A/N: Just to clear a few things up.

Alpha Earth is where our story began; it is the DC Animated Universe
One Earth is the Injustice Universe. You might want to look into Injustice Gods Among Us, to understand the premise.

We have two Chiefs, one in each. So far, we've been following Alpha-Chief.

One-Chief has a bit more human characteristics as he's been living with civilians more, but he also harbors one hell of a grudge against Superman and the regime.

XXxxXX

"Institutionalization, it happens to all of us. My duty is to protect humanity, but when it is in my hands looking back at me… I don't even know what to do. I want a family… it's just I don't know how to get there. In here, I'm a soldier, an assassin. I'm the UNSC's Super soldier. Out there, I wouldn't even know where to begin."
-Commander 117 – John Neil Richards

XXxxXX

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, NORTH AMERICA, ONE-EARTH

John sat in the sparsely decorated dining room and read the news articles on his tablet PC. He went through the archives and replayed the fall of liberty in his mind over and over again. Had Superman lost his mind when the Spartan just arrived in this universe, then John would've just walked away. He had no stake in this universe. Bruce was that catalyst in making this universe his new home.

The Dark Knight gave the Spartan a new purpose in life, it allowed John to live for real and not fake it like he would have to, like his deployments with ONISAD. Here he finally had what everyone took for granted, he finally had what he and his Spartan brothers and sisters gave their lives to defend. He finally had a future that brought warmth and excitement that only a free man could feel, and Mila was the person to bring him out of his shell.

Mila made life worth living again when everything else was lost. The news had said that she was killed in a car accident. But it was no accident; Superman had pushed a boulder of a cliff causing Mila's car to swerve violently into oncoming traffic.

John entered a depressed state, unable to numb his pain with alcohol or narcotics. The loss of Fred and Delilah had pushed John even further into his pit of despair. It was his friendship with Bruce that pulled him through. Now the two men devoted all of their waking hours to topple Superman's regime. They were determined to end the oppression and avenge their fallen friends.

His fingers swiped across the screen as he flicked to the next article and continued on reading. As he let a small sigh escape his lips, his thoughts drifted back to Mila. His desire to pull the Blackrock out of its case and slam it onto his chest was so extreme. It offered him a fighting chance against the regime's Metas.

Blackrock, an entity which was as black as coal and smooth as polished marble, it granted the host immense power. A few years before John's arrival, Superman had fallen under mind control from an alien force. Bruce was forced to fight the Kryptonian by using the Blackrock. The Dark Knight was still weaker than Superman, but he made up for it with his greater speed and martial skills. The two had battled for hours on end; the sheer brutality of it all matched Superman's battle with Doomsday. But the Blackrock enhanced the host's emotions.

Prior to putting on the Blackrock, Batman only wanted to stop Superman. But when the entity took over the Dark Knight, Bruce's goal turned into a desire to kill the Man of Steel outright. It was only because of Superman's timely release from the mind control that he managed to stop a rampaging Batman and free Bruce from the thralls of the Blackrock. Though that was back in the day when Lois was still alive, and Clark Kent was still around.

John wanted to put on the Blackrock so badly, but he knew that if he managed to kill Superman, who would free him from the Blackrock? It should only be used as a last resort, for it amplified rage and anger.

A light knock on the door brought the Spartan out of his thoughts. He turned and looked at a cleanly shaven Bruce Wayne, still wearing his bat suit.

"We've found another universe which might be able to help us," he said with a hint of joy.

John gave a soft smile as he ran his hand through his light beard. He got up from his chair and left the tablet on the table as he walked into the lab.

"Savage, Luthor," the Spartan greeted as he took his seat at the main table.

Bruce sat down next to him and entered in a few keys into the console.

"This is what we've found, Alpha-Earth. They're time is in sync with ours… and there's another you."

John arched an eyebrow.

"That's not the only thing," Luthor added, "our counterparts there are – to put it bluntly – evil."

"How, exactly?"

"Alpha-Luthor likes to indulge himself in criminal activities and spend time trying to bring down Superman…"

"While my counterpart is a megalomaniac hell-bent on world domination," Savage added, "he fits our name more than I do."

"You should've picked a more tasteful name," Luthor said shaking his head.

"Well back when I chose it, it meant 'to restore with grace' not violent vandal. Besides, I think Victor Sirius is befitting as a cover."

"And maybe a little arrogant," Bruce added.

The men had a good-hearted chuckle at that. They knew that even though things looked grim, a joke was needed every now and then to liven up spirits.

John swiveled his chair to look at the inter-dimensional device that stood in the center of the room. It was how Fred got here. A freak accident of course, but a welcome one, nonetheless. He then turned back to face the two men that the rest of the world adored. They were risking a lot aligning themselves with the Insurgency, but they were unhappy with Superman's rule.

Luthor lost a good number of friends when the Kryptonian took over, and Savage had lost his daughter. The four men sitting in the table all had lost something to Superman's insanity. But unlike Bruce or John, Lex and Vandal publicly backed Superman so that they could retain their fortunes and resources to aid the Insurgents.

"So, what's the plan then?" the Spartan asked.

"When Alpha you," Bruce said, pointing at John, "puts on his full armor, I'll match energy frequency with the portal and teleport the selected groups of heroes into this universe. From there we can focus on taking down Superman."

John frowned, "that could take weeks, months even."

"We've already waited a few years, we can wait a few more with the element of secrecy on our side," Luthor said.

Certain technology here was far more advanced than the UNSC prior to the discovery of Forerunner Archives. But that was because humanity here was influenced by extra-terrestrial tech. A lot of these would've been invaluable in the war effort against the Covenant. Though the risk they posed to the UNSC in the hands of the Insurrectionists was just as dangerous if not greater. Everything here seemed to be like a double-edged sword.

It was why patience was not only a virtue, but a necessity. Each piece of advanced hardware had a time and place to be used.

"In the meantime, we can use the intermission to prepare to cripple the One-Government," Savage said.

With that, Lex and Vandal left the premise to return to their organizations. John got up from his seat and walked over to the inter-dimensional machine. He ran his hand along the contours of the titanium alloy frame and smiled grimly.

"You want to go back, don't you, Neil?" Batman asked, moving to the Spartan's side.

John nodded. "But there's nothing left back there. My home is here, now."

XXxxXX

ABOARD BOEING-747 BRITISH AIRWAYS TO TORONTO, ALPHA EARTH

The soft shudder of the plane brought John out of his thoughts. It was night, and most of the cabin had fallen asleep. Out of courtesy, he left the ceiling light off, and used his augmented eyes to read what Batman had given him.

…

I don't know if Black Canary went over this with you, but the Justice League has a department which liaisons with Interpol. From what I've gathered from Miss Martian, your United Nations Space-Bureau of Investigations, is a descendant of Interpol. But there are differences between your Interpol and ours. Interpol here is permitted to make arrests and partake in operations alongside local law enforcement.

We can relocate you to have a job in this department (it shouldn't be too hard for you all things considered). Don't worry about any questions being asked, I've relocated non-humans before, and your case shouldn't be too difficult.

I hope you consider this opportunity; it should give you something to do while we find you a way back home. Contact me when you have decided.

Another thing, there will be a friendly face to meet you at Toronto.

Batman

…

It had been well over a month since the Spartan had arrived in this universe, and he could well and truly say that he and Batman were on good terms. The Dark Knight had done a lot to help John acclimatize to this new world. In a way, Batman's generosity scared him.

He looked back at the letter "there will be a friendly face to meet you". John wondered what that meat. He then reflected back on Batman's earlier words. "You're not the first, and you won't be the last."

What's that supposed to mean? John wondered. Maybe someone I know will be there? Possibly. Would explain my treatment.

The rest of the flight, John attempted to familiarize himself with current cultural conventions by watching the inflight entertainment. He needed to distract himself for a while, thinking too much on the same subject would be detrimental.

XXxxXX

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Dressed in olive green cargo pants and a grey t-shirt, the Spartan was simply another man going about his day to day business. No one gave him a second glance, and why should they?

Passing through security was uneventful, he handed the Officer his US Passport before heading down into the arrival foyer. As he descended the ramp, his eyes panned around the airport looking for possible threats. It was second nature for him to always be on guard. He also made sure that his body language was relaxed as to not rouse any suspicion. John had been with ONI long enough to know how to hide in plain sight.

His blue eyes combed the area back and forth until they stopped and locked on a Chinese man with the same build and same height. He was wearing similar attire which complimented that light stubble on his jawline, and his neatly combed hair.

I saw you die! John's mind screamed.

The Chinese man walked over to John and gave a curt nod.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," Li smiled.

XXxxXX

"Have you ever thought about just leaving it all behind, John? Just find someplace to settle down and start a family?"
-Lieutenant Commander Kelly-087

XXxxXX

A/N: Gruntpedia… almost died laughing.