AN: I do not own the Halo Franchise by any means. Also, if you like fics like these, I highly recommend you reading 'Kyle 091' by general MB, and 'Into the Fire' by .515. Both are exceptionally good fics, and have inspired myself and Patriot-112 to write this fanfic. Please enjoy :D

Sector K-009, UNSC Hopeful,

February 15th 2545 AD

Jordan sighed as he cranked his neck a bit, stepping into the operating room of the UNSC Hopeful wearing a hospital gown. 'Here goes nothing...' he thought. It had been a whole day since he made his decision to join Beta Company, and today was the day that he was going to undergo the augmentation process.

"You certainly look nervous," A voice said, as Jordan looked to the left where Dr. Allannah stood. "Not that I don't blame you."

"I know how the II's got augmented, and how 30 died in the process." Jordan said, looking at the table. "While I do trust the professionals… I'm still pretty… skeptical about this… but there's no turning back now I guess."

"If it makes you feel any better, I helped Dr. Halsey perform the augmentations on the first SPARTAN-II's." Allannah said reassuringly. "I'm probably one of the most qualified to perform this. And as we told you before, we've made improvements since then."

"Doesn't help much..." He said, as he sat up onto the table. "Well… let's get this over with."

The doctor nodded as she pulled out a large syringe filled with liquid. "This will sedate you for a while," she said, "You shouldn't feel any pain during this."

"Let's just get this over with before I develop Aichmophobia." Jordan said, gulping a bit before the Doctor injected the syringe into his system. At first he felt a small sting, but then his word began to get woozy and trippy. "Here… whoa..." He said, before all he could see was blackness.

UNSC Andraste - En-Route to Reach

February 14th, 2545 AD

D.J. was breathing heavily from the 'training' he went through by Cortez. Of course, he would've complained, but he was not stupid to talk to a well trained soldier like an ODST. Didn't mean he had to like to like it though.

The good points to the training helped him to lose his damn gut, and he gained a lean build, with muscle development in his arms. At the very least, being trained by ODST's prepared him for what was to come.

"Good news, Kid." Cortez said, as he entered his quarters on the Andraste. "We're just a half hour away from Reach. I've got you booked for a Pelican to New Alexandria to meet up with the recruitment station there."

"Right… thanks for this, sir." D.J said.

"It was nothing, kid," the ODST said with a wave of his hand, "Just try to deal with the Drill Sergeant's yelling, okay,"

D.J. nodded at that, "Don't worry, I know it's their job to make men into Marines," he said, "If anyone is worse at yelling, it'd my crazy mother,"

Cortez placed a hand on D.J.'s shoulder, "I'm sure she was trying to make you think," he said, and became confused by the deadpanned expression on D.J.'s face.

"Oh sure, by punching me upside the head, pulling a kitchen knife out and threatening me and my older brother with it, and driving us crazy at every turn," he said, "Yeah, that's making us think, alright. Make us think she was FUCKING NUTS!"

"Not all families are perfect," Cortez said shrugging, "Just be glad you spent as much time as you did with them before… well, you know."

D.J. nodded at that, remembering his Desdoron backstory.

"It's alright, Sarge," he said, "I'll always remember my time on Desdoron. But, I also know I need to move on at some point, once I give the Covenant a good beating that is,"

"You and over half the UNSC, Kid." Cortez said nodding, "Well, best get what stuff you do have packed up - we'll be entering orbit in half hour, make sure your ass is on that Pelican by 0900."

"Copasetic, sarge," D.J. said, and went to get what stuff he DID have with him, as Cortez left him alone.

"I gotta admit it, Cortez. Even though he isn't a Marine yet, he could make a great ODST," said Dutch as he came up beside the Master Sergeant. "If what we saw on Desdoron was anything to go by."

"He's still green… but he's got the potential." Cortez said, "He must've had a family with a military background… I tried looking him up though, but I couldn't find any information on him… I'm assuming he lost most of his personal information on Desdoron when the Covies glassed it - I'll have some friends help him patch up a workable ID so he can properly enlist… once we get planetside though, I'm gonna pay a visit to ONI Sword Base, give the good Doctor that alien thing he recovered."

"You make it sound pretty important," Dutch said, as Cortez sighed.

"I don't know, Dutch..." He said, "I've got a funny feeling about this though… it reminded me of some of the artifacts we found at Heian with Cal - I mean Spartan-141."

"Yeah, now that you mention it..." Dutch said, as they continued walking. "How is she doing, anyways?"

"Last I heard, she's still recovering." Cortez said, as he chuckled a bit. "A big ape nearly caved her head in, and she still won't go down… she's damn lucky O'Brien stopped that big ape from getting a direct hit on her… kid didn't leave her side on the trip back home."

"Yeah..." Dutch said. "With the way the war's going… we need all the Spartan's we can get."

February 25th 2545

Sector K-009, UNSC Hopeful

Jordan didn't expect to dream when in a drug-induced slumber. But that was what he was doing, when he found himself in the middle of a grassy field, going on for as far as his eyes could see. He walked forward, aimlessly as he tried to piece together where he was.

"Reclaimer..."

The soft voice echoed around him, as Jordan spun around, trying to find the source. "Hello?" He called out. "Who's there?"

"Inheritor..."

The same voice spoke again, but he could still not identify where it was coming from. "Who are you?!" He shouted, "Where are you?!"

"You… are the inheritor of Mantle… "

"You are the inheritor… of all their sins..."

The last voice however sent a dark chill down Jordan's spine, as the once vibrant red skies transformed into a ghastly yellow with spores gently falling from the skies. "From end to end of this galaxy, most are blinded! All life dies, all worlds too, and if there is guaranteed perpetual existence, after that - what does it matter how the end comes?"

Behind Jordan, a Flood infection form creeped behind him, before it jumped up latching onto him, and the last thing Jordan felt was pain, and the last thing he heard was the Gravemind's voice.

"Ashes to Ashes… Dust to Dust… the casket will open, an I will rise again!"

Jordan awoke with a start as he practically leaped upright, panting and in cold sweat. 'What… what the HELL was that?!' he thought.

"Oh, your awake!" He heard the voice of Doctor Allannah, before she walked in front of him, as he checked his forehead. "Are you alright? I was worried something went wrong with the augmentations, but it seemed you were dreaming… "

He shook his head "Dream? No… more like a nightmare… " He said.

"Do… you want to talk about it?" The doctor asked, with a bit of concern on her face. But Jordan again shook his head.

"No… no, I'm fine. Its nothing." He reassured, "So… I'm guessing the Augmentation process Is over now?"

The doctor didn't look 100% convinced, but she sighed before nodding. "Yes… we needed to put you in a temporary medically-induced coma, but all of the augmentations have been applied to you successfully." She informed. "I suggest you take it slow though for a week or two, as you get adjusted to your… changes."

Jordan nodded, before he looked at a mirror on the opposite side of the room, before he blinked. He almost didn't recognize himself. Gone was any traces of fat on his body, replaced by nothing but raw muscle that bodybuilders from the 21st century would kill to obtain. He looked like an Olympian athlete! He slowly got off the table, as he stood up to his full height - as he was no longer a mere 5'11, but now stood over seven feet tall. "Whoa..." he muttered, scratching the back of his head, before he felt something metallic. "Wait, is that-"

"Your neural implant, yes." Allannah confirmed, nodding. "Its standard issue in the UNSC, though yours is slightly more advance, a prototype for the ones which will be given to the SPARTAN-II's when the MJOLNIR V becomes available."

"Ah… wait, does that mean an A.I could…?" Jordan asked, pointing to his head.

"In theory yes, but it hasn't been tried… on a human yet at least." She said, "But, that is something we can deal with later."

"Kay..." He said, before he felt a strange feeling on his neck, before he rubbed it, feeling something solid around it. "Wait, did you put one of those Platinum pellet things in my neck that suppresses my…?"

The doctor giggled a bit "Yes, but don't worry about it too much." She said, "We've learned lessons from the initial trials, the new procedure yours has won't cause the same side-effects. Might actually improve it..." She muttered as an afterthought.

"Wait, what was that last part?" Jordan asked, but the Doctor shook her head.

"Nothing! Nothing..." she said, waving her hands before the door to the room opened, as Kurt stepped inside.

"Good to see you awake… Spartan." Kurt said with a small smile, before turning to the Doctor. "How is he?"

"Everything should be fine now, Lieutenant Commander." She said, looking at a clipboard. "But as I suggested with the rest of Beta, he should take it easy for a week or two, let him get adjusted to his new self."

"Fair enough." Kurt said, turning back to Jordan. "Once you get suited up, meet Mendez in the armory. He'll run you a refresher course, get you accustomed to UNSC gear, martial arts and such. Don't forget to take five protein meals a day for the next few weeks, yada yada yada… "

"You got it, sir." Jordan said, before he stood at attention and saluted Kurt. "And… thank you, again for this."

Kurt smirked slightly, before he returned the gesture. "Dismissed, Spartan B000."

Several days passed by, as Jordan slowly got up to speed with his augmentations. He was quickly starting to love the new him, for not only was he faster and stronger, his now-augmented brain was able to process and learn information even faster than normal, and after a few hours in the armory with Mendez, he had already mastered the basic firearms of the UNSC. And following military protocol and discipline wasn't too difficult, having a small bit of lessons from his grandfather who served in the US military during Korea, and already had a general idea on everything else from movies like Jarheads, Black Hawk Down, Act of Valor, and the Halo universe of course.

During most of this time though, he was isolated from the other Spartan-III's as he recovered, eating his five protein meals a day in private in his quarters. But that was all about to change today, as Jordan was running on the treadmill at speeds he never thought possible for a human, while listening to the music on his 'Tychon' - apparently the 26th century equivalent to the Iphone. He had most of his music from his old phone downloaded onto it, along with some movies, show and such - anything not halo related, the only exception being the music from Halo.

"...only the strongest will survive," he sung to himself as he ran. "Lead me to heaven when we die… I am the shadow on the wall, I'll be the one to save us all..."

As he continued to run, he didn't notice seven people entering the rec room. Four men, and three women. When they stepped inside, they immediately noticed the single man inside.

"Hey… who's that?" One of the girls asked, who had short crew cut red hair and blue eyes, gesturing towards him. Her uniform having the rank of a petty officer second class, followed by the number 'B312'.

"I don't know..." said the black haired boy, who shared the same rank, and had the number B292 on his uniform. "But… he doesn't look like a Marine..."

"If I didn't know any better, he looked like a Spartan..." The other girl who also had black hair, with the number B320 on her suit. "Could he be from Alpha?"

"He can't - look, his uniform's from beta!" The third girl, and the shortest out of them said, indicating the numbers on Jordan's back. "B000?"

"Since when did we have a B000?" The second man, this one with short crew-cut brown hair said, with the numbers B170. "I'd think we'd remember someone with that number."

"You think he's a late entry?" said a boy, with the nametag B091.

"Could be..." The next boy with the ID of 004 said.

The last individual, who had the numbers B174 narrowed his eyes slightly before he walked towards the man, who seemed to ignore them as he kept running on the treadmill. "Excuse me?" He asked. However Jordan kept on running. "Excuse me!" HE said again, but again Jordan didn't hear then.

"HEY!" He shouted as he yanked the earphones out of Jaden's ears. However the sudden loss of the music suprised Jordan as he stopped running… but the Treadmill kept going as he fell face-forward, and the Treadmill sent him flying backwards from the speed it was going "SON OF A BITCH!" He shouted, as he was sent careening into the wall.

The other six winced as they saw their fellow SPARTAN slam into the wall.

"You're in trouble now, Min," said the B170 Spartan as Jordan groaned from his position on the floor.

"Mother… Fucker..." Jordan muttered, as he sat back up, "You could've TAPPED MY SHOULDER you know?!"

"S-Sorry!" Min said, as Jordan stood back up to his feet.

"Seriously… son of..." He muttered, before he looked at them, and noticed the numbers on their own uniforms. "Wait… you guys from Beta Company?"

"Yeah." The one with B292 said as he stepped forward, "We saw the number on your uniform, but… we don't remember there being a B000… so, who are you?"

"Well, Uh… well, I guess it was inevitable I'd meet you all." Jordan said chuckling a bit nervously. "Well… Hi, I'm Jordan B000. Commander Ambrose recruited me as part of one of Doctor Allannah's experiments to test human augmentation on more older people, to widen the options for future SPARTAN-III's, along with testing new augmentations she plans to give current and future Spartan's. So they placed me in Beta Company with you to get me familiar with SPARTAN tactics and such."

"Oh… well… I guess that makes us the first to… welcome you to Beta Company." He said, "My name's Tom."

"Sayane," The girl with B312 on her uniform said nodding.

"Name's Lucy," The other girl said with a smile.

"Catharine… though everyone calls me Kat." The third girl said.

"Adam." The other boy said with a smirk, "And over there is Min, blame him for screwing you over."

"Yeah… uh...sorry?" Min said, scratching the back of his head. "You weren't uh… paying attention."

"Bah… no harm done." Jordan said, cranking his neck a bit. "We're suppose to be Spartan's, if a little fall like that'd hurt me, my pride would come into question." As he spoke, Jordan was doing his best not to fanboy out. Not only was he in the presence of Foxtrot Team, but also Noble Six and Two from Halo Reach! It was a bit surprising though that Noble Six was a woman though.

"Fair enough," Tom said with a chuckle. "Though its nice to have a new face around here, and have someone new after we lost X-ray."

"Lost?" Jordan asked, though he already knew the brief tail of Team X-Ray. "What do you mean?"

Leon sighed, "I… lost my team during a training exercise on Onyx, near the Zone 61 area." He said, actually surprising Jordan. "We saw what looked like a… well, a floating eye in the woods. My three teammates went to check it out, the team leader ordering me to tell the Chief… but when I came back they… were gone. No tags or bodies… like they just vanished..."

"Oh… I'm… sorry to hear that… " Jordan replied, honestly feeling a bit sorry for Leon. While he knew B170 was a Spartan-III from Beta, it was news to him that he was part of the MIA team X-Ray.

"It's alright." Leon said, shaking his head. "That was years ago… all I can do is move forward… though it's been difficult flip-flopping from one team to another. I hope I'll get assigned a more permanent one soon though."

"Wish you luck with that," Jordan said.

"Yeah, we all want our teams intact… though we've been hearing that some of us may get transferred out of Beta for other assignments, like some of Alpha's did." Sayane said shrugging. "Considering what I heard though… they were the lucky ones."

"Hey, don't get all broody." Kat said, nudging Noble Six, "That's not happening to Beta! Not with the Eltee in charge."

"Your right." Jordan stated suddenly, catching the other's attention. "That won't happen. I heard what happened to Alpha Company myself… I'm gonna make sure that doesn't happen to us, you can count on it."

Tom rose an eyebrow at that "You seem awfully sure of that," he said.

"All I know is that when we go on our first mission, we'd best give it 110%." Jordan said, "I may not be the most militarily skilled person here, but I won't sit down and let my friends get killed. I can't say I know what it's like to suffer the same losses you all felt… my family might be alive, might not… but I'll do everything in my power to make sure we all make it back in one piece… and we're gonna make sure that what happened to our families… never happens again."

The young Spartans were surprised by the oath that Jordan just gave him, and they couldn't help but believe him, as smiles formed on their faces.

"I'm with you on that," said Leon.

"I am as well," said Kat.

"Count me in," said Noble Six.

Soon, the rest of the seven III's all gave their agreement. It was then Jordan noticed that Chief Mendez showed up. "Ah, Good - don't have to track you all down." He said, "I see you've already met Petty Officer B000?"

"Yes sir!" The Spartan's all said, saluting as the Chief entered.

"Good." Mendez said, "He'll be working along with the rest of Beta, I want you to help show him the ropes. I couldn't think of anyone better to teach Spartan tactics than Spartans themselves afterall."

"Yes sir!" Tom said, "We'll do our best, sir!"

"Good, Dismissed." Mendez said, returning the salute before he left the rec room.

Jordan sighed as he clapped "Alright, So… where do we begin?" He asked.

March 28th 2545 AD

Reach - ONI Sword Base

Cortez sighed as he walked through the interior of ONI Sword base on Reach. The place was filled with ONI Spook's, scientists and guards, but they all ignored him, knowing he wouldn't be here unless he had the clearance - which thankfully he was finally able to obtain.

It had been nearly a month since the Battle of Desdoron, and a month since he helped D.J Cobb get enlisted into the UNSC Marine Corps. After rebuilding his ID, Cortez saw him off to Camp Jackson where his training was underway. He's been keeping tabs on him though, making sure he was doing alright.

Since the battle though, Cortez has been trying to get in contact with his 'friend' within ONI, to give her the alien artifact D.J had obtained. It was… difficult, to say the least, especially since he was trying to avoid drawing in the eyes and ears of unwanted ONI attention. A gut feeling told him that he should try to keep the artifact D.J had as much of a secret as possible. Thankfully though, he had finally been cleared for the visit.

He follows the map to his location, and after a few minutes of walking, he stood before an office door, before knocking. "Enter." A calm voice said inside, prompting Cortez to turn the doorknob, and enter the office.

The room itself was practically in a mess, covered with papers and documents on the floor, and several computers on desks with data drives and the like. Yet it almost seemed that within the mess there was a sense of 'organized chaos'. It looked messy, but at the same time it was organized in a particular way. Though Cortez's attention was soon drawn to the woman sitting behind the desk, her fingers typing away on a computer faster than he had ever seen. She looked old, easily entering her early fifties with black neck-length hair showing some signs of greying and blue eyes.

The woman glanced up at Cortez, as she put her work aside. "Sergeant Cortez," she said nodding. "It certainly has been a while."

"Dr. Halsey," The ODST said nodding, "Good to see you again. How's Cal?"

"Doing better," the Doctor said, "She's recovered from most of her injuries, she should be back on the field in a week. Though I doubt you came here just to check up on her."

Cortez smiled a bit nodding, "Yes I have," he said, before glancing around. "This room is… secured, right?"

Halsey rose a small eyebrow at that, before she typed a few commands into her computer. "It is now," she said. "What is it, Sergeant?"

"This." He said, as he pulled out the L-shaped artifact from his bag, "Found this when me and my team were helping in the evacuation of Desdoron."

Halsey's eyes widened a bit, before she accepted the item. "Interesting..." she said, as she examined the object. "It's not Covenant, that's for sure… its design matches records of other ruins encountered on other worlds… you say you got this from Desdoron?"

"Yes," Cortez said, "A civilian named D.J Cobb claimed a pair of Grunts had it, he took it from them before he met with us… though he is a bit of an oddity."

"How so?" The doctor asked, her interest piked.

"First, was what he was wearing." He said, "His clothes looked more like something I'd expect from the 21st century, yet it didn't look so old. I didn't think much of it, but then I went into his records...or rather a lack there-of them. I initially put this up as his records just being destroyed when the planet was glassed… yet when reports and data from Desdorn came up, D.J Cobb wasn't mentioned anywhere. No ID, Social Security… almost as if he never existed in the first place. But the most odd thing was when I inspected his wallet on our way to Reach… he did have an ID card… but unless I saw something crazy… he was from the 21st Century."

"Are you suggesting he time-traveled?" Halsey asked.

"I thought that… but it doesn't explain how he knows about the Covenant if he did," Cortez said, shaking his head. "It all doesn't make sense… the only thing I do know is that he's trustworthy for the most part, and probably came from a family with some military background. When he asked to enlist into the Marines, I helped him 'rebuild' his ID… though as far as he knows, I still think he's from Desdoron."

Halsey hummed as she inspected the artifact. "Curious..." she said, "Very curious… where is Mr. Cobb now?"

"Camp Jackson, undergoing Boot Camp." Cortez said, "I'm keeping tabs on him, making sure he doesn't get himself into trouble."

"Keep at it." She said nodding, "Once he gets out of combat training… I'll see if I can have a word with him about these… inconsistencies. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Sergeant."

"Anything to help, ma'am." The ODST said, before giving her a brief salute and leaving the office, leaving Halsey looking at the alien object.

'What are you…?' Halsey thought as she looked at the object. It had similar engravings to ruins discovered at Harvest, and several other worlds that had come to her attention. Were the Covenant truly so interested in such a small artifact to attack an outer colony world like Desdoron?

Her computer beeped, signalling she had just received a message. Putting the object down, she read that it was titled 'CPOMZ'. After running a quick check in it, she opened the message.

Doctor.

I don't have much time, but I'll keep this brief.

A month ago while onboard the UNSC Hopeful observing ackerson's 'projects', a rather odd occurrence happened. Some sort of… portal appeared before me, and shot out a young human male, and a dead Covenant Jackal. The human is alive, and we conscripted him into the project to avoid Ackerson's knowledge, Dr. Allannah was able to perform a few of her experimental augmentations on him to add legitimacy to the story.

The young man says he's Jordan Tackett. But the odd part about this is the fact he claims he was from the 21st century, and these facts are further proven by the fact he had clothes from that time period, along with an ID claiming he was born back then, and several pieces of technology that are from back then as well. However, when he came over, he possessed a strange object of non-covenant origin. I attached an image to the document.

There is much more to Jordan than this though, but it is best to discuss it more in-person with him. I'll find a way to arrange a meeting between you two. But my advice? I hope you're sitting down when you do meet.

CPOMZ.

Halsey rose an eyebrow at the simple message, but viewed the image attached. Her eyes then widened - the object… it looked identical to the one she had just been given by Cortez! And the stories were almost parallel as well, both items coming from individuals claiming to be from the past.

'This… just became much more interesting...' The Doctor thought to herself.

May 9th 2545 AD

Zeta Doradus system - Onyx

Three Months.

Jordan let that information process in his head as he ran a series of laps around Camp Currahee on the planet Onyx at 05:00. It had been three months since he arrived in the Halo universe, and officially became a Spartan-III of Beta Company. After meeting with Team Foxtrot, the soon-to-be Noble Team and B170, he had slowly come to know the Spartan's rather well, easily hitting it off as good friends. It was odd to him that they were all no older than 12 while he was about 21 - he'd be 22 if he were back in his own universe by now.

He was surprised that he was able to remember so much despite how much time has gone by, not just about home, but also how he was able to memorize most of the SPARTAN-III's names. Dr. Allannah had told him that among the augmentations he received, one of them was an increased brain capacity which gave him a near photographic memory, capable of remembering everything he ever knew quite fluently, as well as increasing his general IQ quite a bit. He found it a bit unnerving she was literally poking around with his brain, but she assured him that it was 75% safe.

When asked about the other 25%, she said he'd still be in a Coma if it didn't work. She apparently had a dark sense of humor sometimes.

But this aside, Jordan was actually starting to enjoy training with, working and getting to know the other Spartans III's. Though he'd like to think he was also teaching them a few important lessons. While Mendez and Kurt taught them to be soldiers, Jordan viewed himself as teaching them just how to be… well, people. Every few nights he got Kurt's approval to host 'Movie Nights' where he'd play some of his old 21st century movie collection he had with him, along with other movies he downloaded from the waypoint (the 26th century equivalent to the Internet), and even played some of his non-halo games with them, like Battlefield, Command & Conquer, all that and more.

He was quickly becoming the Spartan-III's 'big brother who had all the cool toys'. It was a nice relief to let the 12 year olds be… well, 12 year olds. Giving them something to do that didn't revolve around either training, drilling or preparing for war. Let the kids be kids for once.

Naturally though, Mendez didn't completely agree with it, thinking it was a waste. Though Jordan had explained to him 'it's one thing to teach them to be soldiers, but it's another to teach them how to be normal humans. You can't expect them to be in the military life forever, and I would like to make sure they can still socialize with people who aren't Spartans'. He wasn't completely convinced, though he reluctantly agreed when Kurt approved.

"On your left." He heard someone as Jordan glanced to his left as he saw Leon B170 run up behind him on his left, smiling. "Your up early, Boss."

Jordan shrugged "Early bird catches the worm… you know the saying." He said, as the two kept running. Mendez had assigned Leon to Jordan's team, giving Leon an official team once more. Jordan had picked the name 'Fireteam Mythic' for their name, to which Leon approved of, just glad he was now stuck with a team. Though it was still just him and Leon at the moment.

"Yeah… I heard we may be going on our first mission soon." Leon said. "Though the Eltee said he was transferring Sayane out of her team once her training was done."

B000 sighed at that. He had gotten pretty close to Sayane, she was like that younger sister who could be a bit annoying, but ya still loved her. But he knew it was necessary, after all Sayane was to eventually become Noble Six… or Noble Seven if he somehow figured out how to save Thom-A293.

"She's one of the toughest out of all of us," Jordan said as they completed their 15th lap. "She can handle herself out there."

"Yeah..." Leon said with a sigh. "Maybe we'll see her again?"

"I think we will," Jordan said with a confident smile, "You never know how the future turns out."

"I hope so..." Leon said, as the two finally came to a stop to catch a breather. "I've already lost too much family to this war..."

Jordan frowned a bit, as he put a reassuring hand on his 'little brother's' shoulder. Along with loosing X-Ray, he had told him his family all died on Arcadia when the Covenant attacked in 2531 - much like the other III's. "I promised you and the others I was gonna make sure we'd all get out of this alive," he said, "And I mean it, Leon. So long as we stay together, work together, and fight together, the Covenant won't know what hit them."

Leon grinned a bit at that "Got that right," he said, nudging Jordan. "Come on, race ya to the mess hall!" He then began running back towards the camp.

"H-Hey! You got an early start!" Jordan shouted, as he ran after Leon, who was laughing all the way.

May 9th 2545 AD

Camp Jackson - Reach

"Alright Maggots! Let's move it! Move it! MOVE IT!" shouted the Drill Sergeant as the new recruits all ran through the obstacle course, which consisted of rubble, barbed wire, and, to their shock, some animal parts, all bloodied and dismembered. They were all wearing their M52B Body Armor, CH252 Helmets and carrying MA5 series Assault rifles as they crawled or ran through the course.

"Now I know how Easy Company felt with Sobel," D.J. muttered as he quickly crawled through the obstacles, before rolling through a small pit filled with animal blood and entrails, "FUCK!"

"Get out of the dirt! Move it Goddamnit!" The Sergeant shouted as D.J climbed out of the pit and back onto the course. "Come on you apes, you wanna live forever?!"

'And now he's quoting Starship Trooper...' D.J thought as he got back up to his fleet as he ran and climbed up a rope wall before jumping down the opposite side.

"Why do I get the feeling… this guy hates this company?" A voice behind him said, as D.J glanced back where another Marine-in-training was following him, his gear IDing him as 'PVT C. Dubbo'.

"Nah, Chip… just hates you." D.J said, as he continued to run the course, with Chips groaning as he followed.

"A comedian, great..." Chips muttered.

"Speed it up, Chips!" A voice said passing by him as a young woman with short brown hair tied up into a short bob ponytail and brown eyes. The Tag on her uniform, identifying her as 'LCPR. Palmer', "Do what Cobb does and focus on the job!"

The new recruits continued their run through the course, until they reached a rock climbing. D.J. looked up at the height and after taking a deep began to climb it, Palmer and Chips, along with another arrived after him.

"You gotta be kidding me, we have to climb THAT?" Another Marine in-training, this one with the badge PVT. Parson on his uniform.

"Quit your bitching, just get going!" Palmer said as she began climbing up the wall, soon followed by Chips.

"Parson! If you don't move your ass now, I will personally shoot you IN the Ass!" The Drill sergeant shouted, as Parson scrambled up the wall with his squadmates.

This had become D.J's life as he trained to become a Marine. For three months he had to deal with their nigh intolerable Drill sergeant, as they drilled and drilled to the point it was beginning to get absurd. He was quickly making the Drill sergeants in movies look like weaklings. For nearly 13 weeks this was almost non-stop. While D.J knew that the sergeant was just doing his best to make sure they'd actually survive against the Covenant, it didn't stop him from wanting to put a bullet in him at times.

After what felt like an eternity later though, after running through the course forwards and back again, finally the Marines of Bravo Company could rest as they sat at the forest. "Fuck me..." Chips muttered, "13 weeks… and I got bruises on my damn bruises now..."

"Shake it off, Chips." Sarah Palmer said chuckling a bit as she nudged him. "The pain means it's working."

"Listen to her Chips," D.J. said, as he took his helmet off "This shit will benefit us in the end. And besides, this is our last week of training, just one more day, and we're officially Marines,"

Chips nodded tiredly, as he laid against the tree, while Sarah Palmer smiled.

"Ya know Cobb, you did good in not causing any trouble," she said, while D.J. smiled at the soon to be SPARTAN-IV.

"I aim to please, not annoy. If I do the latter, D.I. kicks my ass," he said.

"Cobb! Front and center, the Colonel wants to see ya!" The Drill Sergeant yelled.

"Looks like you spoke too soon." Sarah said, smirking as D.J groaned as he stood up with his gear as he headed up where the Sergeant was, along with another individual with the rank pins of a UNSC Marine Colonel. She was african american, looked to be in her late thirties with short black hair and brown eyes. Upon reaching them, D.J saluted. "Corporal D.J Cobb, Reporting Ma'am!" He said.

The Colonel returned the salute, "At ease, Corporal," she said, "Drill Sergeant Ibanez tells me that among all the recruits, you and two others are among his top best, with you and Sergeant Palmer tieing for number one in his book,"

D.J. blinked at that, but kept a calm expression and straight posture.

"Thank you, Ma'am," he said, and Colonel April Orenski sighed.

"And since you're the only recruit here with actual combat experience prior to coming to Reach, I had put you, as well as a few others up as possible candidates for the ODSTs," she said, and that threw D.J. for loop, if the widening of his eyes was any indication.

"May I ask, why is that, Ma'am?" he said.

"Aside from the aforementioned reason… Master Sergeant Cortez, whom you are already familiar with, made a mention of your skills during the Battle of Desdoron." April explained, "He too had put your name in for ODST training. As such, once you and the other candidates complete your training, you are being transferred over to the 7th Shock Troops Battalion to undergo 3 weeks of combat training. "

D.J. was surprised, as he was under the impression that he needed more actual COMBAT EXPERIENCE in order to become something as an ODST. Apparently, Orenski and Cortez personally recommended him, and he as well as a few others were going to be part of the non-SPARTAN badasses of the UNSC. Not that he had any ill feelings towards SPARTANs in the first place.

He then gave a salute, "Understood, Ma'am," he said, and April returned the salute and dismissed him, and he turned around and headed back toward the squad, silent as a ghost.

"You've definitely gave him the shock of a lifetime," said Ibanez, while April sighed.

"It won't be the last, either." She said, "We need more soldiers like him now more than ever… he's got a purpose to fight the Covenant, but he's not all gung-ho about it."

May 15th 2545 AD

Onyx - Camp Currahee

"...Operation: CARTWHEEL will be scheduled within five days." Kurt informed as he stood in front of the company of SPARTAN-III's in the auditorium of the camp, with a map of the mission plan behind him. "This will be your first mission, Spartan's. While it may seem easy, treat this just as you would treat any other mission. Dismissed."

Jordan sighed as he stood up along with the other Spartans. As the days went by, the closer it got to Day Zero: July 3rd when Operation: TORPEDO would begin. While CARTWHEEL seemed like an easy enough assignment, a simple raid on a Covenant outpost, Jordan's mind was still focused on how to keep the Spartan's alive during their inevitable mission. While they were ready for most of what the Covenant could send at them, he had yet to formulate a plan to deal with the seven Covenant Cruisers that will arrive in the battlespace and bombard them from orbit, let alone the sheer number of reinforcements they'll bring.

One of his earlier ideas would be to bring several Fury Nuclear Warheads, and board the ships, much like how Thom was able (or will be able too) during the Battle of Fumirole - without killing whoever did. However, that would involve fighting past the reinforcing army which numbered in the thousands, and to do so a total of seven times. The Covenant may be arrogant, but sadly they were not that stupid.

He wished that perhaps they could acquire superior orbital support, perhaps an ONI Prowler could lay a nuclear minefield in front of the Cruiser's path and detonate them. However getting ONI to agree with such a plan was just as unlikely. Neither was the possibility that the UNSC would send a fleet to deal with the orbital defenses, distracting them from the surface battle. But Jordan refused to just bow out and accept defeat. He will save Beta Company… no matter what.

He was about to leave the auditorium before he heard Mendez speak. "B000, a word please." Jordan turned around, as he saw Kurt and Mendez approach him.

"Yes, sirs?"

"We're assigning you and B170 on a separate mission from the others," Mendez informed, causing Jordan to blink in surprise.

"But… why sir?" He asked, confused. "They… they're my teammates, I can't just-"

"We know you don't have much information on what happens during Operation: CARTWHEEL," Kurt said, "We don't want you changing what happens during that battle, since your presence there could easily go either way. But we do have a very important assignment for you and Leon; one which may help you save Beta from their… fate, at 51 Pegasi B."

This immediately grabbed his attention, as he rose an eyebrow. "How so, sir?" He asked. Kurt gestured him to follow them, to which Jordan obliged as he followed them elsewhere in the building.

"Tell me, what do you know about Algolis?" Kurt asked, as Jordan processed that name in his head, thinking of all the info he had on halo before he recalled it.

"The Battle of Algolis… it was covered by the Halo Legends anime episode 'Prototype', and the short story 'Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian'. The latter covered the Covenant boarding of the UNSC Destroyer Heart of Midlothian, while the former went over the surface battle itself, and Sergeant Ghost's actions in saving UNSC personnel by using the prototype Exoskeleton. The planet was evacuated, but as per Cole Protocol all data was destroyed, and Ghost used the Prototype to defend the evacuating shuttles to save the rest of his men before activating its self-destruct feature. And the UNSC Heart of Midlothian was also destroyed via self-destruct due to Covenant boarders attempting to access the AI Mo Ye after killed most of the crew, save for one ODST who lived long enough to allow Mo Ye to initiate the Cole Protocol."

"We've seen that much from your books and DVD's." Kurt said, as they kept walking. "I received a report that a possible Covenant presence was detected at Algolis, possibly advance shock troops to prepare for the invasion itself. HIGHCOMM has prepared the Cole Protocol, and the Heart of Midlothian is preparing to be sent to Algolis as we speak. I need you and B170 on that Destroyer when she heads out, and help in the battle on the surface… and recover the Prototypes."

"Recover?" Jordan asked, "Not destroy?"

"The Mark I ADS's - while more expensive than a suit of standard MJOLNIR - is one of the most advanced weapon systems ever developed out of the T12A Research Facility." Kurt informed, "I know for a fact they have several prototypes there, not just the Mark I. If you could recover them, or even just recover one of them, it will greatly increase our chances of ensuring Beta Company's survival in the battle to come. You yourself saw what just a single Mark One can do."

Jordan thought about it for a few moments, and he did have a point. The Mark I seen in Prototype was able to hold off a Covenant Battalion single-handedly by a Marine who never used it before, imagine how deadly one could be in the hands of an experienced Spartan? And that was just the Mark I - units like the Mark II which appeared briefly in Halo 4 on the CAA Heavy Burden, or even something like the Mark IX Mantis would give them a distinct advantage in the coming battle.

"... I understand, but if it's just me and Leon, we could use some backup." Jordan said, however he noticed Mendez seemed to let out one of his rare smiles.

"Who ever said you two were going in alone?" He asked, as they approached a door at the end of the hallway, and opened it. Inside was a small meeting room, which was already occupied by two individuals of about the same age wearing SPI Mark II armor like Beta Company's own, telling him they were Spartan's, only closer to Jordan's age. The first was a young woman with short neck-length brown hair and blue eyes, her SPI armor being colored sage green with some silver trimming, with the ID A244 on her chestplate. Standing next to her was a young man with short crew cut black hair and brown eyes, his armor colored navy blue with black trimming, and A019 on his armor.

Upon them entering, the two stood up at attention. "At ease you two," Kurt said, waving them off. "Jordan, these here are Spartans A019 Kai, and A244 Rosenda. They will be joining Mythic team along with you and Leon for this mission."

Jordan blinked in surprise, as he recognized the Spartan's both from their names and faces. Rosenda was going to be a member of Noble team before she was cut from the game, but was still considered canon. Kai was from the 'Birth of a Spartan' trailer for Halo Reach, but it was unknown if he was part of Operation: PROMETHEUS or not. "I… see." He said.

"So, you're our new lead?" Rosenda asked, stepping up towards Jordan as if sizing him up. "Seems kinda green to me, Sir."

"Jordan is a Spartan, just like you all." Kurt assured, "He may not have trained for as long as Alpha or Beta, he has the necessary skills to lead a fireteam."

"Let's hope so." Kai said, as he kept staring at Jordan. "So, where we off to, sir?"

"You will be taking a Condor over to Sargasso, where you will rendezvous and board the UNSC Heart of Midlothian." Kurt explained, "Her crew has already been notified. Once onboard, you will head for the Algolis System where there is a possible Covenant infiltration underway. Your mission is to recover the various T12A facility prototypes there, and bring them back to Onyx for usage in Operation: TORPEDO."

"Understood, sir." Rosenda said, glancing back at Jordan as she smirked a bit. "You think you've got what it takes, kid?" She asked.

Jordan rose an eyebrow, "First, I'm pretty sure we're about the same age." He said, "And second… I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I was ready."

"That's what I want to hear," Kurt said, smiling. "I'll let you all get acquainted, just be sure to bring Leon up to speed, Jordan. Dismissed."

May 21st 2545 AD

Reach - UNSC Heart of Midlothian

A D77-TC Pelican Dropship landed in the hangar bay of the Halberd-class Destroyer UNSC Heart of Midlothian, standing before it were several men wearing ODST Battle Dress Uniforms, among those standing there were none other than Master Sergeant Fernando Cortez himself. The Pelican spun around, before its passenger door opened as over a dozen men and some women in Marine uniforms stepped off of the Pelican. He had his eye out for one in particular, and he was not disappointed as he smiled slightly as he saw D.J disembark the Pelican.

The Marines all stood in front of the ODST's, snapping to attention when they saw the Sergeant. "At ease," Cortez said, as he walked in front of the Marines. "Alright you Jarheads, listen up! If you think your Drill Sergeant was tough, the next few weeks are gonna make boot camp look like a cake walk for ya'll! 'Cause your not gonna be just Marines… you're gonna be part of the Orbital Drop Shock Troops! The Helljumpers! And just why are we called Helljumpers?"

"We go feet first, sir!" The Marines shouted in unison.

Cortez smirked a bit "You know, maybe I should retire, 'Cause I swear I didn't hear a goddamn thing!" He shouted.

"WE GO FEET FIRST, SIR!" They shouted once more, much more louder this time.

"Oh, I just felt my dick move," Cortez said, getting a few chuckles. "Now, this ain't gonna be some ice cream social, ladies. We are going to teach each and every one of you how to be a REAL fucking ODST. And sure we can teach ya how to ride a HEV, drive a Hog and shit… but the best training comes from some actual combat, which is where we're gonna be going!"

"Once you get your gear, the Midlothian is setting course for Sargasso for some special gear, then we're heading over to Algolis, where we've been hearing a few Rumors that our old friends in the Covenant have been poking their little noses around where they don't belong!"

D.J. perked when Cortez said Algolis, the Halo Legends episode popping into his head.

'So the Covenant haven't full out attacked Algolis, yet,' he thought as he listened to what the Master Sergeant was saying, 'That means he must still alive,'

"When we enter the combat and we find those alien bastards, we're gonna show them how ODSTs fight! That clear Marines!?"

"OORAH!"

"Is there something in my ears, I said: IS THAT CLEAR, MARINES?!"

"OORAH!"

"THat's what I want to hear!" Cortez shouted, "Get your asses over here and get your bunks! We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there!"

"YES SIR!"

"Dismissed!"

With that the group of Marines broke up, and went to the Marine Barracks on the Destroyer, with D.J. going along with them, as he hefted his duffle bag over his shoulder and began to go with them before he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder and turned and saw Cortez there with a smirk on his face.

"Hey, long time no see, Kid," Cortez, and then blinked when he saw the Corporal Stripes on his uniform, "I see you made Corporal while in Bootcamp,"

D.J. returned the smile as he placed the duffle bag down, and shook Cortez's hand.

"Good to see again, Sarge. And yeah, got this, after I prevented a Recruit back at bootcamp from getting his head blown when we were crawling under barbed wire with a fucking LAAG going off." He said, remembering the incident well where he saw a shellshocked recruit about to try to jump out of the course of death, only for him to stop the young kid from getting himself killed.

"I heard about that," Cortez said nodding, "Good to see you've been making progress."

"Your training sure did help," D.J replied, nodding. "So, which unit am I in?"

"You and one Chips Dubbo will be joining my team, Omega Four." He answered, "Buck and Dutch got transferred out into Alpha Nine, so you two'll be replacing them. Lance Corporal Sarah Palmer - who I heard was in your squad - is attached to Gamma Six, under Sergeant Pham's command."

"Understood, sir." D.J said nodding.

"Good to have you with us, Kid." Cortez said, patting D.J on the shoulder. "Come on, I'll show ya to your bunk."

D.J. picked up his duffle bag again. "Lead the way Sarge," he said, and the two walked off to the Barracks.

117Jorn: And thus, we have the calm before the storm… what is to become of the UNSC Heart of Midlothian? How shall the Battle of Algolis go now? And will Jordan B000 be able to save Beta Company at Operation: TORPEDO?

Patriot-112: And what about D.J.'s future as a ODST, what other unexpected are to happen?

117Jorn: Find out, in the next exciting new episode of DRAGON BALL- err, i mean Halo: Inheritance!

Both: Ja Ne!