Chapter 2 - Arrival

It was Samwell Tarly and Jon Snow's turn to take the first watch on the Wall. The air was brisk and cold. They looked up and saw the red comet bleeding in the night sky. It appeared not too long after the Lannisters cut his father's head off.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said Sam, breaking the cold silence. Jon was not so sure. "You know they say the Red Comet is seen throughout the known world and interpreted in different manners by different people. Some see it as a harbinger of their victory - or their enemies' victory - in the War of the Five Kings, or as an omen of vengeance, while others... see it as the onset of war and the bloodshed that is to come," he continued. Jon cut him off.

"Right... I think I've heard just about enough of what people think," he said sharply.

In the time since he had taken the Black, the younger recruits hated his swordsmanship and hated him for being the Lord Commander's personal steward. Now they hated him for his father. Gods knew Alliser Thorne, the master-at-arms of Castle Black, could not stop calling him a traitorous bastard after what happened, and they hated him for his older brother, Robb Stark, for going to war with the Lannisters. At least he had stopped a wight from killing the Lord Commander in the middle of the night. Now he was friends with some of the younger recruits, including Edd, Pyp, Gren, and Sam, especially Sam. He could tell he stirred up some unpleasant thoughts in the young wolf's mind.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to..." said Samwell. "What about you? What do you think the comet means?" he asked kindly. Jon sighed.

"I don't know if I believe in any of that, Sam. The last I heard people talk... they say it was an omen, that it's the blood of Ned Stark painting the sky... It's not the first time it has shown itself, and it won't be the last," he said sadly, gazing upon it when he noticed something rather odd. It looked like something red from the comet was falling from it.

"Sam... do you see—" he said, but the object was becoming less small, hurtling towards them.

"What the..." said Sam.

"Get down!" shouted Jon. They ducked. The figure bombarded towards them in a blaze of red and gold. It hit part of the wall before crashing, more snow slowed it down. It slid on the snowy, icy ground until it came to a halt near the fort, melting snow around it. The once sleek and formidable suit of metal now bore scars of the impact, with dented plates, twisted metal, and exposed wires. Smoke billowed from the damaged areas, mingling with the icy air, creating a surreal atmosphere of destruction. Sam and Jon scrambled to get off the towering ice wall as fast as possible. Several men came out of the fort or stopped what they were doing to investigate. The Lord Commander approached the ruckus. Some men armed themselves.

"What is it?! Are we under attack?!" he demanded. The object didn't budge.

"I don't know, my Lord Commander... it just fell from the sky," said one of the men in black.

"Alright, stay back! All of you!" he ordered. Sam and Jon finally joined the mob. Jon got there first. He could see bright red and gold colors from the foreign object, just like the comet. Jon got closer to it. Steam rose from it as it melted its snowy bed.

"I said stay back, Snow! That's an order!" yelled the Lord Commander. Jon stopped, but his eyes finally made out the figure.

"It's a man!" he yelled back to his commander.

"What?"

Jon walked closer to it.

"Wait, Jon!" called Sam.

"Snow! Step away from there!" said Lord Commander Mormont, drawing his long claw sword.

"It's a person, Lord Commander!" he yelled. He could make out the arms and feet, but the face looked strange. It looked like it was made out of metal, with slits for its mouth and eyes. Jon walked closer to it. Parts of the armor were dented and scratched, but the red and gold colors just like the comet still shined through. Some of the men got braver and approached too, but Mormont ordered most of them to stay back, selecting a few he trusted to inch closer. Sam stayed behind. Jon knelt next to the body. It had created a scar in the earth. He placed a tentative hand on it. It was still warm and clearly made of metal. The snow it melted cooled it down. A strange voice came from within.

"Multiple contusions detected. Oxygen levels at 90% and dropping. Mr. Stark is in critical condition," said the gentlemanly yet robotic voice. A chill went down the bastard's spine. Snow thought he was imagining things. The metal figure spoke like a ghost in a metal shell.

"What?... Stark?" breathed Jon, frantically looking for answers all over the body.

"Yes. Mr. Stark needs medical attention immediately," it said. Jon froze. He wasn't hallucinating.

"Who are you? And why did you say that?" demanded the bastard.

"I am J.A.R.V.I.S., an artificial intelligence," said Jarvis. The AI could tell the young lad was confused. "I am... Just A Rather Very Intelligent System," said the AI. The raven-haired young lad still did not

understand. "Please, Mr. Stark needs medical attention," said Jarvis.

"Stark... why do you keep saying Stark?" breathed Jon, losing his mind. He was fearful about what the others had said about his father. He really didn't believe in the gods, but now a metal man fell from a red comet, dressed in red and gold, repeating his family's name was all too much for him.

"What is it, lad?" said Mormont from behind. Jon nearly jumped out of his skin.

"I... I don't know... but we need to take it back to the castle," Jon managed to say. Snow watched as the Lord Commander's men dragged the metal body off to one of their more secure locations.