

The second metal chest was deeper in. Looked like it hadn't been touched since it was hauled up there. It was it though; LLC in faded blue. Again he typed in his birth date and the light flashed green. Again he lifted the lid. Again he was greeted with the MJOLNIR armor. This time it was a lighter blue. But this one had pictures. Lots of pictures. And papers. It looked like everything had been dumped in this chest from the other one.

The question was still there: who was this?

James picked up a handful of pictures. His dad. Younger. Happy. Smiling. James couldn't remember seeing him like that. He was in the MJOIRN armor from the waist down. He was sitting on top of what looked like a base. He had a gun in his hands. It took James a moment before he recognized it as a Battle Rifle. Standard equipment.

Next one showed …

"Allison?"

It was. Allison and Tucker. Both younger than they were now. They were just sitting in a room talking. Both were in casual wear.

Next one showed Tucker in teal armor. Allison in black. They looked like they were arguing. This time as James turned it over there was writing on the back. Tucker and Tex. "Tex?"

Next one was a shot of what looked like a canyon. James checked out the back of this picture. Same writing: Blood Gulch.

This one showed a pile of rocks. One stacked on top of each other. It looked like the dirt had been moved. On the back were the words: His grave. Different writing. His father's writing.

James glanced at the next picture and his breath caught in his throat. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard before taking another look. Yep. Still there. His hands shaking, he pulled out the cobalt helmet and studied his face. Then again he looked at the picture in his hand.

"We had the same face…"

The chances of it being a chance coincidence was too much.

He flipped it over. Nothing.

This one he didn't put back in the stack but put it in his pocket.

Next picture. His father, Caboose, Tex, Tucker and this new person. This time they could be themselves and whoever it was looked livid. It was a look that said I don't like my picture being taken. On the back it said Blue Team stationed at Blood Gulch Outpost Alpha. And Tex. Back to the other hand writing.

Next one was very different. Just two people. Caboose and LLC. It looked like they didn't know that anyone else was there. They were holding each other and kissing. It looked like a soft kiss. Just the lips, no tongue.

Another one. Caboose and LLC again alone. But this time LLC was looking over his shoulder at the camera. The next few were like a movie. The second one with LLC getting up. LLC walking towards the camera with Caboose looking that way. LLC reaching towards the camera. The final one was of a smashed camera. On the back in what looked like Tucker's hand writing were the words: Church doesn't like having pictures taken of him.

LL Church.

James frowned. It didn't mean anything to him.

The reached in for another stack of photos. The first one surprised him. Caboose and Church kissing with Tex rolling her eyes. Guess dad didn't care about kissing in public… Or making out in public, James thought as he saw where his dad's hand was.

This was so weird. This guy looked just like him. Just older. It was a strange contrast to everyone who looked younger.

Next one. Church was sleeping. Caboose had to have taken the picture. James didn't know why but something was telling him that. A hand was stretched out and resting on Church's stomach. James had to swallow again when he realized why.

Church was pregnant. Church was pregnant withhim.

Things were starting to snap into place. Caboose had fallen in love with a man. This man gave him a child. Soon after (how soon after?) he had died. Caboose was still in love with him.

He dropped the pictures he had.

The sound of them falling snapped him out of it. He found that one and stuck it in his pocket along with the other one.

As he reached into the chest again his fingers touched something smooth. His name is Franz. He picked up the object. It was a simple square of crystal. On one side there were small metal chips. An AI chip.

Something from a news report on the 'Second Generation SPARTANs' came back to him. They not only inherited the alterations and upgrades, but also any implants.

Caboose had been a SPARTAN. Church had been a SPARTAN. James was as close to a SPARTAN as one could get.

This meant he could use Franz. He took a deep breath and pushed back his hair. Now he could feel the edge of the implants where an AI could go. Would go. James closed his eyes and slid the chip in.