FOB Alnus
The Gate stirred awake once more, the reinforced doors opening to a new wave of NATO and Allied Nation volunteers. The number of military assets from across the North Atlantic Treaty Organization had grown substantially in the past few days, to a whopping thirty thousand men and women from across all states. Recently, there was talks of bringing even states that aspired to join NATO.
One such state had already received approval to deploy troops. She now marched her troops through the Gate, the blue and gold flag fluttering in the winds of the new, alien world. AK-74Ms glowed, brand new, in the light of the place's sun and their camouflage uniforms blended well with what would be their new combat environment. T-80UD tanks rolled forward as well, bearing the digital camouflage pattern the country was so known for.
Behind them, came BTR-4s, the variants with 30mm cannons in automated turrets placed square in the center and better armor. Approximately 900 troops and 20 armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces marched on through. General Hazama greeted the Ukrainian Army with a crisp salute, as did the SDF, US, NATO and, surprisingly, CSTO members present.
The Russians seemed rather surprised, considering the very recent history between them and Ukraine. The Ukrainian soldiers, to their credit, spotted the Russians and remained professional, their faces impassive, stern. Eerily, the Eastern European units seemed to greet the Ukrainians most happily. The hundred Hungarians, several hundred Romanians and hundreds of other soldiers smiled and waved at the Ukes.
The officer in charge of the UAF's UN-requested presence dismounted from an armored transport at the back of the formation, then walked up to general Hazama and saluted, stating, "Major Mikhail Shevchenko of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, at your service, General Hazama. Our boys and girls are eager to join the fight against the Imps." to which Hazama extended his hand. Shevchenko shook it.
"Good to have you here, Major. You and your troops will be a boon to the north-eastern flank," The General replied, before motioning for the man to follow him. The sight of the UAF seemed to garner some surprise from supervising elements of the UNSC present on-site, including Ivanov and some of the Marine friends left here due to the trip their Lieutenant and comrades were taking.
"Well, holy shit..." Murmured Ivanov.
"Damn good to see the Ukes coming about," Taylor quipped. He looked to the confused Ivanov, then stated rather bluntly, "I was helping train these guys a while back. Can you blame me for being happy to see'em? Hell, I think I worked with some of the 93rd during training."
"Good to know, man," Ivanov quipped, then hummed, "I just never thought I'd see the UAF up close."
"Some historical thing, I presume?" Inquired Sergeant Tomita from beside him. Ivanov nodded, then hummed and pulled out a tablet. He extended it to the Sergeant, who began to read through it while Ivanov simply watched the men march forth. Taylor whistled, then looked to Ivanov, stating, "Jeez, man, talk about shitty alternate histories. Thank God our Russia isn't that fucked."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Ivanov replied as he slid his tablet back into his pocket. What he had given the man to read was a short article about a certain event that occurred in 2022, when two Brother Nations went to war over one of them having imperialist ambitions that should have died back in the 1900s when the Soviet Union collapsed. The UAF here seemed to be in the same state their alt-universe UNSC variation was, but without the War to fight.
"Glad we avoided that," Murmured Taylor, shifting his LMG. He paused as he saw General Hazama and the Major of the Uke forces being met by a worried private from the gate post. The young man stopped in front of them, dry-heaving due to having run like a nutjob all the way to them. Ivanov shifted uneasily, gripping his own LMG tightly. If a trooper from the gates ran this much, it was a bad sign.
The group of armed men soon moved with the General and Major toward the northern gate of the military base itself, weapons loaded and ready for any oncoming hostile force. At the gate itself, the group stopped as they saw two women. One of them had dark-blue skin with scales and various tribal tattoos, as well as lizardlike wings and a tail. She wielded a scythe with one hand and had, draped over her shoulders, a black hood and cloak. She pushed a strand of silver hair out of her eyes, grinning, as her scarlet eyes peered at the soldiers.
Beside her, another figure sat, clad in heavy-duty armor. Sheathed on her hip was a two-handed broadsword of some kind. The young woman was an Elf, going by the ornate, if aggressive armor design and the ears poking out from the heavy helmet. Her armor was emblazoned with various reliefs depicting murders, as it seemed, perhaps even revenge killings.
Snipers and a BMP-2 IFV held the Gate alongside a dozen infantrymen from Russia, China and Japan. The soldiers kept their guns trained on the two women, out of which only the one with the scythe seemed to be eager for something. Pacing back and forth in front of her armored companion, scythe leaned against her shoulder, the woman spoke the broken Latin of the locals, with intermixed, weirder words.
The armored one sighed, seemingly tired of whatever tirade her sister was on. She stepped forward, then demanded with a booming voice, "Where is the woman commanding the Sky People!?" which caused her friend to stop. The UNSC Marines all blinked, with Ivanov humming as he gazed at the girl. She looked back at him, her gaze, of steel. There was a certain focus on him, it seemed.
The Marine stepped forward and spoke, "If you're talking about Doc Halsey, I'm afraid she's not here right now! You can leave a note!"
A few of the soldiers around him laughed strained laughs, but General Hazama and Major Shevchenko seemed less than amused. The woman scoffed, then said, "You speak like a true runt of the litter, child! Where is she, then?"
"Busy!" Replied General Hazama, motioning to Taylor and the others to keep the UNSC Marine quiet, "She's currently away on a trip!"
The girl hummed, then shot back, "Then we shall tell you this message! And may she hear it as soon as she returns! We are the Apostles of Palapon and Hardy and we bring a message from the Gods! While you may have somehow turned Emroy docile, the rest of us still stand against you and your peoples' spread of division on our world! Cease your work and leave, or face the wrath of the united Pantheon of Falmart!"
"We'll make sure to relay that to her, then! Anything else?" Major Shevchenko replied dryly, holding onto his Kalashnikov. The one with blue, dragon-like skin growled and readied her scythe, but her compatriot put a hand in front of her and shook her head. She showed her to follow along, which the Dragon-Born did with some fuss. Sighing deeply, the officer cadre sat, relieved.
Ivanov murmured, "Seems like we had Apostles ahead of us..."
"Like Rory?" Taylor asked.
"Sure looked like it."
God dammit, doc. You had to leave now, of all times...
Back on Earth 2
The UNSC vehicles rolled on through the suburbs of Manhattan, having avoided the worst of the traffic and the fans arriving to see them. Halsey held onto the roll-cage of the Warthog, watching the vehicles speeding through into the neighborhoods filled with houses like one would see in the old movies of the past, like Home Alone. The same kind of Suburbs one would still see in America nowadays if they went looking.
She hummed an old song to herself as she looked through the data on her tablet. John looked toward her, while Cortana appeared on the holographic display on the Warthog's dashboard, arms crossed. Halsey looked to them and paused, then hummed and stated, "I have a few theories about who we might meet, John, Cortana. Nothing concrete yet, though..."
"I have a few ideas as well," Cortana smirked, "Though they're a bit out there..."
"Considering most of the likely candidates are dead, yes..." Halsey sighed deeply. She held on and let herself wait until they got to the intended target. She'd luckily been able to utilize the local GPS Network in order to find the house they needed to get to, so she was the guidance system in this case. She spoke, "Take a right here, John..." before feeling the Warthog shift its weight and turn. Linda and Kelly's Warthog followed close behind, the team narrowly dodging a collision with a civilian vehicle that was pulling out of its driveway.
Halsey had to admit, visiting a civilian abode in two fully-armed and armored Force Application Vehicles was probably not that smart, considering these were military-grade lightly-armored scout and combat vehicles, but, alas, they'd have to do if the team didn't wanna steal the limousine from the others. Tyuule, miss Mercury, miss La Lalena and miss Luna Marceau, not to mention the Lieutenants.
She hummed and looked back, to see Shino smiling as she held onto the frame of the vehicle as well. Despite it bouncing up and down, the girl clad in a JSDF Parade uniform held on very well, including keeping her hat on her head. Halsey appreciated the sheer enthusiasm with which Shino accompanied them, but it was sort of disconcerting to know just how focused the young woman was on pleasing her 'heroes'. That and just hanging out with them.
Still, Halsey couldn't comment. She'd probably be the same if she met Albert Einstein.
The only difference being that Albert Einstein was real, no matter the universes. It was a sort of funny thought to consider that, until a few months ago, Doctor Halsey and her people were nothing but a fictional tale, an anomaly, to the people of this Earth. She had to take that as it was. It struck her like a hammer when it happened, too, though she didn't much show it.
That there were alternate universes where Mankind exists was a complex issue to deal with for everyone, including the people they'd left back at home while dealing with this. People like Richard had only known the Covenant and the fear of them from their youth. It was probably none-too-warming to the locals to know that their own threats, including the Flood and the Covenant, were real. Miss Kuribayashi had taken it eerily well.
Halsey hummed as she saw they were approaching the target house, then told John, "Slow down and take a left at the next T-Intersection. At the end of that road, we'll have reached the house where mister Staten says our storyteller lives. Keep your weapons at the ready. As much as I'd like to think one of our old comrades would greet us warmly, who knows how he views his past after so many years here...?"
The SPARTANs nodded and readied their kit calmly, with Fred noting, "Let's hope we won't have to put one of our own down in US Mainland, ma'am. That'd be a political incident and a half..."
"Indeed, Fred. Which is why I only suggested your weapons be ready if this strange Exile or survivor proves to be hostile..." Halsey replied with an uneasy calm. She pulled her labcoat aside, revealing a holster in which an M6C Magnum resided. Pulling the piece out, the doctor looked it over and pulled on the slide to see if it had a round fed. She nodded approvingly and slid it back into its holster. She took a moment to think, then noticed an alley big enough to fit the Hogs between a pair of houses. She ordered, "Hide our Warthogs. We'll go on foot... Less conspicuous." and she stood up, pointing to the alley.
Once the vehicles were safely hidden and concealed with shrubs that they could pluck up and use, the team marched down to the intersection and took the left speedily. They saw the house at the end of the road, a single-story building with an attic. It was a decently-sized suburban civilian house with a picket fence and a garage, but was otherwise unremarkably plain, including its windows.
Doctor Halsey led the team forward, approaching and walking up onto the porch of the house. She walked up to the door, which was covered by a bug net, then leaned in and knocked. Waiting thirty seconds while the SPARTANs(And Shino) set up a perimeter, she heard no movement. Instead of trying again, the doctor peeked inside to see the drapes were shut. Sighing, she popped open the bug net and waved John forward, before trying the door and... Finding it open?
The SPARTAN hummed and said, "I don't like this, ma'am..."
"Agreed..." Halsey noted, checking the lock. She shook her head and drew her pistol, "No sign of forced entry. Still, be ready for anything..." then she led the way inside. John had wanted to protest, but didn't find the time to do so. She pushed in first, firearm raised and the flashlight attached to the bottom turned on. Entering it and marching down the main hallway, the woman found the house to be rather well-decorated. Paintings and pictures on the walls she walked past, nice furniture, hell, even a nice, open kitchen. Unassuming as the house was from the outside, the inside seemed decently luxurious for a suburban dwelling.
Entering the darkness of the Living Room, Halsey spun to the right and scanned the room, only to freeze as she heard a shotgun cock and saw herself silhouetted by a stronger flashlight. The man behind her spoke with a voice so familiar, it made a chill shoot up Halsey's spine. He spoke, "Wrong house, jackass..." before pausing and murmuring, "Wait a minute..."
Halsey slowly turned toward the figure, thumbing the safety of her pistol back to on. The lights in the room came on as she turned around and saw him. A dark-skinned man sat in nothing but a tank top, camo pants, a cigar between his lips and a desert-tan military cap with a brim on his head. He held an M45 Shotgun that looked old in his arms, but he soon set it aside, next to his reclining chair. Hazel eyes locked with Halsey's blue ones and a greying brown mustache greeted the woman, followed by the whitest teeth ever bared into a grin. "Son of a bitch..."
Halsey looked to her left as the SPARTANs came in and she showed them to settle down with a motion of her hand, before holstering her pistol. As Chief rounded the corner, he, too, froze. BLUE Team and Shino followed in, with the latter freezing, dropping her sidearm and covering her mouth as a sound like that of a boiling kettle escaped her mouth. Chief lowered his Assault Rifle and slung it onto his back, before pulling out the chip in the back of his head, revealing a stunned Cortana.
"... And thus, the unlikeliest theory is confirmed..." Halsey grew a wide smile, "Hello, Sergeant-Major."
The man leaned back into his chair, taking the cigar from between his lips and starting to laugh heartily. He stood on his two feet, Halsey immediately noting the prosthetic right leg as he hobbled toward them, before he snapped a crisp, proud salute and said, "I thought I was actually batshit insane when I told those Bungie folks the story about the giant Hula-Hoop! God damn, it's good to see all of you! Even better to know I didn't half-dream up that whole other life!"
"Johnson..." Cortana covered her mouth, "You're..."
"Alive and kicking, Cortana," The man nodded proudly, "Good to see you're well, too."
"How...?" Chief asked, taking his helmet off. His teammates followed, revealing the faces of all four of the UNSC's best, all of them stunned beyond belief. Chief, however, openly spoke for all of them with all the surprise and worry a SPARTAN could show at a moment like this, seeing a dead friend come back to life. "Spark shot you. You died in front of me and we blew up the Ring, how...?"
Sergeant-Major Avery J. Johnson waved off the claims of his death like they were erroneous at best and absolute bogus at worst, stating rather directly, "Come on, Chief. You know it's gonna take more than Tinker Bell frying my chest and a little blast from an ancient ring to put down this mean, green killing machine!" before laughing again. It was clear, however, that old age had gotten to Johnson. He coughed hoarsely, the laugh stopping midway through.
"Are you alright?" Halsey asked as she pulled out a medical pack and scanned him. The man nodded as he sat himself down.
"Old bones, doc. Been through hell back here, too, when I landed," He replied calmly, "Sixty years ago on the dot, actually..." before he plucked up a can of beer and downed half the contents in one swig. He hummed, noting Shino freaking out behind them by grabbing onto her head and just overall bouncing around and pointing at her, "She alright? She seems a lil' hyperactive for a Marine."
"... It's technically your fault she's like that," Cortana quipped, smiling. Johnson quirked a brow up, taking a puff from his cigar as Halsey looked over the results of the scan and Cortana explained, "She's a fan of the game series you helped Ghostwrite about us, Sergeant. And now she's freaking out like she freaked out when she met the Chief and I."
Johnson snorted and called out, "Kid!"
Shino stopped mid-celebration and slowly turned toward Johnson, sweat running down her face. She asked, "Y-Yes, sir?"
"Relax," He told her.
"Kinda fucking hard to, sir," she replied giddily. Johnson snorted, before letting out another cough. She walked up to him and extended her autograph notebook. Johnson took the pen without a second word and signed it, to which Kuribayashi jumped like a bat out of hell and cheered, making Johnson and the others present, sans the SPARTANs, chuckle a little.
Still, it did get some smiles out of them. Including the Chief. Johnson was, of course, quick to point at him and say, "He finally goddamn smiles! I lived to see this one, too!"
"Can you blame me, Sergeant?" Chief stated rather bluntly, garnering a few giggles out of the female members of BLUE Team and a hum out of Fred. He continued calmly, looking at the Sergeant, "The sheer absurdity of the situation, combined with seeing an old friend coming back from the dead? Wasn't it you who said we should smile while we have something to smile about?"
"That I damn well did, Chief," He smirked, "Glad you remember."
"Sergeant Kuribayashi reminded me of it at the UN meeting..." Chief noted.
"Speaking of," Kelly hummed, "How the hell didn't you see us there, Sergeant?"
"I ain't watched TV in forever, CPO. Can you blame me? What with all the crap the put on today, I'd rather relax reading a book, having a cigar and a beer than that. Plus, I couldn't exactly watch TV..." He hummed. Halsey turned toward an open door, noting that the room was filled with toys and games. She looked to Johnson, who shook his head and clicked his tongue, "Not my kids. A friend's... Made a promise to him. One I intend to keep."
"I see," Halsey noted, "Admirable... Now, you said you've been here for over SIXTY years?"
"Hell yeah. Fought from 'Nam to Desert Storm," He grinned, "Kept my Sergeant-Major Rank through Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, all for the good ol' US of A..."
The good Sergeant-Major had gone through three of the worst modern Wars to date. Halsey had half a mind to ask why he'd sign up with the US Marine Corps, but she knew better than to pry into the old Wardog's reasons. She nodded approvingly and was about to say something before the group heard the door open. A female voice spoke, annoyed, "Johnson, did you leave the damn door open? Hope you're not sleeping again, Sarge, else I swear-"
"Uncle AJ!" Two kids' voices overlapped. Thundering footsteps echoed as the two, a boy and a girl clad in school clothes, appeared around the corner and stopped upon seeing the SPARTANs, Kuribayashi and the Doctor. They looked around at them, with Halsey and the BLUEs all staring, dumbfound, at them. They didn't seem afraid, rather they seemed just as surprised as the SPARTANs.
Johnson chuckled, "Hey, kiddos... Hope your mom don't mind a couple more guests."
A figure appeared in a flash from behind the corner, pistol drawn and aimed... She stopped and dodged as a SPARTAN tried to disarm her, before pointing her gun again. She only stopped once she saw the present people. She blinked, lowering her pistol, an M6G Magnum from Reach, before swallowing empty. She smiled, pushing a strand of her long blonde hair out of her blue eyes, then said, "I'll be fucking damned..."
"... Lieutenant B312...?" Halsey stopped, dead, "Noble Six..."
"Hey, doc..." The girl holstered her gun within her fancy, two-piece suit, "This is... A freaking surprise and a half, I guess. I thought all the stuff I was hearing from my groundside Merc crews was bogus, but..." she sighed deeply. Looking to the Chief and the other SPARTANs, she snapped a crisp salute and said, "Sorry, sirs. I didn't... See you there."
"It's alright, Lieutenant," Chief nodded. Cortana smirked and waved. Six waved back.
"Thanks, sir... And, doc Halsey, it's... Retired Lieutenant Alice Barclay, US Marine Corps, now..." She stated, before motioning to the kids. Both of them walked up to 'Uncle AJ' and were handed candy. She hummed, pinching the brow of her nose, then stated, "Kids, go wash up and prep for dinner..." and looked to her guests as her two kids left. She asked, "You folks mind staying for dinner? I bet you have a hundred questions for both me and the Sarge. I feel more comfortable answering them at home than at the Company..."
"We'd be glad to stay for dinner, miss Barclay. I am quite famished after searching high-and-low to find the writers of the Halo videogame series," Halsey noted. She heard a thump and looked to her left, to see Kuribayashi had outright fainted, before looking to Alice and stating, "She's one of the fans of the games you and the Sergeant-Major wrote for Bungie, dear Lieutenant..." before humming and smiling. She looked around the room, watching as the kids waded back in, smiles on their faces, only to greet the SPARTANs like they were old friends.
Johnson chuckled as he and Halsey hummed, then both looked to Alice as she went to change and prep dinner. Halsey might not have showed it, but her mind was working overtime, trying to put all the pieces together from this strange little encounter. Johnson, meanwhile, gently stood to his feet, patted Chief on the shoulder as he walked past, then went with the kids' help to an old record player, picking some '80s Japanese City Pop songs to play for the evening.
What in the world...?