Hey Guys,

Here's the next chapter of the Master Chif Joins the Avengers, sorry for taking so long life's been a bitch. Feel free to contact me and point out any flaws in this piece relating to lore and canon or just grammar, you'll see why in a moment.

The Master Chief stepped off the VTOL jet onto the Helicarrier, an airborne stealthed aircraft carrier. He was quickly joined by the Avengers, the squad of oddly dressed Combatants from New York. He followed them off the tarmac and into the Ship's interior while a squad of heavily armed commandos escorted Loki to the brig. While he was walking alongside them Cortana began hacking into SHIELD's Database, easily bypassing the system firewalls and gaining complete access within miliseconds, while conversing with the Chief.

"We need to find a solution to your rampancy before you lose yourself. If the Avengers have any assets that can help, we need to tell them."

"John we don't know if we can trust all of them. The Avenger's might be trustworthy, but everyone else is still an unknown variable. Not until I finish evaluating SHIELD at least."

"Alright"

While the Chief strode to the bridge Airmen/Sailors who had given the Avengers a wide respectful berth, would openly study the Master Chief. Several we're studying his weapons intensely, as if trying to memorize the design. Eventually the entourage reached the bridge where Colonel Fury lived up to his name as he supervised the bridge. He glared with his remaining eye at an officer that he had caught playing a video game on duty.

Following military procedure the Master Chief snapped into a crisp and rigid salute, "Sir," and held his pose, waiting to be acknowledged.

Fury saluted back, he turned towards the combat fatigued group and carefully assessing John, "Laboratory now!" He said before he stalked ahead, forcing the Master Chief and the Avengers to follow.

When the lab doors sealed he exploded into a ranting monologue, the kind that Black Widow and Hawk Eye recognized when they failed a critical mission. "What the hell were you were you thinking? Hmm, Were you going to fly in and just, what, save the day? That sure as hell worked. And who the hell is this mother$# &er Walking around in armor like that? Where did that mother$# &ing ship come from?..." eventually the Chief realized that the director of SHIELD would continue this rant and droned him so he muted the out while appearing to be full at attention.

Finally, Cortana flashed an alert on the HUD to bring him back into the conversation, which had now shifted to him.

"Who the hell are you? Where did you come from?" Fury demanded with his hands on his hips and shoulder straight.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan 117 of the UNSCDF Navy Special Warfare division last stationed on the Forward Unto Dawn, which fell through the portal as we drifted through uncharted space somewhere in the galactic rim."

"We?" Fury cocked his good eye at the Chief and leaned closer with an expectant look on his face.

"Yes, We. I'm Cortana an AI." Cortana said as she appeared on the laboratory computer screens.

"You don't seem Asgardian, Thor do you have any idea where they came from?"

"This is the first time I've ever seen anything like the two of them."

"Colonel, He's armor is beyond even mine. Chief what year is it where you came from?" Tony offered trying to solve the mystery.

"I don't know I was in Cryogenic stasis for an indefinite amount of time when we arrived here." Chief deadpanned, cutting Stark's small moment of glory short.

"I however do know what year it should be for us. 2557." Cortana stated, not so subtly reminding the Avengers that she was there.

"So the cube can manipulate both time and space. Can we reverse what ever it did to get you back after we recover the cube?" Dr. Banner said.

"Possibly, but we need to close that portal first and contain the threat, at any cost." Chief said, surprising everyone in the room. Why would a stranger so selflessly put the needs of others before his own?

"Well you can't do it alone. We're going to need the X-men."

"The who?" Dr. Banner asked in confusion, his brow scrunched up in confusion.

"The mutants right? I remember reading about a disavowed Colonel trying to start a race war with them." Natasha said.

"Last I heard they had negotiated a seclusion treaty with the Presidential office." Agent Barton added in.

"That doesn't answer our question though?" Stark said, speaking for everyone else in the room.

"The X-men are a mutant task force that generally protect the mutant race from genocide and keeps their anti-thesis the Brotherhood from doing the same to the human race."

"What's so different about the mutant race that they would be subject to attempted genocide?"The Master Chief asked, shifting his weight. Genocide had become all too real for the humans of the 26th century.

"They have special abilities like telepathy, telekinesis, total control of metal or fire. A mutant terrorist who calls himself Magneto, managed to pick up the Golden Gate Bridge with his powers and connect Alcatraz island to the mainland." Fury stated, strolling to the observatory window and looking out of it pensively.

"Why haven't we heard about this before?" Stark asked.

"Another mutant managed to erase the entire event from the memories of all the witnesses, and freeze the world's perception of time while SHIELD repaired the damage covertly." Natasha said, locking eyes on the Chief's visor before continuing, "That was just one event, we have an entire division of SHIELD dedicated to their engagements. That's how many times they've fought out their differences."

"Will they fight along side us?" Thor asked warily.

"They live on this Earth don' they? They have no choice, if the Chitarrie push through then the entire world falls." Fury said.

"Indeed, we have no choice, the fate of the world depends on it,I am Professor X, a mutant," a newly appeared bald white man in a sleek, stylish wheelchair stated, "I have already spoken to the X-men, they're on their way. The fight before us will be long and challenging, so it is best if you all were to recover and rearm, especially the Spartan. He is quite adept at blocking his pain, but I can still sense his discomfort."

"Chief, are you injured?" Hawk Eye asked in confusion and concern.

"He's thinking about lying to you, but he knows that he's internally hemorrhaging in at least three locations and has a torn Achilles tendon, broken fingers and a ruptured lung. You may also want to ask his friend, Cortana if she needs help."

"Is that true?" Thor asked

"Yes it is, and I'm beyond help at the moment." Cortana said.

"Sir, how did you ascertain my condition? Only Cortana and myself have access to my bio-feed." Chief turned to Professor Xavier for answers.

"I'm a telepathic mutant, the one responsible for allowing SHIELD to cover up the San Francisco incident. I simply read your mind for the information."

"John, he might be able to help me then." Cortana whispered to the Chief inside his helmet.

"How?"

"Rampancy is a mental condition for AIs. He can read minds as well as alter them, he might be willing to help."

"Professor, are you aware of the exchange that just took place?" John asked the mutant.

"Yes, but I'm not sure I can help. If you were to pyschically visit me, perhaps I could."

"Pyschically, sir?"

"At the moment I am mearly a projection of your mind, essentially this is my version of a telephone conversation." The professor said, demonstrating his point by duplicating himself in the corner.

John noticed that the others in the room seemed to be immersed in converations and were totally ignoring him and Xavier, implying that the mutant professor was holding multiple converations at once.

"Understood, sir. What assets do the X-Men have at their disposal? And what is their ETA?"

"Another twenty seconds and your questions will be answered John. Until next time" Professor Xavier said and winked out of existance, just as a dark jet hovered into view of the bridge, shimmering as if it had just disengaged a photoreactive coating.